November Reading List:

Five books for you to read this November.

1/ Sebastian Pole – A Pukka Life

Ayurveda is the medical wing of Yoga. Practitioners study as long if not longer than Western doctors. This was written a while ago but is still my go-to book on the subject. This book covers the Doshas, physical health, mental balance, spiritual well-being, relationships and environmental issues. It gives simple explanations of Ayurvedic philosophy, dietary and nutritional information, self-care practises, meditation and yoga exercises, as well as an appendix of herbs and their benefits.

 

2/ Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal – Stealing Fire

I absolutely love this book and these authors. If you ever wanted to know how people like Elon Musk get their innovative edge, look no further. This book explains how they’re using altered states of consciousness to solve challenges and boost inspiration. The authors spent time at Burning Man, with the Navy Seals and Google to understand how advances in psychology, neurobiology, technology and pharmacology are being harnessed. Fascinating stuff.

 

 

3/ Robert Augustus Masters – Spiritual Bypassing: When Spirituality Disconnects Us From What Really Matters

Check out my piece this month on the Kundalini world if you think this doesn’t exist! Spiritual bypassing is the use of spiritual beliefs to avoid dealing with painful feelings, unresolved wounds, and developmental needs. It is absolutely rife. You cannot superimpose a spiritual framework as a way of masking what lies beneath. YOU HAVE TO DO THE WORK. You cannot just be more positive or have more compassion. You have to deal with and integrate so-called “negative” emotions such as anger, fear, hate or judgement into a more authentic way of living. This book takes you through this wonderfully. Yes, you can be spiritual and angry too. All emotions are real feelings.

 

4/ Richa Hingle – Vegan Richa’s Everyday Kitchen

I’m a big fan of Vegan Richa. I use a lot of her recipes as the basis for our meals. She’s down-to-earth and I think she offers simple dishes that are packed full of flavour. This month’s recipe is one of hers. If you don’t get the book, definitely follow her blog or connect to her social media.

 

 

5/ John Joseph – Meat is for Pussies: A How-To Guide for Dudes Who Want to Get Fit, Kick Ass, and Take Names

No one was more surprised than me when Alex went plant-based. I went vegetarian when I was 13 after seeing a film about a turkey farm. So when I went vegan a few years back it wasn’t such a big deal. But Alex was a meat and potatoes sort of guy. Of course he ate vegetarian with me occasionally but he still enjoyed chicken, bacon and the odd steak and ale pie. And then he watched a couple of documentaries and read some books about the meat industry and bang! Overnight he went plant-based. I thought he’d maybe do a month or two but here we are over two years later.
So Alex has recommended this book – it was one of the things that kept him inspired during the early months. John Joseph is a former punk rock star, drug addict and New York hard-man so expect language to match. But this is his inspiring story of how he shifted the way he thought about food and saved his life in the process. He also offers a meal plan, recipes, and a workout routine that make it easy to go plant-based.