If there aren’t enough reasons already, add more leafy greens to your diet. Research has shown that leafy greens rich with the terpene beta-caryophyllene activate the CB2 receptor in mice models. Beta-caryophyllene is also believed to show promise in combating inflammatory conditions and autoimmune disorders. Besides cannabis, beta-caryophyllene can be found in broccoli, basil, oregano, and rosemary, as well as many other common spices. Beta-caryophyllene may also reduce paranoia and some of the unwanted effects of cannabis. Alternatively, foods high in fat and carbs appear to be counteractive and lower the activity of the CB1 receptor.
Exercise
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Once you exercise stoned, you’ll never go back. Take our word for it. Get your runner’s high on! Medium- to high-intensity exercise has been shown to boost anandamide levels—the first endocannabinoid to be identified—and activate the endocannabinoid system (ECS). Research also has demonstrated that exercise significantly upregulates (increases signaling of) CB1 receptors and enhances CB1 receptor sensitivity. Anecdotal reports suggest that a brisk exercise for 20 minutes or more will make a significant difference and increase the pleasant effects from this phenomenon.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
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If you’re not getting high enough you might not be incorporating enough omega-3 fatty acids in your diet. Research of mice models has shown that omega-3 fatty acids increase the synthesis of endocannabinoids and upregulate both the CB1 and CB2 receptors. The downside is that most people probably don’t consume enough omega-3 fatty acids to make a significant difference. However salmon or cod liver oil contain higher amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. Some scientists have suggested that CB1 receptors may not even form correctly without the presence of omega-3 fatty acids, so every stoner should make sure they include them in their diet.
Cold Showers
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A cold shower will not only tighten your pores but potentially provide other benefits as well. Early evidence from mice models suggests that exposure to cold has been shown to increase endocannabinoid levels. Researchers observed that cold exposure was significantly linked to an increased density of CB1 receptors. According to anecdotal reports, a cold shower for at least 30 seconds will make a difference. Cold showers are somewhat unpleasant, however, so it takes a bit of practice to get used to 30 uninterrupted seconds under cold water. Say Geronimo and jump in!
Reduce Stress
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Chronic stress could be harshing your high before you even smoke, so find ways to reduce stress. It’s easier said than done, right? Chronic and emotional stress has been shown in rat models to downregulate CB1 receptors. High cortisol levels for prolonged periods of time, typically caused by stressful circumstances, also was shown to significantly reduce the ability of cannabinoids to bind CB1 receptors. Furthermore, researchers say there is evidence to suggest that the ECS needs to be functioning properly in order to adequately deal with stress in the first place. Maybe meditate or do another activity to chill out before you begin a session.
Use this worksheet to meditate on each of your five senses. Take a step back and make note of any stimuli you observe through your vision, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. This is a great exercise to improve mindfulness and non-judgmental awareness.
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In a recent study from the University of British Columbia, researchers have unveiled new insights into the relationship between cannabis consumption and yoga. The study indicates that individuals who practice yoga after using cannabis may experience enhanced mindfulness and a heightened sense of mysticality.
The research, which originated as a psychology dissertation, examined “the impact of contextual factors during cannabis use on well-being outcomes.” The paper’s author, Sarah Elizabeth Ann Daniels, highlights a significant disparity: While research into psychedelic therapy often emphasizes the importance of setting and intention, this emphasis is notably less prevalent in studies related to cannabis. While cannabis connoisseurs understand that the plant, like shrooms, is indeed psychedelic, the stoner community doesn’t always place the same weight on integrating set and setting into cannabis use. Yoga, which often utilizes intention-setting, could offer one modality to change that.
“When researchers explore the use of other psychoactive drugs for mental health treatment, there’s a strong focus on factors outside the direct effects of the drug, like mindset, environment, and behavior,” Daniels says. “This is because evidence suggests that these elements can dramatically influence therapeutic outcomes.”
The study underscores the importance of the context in which people enjoy cannabis. Its conclusions suggest that the environment and activities, aka the set and setting, invoked while under the influence of cannabis may play a pivotal role in shaping the user’s experience. Drawing a parallel with the world of psychedelics, the research supports the psychedelic-approved conviction that the setting and mindset during cannabis consumption can significantly affect its therapeutic benefits. While the cannabis community is often discussed in terms of a potential model for psychedelics to follow, as weed first gained mainstream societal approval, perhaps it’s time to reverse this relationship and see what marijuana can learn from psilocybin, ketamine, and other substances which therapeutically endorse set and setting.
To investigate the role of context within a cannabis experience, a weed trip, if you will, Daniels orchestrated the experiment involving 47 participants. She instructed them to self-administer cannabis on two occasions, spaced one week apart. In one session, participants engaged in yoga, while in the subsequent session, they just did whatever they usually enjoyed doing while high. The most common activities cited included eating, viewing TV or films, performing household tasks, socializing, and other hobbies.
The research evaluated participants based on several criteria, such as “state mindfulness,” “mysticality of experience,” and “state affect.”
Regarding “state mindfulness,” Daniels sought to gauge levels rooted in “both traditional Buddhist and contemporary psychology models of mindfulnesses.” This measure illuminated participants’ awareness of their mental states and bodily sensations. On the other hand, the “mystical experience” metric looked at more profound moments – such as experiencing deep peace and tranquility and perceiving a distorted sense of time, a common occurrence for cannabis trips.
In her research, Daniels identified a marked enhancement in participants’ reported mindfulness when they combined cannabis use with yoga practice. Additionally, their “mysticality of experience” saw a notable uptick. Despite mysticality traditionally being more aligned with psychedelic substances, Daniels points out, “While cannabis is not considered a traditional psychedelic,” it has been observed that “recent evidence indicates that it shares many commonalities with psychedelic-induced altered states.”
When it comes to “state affect,” which essentially gauges an individual’s emotional and mood state, Daniels found no significant variance between sessions with yoga and those without.
Pairing cannabis and yoga is nothing new. Ancient yogis in India touted the benefits of hashish, and classes such as the LA-based Ganja Yoga invite people to partake to enhance their yoga experience.
Of those participating in the study, six were newcomers to yoga. Thirty individuals claimed to engage in yoga sporadically or occasionally, with the remaining 11 being regular or frequent practitioners. 72% of the participants, or 34 individuals, expressed interest in blending cannabis and yoga in the future. In a symbiotic relationship, yoga not only amplified their cannabis experience, but the inclusion of cannabis also heightened their appreciation for yoga. Daniels notes:
“The most frequently reported theme was enhanced physical awareness, where 15 participants articulated a heightened cognizance of their body, its movements, and sensory experiences. Many described feeling more ‘in touch’ or ‘in tune’ with their bodily sensations and expressed that their awareness of movement and physical sensations was at a ‘deeper’ level than usual. Importantly, they emphasized that this was distinct from their regular (non-cannabis influenced) yoga or physical activity sessions.”
