Mindfulness Mode

Benjamin Tyler is an engineer by day, working in the field of water treatment, and specifically disaster management recovery. Benjamin is a podcaster and coach by night. Benjamin shares stories and details about interesting guests in his podcast, An Evolving Lifestyle. Benjamin works withselect clients to help them create lifestyles where they thrive in three main areas: professionally, personally, and in their relationships.Contact InfoWebsite: www.anevolvinglifestyle.comPodcast: An Evolving LifestyleMost Influential PersonA guy in a community where I used to do service work in Haiti. His name was Gabby. He was the community leader there. He lived in the present.Effect on EmotionsI have created a lot of internal stresses upon myself and internal demands and mindfulness has released that. I don't have that kind of stress anymore because I understand that every day I'm growing stronger and I can only do so much.Thoughts on BreathingI'm a chest breather and I've just recently started working on my breathing. I've been doing Yoga for two years and I've realized what breathing's done there. I'm trying to bring it into my daily life more.Suggested ResourcesBook: Introducing NLP: Psychological Skills for Understand and Influencing People (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) by Joseph O'ConnorApp: Pen and PaperAdvice for Newbie

The thing that really helped me in my life (I started getting into mindfulness without knowing what it really was) was asking myself 'why'. Why am I feeling this way? Why am I carrying this tension right now? Ask yourself, why am I feeling this way. Answer those questions even when you don't want to know the answer.

Aaron Sherwood is a Tai Chi and qiqong instructor. He also teaches meditation and is a gifted body worker. Aaron is from United States and offers personal sessions and group workshops in the U.S. Aaron has dedicated his life to helping others with mindfulness and movement. He believes these elements have tremendous power to heal and transform a person. Aaron spent his youth practicing many movements arts including Hatha and Kundalini Yoga, TaeKwonDo, Hapkido, Contact Improv, and Feldenkrais. He has worked with high level teachers in all of these disciplines. His most important teacher has been Bruce Frantzis, founder of the Energy Arts System. Aaron is now one of the Certified Instructors in this system, which has benefited his own life to a large degree.Contact InfoWebsite: www.appliedenergyarts.weebly.comEmail: [email protected] Influential PersonMy Tai Chi, qiqong and meditation teacher, Bruce Frantzis.Effect on EmotionsIt's been instrumental in me not ending up in jail and me not ending up dead or very, very miserable. I struggled with depression a lot when I was young and the more I got into these mindful practices the more that took me out, further away from that.Thoughts on BreathingIt's huge. It's one of the pillars that we build everything we do on. The particular tradition that I teach is called Taoist Longevity Breathing and the main focus of that is to be completely present with your breath and then how you can maintain that presence and just deepen not only the length of your breath, but all the different qualities of depth, smoothness. You just remove any and all gaps that relate back to your consciousness through that.Suggested ResourcesBook: The Tao of Letting Go by Bruce FrantzisAdvice for Newbie

Test several methods. Don't just fall in love with your very first method. Use all the methods and really test them. Be your own laboratory. Find what really works for you and that can be a practice in it's own self where you decide that you pick four different practices that you want to work with and you take a week or a month and then you work through it, regardless of any kind of resistance you have and that will reflect what's going on inside of you and help you understand why you resist that particular practice.

Gretchen Bridgers is a teacher coach. For the past four years she has been helping new teachers in her school district as part of the New Teacher Project. She has a master’s degree in Curriculum and Supervision and is also anauthor, having written the book:  “Elementary Education 101: What They Didn’t Teach You In College. Gretchen has a blog and weekly podcast called “Always A Lesson”, which inspires educators across the globe.Contact InfoWebsite: www.AlwaysALesson.comPodcast: Always A LessonMost Influential PersonLouis Sachar (Author of There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom)Effect on EmotionsJust not taking things personally. Realizing that people have, what my father calls 'head trash', or previous tapes. They are taking things out on you that have nothing to do with you at all.Thoughts on BreathingNot so much breathing, but listen, pause and respond. So that pause could be a breath but its that reflection, that gathering of thoughts to remain neutral.Suggested ResourcesBook: Crucial Conversations: Tools For Talking When the Stakes are High by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler, Laura RoppeApp: Facebook Groups - Specifically 'Encouraging Teachers'Advice for Newbie

Reflect daily on how you could have handled anything that occurred differently or just take some actionable steps so you are growing and getting better each day. Hold yourself accountable for just growing and not being perfect.

