Peggy Freeh interviews inspiring people who have experienced amazing personal transformations doing simple, mindful activities every day. Sometimes, it’s the kind of thing you might expect, like yoga, meditation, or journaling. Sometimes, it’s not, like photography, writing or even listening to podcasts (yes, that can be a practice)! Every person has experienced a profound shift in their life, all starting with just a few minutes a day.
Resources to Connect with Glenn: Divine Light Vibrations website - courses, meditations, and one-on-one sessions Vibrational Voyages website - Go-To Guides for Spiritual Beings her book How to Make the Most of Your Earth Experience her class Meet the Infinite You Glenn on Facebook Divine Light Vibrations on Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Google+
Glenn had been on a spiritual path for a long time. She started meditating in college with her roommate. She studied with amazing teachers, learning to trust her intuition more and more. She found herself letting go over and over again. She let go of control and listened more to her inner guidance. She let go of her fears and limitations. During one particular meditation, she let go of everything and met her Divine Soul. It had a profound effect on her inner and outer life. Inwardly, she experienced a deep love and connection beyond anything she had known before. Outwardly, she travelled the world and became a spiritual teacher. Listen to Glenn's story of what this process has been like for her, what shifted because of that connection to her Divine Soul, and how she is now helping other people connect to their Divine Souls. In this interview, Glenn shares: her experience seeing the world in its divine light form the question she asks herself to see if something is right for her her process to release her blocks the moment she met her Divine Soul how her life has shifted because of that meeting how she is helping other people connect to their Divine Souls Resources to Connect with Glenn: Divine Light Vibrations website - courses, meditations, and one-on-one sessions Vibrational Voyages website - Go-To Guides for Spiritual Beings her book How to Make the Most of Your Earth Experience her class Meet the Infinite You Glenn on Facebook Divine Light Vibrations on Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Google+ Other Resources Shared in this Interview: Transcendental Meditation Jim Goure and the Light Center
Toni just kind of fell into meditating. Her husband had learned to meditate and his teacher offered to teach Toni, too. The benefits were fast, clear and almost too good to be true. She continued to study, and soon became a teacher as did her husband. Her whole life shifted in many amazing ways. And when she got pregnant, meditation became a natural support both for her and her baby. Toni now teaches this meditation technique to pregnant women. It helps them bond with their baby during pregnancy. It can be used during labor and delivery. Even more, it provides a valuable aid to adjusting to life as a new parent. Listen to Toni's story of what this practice has been like for her, how her practice has helped her as a new mother, and how anyone can benefit from this practice. In this interview, Toni shares: the benefits she found from this meditation practice what happens when she tries to meditate during her son's naptime how this practice helped her during her labor, delivery and recovery the trust she found in her own mothering instincts from doing this practice how she uses this practice on days when she hasn't gotten much sleep why she teaches it's about getting out of the way and letting the practice do its work Resources to Connect with Toni: website Facebook - Toni Facebook - Soul Meditation for Pregnancy Twitter
Nicole Liloia was given a beautiful travel journal just before a two month trip to Venezuela. She had just quit a stressful job, and it gave her a chance to step back and reassess her life. She didn't continue journaling at home, but picked up the habit again a few years later. She started with simple things - tracking new habits she wanted to develop and noticing meaningful moments in her day. Journaling helped her keep to her new habits, and made her more aware of all the good things in her life. She developed a daily writing habit, and continued to explore different possibilities for her journaling. Sometimes she came up with ideas she wanted to share in her business. Sometimes she wrote mantras over and over again. Sometimes she used journaling prompts to dive deeper and see aspects of her life she had been avoiding. Listen to Nicole's story of all the ways she has explored journaling, the many benefits she has seen from her practice, and her best advice to start a journaling practice of your own. In this interview, Nicole shares: her favorite website to help you develop a daily journaling practice why she doesn't have a particular structure for her journaling practice why she created her book of journaling prompts and what she got out of doing the process for herself why it's good to feel uncomfortable when you are journaling sometimes how journaling has helped her build her business and changed her life how journaling supported her during a monthlong trip to Costa Rica Resources to Connect with Nicole: website Facebook Twitter Instagram Live More E-Course - Nicole's book of journaling prompts Other Resources Shared in this Interview: 750words.com - daily writing habit website Simple Daily Practice Community group on Facebook
Alex followed his girlfriend and her friend into a new age bookstore (someplace he wouldn't normally be caught dead in). He felt called to pick up a book on Zen Buddhism and start reading. He was amazed. The author was talking about all the things he was dealing with in his life. He thought he had it all (the job, the apartment, the girlfriend), but he was still unhappy. He knew he needed more of this information, so he started to study and meditate. Eventually he entered a Zen monastery. He settled into the routine there, meditating, studying and running retreats with the other monks. After nearly 14 years, he felt pulled to leave the monastery and start a business so he could share what he had learned with a larger audience. Listen to Alex's story of how he became a monk, what he learned from the experience and how he is sharing that wisdom through his Zen life coaching business. In this interview, Alex shares: the moment he first connected to Zen Buddhism why paying for life coaching is such an important part of the process. the value of making and keeping commitments to yourself and others what his personal practice looks like now that he is out of the monastery his advice for how long to start meditating the app he uses to help him stay mindful when he's on the computer the more relatable word he prefers for the classic Buddhist term “suffering” his best advice to start a daily practice how he compares meditating to changing a poopy diaper Resources to Connect with Alex: website Practicing Presence book Meditation and Reinventing Yourself book Heart-to-Heart: Compassionate Self-Mentoring Online Retreat - try the first three days for free email Facebook Twitter Other Resources Shared in this Interview: Time Out - break reminder tool for Macs
Amelia Aeon Karris shares an 11 minute meditation to align you to the energy in the center of your heart. This mediation is done with your eyes closed, so please only do it when you can give it your full attention. Resources to Connect with Amelía: website Facebook
