An account of spiritual awakening told through the rites of passage of a father and son • Reveals the essential role spirituality can play in our mundane lives • Celebrates not only traditional rites of passage, but also the more subtle moments of change that continually take place within each of us • Reflects on the power of prayer and intention in guiding our life journey Part spiritual travelogue, part personal memoir, The Sailfish and the Sacred Mountain is the story of the profound moments that forever change our lives, told in the context of a father and son’s journey to the sacred Mount Kailas in Tibet. Every moment in life is a moment of passage. While many culturally prescribed rites of passage--baptisms, bar mitzvahs, and confirmations--may not necessarily transform the participant into a higher level of maturity and understanding, there are many other moments that stand out as true passages into a new phase of life. These are the moments of triumph or of pain and defeat--the first taste of love, the birth of a child, the death of a loved one--moments after which we know, in the quiet of our hearts and minds, we will never be the same. The Sailfish and the Sacred Mountain presents a unique view into how we can create the circumstances that invite profound spiritual awakenings to occur in our lives and how we can recognize and embrace the powerful lessons these events have to offer. As Will Johnson reflects on his own life passages, he tells the story of the remarkable journey with his son to Mount Kailas--a journey that proves to be a moment of passage for both father and son.

The Sailfish and the Sacred Mountain: Passages in the Lives of a Father and Son

Biographies & Memoirs

Johnson, Will

Community & Culture

Inner Traditions

Presents three simple yogic principles from Tilopa's Song of Mahamudra • Explains how balance is the key to achieving higher consciousness • Includes somatic koans Mahamudra, literally "the great gesture," is often looked upon as the highest manifestation of consciousness known within the Tibetan Vajrayana tradition. In Yoga of the Mahamudra, Will Johnson explains how it is possible to bring forth the condition of mahamudra naturally by utilizing the mystical yoga of balance to create what he calls the embodied cross. He presents three simple yogic principles from Tilopa's Song of Mahamudra. The first principle, "do nothing with the body but relax," forms the vertical axis of the embodied cross. It is an internal process that focuses on the upright structure of the body, which opens up our relationship to the divine source. The second principle, "Let the mind cling to nothing," allows the horizontal flow of energy to our mind. This horizontal axis represents our relationship to the world: what we see and hear, and what our mind does with the objects we perceive. The establishment of these vertical and horizontal flows of energy allows us to embody the third principle, "to become like a hollow bamboo." In this way the body and mind become extraordinarily fluid, surrendering to the currents of the life forces that constantly flow through them like air through a flute. The author concludes with a number of somatic koans, exercises that allow the direct experience of balance and lead to the creation of the embodied cross.

Yoga of the Mahamudra: The Mystical Way of Balance

Politics & Social Sciences

Philosophy

Reveals the esoteric techniques of achieving divine Union based on the practices of the Sufi poet Rumi and his mysterious spiritual companion Shams-i-Tabriz.
 • Reveals the actual practices that transformed Rumi from a conventional Islamic scholar into the mystical poet who originated the dance of the whirling dervish.
 • Demonstrates how anyone can achieve similar states of ecstatic divine Union through the simple practice of intentional gazing.
 • Interweaves the poetry and writings of Rumi to document this radical practice.
 One of the most extraordinary events in the history of Sufism occurred in 1244, when the Sufi poet, mystic, and originator of the dance of the whirling dervish, Jallaludin Rumi, met a wandering seeker named Shams-i-Tabriz. Upon meeting, the two men immediately went into private retreat together and emerged 90 days later in a transformed condition. While the relationship between Rumi and Shams is highly revered within the Sufi tradition, the exact nature of what transpired between them has remained a mystery for the past 750 years. 
Rumi: Gazing at the Beloved reveals for the first time the actual esoteric practice that Rumi and Shams were engaged in behind the closed doors of their retreat room. Using the poetry and words of Rumi to document this radical practice step-by-step, Will Johnson resolves this long-standing spiritual mystery by conducting an extensive search through Rumi's life to uncover the mystical secrets of divine Union in sacred friendship and intimate partnering. In doing so, he presents a practice that anyone can engage in to attain the same ecstatic state of divine Union experienced by Rumi and Shams so many centuries ago.

Rumi: Gazing at the Beloved: The Radical Practice of Beholding the Divine

Religion & Spirituality

Islam

Ancient Buddhist meditations and modern Western somatic therapy are united by their healing capabilities in this fascinating book. Both philosophies recognize that a structurally balanced human body is the key to a mentally and emotionally balanced human mind. The beautiful simplicity of the healing techniques and explanations detailed within will ensure that you attain the spiritual and physical balance needed to create an optimum environment through: Understanding the experience of balance; Balancing time, living in present time, and accepting change; Balancing sound, vision and the components of reality; Balancing your heart and breath; Balancing "luminous vision" and the "luminous world"; Understanding suffering and its causes.

