Banyen Books ~ Branches of Wisdom

“Through kindness we experience our kinship with one another.” Mark Nepo, best-selling author, beloved poet and spiritual teacher, speaks about the power of community and relationships as ways to manifest the in-dwelling presence of spirit and re-claim our wholeness. The answer is simple- kindness; it is through kindness, that we experience our kinship with one another. In an age of cruelty where...

Author, Ayurvedic physician and professor and Director of the Ayurvedic Institute, Dr. Vasant Lad offers simple, practical tools in combating anxiety and depression. Dr. Lad also speaks about the effect of digital technology on the pineal gland and the importance of spending time in Nature. Finally, Dr. Lad connects listeners with the sacred through breathing and the mantra of breathing inviting u...

Scientist, author, and international speaker, Bruce Lipton passionately talks about how human survival on planet Earth depends on understanding our essential nature as creators. This thought-provoking interview links climate change and turmoil in the ecosystem with subconscious beliefs that perpetuate victimhood, conflict, and deny our power as creators. Uprooting these beliefs and bringing consci...

Deva Premal, world-renowned musician, speaks movingly about her life sharing mantra and music. Deva Premal & Miten with Manose will perform live at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, Saturday, May 19. Tickets & info: goo.gl/DcFxd5

Internationally-acclaimed author, speaker, and clinic psychologist Dr. Shefali speaks about what it means to use pain as a wake up call to parent more consciously through connection to self and letting go of cultural norms, external measures of worth, and reactive ways of discipline rooted in fear. Dr. Shefali advocates for parenting as a vehicle for evolution and the profound gift we give our chi...

“You don’t need sweat lodges or Ayahuasca or years of disciplined deprivation, all you need is a group [focused on altruistic intention] and it is a sudden fast-track to the miraculous.”- Lynne McTaggart Award-winning investigative journalist, Lynne McTaggart, speaks about the miraculous healing power of altruistic intention. Intending for the well-being of others not only has measurable positive...

In an age when information travels across time and space in nanoseconds and desires are fulfilled instantly, is the human mind designed to move at the same pace of technology? According to writer and essayist, Pico Iver, "in a world of constant movement, there's nothing more urgent than stillness." Iver speaks eloquently about the art of stillness and the profound benefits that stillness delivers...

“Love and justice are not two. Without inner change, there can be no outer change. Without collective change, no change matters.” Maverick spiritual teacher and author, Rev. angel Kyodo williams Sensei speaks eloquently about Dharma, social justice, truth and love. Kyodo sensibly advocates for Dharma that leaves nothing out of its inquiry so that as practitioners, we can face the uncomfortable tru...

Dan Siegel, pioneer in the field of intra-personal neurobiology, Executive Director of the Mindsight Institute, and author of more than a dozen books on the mind, mindfulness, and the brain speaks about the science of pure awareness. His research reveals what wisdom traditions have long taught; inter-dependence of life and connection to a transcendent pure awareness that holds all potentiality. Th...

Dr. Malidoma Patrice Somé, West African shaman, Elder and author, speaks powerfully about the realm of the ancestors and the yearning of our ancestors to connect with those living, and to collaborate in the healing and beautification of our world. He also discusses the role of our ancestors in the fulfillment of our life's purpose.

Caroline Myss speaks with Banyen about the life-changing power of words. Caroline Myss is the author of Anatomy of the Spirit, Sacred Contracts, Invisible Acts of Power, and Why People Don’t Heal and How They Can. An internationally renowned speaker in the fields of human consciousness and mysticism, she holds degrees in journalism, theology, intuition, and energy medicine.

Dr. Gabor Maté, renowned addiction expert and international speaker, discusses Compassionate Inquiry, a psycho-therapeutic method for facilitating physical, mental and emotional healing. Born out of necessity and rooted in the inseparability of mind and body, Dr. Maté highlights the importance of processing unresolved pain within ourselves as the foundation of helping others free themselves from t...

NY Times bestselling author and award-winning journalist, Johann Hari makes a compelling case that we've got it all wrong about addiction and the war on drugs. Travelling all over the world in search of answers to the most basic questions about addiction, Hari finds inspiration and hope in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, and the progressive policies of Portugal and Switzerland. This is a fascinatin...

“To grieve is part of the human experience. That's the great dare of being human and being conscious- to be willing to love something that's not going to last; that's a grief-endorsed understanding of life.” Author, teacher, activist, ceremonialist, and founder of Orphan Wisdom School, Stephen Jenkinson muses about life, death, grief, the natural world and the condition of being awake. This profou...

Renowned chant & world music artist Simrit Kaur speaks with Banyen about the power of voice and sound. Question: "Have the practices of Naad Yoga helped you connect with the Divine?" Simrit: "Yes, most definitely. When I use my voice, that’s the most unobstructed view and feeling of the Divine. I’m in an altered state most of the time."