About this item

A handbook for staying grounded, emotionally connected, and empowered regardless of what's in the headlines and who's in your face. From politics, climate change, and the economy to racism, sexism, and a hundred other kinds of biases--things have never felt so urgent and uncertain. We want to take action, but so many of us struggle with overwhelm and burnout. And on top of it all, we get so many messages telling us to relax, to "let it go" and feel some other way about things. We'd like to think that emotional intelligence and mindfulness will help--but why do these approaches so often fall short in fever-pitch moments? In his warm, funny, streetwise style, Ralph De La Rosa offers tools for coping in contentious times. Full of insights and practices addressing everything from trauma triggers to privilege guilt and the art of saying no, Don't Tell Me to Relax brings the welcome news that our thoughts and emotions are not the enemy.



About the Author

Ralph De La Rosa

Ralph De La Rosa is the author of The Monkey Is the Messenger: Meditation & What Your Busy Mind Is Trying to Tell You. His work has been featured in CNN, GQ, SELF, Women's Health, and many other publications and podcasts. He's was named amongst Sonima's "Next Generation of Meditation Teachers".Ralph is a psychotherapist in private practice in NYC. He specializes in early in helping people resolve their childhood traumas, anxiety, depression, and intimacy issues. He is a summa cum laude graduate of Fordham University's Graduate School of Social Services. He is trained in trauma-focused therapies, and he incorporates psychoanalytic, Internal Family Systems, somatic, and mindfulness-based approaches. Ralph began practicing meditation in 1996 and has taught meditation since 2008. He was a student of Amma's for 16 years and began studying Buddhism in 2005. He is a mentor to meditation teacher trainees at MNDFL; and a regular teacher at venues such as Spirit Rock, Omega Institute, and Kripalu. Ralph himself is a depression, PTSD, and addiction survivor. His work is inspired by the tremendous transformation he has experienced through meditation, yoga, and therapy. You can listen to (or read) his story on the Embodied Philosophy podcast episode, "Inside One Teacher's Journey From Darkness to Light."



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