I was having dinner with a couple of friends the other night. The conversation, food, atmosphere was all great. I truly enjoy good quality time with the people I value and care about. The reason I bring this up is right next to us was a large table of eight young twenty somethings probably in college. A good part of their evening I noticed was spent with their faces glued to their cell phones. Now I know we all have times where we need to be connected, but I remember going out with my friends in college laughing, talking and building strong relationships and bonds many of which have lasted over 20 years.   I am not trying to say that we were any better than anyone else, but I do think often the youth of today is getting lost in technology and further away from true personal connections and deep relationships. Here are few important things to think about in order to build and maintain deep meaningful relationships: 1- Realize that there are great people everywhere. You should never feel the need to settle for anything short of true happiness. 2- Be clear about your future expectations. Who would you like to be connected with? What direction are you moving towards with your life? What are your core beliefs […]

Are your days fulfilling? I do not mean did you run ten miles, meditate, put out fires at work and respond to all of your emails. If this sounds familiar it may be time to take another look at what is really important to you and your happiness. Of course we all need money to survive and work is often a necessity, but you are not identified by your job and your daily to-do’s. If those around you can only describe you by your work and what you have accomplished with your career you are never going to have deep fulfilling relationships. All to often we get caught up in our careers and neglect those around us thinking that we are doing what is best for ourselves and our loved ones but in reality we are slowly drifting apart.   So why is this so common? Why do so many of us neglect what we are truly passionate about? Do past failures haunt you? Does tomorrow’s uncertainty make you worry? Or do the problems of today overwhelm you?   If left unattended living this life style will eat you up and leave you with little to smile about. This is why it is so important to have actionable practices that keep us in check. If you do not have the […]

This is a great active meditation practice to learn and add to your meditation toolbox. Exercising the lungs is important for maintaining good health. If you do not actively exercise the lungs they become stiff this lack of activity can lead to disease. Then average adult uses about 10% of their lung capacity in a single breath. This is called tidal volume, which is about .5 liters of air. But the lungs have the capacity to hold about 4-6 liters of air, which is close to 10 times the tidal volume or average breath. This will vary from person to person depending on their health, level of physical activity, gender, size, age, smoking habits and even will vary according to the elevation they live in. If you work at a desk for example and spend 8 hours a day hunched over a computer with poor posture and no regard to your breath you are suffering whether you see it or not. If this is you this exercise will be life changing for you. By having poor posture in a stationary position such as this you will only be using the front side of your lungs and a small percentage at that. This can lead to respiratory disease, allergies, asthma and even lung cancer. To begin this practice start by establishing a deep relaxed breath expanding the lungs and stretching the lung tissue.  Inhale and bring in as much […]