Getting To Bliss

Now a new series on Peacock with Rainn Wilson, THE GEOGRAPHY OF BLISS is part travel memoir, part humor, and part twisted self-help guide that takes the viewer across the globe to investigate not what happiness is, but WHERE it is. Are people in Switzerland happier because it is the most democratic country in the world? Do citizens of Qatar, awash in petrodollars, find joy in all that cash? Is the King of Bhutan a visionary for his initiative to calculate Gross National Happiness? Why is Asheville, North Carolina so damn happy? In a unique mix of travel, psychology, science and humor, Eric Weiner answers those questions and many others, offering travelers of all moods some interesting new ideas for sunnier destinations and dispositions.

From one of America’s top meditation teachers and mindfulness experts comes a revolutionarily simple approach to everyday practice—especially if you don’t think you have the time or the patience. Imagine you’re sitting on a cushion with your legs crossed, ready to tap into unlimited joy. There’s just one problem: You can’t get comfortable (let alone still), and your head is full of way too many thoughts. The problem is not with meditation, or you, though—the issue may be with your approach. When properly understood and practiced, meditation should feel easy, calming, and comfortable. In Bliss More, maverick instructor Light Watkins provides the tools for making it E.A.S.Y. (Embrace, Accept, Surrender, Yield), dispels the biggest myths and misunderstandings, and shares real-world tips and straight talk for hacking into this ancient practice. The result: a happier and healthier you, inside and out. Watkins also shares candid testimonials from people whose lives have been enriched through his method, and extensive resources for transforming a daily chore into an enjoyable activity. Even the biggest skeptic will look forward to sitting for meditation every day. Whether you’re a novice or experienced practitioner, Bliss More will shed light on the path to a clearer mind, better sleep, and more bliss in everyday life. Praise for Bliss More “With Light Watkins as your guide, you will unlock the secrets to establishing a regular and powerfully healthy daily practice.”—Deepak Chopra, M.D. “Bliss More is one of the best meditation books I’ve ever come across for getting you started. Light Watkins has the gift of being able to demystify meditation in a way that will make you want to meditate, even if you feel your mind is too busy.”—Frank Lipman, M.D., author of 10 Reasons You Feel Old and Get Fat “If you’re ready to start a solid meditation practice, look no further.”—Rosario Dawson, actress “Light takes the world’s most powerful practice and turns it into something you can’t wait to do, something you’re actually excited about.”—Pam Grout, author of E-Squared and Thank & Grow Rich “Bliss More is a treasure trove of powerful, practical, and priceless techniques to finally master your meditation practice.”—Davidji, meditation teacher and author of Sacred Powers

Award Winner in the Science category of the 2020 Best Book Awards sponsored by American Book Fest Award-winning author and thought leader Dawson Church, Ph.D., blends cutting-edge neuroscience with intense firsthand experience to show you how you can rewire your brain for happiness-starting right now. Neural plasticity-the discovery that the brain is capable of rewiring itself-is now widely understood. But what few people have grasped yet is how quickly this is happening, how extensive brain changes can be, and how much control each of us has over the process. In Bliss Brain, famed researcher Dawson Church digs deep into leading-edge science, and finds stunning evidence of rapid and radical brain change. In just eight weeks of practice, 12 minutes a day, using the right techniques, we can produce measurable changes in our brains. These make us calmer, happier, and more resilient. When we cultivate these pleasurable states over time, they become traits. We don't just feel more blissful as a temporary state; the changes are literally hard-wired into our brains, becoming stable and enduring personality traits. The startling conclusions of Church's research show that neural remodeling goes much farther than scientists have previously understood, with stress circuits shriveling over time. Simultaneously, "The Enlightenment Circuit"-associated with happiness, compassion, productivity, creativity, and resilience-expands. During deep meditation, Church shows how "the 7 neurochemicals of ecstasy" are released in our brains. These include anandamide, a neurotransmitter that's been named "the bliss molecule" because it mimics the effects of THC, the active ingredient in cannabis. It boosts serotonin and dopamine; the first is an analog of psilocybin, the second of cocaine. He shows how cultivating these elevated emotional states literally produces a self-induced high. While writing Bliss Brain, Church went through a series of disasters, including escaping seconds ahead of a California wildfire that consumed his home and office and claimed 22 lives. The fire triggered a painful medical condition and a financial disaster. Through it all, Church steadily practiced the techniques of Bliss Brain while teaching them to thousands of other people. This book weaves his story of resilience into the fabric of neuroscience, producing a fascinating picture of just how happy we can make our brains, no matter what the odds.