Amelía was a busy, successful entrepreneur when she met a couple from Japan during a business event. She felt a strong connection to them, so when they asked if she'd like to meditate with them, she gave it a try. Because of the language barrier, they would mostly sit together in silence. Amelía wasn't quite sure what was happening, but she felt herself changing. After the meditations, the couple would teach her more about what was happening. After 10 years, she experienced a big breakthrough. She became clear that she wanted to share more of what she had learned and continued to discover. She gradually shifted her business activities to make this practice the exclusive focus of her work in the world. Listen to Amelía's story of what this practice has given her personally, her life purpose that she has discovered with this practice, and how she is building a business to share this work with the world. And be sure to check out her recorded meditation practice so you can experience this meditation for yourself. Resources to Connect with Amelía: website Facebook Other Resources Shared in this Interview: Takeo Yamada bio Simple Daily Practice Community on Facebook
Laura had just moved out of her parent's house, and was feeling anxious and depressed. On day, she heard her roommate chanting. When she looked in, her roommate asked Laura to come in and join her. Laura sat down and started chanting out loud with her roommate. She immediately felt a rush of energy in her body. She felt hopeful again and believed that she could overcome any difficulty she was facing. She continued to practice every day, sometimes just repeating the chant three times, sometimes practicing for hours. She experienced profound shifts in her inner experience - more happiness, confidence and energy. She also connected to deep wisdom that helped guide her to find solutions she couldn't imagine on her own. Listen to Laura's story of what it's been like for her to do this chanting practice, all the changes she's seen in her life, and how she has opened up to more and more of her potential every day. In this interview, Laura shares: the origin of her chanting practice the way she proved to herself that she could create whatever she wanted by chanting how her community supports her practice how this practice supports world peace how this practice has changed her and the people around her the happiness she has found with this practice (even when she's feeling depressed or anxious) the practical problem solving benefits of this practice her best advice to start this practice Resources to Connect with Laura: Laura's business website and blog Instagram Google+ Pinterest YouTube Twitter Other Resources Shared in this Interview: SGI website - Soka Gakkai International (SGI) means value creating society the chant is "Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo" the scroll/mandala is a Gohonzon
When Lizzy's brother-in-law was diagnosed with a terminal illness, it turned the family upside down. They had to learn how to care for him during his 12 year illness and ultimate death. They also had to learn how to take care of themselves with all these new and unexpected responsibilities. At that point, Lizzy had already been meditating for 25 years. She had teachers she loved and respected, but something was still missing for her. She had yet to find a practice where she could freely share all aspects of herself. She connected with a Tibetan Buddhist lama. He had been born in Tibet in 1939, and studied with many of the teachers who tutored the current Dalai Lama. He was funny and open, and he helped her deepen and broaden her meditative practices. Listen to Lizzy's story of what it had been like to study with this lama for the last 22 years and how the practices she does have helped her find the courage to work with people facing death and their caregivers. In this interview, Lizzy shares: all the amazing teachers she has studied with over the last 36 years how her Tibetan teacher learned English after coming to the US what she learned from her teacher's expression “Not too tight, not too loose” what analytical meditation is and how she does it what she's learned from recently starting an Ashtanga Yoga practice her advice on evaluating a new practice for yourself Resources to Connect with Lizzy: her caregiver coaching website her law office website (licensed in Michigan and New York) Pinterest Other Resources Shared in this Interview: Swami Satchidananda - her first meditation teacher Rabbi Sholmo Carlebach and Rabbi Joseph Gelberman Baba Muktananda and Gurumayi - Siddha Yoga Jon Kabat-Zinn Gelek Rimpoche and his organization Jewel Heart Angela Jamison - Ashtanga Yoga teacher
Sky Kier was working hard in college. He was a psychology/theater double major with plans to go to law school. He would get up at 5:30 in the morning to run, determined to do whatever it took to be the best man he could be. One of Sky's professors recommended a course on Transcendental Meditation. Because he respected this man so much, Sky decided to give it a try. Just like everything else in his life, he was determined to do it with everything he had. What he found was that it was not about trying harder. It was about finding a place of ease and relaxation with his practice. Once he had made that shift, he was able to start enjoying his practice and experiencing the many benefits of TM. Listen to his whole story of what it was like to learn TM, how it has shifted his world view and what he's gotten from his practice over the last 30 years. In this interview, Sky shares: what his practice looks like now his experience of working with a mantra some of the proven health benefits of TM how TM has helped him deal with everyday irritations his best advice for starting a TM practice Resources to Connect with Sky: phone - 303-834-0835 email - openwingz@comcast.net Facebook Other Resources Shared in this Interview: Transcendental Meditation Maharishi University of Management Mankind Project International Simple Daily Practice Community group on Facebook
As a young adult, Wendy Battino went backpacking in New Zealand. She was intrigued when she met a group of people going to a 10 day retreat to learn Vipassana, so she decided to join them. It was a powerful experience for her, and she left feeling very connected to the people and world around her. When she got back home, she wasn't consistent with her practice. She resisted the urge to force herself to do it and instead treated it like an experiment. She just kept coming back to it, and it gradually became a daily practice for her. Now Vipassana influences much of her day. She meditates an hour a day. She uses it in her life coaching. She started a local meditation group in her community. It has become a consistent thread in her life, and brought her brought her many gifts. Learn all the ways Vipassana has became woven into Wendy's life, how her practice has changed for her over time, and all the ways she has benefitted from this practice for almost 25 years. In this interview, Wendy shares: the meditation she created for herself before she studied Vipassana meditation what is was like to talk again after her 10 day silent Vipassana retreat why she doesn't beat herself up if she doesn't meditate every day how studying with Thich Nhat Hanh changed her practice her favorite Pema Chodron story about not being perfect why she says she's an addicted, selfish meditator how her experience has shifted over time how consistently meditating in a group has supported her her best advice for creating a daily practice (with or without Vipassana) Resources to Connect with Wendy: website YouTube Other Resources Shared in this Interview: Vipassana Thich Nhat Hanh Simple Daily Practice Community group on Facebook
