With deeply thoughtful, lyrical prose, this book invites readers to engage with the world from a unique perspective that encourages feeling, intuitive understanding, embodiment, interdependence, and sacredness. Weaving together classical Theravada Buddhist teachings and mindfulness practices, the book teaches us when and how to channel our receptive and active orientations--sometimes called the feminine and masculine paradigms--to feel more at home in ourselves and the world and drop more deeply into the Buddhist teachings on suffering and happiness.

Rebecca Bradshaw, a respected Buddhist teacher in the Insight Meditation community, offers teachings that are simple yet require us to explore aspects of ourselves that go against much of our social conditioning that values goal-oriented busyness, productivity, independence, outgoing energy, and other "active" qualities. When overemphasized, this orientation can cause destructive emotions and behaviors, but we can counter them by embracing more receptive qualities. The receptive or feminine paradigm takes us deeper into the heart of the classical Buddhist teachings, leading to openness and freedom of the heart-mind.

Bradshaw illustrates her own resistance to letting go of her strong active orientation with relatable stories, like her efforts to be a perfect meditator. Drawing on our connectedness to nature, she offers guidance for grounded practices, including:

• useless gazing,
• getting lost,
• sense-based reality,
• practicing in the wildness,
• accepting uncertainty, and more.

These Buddhist teachings are as comforting as they are thought-provoking. Bradshaw's debut book helps us let go and nurture our ability to receive, listen, embrace vulnerability, and just be. Through this process, we heal the imbalances within ourselves and in our relationships to all beings and the natural world.

Down to Earth Dharma: Insight Meditation to Awaken the Heart, Rebecca Bradshaw, Shambhala Publications, Paperback, 304 pages, $21.95

Rebecca Bradshaw is a Buddhist Insight Meditation teacher living in the hills of Western Massachusetts with her husband and their two cats. She has been practicing Buddhist Vipassana meditation since 1983 in the United States and Myanmar (Burma) and teaching since 1993. She completed her dharma teacher training at Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, where she is part of the three-month retreat teacher team, leads retreats for young adults, and has served as a Guiding Teacher. Rebecca has also completed studies in western psychology and holds a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology. Rebecca teaches a body centered approach to meditation, infused with large doses of loving kindness and intimate connection to the natural world. The woods, lakes, animals, and plants are also her teachers and their lessons are embedded in all that she shares. Her hope is that we can unbind our hearts and minds, learn to connect deeply with life, and be of service to our communities and our planet during these challenging times.