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Sacred Smoke
by Amy BlackthornA guide to using smoke and scents to create a positive, healing home for you and your family.Aromatherapist and long-time herbalist Amy Blackthorn offers the essential tools for creating sacred space—a safe space free of negative energies—using herbs, incense, smoke, and other practices.“No matter your faith,” writes Amy Blackthorn, “practicing with sacred smoke is a powerful way to make your intentions known and support change in your life. . . . An argument between friends can be hashed out over calming lavender smoke. A home can find prosperity in the embrace of burning clove powder. Space can be consecrated with the grace and devotional power of cedar. Every ritual or occasion can be tailored to the language of scent.”Written in an accessible style, free of jargon, Sacred Smoke has everything you need to know to get started on your practice of purification and cleansing, including:The importance of self-careHow to keep your home and family safeHow to protect your home while you are awayAdding crystals to your cleansing practiceUsing essential herbs and recipes for creating cleansing smokeSacred Smoke is an essential guide for anyone seeking to practice the ritual use of cleansing and clearing to protect and heal themselves, their home, and their family.
Sacred Sound: Discovering the Myth and Meaning of Mantra and Kirtan
by Alanna KaivalyaThe mantra and kirtan (call-and-response devotional chants) of yoga practice sometimes get short shrift in the West because they aren’t well understood. These chants are an integral part of most every Eastern spiritual practice because they are designed to provide access into the psyche while their underlying mythology helps us understand how our psychology affects daily life. Sacred Sound shares the myths behind the mantras, illuminating their meaning and putting their power and practicality within reach of every practitioner. Each mantra and kirtan includes the Sanskrit, the transliteration, and the translation. Clear retellings of the pertinent myths highlight modern-day applications so that readers discover their own personal connection to the practice. Alanna Kaivalya has refined her teaching over a decade with tens of thousands of diverse audience members. Her unique and popular approach to human connection and self-knowledge turns a time-tested tradition into a versatile and potent tool.
Sacred Space
by Denise Linn"Our homes are mirrors of ourselves. Through them we can interface with the universe."Everything in the universe is composed of constantly changing energy, including your home and its contents. This energy can profoundly influence your ability to be healthy, loving, creative and abundant. By clearing and enhancing this energy you can transform your home into a sanctuary which radiates positive energy in ever-expanding circles.In this fascinating and unusual book, Denise Linn shows you how you can dramatically change your life by changing the environment in your home or office. She combines information from her own Native American heritage with material she has personally collected from native traditions around the world to bring you practical, easy-to-use exercises for balancing the physical, emotional and spiritual energies in your home, including how to:* Diagnose and solve problems with stagnant home energies.* Use sacred sound, spirit smoke, mystic symbols and purifying fire forclearing home energy.* Discover the personal numerology of your home.* Use the ancient art of Feng Shui for the placement of objects in yourhome.* Call house angels and totems as home protectors.* Use rituals to rid your home of unwanted spirits.* Instantly uplift the energy in your home.Your home can resonate, sing and pulse with Light energy that can touch the lives of everyone around you. Your home can become Sacred Space.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Sacred Space
by Denise Linn"Our homes are mirrors of ourselves. Through them we can interface with the universe. " Everything in the universe is composed of constantly changing energy, including your home and its contents. This energy can profoundly influence your ability to be healthy, loving, creative and abundant. By clearing and enhancing this energy you can transform your home into a sanctuary which radiates positive energy in ever-expanding circles. In this fascinating and unusual book, Denise Linn shows you how you can dramatically change your life by changing the environment in your home or office. She combines information from her own Native American heritage with material she has personally collected from native traditions around the world to bring you practical, easy-to-use exercises for balancing the physical, emotional and spiritual energies in your home, including how to: * Diagnose and solve problems with stagnant home energies. * Use sacred sound, spirit smoke, mystic symbols and purifying fire for clearing home energy. * Discover the personal numerology of your home. * Use the ancient art of Feng Shui for the placement of objects in your home. * Call house angels and totems as home protectors. * Use rituals to rid your home of unwanted spirits. * Instantly uplift the energy in your home. Your home can resonate, sing and pulse with Light energy that can touch the lives of everyone around you. Your home can become Sacred Space. From the Trade Paperback edition.
