LIVE OUT LOUD!

Often I find themes in my life that come to me (through books, podcasts, in conversations or social media), stay for a period of time, move me in different ways and then become replaced by new themes.  Of late, the theme du jour has been the idea of taking the lessons we have held in our minds, and moving them to consistent practice.  I have certainly read a lot about happiness and focus and mindfulness and self-love and forgiveness and patience and productivity, etc.; and knowing how to optimize these things is important, but life doesn't happen in our heads.  How do we take what we learn and make manifest the knowledge in our moment-to-moment encounters?  

In a podcast he gave, Amir Zoghi talked about the ways in which people live as a means to an end.  "I will make a lot of money, so I can…travel, have a big house, own lots of fancy things, gain respect, etc."  How can we live the end itself?  How can we pursue our joy today and not put it off for some future time?  

In connection to the idea I opened with, how can I live what I am learning now, in each moment of my life; rather than accumulating knowledge for some future experience, professional endeavor, or for the book I plan to eventually write?  I find myself rushing through the day, crossing things off my to-do list, so I can get to the things that excite me, like learning about health and well-being and the such.  I read, take notes and even discuss these ideas with friends, which is all helpful and positive.  However, how can I instead embody the lessons and "be the change" to model these things in my life?  What would that look like?  For me, that looks like stopping to give my full attention and listen patiently and with empathy when someone is talking to me.  Recognizing when I am being judgmental and shifting into more compassionate thoughts.  Setting boundaries when I feel drained or want to preserve time and energy for self-care.  Standing up for others against bullies in a kind and loving way.  That means rather than accumulating knowledge for the future person I aspire to become, I will instead be that person in this moment and all the next ones I encounter.  

What does healthy living look like to me?

To live a healthy life, I try to start my day with mental exercise (meditation) and then I follow that with some physical exercise and stretching.  Following that, I spend the day trying to feed my mind and body things that nourish me, like foods/drinks, movements, people, experiences, media, books, learning and etc.  I try to avoid routines/rituals/habits/practices that stem from a belief of fear and/or “not enoughness.”  I also spend the day putting into practice the spiritual wisdom I’m learning around the way I show up in life with love and compassion, for myself and others. I focus on what I have with gratitude and things I can change about what disturbs me (rather than dwelling in the victim mindset).  I don’t always get it all right...most certainly not. Life is a battleground/playground.  But I learn along the way and recommit in every moment.

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Mindfulness Practices for Urban Dwellers

If you are an urban dweller, you can probably relate to the chaos that comes with city living.

We are constantly surrounded by all kinds of distractions coming at us from every direction and assaulting all our senses.

How do we get calm in the midst of the bright lights and incessant sounds of the city, so we don’t get swept away in a sea of distractions?

Having a daily, formal mindful meditation practice enables us to focus, so we can become grounded and act intentionally.

However, we can do even better by taking our practice off the cushion into our everyday experiences.

Instead of just sitting and meditating for 5-10 minutes a day, we can also find moments to be mindful throughout the day by actually paying attention to the objects around us.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Feel the water kiss your face during your morning shower, as you wash away the activities of yesterday.
• Get out the kinks caused by your stiff mattress with some mindful stretching.  Breathe in as you expand your body, breathe out as you contract.
• Take time to sit and prepare a healthy breakfast.
• Whether it’s at home or in your office cubicle, take a moment to reflect with gratitude on all it took to get your food to your belly.
• Take the time to see, feel, smell, touch and taste your bounty.
• Walking down the same street can seem like the same experience every day, but every time is actually a completely new experience.
• Really pay attention to all the sensations in your body and everything around you.  Challenge yourself to notice something new.
• Focus your attention on your footsteps as you rush along to compete with the morning crowds.
• Or instead, place your attention on the sounds of emergency vehicle sirens, car horns and endless tidal waves of verbal chatter.
• Take a moment to stop and smell the delicious aromas coming from the food cart vendors, or the whiff coming from your cup of joe or matcha latte du jour.
• When you’re waiting for the subway to come, instead of reaching for your phone or pacing anxiously across the platform, feel your feet firmly planted on the ground and do a quick body scan, noticing how you feel in your body.
• When you arrive at the office, take a breath as you reach for the door knob and perhaps try to develop a sense of appreciation, knowing that your growing peace and calm will benefit all those you interact with.
• In your work meetings and/or conversations with friends and colleagues, actually listen to what people are saying, without thinking of what to say next.
• Single-task.  (Studies repeatedly show you’ll actually be more productive and make fewer mistakes than when you’re multi-tasking.)
• When you’re waiting in line to buy your lunch salad or green smoothie, rather than continuously checking your watch, bring your attention to the natural sensation of your breath to take your mind out of any stress from the morning or anxieties about the afternoon.
• After work, prioritize some self-care activities on your to-do list.
• Take a short walk in the park, move your body, put on music and dance like no one is watching, work on a creative project and/or take a hot bath.
• As you lie in bed to close out the night, take a moment to reflect with gratitude on some of the wonderful things you experienced during the day, feel the cozy wool blanket swallowing you up and then allow the rising and falling of your hands against your stomach, lull you into a deep slumber.

