In this issue

LESSONS FROM MASTER SURVIVORS

89 Books We Love

CELEBRATE AUTUMN EQUINOX

EXTREME RITES ON MAURITIUS

SKIPPING PAST SELF-CRITICISM

a call to connect

Dr. Marisa Franco is the author of Platonic

+ Tara Brach, Marcus Bridgewater, Pema Chödrön

Ringing Gongs, Clanging Cymbals, and the Primacy of Love

THE SOUL OF THERAPY KEVIN ANDERSON, PHD

5 mins

Peace and Quiet

THERE WERE A LOT OF naysayers who said it would never fly-a true destination spa in the woods of Wisconsin-but nearly 20 years on, Sundara Inn & Spa in Wisconsin Dells has quietly but steadfastly proved those naysayers wrong. Since opening in 2003, Sundara has garnered a reputation as a sanctuary from stress and has managed to stay true to its wellness mission.

2 mins

LESSONS FROM MASTER SURVIVORS

MARK MATOUSEK has spent decades studying how obstacles morph into strengths. He shares what he’s learned from master survivors.

6 mins

An Autumn Equinox Ritual

Day Schildkret offers a Shake and Harvest Ritual. His newest book is Hello, Goodbye: 75 Rituals for Times of Loss, Celebration and Change.

7 mins

RETHINKING THE LAW OF ATTRACTION

Mindfulness and meditation teachers BENJAMIN KOCH and ADRIENNE VAN DER VALK explore how to go beyond self-focused manifestation and imagine true global change.

5 mins

FINISH THE STRESS CYCLE FOR BETTER SLEEP

Sleep coach MONICA LE BARON describes how to let your body know that it’s time for rest.

4 mins

LESSONS FROM Extreme Rituals

Dimitris Xygalatas, PhD, runs a unique lab at the University of Connecticut that gathers data from around the world to answer a very big question: Why do so many ordinary people regularly participate in painful religious rites?

10+ mins

Act First, Think Later

Rachel Goldsmith Turow, the author of The Self-Talk Workout, offers a way to skip past self-criticism.

5 mins

FRIENDSHIP FLATTENS HILLS

It’s time to put connections at the center of wellbeing, says relationship expert Marisa Franco.

3 mins

ROMANTIC LOVE FOR FRIENDS

It’s not that we don’t feel deep love for friends; it’s just that we don’t always feel comfortable expressing it. When I did a talk on how to make friends at work, I asked the audience to write down something positive they feel for a friend that they have yet to tell them.

3 mins

A Life of Evolution

Trailblazer Joseph L. Graves, Jr. believes that we can solve stubborn problems by applying the science of evolutionary biology.

4 mins

To Admire

THE ANTIDOTE TO PESSIMISM is admiration. It sounds so simple, but the counterpoint to dwelling on what is missing is to affirm what is already here. To live a life of admiration is to name what is uplifting in the world and, through our love and attention, to discern how what matters works, so we can bring it to bear on all that life offers. Through admiration, we address what is missing the way light addresses dark.

4 mins

The Untouchables

I AM WRITING this having just completed my sixth week of IV treatments for a rare blood and bone cancer. Our thoughts about who we are in this world can all come crashing down due to sickness, accidents, loss of employment, or any other events outside our control. My “I am’s” are in disarray.

4 mins

Bee-ing Here Now: Lessons From Honey Bees

“WHAT IS THAT?” the mechanic queried, staring at a fuzzy spot on my Jeep’s engine block. I spied an intact, but most certainly dead, honey bee. “Oh no!” I gasped, reaching to relocate the tiny body into my palm. “Awwww,” gushed my burly companion.

4 mins

Read all stories from Spirituality & Health

Spirituality & Health Magazine Description:

Explores today's spiritual renaissance and the connection between health and spirituality. Offering mindful coverage to topics of faith, Eastern philosophy, meditation, and mainstream religion; nutrition, wellness, yoga, and holistic medicine; creativity, the inner life, social justice, and issues of conscience; and public health, the human body, and the environment.