Podcast 497: Hardwiring Happiness with Rick Hanson

What an honor to interview Rick Hanson the author of another great book entitled “Hardwiring Happiness“.  My last interview with Rick was for his book “Just One Thing, Developing A Buddha Brain One Simple Practice at a Time”.  

In our interview together we get to dialogue about how our brains are not really hardwired for happiness, and how to use various practices that will help us to rewire our brains for happiness.  Rick explains the “three” layers of the brain which I think is fascinating and allows us to better understand  the “why” behind our inability to just get happy.  One of his practices Rick has developed, and he uses the acronym  “HEAL” , which stand for Have, Enrich, Absorb and Link.  This is a simple process developed to awaken us so we can reprogram our brains for happiness.

Another simple process he discusses in our inteview is just taking the time to notice our positive experiences.  This might sound simple but when was the last time that we took a few minutes to just bask in the awe of one of our happy moments.  As Rick states this helps us to reprogram the brains to better be wired to happiness.  I can not guarantee that we will all become Dalai Lama’s after listening to my interview with Rick, but it will put you on the right track to greater levels of happiness.

I hope you enjoy this wonderful interview with a fascinating author and advocate for well being and happiness.

If you would like to learn more about Rick Hanson and his wonderful program entitled ”  The Foundations of Well-Being” please click on the link provided and check out his great site.  Also if you want to watch a great TED talk video just click here.

 

Podcast 488: The Alchemy of Self Healing with Jeannine Wiest

Our body is constantly speaking to us, the big question is are we listening?

In my recent interview with Jeannine Weist we discuss her new book entitled “The Alchemy of Self Healing- A Revolutionary 30-Day Plan to Change How You Relate to Your Body and Health.”  Jeannine is a certified craniosacral therapist who coaches movie stars, stressed-out executives and client who are living anxiety-ridden lives.

In our interview together we discuss how she helps people transform their old stories that dwell in the body and drain their well being.  Jeannie knows how to help us tap into our bodies wisdom and access our creative forces and energy.  She works at a cellular level to access the information that is blocking us from having the energetic and fulfilling lives we deserve.

If you are interested in learning more about how to access this energy I recommend reading her new book ” The Alchemy of Self Healing” as well as listening to our interview together.  You can also learn more by clicking here to be directed to her website.

Podcast 483: The Plant Plus Diet Solutions with Joan Borysenko

I think that everyone is interested in improving their health, and releasing a few pounds.   American’s spend billions annually on diets, exercise programs and supplements–all in the name of feeling and looking better.  While our health is our wealth as an old proverb states, there ways to approach our diet, nutrition and exercise programs with an easy and simple solution.

In her new book “The Plant Plus Diet Solution” author Joan Boysenko takes a personalized approach that is systemic and a way of living that you can make part of your DNA and live it for life.  In our interview together we discuss everything from our mental stress and how it creates cortisol and increases our weight, to our gut’s importance in our nutrition, to levelizing our insulin.  Joan is an incredibly well versed expert in the field with a great approach to living your life for optimal health.

I hope you enjoy our interview, and if you want to learn more please click here to be directed to Joan’s website.  Or you can click here to watch a short introductory video about “The Plant Plus Diet Solution”.

Podcast 475: Living in Balance with Joel and Michelle Levey

It is my honor and a pleasure to have interviewed my meditation teachers Joel and Michelle Levey.  The have re-released their book “Living in Balance” which has been thoroughly updated and revised.  In our interview together we discuss the “tight rope” that we all walk on attempting to maintain a life of balance and harmony.  In our hectic world many reading this post can relate to the challenges of finding that mid-point where we establish a life filled with happiness, joy and bliss while still engaging in the world.

Joel and I discuss the concept of flow, how to reach it and maintain this optimal state of performance.  We have all been there, but it seems to be something that is fleading and difficult to reach and maintain.  Joel provide some simple techniques and practices that will assist the listener in staying in the flow.

I hope you enjoy this wonderful interview with my personal meditation teachers Joel and Michelle Levey.  You can learn more about them by clicking here to be directed to their website, or click here to be directed to their Facebook page.

Podcast 462: Stress Pandemic with Paul Huljich

If you are like many people on our society today you are feeling stress and overwhelmed. It seem like our world is moving at an astronomical pace and people are moving as fast as they can to keep pace. The question we should all be asking is keeping pace more important than our overall health and relationships?

In Paul Huljichs’ new book entitled ” Stress Pandemic-9 Natural Steps to Break The Cycle of Stress and Thrive” Paul provides the reader with practical and compelling advice that can sound simple, but implementing it into our daily routines is the key.

