5 Rules for Optimal Gut Health - A Holistic Nutritionist Explains
by Kristin Dahl, 31 May 2016

The body is ripe with bacteria—most of which lives in our gut and has a huge impact on our overall health. Your microbiome regulates inflammation and immunity throughout your entire body.

That's why I think that tending to your gut is the number one thing you can do to boost your overall health and immunity. Here are five simple ways to boost your gut health today:

1. Remove the possible offenders

In order to rebuild a healthy gut, you have to remove what could potentially be causing the damage. This includes refined sugar, gluten, dairy, and most processed foods. Refined sugar is the worst offender because it feeds the negative gut bacteria and depletes the positive bacteria that support a healthy microbiome.

2. Focus on food

Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, dark leafy greens, easy-to-digest grains (gluten-free oats, quinoa, millet and amaranth), and healthy fats like avocado, flax, hemp, pumpkin seeds, almonds, raw coconut and walnuts. These foods reduce inflammation and support gut health. For alternative sources of sweetness, try pure stevia, yacon syrup, coconut nectar or raw honey.

3. Bring back the good bacteria

Bring in good bacteria to combat the bad stuff that's wreaking havoc on your gut. Fermented foods like kefir, miso, sauerkraut, kimchi and tempeh are all full of good bacteria, as are prebiotics. I especially love raw asparagus, garlic, onion, leek, bananas and dandelion greens.

4. Count your zzz’s

Sleep has a major impact on the digestive system, as deep sleep allows the digestive organs to rest, repair and replenish. During this time, the body detoxifies itself and gets rid of wastes from the day. Each person requires a different amount of sleep, but aim to get 7 to 8 hours a night to ensure a restorative sleep cycle.

5. Practice stress management

The stress of modern life often triggers the sympathetic nervous system, creating a fight-or-flight response in the body. This response may help you become more alert and focused, but it inhibits your digestion in the process.

Digesting food requires a parasympathetic nervous system response. Balancing the parasympathetic system decreases stress levels, so you can rest, repair, and heal your gut. Engaging in calming exercises such as walking, deep breathing, restorative yoga and meditation can help you do it.

Here are 14 of the most inspirational quotes from the last 15 years of graduation speeches.

Steve Jobs (Harvard, 2005)
"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition."

Ellen Degeneres (Tulane, 2009)
"Follow your passion, stay true to yourself, never follow someone else's path unless you're in the woods and you're lost and you see a path; then by all means you should follow that."

J.K. Rowling (Harvard, 2008)
"I hope that even if you remember not a single word of mine, you remember those of Seneca, another of those old Romans I met when I fled down the Classics corridor, in retreat from career ladders, in search of ancient wisdom: As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters."

Jim Carrey (Maharishi University, 2014)
"Fear is going to be a player in your life, but you get to decide how much. You can spend your whole life imagining ghosts, worrying about your pathway to the future, but all there will ever be is what’s happening here, and the decisions we make in this moment, which are based in either love or fear. So many of us choose our path out of fear disguised as practicality. What we really want seems impossibly out of reach and ridiculous to expect, so we never dare to ask the universe for it."

Neil Gaiman (University of the Arts, 2012)
"And now go, and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes. Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for your being here. Make good art."

Ed Helms (Knox College, 2013)
"So long as your desire to explore is greater than your desire to not screw up, you're on the right track. A life oriented toward discovery is infinitely more rewarding than a life oriented toward not blowing it."

Susan Sontag (Vassar, 2003)
"It's hard not to be afraid. Be less afraid."

Larry Page (University of Michigan, 2009)
"It is often easier to make progress on mega-ambitious dreams... Since no one else is crazy enough to do it, you have little competition."

Jennifer Lee (University of New Hampshire, 2014)
"When you are free from self-doubt, you fail better."

Dalai Lama (Tulane, 2013)
"Despite difficulties, always keep optimism. ‘I can overcome these difficulties.’ That mental attitude itself will bring inner strength and self-confidence."