Sacred Space, Sacred Sound
by Don Campbell Susan Elizabeth HaleTogether we stood in awe in the Gallery of Bulls in the prehistoric cave of Lascaux. No more words. No more questions. Only five trembling humans, strangers from different countries, forever linked to this place...Sounds rose from within. The cave was telling me how to sing...I heard an echo, my voice reflected back by the bison, no longer just my voice, but the bison's voice, the voice of the cave itself.There is a fundamental human need to create sacred spaces where sound reverberates to commune with the ancestors and give praise to the Divine. Ancient people recognized the importance of sound and sought out resonant caves to perform rituals. Modern-day temples and cathedrals were built to enhance sound and music. We build sacred places to house music, to hear ourselves and Spirit more clearly, and to create relationship between the seen and the unseen worlds within and around us."The voice itself is a cathedral," says Susan Hale, author of Sacred Space, Sacred Sound. "We are sound chambers resonating with the One Song." The first of its kind to approach sacred architecture from a perspective of sound and consciousness, this book explores the acoustics of sacred space as an avenue for understanding. It is about music powerful enough to transform us into a greater reality. Based on Susan's life-long experience as a singer, 27 years as a music therapist, and 10 years of journeys across the globe researching sacred sites, this work discusses the desecration and disharmony of our current world while demonstrating how people are building new sacred sites with resonant qualities.Starting with a vision to follow the Virgin Mary-also called the Lady of Roses-and her music, Susan takes us on a spiritual journey through France, the United Kingdom, and parts of the American Southwest-from the Chartres Cathedral and the prehistoric cave of Lascaux, to the Templar-built Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland, the Chalice Well of Arthurian lore at Glastonbury, and back on domestic soil to the native kivas in New Mexico. Susan compares different styles of worship through the perspective of music and architecture, focusing on a range of religious traditions including Gregorian chant, overtone chanting, Hindu mantra, and English evensong. She also illustrates the importance of sound in achieving altered states of consciousness for transformation, healing, and prayer. Featuring interviews with leading authorities on the acoustic resonance of sacred space, a discography and suggested listening at the end of several chapters, this book gives us the tools to find our own sacred voice.
Sacred Space, Sacred Sound
by Don Campbell Susan Elizabeth HaleVisionary singer Susan Hale believes that early peoples deliberately built their structures to enhance natural vibrations. She takes us around the globe-from Stonehenge and New Grange to Gothic cathedrals and Tibetan stupas in New Mexico-to explore the acoustics of sacred places. But, she says, you don't have to go to the Taj Mahal: The sacred is all around us, and we are all sound chambers resonating with the One Song.
Sacred Stories: Wisdom from World Religions
by Marilyn Mcfarlane Caroline O. BergThis comprehensive collection of timeless and powerful stories puts the wisdom of world religions in the hands of young readers.When attempting to find a simple, engaging, and unbiased approach to world religions for her own family, Marilyn McFarlane discovered such a book did not exist. Understanding how important it is for children to build both respect for and knowledge of a variety of religions, regardless of their own faith, McFarlane created Sacred Stories: Wisdom from World Religions.Each captivating story and accompanying sidebar facts and spot illustrations brings to life the key tenets of a particular belief system, while the comprehensive glossary and resource list enable readers to expand their explorations. Including easy-to-understand descriptions and essential stories from Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Native American, and Sacred Earth, Sacred Stories is perfect for parents and teachers who want to expand young readers' understanding of world traditions.The simple, informative, unbiased language of Sacred Stories, combined with its comprehensive resource list and glossary, makes it an ideal learning tool for teachers, librarians, and other educators.