Reflecting on her findings, Daniels suggests, “These results underscore the importance of considering context and offering guidance to those using cannabis for therapeutic purposes, with the aim of enhancing its positive impacts on mental health and well-being.”
The primary takeaway from the study is that going forward when prescribing cannabis (although you don’t need a doctor to implement this information), physicians should consider set and setting as part of cannabis consumption.
“Physicians have long identified a lack of clarity on the optimal approach to prescribe cannabis for therapeutic use,” the study reads. “Offering precise behavioral guidance and educating about the influence of environment and mindset can potentially optimize the benefits and reduce the downsides of therapeutic cannabis use. Given the favorable response to the yoga component, recommending yoga or similar mindful exercises might be highly beneficial.”
Searching for ways to feel more present, I started meditating every day and committed to it for an entire month; daily meditation opened my eyes to just how much time we spend living in the past or the future and not the present.
Though meditation isn’t a new concept, “monk mode,” the practice of mimicking the behaviors of monks including reducing phone use and setting aside time to meditate, is growing in popularity and has more than 70 million views on TikTok.
The increased interest in meditation and mindfulness proves that more people are “starting to realize how important [their] minds are” after the pandemic and are desiring moments where they feel grounded in the present moment, according to Dominique Perkowski, a meditation coach, breathwork practitioner and founder of The Shift.
“I think just with how on we have to be all the time, with social media, emails, technology and everything calling for our attention,” Perkowski tells CNBC Make It, “people are really looking for more control over their mind, their focus [and] their very precious attention, so that they can focus more on the things that they want to focus on, the things that really matter to them.”
Additional benefits of meditating include stress reduction, lower levels of anxiety, better sleep and increased self-awareness, says Perkowski. The practice of meditation can also shift a person’s thinking from negative thoughts that feel too intense so they can move on from them, she adds.
To truly reap the benefits of meditation, Perkowski recommends prioritizing consistency over length. So for 30 days straight, I meditated for at least five minutes daily to see if I’d experience any positives changes to my overall wellbeing.
1. Meditation can make it easier to get out of bed in the morning
As a “sleepyhead” who requires a lot of effort to get out of bed, meditating as soon as I woke up made my mornings much smoother. Using guided meditations on Spotify that encouraged breathwork and visualization, I found myself having more energy than usual at the start of my day.
The quick meditations shared mantras like “I am in control of the outcome of my day” or “Today can be a great day if I allow it be,” which gave me the confidence to truly believe that I was more in control of how my day would pan out. And according to Perkowski, “the consistency of meditation becomes a place where you really get to decide how you want to show up in the world.”
2. You can dismiss bad thoughts as quickly as they come
Let’s face it, our thoughts won’t always be sunshine and rainbows, but with meditation you can stop your negative thoughts from being on a loop all day. When bad memories from my past came up, or experiences that I felt anxious about in the near future clouded my mind, I turned to meditation.
Meditating daily helped me embrace the act of surrendering to what I couldn’t change. One guided meditation about letting go of future worries suggests visualizing the things you’re worried about as clouds in the sky; using deep breathing exercises, the meditation prompts you to imagine that as you breathe, the worries take up less and less space in your mind like clouds drifting away in the sky.
“As you let go of these worries, notice how the sky becomes clearer and more serene. Your mind is like this vast sky, capable of holding thoughts without being consumed by them,” the speaker said during the meditation.
3. Positive affirmations can change your perspective on things
For most of my life, I wasn’t really big on affirmations but meditations that included them were the ones I gravitated towards on my month-long journey. During emotionally tough times or very busy days, hearing from someone else that I was strong enough to get through anything or face any challenge thrown my way, helped me to believe it, too.
A few positive affirmations that have stuck with me from the meditations I’ve listened to are:
It started to make so much sense to me that therapists recommend starting your day with affirmations to boost your mood and start your day on the right foot.
Perhaps it’s time that we all think of meditation as a part of our mental hygiene, says Perkowski: “Meditation is like brushing your teeth, just for your mind,” she notes. “It’s a practice that you do during the day. You can do it for 10 to 15 minutes each day, and it just helps you reconnect to yourself.”
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And by using bustling Shijo Street — also known as Shijo-dori — as a main street for navigation, it was a breeze to weave through the city during my three-month trip in May.
Between meal runs and plotting routes to popular attractions such as Nijo Castle and Kiyomizudera, I clocked close to 130 miles on foot.
Kyoto’s traditional businesses and ancient temples didn’t disappoint, but a new trend caught my attention. More artisanal shops are popping up — many not far from the city’s most famous sights.
Opened in June 2023 Closest to: Kyoto Imperial Palace (12 minutes)
The path to the front door of O’Chill.
Source: Morgan Awyong
Curiosity was my main motivation to visit O’Chill, which allows visitors the chance to drink — and smoke — tea.
Phones are strictly forbidden in the zen-like ceremony room, where matcha is served in a traditional tea ceremony. Guests are then given hookahs, with tobacco replaced by tea leaves.
Co-founder Kiruta Wataru explains that tea leaves remove the prejudice often associated with smoking, while the fired leaves act like incense. The experience is a form of “shiko-hin,”or self-nurturing ritual, he said.
“We believe that any lifestyle is good if the person is happy,” Wataru said.
My eyes widened with the first puff. The perfume of the tea leaves produced a sweet, woody flavor, as I passed the pipe between the company’s other co-founder Daichi Isokawa and two guests.
The 90-minute experience includes a guided meditation and refreshments.
Opened in April 2023 Close to: Hokan-ji Temple (1 minute)
Visitors shop the handmade paper products at Rokuhichido.
Source: Morgan Awyong
With all eyes on the famous five-story pagoda nearby, it is easy to miss Rokuhichido, a shop that makes Japanese paper products using methods like silk screen printing and paper cutting.
The brand first gained popularity with postcards, then expanded to produce playful paper balloons and miniature figurines, shaped like marine animals or places like Mount Fuji.
Designs are based on Japanese traditions and culture, the four seasons and landscapes, manager Shota Yamada said. Its ukiyo-e postcards, featuring classic motifs like geisha and shogun, are the most popular, he added.
“Depending on the product, a single craftsman can produce only a few dozen of our products per day,” said Yamada.
Opened in June 2023 Close to: Kiyomizudera Temple (2 minutes)
The front door to Gokago.
Source: Morgan Awyong
There’s no shortage of matcha cafes in Kyoto, but no one does it quite like Gokago. The finely ground green tea — in everything from drinks and donuts to ice cream — is whisked right in front of guests.
Tea ceremonies are a wonderful Japanese tradition, said the company’s director Kazuaki Nakanishi. “Since experiencing the traditional tea ceremony can be a hurdle, we thought it was important to offer it in a casual style to make it accessible to as many people as possible,” he said.