Drew Hume is an expert at Thai massage. One of the things he says often while delivering a massage is ‘Slow it down’. Drew believes it helps us all to just:  SLOW … IT ... DOWN. Drew’s Thai massages clear your head and make you feel like he has a surreal connection to your body. From this you can tell Drew isa great person to talk to about Mindfulness. Drew was born in Australia and now lives in Toronto, Canada.Contact InfoWebsite: www.navina.caTwitter: @NavinaTaiYogaInstagram: @NavinaTaiYogaMost Influential PersonS. N. Goenka, a Burmese-Indian teacher of Vipassanā meditation. Born in Burma, he moved to India in 1969 and started teaching meditation.Effect on EmotionsIt's helped me maintain a little bit more equanimity in that I get less caught up in the big negatives and less caught up in the big positives and I can maintain a little bit more equilibrium in how I respond.Thoughts on BreathingI think its a great way to educate yourself on restrictions and tensions within your own body and I also think its a great tool as a reset button if you take an extra deep breath whenever you feel stressed or challenged. It just gives you a little bit of space to make other decisions.Suggested ResourcesBook: The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science by Norman DoidgeApp: Notes and Calendaring (Taking notes and recording events in a calendar helps me to stay in the present moment)Advice for Newbie

Avoid frustration. When you think that it's an unsuccessful meditation, your reaction to that is still part of the mindfulness practice. Step out of the frustration and just keep bringing it back in.

Kara Stricker created her Oma Chocolate business, from a simple desire to feel more happiness. With a hundred dollar check, she walked away from her studies in college. Thousands of chocolate recipes later, she found happiness living in her heart. Incorporating ayurvedic spices to thebitterness of the dark chocolate encouraged her to become present to her emotions and gently exercise them like muscles. Kara believes in healing through mindfulness, that is being present to what she’s feeling without the judgement. Kara says, "It really boils down to accepting oneself and being yourself. Simply allowing myself to "love what I love". Many wonderful things began to change in her life - including breaking through her writer’s block and meeting her husband, Dave.Contact InfoWebsite: www.OmaChocolate.comEmail: [email protected]

Most Influential PersonDr. Wayne DyerEffect on EmotionsI feel more positive (rather than negative) emotions in my everyday life. If I feel negative emotions, it feels more balanced and there's much more love and grace to welcome them in. I just just let them be.Thoughts on BreathingEveryday my breath or my holding back breath is a real immediate indicator of how to slow things down, be more mindful, and be engaged in the moment in a more relaxed way.Suggested ResourcesBook: The Dreams We Carry by the poet Olave HodgeBook: You Can Heal Your Life by Louise HayApp: My Timer on my phone.Advice for Newbie

I would say, ask yourself the question, "What brings you joy and happiness?" It doesn't matter what you love, take that one thing that you love so much and practice it every day, be with it everyday.

Kate Erickson is an expert at Systems and Processes and she helps entrepreneurs and business professionals get their act together with their own systems. Kate is on the Entrepreneur on Fire team andis John Lee Dumas's partner in business and life. She is also host of the Audio Blog Podcast called, Kate’s Take. In addition, Kate is also author of the book, The Fire Path: A Beginner's Guide to Growing Your Online Business.Contact InfoWebsite: www.eofire.comPodcast: Kate's TakeEmail: [email protected] Influential PersonJohn Lee Dumas has really encouraged me and challenged me to be mindful.Effect on EmotionsIt's really gotten me more in tune with myself. I know myself better now than I ever could have imagined.Thoughts on BreathingI've been doing some studying and research on practicing breathing and it really helps me take my focus off anything else.Suggested ResourcesBook:Essentialism by Craig MceownApp: The Twelve Minute Athlete AppAdvice for Newbie

A really powerful book that triggered for me this idea of living in the now, is the book The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.

Michael Sandler is an all-round fascinating person. He loves to move and have fun and he’s an avid athlete who’s had more than his fair share of injuries including being hit by a car when bicycle racing in France and being walloped by a motorcycle while mountain biking in Colorado. Back in middle school, Michael ran to and from school to avoid bullies onthe school bus. Since his high school days, mindfulness and meditation have been part of his daily life, and he now meditates an average of 2 hours a day. Today Michael is a best-selling author and online entrepreneur. Interestingly, he has had a knee surgery and sinus surgery both done without any anesthetics, just with the power of the mind and meditation. You can hear Michael on-line on his popular podcast, Inspire Nation.Contact InfoPodcast: www.InspireNationShow.comMost Influential PersonClaudio (his greatest teacher who believes we have it all too complicated. He says it's as simple as going silent)Effect on EmotionsHugely so, because I've become a lot less reactive. I'm a lot less of that super ball, bouncing from one thing to the next. And I'm a lot more present in myself. By present in myself, I mean I don't take ownership in the balls that are thrown at me or bounced around by others around me. If somebody throws me a fear ball, I'm able to say, 'wait, that's not mine'.Thoughts on BreathingThere's conscious and unconscious breathing and I'm always trying to come back to my breath, consciously. With that said, my voice has changed over the years, and the voice that you hear on air is much more because of my mindfulness practice. It used to be 'up here' and that's because I was breathing high in my chest and I was talking really fast, and never taking a deep, full, slow breath. And so focusing on the breath calms me, brings me back into that present moment, gets my mind quieter and allows me to achieve all the things that I've achieved. So the breath really is the metronome, the heartbeat, the guide to everything.Suggested ResourcesBook: Natural Meditation by Dean SluyterApp: None. I leave the electronics behind as much as possible.Advice for Newbie

