Podcast 310: Aware, Awake, Alive with Dr. Elliot Dacher

Elloitt Dacher MDDr. Elliott Dacher has been a guest at Inside Personal Growth previously.  I am honored to bring him back again to speak with us about his new book entitled ” Aware, Awake, Alive-A Contemporary Guide to the Ancient Science of Integral Health and Human Flourishing“.  Prior to his deep work in the Indian modalities of health and healing, Dr. Dacher practiced Western medicine for over 21 years seeing over 50,000 patients. Over this period of time, Dr. Dacher was finding that for many of his patients that the conventional ways of Western medicine were not have a lasting and sustainable healing impact that he would have liked to have had.

Through a series of serendipitous events Dr. Dacher ended up spending over 12 years going back and forth between the US and India studying the aspects of healing and what is termed in the book as “Human Flourishing”.   As Dr. Dasher state in the book ” to flourish is to move beyond the stress, dissatisfaction, and suffering that too often limits and diminishes our lives, and reclaim the profound well-being which resides at the center of our being.  That is our vision, a vision of human flourishing.

Even though each of our lives has an inner and outer aspect, they are usually unequally developed.  In modern times our focus has been on the outer aspects.  We have mastered an understanding of biology.  We know how to enhance our physical well-being, address physiological disturbances, reduce biological risk factors and promote high levels of physical wellness.  As mythologist Joseph Campbell reminds us, “where there was once darkness there is now light”.  We once knew very little about our biology, and now we know a great deal. But he also reminds us that, ” Were there was once light there is now darkness” There was a time we had a profound understanding of our inner life.  We could describe and traverse, as Plato did, the full development of consciousness from darkness to light, from confusion to wisdom. But in modern times that is no longer the case.  We have mastery of the outer world but we have simultaneously lost touch with our inner life.  It has become a buried and unseen treasure.

In Elliot’s book ” Aware, Awake, Alive” he provides the reader with a course of practice and study that is 10 weeks in length, along with more advanced material for those who master the basics and want to continue on.  This book and workbook provides the student with a complete overview of the journey to human flourishing—vision, path, fruition, and integration.   It also includes a CD to help the reader/student establish a stable and effective daily practice.

If you ready to transform your life completely, and have health, happiness and lasting bliss then you just might want to consider reading and studying the content of ” Aware, Awake, Alive” by Dr. Elliott Dacher.
I know you will enjoy this enlightening interview with someone who has devoted their life to helping us understand the miracles of how doing the deep inner work will assist in healing our bodies.  If you want to learn more about Dr. Dacher and his course please click here to be directed to his website.

Podcast 301: ChiWalking with Danny Dreyer

Danny DreyerIt was a pleasure interviewing Danny Dreyer the Founder of ChiLiving about his new audio program through Sounds True entitled “Chi Walking“.  Danny Dreyer is a waking and running coach and is nationally ranked ultramarathoner runner.  He is a student of renowned t’chi master George Xu and coauthor(with Katherine Dreyer) the books ChiWalking and Chi Running.

In my interview with Danny we discuss the benefits of Chi Walking.  I know that lots of people are attempting to find ways to become more peaceful, centered and clear their minds from all of the chatter as well as become more healthy.  What I learned during my interview with Danny is that Chi Walking which I bet many of my listeners have not been exposed to is a way to accomplish the peace and inner harmony while at the same time obtaining a great workout.

As Danny states walking is one of the most beneficial forms of exercise on the planet. In his audio program Danny teaches you how to take this routine activity to a whole new level and turn it into a deeply rewarding experience for the mind, body and spirit. The secret to this program is in what Danny refers to as “The Five Mindful Steps” which help you increase awareness using the energetic movement principles of t’ ai chi.  Drawing on the concepts of the program that have helped thousands around the globe walk more efficiently, get into great shape, clear the mind and tap into a deeper source of well-being.

I know that you will enjoy learning more about this wonderful program.  If you are looking for a way to combine the art of t’ai chi with the movement of walking, then you have come to the right place. Chi Walking just might be the next form of movement and focused breathing that helps you release stress and obtain a wonderful workout without the pounding to the legs and feet.  If you would like to learn more about Chi Walking and Chi Running please click here to be directed to Danny’s website.
I hope you enjoy this interview with one of the forerunners in the art of art of Chi Walking. If you would like to obtain a copy of Danny’s CD’s please click here to be directed to the Sounds True website for ordering.

