Elevated Existence July 2016 Self-Help Book Picks

Each month, a ton of new spiritual and self-help books hit the market. It’s easy to get overwhelmed or miss out on some new releases.

We created Elevated Existence Monthly Book Picks to help our readers narrow down their search, and make sure they don’t miss some great options!

The books for this month were chosen by our editor’s as their picks for July 2016. They are listed below in alphabetical order. Click on each title to go directly to Amazon and find out more about the book.

aarp“AARP Meditations for Caregivers: Practical, Emotional and Spiritual Support for You and Your Family,” by Barry J. Jacobs Psy.D and Julia L. Mayer Psy.D — Offering a blend of emotional and spiritual motivation to maximize the gains of caregiving while minimizing the strains, this book will help helps readers view caregiving as a mission from the heart, and it includes chapters on accepting your feelings, embracing rewards, seeking support and managing stress. Also, each section offers three-part meditations for caregivers: an inspirational quote, an anecdote drawn from the authors’ personal or clinical experience, and direct psychological or hands-on advice to foster coping and life satisfaction.

four-questions“The Four Questions: For Henny Penny and Anybody with Stressful Thoughts,” by Byron Katie — In this modern retelling of “The Sky is Falling,” author and teacher Byron Katie created this book for both adults and children based on her teachings known as “The Work” — her method of self-inquiry for dealing with suffering, stress and more that she has based many best-selling books on.

messages-from-angels“Messages from Angels Coloring Book,” by Doreen Virtue — Bringing messages of comfort, support and hope from angels, this adult coloring book by bestselling author Doreen Virtue will help one connect with angels, open the subconscious mind and create a meditative space. “The word ‘angel’ means ‘messenger of God’. Angels carry messages between the Creator and the created, like Heavenly postal carriers,” says Doreen Virtue.

 

mesages-from-fairies“Messages from the Fairies Coloring Book,” by Doreen Virtue — Fairies bring messages of inspiration and joy, reminding us to lighten up, play and enjoy life. These beautiful images offer the opportunity to relax, enjoy life, and move into a meditative state, and be more receptive to the energy of the fairies. “Fairies are angels who reside very close to the earth so they can perform their Divine mission of protecting nature and animals. Fairies genuinely want to help you live a healthier, happier and more prosperous life,” says Virtue.

mindful-eating“The Mindfulness-Based Eating Solution: Proven Strategies to End Overeating, Satisfy Your Hunger and Savor Your Life,” by Lynn Rossy, PhD — In this book, Rossy offers an effective program to help one slow down, savor each bite and actually eat less. She teaches how to listen to the body’s intuition, uncover the psychological cause of overeating and be more mindful during mealtime. Also, according to a recent study, women in the author’s Eat for Life program reported higher levels of body appreciation and intuitive eating and lower levels of problematic eating behaviors than did the wait list comparison group.

the-one-life-were-given“The One Life We’re Given: Finding the Wisdom That Waits in Your Heart,” by Mark Nepo — The bestselling author and spiritual teacher Mark Nepo shares personal stories, questions and meditations to bring readers on a journey to know their own hearts and enliven their souls.

“As we learn when to try and when to let go, when to give our all and when to surrender and simply receive, we unfold the moments that reveal meaning and ready us for grace,” he says in the book. “This is how the heart breaks a path to our soul’s work, leading us to our authenticity, and to how we can be useful to others and the world.”

sacred-motherhood copy“Sacred Motherhood: An Inspirational Guide and Journal for Mindfully Mothering Children of All Ages,” by Anni Daulter and Niki Dewart — Written to help mothers embrace motherhood as a spiritual journey, whether at the grocery store, changing diapers, snuggling with your baby or fighting with your partner. Both a guide and a journal, it invites readers to pause momentarily to reflect and write and then return to mothering tasks with a fresh perspective, renewed vision and more. It spans 52-weeks and sheds light on a number of subjects to illuminate the sacred journey of mothering.

High Protein Anytime Granola

Are you looking for a healthy and homemade snack option? Try this protein-packed granola from Christine Okezie at Your Delicious Balance!

Yield: Approximately 12 servings 

Dry Ingredients:

1 cup raw pumpkin seeds

1 cup raw sunflower seeds

1 cup almond meal (“Bob’s Red Mill” or Trader Joe’s)

2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

1 cup raw almonds, chopped

1 cup pecans, chopped

1 cup raw walnuts, chopped

4-5 teaspoons allspice

 

Wet Ingredients:

1/2 cup maple syrup or honey

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

 

Procedure:

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  1. In a mixing bowl, combined all dry ingredients.
  1. Stir in the wet ingredients. Mix well.
  1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread mixture in a single layer.
  1. Bake for approximately 20 minutes. Mix about halfway through.
  1. Let cool for 10 minutes. Crumble and store in airtight container.

