Books published by North Atlantic Books,U.S.

In this innovative book, Theodore Dimon, EdD, shows how each part of the vocal organ (breathing, larynx, throat, and so on) works as part of a larger musculoskeletal system that is often interfered with, and how identifying this larger system and understanding in a practical way how it works allows a person to train and improve the voice, whether speaking or singing. Traditional vocal training methods, says Dimon, cannot be effective without restoring the functioning of the musculature that supports the voice. Enhanced with over 50 detailed full-color illustrations, the book discusses the fallacy of traditional breathing exercises and explains that the key to efficient breathing lies in the expansive support of the trunk and rib cage. Investigating the elements needed to produce a strong supported tone, Dimon describes the importance of voice "placement," or directing the sound to a part of the body in order to produce a fully rounded, resonant tone. He identifies harmful patterns of speech and singing, and offers helpful methods for reestablishing the natural function of the vocal mechanism. Individual chapters cover elements of the whispered "ah," producing a pure sung tone, vocal registers, the suspensory muscles of the larynx, and more.

The Book of Theanna contains a collection of letters written by Ellias, which he began transcribing from Theanna (formerly Sara Lonsdale), his wife and twin soul, shortly after her death. They communicate and commune through a sacred impulse that rises from the Earth and descends from the Heavens. It is this very current that brings forth a path into the Age of Aquaria. In the course of these writings, Sara journeys to Heaven and Hell and the vast Lands in between. She paints vivid pictures of her encounters in each of these realms. Through the teachings she brings ways to break the crystallized shell holding us back from ultimate self-love and forgiveness. Waving the smelling salts through the words, she discusses illness, karma, the dark side, the Lord of Death, Christ, the death minds, and how to awaken to Truth. There is an immense need for Death's truth to fully reveal itself. What this updated edition carries is a renewed and refreshed revelation-death is a different death than was ever possible before. It can now come forward in a redemptive fashion. Not just another account of life after death, not a channeled book in the usual sense, The Book of Theanna comes to break death's spell with the power and intensity of Love from across the veil now returned to Earth.

Based on Dr. Croibier's everyday clinical experience, this book provides critical tools for examining patients in order to determine what the course of treatment should be. Written for manual hands-on therapy students and practitioners that include osteopaths, physical therapists, and chiropractors, the book explores in depth the osteopathic diagnosis process that aims to identify an abnormality and to discover factors that may be causing the dysfunction. Drawing a comparison between diagnosis in classical medicine and osteopathy, Dr. Croibier explains that the osteopath focuses on restoring the conditions of good health rather than simply addressing the consequences of disease. Enhanced with more than 175 full-color instructional photos and illustrations, the book describes the manual hands-on assessments and general evaluations that lead to a diagnosis. Manual assessments include objective observation, diagnostic touch, palpation of the affected areas of the body, visualization, and "listening" (a hand placed on a specific part of the body to determine tissue functionality). Based on Dr. Croibier's recommendations, the manual therapist also performs a patient intake and interview; general evaluation that analyzes the patient's symptoms and general state; examination of posture and equilibrium; and observation of individual characteristics, such as constitution, temperament, and body type.

Nestor Capoeira, a long-time teacher of capoeira and noted mestre (master), begins this revised edition of his bestseller with an in-depth history of the Brazilian art, giving the most popular theories for the origins and purposes of this movement that combines the grace of dance with lethal self-defense techniques in a unique game-song structure. He discusses some of the most famous capoeristas and their influence on the art. In addition, he describes how the two major branches of capoeira (Angola and Regional) came about and the differences between them. The Little Capoeira Book's clear descriptions of the game, or jogo, explain the actual application of capoeira, vaguely similar to sparring but very different in purpose and style. The music of capoeira, which is played during all jogo, is also examined, along with its main instrument, the berimbau. The author includes a how-to guide with photographs showing basic moves for beginners, with offensive and defensive applications for simple kicks, takedowns, advanced kicks and movements, head butts, hand strikes, and knee and elbow strikes. Each technique is vividly depicted with drawings that are easy to understand and learn from, and mestre capoeira includes an explanation of both Angola and Regional versions.

