Desert spirituality speaks to the mind and heart. It is a spirituality that helps us balance our work and daily obligations and figure out our priorities and the place of God in our lives. Desert spirituality addresses our most intimate thoughts and helps us analyze the roots of our spiritual setbacks. Its essence is to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind (Matt 22:37). Starting in fourth-century Egypt, desert spirituality has become a global phenomenon. It has endured through the centuries because it is practical and simple; it tells us how to live out Scripture in our daily lives. It is also profound; it is deeply rooted in the theology of the incarnation and the renewal of creation by the resurrection. The desert fathers and mothers left us short wisdom sayings, revealing their inner experience in their long journey toward being with God. They speak about Scripture and prayer, but also about how to love our neighbors, discern our thoughts, and evaluate our daily activities. Come, learn from these desert dwellers as they teach us about the examination of thoughts, the discernment of the soul, and the balance of the heart.

Heart, Self, and Soul is the first book by a Western psychologist to explore the rich spiritual tradition of Sufism as a path for personal growth. Western psychotherapy aims largely to help us eliminate neurotic traits formed in childhood and adapt to society. In contrast, the Sufi goal is ultimately spiritual: Yes, we need to transform our negativity and be effective in the world; but beyond that, we need to reach a state of harmony with the Divine. Full of stories, poetry, meditations, journaling exercises, and colorful everyday examples, this book will open the heart, nourish the self, and quicken the soul.

The layman’s guide to the ins and outs of craniosacral therapy—what it is, how it works, and what you can do to deepen, or begin, your own CST treatment plan Craniosacral therapy (CST) is a powerful hands-on treatment that supports the body’s own wisdom and innate ability to heal. Tens of thousands of practitioners around the world can attest to the effectiveness of this rapidly growing therapy. In From My Hands and Heart, Kate Mackinnon interweaves her personal journey of using CST with case studies and detailed, easy-to-understand explanations of the theory behind it. Whether you’ve never heard of CST before, thought it didn’t apply to you, or are currently undergoing treatments, this book has something for you. Mackinnon guides you through creating a team of practitioners focused on your well-being, and explains how to help yourself at home between sessions. You’ll learn simple, safe techniques that almost anyone can perform and receive. Most important, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the amazing powers of the human body and how, with individualized support through CST, it can find its own way to balance and health. Heart Disease

“[Piscatella and Sabbagh] show what’s good for keeping your heart pumping keeps your memories and passions alive. They give you a really great plan to follow. This book can help many and hopefully will help you and yours for years to come.” — From the Foreword by Michael Roizen, MD, Chief Medical Consultant for The Dr. Oz Show, and New York Times bestselling author The science of why both heart and brain health are the key to wellness and longevity and ho w to cultivate a brain-body-balance to live a longer, healthier, and happier life. Strong Heart, Sharp Mind: The 6-Step Brain-Body Balance Program that Reverses Heart Disease and Helps Prevent Alzheimer’s presents a cutting-edge, science-based program that teaches readers how to develop the habits and lifestyle practices that improve both heart and brain health. Readers will learn how they can prevent or forestall both the nation’s number-one killer–heart disease–as well as the affliction Americans fear most: Alzheimer’s disease. For the 108 million Americans 50 and over, creating what the authors call the “BRAIN-BODY-BALANCE” through the steps detailed in these pages can also improve quality of life and longevity, by synchronizing the interaction between our two most vital organs. Joseph C. Piscatella, nationally-known, bestselling speaker and author of countless heart health books, and one of the longest-living survivors of coronary bypass surgery (43 years and counting!) and Cleveland Clinic neurologist Marwan Noel Sabbagh, M.D., one of the world’s foremost researchers in the fight against Alzheimer’s, employ the latest science and recommendations from other leading-edge thinkers and practitioners, to help readers optimize the connection between cardiac and neuro health—a nexus that until recently has been overlooked as a key to wellness and longevity. Together, "No Ordinary Joe" Piscatella and Dr. Sabbagh are poised to guide readers to this new intersection of heart-brain health, and take them through the necessary steps to make that connection between our most vital organs, for optimal wellness—and to protect them against the world's most lethal and feared diseases. STRONG HEART, SHARP MIND blends science and solution in the form of a new, singular heart/brain-specific program and takes readers through the steps necessary to optimal wellness and a longer, happier life.

This presentation describes various aspects of the regulation of tissue oxygenation, including the roles of the circulatory system, respiratory system, and blood, the carrier of oxygen within these components of the cardiorespiratory system. The respiratory system takes oxygen from the atmosphere and transports it by diffusion from the air in the alveoli to the blood flowing through the pulmonary capillaries. The cardiovascular system then moves the oxygenated blood from the heart to the microcirculation of the various organs by convection, where oxygen is released from hemoglobin in the red blood cells and moves to the parenchymal cells of each tissue by diffusion. Oxygen that has diffused into cells is then utilized in the mitochondria to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy currency of all cells. The mitochondria are able to produce ATP until the oxygen tension or PO2 on the cell surface falls to a critical level of about 4–5 mm Hg. Thus, in order to meet the energetic needs of cells, it is important to maintain a continuous supply of oxygen to the mitochondria at or above the critical PO2 . In order to accomplish this desired outcome, the cardiorespiratory system, including the blood, must be capable of regulation to ensure survival of all tissues under a wide range of circumstances. The purpose of this presentation is to provide basic information about the operation and regulation of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, as well as the properties of the blood and parenchymal cells, so that a fundamental understanding of the regulation of tissue oxygenation is achieved.

Love, compassion, and peace - these words are at the heart of all spiritual endeavors. Although we intuitively resonate with their meaning and value, for most of us, the challenge is how to embody what we know; how to transform these words into a vibrant, living practice. In these times of conflict and uncertainty, this transformation is far more than an abstract ideal; it is an urgent necessity. Peace in the world begins with us. This wonderfully appealing offering from one the most trusted elders of Buddhism in the West is a warm and engaging exploration of the ways we can cultivate and manifest peace as wise and skillful action in the world. This charming book is illuminated throughout with lively, joyous, and sometimes even funny citations from a host of contemporary and ancient sources - from the poetry of W.S. Merwin and Galway Kinnell to the haiku of Issa and the great poet-monk Ryokan, from the luminous aspirations of Saint Francis of Assisi to the sage advice of Thich Nhat Hanh and the Dalai Lama.