Aine Mac Dermott had been on a spiritual journey for a long time. She had a sense that she wanted to meditate, but she hadn't worked out the details. She would try sometimes, going into her bedroom after work and tuning in, but she never found anything she would stick with. She went to a week long class at the Chopra Center, and learned Primordial Sound Meditation. She was given a mantra to repeat to herself, and practiced during the week of the retreat. In just that week, she could tell that she resonated with this meditation. When she got home, she continued to meditate every day. She felt the shifts in her experience. Other people noticed changes in her, and she was able to connect in a deeper, more energetic way with her interior design clients. Listen to Aine's story of how she learned Primordial Sound Meditation, what that experience was like for her and the shifts she's experienced from her practice. In this interview, Aine shares: the important shift in her understanding about how to work with a mantra meditation the feedback she got from other people about how she changed after she started meditating how her work in the world is supported by her meditation practice what happens when she tries to force something to happen now her best advice to start a practice like hers the visual component she added to her practice to help her focus what it feels like to carry her practice in her body throughout her day Resources to Connect with Aine: website Instagram LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Pinterest Other Resources Shared in this Interview: Seduction of Spirit retreat Primordial Sound Meditation Jean Houston - entelechy Deepak Chopra - SynchroDestiny Simple Daily Practice Community on Facebook
Peggy had been a stay at home mom for 9 years. She was at a breaking point, focusing all her time and energy on her kids and none on herself. She signed up for a life coach training program, and threw herself their recommended daily practice to notice and dissolve her painful thoughts. But after a year, she realized that it wasn't very effective for her. Even though she learned the technique and could use it effectively with other people, it wasn't causing many shifts in her life. So she tried another practice - yoga. This was a completely different experience. She felt genuinely inspired to do this practice. She felt the benefits right away and continued to feel them as she practiced more. She was so inspired that she went on to create this podcast to find out how other people create their own transformative daily practices they love. Listen to Peggy's story of how daily practice has changed her life, and what she has learned about creating a daily practice from all the people she has interviewed. In this interview, Peggy shares: the three questions to ask to see if a practice is working for you her favorite analogy to think about daily practice how many days to try a practice to see if it resonates with you the number of days is really takes to form a habit guidelines for checking in with yourself about your practice how much time you need every day to start a daily practice what it's like to feel inspired to start a new practice the value of connecting with a group when you start a practice the benefits of having multiple practices her best advice to start a daily practice Resources to Connect with Peggy: website Facebook page Facebook Simple Daily Practice Community group Twitter Instagram Resources to Connect with Jaree: website Other Resources Shared in this Interview: The Work of Byron Katie this blog post and this one talk about how a study explores how long it takes to create a new habit guests mentioned in the show: Natanya Lara - identifying one thing she's grateful for before she gets out of bed Elena Lipson - setting her alarm 10 minutes earlier and hitting the snooze button Sharon Alexander - how her 24 year yoga practice has changed over time
At the age of 20, Patsie was so depressed, she took an overdose of painkillers. She ended up in the hospital, floating in and out of conscious. During that time, she connected with something that astonished her - a profound sense of total peace and love, beyond thought. After she left the hospital, that peace was only a memory, so she started to explore meditation to find her way back to it. The first place she found it was practicing chi kung. She was able to let go of her mind and find that peace again. She explored other practices - visualizations, yoga, breath work - and was able to connect with and maintain that sense of peace throughout her day. She continued to explore other forms of meditation and find other benefits even beyond that sense of peace. She was able to disconnect from her thoughts and deeply connect with who she truly is. Today, Patsie has an amazing collection of meditation techniques she draws on every day as she needs to keep connected to her moment by moment experience and her soul. Listen to her story of all the techniques she's used and the different benefits she has found with each one. In this interview, Patsie shares: how she continued her practice when she had children how she experiences that sense of peace in her body the type of Buddhist meditation she used to disengage from her thoughts her experience working with Zen koans how her search has ended AND another journey has begun why her whole life feels like meditation now (and why she still meditates every morning) her favorite mantras and when she finds them most helpful her best advice to get started with a meditation practice the rewards of meditation practice beyond more calm and peace Resources to Connect with Patsie: website Facebook page free Facebook Meditation group Twitter free presentation - Make Peace with Your Life on the Gingko Journey free presentation - How to Self-Heal Your Depression Other Resources Shared in this Interview: The Om Mani Padme Hum Tibetan mantra The Durga Mantra
