Can we truly love others if we don't first love ourselves? Self-love and development of self are life-long processes, and we need help! The Mud & The Lotus: A Workbook and Guide for Students of Yoga by Courtney Denise Butler is a ready resource that can help you prime many areas of your life, whether or not you are taking a step toward teacher training or simply want to deepen your practice. Teacher training costs thousands, but Butler packs life-changing knowledge into a book that costs only about $35.

Order The Mud & The Lotus before Valentine’s Day and get a jumbo sample class card ($6) free.

You’ll discover perspective-changing reading, such as a look at the 8 limbs of yoga and how they apply to your life. Fitting as we enter Valentine season, is considering the Yama (Limb 1) of Aparigraha, or Non-Attachment:

“Some attachments are necessary, of course, as we are attached to our own family members and those we love. We need certain things in our lives like food, clothing, and shelter. However, do we place an emphasis on having things a certain way or do we know we are important and worthy without ‘things’? ... that we can go on in spite of loss? ... these are great questions to ask oneself: Am I doing this because of my fear of unworthiness? Do I feel I need to be a certain type of person to receive love? If I didn’t have this or that (clothes, car, man or woman, status, etc.), would I feel whole?” ~Courtney Denise Butler

My furry Valentine, sweet fuzzy Valentine . . . Order Home Sweet Home: Arkansas Rescue Dogs & Their Stories by Grace Vest through Friday 2/9 and it will be mailed or hand-delivered with a handmade Valentine like those shown here, featuring one of the rescues from the book captured by photographer Whitney Bower. Also, $1 of every purchase through Friday will be donated to Rock City Rescue. Now that’s puppy love!