Podcast 298: Thrive Foods: 200 Plant Based Recipes for Peak Health with Brendan Brazier

Brendan BrazierThis is my second interview with author Brendan Brazier.  Every time I interview Brendan I continue to learn more about nutrition and the important role is plays not only in our health, but in how the foods we eat impact our environment.

In Brendan’s new book “Thrive Foods: 200 Plant Based Recipes for Peak Health” Brendan lays out the importance of a plant based diet, and gives the reader great recipes that are nutrient-dense and which have a very low impact on our overall environment.  In my interview with Brendan we speak about what he calls “Nutrient-to-Resource Ratio”.  Brendan refers to this ratio as a proactive form of health insurance and environmental preservation rolled into one.  This ratio reveals the extensive amount of arable land, water, and fossil fuel consumed to produce food, as well as taking into consideration carbon emissions created.

Brendan states that the average American could have a greater impact on the on the environment by switching to the eating suggestions in the book.  That is one person swapped out a Standard American breakfast for a plant-based, nutrient-dense whole food smoothie for one year, it would conserve the same amount of C02 emissions as created by driving a mid-size car from Vancouver to Tijuana, Mexico.  If everyone stopped eating factory farmed beef for one year, it would conserve the equivalent of c02 emissions as over 2 trillion miles being driven in a mid-size car.

Needless to say if we as consumers would think about our choices in food consumption we could have a significant impact on the worlds environment.  A diet based in nutrient-dense, plant based foods not only improves our health but it has a positive impact on our environment.
Brendan’s book is loaded with great recipes that are good and easy to make.  So if you want to improve your diet, loose weight, and help the environment then I highly recommend that you get a copy of Brendan’s new book.  If you would like to learn more about Brendan Brazier please click here to be directed to his website.  He also has a company called Vega that produces plant based products, you can learn more about Vega by clicking here.

Enjoy this great interview with truly a man on a mission to save our environment, as well as increase the life span of millions of people.

Podcast 285: Sharp: Simple Strategies to Boost Your Brainpower with Heidi Hanna

 

Heidi HannaI personally have been working with author and coach Heidi Hanna PhD over the last three months.  Her new book entitled “SHARP: Simple Strategies to Boost Your Brainpower” is a must read for all my listeners.  If you have ever wondered what are some of the things that you could be doing to assist you in having more energy, improve your focus and mental clarity then Heidi new book is the place to start.

We are all leading very busy lives, with more stimulation coming at us from every direction..cell phones, emails, instant “ON” almost all the time.  Do you ever wonder what all of this is doing to our brains?  Are you beginning to forget or you memory doesn’t seem as  SHARP.  Heidi speaks about these problems and provides practical advice on dealing with these issues.

In her book “SHARP: Simple Strategies to Boost Your Brainpower” readers will: 1) Understand how the demands on your time and energy impact your mental capacity, and learn critical components of brain health that provide a foundation for improved cognitive functioning. 2) How to utilize the power of brain training to stimulate mental energy with exercises that improve learning in areas that have the most impact on performance. 3) How to create an actionable plan for implementing a sustainable brain health training program that can be applied to your everyday life.

Our constant state of busyness has created a chronic level of stress on our brain–so toxic, in fact that experts believe more than 75% of medical visits are stress related. Heidi states that honestly most of us are too busy to notice, and will not realize the devastating impact of stress on our lives until it takes a serious toll on our health, happiness and performance.   Stress is literally making us sicker.

In Heidi’s new book “SHARP: Simple Strategies to Boost Your Brainpower” you will be guided and coached on the proper steps to take to reduce stress, eat healthier and techniques to improve your brains function.  I don’t know about you but my brain is of utmost importance to the proper functioning of my job, and I believe that this is the case with almost all workers in society today.  But just how often do you think about the fitness of your brain—you take it for granted don’t you?  If you listen to, and read what Heidi has been teaching and coaching top executives for years you will really alter many of your current habits that are effecting the functioning of your brain.
If you would like more information about author Heidi Hanna and her new book please click here to be directed to her website.  If you would like to watch a short introduction video, just click here to be directed to her book’s promotional video.  Enjoy this wonderful interview with Heidi Hanna PhD author of “SHARP: Simple Strategies to Boost Your Brainpower“.