Admittedly, the experience here doesn’t replace the real thing, but it’s still a great stop for an authentic matcha brew en route to Kiyomizudera, one of Kyoto’s most famous temples. And visitors get to see the precise movements and formal presentation of the ingredients, which is part of the ritualistic grace of a formal ceremony.
Opened in May 2023 Closest to: Nishiki Market (11 minutes)
Food at the Peruvian Japanese restaurant, Kaji Kyoto.
Source: Morgan Awyong
Traditional restaurants are everywhere in Kyoto, but Kaji Kyoto isn’t one of them.
“I want guests to leave Kaji and see how Japanese people that left Japan had to adapt because the ingredients they had were different — and were just as delicious,” said head chef Keone Koki.
Koki brings his Peruvian heritage to Japanese cooking, in one example using passion fruit from Okinawa as a marinade for a tiradito, an onion-free ceviche. “It’s also a bit different since most sashimis are only eaten with shoyu,” he said.
With only eight seats, the restaurant is housed in a traditional merchant house, with seating split by a small kitchen in between. The effect is much like a performance, with Koki and his crew of five endearing themselves to guests with light banter.
Opened in March 2023 Close to: Kennin-ji Temple (4 minutes)
Fuku Coffee Roastery is in a machiya, or traditional wooden townhouse, that Morio Ajiki inherited from his grandmother.
I initially thought this was a coffeehouse, but I found out from Morio Ajiki that his company provides high quality coffee beans to businesses.
Luckily, visitors can still drop by for a cup.
“There were customers stopping by my shop who wanted to try my coffee,” Ajiki said. “So I decided to serve them.”
It’s easy to strike up a conversation with the shy but affable Ajiki, who will likely pop through a set of sliding doors that lead to his home. You might even catch a glimpse of his cat, which the store is named after.
Cups of coffee are meant to be had on the go, but there are two benches — one inside and the other out front — for those who wish to stay.
The roastery displays products made by artists in the neighboring alley. This level of mutual respect between artisans in Kyoto makes discoveries like this well worth the walks.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
I’m sure we’ve all had moments where we let our pride and ego get in our own way of success. I’ll be the first to admit that this has been something I’ve been working on.
In a world where we tend to overly glorify the accumulation of fame, power and resources, we can often overlook the many principles and character traits that would allow us to be naturally attractive to these things. We tend to act from a forceful place as we often unconsciously pursue self-aggrandizement over self-actualization. From our ignorance, we learn to chase and hustle after our desires instead of working to become the people these things chase after. As a result, many of us unconsciously look to control and manipulate things, people and situations as we subconsciously feel inadequate in comparison to the ideals we pedestalize.
In acknowledging these patterns within myself, I’ve seen that many of today’s leaders struggle with the same ways of thinking. Many of us take the exhausting, brute-force approach to getting things done without ever knowing how to make things flow and unfold naturally in our favor. Rarely are we taught how to live an inspired life and inspire others to take action under our charge. Many of us only know of and look up to forceful leaders who mask their insecurities with the self-inflating nature of their egos.
Transcending the ego to find genuine inspiration can be arduous for many people. We often grow up in environments that are not conducive to emotional intelligence and mental hygiene. Our caretakers and peers usually do not understand these things and thus unconsciously project their traumas and limiting beliefs onto us. As we also do not know any better, we internalize these things to perpetuate the same patterns that hold us back.
To effectively let go of our limiting thought pattern, one must follow a simple three-step reconditioning program:
Adopt higher principles to live by and begin experiencing the opposite energy in our lives.
Of course, following these steps is much easier said than done; it is the very nature of our egos to be blind to its ways and limitations. This blindness is why it is essential to practice mindfulness and critical thinking. By becoming more mindful of our patterns, we can open our minds to living with more creativity, flow and overall abundance. The following are a few ways to fast-track your journey toward effortless attraction and continuous inspiration.
Adopt a meditation practice
As a meditation teacher, I couldn’t recommend this enough. Practicing mindful breath awareness and zen meditation are great ways to increase our self-awareness. Studies often show how meditation works to reduce stress and anxiety. Beyond that, consistent practice also cultivates detachment from our thoughts and emotions.
With this detachment, we can observe our consciousness to see that we are not our thoughts and emotions. Instead, we are the awareness that can witness, produce, and change these things with the proper understanding and approach.
In practicing meditation, we also open ourselves to understanding the nature of our consciousness, thus enhancing our ability to empathize with others. As we know ourselves, we know those around us as well.
Your accountability partner should be someone emotionally intelligent. Hire a good coach or therapist if you’re serious about this. A great accountability partner should be able to understand your situation and call you out when they see you’re unconsciously acting out of integrity. They should also have straightforward and time-tested systems and principles to get you the results you want in life.
Develop your communication and conflict management skills
While we are interfacing with the world, we inevitably will interact with other people. Social science research has repeatedly shown us how the emotional states we carry and communicate are often contagious to those we interact with. Being mindful of our speech and body language is paramount to deepening our relationships and expanding our leadership potential.
In particular, conflict management skills are essential to effortless communication. In a world where most of us either shy away from confrontation or are overly aggressive in conflict, learning how to effectively communicate our more complex emotions, give negative feedback and set boundaries are excellent skills to have.
Regularly do things that challenge you to grow
In exposing ourselves to new situations, we give ourselves the opportunity for self-discovery and reflection. Should these situations be particularly challenging, perhaps they can illuminate our unconscious patterns and faults to work on.
For example, I used to be very socially anxious in college. I struggled with most of my relationships and knew I had to make significant changes if I wanted more from life. When I left college, I decided to become a salesperson to actively work on my social and persuasion skills. Doing so helped unlock massive leadership and income-earning potential for me!
Hopefully, these principles and suggestions are insightful to you. May we live a contemplative life that takes us to our highest potential and service to those around us.
There are many benefits of regular meditation from less stress to lower anxiety to better sleep. But how to meditate and for how long isn’t always clear.
May 21 is World Meditation Day, and we asked Vishen Lakhiani, CEO of Mindvalley and a meditation expert with 20 years of experience, about how long people should meditate to get the most benefit from the practice.
“People think that the length of your meditation is what determines the quality of your meditation. [That’s] not true,” Lakhiani tells CNBC Make It.
The biggest benefits are going to happen in the first few minutes [of meditation].
Vishen Lakhiani
Meditation Expert and CEO of Mindvalley
A longer meditation doesn’t always mean greater benefits, and meditating for too long can sometimes decrease the quality of your meditation.
Often, people assume an hour is what they should aim for, for better quality meditations. But Lakhiani completely disagrees.
Contrary to what we often hear, “I tell my students, do not meditate for an hour a day,” says Lakhiani. “Life is bigger than that.”
Instead, he recommends meditating for no more than 20 minutes, and sometimes less than five. “For most people, 15 to 20 minutes will give you just the changes that you need,” Lakhiani says.
“You can take a one- to three-minute dip into peacefulness, and you can see remarkable results. The biggest benefits are going to happen in the first few minutes.”