Balance of Body Balance of Mind: A Rolfer's Vision of Buddhist Practive in the West

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Alternative Medicine

Humanics Publishing Group

Product Description 
Between interstates and county lines, life in rural Missouri unfolds in a progression of simple moments that carry the weight of every hard thing gone by. Parker and Melinda are searching for themselves in the hollows of their estranged marriage. Parker, haunted by the demons of addiction, lives every moment at the edge of an undiagnosed disorder - a darkness that steals his awareness and throws him into convulsions. Melinda, on an odyssey of her own, knows Parker's struggles all too well, and as they try to help their teenage son come to terms with their lives apart, they have only their memories of a brighter life to get by.\nHaunting and lyrical, Johnson's powerful debut is a hymn to the lives we overlook in the quiet places around us. And how close we are to living them ourselves.\nWill Johnson is a musician and songwriter who has played in the bands Centro-matic, South San Gabriel, Marie/Lepanto, Overseas, New Multitudes, and Monsters of Folk. He also releases records under his own name, and makes paintings centering on the subject of baseball and its history. His work has appeared in American Short Fiction. He was born in Kennett, Missouri, and currently lives in Austin, Texas. If or When I Call is his first novel.\nReview 
"If or When I Call is a novel about desperate people shot through with arrows of grace that only a writer as sensitive and insightful as Will Johnson can wield. Lives in small towns are not small, and neither is this author's heart." 
-Wiley Cash, New York Times-bestselling author of The Last Ballad and A Land More Kind Than Home\n"If or When I Call is a beautiful, masterful, soulful novel. It's truly remarkable that this is Will Johnson's debut book. He writes with the smoothness and assurance of a seasoned veteran, relating a story about ordinary people who are just trying to make a life for themselves, and hoping for a little solace along the way. It's a wonderful ballad, as haunting and brilliant and ultimately redemptive as Johnson's music. This novel is a soaring achievement." 
-Don Lee, author of Lonesome Lies Before Us\n"What a surprising and brilliant debut novel. If or When I Call reads with the urgency of a thriller and weaves seamlessly the story of a broken family as they navigate mental illness, dead end jobs, and lost dreams. Like so many families struggling to survive, it's a tightrope act with no net below. Will Johnson's the real deal, and I couldn't recommend it more." 
-Willy Vlautin, author of Don't Skip Out on Me and Lean on Pete\n"Already one of my all-time favorite musicians and songwriters, Will Johnson's first novel shows a natural progression into longer formed prose. If or When I Call is a haunting and elegiac look into the lives of small-town, 21st-century America. Simultaneously deeply personal yet near-universal with the most being told in the minute details of the kinds of everyday lives that usually defies novelistic storytelling. Intimate, yet cinematic. As strong a debut novel as I've seen in a very long time." 
-Patterson Hood, Drive-By Truckers\n"If or When I Call is pitch-perfect, about characters far from pitch-perfect, just trying to get a handle on their rudders. Great, great, great." 
-George Singleton, author of You Want More: Selected Stories\n"If or When I Call is a lyrical and ambitious debut. Johnson gives us a chorus of overlooked voices, exploring the intricate complexities of rural life and family. Heartfelt and heavy." 
-Ashleigh Bryant Phillips, author of Sleepovers\n"With humility and grace, If or When I Call sheds a necessary light on folks forever struggling in a place they can't wait to leave and which, when they do leave, remains inescapably inside of them. Will Johnson has written a formally ingenious novel that is both comic and poignant, familiar and mysterious. His confused characters prove resilient in a way that does not seem the least bit contrived. Here is a story that sings, rather than pronounces, its m

If or When I Call

Literature & Fiction

Goliad Media Group, LLC

A collection of notes from the inspirational lecture series "Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders". Read advice given by leaders such as Martin Eberhard (Tesla Motors), Ron Conway (SV Angel), and Steve Blank (Serial Entrepreneur). Notes on lectures by: * Donna Novitsky (Big Tent) * Martin Eberhard (Tesla Motors) * Dominic Orr (Aruba Networks) * Stan Christensen (Arbor Advisors) * Larry Bawden (Jadoo Power) * Armen Berjikly, Julio Vasconcellos (Experience Project) * Ashwin Navin, Ping Li (BitTorrent) * Mitch Kapor (Foxmarks) * Ron Conway, Mike Maples Jr. (Angel Investors) * Jesse Fink, Steve Blank (Priceline, Serial Entrepreneur) * Christine Benninger (Humane Society) * Brett Crosby (Google Analytics) * Mir Imran (InCube Laboratories) * Debra Dunn, Jay Coen Gilbert, Bart Houlahan, Andrew Kassoy (B Corporation) * Ken Wilcox (Silicon Valley Bank) * Jeff Housenbold (Shutterfly) * David Rothkopf (Author) * Peter Diamandis, George Zachary (X Prize) * Anand Chandrasekaran, Michealene C. Risley (Tapestries of Hope) * Sue Decker (Yahoo!) * Larry Brilliant (Google.org) * John Melo (Amyris) * Beth Seidenberg (KPCB) * Tony Perkins (AlwaysOn Panel)

Execution and Other Lessons (Notes on Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders)

Business & Money

Business Development & Entrepreneurship

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

When it comes to meditation practices, the body is as important as the mind—a fact that may come as a surprise to the many people who regard meditation as a strictly mental activity. But, as Will Johnson shows, the physical aspect of the practice is far too often underemphasized. The alert-yet-relaxed sitting posture that is the common denominator of so many meditative techniques is a wonderful aid for clearing the mind and opening the heart, but it also works to activate the natural healing energies of both body and mind. The author offers guidance and exercises for working with the posture of meditation and advice on how to carry its benefits on into all the rest of life.

