Reading List

Here is a list of books that have inspired me and influenced the way I approach life, my work and health. I’ve separated the books into categories, but just as I don’t view my emotional wellbeing, physical health, or the work that I do as separate entities, the categories below weave beautifully together.

Mind Body Connection:

Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom (Revised Edition): Creating Physical and Emotional Health and Healing by Christiane Northrup, MD- This should be on every womans bookshelf! This book changed the way I think about my body. Health is not just about being void of illness, but also about being fulfilled emotionally.

Anatomy of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Power and Healing by Caroline Myss, PhD

Book description on Amazon-“Anatomy of the Spirit is the boldest presentation to date of energy medicine by one of its premier practitioners, internationally acclaimed medical intuitive Caroline Myss, one of the “hottest new voices in the alternative health/spirituality scene” (Publishers Weekly). Based on fifteen years of research into energy medicine, Dr. Myss’s work shows how every illness corresponds to a pattern of emotional and psychological stresses, beliefs, and attitudes that have influenced corresponding areas of the human body.”

Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha by Tara Bach

“Believing that something is wrong with us is a deep and tenacious suffering,” says Tara Brach at the start of this illuminating book. This suffering emerges in crippling self-judgments and conflicts in our relationships, in addictions and perfectionism, in loneliness and overwork–all the forces that keep our lives constricted and unfulfilled. Radical Acceptance offers a path to freedom, including the day-to-day practical guidance developed over Dr. Brach’s twenty years of work with therapy clients and Buddhist students.

Emotional Alchemy: How the Mind Can Heal the Heart by Tara Bennett-Goleman

Tara Bennett-Goleman shows readers how they can use this alchemist metaphor to transform emotional confusion (lead) into insightful clarity (gold). And what does the magic stone represent? “Mindfulness,” a lifelong practice that can bring readers more joy and contentment than the gold, according to Bennett-Goleman. “Mindfulness means seeing things as they are without trying to change them,” she writes. “The point is to dissolve our reactions to disturbing emotions, being careful not to reject the emotion itself.”

The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire: Harnessing the Infinite Power of Coincidence by Deepak Chopra

I feel the Universe is supporting and guiding us to fulfill our life path and highest potential, we just need to open our eyes and recognize what is being lined up. “Not only are everyday coincidences meaningful, they actually provide us with glimpses of the field of infinite possibilities that lies at the heart of all things. By gaining access to this wellspring of creation, we can literally rewrite our destinies in any way we wish.”

Love, Medicine and Miracles: Lessons Learned about Self-Healing from a Surgeon’s Experience with Exceptional Patients by Bernie Siegel, MD

“Unconditional love is the most powerful stimulant of the immune system. The truth is: love heals. Miracles happen to exceptional patients every day—patients who have the courage to love, those who have the courage to work with their doctors to participate in and influence their own recovery.”

Molecules Of Emotion: The Science Behind Mind-Body Medicine by Candace B. Pert, Ph.D.

“Why do we feel the way we feel? How do our thoughts and emotions affect our health? Are our bodies and minds distinct from each other or do they function together as parts of an interconnected system?

In her groundbreaking book Molecules of Emotion, Candace Pert provides startling and decisive answers to these and other challenging questions that scientists and philosophers have pondered for centuries.

Her pioneering research on how the chemicals inside our bodies form a dynamic information network, linking mind and body, is not only provocative, it is revolutionary. By establishing the biomolecular basis for our emotions and explaining these new scientific developments in a clear and accessible way, Pert empowers us to understand ourselves, our feelings, and the connection between our minds and our bodies — body-minds — in ways we could never possibly have imagined before.

Molecules of Emotion is a landmark work, full of insight and wisdom and possessing that rare power to change the way we see the world and ourselves.”

When the Body Says No: Exploring the Stress-Disease Connection by Gabor Maté MD

Gabor Maté explores the role of the mind-body link in conditions and diseases such as arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, IBS, and multiple sclerosis. He draws on medical research and his clinical experience as a family physician. He shares dozens of enlightening case studies and stories, including those of people such as Lou Gehrig (ALS), Betty Ford (breast cancer), Ronald Reagan (Alzheimer’s), Gilda Radner (ovarian cancer), and Lance Armstrong (testicular cancer).