“Don’t think that you need an hour in meditation,” he warns. He suggests using the extra 40 minutes that you would have been meditating to do these activities:
Read a book
Do a high-intensity exercise
Spend time with loved ones
Practice ‘active meditation’
Most people are too busy to devote an hour to meditation, so Lakhiani encourages his students to practice active meditation throughout the day.
“Active meditation is about turning problems into projects,” he says. “If you’re feeling a bit of anxiety or worry about a deliverable you need to do by the end of the week, and you are stuck, you might visualize yourself finishing the project, see yourself getting praise from the boss [and] see yourself so proud of your work.”
This tactic is a form of active meditation that’s also known as creative visualization, and it’s something you can practice multiple times a day for less than five minutes.
Other forms of active meditation can include practicing compassion towards others and thinking about the things you are grateful for.
Shorter meditations allow you to meditate several times in the same day, says Lakhiani. Meditate for “no more than 20 minutes, and you can stack these modalities.”
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Taking breaks throughout the day — even small ones — is a great way to take some of that pressure off. Studies have shown that microbreaks lasting anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes can improve workers’ concentration and outlook.
In an age of quiet quitting, some leaders are turning inwards. They are discovering how to make the most of where they are in the journey that leads to where they want to be, both in their careers and in life.
It’s all part of mindfulness, a quality that is given credence by Harvard Business Review, Google, Richard Branson and others.
DONNA SIRIANNI: Cultivating mindfulness helps us ‘bring our best selves to leadership, the workplace and our families.’ Courtesy of Donna Sirianni
Cultivating mindfulness helps us “bring our best selves to leadership, the workplace and families,” said Donna Sirianni, the founder and CEO of Moving Forward Strategies, which offers personal development and leadership training through one-on-one and group training, including a monthly Living Leadership series in Melville for executives.
What is mindfulness, exactly? Psychology Today defines it as “the quality of being really present in one’s momentary experience, accepting the moment as it is, rather than doing what we usually do, which is getting caught up in our thoughts and feelings.”
Those who practice mindfulness demonstrate “resilience, the capacity for collaboration and the ability to lead in complex conditions,” according to Harvard Business Review.
On Long Island, some leaders are so enthusiastic about mindfulness and its benefits, they are helping others realize the potential within.
Like many of us, they’ve navigated a world of challenges. They see through obstacles and how to get around them. They understand balancing life and work steering through toxic work cultures. They embrace the path to new ideas, new approaches, quieting their inner critic and any doubts about how well concepts may land.
ROB FISHMAN: ‘If we learned a lesson, that’s growth to success.’ Courtesy of Rob Fishman
Human beings have as many as 60,000 thoughts a day, according to research by Stanford University’s Professor Fred Luskin. But when those thoughts are self-limiting, “It creates for many people an unhealthier mindset,” said Rob Fishman, owner and partner of Sandler, a Hauppauge-based sales training and performance improvement organization. For human beings, their go-to thoughts are often negative, he said.
Achieving mindfulness can be a journey in itself, and many credit meditation and journaling – something some don’t naturally take the time to do. Yet we may be meditating without even realizing it. Consider, for example, the practice of counting reps while working out.
“You’re calming your mind, and focused on ‘What number am I at?”’ said Jessica Rivera, a business and mindset coach, who aims to start her day with meditation.
Others, like Rivera, build meditation into their day.
EVAN FREED designs retreats so clients can ‘slow down’ and bond with family. Photo by Judy Walker
“I intentionally put in moments of meditation,” said Evan Freed, a Port Washington-based serial entrepreneur, whose latest venture, The Family Journey, provides what he describes as “transformational retreats” for families that help them bond.
Personal coaches can also lead the path to mindfulness. And the more it’s practiced, the greater the rewards, experts say.
Fishman works with clients to find a mindset that is more supportive and change self-limiting beliefs that can be game-changers in business. Here, mindful preparation can go a long way, especially before a big meeting. Fishman advises reviewing your objectives. What questions might you ask? What will they ask you – and how will you respond? How are you feeling about the meeting: Confident? Happy? Worry? Frustrated?
“Acknowledge those feelings,” he said. “Don’t sweep them under the rug.” Go over the questions again and take action. Look at what’s in your control and what’s not. Even if the outcome is not the one hoped for, “If we learned a lesson, that’s growth to success,” Fishman said.
Freed turns to mindfulness in growing his four businesses. Now, as he builds The Family Journey, Freed conducts a series of calls with clients, using the takeaways he’s gotten from his own coaches, listening carefully to clients to understand what it is they want to attain in their time away from work when they are together as a family.
The respites are something his clients are valuing, he said. Entrepreneurs “have burned out so many times. They’re so embedded in the cycle of go-go-go,” said Freed, who practices deep meditation.
To help his clients reconnect on vacation, Freed designed retreats “to slow down. I find cultures that do that.” Costa Rica and Spain, he said, are two of those locations that are away from the heavily tourist areas. On private and group trips, Freed puts together trips that feature meditation, yoga, a camp where children meet others from around the world, and experiences with the local community. All of this leads to a purposeful way to unwind, something he speaks with clients about when they return so that they can hold on to the peace of mind they found while away.
Rivera recognized that mindfulness was working for her back in her corporate days, prior to becoming a coach. She began to realize that it took her less time to bounce back from any on-the-job aggravation. “That was a big success – being able to move back into calmness,” she said.
That was important, she said, because “decisions based on frustration or anger or ego are typically not the right decisions – you need to step back,” she said.
Mindfulness has helped her rethink strategies in difficult conversations. She put thought into the message she wants to convey and how she wants people to feel when they walk away. Sometimes, she said, an idea or a suggestion “didn’t land,” but in the process, she was able to convey her true intentions. “Even if they didn’t want to hear the message, we got closer, and they trusted me enough to tell me what they didn’t like” about an idea, or where it went wrong.
At her seminars, Sirianni distributes journals so attendees can do a deep dive into the session’s focus. In learning to let go of stress, for example, she instructs attendees to write about pressures. Then they work off that list.
The attendees share the common goal of attaining personal growth and development in an environment that is supportive, she said. In that climate, feel open to the process.
“Visualize what you can control and what you can’t control,” she tells them.
Where there are negative thoughts, she urges attendees to “reframe,” helping them find their way to a better place. In a visualization, for example, she guides them to close their eyes and conjure up the person conveying the negative thought, first in color, then in black and white. Then shrinking. Then in a funny voice. And so on. By the time the attendees open their eyes, that negativity, ideally, holds much less power.
For those considering journaling, Fishman recommends taking pen to paper and starting with an affirmation. You can use old-fashioned pen and paper or perhaps a digital tablet that you can write on, he said.
There are apps for meditation, or you can simply count or observe a moment in the sun, or the rain, or wherever you happen to be.
Experts say there is no right or wrong way to meditate.
“Don’t judge yourself on how you practice, Rivera said. “Give yourself grace.”
