Whispers: The Spirit of Now
Spiritual author and teacher Eckhart Tolle was born in Germany on February 16, 1948. He lived in Spain and England before settling in Vancouver, Canada in 1995. He received his education at the Universities of London and Cambridge. Following several sustained periods of depression, at the age of 29 he experienced an enlightenment that dramatically changed the course of his life. His subsequent spiritual teachings have focused on awareness of the present moment, freedom from negativity, and the attainment of inner peace. He does not align himself with any specific religion or tradition. He has written numerous books including The Power of Now; A New Earth; Stillness Speaks; and Practicing the Power of Now. He is a public speaker who teaches and travels throughout the world. In January 2008, A New Earth was selected for Oprah Winfrey's book club.Deepak Chopra was born in New Delhi, India in 1946. He was educated as a medical doctor, specializing in endocrinology, at All India Institute of Medical Sciences. He served as Chief of Staff at Boston Regional Medical Center, and has taught at Tufts and Boston University Medical Schools. He recognized limitations in the ways that his medical education approached treatment of individuals. Introduced to the ancient methods of Hindu healing, known as Ayurveda, by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, he saw a way to add a spiritual dimension to treatment of illness. Chopra's thinking led him to develop a theory that he called Quantum Healing, which combines Western and Hindu medical practice. In 1984, Chopra brought Ayurvedic medicine to the United States, and within a year he established the Ayurvedic Health Centre of Stress Management and Behavioral Medicine in Lancaster, Massachusetts. He is also the founding President of the American Association of Ayurvedic Medicine and eventually founded the Chopra Center for Wellbeing. He has written more than 55 books including Ageless Body, Timeless Mind: The Quantum Alternative to Growing Old (1993); Boundless Energy: The Complete Mind/Body Program for Overcoming Chronic Fatigue (1995); Creating Health: How to Wake Up the Body's Intelligence (1991); Creating Affluence: The A-to-Z Steps to a Richer Life (1993); and The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A Practical Guide to the Fulfillment of Your Dreams (1995). He has won numerous awards including a Quill Award for Peace Is the Way and the grand prize at the 2005 Nautilus Book Awards for The Book of Secrets. He also writes novels including The Return of Merlin (1995); Soulmate (2004); and Jesus: A Story of Enlightenment (2008). In 2010 he wrote The Shadow Effect and Muhammad: A Story of the Last Prophet.Jack Canfield Jack Canfield earned his Bachelor's of Arts from Harvard and a Master's degree from the University of Massachusetts. he also has an honorary doctorate from the University of Santa Monica. Canfield has been a high school and university teacher, a workshop facilitator, a psychotherapist and a leading authority in the area of self esteem and personal development for approximately 30 years. Canfield is the founder and co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series, which has over 36 titles, 53 million copies in print and is translated into over 32 languages. He is the founder of Self Esteem Seminars in Santa Barbara, California, which trains entrepreneurs, educators, corporate leaders and employees in how to accelerate achievement. Canfield is also the founder of the Foundation for Self Esteem which provides self esteem resources and training for social workers, welfare recipients and Human Resource professionals. Some of his clients include Virgin Records, Sony Pictures, Merrill Lynch, Caldwell Banker, Federal Express, Bergen Brunswig Pharmaceuticals and the American Alzheimers Association. In 1987, Canfield was appointed by the California Legislature to the California Task Force to Promote Self Esteem and Personal and Social Responsibility. He is the co-founder of the National Association for Self Esteem, and a member of the association for Holistic Education, as well as the National Association for for Self Esteem, where he was also a past member of the Board of Trustees and the recipient of the 1993 National Leadership Award. He is also a member of the National Staff Development Council and the National Speakers Association. In 1989, Canfield was awarded the Certified Speaking Professional designation, an honor that is held by less than 5% of NSA's membership. In 1997, he was nominated by three of NSA's past presidents for the coveted CPAE designation. Canfield has appeared on such television shows as Oprah, The Today Show, 20/20, Eye to Eye, the NBC Nightly News and the BBC.