Sacred Stories: Wisdom from World Religions
by Marilyn McfarlaneThis comprehensive collection of timeless and powerful stories puts the wisdom of world religions in the hands of young readers.When attempting to find a simple, engaging, and unbiased approach to world religions for her own family, Marilyn McFarlane discovered such a book did not exist. Understanding how important it is for children to build both respect for and knowledge of a variety of religions, regardless of their own faith, McFarlane created Sacred Stories: Wisdom from World Religions.Each captivating story and accompanying sidebar facts and spot illustrations brings to life the key tenets of a particular belief system, while the comprehensive glossary and resource list enable readers to expand their explorations. Including easy-to-understand descriptions and essential stories from Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Native American, and Sacred Earth, Sacred Stories is perfect for parents and teachers who want to expand young readers' understanding of world traditions.The simple, informative, unbiased language of Sacred Stories, combined with its comprehensive resource list and glossary, makes it an ideal learning tool for teachers, librarians, and other educators.
Sacred Symbols of the Dogon: The Key to Advanced Science in the Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs
by John Anthony West Laird ScrantonDogon cosmology provides a new Rosetta stone for reinterpreting Egyptian hieroglyphs • Provides a new understanding of Egyptian hieroglyphs as scientific symbols based on Dogon cosmological drawings • Use parallels between Dogon and Egyptian word meanings to identify relationships between Dogon myths and modern science In The Science of the Dogon, Laird Scranton demonstrated that the cosmological structure described in the myths and drawings of the Dogon runs parallel to modern science--atomic theory, quantum theory, and string theory--their drawings often taking the same form as accurate scientific diagrams that relate to the formation of matter. Scranton also pointed to the close resemblance between the keywords and component elements of Dogon cosmology and those of ancient Egypt, and the implication that ancient cosmology may also be about actual science.Sacred Symbols of the Dogon uses these parallels as the starting point for a new interpretation of the Egyptian hieroglyphic language. By substituting Dogon cosmological drawings for equivalent glyph-shapes in Egyptian words, a new way of reading and interpreting the Egyptian hieroglyphs emerges. Scranton shows how each hieroglyph constitutes an entire concept, and that their meanings are scientific in nature. Using the Dogon symbols as a “Rosetta stone,” he reveals references within the ancient Egyptian language that define the full range of scientific components of matter: from massless waves to the completed atom, even suggesting direct correlations to a fully realized unified field theory.
Sacred Tears: A Witch's Guide to Grief
by Courtney WeberYour Gentle Companion for the Journey of GriefWhen loss leaves you reeling, struggling emotionally and spiritually, Sacred Tears offers support from a Witch's perspective. Courtney Weber provides guidance as you navigate the grief spiral at your own pace. She reassures you that grief is not only necessary, but sacred, and need not be rushed.Providing dozens of rituals, prayers, and journal prompts, Courtney meets you where you are and accompanies you through all kinds of grief. She encourages you to incorporate your own spirituality, sharing stories from her experiences that help you cope in your unique way. Learn how to communicate your needs, comfort others who are hurting, and mourn when you can't get closure. This heartfelt book guides you through something none of us want to endure but all of us will.
