Podcast 645: Wake Up, A Handbook to Living in the Here and Now with Chris Barez-Brown

Do you feel like you are on autopilot? Just going through the motions-like life is just a blur of commuting to work, calendar event and obligations.  If so then listen up.  I recently interviewed Chris Bartz-Brown the author of a new book entitled ” Wake Up-A Handbook to Living in the Here and Now“.

This is not only a fantastic book, but the book design is exceptional, it really is a handbook–please feel free to take notes on the pages provided.  Chris has provided 54 playful strategies to help the readers snap out of autopilot.  We discussed several playful strategies in our interview together, example “Kill your Television”.  As Chris states, a little television is not a bad thing, but a lot of television wastes our time and our life. What would be the payoff for watching less television?  What else could you do to entertain yourself, read a book, take a walk, exercise, meditate?   All the options seem better than watching television.

How about the idea of noticing what you notice. Most of us are in such a hurry that we infrequently notice the little things in life.  How about carrying a pen or pencil with some paper and just start writing down what you notice? These things could be people, conversations, buildings, articles or a fleeting glance from someone in a passing bus. It doesn’t matter what you find interesting; it only matters that you notice it.  So what is the payoff of this new activity, becoming more sensitized to the world in which we live and as a result enjoying a heightened sense of connectedness and vitality.

Chris’s new book “Wake-Up” is a great easy read with lots of strategies for changing your habits and behavior for the better. If you want to learn more about the book and Chris please click here to be directed to Chris’s website.  

I hope you enjoy this lively interview with author Chris Bartz-Brown.

Podcast 641: Writing as a Path to Awakening with Albert De Silver

I absolutely love how author Albert Flynn DeSilver approaches the topic of writing.  In his new book entitled ” Writing as a Path to Awakening,” Albert guides the reader through what can only be expressed as a spiritual experience.  If you have ever written a book, poetry or long-term paper you will agree that the process of writing can be an out of body experience.

The deeper you get into your writing the more open you are to just write without judgments and you will experience what I term as flow.  It is a wonderful experience, and sometimes you don’t know where the words on the paper come from–it’s is as if you were the channeled.

Albert writes that many of us struggle with maintaining a practice of staying consistent in order to develop a process.  The consistent striving for an imagined sense of perfection is one of the things that can keep us off the page.  If perfection is your jam, say this out loud, in all caps for emphasis.  THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS PERFECTION.

“Writing as a Path to Awakening”  is a treasure trove of practical advice on writing and on finding yourself, for the process of creative writing always has you exploring your deep inner thoughts, and learning how to express them to the world.

I hope you enjoy this great interview with author Albert DeSilver if you want to learn more about the author please click here to be taken to his website.

Podcast 636: Heartwork-The Path of Self-Compassion with Radhule Weininger, MD, PhD.

How often do you beat up on yourself?  What if you could learn to apply self-compassion to that part of you that gets lashed by your ego telling you that you are not good enough?

In my interview with author Radhule Weininger MD, Ph.D. we discuss her new book Heartwork The Path of Self-Compassion.  In the interview, with Radhule she reveals the 9 practices for opening our heart up so that we can heal the pain that we carry inside, and that frequently won’t go away.

Hearwork is filled with wonderful success stories and practices so that the reader can apply the techniques to their specific issues.  She also provides various meditation and mindfulness practices that cultivate heightened awareness, tranquility and inner happiness.  As Radhule writes ” As your wounded heart begins to heal with self-compassion, it may begin to fill with generosity and kindness; the boundaries of your self-preoccupation may loosen, and compassion for yourself can naturally widen to compassion for others.  His Holiness the Dalai Lama tells us, ” Although you may not be able to avoid difficult situations, you can modify the extent to which you (and others) suffer by how you choose to respond to the situation”

So if you want to learn how to respond differently with self-compassion and compassion for others, then you are going to want to listen to my interview author Radhule Weininger MD, Ph.D.  If you are interested in exploring Radhule’s website, just click here.   You will find more about her workshops, seminars and professional services.

I hope you enjoy my interview with author Radhule Weininger MD, PhD about her new book Heartwork, The Path to Self-Compassion.