Description
Book SynopsisOn a quest for enlightenment, Benjamin Shalva journeyed through the wilds of Tibet and took a pilgrimage to a white-walled monastery in Rhode Island. He wrestled with demons, danced with temptresses, and sang with hundreds of voices under the stars. Now, using the lessons and techniques gained through years of religious exploration and inward reflection, Shalva offers simple and powerful ways to connect with your spiritual self, whether it be in a place of worship or the yoga studio, or even while sitting in traffic, working late at the office, or kneeling in your garden. In this honest, intimate—sometimes embarrassing and frequently funny—memoir with down-to-earth instruction and guidance, Shalva reveals that you don’t have to be perfect or singularly focused to accomplish deep spiritual work. By cross-training in three simple exercises—silence, stretch, and song—you can strengthen your spiritual muscles and deepen your personal search for meaning. Inspiring and refreshingly candid, Spiritual Cross-Training encourages you to trust your own path, grow with an open mind and a light heart, and uncover the truth as you search for your place in the universe.
Trade Review“The interplay, the ‘cross-training’ Rabbi Shalva presents, allows us to celebrate the common thread that runs though the world’s most ancient traditions, the basic human hunger for meaning, and those practices that allow us to touch our Source. His search, which he relays with poetry and passion is a model for seekers of all faiths.” —The Times of Israel “Benjamin Shalva’s Spiritual Cross-Training is a come-as-you-are guidebook for truth seekers of all generations. Honest, entertaining, and illuminating, this is a cool friend to have on the path.” —Chris Grosso, author of Indie Spiritualist and Everything Mind “Seeker, rabbi, clown, yogi—Ben Shalva has been them all. A warmly told and deeply honest tale of one man’s spiritual journey, filled with insight and wisdom gained from struggle and refusal to stop growing. This is a guy worth getting to know.” —Arthur Green, author of Ehyeh: A Kabbalah for Tomorrow “Ben Shalva takes us on a powerful journey soaked through and through with authenticity, bare bones honesty, insight, clarity, and humor. This work demystifies some very long-standing and intricately complex practices, making them accessible without sacrificing their core principles and cultural nuances. If you want a glimpse of one of the best possible spiritual futures in Western culture, here it is.” —Rick Jarow, professor of religion at Vassar College and author of Creating the Work You Love and Alchemy of Abundance
