Books published by Parallax Press

The Fear Project is a visually stunning, light-hearted, and compelling visual exploration of the fears people confront in their daily lives. For many years artist Julie Elman has collected common and not-so-common fears people have shared with her. Elman transforms the fears from words into multi-media collages full of color and intensity. The fears include death, failure, losing a child, losing one''s voice, losing one''s mind, centipedes in the shower, needles, cancer, speaking honestly with one''s spouse, seaweed, getting arrested at Disney World, biscuits and clusters of small holes. The resulting work presents a wide range of emotions while subtly endorsing the spirit of confronting, releasing, and moving on from fears. "I have learned that ''Onward! '' is a word with a lot of power behind it, " writes Elman. When presented with these tangible interpretations of our deep fears, we will often feel less burdened by them. Fear is a universal emotion; this is an inviting, visually arresting, and unusually light-hearted treatment. Those looking for an antidote to the news or a follow-up to Humans of New York will appreciate Elman''s quirky, magnetic, uplifting images.

Known to many as "the Matisse of Japan," Mayumi Oda combines traditional Japanese and Buddhist iconography with her own unique sense of color, line, and movement. In this collection, her groundbreaking artwork is paired with essays by San Francisco Zen Center and Green Gulch Farm Zen Center practitioners (including Richard Baker, Linda Ruth Cutts, Wendy Johnson, Edward Espe Brown, and Norman Fischer) who have owned, loved, and been changed by Oda''s work over the years.Mayumi Oda''s internationally-recognized artwork plays with traditional Japanese and Buddhist images, refiguring them as celebrations of the feminine and the natural world. Where most traditional Buddhist iconography features male figures, Oda introduces female "Goddesses" that seem to jump off the page, imbued with the vibrancy of Oda''s color and line.Originally from Japan, Oda settled in Muir Beach, California in the 1970s and began practicing and painting at Green Gulch Farm Zen Center, which Oda calls her "California Buddha Field." Divine Gardens pairs Oda''s artwork with essays by her fellow practitioners, for whom Oda''s artwork has been a constant companion. Suitable for study by art students or for display on a coffee table, Divine Gardens captures the essence of Mayumi Oda''s art and life as a Zen practitioner. The forty-five full-color works of art and twenty-four essays contained in the collection are a joyful celebration of her work and the community forged through the years at the San Francisco Zen Center.

This fable of a little leaf looking for his purpose will delight children and their caretakers.The whirling, swirling adventures of an ordinary little leaf high on a tree, struggling to find its purpose. The leaf watches baby birds break out of their shells and grow until they learn to fly. Caterpillars wrap themselves in silk and emerge as magnificent butterflies. Warm sunny days get shorter and windy chilly nights grow longer. The little leaf is terribly worried that it should be transforming too. It no longer noticed anything other than the thoughts spinning in its head. The leaf held on to the tree with all its might, growing exhausted as increasingly cooler winds blew. Then one day, the leaf noticed it had become a beautiful crimson color. And it became aware that maybe, maybe it was time for the leaf to fly too. The leaf was very tired, so it just let go. As it danced and twirled to the ground in the amber sunlight, the leaf finally learns its own unique purpose.

Awarded the 2016Nautilus Gold Medal for Parenting and Family!Spirit Rock founder, author, and teacher James Baraz's Awakening Joy offers his large and devoted readership a program to gain contentment and happiness by cultivating the seeds of joy within. Here he joins with Michele Lilyanna, a classroom teacher for 25 years, to offer caregivers and children ways to find joy in each day together. This unique offering nourishes both adults and kids. James shares the practices for the adultsparents, caregivers, and teachers. Michele offers her own experiencesas a parent and as a teacher, showinghow the themes work with kids, followed by the tried and true lessons that she's used herself in the classroom and at home.Packed with practices and activities that James and Michele have gathered over their many years of working with thousands of adults and children in retreats, workshops, and the classroom, Awakening Joy for Kids is imbued with compassion and delight. Part of Parallax Press' growing curriculum for parents and educators designed to cultivate joy and mindfulness in children.