Vivian remembers the dark years. Between moving, changing jobs, her husband retiring and her sons leaving home, her life was turned upside down. She knew she needed to do something different so she decided to simply stop and pay more attention. She started with daily journaling, asking questions and listening for the answers. She sat outside every morning at sunrise, watching the light come from the darkness so she could trust that the light would come back into her life, too. While her practices were helping her, they came with a catch. She was treating them like other items on her to do list, and if she ever missed a practice, she beat herself up. She wanted to find a way to be consistent with her practices in a way that felt kind and loving. Listen to Vivian's story of how she approaches her daily practice now so it does feel loving and supportive (even when she misses a few days), and how her practice is an ever evolving part of her life. In this interview, Vivian shares: her favorite, favorite practice why she sleeps with the curtains open the practice she does before she goes to sleep to receive answers to her questions how daily practice is like water (and what to do about it) how she's being called to release her current practice that she loves how she's finding peace with the word “discipline” how her relationship to daily practice is like walking her dog her favorite meditation app why falling asleep when you are meditating is good how daily practice is still changing her life Resources to Connect with Vivian: website Turning Inward podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Google+ Other Resources Shared in this Interview: Mary Oliver - “Attention is the beginning of devotion.” - from the poem “Upstream” Rainer Maria Rilke - “Be attentive to what is arising within you and place that above everything else." - from Letters to a Young Poet Steve Pressfield - “an appointment with the muse” - I couldn't find a specific source for this quote, but he does discuss muses in his book The War of Art Headspace meditation app Simple Daily Practice Community on Facebook
Caren Baginski shares a 5 minute meditation to clear the mind of worries and promote a deep sense of security and safety. This meditation also opens and energizes your root chakra. Resources to Connect with Caren: website all of Caren's 5 minute meditations to activate your true spirit Twitter
Caren had a long history of depression. During college, she kept very busy and her depression was lessened. After graduating, she got a new job, moved to a new city and started a new relationship. Even with all that, she had more time to stop and reflect and her depression came back. One night, she contemplated suicide. The next day, she went to a doctor and started taking Zoloft. While it helped with her depression, she felt anxious, nauseated, and she couldn't sleep. She wanted to find a way to feel better without taking drugs, so she started doing yoga. She noticed a difference, and she continued to practice. There were some parts of her experience that yoga wasn't shifting, so she starting meditating as well. The combination was exactly what she needed. She was eventually able to stop taking her medication and fully recover from her depression. Listen to her story of how she worked with both yoga and meditation to heal herself, her favorite mantra to shift her mindset and the current challenge she is facing. Also try her guided meditation to clear the mind of worries and activate trust. In this interview, Caren shares: the simple breathing technique that helped her sleep how her first daily practice before yoga and meditation was shifting her mindset the role her dog Willow played in her healing how she decided to do a yoga teacher training why her practice has shifted now more towards meditation and less towards yoga why she meditates with her fiance what she considers the greatest accomplishment of her life the challenge she's facing now and how her practices are supporting her her best advice for starting a daily practice Resources to Connect with Caren: website all of Caren's 5 minute meditations to activate your true spirit Twitter Other Resources Shared in this Interview: Yoga for Depression Iyengar yoga Samadhi Center for Yoga in Denver Misophona - misophonia.com and misophonia-association.org VIpassana Yoga nidra Simple Daily Practice Community group on Facebook
Sarahjoy's first daily practices were not kind ones. She compulsively weighed herself, obsessed about food, and exercised all the time. Making art was her only escape from thinking about her body and food. She went on a solo backpacking trip. She struggled up the trail with an overloaded backpack. When she got above the treeline, she put down her pack. As she looked around, she experienced an expansiveness and freedom that she had totally lost touch with in her obsession with food. She started to move her body and connect with how her body actually felt. Soon after she arrived home, she discovered that the movements she spontaneously did had a name - yoga. She started practicing yoga and meditation, and she was able to recover from her food addiction. She continued her own practices, and became a yoga teacher and yoga therapist. She has gone on to create a 360 degree life, one where she is able to fully embrace and express all aspects of herself. Listen to her story of the practices she used to heal herself, and thrive in the world. In this interview, Sarahjoy shares: her advice for picking a style of yoga to meet you where you are why she recommends looking for a yoga teacher with yoga therapy training the first unnerving thing that shifted for her when she began practicing yoga how she shifted her relationship to food as she practiced the importance of connecting to community on her journey how the thought “I have to do it” shaped her experience what living a 360 degree life means to her her best advice for starting a daily practice (she's the first guest who has shared this advice) Resources to Connect with Sarahjoy: website her bookHunger, Hope and Healing: A Yoga Approach to Reclaiming Your Relationship to Your Body and Food Facebook Twitter Other Resources Shared in this Interview: Insight Meditation Society Breitenbush Hot Springs Ram Dass Joseph Goldstein Jack Kornfield Pema Chodron Eckhart Tolle Eknath Easwaran Kripalu Yoga Center DAYA Foundation Living Yoga Conscious Mornings Challenge
Chel Hamilton provides a guided hypnotic meditation to support people in learning her ReWire It process. Resources to Connect with Chel: website Meditation Minis podcast - website and in iTunes Eckhart Tolle - nose focused breathing meditation on website and in iTunes ReWire It! ebook to go with the practice above
Chel was a sensitive kid. For awhile, she ran away from that sensitivity. In her 20s, she found herself getting into trouble - partying too much, staying up too late. She ended up severely depressed and facing major panic attacks. She tried journaling and meditation, but they didn't help. What did help was a micro practice - stopping to observe what she was thinking and feeling many, many times a day. And things started to shift. She was able to develop more awareness and was eventually able to stop her panic attacks. Chel went on to learn hypnotherapy and uses it to help her stop the automatic negative responses and replace them with new, more positive patterns. She is able to live her life in the calm, confident, loving way she wants. Listen to her story of how she found her way, the practices she used (and continues to use), and how her life has been transformed. And try her Rewire It! process, one of the key practices she shares with her hypnotherapy clients. She has provided a recording and an ebook to help you learn the technique. In this interview, Chel shares: the two daily practices she used to deal with her panic attacks how she became a hypnotherapist (despite her initial skepticism) how our subconscious can stop us from making the changes we know we want how hypnotherapy help you change your behavior the importance of shifting your story one of her all time favorite practices her #1 suggestion for getting unstuck Resources to Connect with Chel: website Meditation Minis podcast - website and in iTunes Eckhart Tolle - nose focused breathing meditation on website and in iTunes ReWire It! ebook to go with the practice above Other Resources Shared in this Interview: Dharma Punx Pema Chodron
