Is it possible to be in a state of constant joy? Can your feelings direct you towards the best actions? And can your body direct you in these actions? In The Intelligent Body, Celeste Shirley demonstrates through her own stories, and with humour –

•  how you can rely on yourself to know what you need and how to act on this "knowing";
•  how to find the stamina to live life free of emotional hijacking;
•  how to recover a kind, tender, and powerful discipline that your desensitized,   anxiety-driven body may have lost;
•  how to be honest with yourself and stop trying to be "spiritual";
•  how to find the intelligence within that reorders how you think about how you   feel;  how to think differently about anxiety and difficult relationships; and
•  how to stick with what you begin—especially exercise.

Celeste Shirley is a physical education expert who has been teaching people how to exercise and practise yoga since 1982. Her studio, The Yoga House, in Toronto, Canada, offers a nature sanctuary for her clients and students. Celeste also teaches sports conditioning to Olympic athletes at York University, Humber College, and in her private practice. She has a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in Physical Education; a background in kinesiology, yoga, and competitive bodybuilding; and certifications in Thai massage from the Old Medicine Hospital in Chiang Mai, laughter yoga, yoga, personal training, therapeutic touch, and reiki. In her teaching Celeste emphasizes the mind-body connection for physical vitality and emotional health. In her studio Celeste works with individuals and groups who experience anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders, including PTSD, borderline personality disorder, and addictions, as well as rape survivors. At Bellwood Health Services, a private hospital specializing in addiction, Celeste has worked alongside doctors and nurses as the fitness director. As a teacher for the Roots of Empathy organization, Celeste works in classrooms in the Toronto District School board to teach students how to feel their emotions and express them effectively.

First Book Review!:

When Celeste was a very young woman, she experienced a profound transformation of consciousness that put her into a state the saints and mystics from different traditions have called everything from divine mystical union to samādhi.

At the very heart of this experience was a state of pure, unadulterated joy. In this state, Celeste came to know that joy not only permeates our cells, it is our true state of being.

What’s more, it is the birthright of each and every one of us. In The Integral Body, a born-story teller takes you on an adventurous, and humorous, exploration of the body’s wisdom and what it has meant for her – and what it can mean for you – to live in joy. 

Teri Degler, author of The Divine Feminine Fire: Creativity and your yearning to express your self and The Fiery Muse: Creativity and the Spiritual Quest.