Focus on the breath. Just go to the breath. That can be as simple as, you're on the bus or on the subway on the way to work in the morning, just take one minute and feel the breath coming in, feeling the breath going out. Just starting from there and expanding from there. Or you're at work, at your computer, you're starting to get a little bit stressed out, go into the breath, breathe in. One, two, three, Out, one, two, three. I like throwing a count on it, that's my app, is just counting. Just drop right back into the breath.

Nirmala Daniel Erway is a spiritual teacher and author who is a deep believer in the positive benefits of mindfulness. He offers one-on-one, non-dual spiritual mentoring over the phone or through Skype. His mentoring is an opportunity to discover that limitless love is ourtrue nature and is possible at every moment. He has written several books including a poetry collection called Gifts With No Giver. Nirmala lives in Sedona, Arizona and has a website called Endless-Satsang.com where he shares his thoughts through ebooks and videos.Contact InfoWebsite: www.endless-satsang.comMost Influential PersonEveryone I’ve ever felt love for, including Nealum and my wife.Effect on EmotionsIt hasn’t changed them, except in their duration. When you’re in this place of curiosity, openness I find it interesting. When I feel sad, I go right down into the center of that sadness and notice all the associations and feelings. I’m so fascinated with it. I digest it, I get the sadness. aThen it’s almost gone in the moment I pay that much attention to it. It’s hard to call it sadness anymore, it’s just a new experience showing up.aThoughts on BreathingWhen they do studies of mindfulness & meditation, they've found that anything you do to change your breathing will put you into a meditative space. Anything you do to your breath will change your state of consciousness.Suggested ResourcesBook: Living From the Heart by Nirmala (free on Nirmala’s website)App: TimerAdvice for Newbie

Just play. If you can approach it like a game, a form of play or curiosity, that's the best way to learn.

Sharon Roemmel will help you find your life’s purpose through yoga. She is a wellness and life coach, however learning with Sharon is not your usual Yoga experience; she’ll help you get connected to your divine supportand she’ll use mindfulness to help you claim true balance in your life. She has taught Yoga for over 20 years and believes Yoga is the perfect tool to help you align your body, mind and spirit.Contact InfoWebsite: www.practicallyenlightenedyou.com

See the Amazing You AssessmentMost Influential PersonDan McLeod, Sharon's first serious yoga teacher - he embodied mindfulness with his yoga practice, his teaching and his groundedness.Effect on EmotionsHelped me be more connected to them and helped me realize that anger is not something I have to hold back. I can feel anger and let it move through me. I tell people they can spend a lot of money on medical diagnostics or they can check in with their breath and that's a great, free, diagnostic to see where they're holding, how relaxed they are in the moment. They can learn a lot from their breath.Thoughts on BreathingBreathing is one of the limbs of yoga. I like to use breathing as a diagnosticSuggested ResourcesBook: Full Catastrophe Living, by Jon Kabot ZinnAdvice for Newbie

Start small, pay attention to your breath even for one minute, one time a day. Start paying attention to your body. Go for the low hanging fruit: if you're someone who finds it challenging to tune into your emotions, don't start there. Then as you get adept at one level, you move to another level.

Bryce Prescott studied finance at Brigham Young University and has a keen interest in business. In fact, he is an entrepreneur and business consultant with several successful business endeavors under his belt.  Bryce helps business people take their businesses, their health andtheir lives in general to a higher a level of excellence. Bryce also has a podcast called ‘Rules of Success’ which has spawned a companion program called 'Apply The Science' which focuses on the principals of the book, 'The Science of Getting Rich' by Wallace D. Wattles.Contact InfoWebsite: www.rulesofsuccess.comPodcast: rulesofsuccess.comTwitter: @iamMrPrescottInstagram: @iamMrPrescottMost Influential PersonT. Harv EckerEffect on EmotionsMindfulness has affected my emotions and it allows me to observe them. It's more challenging to observe the emotion when it is positive and supportive than when it's negative, but it's the same practice nonetheless. I'm able to, from a different vantage point within my mind, recognize what the emotion is and diffuse the negative emotions like anger and frustration.Suggested ResourcesBook: The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. WattlesBook: Conversations with God by Neale Donald WalschApp: The Holosync Program by Bill Harris (Centerpoint Research Institute)App: CalmAdvice for Newbie

I would encourage them to check out one of these guided meditation programs. Go to www.choprameditation.com and get the 21 Day Challenge. Just try it. It's 15 to 20 minutes a day. Do it in the mornings in a quiet place. I would also recommend you to journal right afterwards.