Sacred Therapies: The Kundalini Yoga Meditation Handbook for Mental Health
by David Shannahoff-KhalsaA simplified version, for consumers, of yoga protocols for optimal mental health. This comprehensive, user-friendly handbook offers readers an innovative clinical approach using 100 different Kundalini yoga techniques in select disorder-specific protocols for treating all of the major and common psychiatric disorders. Readers will gain insight into their own symptoms by reading the official American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual definitions along with the associated disorders and features, and learn the step-by-step strategies essential for self-healing and relief. Seventy black-and-white illustrations are included. Topics covered: Generalized Anxiety Disorder * Obsessive Compulsive Disorder * Body Dysmorphic Disorder * Trichotillomania * Phobias * Panic Disorders * Acute Stress Disorder * PTSD * The Abused and Battered Psyche * Depression * Grief * The Bipolar Disorders * The Addictive, Impulse Control, and Eating Disorders * Insomnia and other Sleep Disorders * Chronic Fatigue Syndrome * ADHD and Co-morbid Disorders (Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder) * Dyslexia and Other Learning Disorders * Schizophrenia and the Variants of the Psychoses * The Personality Disorders (Paranoid, Schizoid, Schizotypal, Antisocial, Borderline, Histrionic, Narcississtic, Avoidant, Dependent, and Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder) * Autism and Asperger's Disorder
Sacred Travels
by Meera LesterAll roads lead to enlightenment--but the choice of which to travel is yours. From Sedona to Lourdes to Mecca, there are certain divinely blessed places that can inspire you to renew your sense of wonder, revitalize your spirit, and restore your faith.In this book, you'll explore the most illuminating sites around the world, including: The Taj Mahal in India, a stunning palace designed for mourning a lost love--or celebrating a new one Carmel Mission in California, a place of veneration and enlightenmentThe Shrine of Rumi in Turkey, a monument to the power of passion and poetryThe Wailing Wall in Israel, where it is believed you have God's ear when you visit Mount Olympus in Greece, a snow-capped peak that offers serenity and strengthWith special prayers, meditations, and devotions for each sacred site, this guide is the perfect companion if you are seeking a true journey of the soul.
Sacred Travels 275
by Meera LesterAll roads lead to enlightenment--but the choice of which to travel is yours. From Sedona to Lourdes to Mecca, there are certain divinely blessed places that can inspire you to renew your sense of wonder, revitalize your spirit, and restore your faith. In this book, you'll explore the most illuminating sites around the world, including: The Taj Mahal in India, a stunning palace designed for mourning a lost love--or celebrating a new one Carmel Mission in California, a place of veneration and enlightenment The Shrine of Rumi in Turkey, a monument to the power of passion and poetry The Wailing Wall in Israel, where it is believed you have God's ear when you visit Mount Olympus in Greece, a snow-capped peak that offers serenity and strength With special prayers, meditations, and devotions for each sacred site, this guide is the perfect companion if you are seeking a true journey of the soul.
Sacred Travels: 274 Places to Find Joy, Seek Solace, and Learn to Live More Fully
by Meera LesterAll roads lead to enlightenment-but the choice of which to travel is yours. From Sedona to Lourdes to Mecca, there are certain divinely blessed places that can inspire you to renew your sense of wonder, revitalize your spirit, and restore your faith.In this book, you'll explore the most illuminating sites around the world, including:The Taj Mahal in India, a stunning palace designed for mourning a lost love-or celebrating a new oneCarmel Mission in California, a place of veneration and enlightenmentThe Shrine of Rumi in Turkey, a monument to the power of passion and poetryThe Wailing Wall in Israel, where it is believed you have God's ear when you visitMount Olympus in Greece, a snow-capped peak that offers serenity and strength With special prayers, meditations, and devotions for each sacred site, this guide is the perfect companion if you are seeking a true journey of the soul.
Sacred Vibrations: The Transformative Power of Crystalline Sound and Music
by Jeralyn GlassFascinating discoveries in science and medicine are revealing the many ways sound affects us at both a biological and an emotional level. At a time when people are seeking solace and healing as never before, distinguished musician and crystal singing bowl master teacher Jeralyn Glass has penned an intriguing narrative that impactfully shows how you can embrace the healing power of music.Sacred Vibrations shares the remarkable story of the Glass&’ rise to acclaim as a Broadway and opera singer who graced some of the world&’s most celebrated stages. We walk with her as she shares her exploration of the healing power of music that traces its roots to primitive humanity. We learn from the wisdom and scientific research of her friends and colleagues who are bringing the study of sound and music to an epic crescendo. And we breathe reverentially with her as she shares the emotional story of her son&’s birth, his death, and the astonishingly expansive relationship she has established with him—and the crystal singing bowls—in the years since he passed.Intentional sound can transmute uncertainty, chaos, and pain to harmony, coherence, and true healing. The book grounds the ethereal nature of singing bowls through science, theory, and practical application. And it includes singing bowl meditations, accessible through QR codes, to guide you on your journey of integration and wholeness, showing, yet again, how music is &“medicine&” for our time.
Sacred Woman: A Guide to Healing the Feminine Body, Mind, and Spirit
by Queen AfuaQueen Afua is a nationally renowned herbalist, natural health and nutrition expert, and dedicated healer of women's bodies and women's souls who practices a uniquely Afrocentric spirituality. Her classic bestseller, Heal Thyself, forever changed the way African Americans practice holistic health. Now, with Sacred Woman, she takes us on a transforming journey of physical and ancestral healing that will restore the magnificence of our spirits through sacred initiation. Queen Afua begins by helping us to discover our unique "womb-an-ness"--and to honor the womb as the center of our consciousness and creativity. Whether we are conceiving babies or businesses, ideas or art, Queen Afua illuminates the importance of cultivating our Womb Wisdom. After teaching us to transcend the taboos of growing up female, she outlines the full circle of womb wellness from menstruation to childbirth to menopause, and gives us a twenty-eight-day program for womb spirit rejuvenation and purification. Once our optimal womb wellness has been firmly established, we are ready for our initiation into Sacred Womanhood. "Only a whole woman can be a Sacred Woman," says Queen Afua, and she blesses us with the exact tools we need to bring our beings into true harmony with the earth and the cosmos. Through extraordinary meditations, affirmations, and rituals rooted in Ancient Egyptian temple teachings, Queen Afua guides us through the nine portals of initiation. She teaches us how to love and rejoice in our bodies by spiritualizing . . . the words we speak; the foods we eat; the spaces we live and work in; the beauty we create in our lives; the healing energy we transmit to self and others; the relationships we nurture; the service we offer; and the divine spirit we manifest. With love, wisdom, and passion, Queen Afua guides us to accept our mission and our mantle as Sacred Women--to heal ourselves, the generations of women in our families, our communities, and our world.
Sacrifice: How the Deadliest Vaccine in History Targeted the Most Vulnerable
by Celia Farber James ThorpSacrifice documents the true story of Dr. James Thorp, a respected doctor of maternal fetal medicine, who in 2020, finds his entire profession has lost its mind, as well as its soul. Stunned to find his colleagues take the bribe money, drink the Kool-Aid, and push the COVID-19 shots, Thorp is one of the few Ob-Gyns to bear witness and broadcast the multitude of pregnancy complications including miscarriages, stillbirths, and many other tragic outcomes resulting from the shots. One of the few doctors from the maternal-fetal medicine realm who publicly protested the Covid shots as directly deadly to his patients—unborn babies—Thorp witnessed the carnage on a daily basis firsthand, documented it, published papers, and spoke up on countless media platforms, and in Senate hearings in Washington, DC. He was terminated, without any cause, and went on to campaign around the country to get the truth out. This is his story.
Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction and Piriformis Syndrome: The Complete Guide for Physical Therapists
by Paula ClaytonThis complete guide to treating patients with sacroiliac joint dysfunction, or piriformis syndrome, combines multiple techniques--rather than the usual single approach--to get quicker and more resilient results. Focusing on the practical application of skills acquired in twenty years of treating elite athletes, Paula Clayton provides a comprehensive guide to the latest discussions of the therapeutic handling of fascial tissue, dry needling, instrument-assisted soft-tissue manipulation, and dynamic taping. Presenting material formerly unavailable in one volume, this book provides evidence-based information on fundamental principles that enable practitioners to map approaches to dysfunction and injury before attempting hands-on treatments. Superbly designed for ease of use and supported with full-color illustrations that clarify and complement the text, this book puts decades of experience and research at readers' fingertips, expanding their ability to both improve their practice and educate their patients.
