The Baseline Curriculum

50 books for the trained mind.

Essential reading for the tactical professional. Physiological engineering, contemplative neuroscience, military and first-responder protocols, and combat sports performance, the curriculum behind the Baseline Method.

I,Tactical Physiology
II,Contemplative Neuroscience
III,High-Performance Psychology
IV,Professional Mindfulness
V,Bio-Mechanics

I. Tactical Physiology & Combat Stress

The mechanical and physiological foundation. How the body responds, fails, and recovers under load.

1
On Combat · Dave Grossman & Loren Christensen
The foundation of tactical breathing under lethal stress.
2
On Killing · Dave Grossman
Analysis of the psychological costs in moments of intense conflict.
3
The Oxygen Advantage · Patrick McKeown
CO₂ tolerance, the Bohr Effect, and trained breath chemistry.
4
Breath · James Nestor
Evolutionary and mechanical history of human respiration.
5
The Biology of Belief · Bruce Lipton
Cellular response to environmental and perceptual stress.
6
The Body Keeps the Score · Bessel van der Kolk
Neurobiology of trauma and somatic regulation.
7
Waking the Tiger · Peter Levine
Somatic experiencing and the freeze response.
8
The Age of Stress · Mark Jackson
Historical analysis of stress as a technical concept in post-war Britain.
9
Kokoro Yoga · Mark Divine
A SEAL commander’s framework for breath, posture, and trained state control.
10
Unbeatable Mind · Mark Divine
Integrating mental toughness with breath control.

II. Contemplative Neuroscience & Attention Engineering

The data layer. What focused attention actually does to the brain.

1
Peak Mind · Amishi Jha
The 12-minute MED protocol for military and executive focus.
2
The Emotional Life of Your Brain · Richard Davidson
The neuroscience of emotional styles and trained regulation.
3
Altered Traits · Daniel Goleman & Richard Davidson
The data on long-term meditation shifts versus short-term states.
4
Focus · Daniel Goleman
The science of trained, sustained attention.
5
Why We Sleep · Matthew Walker
Glymphatic clearance and cognitive readiness.
6
The Mind Illuminated · John Yates (Culadasa)
The most technical manual on the stages of focused attention.
7
How Emotions Are Made · Lisa Feldman Barrett
The theory of constructed emotion and interoception.
8
Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain · Lisa Feldman Barrett
Metabolic budgeting and neural health.
9
Behave · Robert Sapolsky
The biology of humans at our best and worst.
10
Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers · Robert Sapolsky
Chronicity of stress and physiological impact.

III. High-Performance Psychology & Combat Sports

How elite athletes and fighters train the mind to stay online when the body is taxed.

1
Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement · Keith Kaufman et al.
The MSPE manual for trained focus in competition.
2
The Inner Game of Tennis · W. Timothy Gallwey
Quieting the analytical “Self-1” to let trained execution take over.
3
Flow in Sports · Susan Jackson & Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
The conditions and physiology of athletic flow.
4
The Rise of Superman · Steven Kotler
The biology of flow in extreme action sports.
5
Stealing Fire · Steven Kotler & Jamie Wheal
State-shifting protocols used by elite teams and operators.
6
The Art of Learning · Josh Waitzkin
Mental resilience built through chess and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
7
Breathe · Rickson Gracie
The philosophy of “Invisible Jiu-Jitsu” and breath as the master tool.
8
The Fighter’s Mind · Sam Sheridan
Interviews with the world’s most resilient combatants.
9
A Fighter’s Heart · Sam Sheridan
The anatomy of the competitive drive.
10
Endure · Alex Hutchinson
The limits of human endurance and the brain’s “central governor.”

IV. Professional Mindfulness & MBSR

The clinical and secular foundation. Mindfulness as a measurable training stimulus, not a belief system.

1
Full Catastrophe Living · Jon Kabat-Zinn
The clinical MBSR foundation.
2
Wherever You Go, There You Are · Jon Kabat-Zinn
Practical application of awareness in daily life.
3
Mindfulness-Based Attention Training · Amishi Jha
The technical MBAT framework used in The Sit.
4
Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness · David Treleaven
Crucial for the “Safety” pillar of The Sit.
5
The Mindful Geek · Michael Taft
Mindfulness for secular, analytical thinkers.
6
Mindfulness for Beginners · Jon Kabat-Zinn
Establishing the primary sensory anchor.
7
The Science of Meditation · Daniel Goleman & Richard Davidson
Comprehensive research review of the field.
8
Real World Mindfulness for Beginners · Brenda Salgado
An accessible, applied entry point.
9
Practicing Mindfulness · Matthew Sockolov
75 essential meditations for trained focus.
10
Secular Meditation · Rick Heller
Evidence-based meditation without metaphysical baggage.

V. Bio-Mechanics & Advanced Protocols

Operational focus, deep work, and the protocols that protect the attentional tank.

1
Close Your Mouth · Patrick McKeown
The Buteyko Method manual for nasal breathing.
2
The Way of the SEAL · Mark Divine
Operational focus and decision quality under pressure.
3
Hardwired for Happiness · Ashish Kothari
Rewiring the stress response with daily protocols.
4
Deep Work · Cal Newport
The output benefit of trained, undistracted attention.
5
Digital Minimalism · Cal Newport
Protecting the attentional tank from ambient consumption.
6
The Art of Resilience · Ross Edgley
Physiology of extreme mental toughness.
7
The Champion’s Mind · Jim Afremow
How great athletes think, train, and thrive.
8
Relentless · Tim Grover
The mindset of elite closers under maximum pressure.
9
The Mental Game of Poker · Jared Tendler
Emotional regulation under financial threat.
10
Extreme Ownership · Jocko Willink & Leif Babin
Leadership and the “Detach” mechanic for clear decisions.

Reading is input. Training is output.

These books explain why. The method shows you how.

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Who We Are

Meet the Founders

Scott Georgaklis

Co-Founder

Scott Georgaklis is a human performance strategist with thousands of hours operating at the intersection of elite sport, executive leadership, and organizational resilience. His client portfolio spans Olympic and professional athletes, world-class coaches, and C-suite leaders across finance and technology, environments where the non-negotiable is the same: cognitive clarity under load, sustained capacity over time, and decisive execution in the moments that matter most.

Scott’s methodology synthesizes strength and conditioning science, respiratory performance, autonomic regulation, and applied movement systems into integrated frameworks that optimize both output and durability. His protocols are recognized not only for driving measurable results, but for doing so within a sustainability model, preserving cognitive bandwidth, decision quality, and long-term well-being.

Abraham Hunter

Co-Founder

Abraham Hunter is a performance optimization specialist, professional Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, and certified breathwork facilitator with close to fifteen years of management experience in critical infrastructure and construction, high-security environments with very little margin for mistake. He spent those years running jobs from start to finish, working with owners, investors, engineers, subs, and tradespeople, learning how to keep teams aligned and moving when things get complicated. Which they always do.

Through Baseline Method, Abraham works with executives, athletes, and high-performing teams to build the stress resilience, nervous system regulation, and discipline that consistent performance actually requires. His methodology centers on respiratory mechanics, nervous system literacy, and hands-on skill building, practical tools shaped by years of leading people at every level.

Both are head BJJ coaches at TSBJJ in Wakefield, Massachusetts.