North Atlantic Books Products

All products from this brand (36 total)

<i>Creative Yoga for Children</i> offers a simple, ready-to-teach Montessori-based yoga program for children age twelve and under. Following age-appropriate classroom themes, the book's forty detailed, one-hour lessons are designed to supplement any learning environment and are accessible to parents and teachers alike--no special training is required. In a recent study by California State University, Los Angeles, yoga was found to improve students' behavior, physical health, academic performance, and attitudes toward themselves. Research also shows that the benefits of yoga are particularly strong among children with special needs. This book demonstrates how yoga can become a fun daily practice inside or outside the school classroom. <br /> <br />Enhanced with over 100 black and white photos, the book's themes, or lessons, are divided by age range (ages four to six, seven to nine, and ten to twelve) and explore topics based on the child's developmental level. For four- to six-year-olds there are twenty hour-long lessons on subjects ranging from colors and the holiday seasons to sounds and words. Ten hour-long lessons for seven- to nine-year-olds introduce such topics as the body, countries of the world, botany, zoology, and the universe. For ten- to twelve-year-olds, ten hour-long lessons cover the environment, geometry, the Earth, fractions, the food chain, and more. <br /> <br />Following the structure of a classroom lesson plan, each lesson incorporates elements of yoga including poses, breath work, meditation, and mindfulness. A discussion of the theme and intention of the lesson is followed by a warm-up of yoga poses. The children then engage in a cooperative &quot;connecting&quot; activity designed to bring them together, and a fun and lively theme-oriented activity that involves movement and awareness. The class winds down with breath work, a craft, and often a story. Finally, there is relaxation time and a guided meditation. With this preset structure, the children feel safe while being challenged and inspired. <br /> <br />Derived from the educational philosophy of Dr. Maria Montessori and the author's own experience in the classroom and yoga studio, <i>Creative Yoga for Children</i> allows children to move at their own pace and to be free to learn and grow within a non-competitive, nurturing setting. An essential resource for the 4,000 certified Montessori schools in the U.S., this book will appeal to yoga teachers, classroom teachers, parents, and anyone who works with children.
<i>The Tibetan Book of the Dead: Awakening Upon Dying</i>,&nbsp;with introductory commentary by Dzogchen Buddhist master Ch&ouml;gyal&nbsp;Namkhai Norbu,&nbsp;is a new translation of the ancient text also known as <i>The Great Liberation through Hearing in the Intermediate State</i>. Both a practical guide and intriguing historical, cultural, and spiritual document, this new version incorporates recent discoveries that have allowed for a better translation of previously ambiguous passages. <br /> &nbsp; <br /> Revealing a set of instructions designed to facilitate the inner liberation of the dead or dying person, the book provides a guide to navigating the bardo--the interval between death and rebirth. Originally composed by Padmasambhava, an important Indian master of the eighth century, the <i>Tibetan Book of the Dead</i> was concealed in Tibet until it was discovered in the fourteenth century by Karma Lingpa, a famous Tibetan <i>tert&ouml;n</i> (discoverer of ancient texts). Describing in detail the characteristics and fantastic visions of each stage beyond death, the book includes invocations to be read aloud to the dying person, to help his or her successful journey toward the stage of liberation. <br /> &nbsp; <br /> Ch&ouml;gyal Namkhai Norbu's introduction clarifies the texts from the Dzogchen point of view and provides a scholarly summary of the ancient material based on his oral teachings and written works. In addition, material from several of Namkhai&nbsp;Norbu's more recent written works and oral teachers have been added, including an essay on the four intermediate states after death entitled <i>Birth, Life, and Death</i>. A full-color 16-page insert of traditional Tibetan art highlights Tibet's unique aesthetic wisdom.&nbsp;
<i>Yoga Sequencing: Designing Transformative Yoga Classes</i> presents the essential principles and methods for planning and sequencing yoga classes. Addressing one of the most popular topics in the yoga profession, this book offers sixty-seven model sequences of yoga poses ( <i>asanas</i>) that cover the broad range of yoga student experience, including multiple sequences for beginning, intermediate, and advanced students; yoga for kids, teens, women across the life cycle, and seniors; classes to relieve depression and anxiety; and sequences for each of the major chakras and ayurvedic constitutions. Each sequence provides guidance for teaching the different breathing ( <i>pranayama</i>) and meditation techniques that give yoga its transformative power. <br /> <br />Enhanced with over 2,000 instructional photos and an elaborate guide to the constituent elements of over 150 yoga asanas, the book draws equally from ancient yoga philosophy and contemporary insights into functional anatomy, biomechanics, and kinesiology. The nuanced interrelationships among asanas within and between the seven asana families are explored and the anatomy of opening and stabilizing each pose is explained for sequences designed around specific needs and intentions. A comprehensive appendix includes a glossary of yoga-related terms, an alphabetical asana index with thumbnail photographs of each asana, a class planning worksheet, representative sequences from several popular styles of hatha yoga, and a list of resources for further exploring sequencing and the larger practice of teaching yoga.
