Resources
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Creating new definitions of poetry, and revisiting the old. Of being human and existing, about God and the Universe. The creation of a space that explores and acknowledges fluidity, multidimensionality and contradictions. Definitions and spaces, born from a dissatisfaction with the ones that already exist.
This is Maya. -
This is the book I wrote. The process of writing and reading this book was the start of Broaden Ur Schemas. It’s a book that captures the ethos, purpose and values of Broaden Ur Schemas, and I made it for women who look like me, pray like me and dream like me, because I didn’t see the type of poetry and writing I wanted reflected in the world. I alchemized my pain, my understanding of self, the world and reached out to God to help me understand where I can put it all down, and He told me to turn it into a book so that other women like me would feel less alone. I hope I was able to accomplish that, and I hope I can continue accomplishing that with Broaden Ur Schemas.
Maya - Azreen Ferdows Sikder
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The Alchemist is the story of a shepherd boy from the Spanish Regions of Andalusia who journeys to the exotic markets of North Africa and then into the Egyptian desert, where a fateful encounter with the alchemist awaits him.
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Honestly, I feel like Paulo Coelho’s God-given purpose was to write this book, and the information in this book is a direct download from God. It's a timeless story that you should re-read at different points in your life because you will receive the message you need to hear for that season. Through the shepherd boy’s own journey to his Personal Legend and Personal Treasure, you learn valuable life lessons around the Universal Language of the World, Tawakul (Faith) and purpose that you can apply to your own journey. Can you call yourself an alchemist if you haven’t even read this?
The ALCHEMIST - Paulo Coelho
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When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress by Gabor Maté explores how chronic stress, repressed emotions, and childhood experiences profoundly impact physical health, linking psychological trauma to various illnesses, using patient stories and science to reveal the mind-body connection and offering pathways to healing by recognizing the body's non-verbal communication of stress.
The book argues that disease can be the body's way of expressing what the mind won't acknowledge, emphasizing awareness, emotional competence, and self-advocacy for well-being.
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This was a life-changing book for me. Essentially Gabor Maté explores the relationship between mind and body, using a holistic approach to understand the connection between trauma, personality and illness. Throughout this book, Maté uses key studies that demonstrate the link between personality traits such as people pleasing, the inability to say no, anxiety and diseases such as cancer, and Alzheimer's. Seeing real life examples of the cost that self abandonment and neglecting one’s own authenticity and needs can have on the body was a huge wake up call for me. This book became the catalyst for me to begin to unlearn and stop from engaging with those traits in order to honor my life here on Earth. P.S. I also had the privilege of attending his talk at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto (2025), where I got to hear a deeper reflection of his book from himself as well from audience members. Truly an unforgettable experience!
When the Body Says No:
The Cost of Hidden Stress
- Gabor Maté
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Secrets of Divine Love by A. Helwa offers a transformative spiritual journey into Islam's heart, moving beyond ritual to reveal God's unconditional love through Quranic wisdom, mystical poetry (like Rumi's), prophetic stories, and practical tools like guided meditations to overcome doubt and deepen faith, guiding seekers towards intimacy with the Divine through surrender, gratitude, and realizing their divine purpose.
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I read this book during a particularly hard time in my life, where I felt very lost, uncertain, scared and disconnected with myself and God. Drawing from her own perspectives of Islamic teachings, stories and Sufism, A. Helwa reminds us that Allah is closer to us than our jugular vein, His mercy and love for us is boundless, and that everything we go through - good or difficult is meant to help us uncover our gifts and purpose (if we allow it to). This book let the light enter my wounds and helped me come out of a dark time in my life with a renewed sense of faith, purpose and connection to myself and Allah.
Secrets of Divine Love:
A Spiritual Journey Into the Heart of Islam - A. Helwa
My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies - Resmaa Menakem
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My Grandmother's Hands by Resmaa Menakem argues that racism is a deep, body-centered trauma, not just a mental issue, stored in the nervous systems of Black, white, and police bodies due to American history, requiring somatic (body-based) healing to mend racial divides and ancestral pain through practices like breathwork and mindfulness.
The book explains how white supremacy creates collective agony and calls for a new understanding, moving beyond traditional diversity approaches to heal the generational wounds embedded in our bodies, offering a path to collective mending through conscious body-awareness and community connection.
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I read this book for my Trauma - Informed Approach to Creating a Safe Space course with the School of Radical Healing, and it quickly became a favourite for me. An eye-opening book that looks at the ways systems of oppression such as racism impact our body and rewire our nervous systems, epigenetics and brains. Through this book, Resmaa Menakem helps you understand the generational and often invisible price that black and brown bodies have to pay just to survive within systems of colonialism, white supremacy and racial oppression. The book does a great job of introducing the concepts of trauma, mind-body connection, nervous system dysregulation, and somatics, providing readers with practical tools and exercises they can apply in their own life to better support their healing journey.
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Psycho-cybernetics, the beloved philosophy from Dr. Maxwell Maltz, is the act of "steering your mind to a productive, useful goal so you can reach the greatest port in the world: peace of mind." Maltz introduced this concept to the world in 1960; since then, his transformative principles have touched the lives of more than thirty million readers.
Combining five of Maltz's most powerful bestsellers, this compendium offers readers a path to the mental clarity and fortitude needed to succeed in today's busy, com- plicated world. This essential collection of timeless and practical wisdom includes:The Conquest of Frustration
The Search for Self Respect
Live and Be Free Thru Psycho-Cybernetics
The Magic Power of Self-Image Psychology
Selections from Thoughts to Live By
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You cannot begin the journey of self-concept and identity shift without reading this book. Maxwell Maltz, a plastic surgeon, was perplexed at the fact that even after fixing the external insecurities of his patients, they would still be dealing with the same internal scars and negative self image that brought them to surgery in the first place. Through this book, Maltz explores how positive self concept and identity shift can be created through practical goal setting and visualization, likening the human mind to that of a computer. I really enjoyed the computer analogy and Maltz’s perspective on the role of the subconscious in what we believe we can achieve, how we think and feel, and the overall trajectory of our life. He also provides tangible and practical exercises throughout the book to help you create a more positive self image to achieve your goals.