Healthy Snacking Tips: Create a Strategy

by Christine Okezie

Read Christine’s healthy snacking for weight loss article here!

Below are the questions to ask yourself when you get hungry between meals:

Are you skipping meals? Commit to set meals throughout the day. Eating at regularly scheduled times helps naturally regulate your appetite.

Did you eat a big enough breakfast or lunch? Maybe going forward you need to fill up with more protein and healthy fats at your main meals.

Are you skimping on sleep? Being tired all the time wreaks havoc on key hormones that regulate your appetite and fullness signals, setting you up for excess and/or poor-quality snacking.

Are you thirsty? When you do not drink enough water, your body receives mixed signals on hunger. Dehydration causes you to believe you need to eat when you really need liquid intake.

Are you really hungry for food? Maybe you are bored, stressed and looking for distraction? Check in with yourself. Maybe all you need is a stretch break or a breath of fresh air to recharge. My No. 1 recommendation: Go Zen and take a deep breath in and then a deep breath out. Repeat for just two minutes. I promise you’ll be so much more relaxed and clear-headed to decide.

Are You Focused on Your Food? Are you watching television or checking e-mail while you’re eating? Distracted eating blocks the feeling of satisfaction in your brain, setting the stage to make poor food choices and overeating. In contrast, studies show that mindful eating is a powerful tool for improving behaviors around food and promoting weight loss.

Christine-OkezieChristine M. Okezie is a graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts in New York, and the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She founded her company, Your Delicious Balance, where she counsels individuals to heal themselves through real food and positive lifestyle choices. Her healing strategies are based on whole foods nutrition, and she guides her clients to adopt a plant-centered way of eating that offers anti-inflammatory and detoxifying benefits to the body. For more information, visit her Web site at www.yourdeliciousbalance.com or call (201) 889-5001.

Elevated Existence June 2016 Book Picks

Each month, a ton of new spiritual and self-help books hit the market. It’s easy to get overwhelmed or miss out on some new releases.

We created Elevated Existence Monthly Book Picks to help our readers narrow down their search, and make sure they don’t miss some great options!

The books for this month were chosen by our editor’s as their picks for June 2016. They are listed below in alphabetical order. Click on each title to go directly to Amazon and find out more about the book.

5-habits“5 Habits to Lead from Your Heart: Getting Out of Your Head to Express Your Heart,” by Johnny Covey — Author and coach Johnny Covey presents a new way to change how we perceive experiences; how to make decisions; and how we interpret events. When we filter things through our head and not our heart, we are more likely to act out of fear or self-preservation, and harmful habits can form. But habits can be changed, and Covey will share how to lead from the heart, live courageously and create the life we want.

courage-to-be-creative“The Courage to Be Creative: How to Believe in Yourself, Your Dreams and Ideas, and Your Creative Career Path,” by Doreen Virtue — Bestselling author Doreen Virtue’s newest book, “The Courage to Be Creative: How to Believe in Yourself, Your Dreams and Ideas, and Your Creative Career Path,” explains how to gain 10 forms of courage that lead to creativity, including the courage to be ourselves. Each chapter offers exercises so readers can discover their natural talents as writers, artists or other creative careers, as well as scientific research on the creative process and real-life stories.

control-your-anxiety“How to Control Your Anxiety Before It Controls You,” by Albert Ellis Respected pioneer of psychotherapy, Albert Ellis, shares the technique he created called Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) to stop anxiety in its tracks. The key is admitting that things and people do not make us anxious — our unrealistic expectations produce needless anxiety. This classic book not only helps distinguish between healthy and unhealthy anxiety, as well as how to understand and dispute the irrational beliefs that make you anxious; how to use a variety of exercises including rational coping self- statements, reframing, problem-solving methods and Unconditional Self-Acceptance (USA) to control anxiety; and apply over 20 maxims to control your anxious thinking as well as your bodily reactions to anxiety.

make-you-sleep“I Can Make Your Sleep,” by Paul McKennaMore Americans are suffering from insomnia than ever before. Leading hypnotist, Dr. Paul McKenna, has made a series of scientific breakthroughs to improve sleep. Through a remarkable 20-year study of tackling insomnia, McKenna developed a unique, easy system to improve the quality of sleep. He offers easy exercises and simple changes in thinking and behavior to have a significant impact on sleep habits. Learn to fall asleep when you want to, what to do if you wake up in the middle of the night, how to stop your mind from racing and feel calm, and more. It also comes with a guided hypnosis download to deeply relax and rest the body’s natural sleep mechanism.