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
It’s Dec. 20 and I’m sitting in my too-cold sunroom in St. Petersburg, Florida. The temperature outside is 61 degrees. I know. We Floridians have it rough. The time is 5:30 a.m.
This is a habit of mine to get up every morning by 5:30 and I’ve been doing it for so long, my eyes pop open without any need for alarm clocks — even on the weekends. I love the mornings. I love hot coffee and I love the opportunity to get still for a moment before the sun rises and my day begins.
Many of us have trouble meditating. The mind just doesn’t want to shut up. Thinking, thinking, thinking. We think we can think ourselves out of trouble. We stew about things that are irritating us. Many of us live in a drama every day. We have anxiety in our chests and a feeling of frustration we’re constantly trying to shake off.
Life becomes something we’re “getting through.” We survive, we persevere and we hope for happier days ahead. We’re waiting. Waiting for retirement. Waiting for things to slow down.
“I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.” -Mark Twain
Sitting still in quiet darkness with only your breath allows you to tune into the present moment. Listening to your breath with your eyes closed in total aloneness, you’ll find that there is pure peace in that. A sensation of calm will wash over you like a warm blanket.
But watch — here come the negative thoughts. They’ll start to creep in. Thought flow will enter. The mind is tricky; it wants in. You’ll need to be strict with your mind. This is the time that you set aside for yourself. Just like when you’re starting to work out, there will be resistance. There will be a feeling of “I can’t do this.”
Stick with it because it’s a practice; results won’t happen overnight. Show up every day and give 10 minutes, 15 minutes, whatever you can. Over time, the benefits of your practice to stay in the present moment will start to show up in your life. For business owners, staying in the present moment is a superpower. It’s where creativity lives; it’s where passion lives; it’s where true happiness is.
Organizes your mind
By giving your mind a break, you’re cleaning house. Decluttering. You’re creating a space between your busy, overthinking mind and what really is important.
After meditation, grab your journal and map out your day. Think about how you want your day to go. Step into it with a plan and don’t sacrifice your health. Put it first. Remember, you can’t think greater than how you feel. Do the things to feel your best self first.
Reminding yourself that the present moment is exactly where you need to be allows for deeper connections with people. When you’re really present, people can feel it. When you walk into the office, you’ll have an air of positivity about you. When someone needs you and you give them your undivided attention, they’ll remember it.
If something unsettling does pop up, give it your full attention and then let it go. It’s gone. Onto the next thing.
Breathe and reset. If it really throws you for a loop, take 10 minutes for yourself again and remember the truth. It only lives in your mind now. The event passed. Let it go.
Preserves your energy
It takes a lot of energy to feel negative emotions. You can actually feel it physically. The head feels heavy. The shoulders and back and jaw feel stiff. Teeth grinding (bruxism) affects millions of people. You know why? We hold stress in our jaw. We’re not loose.
Staying in the present moment preserves our energy and even cultivates energy. When you’re not worried and you’re instead happy to be where you are, positive energy flows through you. You’ll be able to get to the things you’ve been meaning to and even have energy left over to have some fun.
When you’re in the present moment, peace washes over you. You’re not looking for what’s next. You’re happy with what is.
You’re not worried about what happened in the past and you’re not worried about what’s going to happen in the future. You’re just here. Appreciation and gratefulness blossom inside of you.
As a business owner, you may be saying, “But I have to plan and push forward. My drive is what gets us to the next level. It keeps us growing.”
The drive doesn’t need to go away. It’s healthy to map out your goals and work toward those goals. But remember, what you’re looking for is not there — it’s here in the present moment. If you’re a human being on this earth, you want peace, health and happiness.
You may want riches, too, but don’t sacrifice your health to get there. That’s the old way. We’re learning so much about the mind, body and human behavior. If you study people that are successful in all areas of their life, you’ll quickly see a pattern: presence; appreciation; a desire to learn and grow; and a deep connectedness to nature and what is in the heart of oneself. I wish you all much success in 2023.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Business trips can be rough over the holidays. Most of us would rather be relaxing in front of a roaring fire than sitting on a cramped plane, but business can’t always wait til January.
For those of you who are trading the comforts of home for planes, trains, and conference rooms, here are 11 quick tips for for mastering travel during this hectic holiday season.
Nov. 18, 2022 – On a recent Thursday afternoon, Connie Clotworthy greets a roomful of energetic fourth graders at Valor Academy Elementary School in Arleta, CA, about 20 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.
She starts by leading them in a mindfulness exercise, reminding the 19 students they have to give their brain a break “on purpose.” In a calm voice, she says, “for 30 seconds we are going to close our eyes.” She tells them to just breathe in, breathe out. Nothing else. They all do that.
After the 30 seconds, she asks: “Who was able to only breathe in, breathe out? Who had a million other thoughts?” That draws laughs and some raised hands, both in response to the success question and the bit about “a million other thoughts.”
Then, Clotworthy brings out her teaching assistants: A stuffed bulldog named Billy and a stuffed owl named Hoots.
She talks about “big emotions.” Holding up Billy, she says: “When you get angry, you’ve let our dog start barking and biting,” waving the stuffed dog around. “And how do we calm down our dog? Breathe. Who helps? Hoots.”
But Hoots can only help after Billy calms down, she reminds them. “Do you think Hoots will come out if Billy is barking and screaming?” The kids know the answer to that, shaking their heads “No” in unison.
The session ends with a 5-minute meditation and “body scan,” a guided exercise of noticing body sensations without judgment, done with eyes closed.
Clotworthy is executive director and founder of Worthy Beyond Purpose, a Los Angeles nonprofit launched in 2018. She leads the once-a-week, 30-minute mindfulness and meditation program at Valor Academy Elementary and at five other area schools.
After the session, she says proudly, the kids know that Billy represents the amygdala, the brain region associated with emotional processing, and Hoots is the prefrontal cortex, the brain’s control center involved in emotion regulation.
Clotworthy and other practitioners like her are increasingly taking to classrooms to use mindfulness and meditation to try to help ease pervasive mental health issues from pandemic trauma, isolation, school closures, school shootings, and other issues constantly plaguing students of all ages. Study after study has found many negative mental health effects of COVID-19 safety measures on children and adolescents.
While the terms mindfulness and meditation are often interchanged, experts say that mindfulness is the quality of “being in the present moment, without judgment,” while meditation describes a more formal practice of quieting the body and mind.
Mindfulness is not religious, Clotworthy says, but a way to “stay in the present.” The word, put most simply, “just means paying attention. We teach kids to be in the present.”
Besides helping students deal with stressors, it can be good for society, as the Dalai Lama promised in his famous quote: “If every 8-year-old in the world is taught meditation, we will eliminate violence from the world within one generation.”
School Mindfulness Programs
Some school mindfulness programs, like Clotworthy’s, are small nonprofit efforts. Others tap into existing national commercial programs.
