A guided meditation for relieving stress and improving sleep quality.

Tips for breathing:

1. Inhale through the nose ~ into the belly
2. Exhale through the mouth ~ making a "shhh" sound
3. Prolong your exhales for deeper relaxation

Thank you for taking the time to listen! Feel free to reach out to me if you'd like to collaborate in any way. Also, always open to feedback on how to improve the podcast.

@donthink.breathe on Instagram

Thank you!

The purpose of this guided meditation is to give the listener space to feel into any unpleasant or uncomfortable emotions they may be experiencing.  

Before you begin: 

• Get some headphones
• Stretch
• Get comfortable

Explanation of the practice:
When experiencing emotions or feelings we deem "uncomfortable" we tend to numb ourselves. When we numb using substances, food, TV,  or other things, we are causing more discomfort in the long term. The best thing we can do in these instances is give our self space to feel these emotions. Often times these emotions are communicating something to us and require our attention. If we allow these feelings & emotions the space to be felt, we are more likely to draw insight from them and we are able to incorporate this insight into our lives.

What does incorporating these emotions look like?

• Making a shift in lifestyle
  • Diet
  • Sleep
  • Exercise
  • Screen-time
  • etc...
• Change in behavior
  • (Maybe you are behaving in a way that is causing you stress)
  • People-pleasing
  • Interactions with people
  • Lack of interactions with people
• Relationship Shift
  • (Maybe you are engaging in relationships that are inauthentic and are draining you)

Often the overwhelming emotions and feelings you experience are a result of these things so your body may be communicating that something needs to change. This is an opportunity to feel and learn anything you can from the experience.

Music credit: (All songs can be found on Pixabay)

• Intro: Just Relax - Lesfm
• Setup: Nature - Lesfm
• Body Scan: Meditation & Gentle Nature - Rockot
• Meditation: Valley of Silence - AlanFrijns
• Outro: Nature - Lesfm

Thank you for taking the time to listen! Feel free to reach out to me if you'd like to collaborate in any way. Also, always open to feedback on how to improve the podcast.

@donthink.breathe on Instagram

Thank you!

Bob Beare is the host of the Deep Waters Recovery Program which is a retreat I've been frequently attending this year. If it sounds interesting, click the link, reach out to me and consider registering. He is also the author of The Creative Fire & Stop Doing Sh*t You Don't Want To Do: A Straightforward Guide to Letting Go of Unresolved Trauma and has been a practicing psychotherapist for the past 25 years.

I met Bob attending the retreats and the weekly men's group he leads and have found him to be a wealth of knowledge. We begin the conversation by discussing the different kinds of trauma (The Trauma Tree: 5 Roots of Trauma) and how they are currently manifesting in people's lives as coping mechanisms. Many of these mechanisms being unconscious which is why I wanted to discuss this. We then discuss the importance of healing this trauma and what that process looks like. We discuss 12 step recovery and different support groups such as ACA and experiential retreats such as Deep Waters. Bob then explains how a proper relationship should form when searching for partnership and intimacy and some common misconceptions about dating and finding love.

Want to learn more about Bob? Check out his website here.  drbobbeare.com

Thank you for taking the time to listen! Feel free to reach out to me if you'd like to collaborate in any way. Also, always open to feedback on how to improve the podcast.

@donthink.breathe on Instagram

Thank you!

In this episode I talk about Adult Children of Alcoholics & Dysfunctional Families which is a support group based in principles similar to those of Alcoholics Anonymous. I've been attending the support group because I've noticed many dysfunctional behaviors I have. I've been to about 4 meetings so far so I am very new to the program, but I've really resonated with everyone I've met and the stories they tell about their struggles.

I go on to discuss the ACA Framework:

• "The Inner Child"
• "The Critical Parent"
• "The Loving Parent"

Thank you for taking the time to listen! Feel free to reach out to me if you'd like to collaborate in any way. Also, always open to feedback on how to improve the podcast.

@donthink.breathe on Instagram

Thank you!

Bob Peck is the author of the book, Original Sin is A Lie; a book where Bob explains the teaching of Jesus Christ and how they overlap with other renowned mystics such as The Buddha, Krishna and Paramahansa Yogananda, to name a few, and how these teachings may have been misinterpreted and misused throughout time. Bob is also the director and producer of many festival award-winning documentaries that can be found on his Mind Heart Lens YouTube Channel, my favorite of those docs being The Kingdom Within, which is a film where Bob interviews mystics and spiritual teachers of many different faiths and practices about their differing views on Yoga & God, and how to go about interacting with the divine. Bob is also a student of religious scholarship (as he corrected me for calling him a scholar), a father, husband, and a mystic.

Bob kicks of the episode by explaining what a mystic is, as well as the difference between dualistic and non-dualistic spiritual and religious philosophies. We then discuss the significance of the discovery of The Gospel of Thomas and how it may have influenced the synoptic gospels.. and more importantly why this is relevant amongst practicing Christians and those studying the bible today.

We then go on to discuss the "infallible doctrine" or the idea that the bible is infallible and why this is damaging to our spiritual growth as individuals, and how understanding the different political environments each Gospel was written can help us better understand the teachings as a whole. Bob discusses his infatuation with Jesus and why he believes truly understanding his message is so important.

We then discuss Bob's documentary The Kingdom Within, which is free so check it out! We specifically discuss the different Christian pastors featured in the film and how they had radically different views on how us people can go about interacting and creating a relationship with God.  

Thank you for taking the time to listen! Feel free to reach out to me if you'd like to collaborate in any way. Also, always open to feedback on how to improve the podcast.

