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 300: Energy Healing for Beginners with Ann Marie Chiasson

Ann Marie ChiassonIt was a pleasure interviewing Dr. Ann Marie Chiasson recently about her new Sounds True program entitled “Energy Healing for Beginners“.   I thoroughly enjoyed about my interview with Ann Marie and was especially touched by the sincere way that she approaches “energy healing”. You can intuit from the beginning of our interview that she is authentic and really passionate about her work.

Her course which consists of 5 CD’s, DVD, 25 reference cards and a 107 page workbook is designed to teach you how to use movement, awareness, breath, and your hands to sense and shift energy in your body for specific results.  Ann Marie presents practices based on energy techniques that she learned from healers and teachers of energy medicine over the last eighteen years, and from a deeply personal exploration of her body as a patient, healer, and physician.

Energy medicine as Ann Marie describes in the workbook is based on the concept that ” in addition to a system of physical and chemical processes, the human being is made up of a complex system of energy.”  This underlying energy field, also called the subtle body, is housed within the physical body and extends beyond it.  She uses the analogy of a garden, where the health of the soil effect how a plant grows and flowers.  If the soil is nutrient depleted, the plant grows poorly.  Likewise, if the energy body is not balanced and the energy does not flow or move in it natural state the physical body is affected and can begin to function improperly.
Ann Marie provides the reader, listener and viewer of her program with wonderful instructions on how to learn and practice energy work on their own.  Her series of CD’s, DVD, and instructional workbook are a wonderful way to start down a path and explore techniques to heal and support harmony and balance in your body.  During our interview together she explored and tested with me a couple of techniques that I was not aware of–they were amazing in moving my blocked energy.

I highly recommend that you listen too, read and practice with Ann Marie and her new series ” Energy Healing for Beginners.  Enjoy my interview with a wonderful healer and beautiful soul, Dr. Ann Marie Chiasson.

If you would like more information on Dr. Chiasson just click here to be directed to her website.

Podcast 292: True Belonging with Jeffrey Brantley

 

Jeffrey-Brantley-M.D.-color-headshot-175x261I sincerely appreciate Dr. Jeff Brantley and the work that he is doing at Duke University as the director of mindfulness-based stress reduction in the Integrative Medicine department.  His new book co-authored with Wendy Millstine entitled ” True Belongings” is a simple read and a wonderful reminder of the practices we can implement into our daily lives to overcome loneliness and connect with others.

Have you ever wondered what keeps you from connecting more authentically and deeply in each moment–with yourself, with another or with the flow of your life?  Are you ever curious about the obstacles blocking you from from experiences of deep joy and unwavering contentment and belonging?

Who among us has not been affected by one or more of these challenges in our lives?  The experiences of loss and vulnerability that we all share is yet another way in which we humans are more alike than we are different.  As human beings we are part of the whole, called by us “Universe”, a part limited in time and space.  We experience, thoughts and feeling as something separate from the rest–a kind of optical delusion of consciousness.

What Jeff and Windy bring forth in “True Belongings” is how mindfulness can help us in becoming more connected not only to one another, but at a soul level to who and what we are longing to express to the world.  Mindfulness is a core human capacity, and it refers to noticing or knowing what is happening in each moment. Mindfulness is the awareness of your thoughts–mindfulness does not identify with any thoughts or feelings but is aware of them.

In this book the authors assist you in shifting your perspective and frame of reference that you are holding in any given moment.  Learning to release the personality’s grip on any narrow perspectivel on any subject-setting down and relaxing the view dictated by the rigidly held opinion of the ego-mind–immediately open each of us to a much vaster and more mysterious universe of possibilities and meanings, alive in each moment.

 

This book is filled with wonderful practices that when cultivated will bring you into a closer relationship with yourself and other.  I recommend reading and learning what truly will help one transform the loneliness and isolation feeling into happiness and belonging.  I hope you enjoy this great interview with Dr. Jeffrey Brantley.  If you would like more information about Dr. Brantley please click here to be directed to his website.

Podcast 290: Shine: Using Brain Science to Get the Best from Your People with Dr. Edward Hallowell MD

Dr. Edward Hallowell MDToday’s workplace is a pressure cooker according to Dr. Edward Hallowell author of the new book ” Shine-Using Brain Science to Get the Best from Your People“.  In my interview with Dr. Hallowell we discuss the challenges that workers are faced with in the work environment today, and solutions to improving performance.

Dr. Hallowell says that even the most talented people struggle to sort through an influx of information, relentless demands, and unprecedented stress.  In his new book “Shine” Hallowell combines brain science with performance research to offer a proven process to help you deal with the struggles of our daily busyness.  He provide the leadership of organizations with what he refers to as the Cycles of Excellence to assist  in managing the human capital of the organization.