Paul outlines the nine steps which are: 1) Take Charge 2) Kick Your Bad Habits 3) Learn to Say No 4) Affirmations 5) Exercise 6) Nutrition 7) Sleep 8) The Power of Awareness 9) Never Give Up.

Paul’s person story is one of determination and survival a mental breakdown after having build a multi million dollar health foods company in New Zealand. He ended up being institutionalized for his mental breakdown and he lost everything he has worked for, house, cars business. As you can imagine the stress prior to the breakdown, and after were immense. Paul’s personal story is very compelling as are his unique strategies for stress reduction.

If you are like me, you are dealing with stress on a daily basis. Paul new book provides practical guidance on how to eliminate that stress and live a fulfilling life. If you want to learn more about Paul, please click here to be directed to his website or click here to go to his Facebook page.

Podcast 381: Sustainable Wellness with Matt Mumber MD and Heather Reed

 

Heather ReedEveryone today is focused on wellness, and it is a topic that deserves a lot of focus and attention.  I had the pleasure of interviewing both Dr. Matt Mumber and Heather Reed about their new book entitled “Sustainable Wellness-An Integrative Approach to Transform Your Mind, Body and Spirit.”.   I must state that Matt and Heathers approaching to achieving sustainable wellness uses an integrative medicine approach which if followed properly will certainly help one achieve sustainable wellness with lasting results.

I found their  analogy of using the three legged stool a great way to explain how they both approach the topic of wellness.  If you can imagine a three legged stool with the seat being spirituality , and the three legs physical activity, nutrition, and stress management all feeding into our spirituality.   The stool rests on awareness, which is the foundation of where all wellness begins.   This provides a great visual of the integrative approach that both Matt and Heather take when working with their clients to achieve truly lasting wellness.

Achieving sustainable wellness begins with reflection and exploration.  In the book you will find many opportunities where  Matt and Heather  provide the reader with questions for reflection and thought.  They have also have created and an eight (8) steps process to follow in exploring your personal wellness RX.  Those steps include mindfulness, know thyself, life review and planning, nutrition, physical activity, stress management, spirituality, bringing it all together.  If you follow these steps and practice the wisdom that the authors have outlined in “Sustainable Wellness” you will most likely  achieve a new level of health and vitality for yourself.

Matt Mumber, MDI invite you to listen to this great podcast with both Dr. Matt Mumber and Heather Reed while we explore questions for the listeners about obtaining a peak level of health, vitality and wellness.  If you would like to learn more you can click here to be directed to the Sustainable Wellness website, or you can click here to watch a Youtube video interview with Matt.

Podcast 367: Awakening Somatic Intelligence with Risa Kaparo

Risa KaparoOur body speak to us, the question is are you listening?  In my recent interview with author Risa Kaparo we speak about her new book entitled “Awakening Somatic Intelligence“.  Risa states “This book offers a practice that brings immediacy to presencing the unbound source of all existence.

In Somatic Learning I use the term presencing as a verb to imply the embodying of spaciousness with awakened Somatic Intelligence. “Extended presence” refers to the process of living into the unknown, relaxed and curious, without efforting to grasp anything–aware of what happens in the bodymind as you ease the struggle to “wrap your mind around something”.  When we can be present or mindful as we live into the unknown, the infinite reveals itself to us so that we can come to know it intimately.

If you are experiencing any pain or discomfort in your body then “Somatic Intelligence” is a great opportunity to explore what is causing this pain and to transform it.  As Risa states the word “somatic”comes from the Greek root some, for body.  The conventional use of the word “body” in English implies an “object” observed from the outside. That is way I use the term “soma” to refer to how we sense the unfolding of life from within. And I use the term “somatic” to imply a first-person, here-now, all-at once, embodied intelligence-how we sense, feel and know ourselves on a precess level–from the inside out.

Risa says that listening to our body is the “ultimate practice”, embracing whatever is arising through our fill embodiment. As a result we “drink in” the infinite, we presence or “take up” vast spaciousness, infusing our whole being with consciousness that pervades all of existence.  And as we “kiss back”, our heartfelt savoring overflows, embuing this spaciousness with the luminosity of love. The ecstatic “practice” refers to the deepening of our capacity to bear the infinite as beloved, as intimately as our breath, bones, blood.

“Awakening Somatic Intelligence” is a book that is alive with stories, exercises and provides the reader with a whole new way to approach any dis-ease or discomfort of our body.  Is is the embodiment of years of study and blending of a innovative bodymind approach to transformative healing and self-renewal.   It teaches embodied mindfulness through breathing, sensing, movement and touch to revitalize the body’s self-organizing intelligence.

