Breathing

The soft claw

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People tend to slump over when they meditate. The head drops and shoulders slump. This posture closes the chest and throat in a moment where you want maximum airflow.

Here’s a quick tip:

Halfway through the session take a moment to check in with your posture and body position. After the check-in, if you are feeling constricted then imagine a soft claw coming down from the ceiling. It’s the same kind of claw that you see in the arcade machine that grabs toys, but the grip is so delicate that the toys end up falling.

Imagine the claw slowly grabs your head and starts lifting you up. Your neck extends, your chest opens up, and your spine straightens. Just like in the arcade the claw slips off your head and retracts away. Your posture is now open, upright and relaxed.

Starry eyes

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“If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore; and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God which had been shown! But every night come out these envoys of beauty, and light the universe with their admonishing smile.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson,

I wonder what Emerson would think today if he could look into our homes at night. He would see televisions on and people sitting on couches with a phone in their hands. They’d be half watching TV and half watching their phone. They’d look kind of comatose. Do we appreciate what we have?

Galactic knowledge is the palm of our hands, and the beauty of nature is all around us. What a radical time to be alive. The challenge is to appreciate and harness the power of technology and channel it into a force for good, while also being grounded and humbled by the awesomeness of the night sky and our remarkable planet.  I think being grounded and humble will help us harness the power of all this innovation that’s happening at light speed right in front of us.

Exercising the flow muscle

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Have you found that you can hardly get through a long news article these days? Reading a multipage document or an op-ed probably means skimming through the highlights before you click on a link, switch tabs in the browser or context shifting to another app. Reading a legal document is even more challenging. We’ve started to browse and snack through information versus sitting with it and digesting the message. It’s like fast food vs. a home-cooked meal. The home cooked meal takes longer, is more work and washing up, but it’s better for you and you understand the ingredients. Fast food with a quick bite and probably followed by a sugar high.

Concentrating takes practice. It’s a muscle. Fight the urge to context shift. Notifications on your phone are probably the most significant culprits. How many times have you been deep into something and are yanked out of the flow by a text message or a phone call? Start using Airplane mode and the Do Not Disturb function on your phone.

The stronger the muscle tissue becomes, the longer you can concentrate. This means getting more out of activities you enjoy, but it also means you can spend more time on things that don’t interest you but are essential like a tedious legal contract, safety manuals, assembly instructions.

Carve out the time and get into the flow.

Keep moving

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Take a moment to reflect on some of the toughest days in your life. The moments  where you wanted out, but that wasn’t an option.

In the darkest hour, sometimes the only way out is through. You’ve made it. Keep going

There’s no shortcut to mastery

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A black belt in martial arts is earned.

I don’t know if it’s a myth, or there’s truth to the evolution of the black belt…but I like the legend better.  All masters begin their training with a white belt. The belt starts out white, but over time it gets dirtier, and stained with sweat and blood, and eventually it becomes stained black from years of training. In a lot of dojos, you don’t get to train until you’ve proved you are worthy of instruction. Sometimes that means volunteering in other areas and being invited to train after first demonstrating your commitment. It’s not “a pay to play” system. There’s no shortcut to mastery.

Mastering any art is the same. The answer is in the dirt. There’s no shortcut to mastery. Get in there and start practicing. Anyone can buy a black belt, but only some will earn it.

The good night sleep recipe

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Avoid caffeine after lunch. Take it easy on the wine.

Avoid screen time before bed. No Netflix, no Twitter, no email, no Book of Face, no quick flip through Instagram.

Don’t binge watch Netflix in bed.

If you wake up in the middle of the night, resist the urge to fire up your phone. Reading the news, catching up on work, looking at a picture is an adrenalin injection. Not useful if you want to get back into a deep sleep.

Read a book, even if it’s one chapter before bed. Do paper, not Kindle.

Download your brain before bed.

Don’t use your phone as an alarm clock. Get one of those old-school clock radios with a dim light.

Turn your phone on airplane mode. It removes all the vibrating and alerts.

Stick to the same routine. Get up at the same time, go to bed at the same time. Keep the schedule on weekends and vacation.

Dark rooms equal better sleep.

Keep the room cool. Your body temperature drops at night, and it’s confusing if the heat is cranking.

Stretch before bed. The ritual will get you back into your body and start the wind-down.

Exercise daily. Keep a routine.

Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dine like a pauper. Large dinner will keep you up at night. Don’t eat right before bed either. Give your body some time to settle before getting into bed.

If you can’t sleep then surrender to it. Give up, get up and out of bed.  Fold laundry, clean the house, wash dishes, write, feed the cat. Don’t just lie there and fight insomnia. You’ll only get anxious.

Crossing the border

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Shawshank-Redemption-001

“I find I’m so excited that I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it’s the excitement only a free man can feel. A free man at a start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope.” – Red in Shawshank Redemption on his way to The Mexican beach of Zihuatanejo, on the Pacific Coast.

What a beautiful quote from Shawshank. Red (Morgan Freeman) has stepped into the unknown. He’s excited about the uncertainty and the friends he’ll meet along the way. In a sense, he’s woken up – and crossing the border from darkness to enlightenment. Love it.

In 2003 a surf trip took me down the west coast of Mexico. I spent some time in Zihuatanejo and thought about the moment in the book where Red walks barefoot down the beach and sees Andy working on the boat.

Get busy living, or get busy dying.