The Summary: Good morning VegNews Book Clubbers, and Happy Christmas Eve! We are now finished with our discussion of Quantum Wellness by Kathy Freston, and we will be taking a break all next week until the New Year, when we will begin our discussion of The Vegan Girl's Guide to Life by Melisser Elliott. Looking forward to it!

Earlier this week, I asked you to share any major obstacles you may have had in your life, and how you dealt with them. I also asked you to share your worldly aim. A few of you commented, and I enjoyed reading what you had to say! Some people definitely deal with obstacles better than others, so I think it's important to listen and learn from others in order to deal with these types of situations.

I just want to wish everyone a Happy Holiday and a joyous New Year. See you in 2011!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Gist: Good evening VegNews Book Clubbers! We are in the final week of our discussion of Quantum Wellness by Kathy Freston. The book club will be taking a week's break for the holidays, and then we'll start back up on January 3 with our first week's discussion of A Vegan Girl's Guide to Life by Melisser Elliott. I hope you guys are looking forward to the new year as much as I am!

We read the last two parts of the book this week. Part four was about overcoming obstacles, specifically crises and addictions. A tragedy such as the death of a family member or friend can totally unhinge you, and Freston explains different steps you can take to get through these types of crises. She even thinks that by overcoming obstacles such as these, you can become a stronger person. She also says the same is true when facing addictions, such as being addicted to smoking, alcohol, or even a certain food, and gives steps to help fight and overcome these types of setbacks as well.

In part five, called "Making the Leap," Freston talks about being the change. First, you can do this by changing ingrained, unhealthy traditions, such as abuse within a family, or even just eating very unhealthily, and changing them to be more healthy and positive. This may not be easy to do, due to the fact these unhealthy traditions could be passed on unconsciously, so you really need to look deep inside in order to make the change. Freston also says it is important to recognize your worldly aims, and that in addition to you helping yourself, you should also find a passion that is outside of yourself and give to that, such as charity work or volunteering. She also talks about finding your authentic nature, and introduces the idea of a "Vision quest," which is kind of a meditation in nature to help you discover your deeper self. Finally, Freston brings up honoring the fellowship of all beings, explaining that we are connected with all beings on this Earth, so it is important to respect every single one of them.

The Discussion: Here are two final discussion points to help get the conversation started. I look forward to hearing from you!

1. Have you dealt with any major obstacles in your life, such as crises or addictions? What steps did you take to overcome the obstacle?

2. What is your worldly aim, and what do you do to achieve that aim?

The Assignment: Please read the introduction to chapter two of A Vegan Girl's Guide to Life for our discussion on January 3, 2011.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Summary: Good afternoon VegNews Book Clubbers! I hope everyone enjoyed their week, and looking forward to a great weekend. We are in our second week of Quantum Wellness by Kathy Freston. Unfortunately, there was no discussion this week, and next week will be the final week of our discussion of this book, so let's make it a good one! I know it's a very busy time of year for everyone, but I would love to hear your thoughts.

See you next week, when we will discuss the rest of Quantum Wellness!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Gist: Good morning VegNews Book Clubbers! We had a great discussion last week of Quantum Wellness by Kathy Freston, and I look forward to this second week of our conversation. This week, we will be discussing part three of the book, which consists of three chapters.

In the first chapter of part three, Freston talks about adopting a vegan diet, or at least a vegetarian diet. Like all of her suggestions in the book, she explains that it is better to take small steps, so that we don't feel overwhelmed. Obviously, I'm sure many of us are already vegetarian or vegan, but I think that her advice is very good. She talks about the connections of the food we eat with our health, environment, and also spiritual self, such as how the factory farming industry wreaks havoc on the environment through pollution and waste, as well as the pain and suffering that the animals go through to get to our plate. The choice to eat a plant-based diet is the most conscientious choice, she explains.

In the second chapter of part three Freston talks more about the vegetarian diet, and she answers several common questions and myths regarding the diet, such as how kosher meat is not really humane, that we as humans aren't really meant to eat meat, and the difference between being vegan and vegetarian.

