We start each month with a reading assignment, then conclude the month with an online gathering on Zoom, where we collectively do a “book review” and share our insights and takeaways. These gatherings will be recorded and posted on my YouTube channel, My Patreon page and may even become episodes of The Art of Aging Mindfully.
There is great value in slowing down, returning to long-form content, and getting into the groove of a good science book, a spiritual biography, or a fantastic piece of fiction. Reading stirs the imagination and can inspire us to train in a focused way. It fills the mind with possibilities and new ideas.
To join this book club, become a member of Jai’s Patreon.
The Art of Aging Mindfully Community Book Club Reading List for 2022
September
Lifespan: Why we age- and why we don’t have to
by David A. Sinclair, P.h.D.
Through a page-turning narrative, Dr. Sinclair invites you into the process of scientific discovery and reveals the emerging technologies and simple lifestyle changes—such as intermittent fasting, cold exposure, exercising with the right intensity, and eating less meat—that have been shown to help us live younger and healthier for longer. At once a roadmap for taking charge of our own health destiny and a bold new vision for the future of humankind, Lifespan will forever change the way we think about why we age and what we can do about it.
October
The Teachings of Don Juan, A Yaqui Way of Knowledge
by Carlos Castenada
In 1968 University of California Press published an unusual manuscript by an anthropology student named Carlos Castaneda. The Teachings of Don Juan enthralled a generation of seekers dissatisfied with the limitations of the Western worldview. Castaneda’s now classic book remains controversial for the alternative way of seeing that it presents and the revolution in cognition it demands. Whether read as ethnographic fact or creative fiction, it is the story of a remarkable journey that has left an indelible impression on the life of more than a million readers around the world.
A Separate Reality
by Carlos Castenada
Born in 1925 in Peru, anthropologist Carlos Castaneda wrote a total of 15 books, which sold 8 million copies worldwide and were published in 17 different languages. In his writing, Castaneda describes the teaching of Don Juan, a Yaqui sorcerer and shaman. His works helped define the 1960’s and usher in the New Age movement. Even after his mysterious death in California in1998, his books continue to inspire and influence his many devoted fans.
November
Biohack Your Brain: How to Boost Cognitive Health, Performance & Power
by Kristin Willeumier, P.h.D.
In Biohack Your Brain, leading neuroscientist Dr. Kristen Willeumier reveals how you can change your brain by making simple and easy modifications to your lifestyle. Combining clinical experience with revolutionary science, she details how biohacking your brain can boost your cognitive performance and so much more.
December
Recapture the Rapture: Rethinking God, Sex, and Death in a World That’s Lost Its Mind
by Jamie Wheal
A neuroanthropologist maps out a revolutionary new practice—Hedonic Engineering—that combines the best of neuroscience and optimal psychology. It’s an intensive program of breathing, movement, and sexuality that mends trauma, heightens inspiration and tightens connections—helping us wake up, grow up, and show up for a world that needs us all.
This is a book about a big idea. And the idea is this: Slowly over the past few decades, and now suddenly, all at once, we’re suffering from a collapse in Meaning. Fundamentalism and nihilism are filling that vacuum, with consequences that affect us all. In a world that needs us at our best, diseases of despair, tribalism, and disaster fatigue are leaving us at our worst.