Don't think of a purple elephant! What do you do? ... You think of a purple elephant. Let's use the science of the mind in our favor. What you focus on is what persists. Let's practice shifting our focus onto space. If your mind goes to the tightness and dense spots, just shift your focus back to space. Meditation is training the mind. As we focus on space, we also focus on possibility, openness, and ultimately healing. Listen to today's meditation by Dr. Joel...

What if you could hit the pause button? If your inner storyteller is moving down from one worst case scenario to the next, the stress and tension are building up. The body does not distinguish between real stress and imagined stress, so when the mind (and the news) is playing the same story over and over again. It might be time to hit the pause button. In this meditation, we reclaim the story that is running and tune into moments of inspiration, peace, and beauty. The body...

Learn the technique of Square Breathing to balance the nervous system. When we are stuck in an anxiety state of chronic sympathetic overdrive, breathing meditation can activate the parasympathetic relaxation and down-regulate the nervous system. The breath is always in the present moment. As we slow down to meet the breath, the nervous system will find balance. Square Breathing * Imagine a Square* Inhale (as you travel up the left side in your mind's eye)* Hold (as you move...

“Meditation is like a gym in which you develop the powerful mental muscles of calm and insight.”– Ajahn Brahm In this time when everyone is struggling with mental balance, I have decided to use this podcast/blog to create a series exploring the types of meditation and offering audio online. We live in uncertain times. While that is perhaps always true, many of the things that I was certain about just a couple months ago have changed and continue to change. The world is full of...

"Storytelling is not a lost art, but a found art!" Mary Lou Williams moved to South Florida to retire from a career in teaching and decided to take up a second career as a professional storyteller. In this interview … * How and why someone would become a professional storyteller?* What is storytelling anyway?* Where do you get stories to tell?* Learn the history of the National Storytelling Festival. Find a local storytelling group in Florida at...

"What we are hungry for in the Western world is a reanimation of spirit." ~ Prof. Stephen Cavitt The shaman enters the dream-like state to bring back wisdom, guidance, and healing. There are many ways to navigate the multiple layers of reality. One of those ways is the drum. Many shamanic traditions use the hypnotic beat of the drum to induce a shamanic journey into altered states of consciousness. Stephen Cavitt was called to explore the shamanic teachings while in university also...

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” ~Hippocrates  The term "plant medicine" is often appropriated today to mean the mind-altering substances like ayahuasca, mescaline, and psylisibin. These "plant medicine" ceremonies have become trendy as a quick route to escape the mundane ordinary world and have a "spiritual experience." As a certified nutritionist, Ryin Cornett asks us to open our awareness to the fact that we use "plant medicine" everyday. We use caffeine to alter...

"That's not going to happen, it hurt too much just to tell this one, I would never be able to tell the rest of the story."  Jim Gregory began to unravel his painful stories with the support of the oral Storytelling community, and he did manage to tell the rest of the story. As a young white man during the 1960's, he traveled into the South with a team of eight in their teens and twenties to champion the cause of Freedom. Only two of them survived. The Race Wars would later come to be known...

Legal Aid is a non-profit private law firm that protects the vulnerable by providing free legal representation to low income families for victims of domestic violence, children who have been abused, neglected, or abandoned, families who are at risk of homelessness, seniors and veterans who are denied access to health care or other benefits, and other groups of at-risk individuals. Corey Huffman is an attorney with Legal Aid Service of Collier County with a passion for protecting the...

What does it take to build a dream? Maybe an architect. Steven Jallad designs and oversees the building of homes in Naples, Florida. His path to architecture began with a love for drawing and working with his hands. He followed that passion as the thread in his life. The craft of carpentry during the summers kept his hands working while earning a degree in Architecture from the University of Virginia. Traveling to West Africa with the Peace Corps, he built homes that fit a very different...

In my expanded definition, "medicine" is anything that heals the body, mind, emotions, or spirit. As a physician, this includes the Western medications that I prescribe, but it goes beyond to include so much more. In every conversation, it is important to define the context and agree upon the definitions that we are using. Here my context is the expanded definition of medicine: anything that heals the body, mind, emotions, or spirit. Where will you find your medicine? For me, storytelling...