Wild Feminine: Finding Power, Spirit & Joy in the Female Body By Tami Lynn Kent “Wild Feminine: Finding Power, Spirit, & Joy in the Female Body offers a unique, holistic approach to reclaiming the power, spirit, and joy of the female body and to understanding its connection to creative energy flow. By restoring physical and energetic balance in the pelvic bowl, women can learn to care for themselves in a nourishing and respectful manner, heal spiritual fractures, and renew their relationship with the sacred feminine.”

Real life inspirational stories by my mentors:

Sastun: My Apprenticeship with a Maya Healer by Dr Rosita Arvigo

Rosita Arvigo is the teacher I studied with and learned the Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy™ and Maya Spiritual Healing.

I’ve read this book three times and laughed and cried each time. The compelling drama of American herbologist and Naprapathic Physician Rosita Arvigo’s quest to preserve the knowledge of Don Elijio Panti, one of the last surviving and most respected traditional healers in the rainforest of Belize.

The Path of Practice: A Woman’s Book of Ayurvedic Healing by BRI. Maya Tiwari

Diagnosed with ovarian cancer at twenty-three, Bri. Maya was given two months to live. Her doctors’ advice: die painlessly with heavy dosages of morphine. Instead, in the middle of winter, she left her career as a popular fashion designer in New York City and began several months of intensive meditation and holistic nutrition alone in a remote Vermont cabin. By Spring, her health and vitality had been restored. Inspired by dramatic visions and dreams of her family and ancestors, Bri. Maya became a student of one of India’s few living masters of the traditional Vedas. Today, healthy in body and spirit, she devotes herself to teaching the wisdom practices of the Vedas to help others heal emotional and spiritual discomfort, dis-ease, and physical illness.

The Second Brain: A Groundbreaking New Understanding of Nervous Disorders of the Stomach and Intestine by Michael D. Gershon, M.D.

Dr. Michael Gershon has devoted his career to understanding the human bowel (the stomach, esophagus, small intestine, and colon). His thirty years of research have led to an extraordinary rediscovery: nerve cells in the gut that act as a brain. This “second brain” can control our gut all by itself. Our two brains — the one in our head and the one in our bowel — must cooperate. If they do not, then there is chaos in the gut and misery in the head — everything from “butterflies” to cramps, from diarrhea to constipation. Dr. Gershon’s work has led to radical new understandings about a wide range of gastrointestinal problems including gastroenteritis, nervous stomach, and irritable bowel syndrome. The Second Brain represents a quantum leap in medical knowledge and is already benefiting patients whose symptoms were previously dismissed as neurotic or “it’s all in your head.”

Food as Medicine:

Gut and Psychology Syndrome: Natural Treatment for Autism, Dyspraxia, A.D.D., Dyslexia, A.D.H.D., Depression, Schizophrenia by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD

Gut and Psychology Syndrome provides the information you need to heal a damaged digestive system. The perfect book for anyone suffering from Autism, Dyslexia, Depression, Dyspraxia, ADD, ADHD, Schizophrenia, and any other condition that has a link with gut dysbiosis.

Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats by Sally Fallon

This well-researched, thought-provoking guide to traditional foods contains a startling message: Animal fats and cholesterol are not villains but vital factors in the diet, necessary for normal growth, proper function of the brain and nervous system, protection from disease and optimum energy levels. Includes lots of recipes.

Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition by Paul Pitchford

Used as a reference by students of acupuncture, Healing with Whole Foods is an invaluable guide to the theory and practice of Chinese medicine. I like it because I’m interested in Chinese medicine and want to understand my body and its signals. In this book symptoms are listed and what foods to use to correct the imbalance. For instance,what foods to use to correct spleen qi deficiency or excess.

Herbalism:

Herbal Healing for Women by Rosemary Gladstar

“Comprehensive and easy-to-use, Herbal Healing for Womenexplains how to create remedies — including teas, tinctures, salves, and ointments — for the common disorders that arise in the different cycles of a woman’s life. Covering adolescence, childbearing years, pregnancy and childbirth, and menopause, Rosemary Gladstar teaches how herbs can be used to treat the symptoms of conditions such as acne, PMS, morning sickness, and hot flashes.”