The first edition, released in 1995, was lauded by seasoned practitioners and beginners alike. And no wonder. While most of the early English-language books on feng shui were dauntingly mystical or relied on complex calculations or culturally specific design practices, Feng Shui Made Easy took a more holistic approach, clearly explaining the fundamentals while guiding readers on an inner journey of understanding.Thoughtfully written and beautifully illustrated, the book is structured around an “architecture of consciousness” that is really the inner landscape. The book explores each “house” of the bagua—the chart representing one’s journey through life; relationships with parents, loved ones, and community; creativity; spirituality; and connectedness to the source of life—and the symbolism of the corresponding I Ching trigram. Feng Shui Made Easy helps readers discover the nature of these connections, as well as learn what obstructions must be removed to change fixed patterns of behavior and restore balance, harmony, and inner peace—a process that, when combined with external adjustments, results in increased success and lasting change in all areas of life.This revised edition expands on the author’s intuitive approach with new sections on health, children’s environments, and ecological concerns and sustainable practices. The author also corrects misconceptions about feng shui and uses fascinating case studies to share valuable insights he gained from interactions with his clients and readers.

Everyone knows they need to eat more fruits and vegetables, but consuming even the minimum FDA-recommended five servings a day can be challenging. In Green for Life, raw foods pioneer Victoria Boutenko presents an overlooked powerhouse of nutrition in this equation: greens. For their bounty of minerals and nutrients, greens exceed other vegetables in value. Green for Life details the immense health benefits of greens and suggests an easy way to consume them in sufficient quantities: the green smoothie. This quick, simple drink benefits everyone, regardless of lifestyle, diet, or environment. Green smoothies eliminate toxins, correct nutritional deficiencies, and are delicious as well.Green for Life includes the latest information on the abundance of protein in greens, the benefits of fiber, the role of greens in homeostasis, the significance of stomach acid, how greens make the body more alkaline, the healing power of chlorophyll, and more. Also included are the results of a pilot study demonstrating the effectiveness of adding just one quart of green smoothies a day to one’s diet, without changing anything else in dietary intake. Green smoothie testimonials and recipes give readers confidence and motivation in exploring green smoothies for themselves. This updated edition offers important new research on the role that omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids play in metabolic health and includes nutritional data on select green smoothies and updated findings on organic versus conventional produce. Offering more in-depth nutritional and experiential information than Boutenko’s recently released Green Smoothie Revolution, Green for Life makes an ideal companion piece to its recipe-rich successor.

Way of the Ancient Healer provides an overview of the rich tradition of Filipino healing practices, discussing their origins, world influences, and role in daily life. Enhanced with over 200 photographs and illustrations, the book combines years of historical research with detailed descriptions of the spiritual belief system that forms the foundation of these practices. Giving readers a rare look at modern-day Filipino healing rituals, the book also includes personal examples from author Virgil Mayor Apostol's own experiences with shamanic healing and dream interpretation. The book begins with an explanation of Apostol's Filipino lineage and legacy as a healer. After a brief history of the Philippine archipelago, he describes the roots of traditional Filipino healing and spirituality, and discusses the Indian, Islamic, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, and American influences that have impacted the Filipino culture. He presents a thorough description of Filipino shamanic and spiritual practices that have developed from the concept that everything in nature contains a spirit (animism) and that living in the presence of spirits demands certain protocols and rituals for interacting with them. The book's final chapter thoughtfully explores the spiritual tools used in Filipino healing-talismans, amulets, stones, and other natural symbols of power.