In the 19th century undivided India, there was born a seer. A man in flesh and blood, who changed the very perception of God forever. A seer who blended the so-called opposites of Science and Religion together. He is Sree Sree Thakur Anukulchandra, the man who would change the very perception of Spirituality forever. This book is among the series of titles which transmits the messages and ideology of this great seer which range from politics to education, from marriage to agriculture, from science to religion, so on and so forth. The aim of this book is just to transmit His messages worldwide so that some depressed soul may find a soothing relief by reading these.

After years of teaching metaphysical principles all over the world through her seminars, books, church, and international television ministry, Terry Cole-Whittaker realized that there was something extremely important missing from her teachings. Divine discontent led her on an amazing spiritual journey that eventually yielded all that had been missing plus the sacred wisdom whereby everyone can enjoy the benefits of ever-increasing bliss, prosperity, and love. Terry shares this most empowering knowledge, the knowledge of who we really are — perfect souls possessing godlike powers and qualities.

An assistant curator of Munich's National Museum, Vicky Bliss is no expert on Egypt, but she does have a Ph.D. in solving crimes. So when an intelligence agency offers her a luxury Nile cruise if she'll help solve a murder and stop a heist of Egyptian antiquities, all 5'11" of her takes the plunge. Vicky suspects the authorities really want her to lead them to her missing lover, the art thief and master of disguises she knows only as "Sir John Smythe." And right in the shadow of the Sphinx she spots him. . . with his new flame. Vicky is so furious at this romantic stab-in-the-back, not to mention the sudden arrival of her meddling boss, Herr Dr. Schmidt, that she may overlook a danger as old as the pharaohs and as unchanging. . . a criminal who hides behind a mask of charm while moving in for the kill.

National Book Award Longlist Title * Booklist Editors’ Choice * CYBILS Young Adult Fiction Finalist * Nerdy Book Club Award for Best Young Adult Fiction * Paste Magazine Best Book * YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults “A compelling and raw story.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) “[Bliss dares] his readers not only to see the depths of human complexity, but to care.”—Booklist (starred review) Luke and Toby have always had each other’s backs. But then one choice—or maybe it is a series of choices—sets them down an irrevocable path.We’ll Fly Awayweaves together Luke and Toby’s senior year of high school with letters Luke writes to Toby later—from death row. Best friends since childhood, Luke and Toby have dreamed of one thing: getting out of their dead-end town. Soon they finally will, riding the tails of Luke’s wrestling scholarship, never looking back. If they don’t drift apart first. If Toby’s abusive dad, or Luke’s unreliable mom, or anything else their complicated lives throw at them doesn’t get in the way. Tense and emotional, this hard-hitting novel explores family abuse, sex, love, and friendship, and how far people will go to protect those they love. For fans of Jason Reynolds, Marieke Nijkamp, and NPR’s Serial podcast. Praise for We’ll Fly Away: "Bryan Bliss has written an empathetic and stirring novel about what it means to fight for the outcasts, the forgotten, and even the hated, reminding us that we all have worth. That we are all valuable."—Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking “A poignant story of loyalty, abuse, and poverty. . . . This compassionate and beautifully rendered novel packs an emotional punch.”—KirkusReviews (starred review) “A smart, rugged, all-too-true story of friendship under fire. Believable characters and page-turning tension.”—Chris Crutcher, author of Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes “This fast-paced read will have teens tearing through chapters to find out why Luke is in jail. . . . The conclusion will leave them devastated. This is [a] touching book about male friendship for fans of Jason Reynolds.”—School Library Journal “The unshakable and unconditional bond between the young men is tested and proves true, a ray of light in the darkness of their stories.”—VOYA

Clear, eloquent, simple, and profound, His Holiness's teachings are easily accessible to beginning practitioners yet richly nourishing to those more advanced in practice. In The Path to Bliss, the Dalai Lama shows how visualization, reason, and contemplation can be systematically crafted to enhance personal development. Beginning with practices designed to create an effective mental outlook, His Holiness skillfully guides the student to more advanced techniques for developing the mind's deepest potential and happiness. An impeccable attention to the correctness of detail, yet manages at the same time to convey a sense of playfulness, a balance of specific technical guidance, and delightful asides. It exemplifies the sophistication and elegance of Tibetan Buddhist methods for spiritual development.