The Posture of Meditation

Exercise & Fitness

Shambhala

The emphasis on the mind in meditation can be somewhat misleading: If we pay attention only to mental processes and overlook the experience of the body, we can remain stuck in our heads and not be able to break free of the involuntary thinking that we find so claustrophobic and toxic. This short, practical guide helps us embrace the fact of our embodiment—the experience of the sensations, movements, and gestures of the body—and to realize that mindfulness is the natural state of awareness of a body that has learned how to experience its feeling presence. Johnson takes us through the three primary principles of the posture of meditation: alignment, relaxation, and resilience. He devotes a large part of each chapter to specific practices to help the reader experience different aspects of physical presence. This book is of interest to meditators of all traditions—Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, Jews, and others—as well as therapists, bodyworkers, and anyone interested in body-centered psychology and other natural modes of healing.

Aligned, Relaxed, Resilient: The Physical Foundations of Mindfulness

Meditation practices to awaken the body and create a mind like a mirror, to literally see things as they are • Draws on the story of the monk Shenxiu to create a meditation practice for profound relaxation, inclusion and connection to the world around us, and realization of our essential nature • Explains how our attitudes, beliefs, and bodily tensions distort our perceptions and lead to our sense of separation from the world outside our bodies • Details techniques of vision, such as sky gazing, eye gazing, and mirror gazing, that lead to an ecstatic mindfulness Right behind your eyes, you are there. You can feel yourself there, looking. So intimate is your connection with your looking that when you say, “I’m looking,” you’re implying that how you look and what you see are a direct reflection of who you are in this moment. Your attitudes and beliefs reflect what you see, and the way you live in your body can color your perceptions as well. This splitting in two of experience--an inside-the-body world and an outside-the-body world--creates in many of us a sense of isolation and loneliness, a feeling of disconnection from the larger world at which we look. But the visual field is equally capable of reflecting a sense of connection and inclusion, an invitation to merge with the larger universe rather than confirming how irrevocably separated we are. Drawing on the story of the seventh-century Chinese monk Shenxiu, Will Johnson offers meditation exercises to create a mind like a mirror, cleansing it of obscuring layers of worry and emotion to literally see things as they are, not just how we perceive them to be. He explains how to awaken your body to the sensations we learn to ignore when we lose ourselves in thought and tense ourselves in ways that stifle the body’s vibrancy. He offers meditative techniques to silence the projections of the mind and enter into a condition of ecstatic mindfulness. He details gazing practices, such as sky gazing, eye gazing, and mirror gazing, to cleanse our vision and remove whatever is distorting our perceptions. Through this new kind of seeing, divisions between your inner and outer world start to drop away. You begin to experience an intimate connectivity to the world you look out onto. By cleansing the mirror of the mind, we can come out of the dreams of who we think we are and awaken into our true, essential nature.

Eyes Wide Open: Buddhist Instructions on Merging Body and Vision

The secret Rumi found in beholding the Divine in his sacred relationship with Shams-i-Tabriz • Shows how, in 1244, Sufi poet and mystic Jalaluddin Rumi was first brought to a state of ecstatic union with the cosmos and all its creatures • Reveals the radical spiritual practice Rumi formulated in his private retreat with the mendicant seeker Shams-i-Tabriz • Uses the poetry and prose of Rumi to explain how to come face-to-face with the Divine One of the most extraordinary events in the history of Sufism occurred in 1244 when the Sufi poet and mystic Jalaluddin Rumi met a wandering seeker named Shams-i-Tabriz. Upon meeting, the two men immediately went into private retreat together, emerging ninety days later in a transformed condition. In The Spiritual Practices of Rumi, Will Johnson reveals the radical spiritual practice that transpired between Rumi and Shams. To put it simply, they sat and gazed into each other’s eyes. Because the eyes are portals to the soul, their sustained gazing formed the basis of a devotional practice that opened the doors to a profoundly ecstatic state of divine union. Johnson draws on the poetry and prose of Rumi to unfold his story. He also explains how one may embark on the practice of intentional gazing to experience the state of ecstatic divine union shared by Rumi and Shams so many centuries ago.

The Spiritual Practices of Rumi: Radical Techniques for Beholding the Divine

Self-Help

Personal Transformation

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