Podcast 278: In Sickness and In Health with Vadim Liberman

Vadim LibermanI recently received the Spring Issue of “The Conference Board” Magazine” and was very impressed with an article that the senior editor Vadim Liberman wrote entitled ” In Sickness and In Health-Do Companies Care About Their Peoples“.   Over the last many years my interestes have been focused on wellness in the workplace, and Vadim’s feature article hit the nail on the head as far as I was concerned.

As Vadim states in the article ” As the world get flatter, its’s getting fatter and sicker.  Heart disease, diabetes, cancer and a host of other conditions afflict more of us than ever. But it’s not only our ballooning bodies that are ailing.  Companies are suffering from ill health, exhibiting symptoms that include lower productivity, engagement, and morale, as well as higher medical costs.”

In my interview with Vadim we speak about not only the issues of developing wellness program for organization to improve the overall health of the organization, but just as importantly we discuss the important issues of the necessary cultural changes necessary to sustain organizational vitality and health.

The main purpose of wellness programs–trimming medical expenses–is obvious.  Except that it’s obvious to no one outside the United States.  You see our focus is on reducing medical costs and it is our number one priority, but in other countries such as Canada, Europe, and Latin America productivity is companies’ top wellness-program objective.   According to Vadim’s research US businesses may be swallowing the wrong pill to slash overall expenses.  Productivity has a greater financial impact than medical costs, explains Barry Hall, a principal in the clinical-health-consulting and global technology-solutions practices of Buck Consultants.

According to the recent Buck Consultants global-wellness survey, two thirds of organizations currently have a formal wellness strategy, up from 49% in 2007.  However, few companies say they have fully implemented their plans, especially across borders, and 28% of those with no strategy admit they don’t know how to get started.  One thing for certain is that companies should seriously consider implementing a wellness strategy, and it needs to include a focus on the cultural issues of wellness as well as the metrics of creating a well and vital organization.

One connection seems clear: between worker heath and productivity.  “People who have poor health report lower levels of productivity” In fact one study indicates an 18 percent difference in productivity between healthy and unhealthy worker.  If you would like to read the entire article please click here to be directed to the Conference Board article.

 

I hope you enjoy my interview with Vadim Liberman the senior editor for ” The Conference Board Magazine”

Podcast 244: Zero Trends with Dee Edington, Ph.D.

Dee Edington, Ph.D.If you are interested at all about the future of wellness and healthcare, then you need go no further than our guest for this podcast Dee Edington Ph.D.  Dee is the author of over 500 articles on the subject, and his new book entitled “Zero Trends: Health as a Serious Economic Strategy” certainly is a must read for anyone involved in the delivery of wellness and healthcare solution.

In my interview with Dee we discuss the two major problems that need to be solved: the rising cost of healthcare in America, which is eroding profits at an accelerating rate and leading toward disaster for businesses.  As well as the do-nothing approach which is not a solution at all.

Dee suggest that we need to move from a sickness orientated culture to a culture of health, a culture in which we not only care for the sick but also enable the healthy to stay healthy.   This is an approach that lowers healthcare costs and as the same time increases productivity and human satisfaction.

Edington quotes  Albert Einstein “the world we have made as a result of the level of thinking we have done thus far creates problems we cannot solve at the same level of thinking at which we created them.”    It is clear that after all of these years of the same medical approaches to managing health, more doctors, nurses, hospitals, procedures and devices will not solve the problems.  Edington disagrees with those in the medical profession and some of the health economists and politicians who argue that prevention and healthy lifestyles will not lower the total costs of sickness or lead to a better way of life for individuals and businesses.  The information and data presented in “Zero Trends”  will support the argument that improved health status will not only reduce healthcare costs for companies but also increase performance and productivity in the workplace.