If you would like more information about “Awakening Somatic Intelligence” I recommend that you visit Risa’s website by clicking here or watch a YouTube video on Somatic Intelligence by clicking here.  Enjoy this great interview with author Risa Kapro.

Podcast 358: The Now Effect with Elisha Goldstein

Elisha GoldsteinThis is my second interview with author Elisha Goldstein, about his new book entitled ” The Now Effect“.  Is a wonderful book for anyone wanting to calm their anxious mind and take control of the incessant stress that so many of us are under.

If you are like me the anxious mind is something that is always there, I just need to learn better techniques to calm it and gain more focus.   When you learn the techniques taught by Elisha, you will certainly be able to approach your difficulties with more grace and less stress.

Elisha states that “The Now Effect” will literally change the way you think before you think and break free from subconscious beliefs and old programming that don’t serve you.   You will have more choice points in your life, bringing back a felling of aliveness and opening the doors to greater potential, opportunities and possibilities.  You will also learn how to increase your emotional intelligence and be able to relax more effectively in moment of distress.

” The Now Effect” loaded with wonderful stories as well as at the end of each chapter Elisha provides what he refers to as “Now Moments”.  These are located at the end of each chapter and designed to have you reflect or do an exercise that will reduce your stress and increase your awareness.

One of the important lessons that Elisha teaches is about something called the “Triangle of Awareness”.  Elisha states that in in given moment, no matter what you’re doing three basic things are happening to make up your immediate experience: thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations. He states that in the past we thought that these elements we independent from one another, but nothing could be further from the truth.  A thought can trigger and emotion and the emotion can trigger a physical sensations.  The key is awareness, understanding what we are doing to ourselves to create this chain reaction.  If you can become more aware of what the subconscious mind does while on auto pilot, then these thoughts, feelings, emotions and physical sensations are easier to control.

Elisha new book is filled with wonderful examples, stories and exercises that guide the reader to a heighten level of awareness.  He has also included QR barcodes in the book which take the reader to short video pieces to help you understand the practice the techniques that he is teaching.  This is a wonderful book for anyone who is looking to take control of the stress, anxiety and lead a more peaceful lifestyle.

If you would like more information on Elisha Goldstein please click here to be directed to his website, ore click here to be directed to the book website.

 

Enjoy this wonderful podcast and interview with Elisha Goldstein the author of ” The Now Effect”.

Podcast 346: Brain Power, Improve Your Mind as You Age with Michael Gelb and Kelly Howell

Kelly HowellThere has been lots of discussion about the importance of exercising our minds so that we stay sharp and astute as we age.  I recently had the pleasure of interviewing both Michale Gelb and Kelly Howell the authors of a great new book entitled “Brain Power, Improve Your Mind as You Age.”

What Michael and Kelly reveal in our interview together is that what we previously thought  about aging and our brain is faulty.  That current science and the studies being conducted on how our brains work, connect  and  stay sharp are revealing amazing findings.

As discussed in “Brain Power” their are many factors that attribute to good mental acuity, some of them are optimism, forgiveness, being a life long learner not to mention that nutrition and exercise play a significant role in our minds ability to stay sharp.   As a matter of fact, exercise and nutrition the most important factors in our brains health.

I recently conducted an interview with Dr. John Ratey MD and professor of psychiatry at Harvard about his book entitled “Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain”, and he explains that in addition to promoting better muscle tone and cardiovascular fitness, exercise is “one of the best treatments we have for most psychiatric problems.” Ratey presents compelling research demonstrating the efficacy of exercise in sharpening cognition and memory, and in overcoming anxiety, stress and depression.

As Kelly and Michael explain, our environment is another important factor for good brain health.  Every aspect of our environment stimulates our brain for better or for worse. The sights, sounds, textures, aromas, tastes, and other sensations that you experience every day serve as nourishment for your mind and spirit.  They also state in “Brain Power” that the people that we hang around with and the communities of support we develop are a very big factor on staying brain healthy.  Study after study has shown that the bigger or community of support and connect to others is a significant factor in the reduction of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

 

If you are looking to stay mentally sharp today and well into your advanced years, then I highly recommend that you read and study the techniques discussed and taught in “Brain Power“.  This book could have a meaningful impact on how you decide to treat your body as well as exercise you mind.

 

I hope you enjoy this wonderful interview with Michael Gelb and Kelly Howell.  For more information about Michael Gelb please click here to be directed to his website, or click here to be directed to Kelly Howell’s website.