Sad Perfect: A Novel
by Stephanie ElliotSixteen-year-old Pea looks normal, but she has a secret: she has Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, which means she can’t eat very much because nutritious foods frighten her. Having ARFID is like having a monster inside of her, one that dictates what she can eat, what she does and who she socializes with. This monster is growing and controlling more than just her food issues – it’s causing anxiety, depression and thoughts that she doesn’t want to have. When she falls crazy-mad in love with Ben, she hides her disorder from him, pretending that she’s fine. At first, everything really does feel like it’s getting better with him around, so she stops taking her anxiety and depression medication. And that's when the monster really takes over her life. Just as everything seems lost and hopeless, Pea finds in her family, best friend, and Ben the support and strength that she needs to learn that her eating disorder doesn’t have to control her. SAD PERFECT is a heart-wrenching debut from Stephanie Elliot.A Margaret Ferguson Book
Sadako
by Eleanor CoerrJapanese legend holds that if a person who is ill makes 1,000 paper cranes, the gods will grant that person's wish to be well again. Beautiful illustrations by Caldecott-medalist Ed Young enhance the story of Sadako, a young girl dying of leukemia as a result of the atom bombing of Hiroshima.
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
by Eleanor CoerrThe hardest race of Sadako's life... the race against time. Hiroshima-born Sadako is lively and athletic - the star of her school's running team. And then the dizzy spells start. Soon gravely ill with leukemia, an aftereffect of the atomic bomb that fell on her city when she was only an infant, Sadako approaches her illness as she did her running - with irrepressible spirit. Recalling a Japanese legend, Sadako sets to work folding paper cranes. For the legend holds that if a sick person folds one thousand cranes, the gods will grant her wish and make her healthy again. Based on a true story, Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes celebrates the courage that made one young woman a heroine in Japan. "An extraordinary book, one no reader will fail to find compelling and unforgettable." -Booklist
Sadhus: Holy Men of India
by Dolf HartsuikerAn in-depth photographic study of the ascetic holy men of India• Includes more than 100 striking color photographs of Sadhus, their extreme austerities, and their holy festivals, including the Kumbha Mela• Examines the practices and beliefs of Sadhus from several different sects• Traces the historical and mythological roots of the Sadhus and shows how they have fundamentally shaped Hinduism since remote antiquitySpiritual adventurers, philosophical monks, naked ascetics, or religious transvestites, the Sadhus of India form a vital and unbroken link between the birth of yoga millennia ago and its present-day expression. Numbering in the millions, these mystic holy men are worshipped by the Hindus as representatives of the gods, yet they remain largely unknown in the West because they often live in far-off places, hidden from everyday life. In this full-color study of Sadhus more than 20 years in the making, photographer Dolf Hartsuiker illustrates the Sadhus’ world of ancient magical rituals, religious symbols, and ascetic practices. In his photographic quest across India, the author visited many holy places, attended religious festivals including the Kumbha Mela, and encountered and photographed thousands of Sadhus, befriending several as he was drawn into their inner circle. Sharing more than 100 striking color photographs from his travels, he reveals the Sadhus’ utmost devotion to their spiritual path through meditation practices, yoga exercises, penance, and austerities--sometimes taken to the extreme of prolonged self-imposed silence, bodily mortification, such as holding an arm above the head for years, or even ritual suicide--as well as their profound involvement with the mundane world as healers and teachers or magicians and sorcerers. It is a path of knowledge and devotion, renunciation and realization, sexual energy and spiritual power, divine intoxication and mystical union.The author examines the different beliefs and behaviors of each Sadhu sect, including the “sky-clad” Naga Babas, and traces their historical and mythological roots to show how they have fundamentally shaped Hinduism since antiquity. Revealing the powerful “otherworldliness” of the Sadhus, the author also exposes the mystical beauty that emanates from those who have chosen the path of asceticism in pursuit of knowledge of the Absolute and liberation from all earthly bonds.