Will Ferrell (Harvard, 2003)
"As you set off into the world, don't be afraid to question your leaders. But don't ask too many questions at one time or that are too hard because your leaders get tired and/or cranky."

David Brooks (Sewanee, 2013)
"The daily activity that contributes most to happiness is having dinner with friends. The daily activity that detracts most from happiness is commuting. Eat more. Commute less."

Chris Gardner (Berkeley, 2009)
"The balance in your life is more important than the balance in your checking account."

Sue Monk Kidd (Scripps College, 2010)
"One of the more powerful outbreaks of happiness and meaning in your life will occur when you pair your passion with the world's need."

Why Your Psoas Muscle Is The Most Vital Muscle in Your Body
18 Vital Facts About Your Psoas Muscle Group

Posted by Christiane Northrup, M.D.

The psoas muscle (pronounced SO-as) may be the most important muscle in your body. Without this essential muscle group you wouldn’t even be able to get out of the bed in the morning!

In fact, whether you run, bike, dance, practice yoga, or just hang out on your couch, your psoas muscles are involved. That’s because your psoas muscles are the primary connectors between your torso and your legs. They affect your posture and help to stabilise your spine.

The psoas muscles are made of both slow and fast twitching muscles. Because they are major flexors, weak psoas muscles can cause many of the surrounding muscles to compensate and become overused. That is why a tight or overstretched psoas muscle could be the cause of many or your aches and pains, including low back and pelvic pain.

The types of movement which can strain your psoas muscles include standing and twisting from your waist without moving your feet (think old fashioned calisthenics), or any movement that causes your leg to externally rotate while extended, such as Ballet-style leg lifts (or battement), and even doing too many sit ups (your psoas muscles complete the last half of a sit up).

But, since many experts don’t understand the complexity of the psoas muscles, it’s not uncommon for people to be given the wrong diagnoses and treatments for their psoas-related pain.

My What Muscle? What You Need to Know About your Psoas
Structurally, your psoas muscles are the deepest muscles in your core. They attach from your 12th thoracic vertebrae to your 5 lumbar vertebrae, through your pelvis and then finally attach to your femurs. In fact, they are the only muscles that connect your spine to your legs.

Your psoas muscles allow you to bend your hips and legs towards your chest, for example when you are going up stairs. They also help to move your leg forward when you walk or run.

Your psoas muscles are the muscles that flex your trunk forward when bend over to pick up something from the floor. They also stabilize your trunk and spine during movement and sitting.

The psoas muscles support your internal organs and work like hydraulic pumps allowing blood and lymph to be pushed in and out of your cells.

Your psoas muscles are vital not only to your structural well-being, but also to your psychological well-being because of their connection to your breath.

Here’s why: There are two tendons for the diaphragm (called the crura) that extend down and connect to the spine alongside where the psoas muscles attach. One of the ligaments (the medial arcuate) wraps around the top of each psoas. Also, the diaphragm and the psoas muscles are connected through fascia that also connects the other hip muscles.

These connections between the psoas muscle and the diaphragm literally connect your ability to walk and breathe, and also how you respond to fear and excitement. That’s because, when you are startled or under stress, your psoas contracts.

In other words, your psoas has a direct influence on your fight or flight response!

During prolonged periods of stress, your psoas is constantly contracted. The same contraction occurs when you:

sit for long periods of time
engage in excessive running or walking
sleep in the fetal position
do a lot of sit-ups
All of these activities compress the front of your hip and shorten your psoas muscle. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you should automatically stretch your psoas if you have pain in the front of your hip joint.

In fact, depending on your situation, stretching your psoas may actually do more harm than good! The key is to know whether your psoas is short and tight and thus in need of stretching, or if it’s weak and overstretched and in need of strengthening.

7 Ways to Tell if You Have a Psoas Muscle Imbalance

When you have a tight (or short) psoas muscle, you may experience pain in your lower back or in your hips, especially when lifting your legs. This is caused by the muscle compressing the discs in the lumbar region of your back.

Stretching your muscles and releasing the tension on the psoas is the best way to prevent this from happening. It takes time and daily attention to keep your psoas muscles relaxed, stretched, and strong.