<p>In volume 2 of&nbsp;<i>Liu Bin's Zhuang Gong Bagua Zhang</i>, Professor Zhang Jie documents the style of Bagua Zhang developed by Liu Bin, one of Cheng Ting Hua's top students. Professor Zhang became a disciple in this tradition in 1979, apprenticing under the well-known expert Liu Xing Han in Beijing. He was carefully trained for many years, practicing Bagua's circle-walking techniques under the trees of Temple of Heaven park?the same place where Dong Hai Quan, Cheng Ting Hua, and many other masters used to train.<br /> &nbsp;<br /> A two-volume series, <i>Liu Bin's Zhuang Gong Bagua Zhang</i> gives equal attention to Bagua Zhang's history, its practice, and the culture from which it arose; Professor Zhang presents Bagua Zhang as a guide for everyday living, stressing the Chinese concept of balance in all things. While volume one instructed students in the fundamentals of Bagua practice (stances and footwork, the circle walk, and the single palm change), volume two teaches variations on the single palm change; the eight mother palms; the twenty-four movements of five elements, three levels form; and the twenty-four movements of eight palms, eight fists, and eight elbows form. Professor Zhang also introduces readers to weapons training with the continous sword form and the coiling dragon long staff form. Step-by-step photos and descriptions document the forms, while never-before-published historical photographs and first-hand accounts of the development of the art provide a rich background for the practical instruction. Volume two also goes further into the history of Liu Bin's lineage, including profiles of many notable Bagua masters. The author's personal contact with many of these masters, including ones that risked their lives to carry on the tradition through the Cultural Revolution, allows him to record their stories in vivid detail.</p>
Demonstrating that humanity faces an imminent and prolonged global food crisis, Michael Brownlee issues a clarion call and manifesto for a revolutionary movement to localize the global food supply. He lays out a practical guide for those who hope to navigate the challenging process of shaping the local or regional food system, providing a roadmap for embarking on the process of righting the profoundly unsustainable and already-failing global industrialized food system. Written to inform, inspire, and empower anyone?farmers or ranchers, community gardeners, aspiring food entrepreneurs, supply chain venturers, commercial food buyers, restaurateurs, investors, community food activists, non-profit agencies, policy makers, or local government leaders?who hopes to be a catalyst for change, this book provides a blueprint for economic action, with specific suggestions that make the process more conscious and deliberate. <br /> <br /> Brownlee, cofounder of the nonprofit Local Food Shift Group, maps out the underlying process of food localization and outlines the route that communities, regions, and foodsheds often follow in their efforts to take control of food production and distribution. By sharing the strategies that have proven successful, he charts a practical path forward while indicating approaches that otherwise might be invisible and unexplored. Stories and interviews illustrate how food localization is happening on the ground and in the field. Essays and thought-pieces explore some of the challenging ethical, moral, economic, and social dilemmas and thresholds that might arise as the local food shift develops. For anyone who wants to understand, in concrete terms, the unique challenges and extraordinary opportunities that present themselves as we address one of the most urgent issues of our time, <i>The Local Food Revolution </i>is an indispensable resource.
Herbalists, naturopaths, plantspeople, witches, and natural healers will love the empowering information, engaging stories, and heartfelt meditations and rituals of natural herbal medicines in this book. Nominated as a Herbal Book of the Year by the International Herb Association, <i>The Gift of Healing Herbs</i> by well-respected urban herbalist Robin Rose Bennett offers readers who want to take charge of their health an immersion into a myriad ways to use plant-based remedies to care for themselves and others on physical, emotional, and spiritual levels. <br /> <br />With more than 180 easy-to-follow recipes informed by the wisdom that physical and spiritual healing are inextricably intertwined, <i>The Gift of Healing Herbs </i>explores herbology as the &quot;people's medicine&quot;, freely available to all, and as a powerful yet gentle way to heal body, mind, heart, and soul. The book is divided into three parts: the first part examines health and the causes of illness; the second part comprises a reference of all the physical systems of the body and the common and not-so-common herbs for tonifying them; and the third part contains recipes for teas, brews, and instructions for incorporating herbs into our daily lives. The hundreds of recipes for herbal preparations in this book?accompanied by prayers, meditations, and rituals?offer spiritual and physical insights into the relationship between our body systems and the elements, Earth, Air, Fire and Water, thus helping the reader explore and experience the interconnection of all things in the web of life. <br /> <br />Filled with personal stories, case histories, and elements of personal memoir, <i>The Gift of Healing Herbs </i>is equal parts inspiration and instruction drawn from the author's life and decades spent teaching and practicing herbal medicine in a spiritual, earth-based, nondogmatic style. The author explores how one's personal story turns into one's embodied physicality and ultimately reveals individual unique paths of healing for each reader.
