Confession: I own too many books and I passed this habit onto my daughter.
I have always loved to read. When I was in primary school, I was even mentioned in a local newspaper for the number of books I read during an organized Toronto Public Library summer event. In high school, I was employed by my local used book store and this fed my habit further. I was – and am – always bringing books home. New books, used books, borrowed books – if I can bring it home and I think it will be read then the book gets squished into the bookshelf.
Back to my confession … I own too many books … too many unread books. So I’m trying to make more space in the calendar for reading. I have gotten out of the habit of reading actual books and instead consuming my reading by electronic device.
Ironically, the four books I worked through this month all came from the library. So no books were removed from my collection. These were books that I had considered purchasing though and I considered my library borrowing as a test drive.
Accessible Yoga: Poses and Practices for Every Body | Jivana Heyman
I was so excited for this book to come out. Trainings by Jivana and his team happen around the world; sadly, the timing didn’t work out the last time it ran in Toronto. Why was this book important to me? If you have been to one of my classes, you already know. I believe that any body can practice yoga and aim to create classes that benefit people physically and mentally.
“Yoga practice has so much to offer us physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. But many of us feel discouraged to practice because we see young, slim, flexible, well, and able-bodied people dominating yoga spaces. Yet, yoga is truly a practice for all–conferring enormous benefits to our overall well-being as our bodies change, age, and navigate various health challenges.” ~ Penguin Random House
This book should be read by yoga teachers and students. I’ve taken a variety of trainings over the years so knew most of the poses in this book … but I still took away some great tidbits.
Self-Hypnosis |Synthia Andrews
I am currently working on a Meditation & Relaxation Certification and took this book out of the library for some guided meditation inspiration.
“Idiot’s Guides: Self-Hypnosis offers simple-to-follow steps and techniques for anyone who wants to relieve stress, anxiety, self-doubt, addictions, and bad behavior.” ~ Penguin Random House
I was surprised by the number of self-hypnosis scripts in this book. If you are going to use it on yourself, I recommend using the voice memo function on a phone and record yourself saying the script. Then you have a guided meditation that you could use while finding comfort in a chair, mat, or bed. I have used the scripts as inspiration for guided meditations I ran in my Chair Yoga and mat classes.
I knew this was a book on the bestseller’s list so picked it up out of curiosity.
“milk and honey takes readers through a journey of the most bitter moments in life and finds sweetness in them because there is sweetness everywhere if you are just willing to look.” ~ Andrews McMeel Publishing
It is a short book … a small book … and in many ways a hard read. This isn’t lyrical poetry that whisks the reader away to fantasy spaces. This is poetry about abuse, pain, heartache, and an attempt to find something more.
Talk Money To Me | Kelley Keehn
This book was on display at the library and I remembered watching a segment of the author on TV. I figured that it wouldn’t hurt to grab it since my income is sporadic but my bills are not.
“Kelley takes you through the basics of personal finance with relatable anecdotes that expose the most common money pitfalls—and how to avoid them—so you can make financial decisions that are right for you.” ~ Simon & Schuster
I knew most of the information that Kelley shared in these pages but learned about how others think thanks to her anecdotes. Throughout the book, there are stories from a variety of backgrounds and financial needs. Reading their pitfalls and the solutions made the book relatable and an easy read. Given the dependency on credit today, I think this would be a good read for many.
Share in the comments or tag me on social media on books that you are currently reading.
Sprouting Balance 