And, while most people with psoas issues have tight psoas muscles, there are some people whose psoas muscles can be overstretched. In this case, if you stretch your psoas and it is already overstretched, you will cause more problems.

Your body will tell you what your psoas ultimately needs. Here are 7 ways to tell if you have a psoas muscle imbalance:

Leg length discrepancy. A tight psoas muscle can cause your pelvis to rotate forward. This in turn can cause an an internal rotation of your leg on the affected side. The opposite leg will rotate externally in an effort to counter-balance. This will make the affected leg longer so that every time you take a step, it drives your leg up into your hip socket. This can lead to functional leg length discrepancy.

Knee and low back pain. If you experience knee or low back pain with no apparent cause, it may be coming from your psoas muscles. When your femur is in essence locked into your hip socket due to a tight psoas muscle, rotation in the joint can’t occur. This can cause your knee and low back to torque.

Postural problems. When your psoas is too short or tight, it can pull your pelvis into an anterior tilt, compressing the spine and pulling your back into hyperlordosis or “duck butt.”If your psoas is overstretched or weak, it can flatten the natural curve of your lumbar spine creating a “flat butt.” This misalignment is characterized by tight hamstrings pulling down on the sitting bones, which causes the sacrum to lose its natural curve and results in a flattened lumbar spine. This can lead to low-back injury, especially at the intervertebral discs. You may also feel pain at the front of your hip. Finally, it is possible for your psoas muscles to be both tight and overstretched. In this case, your pelvis is pulled forward in front of your center of gravity, causing your back to curve (swayback) and your head to poke forward.

Difficulty moving your bowels. A tight psoas muscle can contribute to or even cause constipation. A large network of lumbar nerves and blood vessels passes through and around the psoas muscles. Tightness in the psoas muscles can impede blood flow and nerve impulses to the pelvic organs and legs.
In addition, when the psoas is tight your torso shortens decreasing the space for your internal organs. This affects food absorption and elimination. As such it can contribute to constipation, as well as sexual dysfunction.

Menstrual Cramps. An imbalance in your psoas muscles can be partially responsible for menstrual cramps as it puts added pressure in your reproductive organs.

Chest breathing. A tight psoas muscle can create a thrusting forward of the ribcage. This causes shallow, chest breathing, which limits the amount of oxygen taken in and encourages over usage of your neck muscles.

Feeling exhausted. Your psoas muscles create a muscular shelf that your kidneys and adrenals rest on. As you breathe properly your diaphragm moves and your psoas muscles gently massage these organs, stimulating blood circulation. But, when the psoas muscles become imbalanced, so do your kidneys and adrenal glands, causing physical and emotional exhaustion.

In fact, according to Liz Koch, author of The Psoas Book, “The psoas is so intimately involved in such basic physical and emotional reactions, that a chronically tightened psoas continually signals your body that you’re in danger, eventually exhausting the adrenal glands and depleting the immune system.”

9 Tips for Keeping Your Psoas Muscles Happy and Healthy

Exercise, sitting in your favorite chair, wearing shoes, and even unhealed physical and emotional injuries can cause imbalance in your psoas muscles. Getting things back in balance will give you a greater range of motion and relief from pain. Plus, you feel more grounded and relaxed!

Here are some tips for getting things back in balance:

Avoid sitting for extended periods. If you must sit for work or other reasons, sit with good posture and be sure your hips are level or slightly higher than your knees. Avoid bucket seats and chairs without support for your low back. Try to get up and move around every hour.

Add support to your car seat. Use a rolled up towel underneath your sit bones and/ or behind your lumbar spine to keep the psoas and hip sockets released. If you are traveling long distances, stop every 3 hours to stretch and walk around for 10 minutes.

Lay off extreme exercise routines. I don’t mean completely or forever. But, if you are a power walker, distance runner or sprinter, or even if you do a lot of sit-ups, you may want to alternate your workouts.