Finally, in the last chapter of part three Freston tells us to balance our lives between the four Rs: regular, relate, rejuvenate, and reach. She explains that it is important to put your energy in all four quadrants, instead of one or two in order to reach quantum wellness. The regular quadrant is the normal routines of life, relate is our relationships with other people, rejuvenate is self-care, and reach is stretching yourself past the normal and making yourself better.

The Discussion: Here are two discussion points to help get the conversation started. I look forward to hearing from you!

1. Are you vegan? Why, or why not? If you are a vegan, what was your number one reason for becoming one—health, environment, or spiritual?

2. What "R" quadrant do you put most of your energy into—regular, relate, rejuvnate, or reach? How do you plan on balancing all four in your life?

The Assignment: Please read the rest of Quantum Wellness for our discussion on Monday, December 20.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Summary: Happy Friday, VegNews Book Clubbers! I hope you all enjoyed our first week of Kathy Freston's Quantum Wellness as much as I did. Have you all resolved to listen more astutely to your body's needs and make the right decisions when it comes to your own health and spirituality this weekend? It's inspiring to hear about all of your own experiences with cleanses in the comments to this week's discussion. A 21-day cleanse is a hard sell at the beginning of the holiday season, but I'm certainly planning to do my best.

What are your goals for a healthier you this weekend? Feel free to share while we all finish reading part three of Quantum Wellness for our discussion on Monday!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Gist: Good afternoon everyone, and welcome to the first week of our discussion of Quantum Wellness by Kathy Freston! It will be a shorter month for the book club this month—we will be reading the book in three weeks. This book is a little bit lighter, so I'm sure it will go smoothly. Let's get started!

We read the first two parts of the book for this week. In Part One: The Quantum Approach, Freston introduces her term quantum wellness, which is a connection of the mind, body, and spirit. She explains the importance of being healthy in all parts of your life. For example, you could be very physically fit, but if you are depressed emotionally, you will be unable to achieve true wellness. In the second chapter of part one, Freston discusses her eight pillars of wellness: meditation, visualization, fun activities, conscious eating, exercise, self-work, spiritual practice, and service. Practicing these eight things will help you on your journey to wellness.

In Part Two: Clearing the Way, Freston writes about clearing the way on your path to wellness. First, she talks about emotions, and how it's important to figure out what you are truly feeling, be it anger, sadness, or some other emotion. She explains that sometimes our emotions lead to physical ailments, so it's critical to figure out what's at the core. She suggests beginning a journal and just writing what you are feeling at the moment. This will help you to delve into your true emotions.

In the third chapter of part two, Freston advises to do a cleanse of sugar, alcohol, caffeine, gluten, and animal products. By doing a cleanse for up to 21 days, it will help to clear the way to better wellness. She also proposes clearing out your physical environment as well, by getting rid of the clutter in your home, to switch to more natural cleaning products and makeup, and to just keep it simple within your space. Too much stuff could block your path to wellness.

The Discussion: Here are two discussion points to help get the conversation started. I look forward to hearing from you!

1. What aspect is most important to you right now on getting healthy—the mind, body, or spirit?

2. Have you ever done a cleanse? If so, what kind, and how did it make you feel emotionally and physically?

The Assignment: Please read part three of Quantum Wellness for our discussion on Monday, December 13.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

Reading List

Happy Wednesday VegNews Book Clubbers, and I hope you're enjoying Quantum Wellness by Kathy Freston. This is a special post to bring you some very exciting news: the next three books that we will be reading! Without further ado, here are our first three titles for 2011:

January: The Vegan Girl's Guide to Life by Melisser Elliott
February: Eating Animals by Jonathan Safron Foer
March: Veganist by Kathy Freston

Veganist is not yet out, but it will be hitting bookshelves early February, so just hold tight! I look forward to discussing these titles with you!

~VegNews Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig