The Power of Giving (Book), Swing (DVD), and Pranayama (CD).
The Power of
Giving: How Giving
Back Enriches Us All
(Book)
by Azim Jamal and
Harvey McKinnon
(Penguin Group, $22.95)
If you grew up in a family where mom or dad would regularly warn that “money doesn’t grow on trees,” then your feelings around giving, and the fear of lack, might be holding you back from realizing your full potential. In The Power of Giving, two Vancouver-based motivational coaches, Azim Jamal and Harvey McKinnon, remind us of the many diverse ways we can give to the world around us. The giving of money—or of our time, wisdom, attention, or love—allows us to understand the more you give of yourself, the more you find of yourself. This book makes a lovely gift for any occasion.
—Rebecca Ephraim
Pranayama (CD)
by Nubia Teixeira
with Jai Uttal& Ben Leinbach
(Sounds True, $24.95)
Though the holiday season is quickly approaching, there’s no need to panic if you’ve got a copy of Pranayama. Accompanied by soulful Tibetan and Hindu chanting, this dual CD set offers simple pranayama (also known as yogic breathing) techniques that are divided into three types: soothing, balancing, and energizing. Joined by celebrated world music artist Jai Uttal (who performs in Vancouver Nov. 13) and his long-time collaborator Ben Leinbach, Nubia Teixeira will guide you through a restorative practice interweaving breathing, meditation, and visualization techniques. So instead of breathing fire this holiday season, exhale a sigh of relief.
—Erica Gehrke
Swing (DVD)
directed by
Martin Guigui
(SpiritualCinemaCircle.com;
free trial membership)
Anthony (played by Innis Casey) is a sweet young guy with the wrong girl and the wrong job. When he stumbles into a ’40s-era swing club one evening, he meets Christine (Jacqueline Bisset), a stunning and vivacious older woman who takes him under her wing and teaches him swing dancing. Through his weekly lessons, swing becomes a metaphor for life (“It requires skill, coordination, practice… and passion,” Christine tells him). Soon, Anthony begins to realize that if he keeps on trying to please everyone around him, he’ll never please himself. This film is a gentle wake-up call for anyone stuck in a rut—romantic, job-related, or otherwise.
—Tamara Letkeman
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