Rosemary Gladstar’s Family Herbal: A Guide to Living Life with Energy, Health, and Vitality

Her herbal recipes address everyday ailments, ease stress and anxiety, and promote radiant beauty within and without while nurturing longevity and well-being throughout the life cycle.

Fertility:

Taking Charge of Your Fertility, 10th Anniversary Edition: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health

Whether you are trying to achieve pregnancy, avoid pregnancy naturally, or trying to gain better control of your health this is a great book to have, filled with helpful charts and images. Ever wonder what normal cervical fluid should look like throughout the month? It’s in this book. Knowledge is power-know your body!

Making Babies: A Proven 3-Month Program for Maximum Fertility “This book offers a proven 3-month program designed to help any woman get pregnant. Starting by identifying “fertility types,” they cover everything from recognizing the causes of fertility problems to making lifestyle choices that enhance fertility to trying surprising strategies such as taking cough medicine, decreasing doses of fertility drugs, or getting acupuncture along with IVF. MAKING BABIES is a must-have for every woman trying to conceive, whether naturally or through medical intervention. Dr. David and Blakeway are revolutionizing the fertility field, one baby at a time.”

Spirit Babies: How to Communicate with the Child You’re Meant to Have In this reassuring, supportive, and accessible book, leading clairvoyant and medium Walter Makichen offers guidance to prospective parents eager to create a warm, nurturing environment for their soon-to-be-conceived-or-born children.

Reproductive Health:

The Hormone Cure: Reclaim Balance, Sleep and Sex Drive; Lose Weight; Feel Focused, Vital, and Energized Naturally with the Gottfried ProtocolDr. Sara Gottfried, a Harvard-educated physician and nationally recognized, board-certified gynecologist, refuses to accept that being a woman means feeling overwhelmed or that popping pills is the new normal. In The Hormone Cure, she shares the unique hormone-balancing program that she has used to help thousands of women reclaim wellness, verve, and optimal health.

WomanCode: Perfect Your Cycle, Amplify Your Fertility, Supercharge Your Sex Drive, and Become a Power Source Excellent book about balancing your hormones naturally. Priceless for anyone with PCOS, fibroids, PMS, etc.

A New Cycle: Your Guide to a Better Period, Naturally I was lucky enough to be a part of this book manifested by Glad Rags. A collection of chapters by women’s health experts with practical easy to follow tips from uterine alignment, yummy recipes, Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, lunar charting, fertility awareness and more.
Body Alignment:

Every Woman’s Guide to Foot Pain Relief: The New Science of Healthy Feet by Katy Bowman, biomechanical scientist

The feet are the foundation to the entire body, if the feet are restricted, the rest of the body will suffer. For instance, when the feet are tight they can pull the femurs to an internally rotated position having a negative impact on the pelvic floor. “Every Woman’s Guide to Foot Pain Relief will show you how to not only prevent pain but how fix your feet and halt damage to the rest of your body.”

Alignment Matters: The First Five Years of Katy Says The first five years of Katy’s blog conveniently organized in a book. Re my review here.
For more books and products I like check out my Amazon Store.

Move Your DNA: Restore Your Health Through Natural Movement Move Your DNA explains the science behind our need for natural movement – right down to the cellular level. It examines the differences between the movements in a typical hunter – gatherer’s life and the movements in our own. It shows the many problems with using exercise like movement vitamins instead of addressing the deeper issue of a poor movement diet. Best of all, Move Your DNA contains the corrective exercises, habit modifications, and simple lifestyle changes we need to make in order to free ourselves from disease and discover our naturally healthy, reflex driven selves. From couch potatoes to professional athletes, new parents to seniors, readers will love Katy’s humorous, passionate, and above all science based guide to restoring your body and reclaiming your life.

In the Portland area? Check out Portland Hill Walks: 24 Explorations in Parks and Neighborhoods

Disclosure: I’m a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. When you shop through the links or banner ads on this blog I earn a small commission and you help support my blogging efforts and book addiction. Thank you! I only recommend books that have been influential on my own path of growth and understanding.