Try Resistance Flexibility exercises. Resistance Flexibility exercises can do wonders for your fascia.
To strengthen your psoas, lay on your back with your hips abutting the wall next to a door frame. Raise one leg straight so that it is against the wall. (Your other leg will extend through the door way.) Bend your extended leg and using your hands to slow down the movement and create resistance, bring your bent knee toward your chest.

Do this while also pressing your raised leg into the wall. Then reverse the motion of your bent leg. As you straighten it, continue to create resistance using your hands to push your leg out as your leg resists.

Learn more about Resistance Flexibility & Strength Training developed by Bob Cooley at com and flexiblestrength.com.

Get a professional massage. Getting a massage from a seasoned practitioner can help relieve a tight psoas muscle. Understand that this work is not the most comfortable, but can be of great benefit. In fact, getting myofascial release on a regular basis helps to keep your psoas, and all of your muscles, fluid. Assisted stretching (as with a Resistance Flexibility trainer) and yoga are also excellent ways to restore balance to your psoas.

Take constructive rest. The Constructive Rest Position (CRP) can relieve low back, pelvic and hip tension while it allows your entire body to come into neutral. Lay on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the floor hip-width apart and parallel to each other.
Place your heels a comfortable distance from your buttocks – or about 16 inches away. Do not push your low back into the floor or tuck your pelvis. Rest your arms over your belly. Let gravity do the work. Doing this for 10 to 20 minutes every day will release tension in your psoas muscles and help to reestablish the neuro-biological rhythms that calm and refresh.

Pay attention to your pelvis! The length of the psoas determines whether or not your pelvis is free to move. To tell whether your psoas muscles are tight or overstretched, stand sideways by a mirror (or even better, have a friend take a photo of you from the side). Note the position of your pelvis. If you were to draw a line along your pelvis from back to front, that line should be pretty straight. If the line tilts downward, your pelvis is anteriorly rotated or moving toward the front of your body. This means that your psoas muscles may be short and tight. If the line runs upward, your pelvis is posteriorly tilted toward the back of your body. This means that your psoas muscles may be overstretched and weak.

Release stress and past traumas. We store stress in our bodies. Tension in the hips is common and it’s usually not just caused by lifestyle, age and physical events, such as injuries or accidents, but also due to mental stress and unhealed traumas. Releasing stress daily can help keep your psoas healthy. Take a leisurely walk. Soak in a bath with Epson salts. Acknowledge your emotions, express and release them. Divine Love is a great way to heal from past traumas. Finally, get out and do something pleasurable every day!

Read The Psoas Book. If you want to learn more about your psoas muscles, read The Psoas Book by Liz Koch. Koch believes that our fast paced modern lifestyle — including car seats, constrictive clothing, shoes that throw our posture out of alignment, and more — chronically triggers the psoas as it “literally embodies our deepest urge for survival, and more profoundly, our elemental desire to flourish.” You can also visit her website, www.coreawareness.com.

How Food Affects Your Brain: Dr. Drew Ramsey
with Dr. Drew Ramsey

Psychiatrist Dr. Drew Ramsey discusses how poor diets and a lack of nutrients have harmed our brains, causing anxiety and depression, and why a client who visits him now for problems with her love life might just leave his office with a bunch of kale.

Live Dirty, Eat Clean! Why The Microbiome Is The Future Of Medicine: Dr. Robynne Chutkan
with Dr. Robynne Chutkan

We've all heard about the microbiome, but what is it? Why should we care? And, most importantly, what should we do about it? Integrative gastroenterologist Dr. Robynne Chutkan breaks down what you need to know about the microbiome, the vast collection of microbes that live in and on your body, and how you can optimize your gut health to live a longer, better life.

by Tom Casano April 13 2016

If we do more of the things that make us happier, we will be happier. Pretty obvious, right? So, what's the holdup? Maybe the thing that makes you happy feels too time-consuming, too expensive, too daunting, or something else. Rather than let your fear paralyze you, though, why not start with the little things?

