BOOKS
Spiritual Bathing: Healing Rituals and Traditions from Around the World
By Rosita Arvigo and Nadine Epstein (Celestial Arts, $24.95)Just as thumbing through a cookbook will almost certainly make you hungry, leafing through this beautifully illustrated book will create a sudden urge to submerge yourself in a hot, soothing bath. Yield to the power of suggestion! Cleansing, both spiritual and physical, has deep roots in human history, from the Jewish mikvah to Druidic water rites, Asian communal baths and Mayan steam baths. This book covers a wide sampling of bathing rituals, providing historical and cultural explanations along with “recipes” for performing similar rituals today. Interspersed are essays about the authors’ personal experiences with baths and bathing among different cultures. The authors write intelligently and sensitively about all cultures, but their hearts seem most deeply connected to the ancient rites of Central America, where Arviga, a traditional healer and herbalist, lives and works.
Leslie Gilbert Elman
Living Cuisine: The Art and Spirit of Raw Foods
By Renée Loux Underkoffler (Avery, $19.95)Raw foods diet principles are clear: Virtually no cooking, nothing processed, all ingredients as close to their natural state as possible. The practicality is trickier: What can you eat that’s both pleasing and pure? Underkoffler has spent years finding out, first as chef and part-owner of Raw Experience in Maui and now with these more than 300 raw food recipes, from beverages and appetizers to dessert. Woody Harrelson, who wrote the foreword, is a fan. And certainly Underkoffler’s recipes are creative and tempting. Avocado provides the creamy texture for Choconut Mousse Pie. Sushi goes international with Italian and Near East-inspired combinations. There are main dishes, snacks and soups that require just light simmering. I would have appreciated the inclusion of nutritional counts and photo illustrations of the finished dishes. Even so, this is a worthwhile addition to your veggie cookbook shelf.
L.G.E.
40 Days to Personal Revolution: A Breakthrough Program to Radically Change Your Body and Awaken the Scared Within Your Soul
By Baron Baptiste (Fireside, $27.00)Why 40 days? Because that’s how long Jesus wandered in the desert to be purified. That’s how long Noah spent in the ark. And that’s how long Baptiste says it will take to wipe out your old way of thinking – the negative emotion and habits that hold you back – and change yourself physically and mentally. His six-week program comprises yoga, meditation, diet and what Baptiste calls “excavation questions” to raise mind and body awareness. Founder of the Baptiste Power Yoga Institute, the author boasts an impressive celebrity clientele and he takes something of a mass-market approach to his theories. This book is polished and well-presented, with clear photo illustrations of yoga poses in a friendly and easy-to-read format, but it doesn’t break much new ground. Best for beginners.
L.G.E.
CDS
Asana Sangit: Music for Yoga & Rejuvenation
Mark Biehl (Acuity Soundworks, $14.99)If this disc could calm me and help me focus while working, imagine what it can do during yoga practice. (Massage therapists take note. This is a nice disc to add to your ambient repertoire.) The six lengthy tracks flow effortlessly into one another maintaining a meditative hum through swirls of gentle guitar and keyboard tones, subtle drums and strings. Even the occasional chanting, which I sometimes find intrusive in other contexts, served only to soothe and relax me. There’s an electronic element here that might put off instrumental purists, but overall the music is trance-like and appealing. Biehl composed and performs the music with a light touch, creating an arc from quiet meditation through more concentrated rhythm to a peaceful conclusion.
L.G.E.
