A principal part of the Taoist canon for many centuries, this Lao-Tzu classic is an essential overview of the Taoist practice of internal alchemy, or qigong Equanimity, good health, peace of mind, and long life are the goals of the ancient Taoist tradition known as “internal alchemy,” of which Cultivating Stillness is a key text. Written between the second and fifth centuries, the book is attributed to T’ai Shang Lao-chun—the legendary figure more widely known as Lao-Tzu, author of the Tao-te Ching. The accompanying commentary, written in the nineteenth century by Shui-ch’ing Tzu, explains the alchemical symbolism of the text and the methods for cultivating internal stillness of body and mind. A key text in the Taoist canon, Cultivating Stillness is still the first book studied by Taoist initiates today.

Samyama - Stillness in Action, Siddhis and Miracles covers a powerful yoga practice that has been shrouded in mystery for centuries. Yet, it is as close to us as our most immediate hopes and dreams, for it is the principles of Samyama that are operating behind everything good that is happening in our life. The key methods of Samyama are covered here, simplified to enable anyone to engage in daily practice leading to profound results. Our deepest desires can be enlivened by systematically letting go into our inner silence. Whatever we surrender will come back to us a thousand-fold, purified in a divine outpouring. This is Stillness in Action. Yogani is the author of two landmark books on the world's most effective spiritual practices: Advanced Yoga Practices - Easy Lessons for Ecstatic Living, a comprehensive user-friendly textbook, and The Secrets of Wilder, a powerful spiritual novel. The AYP Enlightenment Series makes these profound practices available for the first time in a series of concise instruction books. Samyama is the fifth book in the series, preceded by Asanas, Mudras and Bandhas, Tantra, Spinal Breathing Pranayama, and Deep Meditation.

What if it really wasn't that hard to find more peace, more quiet, more room in your heart for the Christ child to be born? Hawkins will guide you—calmly and simply—through the busy season of Advent, and you'll come out of the four weeks more centered, rested, and spiritually renewed. "The idea for this book arose from my own experience of contemplative prayer, prayer that finds its home, not in busy doing or speaking, but in becoming, in being," writes Hawkins. Some Advent titles promise reflective simplicity but actually require a lot of time or reading; Simply Wait is the exception. The exercises are very doable and focus on anticipation, hope, patience, and obedience. Questions and journal space are provided to help you contemplate more fully. This is an ideal individual or small-group study; a guide for groups is included. Instead of doing more and moving faster, find a way to reflect more, worry less, and connect authentically to the season with the grace-filled wisdom of Simply Wait.

This is the second volume of a two-book series that peels away the metaphors and explains the living traditions of Lao Tse's water method of Taoist meditation. The main focus of the book is to explain 'inner dissolving, ' its major mediation technique that helps people overcome deeply bound negative emotions, deepen their spiritual and psychic development, and develop balance and compassion. "The Great Stillness" is one of the few books that discusses the Taoist traditions of sexual chi gung and meditation. It is the only book that includes detailed instructions and illustrations for the moving meditation practice called Circle Walking that was developed in Taoist monasteries over 4000 years ago. This volume advances the breathing lessons taught in volume one: "Relaxing Into Your Being,"

"In The Art of Stillness, Iyer draws on the lives of well-known wanderer-monks like Cohen--as well as from his own experiences as a travel writer who chooses to spend most of his time in rural Japan--to explore why advances in technology are making us more likely to retreat. Iyer reflects that this is perhaps the reason why many people--even those with no religious commitment--seem to be turning to yoga, or meditation, or tai chi. These aren't New Age fads so much as ways to rediscover the wisdom of an earlier age."--Publisher's description.

Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller & Wall Street Journal Bestseller In The Obstacle Is the Way and Ego Is the Enemy, bestselling author Ryan Holiday made ancient wisdom wildly popular with a new generation of leaders in sports, politics, and technology. In his new book, Stillness Is the Key, Holiday draws on timeless Stoic and Buddhist philosophy to show why slowing down is the secret weapon for those charging ahead. All great leaders, thinkers, artists, athletes, and visionaries share one indelible quality. It enables them to conquer their tempers. To avoid distraction and discover great insights. To achieve happiness and do the right thing. Ryan Holiday calls it stillness--to be steady while the world spins around you. In this book, he outlines a path for achieving this ancient, but urgently necessary way of living. Drawing on a wide range of history's greatest thinkers, from Confucius to Seneca, Marcus Aurelius to Thich Nhat Hanh, John Stuart Mill to Nietzsche, he argues that stillness is not mere inactivity, but the doorway to self-mastery, discipline, and focus. Holiday also examines figures who exemplified the power of stillness: baseball player Sadaharu Oh, whose study of Zen made him the greatest home run hitter of all time; Winston Churchill, who in balancing his busy public life with time spent laying bricks and painting at his Chartwell estate managed to save the world from annihilation in the process; Fred Rogers, who taught generations of children to see what was invisible to the eye; Anne Frank, whose journaling and love of nature guided her through unimaginable adversity. More than ever, people are overwhelmed. They face obstacles and egos and competition. Stillness Is the Key offers a simple but inspiring antidote to the stress of 24/7 news and social media. The stillness that we all seek is the path to meaning, contentment, and excellence in a world that needs more of it than ever.

A leading scholar feng shui master presents the great depth and diversity of Taoist philosophy, practices, and history in this accessible manual to the oft-misunderstood spiritual tradition. Millions of readers have come to the philosophy of Taoism thanks to the classics Tao Te Ching and the I Ching, or through the practices of t'ai chi and feng-shui, but the Tao is less known for its unique traditions of meditation, physical training, magical practice, and internal alchemy. Eva Wong, a leading Taoist practitioner and translator, provides a solid introduction to the Way. All of Taoism’s most important texts, figures, and events are covered, as well as its extraordinarily rich history and remarkable variety of practice. Sections include: • The History of Taoism traces the development of the tradition from the shamans of prehistoric China through the classical period (including the teachings of the famous sage Lao-tzu), the beginnings of Taoism as a religion, the rise of mystical and alchemical Taoism, and the synthesis of Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. • Systems of Taoism explores magical sects, divination practices, devotional ceremonies, internal alchemy, and the way of right action. • Taoist Practices discusses meditation, techniques of cultivating the body, and rites of purification, ceremony, and talismanic magic. This roadmap to the spiritual landscape of Taoism not only introduces the important events in the history of Taoism, the sages who wrote the Taoist texts, and the various schools of Taoist thinking, but also gives readers a feel for what it means to practice Taoism today. A comprehensive bibliography for further study completes this valuable reference work.