Taking small steps toward happiness energizes us and gives us the confidence we need to make more profound changes over time. With that in mind, here are 14 easy, fun ways to get happier right now:

1. Pet an animal.

Spending time with pets can be therapeutic and relieves stress. Don't have a fluff-ball of your own? Pet-sit for a friend or volunteer at a local animal shelter. The animals will appreciate your TLC, and their cuddly way of showing gratitude is a major mood boost.

2. Envision someone having the best day of their life, right now.

Someone somewhere is marrying the love of his/her life, celebrating a promotion, or has just won the lottery. By focusing on the good in the world and the lives of people around us, we begin to feel more optimistic about our own happiness. Just try it.

3. Take a walk (or a run).

Elle Woods wasn't wrong in Legally Blonde when she said, “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy.” (I'll bet you can finish that line for me.) Truthfully, though, if you're in search of a quick buzz, a 20-minute circuit workout is going to have a more positive effect than a glass of wine: It's that simple.

4. Flex your creative muscle.

A lot of these things we know make us happy (you know, the things we aren't doing?) involve expressing our creativity. Feeling the urge to paint, but have zero skill? Don't make yourself take a class first. Try finger painting. Who needs a brush to re-create a sunset? You could even try a coloring book or sticker collage. Start where you are. The idea is to get outside of your comfort zone without going so far outside it that you get discouraged by failure.

Love woodworking? Maybe you can graduate to building a doghouse. Are you a karaoke fiend? Try writing a song. If you're your own favorite chef, challenge yourself to cook something extra fancy. Clear your schedule and give your undivided attention to this creative endeavor. When you're in a flow state, nothing else matters. Learning how to get there is a gift you'll never stop appreciating.

5. Watch a feel-good movie.

There are so many uplifting movies with inspiring messages out there. When you can't imagine doing anything but diving into the couch and hibernating under the covers, at least pick a movie that'll make you feel better about life when you're done. The Mighty Ducks, Legally Blonde, Ferris Bueller's Day Off—all worthy places to start. Grab your favorite snack and let the inspiration take you away.

6. Get by with a little help from your friends.

Spending time with people who make you feel good will brighten your day and keep you in a cheery mood. Sharing smiles, memories, and hugs are all activities proven to improve your mood. Surround yourself with positive people who love you and remind you that life is meant to be enjoyed.

7. Pump up the jams.

We all have songs that always put us in a good mood—even when we'd rather wallow. So, if you're trying to stave off (or climb out of) a stale mood, make a playlist specifically for this purpose. Start injecting music into your day—while you work, walk, drive, or cook. You might even let it replace some of the stress-triggering stimuli in your life like traffic reports or news broadcasts. If being informed is ruining your life, it's not worth it.

8. Stop procrastinating.

Stop putting off doing things that make you uncomfortable. Have that tough discussion with your friend, partner, or co-worker. Go to the doctor and get that lump checked out. Go to the dentist and have your tooth filled. Stop letting things loom over you like some harbinger of doom. It's hard to feel good when you're staring down the barrel of unpleasantness constantly. Get the things you dread out of the way as soon as possible.

9. Meditate on and cultivate a positive feeling for two whole minutes.

Find a feeling of joy, and don't let it go. Try to extend that feeling for two minutes or longer. This exercise can help you release negative emotions and cultivate optimism. You can repeat it as often as necessary. And with this strategy in particular, the more frequently you do this, the better you'll feel.

10. Read something inspiring.

Self-help books transform millions of lives, but if that's not up your alley, there are countless works of fiction and other genres to draw on for their inspiring stories. We all have libraries, e-readers, Amazon. Why not read something motivational, inspiring, or therapeutic? Absorb the wisdom and advice from a book like this and just see if your life doesn't get better.

11. Plan a vacation.

Don’t worry about saving the money or asking for time off yet. Just have some fun planning your dream vacation. Create a whole itinerary—continents, countries, cities, and activities. Don’t focus on the impediments to the trip of your dreams. Instead, just imagine how great it will be when it happens. Let yourself play.