Heather couldn't find a way to heal from a cystic tumor on her ovary. She had it surgically removed, but her symptoms still persisted. She tried alternative medicine, and she still had no relief. She met a woman who had been to see John of God, a healer in Brazil who channels the spirits of past doctors and saints. Immediately, Heather knew she had to go. She spent over two weeks in Brazil. By the time she left, her physical symptoms were gone. And she had started on her spiritual path. She began meditating regularly, moved to Hawaii and wrote her first book. As she continued on her path, she found daily practices were a vital part of her exploration and expansion. Listen to Heather's story of how she found and followed her spiritual path, the practices she has used along the way, and how she now helps others to find their own paths as well. Be sure to listen to the guided meditation she shares to activate your destiny in 2015 (the link is below). In this interview, Heather shares: the details of her first experience with John of God how her life shifted after that experience her favorite practice to hone in and enhance her intuition the questions Heather asks herself every day as part of her daily practice the details of her second visit with John of God her current morning practices what happens when she guided to make changes in her practices the one non negotiable practice for her a description of her guided meditation to activate your destiny in 2015 Resources to Connect with Heather: website including her books 2015 Meditation Activation mentioned in the interview Twitter Facebook Huffington Post Other Resources Shared in this Interview: Alison Armstrong John of God Doreen Virtue cards - Angel Cards, Fairies, Goddess, Ascended Masters, Archangel BodyTalk DoTerra
Britt Nemeth loves photography. To her, it's an ineffable and heart driven experience. She strives to not just make pretty pictures, but to capture the essence of each particular person, place or thing she shoots. When she is taking photographs, she was deeply in that presence that makes photography so special for her. But running her photography business took her out of that presence much of the time. A friend asked her to the 5 day #blackandwhitechallenge. Britt agreed, not thinking too much off it. From the first day, she was hooked. It took her back to what she loved most about photography and it inspired her to create her own 365 black and white photo challenge for 2015. Listen to her story of what's shifted for her in the first month of this practice, and check back for updates on how it's going throughout the year. In this interview, Britt shares: the 5 day black and white challenge that got her started the new 365 day challenge she has created for 2015 what's shifted in her photography business as a result of her new inspiration how she sees the challenge unfolding for her this year Resources to Connect with Britt: website blog post - Can a Simple #hashtag Challenge Change Your Life? Instagram - her 365 day challenge hashtag is #bnpbwchallenge Facebook Pinterest Other Resources Shared in this Episode: Amy Scott - 100 Happy Days and Beyond - taking a photo every day of something that made her happy with the 100 Happy Days Challenge Catherine Just - Practicing with Her Son - Catherine's frustration with her son's nap time shifted after she started taking a photo of him during his naptime (start at 2:59) Melani Marx - Deepening Her Connection to Herself - Melani took photos during her daily walk (start at 12:30)
Pernelle has been writing professionally for 12 years, 7 years as her main job. The writing came in fits and starts. She would go through massive creative spurts and produce tons of work in no time. And then she won't write for a few weeks or a month. Then she'd have another creative spurt. This way of working depleted her. She would have one of these creative bursts and then feel empty and think she couldn't do it again. She knew she could write, but she didn't know how to make it a sustainable activity for herself. So she started experimenting. At first, she set up her schedule to write in the afternoons. Then she tried writing first thing in the morning. The she added some meditation before writing. All the experimenting had paid off. Pernille has a solid writing practice that supports her and allows her to bring her creative work into the world in a way that feels nurturing and sustainable. Listen to her story of how she worked out the details of her practice, what she does now, and how it has changed her life. In this interview, Pernille shares: what writing (and life) was like for her before her daily practice her analogy of writing a book to running a marathon her trial and error process of creating her daily writing practice what her daily practice looks like now the rituals she goes through before she sits down to start writing how and why she separates writing and editing why limiting our choices (or eliminating them altogether) can help us be more creative her best advice for starting a daily writing practice the important difference between “original” and “brilliant” how her daily writing practice carried her through burnout after finishing a novel Resources to Connect with Pernille: website Pernille's articles on creating a consistent daily writing practice. Facebook Twitter Other Resources Shared in this Interview: John Cleese - How To Be Creative (video) - brilliant video about the open and closed modes Pernille mentioned, how they relate to creativity, and how to use that information to be more creative The Power of Habit - Charles Duhigg
Jenn Hand knew she had issues with anxiety and depression. When she started seeing a therapist, she didn't connect those issues to her difficulties with food. She had been alternating between restricting and binging - crazy eating was just her everyday experience. Her therapist asked Jenn to start keeping a food journal - just what she ate and when she ate it. Then the therapist asked her to add how she felt after she ate. That was challenging. Jenn wasn't used to looking at her feelings. She had been stuffing them down with food instead. Slowly, she started to see her patterns of disordered eating. She was able to use her journal as a place to meet her experiences with love and acceptance, and she has found a new level of peace with food and with her life. Listen to Jenn's story of how journaling helped her develop the self-awareness to heal her disordered eating and how she continues her journaling as a vital part of her daily self-care. In this interview, Jenn shares: how she got started with journaling about her food her favorite analogy for disordered eating how her journaling shifted as she started seeing her eating patterns how things got worse after she started journaling before they got better how journaling shifted from feeling like a lot of work to an essential aspect of her self-care how she prepares herself now for stressful situations how the quality of her thoughts has changed over time her relationship with food and journaling now what she does with her old journals her best advice for starting a practice like hers Resources to Connect with Jenn: website email - info@jennhand.com Jenn's free gift - Your Must-Have Guide to Ending the Diet Cycle
Claudia Olivie explains the 4-7-8 breathing practice she teaches to reduce stress, and then guides you through a short practice session.