@donthink.breathe on Instagram

Thank you!

In this episode we are joined by Ellie Rome! Ellie is a certified weight loss and emotional eating coach who coaches high achieving women to lose weight, heal chronic health conditions, and transform their relationships with food. Ellie is also the host of the Don't Eat Your Feelings Podcast, a podcast where Ellie gives advice about overcoming sugar addiction and unhealthy eating habits. She also hosts weekly online and in-person breathwork ceremonies and a variety of community based events including an event called Comfort Zone Fridays, where she leads a community of amazing people through yoga, breathwork and cold plunging here in Austin, TX.

If you want to get in touch with Ellie, you can find her coaching here!

As well as her Instagram here @mindfulbellie!

Check out her Comfort Zone Retreats here as well!

In this episode, Ellie talks about her background studying Engineering at LSU and how her struggles with sugar addiction and binge eating led her to become an expert on nutrition and begin coaching women to overcome that same addiction. We also discuss the mental component of addiction and Ellie gives her insight of how we can overcome it using mindfulness practices and frameworks such as IFS (Internal Family Systems). 

We then discuss her Comfort Zone Fridays event and how she started leading it, as well as her retreats and how she began leading those! We also discuss psychedelics, specifically ayahuasca and mushrooms and give some of our experiences with both!
Come check out her events!

Thank you for taking the time to listen! Feel free to reach out to me if you'd like to collaborate in any way. Also, always open to feedback on how to improve the podcast.

@donthink.breathe on Instagram

Thank you!

In this episode I am joined by Granger Dean Rosipal & Luke Harrison Ford. Granger, Luke and I have been working out with one another for a few months now and decided to kick back and record an episode as we seem to have common interests and always have good conversations.

We begin the conversation by answering some questions based in Positive Psychology such as:

• What are your strengths?
• What are your favorite experiences from this past week?
• What are you most grateful for?

We begin the podcast like this to give each other space to share about ourselves and lives, but more importantly because these questions are shown to increase lively hood and positivity in people's lives! So ask these questions every day!

We then go on to discuss some passion projects we are working on, what steps we are resisting taking in our careers and projects and then our views on spirituality, religion, and whether or not we have free will.

Overall, we have a heartfelt and fun conversation about our lives and our beliefs.

Thank you for taking the time to listen! Feel free to reach out to me if you'd like to collaborate in any way. Also, always open to feedback on how to improve the podcast.

@donthink.breathe on Instagram

Thank you!

In this episode I am joined by William Mulvaney! Will is a dating and approach coach here in Austin, Texas. He is the co-host of The Art of Approach Podcast (a podcast where Will and Timothy Bray give dating and relationship advice to help improve men's dating lives, relationships and overall help build self-esteem and confidence for men.) as well as the meetup group called Dumping Dating Apps (a dating and approach group where Will & Tim support well-intentioned people in approaching potential love interests to get more dates, build relationships, and confidence.

You can find Will, @willpower_lifestyle on Instagram if you'd like to connect or learn more about the group. Also check out theartofapproach.com to connect with Timothy Bray or learn more about their platform.

We begin the conversation by diving into the meetup group, how it has benefited people, himself, and what the intention of the group is. We then dive into his journey with building his self-esteem and improving at expressing himself to women he's interested in, and expressing himself as a whole.

We then dive into how we both have been improving our ability to express ourselves authentically and our health and fitness journey's. We both discuss how we began working out, routines and how we've developed them,  as well as our diets, sleep, and how we've improved both.

Overall we have a great conversation about improving our self-esteem and confidence as men, the resources that have helped us, and ways in which we are still working on improving.

Thank you for taking the time to listen! Feel free to reach out to me if you'd like to collaborate in any way. Also, always open to feedback on how to improve the podcast.

@donthink.breathe on Instagram

Thank you!

In this episode, I'm joined by JJ Ruescas, an expert in human optimization. Our paths crossed at Casa De Luz in Austin during one of his impactful breathwork sessions, leaving me intrigued by his professionalism and dedication.

During our discussion, JJ and I cover various topics, including:

• Insights into his upbringing
• His journey into the realms of human optimization and professional coaching
• Application of "Kaizen," a Japanese business philosophy, in his coaching and personal development approach
• Embracing 10 minutes of daily learning as a powerful method
• Exploring the nuances of burnout, rest, and recovery
• The significance of identifying and articulating personal values
• Illuminating the shadow aspects within ourselves that can cause harm
• JJ's advice for those seeking meaning and purpose in times of confusion

For more insights from JJ and information about his services and classes, visit his website at jjruescas.com. You can also tune in to his podcast, Optimizandome, on Spotify. Connect with him on Instagram @jjruescas.

Don't miss out on the wealth of knowledge JJ has to offer on personal development and optimization!

Thank you for taking the time to listen! Feel free to reach out to me if you'd like to collaborate in any way. Also, always open to feedback on how to improve the podcast.

@donthink.breathe on Instagram

Thank you!

In this episode I discuss the challenges of maintaining emotional balance amidst the demands of modern life, shedding light on the pervasive tendency to numb uncomfortable emotions through various distractions.

Some things that have worked for me.. 

• a warm bath
• lighting a candle
• listening to a podcast
• doing yoga
• going on walks
• NSDR (Yoganidra)

Thank you for taking the time to listen! Feel free to reach out to me if you'd like to collaborate in any way. Also, always open to feedback on how to improve the podcast.

@donthink.breathe on Instagram

Thank you!