Jessica Fenton introduces the delicious flavors, health benefits, and versatility of raw chocolate in this beautifully illustrated and informative recipe book. Dispelling the common myth that chocolate is unhealthy, these easy-to-follow recipes for drinks, cookies, cakes, candies, desserts, and party food offer tantalizing ways to boost anti-oxidants and improve overall health. A comprehensive introduction to raw chocolate, from its history to its abundant nutritional benefits, shows why it is becoming an increasingly popular alternative to junk food. For those who want all the benefits of chocolate without the downside?calories, fat, and sugar? <i>Raw Chocolate Treats</i> opens a new world of healthy enjoyment. <br /> &nbsp; <br /> In addition to the recipes, the book includes a wealth of resource material such as a section on health benefits, a guide to ingredients, and a discussion of equipment. The author provides numerous kitchen tips and a code that indicates the skill level required for each recipe. <br /> &nbsp; <br /> As diabetes and obesity reach epidemic proportions, millions are looking for alternatives to desserts and sweets that are high in sugar and fat. This book makes a strong case for the health benefits of raw chocolate, which has 7x the antioxidants of dark chocolate. The author explains the powerful medicinal and health benefits of raw chocolate, including that it's one of the highest food sources of magnesium, can reduce blood pressure, aids in liver detoxification, and has no cholesterol. The recipes contain only trace amounts of caffeine and are suitable for vegetarians, vegans, raw foodists, people with diabetes or hyperglycemia, and those on a low-calorie, gluten- and sugar-free diet. <br /> &nbsp; <br /> &nbsp; <br /> CONTENTS <br /> &nbsp; <br /> <b>Raw Chocolate: From Bean to Butter</b> / Raw Chocolate?a History 10 / Health Benefits 12 / A Guide to Ingredients 14 / Making the Most of Raw Chocolate 18 / Raw Chocolate Equipment 20 / Basic Recipes 22 <br /> &nbsp; <br /> <b>Drinks</b> / Raw Chocochino/Cacao &amp; Coconut Water Shake 26 / Cacao Maca Boost/Choctail Mocktail 28 / Raw Chocolate &amp; Banana Smoothie / Winter Warming Drinking Chocolate 30 <br /> &nbsp; <br /> <b>Candies</b> / Raw Chocolate-Coated Brazils 32 / Raw Cacao Fudge 34 / Tangy Lemon Chocolates 36 / Fresh Cherry &amp; Chocolate Truffles 38 / White &amp; Dark Orange Creams 40 / Double-Dunked Raw Chocolate Truffles 42 / Cinnamon-Flavored Raw Chocolate Bars 44 / Peppermint Creams 46 / Ginger Caramels 48 / Almond Butter Truffles 50 <br /> &nbsp; <br /> <b>Cookies &amp; Cakes</b> / Raw Chocolate Cheesecake 52 / Raw Chocolate Brownies 54 / Rich Raw Chocolate &amp; Vanilla Torte 56 / Chocolate Goji Finger Cookies 58 / White Chocolate &amp; Raisin Snaps 60 / Raw Chocolate Gingerbread People 62 / Love Macaroons 64 <br /> &nbsp; <br /> <b>Desserts</b> / Neapolitan Ice Cream 66 / Summer Sorbet/Beet &amp; Mint / Choc Chip Sorbet 68 / Guarana &amp; Goji Nutty Loaf 70 / Little Leo's Dessert 72 / White Raw Choc Chip Pudding 74 / Tingly Raw Chocolate Body Paint 76 <br /> &nbsp; <br /> <b>Party Food</b> / Raw Hemp &amp; Chocolate Spread 78 / Raw Chocolate Gelatin Desserts 80 / Crepes 82 / Banana Split 84 <br /> Birthday Cake 86 / Ice Cream Sandwich 88 / Raw Ice Cream Sundae 90 / Milk Chocolate Fruit &amp; Nut Clusters 92 / Cacao Crackers with Spicy Tomato &amp; Cacao Dip 94 <br /> &nbsp;
The ability to walk upright on two legs is one of the major traits that define us as humans; yet, scientists still aren't sure why we evolved to walk as we do. In <i>Born to Walk,</i> author James Earls explores the mystery of our evolution by describing in depth the mechanisms that allow us to be efficient in bipedal gait. Viewing the whole body as an interconnected unit, Earls explains how we can regain a flowing efficiency within our gait--an efficiency which, he argues, is part of our natural design. <br /> <br />This book is designed for movement therapy practitioners, physiotherapists, osteopaths, chiropractors, massage therapists, and any bodyworker wishing to help clients by incorporating an understanding of gait and its mechanics. It will also appeal to anyone with an interest in evolution and movement. <br /> <br />Drawing on recent research from paleoanthropology, sports science, and anatomy, Earls proposes a complete model of how the whole body cooperates in this three dimensional action. His work is based on Thomas Myers's Anatomy Trains model of human anatomy, a holistic