7 Simple Steps for Transforming your Life into the One You’ve Always Wanted

I spent much of my younger life trying to be who others wanted me to be and fit into the molds that others endorsed. The more I tried to “fit-in”, the more miserable I became. It wasn’t until I learned how to “fit-out” that I finally figured out how to bring more joy into my life. If you want to start living your best life, here are the 7 steps you can take:

Step 1: Awareness

Check-in with yourself – are you happy? If you answered yes, that’s wonderful!  Whatever you’ve been doing, do more of that. If you answered no, please proceed to step 2.

Step 2: Reflection

What are the things and people in your life that drag you down, drain your energy and make you feel heavy? What are parts of your identity that are no longer serving you? Where do you feel stuck in your life? Got it? Proceed to step 3.

Step 3: Action

Get rid of all those things and people you identified in step 2. Just clear them right out, no explanations needed. Eliminate, separate and shed. No hard feelings.

Step 4: Rinse and Repeat

Repeat steps 2 and 3, as needed.

Step 5: More Reflection

How do you want to feel in your life? Envision this in your mind and feel it in your body.  What makes you come alive? Got it? Proceed to step 6.

Step 6: More Action

Do the things that make you feel the way you want to feel. Surround yourself with the people that inspire you and bring you joy. When you wake up in the morning, prioritize your day around those people and things. Identify and eliminate distractions.

Step 7: Continue the Process

Life is a journey of ups and downs. Each moment gives us an opportunity to learn and grow, however if we don’t take the time to reflect, we miss out on those lessons. Return to step 1 as you feel called. And remember we all get into our funks, so be easy on yourself… no judgments. 

Mindfulness Workshop

Meditation and Improved Exam Performance

Mindfulness meditation is a simple tool that can guarantee improved exam performance and thus help us to become better students.  When it comes to sitting for an exam, many of us have experienced the anxiety around the pressure to perform well.  We think our lives will end if we don’t pass our exams and imagine all the ways our life will come tumbling down.  Stressful! 

There have been numerous studies done correlating the effect of meditation on academic performance.  Besides reducing stress, there is strong evidence that meditation directly improves IQ, short-term memory, creativity and cognitive ability.  On a deeper level, meditation connects students to deeper levels of peace, inner fulfillment and self-consciousness.  How can meditation do all of this you ask?

Mindfulness meditation can help us keep our thoughts in the present moment, where our efforts can best serve us.  By freeing up mind space from thoughts of future worries, we can open up more space and energy to focus on the demands of the present moment.  This equates to improved focus and concentration, which leads to better test results.  When our focus improves, we are able to better comprehend and retain the material we are studying.  We also make fewer mistakes when we are truly concentrating and paying attention to what we are reading, writing and speaking.  In helping to remove self-doubt and improve exam performance, meditation also helps us to become more confident, which then makes us more assertive and resilient.  Ultimately we learn to love and appreciate ourselves, regardless of our exam scores.

Sources:(1) Art of Living (2) Leadership Training Programs