Amanda Lewis

Editors have impeccable taste. We shape writing so it lands with its target audience, but before that, we spot talent. It’s the literary equivalent of digging down deep in the record bins. (We also know a little about a lot, so you absolutely want us on your trivia team.)

Each Friday, I share a book, song, video *or whatever*…something that inspires me, with the goal that it will offer you a little #fridayinspiration too. My tastes are eclectic so heaven knows, anything goes.

This week: meditation teacher and author Sebene Selassie.

I’d heard of Sebene’s book, You Belong: A Call for Connection, but didn’t pick it up until sex educator and author Emily Nagoski recommended it on Instagram.

You Belong is based on a deceptively simple premise: we are all unique, and we are all interconnected. The belief that we are separate from each other (and better or worse than “the other”) drives polarization and racism, and perpetuates trauma.

We are also separate from ourselves, leading to a feeling of disconnection from our bodies and our deeper selves.

As Selassie writes, “From unconscious bias to ‘cancel culture,’ denial of our inherent interconnection limits our own freedom…. To belong is to experience joy in any moment: to feel pleasure, dance in public, accept death, forgive what seems unforgivable, and extend kindness to yourself and others. To belong is also to acknowledge injustice, reckon with history, and face your own shadows.”

In You Belong, Selassie blends Buddhist teachings with memoir, research, and practical tools to help you embrace yourself and your place in your family, workplace, culture.

Selassie sends a newsletter on the full moon and new moon, and it’s a rich source of wisdom for me and many others. This week’s newsletter focuses on embodiment, namely how to embrace and experience everything, from pleasure to pain. I used to find it difficult to take pleasure in my body, my community, and my work and I have used similar embodiment practices—meditation, dance, breathwork, and yoga—to reconnect with myself.

Learn more about Sebene Selassie’s essential work on her website.