Baby Present combines the inherent love babies have for one another with a tongue-in-cheek take on mindfulness for their parents and caretakers. This is for the perfect gift for the emerging generation of calm, cool, kids and their caretakers! A wide diversity of the most photogenic 6-9 month-olds, all from Oakland and Berkeley, California, has been captured mid-smile while making unmistakable eye-contact with the infants to whom this book will be read. Baby Present celebrates the unadulterated ability all infants have to be in the present, showcasing their natural, inherent mindfulness and reminding those reading to them to enjoy this time in their babies' lives, to breathe and practice mindfulness along with their baby, and to knowingly laugh at the trend of it all. Cultivating the mindfulness habit with babies can set them up with a coping and happiness skill for life. And when you're not reading it to them, this book is perfect for ruminating about while chewing: it's printed on the highest quality non-toxic cardboard with soy inks and rounded corners.

Awarded the 2016Nautilus Silver Medal for Personal Growth!This is the book your moneysavvy best friend, therapist, and accountant would write if they could. It's the book about money for people who don't even want to think about money, until the arrival of that inevitable day when we all realize we must come to terms with this thing called money. Everyone has pain and challenges, strengths and dreams about money, and many of us mix profound shame into that relationship. In The Art of Money, Bari Tessler offers an integrative approach that creates the real possibility of "e;money healing,"e; using our relationship with money as a gateway to selfawareness and a training ground for compassion, confidence, and selfworth. Tessler's gentle techniques weave together emotional depth, big picture visioning, and refreshingly accessible, nittygritty money practices that will help anyone transform their relationship with money and, in so doing, transform their life. As Bari writes, "e;When we dare to speak the truth about money, amazing healing begins."e;

This guide for adults working with adolescent girls will help them explore and develop their emotional, social, and spiritual selves.Young people are hungry and capable of engaging in meaningful explorations of themselves and the world around them. Adolescent girls especially have a deep desire and capacity to know themselves and explore their own spirituality. Girls Rising is a workbook of activities designed for educators, mental health clinicians, youth workers, parents, and, in some cases, peer educators working with girls ages 13 17 that provides a process for them to explore and develop their emotional, social, and spiritual selves. The curriculum comprises of four themes surrounding selfawareness, empathy and communication skills, social engagement, and transpersonal exploration. Incorporates drawing, writing, music, media, roleplaying, storytelling, and deeply penetrating interactive activities to help incite selfdiscovery, enhance relationships, and connect girls to a cause, principal, or source greater then themselves. Jackson's guide offers teenage girls a unique opportunity to engage with their changing selves and their environment from a deeply soulful and creative place.

The Center for Disease Control considers insufficient sleep a national public health epidemic nearly 30% of adults and twothirds of all high school students report they regularly get insufficient sleep. Time, effort, and intention are required to keep our sleep healthy. In Sleep Wise, Dr. Daniel Blumdiscusses the everyday activities and habits that play a major role in shaping sleep and overall health, including physical exercise and diet.Sleep Wiseincorporates sleep science, mindfulness practices related to sleep, and realworld examples and anecdotes to support a mindful, sustainable sleep practice. Anybody who has trouble sleeping will be relieved to have this enjoyable, effective manual at their bedside.

Inside the Flame invites readers to unplug their computers, cell phones, and televisions and plunge back into overlooked nooks and crannies of everyday experience. We've lost touch with the richness of the tangible and with it our reverence for the physical world. Our ability to focus on the here and now is in crisis. By illuminating ways to take a closer look at the world around, Inside the Flame will help readers heighten their surroundings, tune the volume more precisely, and live lives that are fuller, richer, more mindful, and more compassionately interwoven with others. Inside the Flame illustrates how attentive experience brings the world close, and how the world responds by infusing us with bold colors, memorable textures, and a more widely open heart.

In Nothing To It, Brother Phap Hai brings his characteristic warmth and humor to explore the many different gates to transformation offered by Buddhism. A gate is a teaching, practice, or way of looking at things. Each gate is an invitation to consider a new frame of reference through which we can consider our situation, an opportunity to look at things differently. Readers who enjoyed Bhante Gunaratana's Mindfulness in Plain English will delight in this new explanation from the Australian-born senior monk of Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, California. There are fifty-eight gates explored in Nothing To It, arranged in ten traditional groups, with one chapter exploring each gate. Based on a series of talks given by Phap Hai in 2013, the book is designed to be equally valuable when read through at leisure or used as the text for a ten week self-guided course. Each chapter includes questions for reflection, additional reading suggestions on the topic, and writing exercises. The gates can be explored in order or investigated at random. Phap Hais charming blend of ancient wisdom, Dharma scholarship, and contemporary applications will offer all who read Nothing To It a new way of seeing the extraordinary opportunities for transformation in everyday life.

This beautifully designed book will be cherished for generations. Written in the summer of 2013,Inside the Nowcontains the most recent, never before published commentaries and reflections of Thich Nhat Hanh on living in stillness and timelessness. The book begins with an autobiographical reflection in which we hear the voice of the young monk, poet, and community-builder struggling in war-torn Vietnam to develop a Buddhism relevant to the suffering of his time. These early experiences lay the groundwork for Thich Nhat Hanh's insights into the nature of time and interbeing. In part two, we hear the clear, direct voice of the Zen Master challenging us to open our hearts, seize the moment, and touch the now. The book is interspersedwith poetry from other Zen masters as well as the author's own verse and calligraphy.

In Beginning Anew, Sister Chn Khng shares a concrete, four-part process that can help anyone clear up misunderstandings, communicate more honestly and openly with the people around them, and heal relationships. Thousands have been introduced to the beginning anew practice at the retreats led worldwide each year by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.When were upset with someone, were often afraid to say anything. We tell ourselves, "e;Oh, its just a small matter; its not important."e; But the accumulation of many small issues can create an explosive situation, and can even cause relationships to break. Beginning Anew gives us a way to address problems when theyre small, so we can understand each others words, actions, and intentions. Beginning Anew guides readers through steps of conscious breathing, loving speech, and compassionate listening designed to help us see people and situations more clearly, allowing our perceptions to better reflect reality. Sister Chn Khng brings the practice to life by sharing stories of couples and families she has helped to reconcile using the practice. After a few minutes of quietly sitting together to become aware of our breathing and calm ourselves, each person speaks without being interrupted. The first step is to express appreciation of the other person, something we may forget to do in our busy lives, that can lead to the people around us to feeling taken for granted. The second step is to express any regrets we have. This is something we often put off doing, but the clear expression of misgivings and regrets gives practitioners the chance to clear the air and directly address any problems in the relationship. The last two steps of the practice are for expressing anger or difficulties and checking in with each other to be sure each was understood. Beginning Anew introduces a practice for anyone looking for a way to keep communication open and resolve conflicts. When practiced regularly, beginning anew will bring deeper understanding and harmony to any relationship.

In Teach, Breathe, Learn, Meena Srinivasan highlights how mindfulness can be an effective tool in the classroom. What makes this book truly unique is her perspective as a classroom teacher, wrestling daily with the conditions about which she writes. "e;Teach, Breathe, Learn provides accessible, practical application of mindfulness to overcome challenges faced during the school day."e; Testimonials from students and colleagues are woven throughout the book. Teach, Breathe, Learn is designed for educators at all levels, parents interested in sharing mindfulness with their children, and anyone curious about how to cultivate their own mindfulness practice and eventually teach mindfulness to others.Part 1 helps teachers develop compassion and shift from "e;reacting"e; to "e;responding"e; to demands.Part 2 offers techniques for cultivating loving-kindness, gratitude and seeing students, colleagues, and parents as oneself.The last section of the book introduces a curriculum teachers can use to incorporate mindfulness into their classroom, replete with lesson plans, handouts, and homework assignments.

To be alienated from animals is to live a life that is not quite whole, contends nature writer Tai Moses in Zooburbia: Meditations On The Wild Animals Among Us. Urban and suburban residents share their environment with many types of wildlife: squirrels, birds, spiders, and increasingly lizards, deer, and coyote. Many of us crave more contact with wild creatures, and recognize the small and large ways animals enrich our lives, yet dont notice the animals already around us.Zooburbia reveals the reverence that can be felt in the presence of animals and shows how that reverence connects us to a deeper, better part of ourselves. A lively blend of memoir, natural history, and mindfulness practices, Zooburbia makes the case for being mindful and compassionate stewardsand studentsof the wildlife with whom we coexist. With lessons on industriousness, perseverance, presence, exuberance, gratitude, aging, how to let go, and much more, Tai's vignettes share the happy fact that none of us is alone and separate, and that our teachers are right in front of us. We need only go outdoors with our eyes and ears open to find a rapport with the animal kingdom. Zooburbia is a magnifying lens turned to our everyday environment, reminding us that we, as individuals and as a species, are not alone.Illustrated by Dave Buchen with original black and white wildlife linocuts.

In Is Nothing Something? Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh answers heartfelt, difficult, and funny questions from children. Illustrated in full-color by Jessica McClure, Is Nothing Something? will help adults plant the seeds of mindfulness in the young children in their lives. Beginning with the most basic questions, What is important in life? and Why is my brother mean to me? and progressing through issues that we all wrestle with, such as How do I know if I really love somebody? and What does God look like?, each page presents a question with a short answer from Thich Nhat Hanh, appropriate for beginning readers to work with on their own. The book includes the first complete childrens biography of Thich Nhat Hanh, along with basic, kid-friendly instructions for mindful breathing and mindful walking. Both humorous and profound, Is Nothing Something? is the perfect resource for kids with questions, adults looking to answer them, and anyone with questions of their own. This ebook includes an excerpt from Answers from the Heart: Practical Responses to Life's Burning Questions (ISBN: 978-1-888375-82-4, eISBN: 978-1-935209-00-3) a compilation of questions posed to Thich Nhat Hanh by students of all ages and his often surprising answers.

Lily and her little sister Ruby are having a picnic when Ruby spoils their game of checkers. Lily lashes out but soon gets absorbed in a wonderful book, the story of her great grandfathers encounter with a strange looking frog-like creature called Anger. The precious old journal teaches Lily about Metta, a technique that has helped people transform anger into loving kindness for thousands of years.With original watercolors by award-winning illustrator Youme Nguyen Ly, Peace, Bugs, and Understanding is an invaluable tool for parents and teachers, and will help children learn to understand the causes of their own strong emotions, while teaching them peaceful ways to resolve difficulties through mindfulness and meditation.

This beautifully designed gift book contains many of the best-loved inspirational quotations and passages from Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh. Basic meditation instructions and messages of peace, love, insight, understanding, and compassion accompany two-color illustrations throughout, with blank pages for personal reflections and inspiration. Moments of Mindfulness is a perfect journal for spiritual exploration.Moments of Mindfulness is intended to be used as a personal notebook or to simply read for everyday inspiration, and to help bring mindful practices and reflection to daily life. With beautiful details and design it makes a wonderful gift. Illustrations by Jenifer Kent.

Published here for the first time, these fifty poems, explore his journey from young boy in Vietnam to being a leader in Thich Nhat Hanhs monastic community. The early poems reflect childhood memories of war and destruction yet are also full of romantic and poetic imagery. His later poems convey a profound wisdom and spaciousness of heart. A Zen Master in his own right, he led a life committed to cultivating great compassion and liberation through inner discovery. Light in spirit, loving and wise, sometimes strict, and often humorous, these poems perfectly capture Gic Thanhs clarity, wisdom, and kindness.

Children experience anger on a regular basis, but lack the coping skills to guide them through these difficult moments. In Anh's Anger, five-year-old Anh becomes enraged when his grandfather interrupts playtime with a summons to the dinner table. When Anhs grandfather takes the time to help Anh fully experience his anger by suggesting he go to his room and "e;sit with his anger,"e; Anh discovers a positive method by which to work through his feelings. This remarkable book teaches children to both acknowledge and resolve their difficult emotions, making it an invaluable tool for parents and teachers alike.