ALANA MAYER

One of my all time fave reads. I laugh, I feel, I want to hike the Appalachian Trail. I've read this over + over + will keep coming back to this one. Bill Bryson has a special spot on my bookshelf.

"When we throw ourselves our own lifesaver, we learn how to rescue others.....self-love doesn’t have to be manifested in detoxifying herbal baths, indulgent desserts, or taking a big trip (though we recommend all of the above). It’s much simpler than that. Changing the way we talk to ourselves is the single easiest way to practice self-love.

This is a great yoga read. I remember loving every page while reading it. My copy now has loads of underlines + notes as I've really pulled from it for dialogue. As always, Iyengar has an intense but equally lovely view of what the practice should mean at its core.

A great reflection on the most important life lessons the author has taken in over the last 35 years. It is a humbling little list full of truths.

Chakras, Jung, Psychological development. What's not to love? This book continues to be a personal go-to when I feel unbalanced or just plain curious. She integrates Western science and philosophy from Freud, Erickson + other notables with traditional Eastern philosophy + practices.  But even for those that aren't interested in Psychology or Yoga, Judith shows her deep wealth of knowledge (she's been a Shaman, a yoga therapist, involved in bioenergetics) in way that's easy to understand.

Acupressure + reflexology for better digestion + a metabolism boost. A spring detox.

Fantastic, short read packed with information about how our bodies are designed to take in breath. Some basic pranayama work is in here as well!

It may not be called 'yoga' but the same philosophy + teachings exist in all types of cultures, new + ancient, east, west + in-between. A Hawaiian ritual, E Ala E of Hi'uwai, celebrates the awakening of the first light of sunrise by clearing + cleaning of the mind + body before stepping into the new day with intention. It's just another reminder that the yoga is all around and goes by all sorts of names.

The Soul of a Chef is a super-inspirational book if you want to get down to your focus + dive head-first into a project. It follows a successful food writer-turned CIA graduate who delves into what makes up the passionate soul of a chef. He follows various chefs through the toughest culinary test in existence as well as other acclaimed chefs who have branched out on their own and followed their vision, no matter what was in their path.