In Waking Up, Volume 1, Sounds True publisher and founder Tami Simon speaks with seven teachers about their personal understandings of spiritual awakening—how it takes place, what changes (and what doesn't), and how their experiences can inspire and inform our own realizations.

Twenty centuries have passed since Jesus first spoke of a glorious "kingdom" at hand. And yet for theologians as well as everyday seekers, the question remains: What can we do to realize the full promise of Christianity for ourselves and for our world? The answer, teaches Andrew Harvey, lies with the Christian mystics who used the life of Jesus as a spiritual template to become "like a sun, the source of abundant life, whose waves incessantly wash, infuse, and purify the cosmos".

For 15 centuries the realized masters of the tantric path used the crucible of their own lives to develop a powerful and accelerated means to enlightenment. Today, these teachings remain alive within the usually hidden inner courtyard of the Vajrayana vehicle of Tibetan Buddhism, a tradition that requires the courage to engage your body, your human desires, and your most challenging life obstacles as the basic fuel for insight.

In Tibetan spiritual life, the practice of body-based meditation has been revered throughout its history as a vital tool for cultivating spiritual awareness and physical well-being. Today, in a world overabundant with stimuli, these embodied practices are more relevant and useful than ever.

Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy is a revolutionary method that allows us to meet and ally with the many distinct parts of our psyche. With Greater Than the Sum of Our Parts, IFS founder Dr. Richard Schwartz reveals how this powerful system can serve us on the spiritual journey. In this six-session audio course, he offers innovative practices to help you heal and harmonize the wounded facets of your self - and in doing so, reconnect with the greater Self that is your true, divine nature.

One thousand years ago in the valley of Kashmir, a great Tantric master named Ksemaraja wrote his masterpiece: the Pratyabhijna-hrdaya, which means "The Essence of the Recognition Philosophy" - recognition, that is, of oneself as a direct expression of the universal divine Consciousness. Recognition also that this Consciousness is, in truth, all that exists, and that its five fundamental powers of awareness, enjoyment, willing, knowing, and acting are the sacred endowments of every sentient being.

In this book of key spiritual teachings recorded by one his translators, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, teaches us that we’re not limited to the body. Because of our mistaken body identity, we feel separate from what we truly are. Our identification with the body and mind subjects us to endless cycles of pleasure and pain, desire and fear, which cause us to search beyond ourselves for that which we believe we lack.

For decades, one of the most engaging teachers of our time has illuminated the many dimensions of awakening - but solely at his live retreats and on audio recordings. Now, with The Science of Enlightenment, Shinzen Young brings to listeners an uncommonly lucid guide to mindfulness meditation for the first time: how it works and how to use it to enhance your cognitive capacities, your kindness and connection with the world, and the richness of all your experiences. As thousands of his students and listeners will confirm, Shinzen is like no other teacher you’ve ever encountered.

Do you feel an insatiable drive to fulfill a mission greater than yourself? To be reacquainted with a long-lost desire to follow the excitement of passion, inspiration, and playfulness? Have you reached a turning point in your reality? In this powerful work, spiritual teacher and intuitive Matt Kahn explores the 10 Golden Rules for emotional freedom - divinely curated and practical to the demands of everyday life. Infused into each rule is Matt's loving, heart-centered perspective, to help guide you through your own profound spiritual transformation.

What if you could cultivate the mind of a bodhisattva -- one who has dedicated one's life to the benefit of others? According to Pema Chödrön, best-selling author and American-born Buddhist nun, you can. On Bodhisattva Mind, she examines sheshin, or "guarding alertness", and the other qualities of mind we need to develop on the path to enlightenment.

Gallileo, Copernicus, Newton, Niels Bohr, Einstein. Their insights shook our perception of who we are and where we stand in the world and in their wake have left an uneasy co-existence: science vs. religion, faith vs. empirical enquiry. Which is the keeper of truth? Which is the true path to understanding reality?

An intense conversation, a spat with a partner, or even an obnoxious tweet - these situations aren't life-or-death, yet we often react as if they are. That's because our bodies treat most perceived threats the same way. Yet one approach has proven to be incredibly effective in training our nervous system to stop overreacting: polyvagal theory. In Anchored, expert teacher Deb Dana shares a down-to-earth presentation of polyvagal theory, then brings the science to life with practical, everyday ways to transform your relationship with your body.

Reverse Meditation is for anyone who wants to bring the challenges of life onto the path of awakening. When things get hard, it’s time to turn your practice on its head—and throw out any assumption that meditation exists to insulate you from the confusion, difficulties, and uncertainty of life. “By putting your meditation into reverse,” Holecek teaches, “you’ll actually find yourself going forward. Step into your pain and you can step up your evolution.”

Everything Is Here to Help You offers an emotionally supportive way to shift out of the inner war of ego, and into the illuminated presence of your soul. In this book, spiritual teacher and intuitive Matt Kahn redefines the spiritual path for the modern-day seeker, and offers original, innovative ways to resolve fear, unravel judgments, and learn how to view life from a clear, expanded perspective. By redefining our understanding of the spiritual journey from the point of view of the soul, Matt breathes fresh life into all aspects of the healing journey for a revolution in personal growth.

Pema Chödrön presents her first live talk on the Tibetan Book of the Dead. With Embracing the Unknown, she reveals how one of Buddhism’s most revered texts contains essential guidance not only for understanding the mysteries of life, death, and rebirth - but also profound wisdom for living fearlessly in “the bardo of this life”. Experience one of today’s most beloved spiritual teachers at her best as she helps us navigate fear, doubt, and uncertainty with a compassionate and open heart.