For instance, Headspace, the mindfulness and meditation app, recently partnered with Vivi, a classroom communication platform for kindergarten through 12th grade. Teachers can play Headspace content through Vivi, says Simon Holland, co-founder of Vivi, to access mindfulness and meditation content designed for children and teens.
Rosamaria Segura is director of Insight LA’s Insight in Action program, which provides mindfulness and meditation practices to areas that would otherwise be unable to afford them. The program is offered to students at three schools and to teachers and parents at six others.
“We offer it at no cost,” she says. Sometimes it is a 6-week program, other times a year. Community members fund it with donations.
Students served are “recent arrivals, Spanish-speaking,” Segura says, and “there is a lot of anxiety and trauma, from their journey. We train students to stay in the present,” with the mindfulness exercises.
“Last year, we had a mindfulness garden, outdoors, with elementary students,” she says. The students would enter the garden and choose a sticker to match their mood. At the beginning, most chose stickers reflecting worry or anxiety. “At the end of the session, the stickers would move up to the joyful, relaxed state. It was incredibly dramatic to see.”
What the Research Suggests
Mediation and mindfulness for adults have long had a list of known benefits, such as stress reduction and mood improvement. Recently, a well-publicized study found a program called mindfulness-based stress reduction rivals a prescription medication in how well it treats anxiety disorders.
Recent research also has found benefits for children and teens, although some experts argue that enthusiasm is outpacing the evidence and that the studies need to be more scientific.
Among the recent studies:
Eight teachers who led 124 students in a pre- and early elementary low-income school in mindfulness practices for 10-15 minutes a day (3 or more days a week for 6 weeks) found students calmer and more relaxed at the end of the program.
In an analysis of mindfulness programs for children and teens, researchers claimed most evaluations are not scientific enough, lacking randomization or control groups. In a review of 33 studies and nearly 3,700 children and teens, researchers found positive effects of the practice for mindfulness, attention, depression, anxiety and stress, and negative behaviors, but the effects were small. The positive effects were limited to mindfulness, depression, and anxiety and stress when the researchers only looked at the studies with active control groups.
Does It Work at School?
Some results from the school programs are anecdotal, some survey-based.
At Valor Academy Elementary, a public charter school in the LA Unified School District, the differences in behavior are noticeable, says Talar Samuelian, assistant principal of culture. She launched the program there in late 2021 with her third and fourth graders, concerned about their behavior after the pandemic brought remote learning.
“We had a lot of students with behavioral challenges and self-regulation issues,” she says. “The third graders had missed out on all of [in-person] first and second grade. There was catty behavior among the girls, and the boys were very handsy out in the yards. They had missed out on [developing] a lot of play skills.”
This year, the students are much calmer, she says. Among the benefits, she believes, are that “it helps with increasing the sense of belonging.”
One thing surprised Samuelian. She had assumed some of the third and fourth graders would be “too cool” to take part and push back. “Not one did,” she says. “They were all transfixed; they are all into it.”
At the end of the 2021-2022 school year, Clotworthy surveyed 400 students who had taken part in her program at four schools. Her findings: “91% of the students can correctly identify and describe the functions of the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex,” up from 10% before the sessions began.
“We begin with these teachings so kids will know where their emotions live, how to identify them, and how to stay ahead of the outbursts,” she says.
A vast majority of the kids – 88% – say they have new ways to handle these big emotions, such as breathing techniques. And 85% say they know to listen to the body and feel the emotion coming before it erupts. Nearly 60% told Clotworthy they get in trouble less since starting her classes. Teachers told her that kids have a longer attention span in classes and more emotional maturity.
Headspace’s own research found that 30 days of Headspace led to a 32% decrease in stress, while 8 weeks of use led to a 19% decrease in anxiety symptoms and improved focus by 14%.
Indira Esparza Galeana teaches at the Preuss School on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. The charter middle and high school is for low-income students who strive to become first in their families to graduate from college. The daughter of immigrants, she graduated from the school, returned to teach there, and now works as a member of the Vivi Educator Council, an unpaid position, to roll out the VIvi partnership.
Galeana’s testing the Vivi-Headspace program in one of her Advanced Placement 12th grade government classes and one ninth grade ethnic studies class. Feedback has been positive, she says. Students are receptive to learning to meditate; one says it was relaxing and another says it made him think a lot. “I think that’s just showing they have a lot on their minds right now.”
An Educator’s View
“Mindfulness is a normal human state,” says Patricia (Tish) Jennings, PhD, a professor of education at the University of Virginia. “Young children tend to be very mindful,” naturally capable of focusing on the present moment.
Jennings is internationally recognized as a leader in mindfulness in education and has taught mindful awareness practices to children and adults for more than 40 years.
“I started doing this with kids in my Montessori class in 1981,” she says. At the time, “I didn’t call it mindfulness or meditation. I would say, ‘We are learning to calm down, to focus our attention.’”
Basically, Jennings says, what’s known is the practice really helps kids to self-regulate. “It does help them pay attention, and it does help them calm down. Self-awareness and self-management are really important.”
She led a team that developed a mindfulness-based professional development program for improving teacher well-being and student engagement and has written or edited books on mindfulness in schools.
Students Take to Mindfulness
As the mindfulness and meditation session at Valor Academy wraps up, Clotworthy asks the students for some thoughts on mindfulness and meditation, including how it helps them.
Kylie Garcia, a 9-year-old with dark brown eyes and hair, who had listened intently during the session and took part fully, says: “I like meditation because my body felt calm when meditating.” She compares it to a recess break.
Jaden Martinez, also 9, says he views mindfulness somewhat like subtraction. When you just breathe during mindfulness, he says, it can help you get rid of all those random thoughts – subtract them, basically – and just be in the moment.
Clotworthy says some students say they have taught the techniques to their parents.
At Valor Elementary, mindfulness class is on Thursdays; one girl offered: “I wake up and realize it is mindfulness day and I’m excited to come to school.”
LOS ANGELES, November 11, 2022 (Newswire.com)
– Rythmia Life Advancement Center today announced that the third quarter of 2022 was officially the busiest quarter in the company’s history. The management and staff of Rythmia would like to thank their loyal customers, stating that, without them, this achievement would not have been possible.
When asked what caused the sudden and significant increase in bookings, Gerard Powell, CEO of Rythmia Life Advancement Center, said, “I can’t be positive, but I feel there are a few key reasons. First, there’s heightened awareness around the healing attributes of ayahuasca. Second, we got a big boost from a podcast featuring Ron White’s Rythmia experience that received over 1 million downloads! And being one of the world’s highest-rated resorts on TripAdvisor doesn’t hurt either. This increased awareness has resulted in world-class athletes like Deontay Wilder, former heavyweight champion, visiting Rythmia. Having Cesar Milan join the Rythmia Board has been another great plus. Unfortunately, as with many businesses in this post-COVID correction, we are experiencing a lack of inventory combined with a severe and relentless spike in inflation. Hence, at some point in the very near future, we are going to have to raise prices significantly. Many businesses will attempt to hold out, decreasing their quality of customer service before increasing their prices. We are not that kind of business. Our goal is to continually maintain an enviable standard of customer satisfaction.”