life-between-heaven-earth“Life Between Heaven & Earth: What You Didn’t Know About the World Hereafter and How It Can Help You,” George Anderson New York Times bestselling author and medium George Anderson shares a new understanding of heaven and how messages from the afterlife can assist us in the here in now in his newest book, “Life Between Heaven and Earth: What You Didn’t Know About the World Hereafter and How It Can Help You.” Through nine stories of those in sessions with Anderson, survivors of those passed reveal spiritual treasures and lessons to be learned about heaven and earth that can restore, revitalize and heal.

tears-to-triumph“Tears to Triumph: The Spiritual Journey from Suffering to Enlightenment,” by Marianne Williamson — What if instead of trying to numb our pain and sadness, we chose to embrace it and ask what it’s trying to teach us? Bestselling author Marianne Williamson takes on the topic of suffering in this new book. With teachings based on “A Course in Miracles,” Williamson shares why suffering is a part of our experience, and how we can not only survive it, but also transcend it. She examines the heart of all great religious teachings on the topic, and shares how to apply spiritual principles to help us through our pain.

whatever-arises-course“Whatever Arises, Love That Course: Insights and Practices to Open the Heart and Live as Love,” by Matt Khan — In this audio with 8 hours of teaching, Matt Kahn shares a 12-part journey to explore how profoundly our life can transform when we surrender to the love that is our true divine nature. It includes practices to open the heart, master the skill of conscious communication to uplift our relationships, insights on how to unravel the patters of ego with compassion and ease, and more.

when-things-fall-apart“When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times 20th Anniversary Edition,” by Pema Chodron — This newly designed, 20th-anniversary edition, with a new afterword, Pema Chodron addresses how we can live our lives when everything seems to be falling apart. She shares how moving toward painful situations and becoming intimate with them can open up our hearts in ways we never before imagined. Offering traditional Buddhist wisdom, she offers tools to transform suffering and negative patters into boundless joy.

Dr. Wayne Dyer’s Life After Death

On August 29, 2015, bestselling author and spiritual teacher Dr. Wayne Dyer passed on from a heart attack, leaving the millions of people whose lives he touched in mourning, and leaving his wife and eight children in shock and grief.

“The day he died I was on the phone with his assistant Dee when she found him,” Serena Dyer, Wayne’s daughter who co-wrote the book “Don’t Die With Your Music Still In You” with her father, told Elevated Existence in the June 2016 cover story. “She was very emotional, and I didn’t understand what was going on. She got upset pretty quickly with what she was seeing, and I was telling her to do CPR because I didn’t understand she was trying to explain it was clear he had died. It was a very emotional and taxing phone call, and I was really in a state of shock.”

It wasn’t until she got home that reality set in, and she started to “lose it.” Laying in bed, she began talking to her dad, saying “I don’t want to go down the path of you being in my past. I don’t want each step away from August 30 to be another step farther from you — another day from having talked to you last. Another day farther from having seen you last. I don’t want to go forward with out,” she explains. “Help me not leave you in the past. Let me know you’re still here with me so I can carry you with me into the future. So every major thing that happens in my life, I can still talk to you about it.”

She asked him for a sign, and said she wanted something specific. Suddenly a thought came into her head to listen to his radio show, something she had never done before. She went to Google and typed “Wayne Dyer Radio” and podcasts came up. She randomly picked one and pushed play.

“It was him talking to somebody about accepting a difficult situation in life, and I listened and felt very calm and peaceful because it was so nice to hear his voice and realize I had an endless amount of radio, video and books of his teachings I would always have access to,” she shares, explaining it wasn’t until the end of the radio show that she truly got her sign.

“In the last 30 seconds, out of the blue, he says, ‘and now if everybody could just take a minute and send some extra love to my daughter Serena who just had a baby.’ I looked at the date, and it was not when I had the baby, but hearing how he ended the show, I just started bawling my eyes out,” she says. “I thought, ‘Okay, I got it Dad. You’re telling me you’re still here and you’re coming with me into the future or into the now.’ I felt so much better.”

Since his death, the signs and the communication have continued, not just for Serena, but for all his family members. In fact, the family connected with fellow Hay House author and medium Karen Noe, who delivered specific and accurate messages from Dyer, not only about his family, but also about his experience on the other side.

“After we die, we go through a life review where we can see how we affected other people through their eyes, and he was able to see what he had done, good, bad or indifferent. He wasn’t able to see how much he affected everyone with his work, and now he can,” Noe tells Elevated Existence. “At one point, he said everyone was yelling at him after he passed, asking, ‘Why did you leave?’ and he said, ‘Tell them I’m still here.’”

