First Light Books is thrilled to welcome the new year with Elena Brower, celebrating her newest book, HOLD NOTHING.

The event will begin with an author reception from 6–6:30 p.m., followed by a conversation with Kate Waitzkin. Tickets include a copy of HOLD NOTHING and a reserved seat. Unreserved seats are available on a first come, first served basis. Free RSVPs are also encouraged.

About the book

A contemplative guide for self-discovery from the best-selling author of PRACTICE YOU, with original artwork.

Offering you the opportunity to pause and connect with yourself deeply, HOLD NOTHING draws on yoga, nonviolent communication, Zen, and Elena's life experiences to serve you in finding purpose and contentment. Each chapter offers teachings on a single theme, such as presence, emptiness, stillness, self-empathy, and more.

About the authors

Elena Brower is an author, artist, and Zen student devoted to the practice of presence, care, and living with integrity. She is the author of Art of Attention, Practice You, Being You, Softening Time, and Hold Nothing, her latest bestselling project with Shambhala Publications. Rooted in Soto Zen and shaped by two decades of studying and offering meditation and yoga worldwide, Elena’s work bridges spiritual inquiry and everyday life. She is a volunteer in hospice and penitentiary settings, and her non-profit project is now raising funds to support women and children in several countries. 

She will be joined in conversation by Kate Waitzkin, a yoga and meditation teacher, writer, and mother of three. Her work centers on sharing grounded practices that guide toward self-discovery, tenderness, and exploring ritual as a pathway to presence and an awakened life. Kate is the founder of The Shala, an online sanctuary for yoga and meditation, and the creator of her signature programs, The Ritual Practice and Beginning Softly. She leads an annual International Women’s Day fundraiser for female-founded organizations and volunteers to support the Texas Book Festival. A contributor to Magnolia Journal, Kate writes weekly on her Substack, UNFOLDING, and is at work on her first book, The Ritual of Being.