Sadness, Love, Openness: The Buddhist Path of Joy
by Chokyi Nyima RinpocheA direct, pithy, and accessible guide to the entire path of Tibetan Buddhism by one of the most beloved and respected contemporary lamas.Accessible, playful, and genuine, this concise guide shows how we can incorporate our own daily experiences into our spiritual path and awaken to how things truly are. By embracing sadness, love, and openness in our lives, we develop an altruistic attitude to help all beings who suffer and to reduce our own greed and aggression. This easy-to-read manual by one of the most widely loved and respected Tibetan Buddhist teachers of our time teaches us how to honestly explore and deal with our own hang-ups and neuroses. Through knowing our own true nature as aware and compassionate, we can progress, step-by-step, on the Buddhist path and use Rinpoche’s pithy wisdom along the way as a touchstone. Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche’s fresh and engaged approach to timeless Buddhist wisdom enables us to deeply connect with authentic teachings in a modern context. This work is a delight and inspiration to read, outlining the major teachings and practices of Buddhism in a succinct way.
Safe Blood
by Joseph FeldschuhThousands of hemophiliac children have contracted hepatitis and aids from transfusion with infected blood. Ninety-five percent of all Americans will need transfusions at some point in their lives; yet it has taken the terrifying emergence of AIDS to alert an unsuspecting public to the actual risks involved. Dr. Feldschuh documents the inadequacies and shocking oversights of the blood-bank system, elucidating the risks of present practices and suggesting specific alternatives, including the now feasible storing of one's own blood, "pedigreed" donors, and mono-donor transfusion.
Safe Cycling in the City: How to choose a bike, maintain it, cycle safely, get fit and stay healthy
by Chris SidwellsThis is an urban and commuting cyclist's handbook, both inspirational and practical, showing us how to live safer, more enjoyable and healthier lives, both physically and mentally, while reducing our impact on the planet.Author of numerous bestselling bike books, Chris Sidwells, begins with a brief introduction which shows how cycling is already forming a crucial part of future urban transport, good for the environment as well as our health. Current urban transport models, heavily dependent as they are on cars, are unsustainable both in terms of our health and the environment. Cycling offers the perfect mass transport, health and wellbeing solution. As well as being an easy way to improve the fitness of the whole family, with some simple know-how, which Chris shares in this book, it can be perfectly safe even in busy cities. Increasingly, local authorities are seeing the essential role that cycling has to play in transport infrastructure; Chris looks at the many different schemes, both financial and infrastructural, to encourage people onto bikes. Commuting by bike also offers a financial benefit to individuals and societies.Chris shows how to get the right bike for you for commuting and urban cycling, whether that's an electric-assisted bike or pedal-powered only, and how to adjust it properly for your unique build. He looks at cycling clothing and accessories, including helmets, masks, locks and safety equipment. Chris explains how to keep cycling safely despite inclement weather and the different ways to transport what you need to and from work. A chapter on bike care and maintenance shows how to carry out basic repair jobs like adjusting gears, mending punctures and adjusting brakes.Chris explains cycling skills to give you confidence when cycling, including bike control, braking and how to make the most of your gears. He shows when and how to use the extra power provided by an electric bike and offers encouragement to new and returning cyclists.An extended chapter covers road safety, perhaps the biggest barrier to people commuting by bike. Chris shows how to co-exist safely with other road users and the potential hazards that every cyclist should be aware of. He explains the rules that every cyclist must follow and gives step-by-step guidance on how to carry out manoeuvres on the road.Chris shows how to choose the best route to and from work. He gives details of the various schemes to encourage commuting by bike, including insurance and where to find information.Cycling is regarded by many as the best way to regain and maintain fitness. As well as improving both physical and mental wellbeing, cycling can boost our immune system. Cycling also gives self-sufficiency and enhances self esteem.