We all get, theoretically, why the Amazon fires are terrible for all of humanity. But as I spent the last week reading this beautiful book, I felt the knowledge of precisely what we are losing sinking deeper and deeper into my heart.

Sastun: My Apprenticeship With a Maya Healer by Rosita Arvigo is a riveting tale of one woman's years spent learning from Don Elijio Panti, considered the last great Maya healer in Belize until his death at age 103. I really can't recommend this beautiful book enough. I couldn't put it down.

Read the book, and donate whatever you can to the Rainforest Alliance.

Speaking of Maya healing practices, I want to tell you about the most important healer in my life: Pamela Stewart.

I originally started seeing her in 2012 for massages, but that quickly expanded to include a variety of healing modalities: reflexology, reiki, nutrition, ortho-bionomy, Maya Abdominal Therapy, and more.

Even as I've seen dozens of doctors and other specialists to try to sort out my complicated health issues, she has always remained the most interested and helpful professional in my life.

Pamela has what I think is the single most important quality of a healer: boundless curiosity. She has a never-ending claim to the seat of the student. Unlike so many other healers, she rarely offers direct answers, but is a master at inviting self reflection. And, she's so good at what she does, we nick-named her "Magic Hands Pam" at our house. :) 

She embodies the philosophy of us each being our own healer. I mentioned her especially because so many friends I know have shared how much Maya Abdominal Therapy has helped with fertility and women's health issues. May you all have such a healer in your life!

This is cool: 

A "topographical" map of human emotions has been made. In other words, it's an atlas of where we feel our emotions, physically. I'm a huge fan of this and can't wait to use it when teaching meditation.

The study, published by the National Academy of Sciences: "Bodily Map of Emotions"

This is cool and also kind of weird: 

Another map, this one of all the "non-word utterances" (aka paralinguistics) that humans make. (Stuff like oooh and ahhhh and awww.) It's funny and weird to listen to; click through to see for yourself.

Oof, mmm, ooh: Here's a Map of All of the Weird Sounds Humans Make, in Fast Company

I put together a bookshelf for the EFF This! Meditation community, which features books written by us, books we love, and books mentioned in this here newsletter.

EFF THIS! MEDITATION bookshelf on Amazon

(Prefer your local bookstore or library? Awesome! You can use the list as a reference.) 

Have you written a book? Please let me know so I can add it to the bookshelf (and apologies if I should have known and missed it.) 

Are there books that have changed your life and you think others should read them? LMK so that I can add those to the list, too. Let's all share. :) 

Read on! 📚

One of the most important things I want to help people understand is how much truly harmful bullsh*t is out there masquerading as self help or wellness.

Lately I've been studying the wildly popular lifestyle influencer / motivational speaker Rachel Hollis, who has a documentary up on Amazon called "Made for More"–as well as several bestselling books. Besides the (urgently important) fact that she is telling people that they must always be striving because they will never be enough, she also perpetuates a message that every single one of our problems is of our own making, which ignores very real and actually systemic issues.

"...her core philosophy itself is emblematic of a huge division in American thought that dominates our national discourse... There are dark implications in making everything a matter of personal responsibility, which is Hollis’s bias."

That quote is from a great article called "'Girl, Wash Your Face"' Is A Massive Best-Seller With A Dark Message" and it is well worth the read.

My reminder to you: not every struggle you have is a personal character flaw. And you are good enough as you already are. Anyone who tells you otherwise has something to sell (like, for instance, a clothing line on QVC.)