There are five steps that are very important: 1) Select-Simply put put the right people in the correct jobs 2) Connect: Peak performance is accelerated if people are allowed to connect face-to face not through email. 3) Play: Imaginative engagement is ignited when people are allowed to play and have fun on the job. 4) Grapple and Grow: People really want to excel and perform on the job–provide challenging work.  5) Shine: It feels good to do good, and it feels good to get the deserved recognition for a job well done.

Dr. Hallowell has created several modern paradoxes that I believe are certainly worth mentioning.  The first modern paradox: while we have grown electronically super connected, we have simultaneously grown emotionally disconnected form each other.  The paradox can lead a person to modern loneliness which is an extroverted loneliness, in which the person is surrounded by many people and partakes of much communication but feels unrecognized and more alone that they would like.   The phenomenon of overloaded circuits leads to the second modern paradox: people’s best efforts often fail not because they aren’t working hard enough, but because they are working too hard.   The brain has is limits.  The tsunami of data comprising modern life can easily flood the brain and rot it.  Working hard now becomes like bailing out a sinking boat with a can, instead of plugging the leak.

If you are interested in learning more about how to cope with the stress and struggles of you everyday life, and  how to better lead in this hetic working environment then you need to read this book.  Also if you would like advice from a physician who has studied positive psychology, neuroscience, and the psychology of happiness and brought the disciplines into one book  read “Shine”
I hope you enjoy this interview with Dr. Edward Hallowell as he reveals the findings of his research and life’s work.  You can also visit Dr. Hallowell’s website by clicking here.

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 284: Get Out of Your Mind & Into Your Life with Steven C. Hayes

Steven C. HayesI was recently introduced to the concept of “Third Wave Psychology” by my good friend and author Will Marre.  As a result of my inquisitiveness I was directed to author/professor Steven C. Hayes who wrote the book ” Get Out of Your Mind & Into Your Life“.   His book highlights the process entitled “Acceptance and Commitment Therapy” and was  profiled in an article published in Time Magazine in 2006.

If you are like me and had never heard of the “Acceptance and Commitment Therapy” them I encourage you to listen to this very interesting interview with Steven C. Hayes.  What you will learn is that this new process has been very successful in treating depression, transforming emotional pain, freeing yourself from negative thinking and self-judgement and a myriad of other psychological challenges.

The practice of “ACT” Therapy is about moving from suffering to full engagement with life.   People suffer.  It’s not just that they have pain–suffering is much more that that.  Human beings struggle with the forms of psychological pain the have: their difficult emotions and thoughts, their unpleasant memories, and their unwanted urges and sensations. They think about them, worry about them, resent them, anticipate and dread them.

At the same time, human beings demonstrate enormous courage, deep compassion, and remarkable ability to move ahead even with the most difficult personal histories.  Knowing they can be hurt, humans sill love other. Knowing they will die, humans still care about the future.  Facing the draw of meaninglessness, humans still embrace ideals.  At times, humans are fully alive, present and committed.

I really appreciate the analogy that Steven uses in our interview and in the book about quicksand.  Our own lives can be like quicksand, struggling to get out emotional worries, fears, traumatic and painful stories. The more we attempt to remove ourselves through the struggle the deeper we become engaged.  Exactly when will the quicksand of traumatic memory completely vanish? At what moment will the painful quicksand of the past criticism from parents or peers disappear?

If
you want to learn more about this wonderful therapy and how you can release yourself from your emotional bonds, then listen to my interview with Steven C. Hayes and click here to be directed to the website to learn more about the “Acceptance and Commitment” therapy.

Podcast 283: The 9 Intense Experiences with Brian Vaszily

Brian VaszilyI had a wonderful interview with author Brian Vaszily about his new book entitled ” The 9 Intense Experiences“.   Brian has a very interesting personal story of struggle and adversity, and this story allows him to convey the meaning behind the “The 9 Intense Experiences” so authentically.

Brian asks the question-” If you could abandon your fears, stresses and frustrations and finally achieve the happiness and success you know you are meant to, would you take the next steps to do so.?” This is a very powerful question, and one that deserves some deep consideration and thought, for many the next steps are what we find so challenging to determine.

The 9 Intense Experiences guides the reader into doing what Brian refers to as some very unorthodox exercises, such as host a dinner party where no utensils are allowed and serve spaghetti, talk to dead people, hug a tree and tell it a secret. These exercises are designed to get you to grow and transform, while they may seem uncomfortable at first it will get you out of old patterns so that you can receive the transformative power of the experiences.

Brian believes that the biggest issue facing the world today is a growing sense of individual insignificance and disconnect from self-awareness, true purpose, empathy, joy and wonder.  Despite endless opportunities for “Intense Experiences”, people are instead settling for success-sabotaging, health depleting, and happiness numbing pattern of mediocre to toxic experiences.  The 9 Intense Experiences is uniquely rich in providing highly transformative actions that you can take right now, using what’s around you every single day , to change your life rapidly.
I hope that you enjoy this great podcast with author Brian Vaszily.  If you would like more information about Brian and his coaching programs please visit his website by clicking here.

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