Harvest Bee Farms KT Alaimo, owner and manager of Harvest Bee Farms, is passionate about farming. Devoted to biodynamic farming, he grows "good soil" and good produce is the byproduct. As farmers are aging and wisdom is being lost, he is of the new generation of farmers working to preserve sustainable and healthy farming techniques and wisdom. In this interview, he tells the story of how a college graduate with a degree in history entered the world of farming and the wisdom that he has...

“To make the world a better place by making it more musical.” The mission of Music Together has spread to over 3000 locations and over 40 countries. Parents bring their children from infants to 5 years old to a weekly community music experience. With music and songs from around the world, the curriculum creates the safe space for everyone to sing. Yes! Even the babies! I recently learned about this inspiring organization from Luke Burhenn. Living in Ft Collins, Colorado, he has been...

"Writer, Teacher, and Mostly Recovered Nerd," Jean Moroney works with ambitious individuals and teams who know sharpening their mental skills will give them a performance edge. She teaches thinking skills that help us make better judgment calls, align motivation with intentions, and cross the finish line sooner. She believes that we can all learn to become better, faster problem-solvers, more confident decision-makers, and more reliable and resilient self-starters. Jean Moroney has a...

Imagine a Jewish girl born in Columbia attending a Catholic school, nearly converting, running away to New York, then Chicago, then spending 20 years in Jamaica to start Negril Yoga Center, the first yoga center in Jamaica. Raquel Austin's life story is full of twists and turns and plenty of life changes. She shares her story of following her passion, finding purpose, one foot in front of the the other, one day at a time. Her entrepreneurial drive will surprise you. Even at her age, Raquel...

Time stood still. Even the air in the room refused to move, when Dr. Larry Friedman launched into a teaching story. As a resident doctor-in-training, we rotate through many different areas of medicine. Looking back at memorable moments during that time, the teachers that captivated me the most were the ones that told stories. In the early 2000's, I still remember the moment when Dr. Friedman told us the riveting story of the race to find the cause of a mysterious illness that would come to be...

If you are like me, fortune tellers are scary! Tapping into some secret knowledge, they make pronouncements about my future. It is as if they are taking away my free will and I no longer have any power to change my life. I am trapped in my life, rather than master of my life. In this interview, Jamie McCall shatters this stereotype as just one of the traps of the intuitive reader and the client. Intuitive reading can be used as a tool for empowerment. Intuition (whether it is your own or...

“It is our stories that make us human.” In medical school, I learned all the technical details about heart transplant. I studied the medical criteria that makes you a candidate, the drugs required post-transplant, and the labs and physical symptoms to monitor. Yet, what I did not yet learn were the stories. Those stories came later in medical internship and residency. I met the real people and learned their stories of love and loss behind the words “heart transplant.” We sometimes fool...

"One Life. No Compromises." says Andrew Bustamante in his  workshop series. As a US Air Force combat veteran and former CIA intelligence officer, he now brings the skills of international espionage to everyday life. When you change your perspective to "see your world through the eyes of a spy," you can leverage the skills of influence, intrigue and intent to create advantages in your daily life. Listen to this interview to discover how you can bring this spycraft into your "one life"...

Are you in control of your stuff? Or is your stuff in control of you? Mary Jo Zeller is a moving consultant. She has supported thousands of families in downsizing, relocating, and getting organized. She received her Masters Degree in Gerontology in 1978 from the University of Illinois, Springfield. Her service record with older adults spans 40 years having worked in community based services, retirement communities, assisted living and long term care communities.   She currently is the...

Debra Frenkel is the founder and executive director of the non-profit, Freedom Waters Foundation. The mission of Freedom Waters is to provide therapeutic marine experiences to those with special needs. Learn more at www.freedomwatersfoundation.org. She gives an inspiring interview on following that inner voice of guidance. Interview by Dr. Joel Ying. “People of passion and purpose, doing interesting things, living the present moment.” LivingthePresentMoment.com/podcastshow In this...

Are you having trouble meeting your health goals? Michelle Joy Kramer is a Board-Certified Holistic Health Practitioner and Health Coach who helps individuals and corporate teams achieve their optimal health through healthy lifestyle changes. Michelle tells us how we can overcome the roadblocks to optimal health. As a certified health coach, she helps clients with goals like weight loss, improving energy level, and overcoming medical problems. The top changes that she recommends might...