Book Recommendations
Categories
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Chinese Classics
• I Ching, translated by Richard Wilhelm
• The Illustrated I Ching, by R.L. Wing
• Tao Te Ching, translated by Gia-Fu Feng & Jane English
• Tao Te Ching, translated by Stephen Mitchell
Creativity
• Make Ink: A Forager’s Guide to Natural Inkmaking, by Jason Logan & Michael Ondaatje
• Morning Altars: A 7-Step Practice to Nourish Your Spirit through Nature, Art and Ritual, by Day Schildkret
• The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron
East Asian Medicine
• Applied Channel Theory in Chinese Medicine: Wang Ju-Yi’s Lectures on Channel Therapeutics, by Wang Ju-Yi & Jason Robertson
• Between Heaven and Earth, by Harriet Beinfield & Efrem Korngold (great intro to East Asian medicine & Five Element theory)
• Dragon Rises, Red Bird Flies: Psychology, Energy and Chinese Medicine, by Leon Hammer
• The Spark in the Machine: How the Science of Acupuncture Explains the Mysteries of Western Medicine, by Daniel Keown
• The Tao of Trauma: A Practitioner's Guide for Integrating Five Element Theory and Trauma Treatment, by Alaine Duncan
• The Web That Has No Weaver, by Ted Kaptchuk (great intro to TCM theory)
Memoir
• Barack Obama, all books
• Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life, by William Finnegan
• Becoming, by Michelle Obama
• Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted, by Suleika Jaouad
• Educated, by Tara Westover
• Heavy: An American Memoir, by Kiese Laymon
• Kook: What Surfing Taught Me About Love, Life, and Catching the Perfect Wave, by Peter Heller
• Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning, by Cathy Park Hong
• On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, by Stephen King
• Peter Heller, all books (adventure journalism at its finest)
• Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, by Cheryl Strayed
Mindfulness
• Attending: Medicine, Mindfulness, and Humanity, by Ronald Epstein
• Heal Thy Self, by Saki Santorelli
• Jack Kornfield, all books
• Joseph Goldstein, all books
• Pema Chodron, all books
• Tara Brach, all books
• Thích Nhất Hạnh, all books
• Wherever You Go, There You Are, by Jon Kabat-Zinn
• Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, by Shunryu Suzuki
Movement
• Anatomy Trains: Myofascial Meridians for Manual Therapists and Movement Professionals, by Thomas Myers
• Gabrielle Roth, all books (founder of 5Rhythms dance)
• This Very Moment: Teaching Thinking Dancing, by Barbara Dilley
Nature
• Bill Mollison, all books (permaculture)
• Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge And The Teachings Of Plants, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
• Coyote’s Guide to Connecting to Nature: For kids of all ages and their mentors, by Jon Young, Evan McGown, Ellen Haas
• Joanna Macy, all books
• Martín Prechtel, all books
• The Smell Of Rain On Dust: Grief And Praise, by Martín Prechtel
Plants | Botany
• Botany in a Day: The Patterns Method of Plant Identification, by Thomas Elpel
• How to Identify Plants, by H.D. Harrington
• Plant Identification Terminology: An Illustrated Glossary, by James & Melinda Harris
Plants | Botanical Medicine
• Herbal Healing for Women, by Rosemary Gladstar
• Medical Herbalism: The Science Principles and Practices Of Herbal Medicine, by David Hoffman
• Michael Moore, all books (especially for western USA bioregional herbalists)
• Rosalee de la Foret, all books (accessible with recipes; great place to start)
• Rosemary Gladstar, all books
• The Modern Herbal Dispensatory: A Medicine-Making Guide, by Thomas Easley & Steven Horne
Yoga
• Anatomy of Hatha Yoga: A Manual for Students, Teachers, and Practitioners, by David Coulter
• B. K. S. Iyengar, all books
• Embrace Yoga's Roots: Courageous Ways to Deepen Your Yoga Practice, by Susanna Barkataki
• The Scientific Keys Collection, by Ray Long
• Yoga Adjustments: Philosophy, Principles, and Techniques, by Mark Stephens
• Yoga of the Subtle Body, by Tias Little
Amazing books abound. This is not a complete list, nor will it ever be. Please contact Jiling if you have favorite books that should be included here, or that we should savor. Also enjoy Jiling’s events, articles, podcasts, blog, resource links, and local Ventura resources. Thank you!