Cultivating a happier life, involves thinking, feeling and doing things that make you happier. It’s that simple. It involves living in the present— not the past— being mindful of our thoughts and how they are shaping the very experience of our lives. We can control when, how and even if, we allow ourselves to think about old wounds. That may take some practice, though. Returning to thoughts of negative experiences can be so automatic, we’re just completely unaware we are doing it. We fall into the grove, deepening it and anchoring ourselves in something that we can’t change.

Hope is a powerful antidote to today’s modern stressors. With despair rising in the U.S., actively generating feelings of hope can improve our life outcomes and increase our feelings of well-being.  

Hope: : to cherish a desire with anticipation : to want something to happen or be true. to desire with expectation of obtainment or fulfillment. Having aspirations, pursuing and achieving them increases our sense of agency, hope and trust—self trust to be more specific. Agency is a sense that when we take purposeful action, we can achieve the results we desire. Our hopes then become reality.

S1 E5 of Better Living Meditations will introduce you to  Loving Kindness Meditation (LKM). At its core, Loving Kindness Meditation focuses on kind thoughts and intensions towards ourselves, towards others, even towards situations. These practices help us re-focus, take real stock of a situation and retrain our brains and bodies to respond versus react. 

According to Psychology Today, scientific studies conducted as early as 1997, demonstrate that LKM reduces social anxiety, pain, conflict, and anger—even Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). On the positive side, it can increase love, joy, contentment, gratitude, pride, hope, interest, amusement, and awe. These positive emotions lead to less depressive symptoms, reduce illness and increase life satisfaction. What are you waiting for? Listen now and start on your path to better living. For more information, visit betterlivingcoaching.com. #Meditation, #Meditations, #Betterliving, #PositivePsychology, #PowerofPositive, #LovingKindnessMeditation

In Episode 4 of Better Living Meditations, I’ll introduce you to box-breathing and/or as it’s sometimes referred to, four-square breathing. It’s a slower, deeper breathing exercise that focuses on inhaling to a count of four, holding the breath for a count of four, exhaling to a count of four and holding your breath for a count of four. Navy Seals are trained to use box breathing to stay calm and improve their focus in extremely tense situations. When practiced regularly, box breathing can improve our future reactions to stress by physically changing how certain genes are switched on— literally at the cellular level changing how our bodies respond to stress.

S1 E3 Better Living Meditations - The Power of Gratitude. In this meditation, we’ll introduce the power of gratitude. Robert A. Emmons, Professor of Psychology at UC Davis, and author of “Thanks” and “Gratitude Works”, has studied gratitude for the past decade. His studies demonstrate that thoughtful curation, or as he metaphorically refers to it as ‘growing gratitude’, reduces blood pressure, improves immune function, and promotes happiness and well-being. It’s also been found that gratitude spurs spontaneous acts of helpfulness, generosity and cooperation.

Pairing a focus on gratitude with your meditation is a great foundation, but it should be noted, that developing a grateful mindset, is much more than what we will practice here today. Learn more at https://betterlivingcoaching.com.

A ⁠study⁠ at Johns Hopkins, tells us that regular meditation is as effective as the leading anti-depressants on the market. And you can dose yourself anytime you need, as increasing the duration and frequency of meditation intensifies the benefits.

In E2 Better Living Meditations - Accessing Breath for Stress Reduction, we’ll combine breath work with gentle neck and shoulder stretches. Breath is our most easily accessed and powerful tool for controlling stress, but perhaps, because of its autonomic nature, it’s not always top of mind. But when we thoughtfully access and employ it, the effects are immediate—calming your body, your mind and your spirit. 

So, go ahead take a few minutes to listen and practice. Sign up to receive free alerts for when my next podcast is released or I drop a new blog on my website ⁠betterlivingcoaching.com⁠.

S1 E1 of Better Living Meditations, a guided Meditation will introduce you to Mindfulness and Meditation. Mindfulness and Meditation are just two daily habits proven to help us live a healthier, more joyful, and purposeful life. When I first heard the word Mindfulness, I thought it was synonymous with Meditation, but it turns out, the two are a bit different. Learn the science-backed psychological and physical benefits of each, and practice a 5-minute Body Scan meditation with me. If you enjoyed this practice, visit my website for more episodes and content.

www.betterlivingcoaching.com