Banyen Books ~ Branches of Wisdom

Internationally celebrated Qi Gong master Lee Holden shares wisdom from his latest book, Ready, Set, Slow: How to Improve Your Energy, Health, and Relationships Through the Power of Slow. In this guide, Holden explores the power of slowing down to find balance and peace amidst the chaos of modern life. Drawing from Eastern meditation, martial arts, and Western science, he will introduce The Slow M...

Deb Dana discusses The Nervous System Workbook: Practical Exercises to Ease Anxiety, Find Safety, and Come Home to Yourself Using Polyvagal Theory. Deb Dana offers tools for understanding and befriending your unique nervous system, providing practical exercises and insights rooted in Polyvagal Theory—a groundbreaking approach that explains how our nervous systems shape our behaviors, emotions, and...

Richard Freeman and Mary Taylor share authentic wisdom from their new book, Feeling Happy: The Yoga of Body, Heart, and Mind. Richard Freeman and Mary Taylor have both studied yoga for over 50 years. Together they teach workshops and training throughout the world and have authored several influential books. Their new book, Feeling Happy, draws from their decades practising and teaching yoga, medit...

Rob Wipond, author of Your Consent Is Not Required, discusses the alarming rise of psychiatric coercion—and how we can push for ethical, person-centred alternatives. Asylums may have closed, but their practices persist in troubling ways. More people than ever are being involuntarily committed and forcibly treated. In Your Consent Is Not Required, investigative journalist Rob Wipond exposes how psy...

Toko-pa Turner, award-winning author of Belonging: Remembering Ourselves Home, shares wisdom from her new book, The Dreaming Way: Courting the Wisdom of Dreams. In 'The Dreaming Way', Toko-pa reawakens the ancient art of dreaming as a way to reclaim the wisdom we all carry within. Blending animism, Sufism, and Jungian Psychology, she reveals that the power to interpret and understand our dreams is...

Amy Tan, 1 New York Times bestselling author of The Joy Luck Club, discusses her new book, The Backyard Bird Chronicles. Blending birdwatching, nature, and personal reflection, The Backyard Bird Chronicles features Tan’s original sketches and insights on finding peace in the natural world. Amy Tan is the bestselling author of several novels, including The Joy Luck Club and The Bonesetter's Daughte...

Bob McDonald, Canadian icon and host of CBC Radio’s Quirks and Quarks , discusses his book, Just Say Yes: A Memoir . Bob McDonald has been the host of CBC Radio’s Quirks and Quarks since 1992. He is a regular science commentator on CBC News Network and science correspondent for CBC TV’s The National . He has been honoured with the 2001 Michael Smith Award for science promotion from the Natural Sci...

Paulina Stevens & Jezmina Von Thiele, cohosts of the Romanistan podcast, join Banyen for a discussion of their book, Secrets of Romani Fortune-Telling: Divining with Tarot, Palmistry, Tea Leaves, and More . Jezmina Von Thiele (they/she) is a writer, educator, performer, and fortune-teller in their mixed Sinti Romani tradition. Their work has been published in Prairie Schooner , The Kenyon Revi...

Martín Prechtel joins Banyen Books for a rare audio interview (part 4 of 4) on his book, The Canyon Wren . Martín Prechtel is widely recognized as a profound and beloved teacher for our times. Raised in the Tzutujil Maya shamanic tradition, he has dedicated his life to the preservation and promulgation of indigenous spirituality. Sharing his deep shamanic wisdom within a grand overview of human hi...

Banyen Books speaks with Red Hawk on his new collection of poetry, Book of Lamentations . Red Hawk shares profound insights into his spiritual journey, the role of poetry as a vehicle for expression, and reflections on authentic spiritual leadership. He delves into the impact of technology on human connection and discusses the importance of nature and humility.

Nedra Glover Tawwab, New York Times bestselling author of Set Boundaries, Find Peace and Drama Free: A Guide to Managing Unhealthy Family Relationships , joins Banyen Books for an engaging discussion on her book, Consider This: Reflections for Finding Peace . Nedra Glover Tawwab, MSW, LCSW , is the author of New York Times bestsellers Drama Free and Set Boundaries, Find Peace . A licensed therapis...

Gary Gach and Ari Honarvar, authors of Hafiz's Little Book of Life and A Girl Called Rumi , share the wisdom and poetry of Rumi and Hafiz. Gary Gach is an author, translator, editor, and Zen teacher. His work has appeared in such publications as The Atlantic , The New Yorker and Yoga Journal , and has been translated into many languages. Lay ordained in the lineage of Thich Nhat Hanh, he teaches Z...

Christopher Germer, PhD, and Kristin Neff, PhD, join Banyen in conversation about their powerful book, Mindful Self-Compassion for Burnout: Tools to Help You Heal and Recharge When You're Wrung Out by Stress . Kristin Neff, PhD , is Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin and a pioneer in the field of self-compassion research. She has been recognized as o...

Anne Michaels, bestselling award-winning author of Fugitive Pieces and The Winter Vault , speaks on her mysterious and breathtaking new novel, Held . Anne Michaels  is a world-renowned novelist and poet. Her books are translated into more than fifty languages and have won dozens of international awards, including the Orange Prize, the Guardian Fiction Prize, and the Lannan Award for Fiction. Among...

Sophie Grégoire Trudeau joins Banyen Books for an discussion on her book, Closer Together: Knowing Ourselves, Loving Each Other . Sophie Grégoire Trudeau is a mental health advocate, public speaker, and mentor. Over the past twenty years, she has been an ambassador and champion for youth self-esteem, gender equality, emotional literacy, and physical activity. Sophie has received UN recognition awa...

Donna Eden and David Feinstein, PhD, co-authors of the New York Times bestseller Energy Medicine , join Banyen Books for a discussion on Tapping: Self-Healing with the Transformative Power of Energy Psychology . Donna Eden is the author of Energy Medicine . One of the world's most sought after experts on Energy Medicine, she has treated over 10,000 individual clients and has taught hundreds of cla...

Popular motivational speaker and entertainer David Roche discusses his book, Standing at the Back Door of Happiness: And How I Unlocked It , exploring the beauty found in unusual places with elegant humour and compassion. David Roche was born with vascular malformation of the face, which he sees as an “incredible gift” that has forced him to look inside for beauty and self-worth. It has also helpe...

V (formerly Eve Ensler), Tony Award-winning, bestselling author of The Vagina Monologues , and Naomi Klein, award-winning journalist and international bestselling author, discuss V's new book, Reckoning . V (formerly Eve Ensler) is a Tony Award–winning playwright, author, performer, and activist. Her international phenomenon The Vagina Monologues has been published in 48 languages and performe...

Sandra Ingerman, renowned teacher of shamanism and author of Soul Retrieval , speaks on Walking through Darkness: A Nature-Based Path to Navigating Suffering and Loss . Sandra Ingerman, MA , is an award-winning author of twelve books, including Soul Retrieval , Medicine for the Earth , Walking in Light , and The Book of Ceremony . She is the presenter of eight audio programs produced by Sounds Tru...

Yogacharini Maitreyi explores nuances around the importance of reclaiming Tantra - India’s science of liberation. Maitreyi also shares some personal stories about how she has applied Tantric principles in her own life. Yogacharini Maitreyi was born in India which was colonized by the British during her grandfather’s time. For over 200 years Yoga, Ayurveda, Indian martial arts, and other arts were...

Conspirituality podcast co-host Matthew Remski joins Banyen for a conversation on his book, Surviving Modern Yoga: Cult Dynamics, Charismatic Leaders, and What Survivors Can Teach Us . Matthew Remski is an author, freelance journalist, and co-host of Conspirituality podcast, with bylines in The Walrus , GEN by Medium, The Boston Globe , and The Globe and Mail . He’s published nine books of poetry,...

Two wisdom keepers have an illuminating conversation on the realities of colonization. Colonization has had an impact over many generations around the world. This conversation explores the challenges and solutions for decolonizing our own hearts, minds and bodies. Aaju Peter is a renowned Inuit lawyer and activist who has spent her life fighting for Inuit rights in Canada, Greenland and Denmark. “...

Peter Levine, bestselling author of Waking the Tiger , shares insights and stories from his new book, An Autobiography of Trauma: A Healing Journey . Peter A. Levine, PhD , is the renowned developer of Somatic Experiencing®. He holds a doctorate in Medical and Biological Physics from the University of California at Berkeley and a doctorate in Psychology from International University. The recipient...

Thais Gibson, PhD, shares insights and tools to heal and transform our relationships. Thais Gibson's work has touched the lives of millions. Her work helps us to identify our attachment styles (Anxious, Avoidant etc.) and the core wounds connected with it. Through integrated practices, we reprogram the unconscious beliefs that keep us stuck in painful patterns to create loving, secure relation...

Judith Orloff, MD, New York Times bestselling author, shares wisdom and practices from her new book, The Genius of Empathy: Practical Skills to Heal Yourself, Your Relationships and the World . Judith Orloff, MD , is a New York Times bestselling author with the upcoming book The Genius of Empathy: Practical Skills to Heal Yourself, Your Relationships and the World . She has also written The Empath...