12. Make peace with something or someone.

Make peace with a situation that has been bothering you, then focus that attention on something that makes you feel better. Forgive someone who has wronged you and release any negative emotions or grudges you're holding on to.

13. Smile.

Smiling tells your brain you're happy—whether you feel that way or not. Next time you need a boost, smile until you notice a change in your mood, and make it a habit to smile more often. It really does keep you happier.

14. Laugh.

It may sound silly, but if you force yourself to laugh, it will eventually result in genuine laughter. If that feels too weird, try to find something funny to watch or listen to, or spend more time with people who make you laugh. Laughter is healing. It releases endorphins and other chemicals in the brain that alleviate pain. The more laughter you can bring into your life, the happier you'll be.

Life isn't always easy, and our circumstances aren't ever in our control. Regardless, we can always control our own responses to them. We can choose to engage in activities that remind us life is good and remain appreciative of all the things that are going right. There are infinite ways to add joy to your world. These just scratch the surface.

The following exerts are taken from the very informative book "Exhausted to Energized" by the gorgeous & super talented

Dr Libby Weaver

"Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) dominance 

The SNS is behind the fight-or-flight response, driven predominately by the stress hormone adrenaline, whereas the opposite part of the nervous system, the PNS (Parasympathetic Nervous System), acts as the rest, digest, repair & reproduce arm.

The challenge for so many people, & a major reason why they don't sleep well or feel their best, is that they are stuck in SNS dominance. 

And what leads us to make adrenalin? Caffeine & our perception of pressure.

Too many people have made what they have to do each day full of pressure & urgency. And too many people have forgotten to see each day as one filled with ridiculous gifts, opportunities & a life that is so privileged because all of our basic needs are met, whereas, today, that is still not true for far too many people on the planet.

Your body doesn't understand that it is safe when you are churning out adrenalin, even if all you have done is had a few coffees & felt overwhelmed by how may emails you have. And some of you live on adrenalin & no longer even really feel stressed because you have become so used to it. It feels "normal" to you now.

If you are churning out stress hormones & they are communicating to every cell in your body that you are not safe, your body does not want you to sleep deeply, as you need to be able to wake up quickly & save your own life. Your body has your best interests at heart. You just need to communicate to it that you are safe & that it is safe to sleep deeply & restoratively. 

There is no more powerful way to activate the PNS, than through the way you breathe. The rest & digest arm of the nervous system is activated in response to diaphragmatic breathing. I know it might sound too simple to make a difference, but how you breathe consistently over a day - short, sharp, shallow breaths driven by adrenalin, or long, slow, tummy-moving diaphragmatic breaths - has an impact on your nervous system, your blood chemistry, your oxygenation, & hence your energy.

Adrenaline drives those short, sharp breaths. Diaphragmatic breathing communicates safety to your body. It is the fastest way to decrease both adrenaline & cortisol. Simply investing some time each day in focusing on how you breathe can truly be game-changing.

Schedule diaphragmatic breathing. It truly is the cornerstone of calm, which is essential to restorative sleep & consistently great energy.

You can switch over to the rest & digest arm of the nervous system through how you breathe, & also by decreasing, or omitting, caffeine & beginning to identify where you perceive pressure in your life when you don't need to. These shifts will help the SNS lose its dominant position in your nervous system, which for some of you will help resolve your sleep challenges & help you wake with better energy!"

Make slow, deep breathing breathing part of your daily life by taking 3-6 YogAlign SIP Breaths with each visit to the toilet, so it becomes as natural as brushing your teeth.

10 Pitfalls Keeping You From An Awesome Meditation

by Light Watkins April 2, 2016

"There are many guidelines out there for how to meditate. But it’s also good to understand what not to do in meditation. Here are 10 common pitfalls that keep you from getting the full benefit of your practice.

1. Engaging in a power struggle

Your mind wants to use your meditation time to think about your unpaid bills, but you would rather focus on a white light image. Guess which thoughts are going to win? The thoughts about bills. Every time. The more you resist them, the more they will persist. So if you want to make meditation feel a hundred times easier, practice leaning in to the unwanted thoughts, and surprisingly, they will start to go away on their own.