In her early 20s, Claudia was going nonstop. She was in college and working, regularly going two or three days without sleep. Her body started breaking down and she got to the point where it took her 20 minutes to read one sentence. She was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder and her life came to a standstill. She used the scientific research skills she had developed in college and started looking for answers. She discovered how her chronic stress contributed to her illness. She found many, many ways to address stress, so she called on another skill she had developed during college - how to experiment. She took what she learned and created daily practices to bring them into her life. Some worked and some didn't, and she was able to gradually find her way back to full health and a blissful life. Listen to Claudia's story of what daily practices she used to reduce her stress level, how she she found what worked and what didn't, and all the amazing changes she's seen in her life. Also check out Claudia's separate recording of a breathing practice to help reduce stress. In this interview, Claudia shares: the details of her physical breakdown the powerful stress reduction results she got from changing her diet her simple summary of the food changes she made how she shifted her attitude about stress why she looks at inflammation as the first issue when addressing stress a breathing practice to use anytime to reduce stress how to look for stressors in your life how her connection to her intuition changed as she went through this process her best advice to start a daily practice to reduce stress Resources to Connect with Claudia: website Magnificent Mornings workshop - Claudia's program to create your perfect morning routine Twitter Other Resources Shared in this Interview: Byron Katie - The Work process Dr. Andrew Weil - source for the 4-7-8 breathing practice
Kelly didn't really realize how important quiet time in the morning was to her. Before she had children, she lived and worked in London and had at least an hour of quiet time to herself every morning. Even on the underground, she would have her eyes closed or bury herself deep in a book. Then she had her first baby. She was not prepared for that sudden lack of quiet morning time before she had to be with other people. Waking up each morning and jumping into mommy mode was incredibly challenging for Kelly. Gradually, Kelly found her way back to that quiet morning time. At first, it was just on the weekends when her husband let her sleep in and have some extra time to herself. Then she challenged herself to take 15 minutes before her kids got up to set herself up for the best day possible. Building on that success, Kelly has even found other ways to add daily practices to her busy life. Today Kelly has a morning practice she can't imagine living without. It's developed slowly over time and continues to change and evolve. Listen to Kelly's story of all the ways she incorporates daily practice into her life and what it has come to mean to her and her family.
Bailey started with a twice weekly yoga practice. She was dedicated to it, because she needed it to survive her busy life as a burnt out therapist working 70 hour a week. She wanted to shift her business from working in person to working with people online. As she shifted her business, she reevaluated everything about her life, including her morning routine. She experimented with different activities, fine tuning what she did until she felt grounded and ready for her day. But that wasn't enough. When she found herself working on her computer late every night, she experimented again - this time with her evening routine. She played around with both routines, finding a way to create bookends for her best possible day. Listen to Bailey's story of how she went from using daily practices to survive to how she she uses them now to create her ideal life one day at a time and thrive.
At 21, Katie was a mess. She had been struggling with a severe eating disorder throughout college. She entered an outpatient treatment program to find a way out of the craziness. She connected with a mentor who helped her see what was going on - Katie wasn't able to feel her feelings, and the disordered eating was her way to avoid her looking at them. Her mentor recommended Katie sit on a meditation cushion and feel her feelings. But Katie just couldn't do it. She couldn't sit still. She couldn't quiet her mind. She bought a journal on a whim one day and started writing. That did it. Katie was finally able to see and feel her feelings. She was able to get them out and be completely honest with herself for the first time. That let her be honest with other people and show up more authentically with the people around her. Listen to Katie's story of how she used journaling to connect with herself on a deep level, why she continues to journal every day, and all the gifts journaling has brought her.
On one hand, Andy's life looked great. He had a great job abroad developing software. But after two acquisitions, the work environment turned toxic and he knew he had to get out. He started journaling, and connected with a new vision for his life. He knew he wanted to work at home and spend time writing, but he couldn't connect to what his core message was. About a year after he left his job, his mom died of cancer. Andy reflected on her life and death, and found the message he most wanted to share - making moments matter. While that insight helped him focus, he was still floundering, trying to create a successful business based on his inspiration. He started meditating every day, and it helped him find the focus and clarity he needed to move forward. Listen to Andy's story of how he went from working in a toxic environment to building a life affirming business, how his mother inspired his big vision, and all the practices that have supported him on his journey.
Cate had been working in global change politics in Washington, D.C. She was called to study natural healing to help people become more awake to their bodies and their ecosystems so they could make better decisions for their own health and the health of the planet. She connected most with yoga and Ayurveda, yoga's sister science of health and healing. She went through an intense period of studying both, learning a very traditional approach. These practices revolutionized her connection to herself and the world around her. While she started out following the prescribed habits as she was taught, she came to connect with these habits at a new, deeper level, transforming them from habits to practices. Listen to Cate's story of how she learned these Ayurvedic health habits, how she has worked with them over time, and how they have become her daily practices so she can share herself and her work with the world
Catarina had been practicing Kundalini yoga and loving it. It helped her feel more grounded and calm. But she noticed that it wasn't helping her feel more energized or joyful. And while she liked doing the meditation at the end of the Kundalini yoga class, she found it wasn't something she liked doing on her own. She learned about laughter yoga while Googling for information on kids' yoga. She had been facing some challenging times in the her life, and she was so intrigued with the idea of just laughing that that she signed up for a weekend teacher training as her first experience. It was an intense and amazing experience for her. She was able to tap into that joyful side of herself that she had lost touch with. She has since found many different ways to include laughter yoga into her day as well as share it with other people in her life. Listen to Catarina's story of what it's like to practice laughter yoga, how she integrates it into her life and all the different benefits she has received from this practice.