“Frequently, hotels reserve a certain number of rooms, commonly referred to as a ‘pocket inventory.’ We can’t do that because of our limited room count. In the past few weeks, we have had to inform many loyal repeat customers that we are sold out. This lack of availability will undoubtedly be exasperated with the addition of Taita Juanito’s twenty-five visits in 2023. My counsel to all potential guests is to book immediately and to have alternative dates already chosen in case your primary dates are sold out.”
ABOUT RYTHMIA LIFE ADVANCEMENT CENTER Rythmia Life Advancement Center is focused on incorporating plant medicine into metaphysical teachings. The results of its program are spectacular, with over 95% of its 12,000+ clients reporting a life-changing miracle during their stay. Furthermore, the company is a model of diversity. For further information and/or reservations, call (888) 443-5566 or visit https://rythmia.link/press.
Meditation Library Offers a Moment for Your Health, a Space for Belonging, and the Chance to Learn to Meditate Without Judgment
Press Release –
Nov 3, 2022
TENAFLY, N.J., November 3, 2022 (Newswire.com)
– Pause Breathe Reflect™ – the lifestyle brand on a mission to prompt mindfulness, community, and stress reduction – today, in honor of National Gratitude Month, unveils The Pause Breathe Reflect Meditation app with 30 Days of Gratitude. Designed to invite users to slow down, quiet their minds, and meditate without judgment, the app is the culmination of Pause Breathe Reflect™ founder Michael O’Brien’s 21-year mindfulness journey.
Meditation Teacher Michael O’Brien first discovered mindfulness and meditation in 2001 while recovering from a near-death cycling accident. Frustrated with his healing progress, he knew he had to heal his mind to heal his body. The next day, Michael began his mindfulness practice with his first Pause Breathe Reflect moment. Over time he got healthier and kept a consistent mindfulness practice that helped him navigate a stressful executive career and the pressure of modern family life and living. His positive experience with mindfulness inspired him to become a qualified mindfulness-based stress reduction teacher and share the value of slowing down and taking a moment to Pause Breathe Reflect.
The Pause Breathe Reflect Sangha Meditation and Relaxation app, available in the App Store beginning today, offers a breadth of one-minute to ten-minute daily practices to turn to when users need to catch their breath and take a moment for their health. Consumers will find meditations to support them when dealing with work stress, anxiety, grief, and lighter moments like during a bathroom break, before playing pickleball, and when asked again, “What’s for dinner?”
In addition to the on-demand meditation library, the Pause Breathe Reflect™ app will also offer live meditations multiple times per week – an effort to combat increased feelings of loneliness amongst most Americans (source) and foster feelings of community and belonging. Beta users have called the app “the best way to relax and ease my stress” and noted “my days are full, and many days are challenging and unpredictable. I love knowing I can rely on Pause Breathe Reflect to center me and also put the day into perspective and fill me with a bit of calm.”
Michael helps companies build inclusive cultures and inspired team members as Chief Shift Officer at Peloton Executive Coaching when he’s not supporting others in their mindful living journey. He is also a passionate cyclist, having completed a ride across America this summer profiled by Bicycling Magazine.
SAN FRANCISCO, June 21, 2021 (Newswire.com)
– Much to the delight of fans, Wai Lana has again chosen International Yoga Day to release her latest music video. She Speaks Sign Languageis a visual masterpiece that showcases the stunning beauty and power of the planet we inhabit. Wai Lana leads viewers on a mesmerizing adventure exploring the splendor of expansive deserts, glistening ice caves, lush flowery meadows, and high mountain peaks. Viewers may recognize iconic and ancient attractions, such as China’s Great Wall and India’s Kusum Sarovar.
Wai Lana explained, “We carefully chose a variety of settings for this music video, beyond just places of natural beauty. I wanted to do something out of the ordinary and, after all, man-made structures are also part of the landscape of this planet. Whether in the city, wilderness, or on the seas, we can each choose to live harmoniously with Mother Earth.”
With this new musicvideo,Wai Lana hopes to honor & give voice to Mother Earth, to help amplify the importance of protecting our environment. “She Speaks Sign Language is my attempt to encourage others to protect our planet,” she said. By building on the growing environmental awareness of recent years, Wai Lana hopes her new music video will contribute, even if in a small way, to fostering environmental stewardship around the world.
She Speaks Sign Language fosters an appreciation of our dependence on Mother Earth and provides a glimpse of the dire consequences of not living in harmony with nature. With provocative lyrics such as, “… how do we treat our dear mother? Do we throw her to the ground?” Wai Lana reinforces the message that it is our duty to act as caretakers of this planet, just as we are naturally respectful and caring of our own mother.
Regarding the planning and production of She Speaks Sign Language, Wai Lana said, “The overwhelming amount of content I wanted to convey made it extremely challenging. Even after I was satisfied with the lyrics, there was still too much material to fit with my favorite style of music. Fortunately, I work with some very talented musicians, and we discovered that electronic music, a new style of music for me, went perfectly with the lyrics.”
Wai Lana continued, “I then had to take all my visual ideas and arrange the music video to support the dynamic music and lyrical content in a way that was captivating and entertaining. I knew that if the arrangement wasn’t just right, it might come across as too serious or even depressing. It was like putting together an intricate puzzle. I’m very excited about how it all came together and, in the end, I’m hoping we achieved something that people will want to watch over and over and want to share far and wide.”
Wai Lana is credited with helping pioneer the modern-day yoga movement with her Wai Lana YogaTV series—the longest-running fitness series in the history of public television. The genuine care she has for others shines through in everything Wai Lana produces, and this latest music video is no exception. She Speaks Sign Language is the first song Wai Lana has produced since the recent release of her Songs for the Soul album. Songs for the Soul includes Wai Lana’s six previous Yoga Day releases, Namaste,Alive Forever,Colors, Beyond Time & Space, & Lay Me Down and are available on most popular music streaming services.
MOJO, an aromatherapy slap bracelet, has already reached its funding goal on Kickstarter, with 24 days still left in the campaign.
Press Release –
updated: Nov 8, 2017
SAN DIEGO, November 8, 2017 (Newswire.com)
– Aravinda successfully launched their crowdfunding campaign for the MOJO bracelet on Kickstarter, on Nov. 1, 2017. The campaign, which is set to run for 30 days, surpassed its funding goal within the first 34 hours but will continue to take pre-orders until the end of the month.