Layout 1Still Teaching
Noe always loved the work of Dr. Wayne Dyer, and after discovering he passed away, reached out to his daughter Serena, who had been on her radio show the year before, to send her a copy of her book “Your Life After Their Death.” And after a synchronistic encounter on the Hay House author bus at an I Can Do It event in Orlando, she wound up doing a reading for many of Dr. Dyer’s family members.

But to her surprise, Dyer started coming through directly to her. (Read more about her experience in the June 2016 issue). Here are some of the things he told her from the afterlife:

“He started talking to me about We consciousness and the unity of everyone and everything; the compassion for all of life; and that what a person does to oneself or another affects the whole,” she shares. “The most important thing he talked about is how we a
re all one, and we think because you are there and I’m here, that we are different people, but we are not. We are all one, including God, the angels, the ascended masters, deceased loved ones and nature.”

Although one of the teachings he shared before passing was about the importance of “I Am” when it comes to creation and understanding God is within all of us, but now he realized it’s really “We Are,” Noe says.

“He talked about how God is within each and every one of us with no exceptions, and we have to realize the divinity within all of us and the power that we have, because we have tremendous power, but we are unaware of it,” she explains. “God is only love and peace, and you must be love and peace to fully feel your connection with God. You can reinforce your connection to God with positive thoughts.”

An Important Message
In the cover story of the June Issue, Wayne Dyer’s youngest daughter Saje tells Elevated Existence it was extremely hard. But then she remembered her father’s teaching: Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at change. This shifted everything for her. She is choosing not to see him as “gone.” Instead she is seeing him as changed.

“My relationship with my dad didn’t end on August 30, it just changed, and I can communicate with him in a different way. I can feel him in a different way, and I’m just choosing to see it as a beautiful thing and not an end,” says Saje.

One of the most important messages Dyer asked his family and Noe to communicate on his behalf was that he now has the ability to be present for whoever needs him at a moment’s notice. He is only a thought away.

“One thing he really wanted us to communicate on his behalf is you just have to have a thought of him and he will be there. And you don’t have to be his child or his wife or a family member to have that,” Serena Dyer shares. “He could be there for anybody now and he wanted that to be known. He brought it up multiple times. He wants people to know he is there for them.”

For more of what Wayne Dyer shared with Noe and his about the afterlife; why his family believes his soul knew it was his time to pass on months before he did; and specific signs he has sent to show them he is still around, read the June 2016 Issue now!

The Soul Lives On

My mother passed away suddenly in 1999, and since then, I continually find comfort and peace from the signs she sends, letting me know she is still around me. Whether it’s in dreams, songs on the radio or advice she offers through a medium, my mother has proven to me time and again how the human body dies, but the soul lives on.

When Dr. Wayne Dyer passed away on August 20, 2015, millions mourned his loss. He touched the lives of so many, and I was lucky enough to interview him in 2011 when Elevated Existence presented him with its annual Spiritual Service Award. He lived what he taught, and left behind teachings that will continue to help and inspire millions for generations to come.

Although Wayne Dyer may have left his physical body, he is not done teaching others. In the June 2016 Issue, I interviewed two of his daughters, Serena and Saje Dyer, and fellow Hay House author and psychic medium Karen Noe, to reveal messages — both personal to his family and universal — he has shared since his passing.

“My relationship with my dad didn’t end on August 30, it just changed, and I can communicate with him in a different way. I can feel him in a different way, and I’m just choosing to see it as a beautiful thing and not an end,” Saje Dyer shares in the June 2016 cover story.

Layout 1Not only has Wayne Dyer sent a number of signs to his family since his passing, letting them know he is still around, but through Noe, many of his family members have received personal and touching messages — some which they share in this issue. He was most excited to share how he discovered the work he did while on Earth was the right path for him, and he confirmed much of what he taught on the other side.

“He said it was really all about love, and coming from a place of love. It’s all that matters,” Serena Dyer says. “You take with you the love, and he tried to teach that and get people to experience that. He felt happy to know that was right, and shared he is doing even more work now.”

One of the most important messages Dyer asked his family and Noe to communicate on his behalf was that he now has the ability to be present for whoever needs him at a moment’s notice. He is only a thought away.

“One thing he really wanted us to communicate on his behalf is you just have to have a thought of him and he will be there,” Serena shares. “And you don’t have to be his child or his wife or a family member to have that. He could be there for anybody now, and he wanted that to be known. He brought it up multiple times. He wants people to know he is there for them.”

I hope you find comfort in the messages and teachings Dyer and his family share in the June 2016 issue. And know that all our loved ones on the other side remain with us, and we all have the ability to open ourselves up to the signs they send letting us know.