My mother used to chant in Sanskrit in her study before sunrise every morning. Though she died when I was 16—22 years ago—I always hear her voice that way. Off-key, but strangely hypnotic, the language both complicated and pure, reverberating around our house. For a kid growing up in Southern Ohio — Bible belt country — the sound was both alluring and repellent. "What's your mother doing?" my friends would ask. "Being a weirdo," I told them. And so encapsulates the coming of age story of Sasha Brown, a transplanted tween plunked in the middle of the Bible Belt with a macrobiotic hippy mom and a ribs-eating dad. A writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Redbook, and Cosmopolitan, Brown's prose is heartfelt and hilarious, revealing her quest to find her way as two worlds collide. While other moms were at Bible study, her mom was studying Sanskrit; while other were finding friendship at Tupperware parties, her mom was finding enlightenment at the ashram. And when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, she chose a healthy diet and yoga over aggressive chemo. When her mother died, Brown ran as far away from yoga as she could until a running injury left her needing the very thing she was running from. It was there—on the mat—that she processed her grief and found her mother again. As she went deeper into the poses, she discovered she was more like her mother than she thought. Through it all, she found a deeper understanding of the practice, of the breath, and of the life her mother lost too young. The practice that once seemed easy and slow compared to pounding the pavement in a new pair of Asics became the biggest challenge of her life. She learned that yoga is so much more than asana. So much more than breath. So much more than perfect poses. The "union" of yoga became one of heart and mind, and finally, with that maternal energy Sasha had been missing for so many years. In the space that she focused her mind and pushed her body to its breaking point was where she would see her mother. In the space of her yoga mat, she and her mother connect across time. Namaste the Hard Way is an ode to the timeless bond between mothers and daughters. Plucky and poignant, Namaste the Hard Way is for anyone who didn't want to walk in their mother's shoes (or sandals).

Namaste Care is a therapeutic approach to caring for those living with advanced dementia, focused on improving their quality of life through a simple, soothing and rewarding process. This step-by-step guide is for anyone looking to translate the principles of the Namaste Care approach successfully and professionally into a home or care setting, with an emphasis on the value of volunteers in the community in implementing this. The Namaste Care approach is focussed on giving comfort and pleasure to people with advanced dementia through sensory stimulation, especially the use of touch, and this book provides extensive guidance on every stage of the process, including harnessing community interest, recruiting and training volunteers, and managing pain and discomfort. In a time of ever-growing strain on healthcare resources, this practical guide is a timely reminder of the power and value of informal care and compassionate communities in helping to care better for people with dementia, and is essential reading for carers, professionals and family members.

This anthology is a catalog of seeds—the work of a network of young writers and mentors, each cultivating a shimmering, emergent voice. For the past two years, New York City high school students have weathered an adolescence shaped by an ongoing global pandemic. Throughout it all, they have found new ways to build community and take root. Roots allow for living beings to journey into our past and forward into the future, toward and away from home, and enable us to withstand the storms that invariably pass through. In short stories, personal essays, poetry, and more, the students reflect on endurance, change, and growth. For twenty-five years, Girls Write Now has been amplifying transformative stories that break down the barriers of gender, race, age and poverty. In addition to being the first writing and mentoring organization of its kind, Girls Write Now continually ranks among the top programs nationwide for driving social-emotional growth for youth. The nationally award-winning nonprofit mentors the next generation of female and gender expansive writers and leaders who are shaping culture, impacting businesses and creating change.

Growing up, Ebony Morgan and her sister, Essence, were textbook twins. From their appearance, to the way they walked and talked, Ebony and her sister were indistinguishable. But as they got older, Essence emerged as the leader of the two and Ebony became less of a mirror image and more like a shadow. Now at college, Essence is no longer interested in ‘twinning.’ In fact, she wants nothing more than to put distance between her and Ebony. That desire leads Essence down a troubling path. Devastated at her sister’s abandonment, Ebony is trying to build a life of her own. But Essence’s ‘mean girl’ attitude may prove more than she can handle. When heartache and heartbreak enter their lives, both girls find themselves navigating adversity that could turn their worlds upside down. Can their twin bond withstand the ultimate test?

Namaste the Ninja book series is designed to empower children and adults to integrate mindfulness practice into their daily life Using present moment awareness techniques will reduce emotional stress at any age. The more we cultivate our ability to be in the present the happier we will be.

IT'S TIME TO FOCUS ON BEING HAPPY - Features more than 100 exercises designed to lighten your spirit - Covers everything from yoga and decluttering to meditation and forest bathing - Written by a USA Today bestselling author In Happier Every Day, author and yoga instructor Paula Munier details a simple yet comprehensive approach to cultivating happiness, including the most recent data and discoveries, all distilled into layman’s terms. She provides 100 practical, easy-to-implement exercises and activities that cover both the well-known (hygge, feng shui, law of attraction, yoga, decluttering, etc.) and more obscure techniques (forest bathing) for achieving happiness. A joyful, encouraging book, Happier Every Day can be picked up as needed to help calm your heart, or read from front to back as one would a daily devotional. It provides a sound beginning to each day, helping you to put yourself in a state of mind where you'll be open to happiness in whatever form it presents itself.

Grab a copy! Namaste Mumbai is the first children's book on one of India's largest and most diverse cities, Mumbai.The 44-page book brings the bustling city alive through characters, colors and couplets. Children will relate to endearing characters as they travel from monuments to parks to bridges to beaches to capture the daily life of a Mumbaikar. Through the adventure, children will eat food at Chowpatty, dance on the streets during Ganpati's birthday, and whiz in a black and yellow taxi across the flyover. Ideal for children under 10 years old, the lyrical couplets will leave your child asking to read the book one more time! Open the book and you will wake up to the sun rising over the Arabian Sea and below is Mumbai, a busy city in India buzzing like a bee....