Mind, Body, & Spirit from the 2015 Winter Newsletter

You don’t have to be a professional artist to want to nurture curiosity, creativity, and courage. Interested in the playful, un-jaded side of yourself? Perhaps you’re ready to cut out the (obnoxious, by the way) “tortured artist” act and create joyfully? Elizabeth Gilbert’s unpretentious manifesto/guidebook on creativity, inspiration, and work encourages a life-changing dive into “fierce trust,” “stubborn gladness,” and permission to explore. With her delightful humor and wisdom shining, Gilbert is honest about her convictions, candid about her failings and doubts. Standing out from the sea of self-help shticks, Big Magic is beyond refreshing.  —Julia

This is a beautiful collection of Zen in union with calligraphy. The flowing movements of Thich Nhat Hanh’s brushstrokes serve to unlock the mind, which allows the teachings to penetrate deep into one’s heart. This marriage of art and wisdom would make a wonderful gift for the advanced practitioner or someone with a beginning pull toward Buddhism.  —Norbu

Pema Chödrön has returned with another provocatively titled work to help us out of our rut and into the light of being empowered. Chödrön has compiled gems of her Tibetan Mahayana teachings as well as quotes from other teachers. Humanity is fortunate to have her as one of its caretakers.  —Norbu

I don’t usually find myself gravitating toward “self-help” books, but I have found solace (and relief) in the writing of Rachel Stafford, who writes the Hands Free Mama blog. For those times when parenting and life become totally overwhelming (Once a day? More?), take a dip into Stafford’s book. With topics such as taking the pressure off, seeing what is good, and giving what matters, Hands Free Life is a great reminder of what is truly important—and what is, quite simply, distraction.  —S.B.

Dr. Tweedy’s journey from naïve med student to seen-it-all doctor, with a stop or two at patient thrown in, raises issues that are both familiar and eye-opening. Tweedy deals firsthand with many of the ways race, class, and medicine collide and his narratives put a very human face on the medical statistics. His struggles and epiphanies help illuminate the difficulties black doctors and patients face, and suggest ways in which our country could do a better job providing adequate care.  —Nici

What if we could harness the best qualities we use when we play games—creativity, courage, focus—to make the real world a better place? Renowned game designer Jane McGonigal wondered that after a severe concussion led her to depression and thoughts of suicide. She created SuperBetter, a web game that saved her life. This hopeful, research-packed book (which includes challenges to get you “superbetter” as you read) traces the surprising science behind how games can help us improve memory, mood, resilience, and compassion—even minimize physical pain and protect against posttraumatic stress disorder.  —Julia

Neem Karoli Baba is the long-time guru of many well-known Westerners, including Ram Dass and Krishna Das, and is the local teacher of renowned Baba Hari Dass. Love Everyone is the newest installment of the collected stories of Maharajji and is wonderfully entertaining and articulate in the impish style he so skillfully utilized to develop his students’ spirituality. I love, love, love this book.    —Norbu

Is medicine a science? It seems like an obvious yes, but sciences have immutable laws and medicine does not. In this philosophical book from TED Talks, renowned oncologist and author of The Emperor of All Maladies Siddhartha Mukherjee outlines the laws he has practiced by and relates them to medicine as a whole. His discussion of probability and human bias, and his thoughts on the future of medicine will make you view the field differently.  —Flannery