The bottom line is that we need to focus on bringing back vitality to our businesses and the people that work in them. The new model for healthcare in America redefines healthcare as a combination of illness and wellness strategies.  It is designed to help employers enable employees to become self-leaders in maintaining their energy, vitality and overall performance.
If you are interested in learning more about “Zero Trends” then I highly recommend that you visit the Health Management Research Center at the University of Michigan by clicking here.  You can also purchase Dee’s book at this website by clicking this link to take you directly to the book’s landing page.

I hope you enjoy this wonderful interview with a man who has dedicated his career to helping us better understand the challenges we are facing in healthcare.

Podcast 236: Timeless Secrets of Health & Rejuvenation with Andreas Moritz

Andreas MoritzI was recently introduced to Andreas Moritz the author of “Timeless Secrets of Health and Rejuvenation”  and was thoroughly amazed at not only his depth of knowledge, but the detail that he includes in his book about the various ailments and diseases and how to treat them.

As Andreas writes in his introduction “Timeless Secrets to Health and Rejuvenation” can help the tremendous power of healing that lies dormant within you and restore balance on all levels of the body, mind, and spirit.  Using your own healing powers establishes a permanent comfort zone or continuous sense of satisfaction which forms the basis for a creative, successful and rewarding life.

In my interview with Andreas we discuss the challenges associated with attempting to find a quick fix to our deteriorating health, and that each time we attempt to find the quick fix we truly are not treating the symptoms that are causing the disease in the first place.  As Andreas points out many of the diseases can be associated to emotional upsets in our lives or prior emotional issues that have never been addressed.

Most diseases can be distilled down to issues of lifestyle, diet, nutrition, exercise, daily routine, and exposure to sunlight.  Andreas utilized the ancient form of Ayurvedic Medicine to help him in the diagnoses of many of the challenges that his patients are faced with as well as recommended natural remedies.  His book is like the encyclopedia of health and nutrition with in excess of 500 pages of reference information on causes and treatments of the aliments.  Andreas’ new book is a must reference book for anyone who from time to time deals with challenging medical conditions.  We are all aware that our physical health is a mind, body, soul and spirit connection, and “Timeless Secrets of Health and Rejuvenation” does an amazing job of providing the reader with the necessary information to address and resolve many of the common physical ailments we deal with.
Please go to Andreas’s website by clicking here to get more information on his new book as well as the many other titles that he has authored.  He also has several videos you can watch that will provide you with additional information.  Enjoy this wonderful interview with a great teacher and wise guidance counselor regarding your health.

Podcast 226: Sound Healing Technologies with Mingtong Gu

Mingtong Gu

I recently had the wonderful opportunity to be introduced to Mingtong Gu, a Qigong master from the San Fransisco Bay area, who has has his training directly from the Grandmasters in China.  Mingtong is a very humble man, my intuition told me as we delved deeper into the interview, that he is extremely balanced, and has a very deep spiritual connection.  It is articulated through his voice and in the  deliberateness of the language he uses in explaining the concepts of Qigong.

Some of you might be aware of what Qigong is, but when you hear the amazing stories that Mingtong tells me about healing, as well as watch the video testimonials at his website,  it is a real testament to the practice of Qigong, this ancient form of connecting to the energies of the Universe.

Mingtong explains that as we go through the movements of Qigong and align our energy with that of the Universal source, we will experience personal healing at all levels.  Qigong can be used as a practice to balance our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual energies for improved levels of  healing.

Qi (Chi) means “life energy” and gong means “cultivation and its benefits.” Qigong, an ancient technology and revitalized science of energy healing, has developed through more than 5000 years of Chinese history. Through gentle movement, visualization, sound, breathing and conscious intention, the ancient practice of Qigong energy healing dynamically restores the life energy and creative power within oneself. As the underlying causes of life’s challenges are released, you reconnect with the universal source and bring new and vital energy streams into the flow of life. With this practice, you amplify a web of positive changes for you, your loved ones, and planet Earth.

If like most people in our fast paced world of today, you are looking for a way to reconnect, slow down and revitalize your body, mind, and spirit, then utilizing the practice of Qigong would be a wonderful way to get started.

I recommend that you listen to and visit Mingtong’s website “The Chi Center“.  His website is loaded with video’s and will provide you with a deeper insight into the many benefits of Qigong.  Enjoy this wonderful interview with Mingtong Gu.

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