view of the human body that emphasizes fascial and myofascial connections. <br /> <br />Earls distills the complex action of walking into a simple sequence of &quot;essential events&quot; or actions that are necessary to engage the myofascia and utilize its full potential in the form of elastic energy. He explains the &quot;stretch-shortening cycle&quot;--the mechanism that is the basis for many normal human activities--and discusses how humans take advantage of isometric contractions, viscoelastic response, and elastic recoil to minimize calorie usage. This streamlined efficiency is what enabled our first ancestors to begin to migrate not only seasonally but also permanently to new lands, thereby expanding the natural resources available to us as a species.
The quintessential guide to yoga assisting and hands-on teaching, <i>Yoga Adjustments</i> introduces the art and practice of providing yoga assists to yoga students. Addressing one of the most important topics in the yoga field, expert yoga instructor and best-selling author Mark Stephens covers the philosophy of yoga practice, the sensibilities of touch in teaching yoga and improving alignment, the seven principles of hands-on yoga teaching, and the twenty-five most effective methods of tactile cueing. An invaluable resource for all yoga teachers, teacher trainers, and serious yoga students, this book includes a foreword by yoga star Shiva Rea as well as over 850&nbsp;unique instructional photos and explanatory captions demonstrating precise ways of guiding a variety of flowing sequences. <br /> <br />Opening with an in-depth discussion of the philosophy of yoga assisting, Part I-- <i>Foundations</i> describes the methods and techniques of giving yoga assistance, with detailed discussions of all of the elements of yoga assisting including communicating with students, qualities of touch, the five basic steps of providing hands-on cues, hands-on positioning and stance. <br /> <br />Part II-- <i>Applications</i> demonstrates how to assist students in each of over 100 postures in the seven families of <i>asanas</i> (poses). Each chapter begins with background on an asana family and close consideration of its foundation asana. Each asana is presented in a two-page spread with photos that show how to give students effective guidance and support. Part III-- <i>Evolution</i> offers thoughts on the further development of yoga in the twenty-first century.
The revised edition of the best-selling book on Applied Kinesiology, <i>Applied Kinesiology, Revised Edition</i> introduces a diagnostic method that uses manual muscle testing to assess the body's &quot;Triad of Health&quot;--structure, chemistry, and psyche. To perform a muscle test, the practitioner applies light pressure that the client then resists. If the client cannot resist the pressure, the muscle &quot;tests weak,&quot; indicating a structural problem or imbalance that needs to be resolved. Further applications include working with a muscle that tests strong &quot;in the clear&quot; as a diagnostic tool to determine the effect of stimuli including touch, nutrients, medicines, allergens, emotions, poor posture, and stressful memories. <br /> <br />Opening with a detailed description of the history and applications of Applied Kinesiology, the book covers the theory, procedure, and intepretation of the muscle test including diagnosis and correction techniques for areas of weakness. Thirty-three muscle tests for different areas of the body are accompanied by instructive photographs with superimposed anatomical drawings that demonstrate the method and various treatment points. A useful appendix includes a glossary of anatomical terms and special vocabulary; a step-by-step plan for conducting a session; and a list of contacts and sources for Applied Kinesiology materials. Offering a new preface and additional techniques in the areas of manual medicine, orthomolecular medicine, and psychology, this revised edition shares the author's discoveries as well as anecdotal observations to stimulate further research. <br /> <br />Table of Contents: <br />Foreword; Introduction; Chapter 1: From Biomechanics to Applied Kinesiology; Chapter 2: Scientific Principles of Applied Kinesiology; Chapter 3: The Muscle Test; Chapter 4: Pretests; Chapter 5: Diagnosis and Correction Techniques; Chapter 6: Muscle Tests; Chapter 7: Applied Kinesiology and Manual Medicine; Chapter 8: Applied Kinesiology and Orthomolecular Medicine; Chapter 9: Applied Kinesiology and the Psyche; Chapter 10: Personal Discoveries and Garnered Methods for Further Consideration; Appendices; Index