The MOJO is a stainless-steel slap bracelet that combines principles of aromatherapy and color therapy. Users can add two drops of essential oil to the outer layer of absorbent microfiber material, allowing the smell to diffuse as they go about their day, while the inner waterproof neoprene layer protects them from having the essential oil come in contact with their skin. An additional microfiber layer provides comfort. The MOJO is available in four colors: orange, green, blue, and violet. Campaign supporters can also receive one or more of Aravinda’s signature essential oil blends as part of their package.
MOJO is finally released after a whole lot of planning, testing, and tweaking. We’ve taken our design abilities to the next level to bring a completely unique and dual-functioning product to market.
Hamzeh Ramadan, Ph.D., CEO
Hamzeh Ramadan, Ph.D., CEO of Aravinda, said, “MOJO is finally released after a whole lot of planning, testing, and tweaking. We’ve taken our design abilities to the next level to bring a completely unique and dual-functioning product to market.”
For more information on the MOJO bracelet, visit www.aravinda.us, or the Kickstarter campaign at http://kck.st/2A21QGU, where you can make a donation to be one of the first to receive a MOJO bracelet and Aravinda Essential Oil.
Aravinda is an aromatherapy and essential oils company in the U.S. that seeks to incorporate principles of color therapy and aromatherapy in practical ways to help balance the body’s energy centers and encourage well-being.
The (not so) Little Book of Surprises with Modern Day Mystic Deirdre Hade & Producer of What The BLEEP Do We Know?! William Arntz followed by and enlightening interview on Defy Your Limits: The Telekinesis Training Method with Sean McNamara on Moments with Marianne radio show!
Press Release –
updated: Aug 30, 2017
Denver, CO, August 30, 2017 (Newswire.com)
– Tune in for an inspiring show on Moments with Marianne with special guests Modern Day Mystic Deirdre Hade & Producer of What The BLEEP Do We Know?! William Arntz on their new book The (not so) Little Book of Surprises followed by Meditation & Mindfulness Expert Sean McNamara on his new book The Telekinesis Training Method!
“The (not so) Little Book of Surprises is a visual feast. It is a road map of mystical insight, poetry, breathtaking photographs and humor in a thoroughly enjoyable combination. A rare gem of inspiration. Surprises is an opening into a new dimension of experience, every page filled with wisdom and insight. It is a book to meditate on—one page a day. A book of hope for our changing times.”
Jack Canfield, Co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul®
The (not so) Little Book of Surprises with Deirdre Hade & William Arntz
Deirdre Hade is a Modern Day Mystic, author, guide and poet who has been spiritually adept since childhood she has spent her life communicating with the unseen. She is founder of Radiance Healing & Radiance Meditation, a system of mindfulness for our time. A poet & spiritual teacher of divine inspiration, Deirdre combines the spiritual with the practical to achieve a transformative connection to self – the channel for all things possible.
William Arntz began his professional career as a research laser physicist, developing wave optics simulators for high energy lasing systems. He the wrote a systems management software system AutoSys, sold his company & focused his company to retire. He realized he could satisfy a life-long dream and use the software proceeds to make a movie. That movie started its life as a small documentary about Spirit and Science, but grew in scope (and budget) and became What the BLEEP Do We Know!? Producing, scripting, and co-directing the film, What the BLEEP went on to become a global phenomenon, with well over 100 million viewers experiencing the BLEEP.
The (not so) Little Book of Surprises Merging the mystical poetry and wisdom teachings of Deirdre Hade with the photos and images of award winning photographer Endre Balogh, William Arntz (What the BLEEP Do We Know!?) has fashioned a mind bending journey that twists un-expectantly with every page turn. http://deirdrehade.com/bookofsurprises/
Defy Your Limits: The Telekinesis Training Method with Sean McNamara
Sean McNamara was born in Toledo, Ohio and grew up overseas in Guatemala, the Philippines, Hong Kong and Brazil because of his father’s work assignments. Early incidents of illness and surgery brought about a persistent fear and contemplation of death and of what happens afterward. in his twenties,
Sean McNamara became a Buddhist practitioner in order to use meditation as a way to investigate the nature of consciousness and reality. Realizing that many traditions eventually become rigid and limiting out of a need for self preservation, and at the cost of each individual’s unique development, he left the path he had been following. He found Lucid Dreaming and the Out of Body Experience to be especially potent methods for his spiritual inquiry, and free of the dogmatic qualities found elsewhere. He eventually applied his knowledge of meditation toward telekinesis in order to illustrate the themes of interconnectedness and intention to his meditation students.
Sean currently teaches meditation, Lucid Dreaming, the Out of Body Experience, and telekinesis in Denver, Colorado, with the purpose of showing others that spiritual growth is still possible as an independent, self-empowering, and revelatory path. He is married to Cierra McNamara, founder of Mayu Sanctuary, an ecumenical meditation center in Denver. http://www.mindpossible.com
Dusseldorf, Germany, August 24, 2017 (Newswire.com)
– Many times people fail to get the necessary relaxation and sleep they need. This is majorly because of the daily activities they involved. Who said relaxation needs many training hours to be effective? Not Blue Trigger Lifestyle Invention. They’re the innovative company giving Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign supporters a device that pulls double duty. With an innovative usage and design, the mobile phone becomes the yogi.
Yvonne Joh, a representative of Blue Trigger Lifestyle Invention, said, “It is the first sleep and relaxation aid in one which uses your mobile phone as a projector. It helps you to relax and fall asleep faster. Furthermore, it turns your mobile phone or tablet into a pocket planetarium.”
The projection of the 4-7-8 breathing exercise technique employed by DreamMe ORBIT helps to reduce the time to fall asleep.
Yvonne Joh, CEO
DreamMe ORBIT hardware does not require batteries or cumbersome coupling with the mobile phone or tablet, as the hardware uses a special optical system to show the selected animations right on the ceiling. While the phone is charging on the nightstand, DreamMe ORBIT makes use of it projecting parts of the display on the ceiling.
When people are stressed, they often breathe too shallowly. To relax and reduce heart beat frequency, there are scientifically proven breathing exercises known from Yoga Therapy. These exercises do not have to be learned with long training hours. Intuitively, the projection guides through inhaling and exhaling in the proper rhythm without having to concentrate on whether your technique is correct or not. Thus, all the attention directed to breathing and leads to the desired outcome faster.
The free DreamMe ORBIT app will help slow down metabolism, disconnect thoughts, and fall asleep faster without taking any medication. The projection of the 4-7-8 breathing exercise technique employed by DreamMe ORBIT helps to reduce the time to fall asleep.
Furthermore, DreamMe ORBIT turns the mobile phone or tablet into a pocket planetarium. The rotation of the projected planets on the ceiling and the relaxing sounds were created to help reduce the pulse beat. DreamMe ORBIT prepares for the sleep phase and helps relax. Optionally, custom relaxation or sleep sounds can be selected.
Rivera recognized that mindfulness was working for her back in her corporate days, prior to becoming a coach. She began to realize that it took her less time to bounce back from any on-the-job aggravation. “That was a big success – being able to move back into calmness,” she said.
