Many times throughout the day, we may engage in quick or distracted conversations with another. While conversations like these are bound to occur when we’re on the run, focusing on something else, or just aren’t interested in what someone is saying, it’s important to take an extra second to look into the other person’s eyes. Looking someone in the eye has a powerful effect not only on the other person, but also on you. You force yourself to literally see this person while he/she is seeing you. While it’s not a moment in which fireworks will go off, when you and another actually see each other and look into each other’s eyes, you are making a connection in that present moment that is worthy of a celebration–a celebration of living life in the present moment and appreciating the sharing of that moment with another person.

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Thanksgiving. Today’s name says what it’s all about. When you go around your dinner table tonight and give thanks for the people you are surrounded with and the blessings you’ve been given, or when you log on to google and see the turkey reminding you that today is Thanksgiving, reflect on how giving thanks makes you feel. Typically when we are thankful for something or someone, we feel happy and view the thing or person as positively affecting us. We are sending a message to our brains that something in our life is good, something is happy, something is worthy of us giving thanks. In other words, we are grateful! This grateful message can translate into a variety of effects on both our minds and our bodies: our muscles may relax, we may feel more calm, we may feel joyous, we may smile. Today, let’s not only give thanks, but let’s also reflect on the effects on both our mind and body when we recognize the things or people for which we are grateful.

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Have you taken at least 5 deep breathes today???

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It’s getting to be that time…the holiday season. With Thanksgiving around the corner, many of us look at the holidays as a time of hustle, bustle, and stress, rather than as a time of good company, good food, and relaxation. More and more as we get older, it may seem like the holidays have turned into a sort of chore instead of a blessing. This week, let’s view the Thanksgiving holiday as one full of gratitude, kindness, and love for all that we have been given. Let’s focus on what we do have, rather than what we don’t. And finally, let’s cherish these joyful moments that we have with each other, and spread peace and compassion to those around us.

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Yesterday, on my final day of yoga training, we were asked to speak about something that we’ve found interesting in our yoga philosophy book. (Yoga, surprisingly, is more than just physical postures, but that will be discussed at a later date!) I chose to speak about how we attach to things or people that make us happy, and avoid those that makes us unhappy. Then, when those “happy” things no longer make us happy, we turn to the next thing or person and look for our happiness there. However, instead of basing our happiness on external circumstances that we cannot control, maybe we should turn inward for true happiness–happiness that comes from a choice we make. We can internalize any experience, interaction, or thing, and decide how we will view it: as a blessing or a curse, as positive or negative, and as happiness or unhappiness. Happiness is a choice, waiting to be made by all of us.

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Do you ever notice how you feel after eating a candy bar? Does your stomach feel bloated? Do you feel like you have less energy? Do you find your body wanting more? If you ask yourselves any of these questions, reflect on how you physically feel after eating a candy bar. This will help you become more aware of your physical body, and how it reacts to what you put in it. This may even perhaps make you think twice before purchasing a candy bar

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Do you ever find yourself putting your life on hold because you are waiting for someone else to live their life? I don’t mean waiting on someone to arrive at a pre-determined time or for an expected phone call; rather, I mean waiting for someone to possibly invite you somewhere or waiting for someone to randomly think of you and give you a call. Often times in these situations, I find that once I quit waiting on another and start living my life, that person does unexpectedly ask to see me or call me. Why is that? I like to think that it’s because once I start living and stop waiting, I radiate energy into the universe that somehow connects to others. Regardless of how you look at it, remember this: the more time you spend waiting, the less time you spend living!

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There’s a popular practice in our country today: tuning out the noise from the outside, and listening to the noise on the inside. However, what if we could benefit from listening to the noise on the outside? I don’t mean eaves dropping or alertly listening to the noise, but what if we just listened to the noise, heard it, and found peace in it? Right now I hear the television blaring and cars driving by. Just being able to hear the noise, and multiple noises, is pretty amazing. What if we couldn’t hear anything? How disconnected from the world outside of ourselves would we feel? Maybe if we could even learn to appreciate the noise, even just for a few moments, we could reach a new level of acceptance and tolerance in other aspects of our lives. Most sounds outside of ourselves are out of our control, so instead of allowing them to irritate us, let’s practice just listening to the noise.

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Have you ever found your shoulders hunched and rounded, literally over your body? If you’re human, your answer is probably YES. Try adjusting your shoulders back to the upright position, and start focusing on your breath. Breathe in and out deeply a few times to relax and re-center your body. Taking mini breath breaks throughout the day is a great way to mindfully focus on your body and utilize the power of your breath.

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Like a car, your body gives you signals when you’re low on fuel, when you’re being careless, and when you might not have adequately prepared. However, we react to our car’s signals much more efficiently than we react to our body’s signals because our car tells us exactly what’s not right: the lit up E when you’re out of gas, the annoying dinging when you don’t buckle your seatbelt, and the monotone beep when you haven’t closed your car door all the way. Your body is much more subtle in its cues. That’s why it’s important to check in with your body on a regular basis. Pay attention to how you feel. Take a few moments everyday to scan your body, starting with your feet and moving all the way up through the crown of your head. Allow yourself to feel whatever is going on in your body, and rather than ignoring what you feel, do something about it. Take a short nap if you’re tired or take a walk around the block if you’re restless. Just how you wouldn’t want to drive your car with your tank on E, seatbelt-less, and with an open door, you wouldn’t want to ignore the subtle signs that your body offers you.

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