The workings of the suitable environment for cells?called the extracellular matrix (ECM) and ground regulation?has occupied the European medical tradition since the early part of the 20th century. As it has become more clear that the origin of disease and its first signals register in the connective tissue, or myofascia, cellular pathologists and biochemists have sought to circumscribe networks of cell communication and microcirculation in the ECM. <br /> <br /> Alfred Pischinger (1899-1982) continued this line of work by further studying, in work published from 1926 through the late seventies, the connections of the ECM to the hormonal and autonomic systems. In the last twenty years Professor and Doctor of Natural Sciences Hartmut Heine and his colleagues have carried on Pischinger?s work, here summarized in one volume. Part One encompasses theoretical underpinnings; Parts Two and Three address applications and directions for further research. <br /> <br /> This updated English-language translation not only is an account of the work of Pischinger?s successors?Heine, Otto Bergsmann, and Felix Perger, (the three editors of this volume) and their many colleagues?but notes the positive development of complementary therapies based on this understanding of histology. Acupuncture is referenced directly. Both in Europe and the States the work of manual therapists, including Rolfers, cranio- sacral therapists, and other somatic disciplines have been informed for many years by Pischinger?s outsider model of how changes in the EMC register in the central nervous system and the brain, and are conveyed back to the periphery and connected organs. Heine?s exciting recent work shows that the regulation and construction of the ECM have relationships to cybernetic non-linear systems and phase transitions.
Where was your soul before you were born? If your soul is immortal, did it have a &quot;life&quot; prior to birth? Did you choose your life and parents? Is reincarnation real? Elizabeth and Neil Carman, the authors of <i>Cosmic Cradle, </i>address these questions through interviews with adults and children who report pre-birth experiences (PBEs) <i>not</i> based on regression, hypnosis, or drugs. Instead, interviewees recall their pre-birth existence completely sober and awake. <br /> <br />In contrast to near-death experiences (NDEs), which have been well documented to show us what the soul experiences after death, PBEs throw light upon our lives before birth. People with NDEs sense that they &quot;return home&quot; when their spirits cross to the other side. What is the nature of this place we &quot;return&quot; to? PBEs suggest that we come from the same place we return to: we come from the Light and return to the Light. The same eternal &quot;you&quot; progresses through life before life, human life, and life after death. <br /> <br />This new edition of <i>Cosmic Cradle </i>explores your soul's journey into your mother's womb--where your soul comes from, the origin and purpose of your life, and the process by which you entered an earthly body. In pre-birth communications, parents meet a soul seeking to cross over from the heavenly realm to human birth. Persons with pre-birth memories recall existence in a luminous world before birth, in which they preview the upcoming life with a Divine Planner, and recall how they journeyed to their mothers' wombs. <br /> <br />Contents <br /> Foreword by Bernie Siegel, MD <br /> Introduction: Amnesia of Our Spiritual Origins <br /> Part One: Pre-Birth Memory <br /> 1. Children as Messengers <br /> 2. Memories of the Cosmic Cradle <br /> 3. ?I Was in Your Tummy Twice? <br /> 4. Scanning Soul Plans: Contemporary Pre-Birth Memories <br /> 5. Welcome to Planet Earth <br /> 6. Shirley Temple and the Blue Bird <br /> 7. Our Soul as a Tiny Spaceship <br /> 8. I Saw All My Costumes <br /> &nbsp; <br /> Part Two: Pre-Birth Communications <br /> 9. Souls Waiting in the Wings for Birth <br />10. Soul as a Sphere of Light <br />11. Cosmic Conception <br />12. Miscarriages and Stillbirths in the Light of Pre-Birth Plans <br />13. Conversations with Unborn Children <br /> &nbsp; <br /> Part Three: Pre-Birth Wisdom down through History <br /> 14. Spirit-Children Down Under <br /> 15. Lodge of the Great Manitou <br /> 16. The Cosmic Designer <br /> 17. Travelers from the Light <br /> 18. Journey from Forgetting to Remembering <br />