In The Body in Motion, author Theodore Dimon confronts a simple yet crucial task: to make sense of our amazing design. This comprehensive guide demonstrates the functions and evolution of specific body systems, explaining how they cooperate to form an upright, intelligent, tool-making marvel, capable of great technological and artistic achievement. Enhanced with 162 beautifully rendered full-color illustrations, the book opens with an introduction to the origins of movement, leading the reader on a journey through time and evolution-from fish to amphibian, quadruped to primate-showing how humans became the preeminent moving beings on the planet.Delving deeper into our upright support system, The Body in Motion clearly describes the workings of the hands and upper limbs; the pelvic girdle; the feet and lower limbs; breathing; the larynx and throat musculature; and more. Central to the book is the idea that it is our upright posture that makes it possible for us to move in an infinite variety of ways, to manipulate objects, to form speech, and to perform the complex rotational movements that underlie many of our most sophisticated skills. These systems, Dimon argues persuasively, have helped us build, invent, create art, explore the world, and imbue life with a contemplative, spiritual dimension that would otherwise not exist.

Exploring Body-Mind Centering features 35 essays on Body-Mind Centering (BMC), an experiential practice based on the application of anatomical, physiological, psychophysical, and developmental principles. Using the work of BMC founder Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen as a springboard, the book showcases diverse situations-from medical illness to blocked creativity-in which this discipline is applied with transformative results.Exploring Body-Mind Centering is divided into three sections, preceded by an introduction framing BMC as a pathway to becoming aware of relationships that exist throughout the body and mind and using that awareness to act. The first section lays the groundwork for this process, with real-life experiences and exercises that encourage readers to interact with the text. Section two contains valuable case stories describing the experiences of BMC students and practitioners as they work with clients. Section three shows how BMC can be integrated with other disciplines and practices that include the arts, medicine, and yoga. The book concludes with a biography of Cohen, a profile of theSchool for Body-Mind Centering, and a history of BMC.

An educational system of neuromuscular re-education known for its gentle approach, the Feldenkrais Method has been shown to dramatically improve individual functioning by increasing self-awareness and facilitating new patterns of thinking, moving, and feeling. Intended for those who need to improve their movement repertoire for professional reasons--dancers, musicians, martial artists, gymnasts, and athletes--as well as those wishing to reduce pain or limitations in movement, Feldenkrais is based on the idea that learning to move better can improve anyone's overall health on many levels.Using Moshe Feldenkrais's own words, Embodied Wisdom clearly explains the basic principles underpinning his techniques, Awareness Through Movement (ATM) and Functional Integration (FI). These thoughtful articles and lively, sometimes humorous interviews explore a diverse range of subjects: the importance of bodily expression, the primacy of hearing, the mind-body connection, martial arts, sleep and consciousness, movement and its effect on the mind. Embodied Wisdom gives readers the opportunity to deepen their understanding of the scientific and spiritual principles behind the Method and offers sound strategies for incorporating it into their lives.

A rigorously researched biography of the founder of modern magick, as well as a study of the occult, sexuality, Eastern religion, and more The name "Aleister Crowley" instantly conjures visions of diabolic ceremonies and orgiastic indulgences-and while the sardonic Crowley would perhaps be the last to challenge such a view, he was also much more than "the Beast," as this authoritative biography shows. Perdurabo-entitled after the magical name Crowley chose when inducted into the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn-traces Crowley's remarkable journey from his birth as the only son of a wealthy lay preacher to his death in a boarding house as the world's foremost authority on magick. Along the way, he rebels against his conservative religious upbringing; befriends famous artists, writers, and philosophers (and becomes a poet himself); is attacked for his practice of "the black arts"; and teaches that science and magick can work together. While seeking to spread his infamous philosophy of, "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law," Crowley becomes one of the most notorious figures of his day. Based on Richard Kaczynski's twenty years of research, and including previously unpublished biographical details, Perdurabo paints a memorable portrait of the man who inspired the counterculture and influenced generations of artists, punks, wiccans, and other denizens of the demimonde.