This highly unusual book is a serious inquiry into Schrödinger's question, “What is life?”, and at the same time a celebration of life itself. It takes the reader on a voyage of discovery through many areas of contemporary physics, from non-equilibrium thermodynamics and quantum optics to liquid crystals and fractals, all necessary for illuminating the problem of life. In the process, the reader is treated to a rare and exquisite view of the organism, gaining novel insights, not only into the physics but also into “the poetry and meaning of being alive”. This book is intended for all who love the subject.

This highly unusual book began as a serious inquiry into Schrödinger's question, “What is life?”, and as a celebration of life itself. It takes the reader on a voyage of discovery through many areas of contemporary physics, from non-equilibrium thermodynamics and quantum optics to liquid crystals and fractals, all necessary for illuminating the problem of life. In the process, the reader is treated to a rare and exquisite view of the organism, gaining novel insights not only into the physics, but also into “the poetry and meaning of being alive.”This much-enlarged third edition includes new findings on the central role of biological water in organizing living processes; it also completes the author's novel theory of the organism and its applications in ecology, physiology and brain science.

"From Anatomy to Architecture, from Biomechanical to Biomotional and from Classical to Connected "- speaks to all bodies, in all modalities; in a world seeking unity and connection more than ever. Yoga, Fascia, Anatomy and Movement was written partly as an appeal for Yoga Teachers to appreciate the depth and breadth of Yoga as a science, a movement practice and a philosophy that fundamentally espouses "wholeness" as the basis of living anatomy and form. Yoga calls for unifying who and how we are; and as teachers - how we can help our clients (who are all different) move better. Classical Anatomy (in the West) divides the body down into its component parts and traditionally (unchanged for 400 years) reduces its functionality to those parts; usually described in a 2D iconic forms and founded in lever-based mechanics. In the East, such reductionism was never espoused and Yoga, Fascia, Anatomy and Movement covers two huge bases to bridge the difference and upgrade understanding of Yoga, to 21st Century anatomy: The first is to recognise that the leading edge of Fascia Science changes all those reductionist views (anatomically and biomechanically). It is carefully explained in the first part of the book and shows how the New Science of Body Architecture actually makes perfect sense of yogic philosophy of union and wholeness. The second is to take this paradigm shift and apply it in practice, to the subtle understanding of the fascial architecture and how that helps us move better. Yoga, Fascia, Anatomy and Movement attempts to ask questions, find suitable research and make all this practical and applicable to teachers and practitioners of all types. (Indeed, it teaches "posture profiling" and creating Class Mandala's, to support this). It is a contemporary yoga teacher's bible.

The conscious mind defines human existence. Many consider the brain as a computer, and they attempt to explain consciousness as emerging at a critical, but unspecified, threshold level of complex computation among neurons. The brain-as-computer model, however, fails to account for phenomenal experience and portrays consciousness as an impotent, after-the-fact epiphenomenon lacking causal power. And the brain-as-computer concept precludes even the remotest possibility of spirituality. As described throughout the history of humankind, seemingly spiritual mental phenomena including transcendent states, near-death and out-of-body experiences, and past-life memories have in recent years been well documented and treated scientifically. In addition, the brain-as-computer approach has been challenged by advocates of quantum brain biology, who are possibly able to explain, scientifically, nonlocal, seemingly spiritual mental states. Exploring Frontiers of the Mind-Brain Relationship argues against the purely physical analysis of consciousness and for a balanced psychobiological approach. This thought-provoking volume bridges philosophy of mind with science of mind to look empirically at transcendent phenomena, such as mystic states, near-death experiences and past-life memories, that have confounded scientists for decades. Representing disciplines ranging from philosophy and history to neuroimaging and physics, and boasting a panel of expert scientists and physicians, including Andrew Newberg, Peter Fenwick, Stuart Hameroff, Mario Beauregard, Deepak Chopra, and Chris Clarke the book rigorously follows several lines of inquiry into mind-brain controversies, challenging readers to form their own conclusions—or reconsider previous ones. Key coverage includes: Objections to reductionistic materialism from the philosophical and the scientific tradition. Phenomena and the mind-brain problem. The neurobiological correlates of meditation and mindfulness. The quantum soul, a view from physics. Clinical implications of end-of-life experiences. Mediumistic experience and the mind-brain relationship. Exploring Frontiers of the Mind-Brain Relationship is essential reading for researchers and clinicians across many disciplines, including cognitive psychology, personality and social psychology, the neurosciences, neuropsychiatry, palliative care, philosophy, and quantum physics. “This book ... brings together some precious observations about the fundamental mystery of the nature of consciousness ... It raises many questions that serve to invite each of us to be more aware of the uncertainty of our preconceptions about consciousness ... This book on the frontiers of mind-body relationships is a scholarly embodiment of creative and open-minded science.” C. Robert Cloninger, MD Wallace Renard Professor of Psychiatry, Genetics, and Psychology, Washington University School of Medicine St. Louis MO

Eternal feminine wisdom synchronizes the human heartbeat with the heartbeat of the universe. The Dalai Lama famously proclaimed that Western Women can save the world. But many modern women (and men) are painfully dissociated from Sophia, their inner spring of feminine wisdom and the primal source of their power and nurturance. Western women from around the globe have deep archetypal roots that have lain dormant after millennia of patriarchal control. Sophia awaits collective rebirth and her portal for rebirth is through the heart. Sophia, who the ancient Greeks regarded as the goddess of wisdom, represents a threshold through which we can access the deep reserves of archetypal wisdom veiled within our hearts. “The eternal feminine hithers us on” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust II To reveal this wisdom, we must open ourselves to methods beyond logos, the masculine principle of logic and structure that underlies the scientific approaches characteristic of our “enlightened” age. Paradoxically, as we begin to lift Sophia’s veil, we encounter scientific profundity, proving that masculine and feminine are not fundamentally at odds. Sophia does not replace logos but instead offers a balancing perspective, a wisdom beyond sense perceptions. Through Sophia, the wisdom of the heart accelerates the evolution of humanity from one-sided logos to incorporate new forms of awareness —and through our collective evolution we also heal the soul of the world, anima mundi.

Voltage-sensitive ion channels are macromolecules embedded in the membranes of nerve and muscle fibers of animals. Despite decades of intensive research under the traditional approach of gated structural pores, the relation between the structure of these molecules and their function remains enigmatic. This book examines physically oriented approaches not covered in other ion-channel books, and it develops a new physics-based approach to the problem of molecular excitability.

Approaches bioethics on the basis of a conception of life and what is needed for the affirmation of its quality in the most encompassing sense. Johnson applies this conception to discussions of controversial issues in bioethics including euthanasia, abortion, cloning and genetic engineering. His emphasis is not on providing definitive solutions to all bioethical issues but on developing an approach to coping with them that can also help us deal with new issues as they emerge. The foundation of this discussion is an extensive examination of the nature of the self and its good and of various approaches to ethics. His bioethic is integrally related to his well-known work on environmental philosophy. The book also applies these principles on an individual level, offering a user-friendly discussion of how to deal with ethical slippery slopes and how and where to draw the line when dealing with difficult questions of bioethics.