Spiritual practice is never something mysterious or alien to ordinary existence. Neither is it defined by difficult exercises or maintained by perfect tranquility. Waking To Ordinary Life speaks directly to the false presumption that our relationship to the Divine, to Spirit, somehow precludes a simple life based in human maturity, dignity and kindness toward others. It casts unrelenting light on how clear-cut spiritual practice actually is, if only we have the courage to choose it.

Lalitha is a spiritual teacher living in Washington state and Canada. Waking to Ordinary Life is derived from her recent talks and conversations with friends and students making its message fresh, accessible and real. Her many examples bypass heady concepts and pretty words, and bring the reader down to earth where messy relationships, greed and cancer must be handled. She speaks with compassion, yet is categorically unwilling to compromise the demands of committed, unsentimental work on self.

Topics include: the necessity for articulating an aim, which may then be applied as a guiding principle in all one’s endeavors; the power of genuine forgiveness; the urgency inspired in the face of death, and the experience of delight in ordinary life.

Lalitha Thomas is a spiritual teacher residing in both Washington state and Canada. She has been a disciple of Western Baul master, Lee Lozowick, for the past 30 years. Her work stands out with a fierce clarity that both transcends gender and yet remains powerfully rooted in femininity. Lalitha has extensive training as a master herbalist and healer, and is the author of several respected books in the field, including 10 Essential Herbs and 10 Essential Foods. She is the director of Kripa Mandir Ashram.