Catherine Just wanted to be a stay at home mom for her son Max''s first three years of life. She knew she couldn't get those years back, and she wanted to be as present as possible. And like most stay at home moms, she cherished naptime, her one chance to spend time alone and get some other things done. Max didn't always want to nap, though. Catherine would try to rock him to sleep, and some days, he would just look at her and laugh. One day, she decided to do the whole thing differently. She took her iPhone with her to naptime and lay down next to Max. After he fell asleep, she took a picture of them together. She saw how much of the present moment she had been missing, focusing on getting somewhere else and being somewhere else. Instead, she found a simple way she could always bring herself back to the present moment. Listen to how this practice has changed Catherine's life and the other practices she does inspired by Max.
Bridget had a regular daily practice for years. With her professional background in psychotherapy, hypnotherapy and energy healing as well as her devotion to her own spiritual path, she experimented with a wide variety of spiritual practices. She struggled with the effects of an acrimonious divorce and adrenal fatigue. Then one day, she got an intuitive hit that she needed to go to Cape Town. At first, she thought is was just for a holiday, but as she got closer, she realized she was supposed to move there. She got rid of most of her belongings and put the rest in storage in London. And off she went to Cape Town even though she thought she was crazy. She wasn't crazy after all. She regained her health, meet her soul partner and wrote a novel. And before, during and after the transition, her practices changed to support her. She continued some practices, dropped others, and added new ones. All throughout, her practices were able to support her throughout the process. Listen to Bridget share about her transformation, how her daily practices evolved with her, and where her practices are taking her now.
In 2004, Shane joined in the infantry in the 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, Bravo Company. During the four years he served, he faced many challenging missions, including recovering bodies after Hurricane Katrina, evacuating 10,000 Americans out of Lebanon, and training Iraqi police and Army personnel. Months after his honorable discharge, he was coughing up blood and was rushed to the emergency room. He was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism and told that he would have to be on blood thinners for the rest of his life. He had gone from being strong and healthy to feeling weak and useless. He reevaluated his situation and made some big changes. He moved to a 26 acre farm in Connecticut and started farming, eating only food he had grown. And he started taking daily walks in the woods. Exploring the woods, he was able to find a sense of peace and connection to himself that he had lost during his years of service. Listen to Shane's remarkable story of his experience in the Marines, what he did to recover from the aftereffects of his service, and his new plans for the future.
Andrew learned tai chi fifteen years ago. He learned the whole form thoroughly, but he was busy with his life as a teacher, and he practiced haphazardly for more than a decade. He also started his own website in 1994, blogging on a wide variety of topics that inspired him. When he committed to practicing 100 days of Tai Chi in 2006, it only seemed natural to blog every day about his experience. He did a few 100 days cycles, blogging the whole time. Then, three years ago, Andrew saw some of his old blog posts from his 100 day challenges and decided to start practicing tai chi every day, this time committing for a full year. He added in other practices as he felt inspired, and he blogged about his experience. At the time of the interview, Andrew had completed 2 years and 220 days of his practices and blogging about it. Listen to his story of how his daily practices have changed his life and how blogging has added to his experience.
Tara had lived in London her whole life. After one especially bad year (a big break-up, depression, and overworking to distract herself from what was happening), she decided to move to the coast and start again. She had always been interested in healing and alternative therapies. She found a teacher in her new city who taught her tai chi and she began to practice regularly. It was slow going. She didn't see results right away, but gradually she began to feel better. The depression went away and she felt calmer and more patient. She also found her way back to creating art. Her depression had made it hard for her to get through the day, much less pick up a paintbrush. She didn't develop a daily art practice, but instead created a variety of short term art practices as her needs and interests changed. Listen to Tara's inspiring story of how the connection she has built with her daily tai chi practice supports and nourishes all her artistic activities, allowing her to live a life of balance, harmony and creative expression.
Amy had been seeing various gratitude practices and challenges going around social media. When a friend started the 100 Happy Days Challenge (take a photo of something that made you happy for 100 days), she was intrigued. She went to the website, and decided to do it. It felt doable to her. She was already taking and posting photos every day, and her schedule looked very stable for the next 100 days, so she dove in. She found that the challenge really did shift her viewpoint from what she didn't like in a situation to what she did. It wasn't just the 5 minutes it took to take the photo and post it to social media. She found herself noticing what was making her happy throughout her day. Hear Amy's story of how this practice has changed her life and her experience of daily practice. Amy will be back with short follow up interviews so you can hear how her experience with this practice changes over time.
Laurie went through a series of losses. She withdrew from the world, isolating herself more and more. She continued to study with many different teachers, but she became more reclusive and isolated. She eventually saw how disconnected she was, from the world around her and from herself. She drew all on she had studied, and created a morning mindfulness practice. The core of the practice was going outside every day to the same spot and sitting there for at least 20 minutes. But sitting for at least 20 minutes was not Laurie's problem. She loved sitting there so much that she had to set an alarm to remind her to go in, sometimes sitting as long as 2 hours. Her feeling of connection was coming back, bringing her to tears every day for the first two years. Laurie shares in beautiful detail how she practices today, the influences that have meant the most to her, and the deep connection she has regain with herself and the world around her.
Ana Goncalves shares a morning renewal meditation. It will help you connect with who you are, so that you can feel lighter and brighter and believe that everything is going to work out wonderfully in your day.