2. Grading your meditations

“This morning’s meditation was amazing.” “Yesterday’s meditation sucked.” “The meditations from last week were OK.” Stop labeling your meditations and comparing them to one another! Five years from now, there will be no one meditation that stands out for being incredible—or horrible. But the feeling you will have as a whole from meditating for that long will be noticeably and positively different from the one you have right now.

3. Being inconsistent

The best way to feel virtually no results in meditation is to be an inconsistent meditator. The problem here is that people think the value in meditation needs to be sourced within the individual meditations themselves when actually the true value of meditating is only ever found in your life outside of meditation and only as a result of meditating consistently.

4. Proselytizing

If you find yourself with a bullhorn and posterboard with a pro-meditation slogan scribbled on it while barking about the benefits of meditation to anyone who will listen, you’re going to have the opposite effect. The best way to get your friends and family to pick up the daily practice of meditation is for you to quietly meditate every day like clockwork and let them see the benefits naturally and organically unfolding within you.

5. Getting single-meditation-itis

You had an amazing meditation. Now, you unfairly compare all of your other meditations to that one pinnacle experience. And if you haven’t been able to get back to nirvana, you begin judging the boring meditations as being ineffective, or you become insecure about your abilities. Like showering, the overwhelming majority of meditations are going to be uneventful. But, also like showering, you will notice a tangible effect that follows each meditation, because you feel clearer and more focused. And if you happen to have the occasional moment of bliss in meditation, treat it as an exceptional surprise rather than a hard-fought goal.

6. Play-calling

When meditating, there is no need for a play-by-play dictation of experiences, as if you’re Marv Albert calling a basketball game. In other words, if you’re having thoughts like: “Now I’m just sitting here thinking,” and “Now I’m falling asleep.” “Oh, no, there’s that annoying thought about my ex again…” just allow yourself to engage nonchalantly in your thoughts, and you’ll eventually lose awareness of the fact that you’re meditating—which, by the way, is when you’re really meditating.

7. Looking for perfection

You are afraid to miss a meditation. Or the environment has to be perfectly quiet, or dark, or distraction-free in order for you to meditate successfully. To liberate yourself from the burden of perfection, try purposefully meditating in noisy and distracting places. Eventually, you’ll make yourself resilient to most noises and distractions.

8. Treating it like an emergency room

Do you only meditate on the dramatic days? If so, you’re giving the power of meditation too much credit. It can still be effective, but understand that meditation is less emergency medicine and more preventive maintenance. By waiting until you really need it, the last thing you’re going to feel like doing is meditating and, ironically, it won’t seem to work fast enough or be effective enough in the midst of all the drama.

9. Having an agenda

You enter into your meditations with a to-do list: “I need to figure out the solution to this problem,” or “I want to feel this particular way afterward.” These expectations actually work against your interests, because they keep your mind in judgmental mode, particularly if what you want to happen doesn’t end up happening. What’s really happening is your body’s intelligence is in charge, and you’re merely the facilitator of the experience. Let your intelligence do it’s job, and just sit back and enjoy the ride.

10. "Cheating"

In the gym world, "cheating" is when doing pull-ups or bench presses, you’re not going all the way up or all the way down. Or, you’re swinging your entire body to perform the exercise instead of using your core to do the work. To the untrained eye, your efforts may look sufficient, and your number of repetitions are high. But if cheating becomes the norm, you’re ultimately not going to get the results you’re looking for (plus, you risk injury). A meditation cheat is when you’re meditating consistently, but short-changing yourself on the time. Let's say your commitment is to meditate for 15 minutes a day, but you regularly stop after 5 minutes, or 8 minutes, because it feels like nothing is happening. That's cheating. Just like in the gym, it's happening because you are being outcome-oriented instead of process-oriented, not realizing that you’re only cheating yourself. If you decide to meditate for 15 minutes, then sit for the entire 15 minutes."

Start out with a regular daily practice like 3-5 minutes, be gentle on yourself and increase as you feel comfortable.  Namaste