Spirituality Health – January-February 2026

Summary

Spirituality & Health Vol. 3 No. 1 for January/February 2026 leads with Yung Pueblo — the pen name of meditation teacher Diego Perez — on "What Love Is" (p.22), an essay that distils his insight that love is not a feeling but a capacity that expands with inner healing. The issue, which won the 2025 FOLIO Eddie & Ozzie Awards Print Magazine of the Year, also features Judy Collins (p.26) sharing grace notes on growing older, and a comprehensive 2026 Retreat Guide (p.31).

"The Don'ts and Do's of Spiritual Well-Being" (p.18) by Philip Goldberg opens the feature well with a pragmatic list of practices that work versus those that don't. "Deborah Szekely: The Godmother of Wellness" (p.32) by Anna Hobbs profiles the 103-year-old co-founder of Rancho La Puente, still working daily. "The Making of a Self-Love Retreat" (p.38) by Stephen Kiesling documents the planning and execution of a 5-day intensive. "This Year, Resolve to Practice Some Self-Kindness" (p.42) by Kiesling offers a gentler alternative to New Year's resolutions.

"Bright Lights" (p.48) profiles Reggie Hubbard — a yoga teacher and activist who weaves sound bowls into racial-justice organising. "Spirituality for the Ambitious" (p.50) by Tama Kieves addresses high-achievers who suspect their drive conflicts with spiritual surrender. The new column "Spirit by Design" (p.67) by Laura Carl makes its debut, focusing on intentional home spaces. For readers setting spiritual intentions at the new year, this issue delivers substance without the typical January platitudes.

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Content Guide

▸ Cover Story

p.22 · What Love Is
Yung Pueblo writes that love is not a transaction or an emotion but "the natural expression of a healed mind." He distinguishes attachment from love by the presence of freedom in the relationship. The essay is 4 pages of prose that reads like poetry — readers who find self-help too clinical will appreciate the form.

▸ Profiles & Interviews

p.26 · Enlightened Perspectives: Judy Collins
Rona Cherry interviews the 85-year-old singer about her sobriety (47 years), her meditation practice, and why she considers her voice a spiritual instrument. Collins describes a near-death experience during a surgery that eliminated her fear of performing. Musicians and ageing creatives will find her candid about the losses and gains of an older voice.

p.32 · Deborah Szekely: The Godmother of Wellness
Hobbs profiles Szekely at 103, still answering emails and reviewing Rancho La Puente menus. Szekely attributes her longevity to "never retiring" and "eating breakfast like a king." The profile includes a timeline of the wellness-resort industry from 1940 to present. A masterclass in ageing with purpose.

▸ Practice & Guidance

p.18 · The Don'ts and Do's of Spiritual Well-Being
Goldberg lists five practices that research supports (gratitude journaling, loving-kindness meditation, nature exposure, breathwork, and communal singing) and five that don't (prosperity gospel, astrological determinism, past-life regression for trauma, extreme asceticism, and spiritual bypass). The column is evidence-based without being reductionist.

p.38 · The Making of a Self-Love Retreat
Kiesling documents every step of planning a 5-day retreat: site selection, facilitator vetting, agenda design, participant screening, and post-retreat integration. The budget breakdown totals $1,200 per participant for a weekend. Anyone considering leading their first retreat now has a replicable template.

p.42 · This Year, Resolve to Practice Some Self-Kindness
Kiesling's alternative to New Year's resolutions replaces goal-setting with a daily 2-minute self-compassion pause. He cites Kristin Neff's research showing that self-compassion predicts habit change better than self-discipline. The protocol: hand on heart, acknowledge the struggle, say "this is hard" aloud.

▸ New Column

p.67 · Spirit by Design
Laura Carl's debut column argues that home environments are spiritual technology. She profiles three readers who rearranged their living rooms according to Vastu principles and reported improved family communication. The column promises to alternate between practical design advice and spiritual philosophy each issue.

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Editor's Take

This is the award-winning issue (2025 FOLIO Print Magazine of the Year) and it shows. The Yung Pueblo essay is a genuine literary piece — it reads like poetry without being obscure. The Judy Collins interview is the kind of elder-wisdom content that is this magazine's speciality, and Szekely's profile at 103 is genuinely inspiring. The retreat-planning guide is so practical it could be republished as a standalone workbook. The weakness is that Goldberg's "Don'ts and Do's" is too brief — each of the 10 items deserves a full article, not a paragraph. Also, the Retreat Guide (p.31) is essentially an advertising section — 16 listings, all paid. The debut of "Spirit by Design" is promising but the first instalment is too short to evaluate. Still, as a New Year issue, this sets a high bar for the genre.

Strengths
• Yung Pueblo essay is the issue's literary anchor
• Judy Collins interview offers rare elder-wisdom candour
• Retreat-planning guide is a practical masterclass

Weaknesses
• Goldberg's 10-item list format shortchanges each topic
• Retreat Guide is essentially a paid listing section

Verdict: Essential — The award-winning issue lives up to its reputation, with the Yung Pueblo and Collins pieces making it a keeper for spiritual-reader subscribers.