Ana was severely depressed as a teenager. She didn't believe anyone loved her and that people were just out to get each other. She felt disconnected and unfulfilled. She found herself writing lists of what she was grateful for. She focused on what she was grateful for in herself, really allowing herself to savor her own positive qualities she would normally overlook. And as she wrote, it felt like a huge load dropped away from her. She felt deep love and connection. The world took on a different meaning, and she realized that she had a purpose. Ana has continued to expand her gratitude practice to her whole life now. She shares her powerful story, how she walks in the world in gratitude, and how she has found deep appreciation for all the experiences of her life.
Peggy started Simple Daily Practice Radio as a way to talk about daily practice by having people share their stories of their own daily practices. After 24 interviews, she wanted to share 6 insights she's received from these interviews. Here is an overview of the 6 insights. For more details for each insight, listen to the podcast. Peggy also gives uses specfiic examples from the 24 interviews to illustrate her points. You can also listen to the original interviews for even more details. Insight #1 - Follow Your Inspiration Insight #2 - Start Small and Simple Insight #3 - You Don't Have to Be As Consistent As You Think Insight #4 - Be Flexible Insight #5 is Choose a Structure that Works for You Insight #6 - It's So Worth It
Heather Rampolla leads a guided body love meditation for women you can use every day.
Heather Rampolla's career was taking off. She was climbing the corporate ladder, getting promotion after promotion, working all the time. She got married and became a stepmom to two teenage stepdaughters. And with all this, she was living on coffee and junk food. One night, she fainted when she got up to go to the bathroom. She ended up going to the ER and found out that she was severely dehydrated. That was her wake up call. She started to question how what she was eating was affecting her health and how she was feeling every day. She and her husband decided to try a raw, vegan diet for three months. Figuring out what to eat and how to fit it into her busy life was only part of the problem. She found herself dealing with mindset issues, and she turned to daily practices to support herself in facing these challenges. Heather has totally transformed her life. Her diet changes have brought her a new level of health and wellness, and her daily practices have brought her to a new level of self love and acceptance. Listen to her inspiring story of how she combined both elements into her total health makeover.
Heather Chauvin shares how meditation can be so vital for mothers, and then leads a guided meditation on the breath to help mothers feel more grounded and in control.
Many people start their daily practice when faced with a personal crisis. Heather Chauvin's son was struggling, and even though she was a trained mental health professional, none of the traditional approaches helped. One day at a bookstore, she saw a book on teaching children to meditate. She bought the book, and started using the techniques with her son. The meditations helped him, but even more, Heather found she needed meditation and it became a daily practice for her. A few years later, Heather had another crisis - a Stage 4 lymphoma diagnosis. Her meditation practice had given her the ability to step back and get some perspective on her situation, but the new challenge inspired her to evolve her practice in new and different ways. Heather shares the insight and wisdom she has gained through deepening her daily practice through two personal crises. Her beautiful, solid presence shines throughout the interview, and she reflects on the difference daily practice has made in her life.
When Alexia was 30, her mother suddenly died of cancer, and her life spun out of control. She had focused her own life choices around what was best for her mother, and with her mother gone, she lost her center. She fell down a dark hole and had no idea how to get out. She tried many different practices, looking for the ones that were most effective for her. Some helped a little. Others were major turning points for her. She didn't have any plan or guidance. She followed her intuition and just kept trying different practices until she found what worked best for her. Alexia shares deeply about one of the most significant breakthroughs for her, Head Trash Clearing, a method she created based on Reflective Repatterning. She describes what it's like to do, how it helps her, and how she uses it in her day to day life. She gives some startling examples of the results she's had with the technique, and why she started a company to share this work with the world. Alexia admits that she tried many practices that didn't provide much benefit for her, but she continues to explore and practice, always inspired to find a new, more efficient way to help her live a happier, more fulfilled life.
Claire's daughter has been a sweet, loving girl, but the combination of hormones, autism and changes in her epilepsy had made her difficult live with, even dangerous. Claire was at the end of her rope, not even sure if she wanted to live. She knew something had to change, but she didn't know what. A woman in her community was teaching a class on EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) Tapping. Claire was a trained shiatsu practitioner, and honestly, she thought the idea of bring an issue to mind and tapping on yourself while saying words out loud sounded crazy. She respected this woman though and went to a class on weight loss. Even after her first session, she was clear this was what she needed to help her with her situation with her daughter. Claire continued sessions with the EFT practitioner and was able to find a whole different place of calm and peace to help her daughter. She went on to study EFT on her own, and is now teaching others how to make it a daily practice. Claire shares her moving and remarkable story of what EFT is, how she shifted her original ideas about EFT, and the many changes she and her daughter have both experienced using this technique.
Melani Marx leads an Crystalline Conscious Technique (CCT™) practice to help you find the daily practices that are perfect for you right now. To connect with Melani, you can reach her at her website melanimarx.com. For the complete show notes for Melani's interview and practice, go to simpledailypracticeradio.com.
Melani started writing lists when she was 12. Between being diagnosed with severe scoliosis and entering adolescence, she needed something to feel like she had some control in her life. That's how her daily practice began. She gradually shifted from lists to journaling. She would take time for lots of physical movement - swimming, skiing, riding horses. When she had to wear a cast for a year after surgery, she added singing and playing the guitar to help her express all the feelings she was going through. When she became a single mother of three, she swam and meditated every day as a way to support herself. She developed a walking practice to be present in her body and receive the answers to the continual questions she asks. She learned a powerful energy technique that cleared her PTSD and allowed her to finally live without continual anxiety. Melani's daily practice journey has been an amazing, unfolding process of connecting to herself over and over again, in new and different ways as she has changed and grown over the years. Listen as she describes all the different practices she has used, and how they all follow the same thread - an ever deepening connection to herself.
Kendra shares some basic instructions to start an art journaling practice. She also walks you through some examples of her own art journal entries, and her process of working with different ideas, images and emotions in her work.
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