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Reasons You Should Be Doing Tai Chi while Social DistancingApril 26, 2020
The Tai Chi movements can be loosely described as shadow boxing or ‘shadow kung fu’ in slow motion. Regular practice can increase flexibility and strength, and improve cardiovascular fitness. The emphasis on correct posture means that Tai Chi caninstila greater awareness of the body and how it moves through space. Tai Chi is also prized as a form ofmeditation (which we recommendwhile social distancing at home too!). By focusing exclusively on performing the body movements with grace and poise, the mind achieves a calm, empty clarity. It is also amazing to note that no equipment is needed forTai Chi and it can be practiced anywhere, especially outside in nature or whilesocial distancingat home due to COVID!
Here are ways Tai Chi is good for your health:

• Anxiety:because Tai Chi is essentiallymeditation in motion, it promotes serenity through gentle, flowing movements. Not only will the physical exercise boost your happy hormones endorphins, but the calming motions and deep breaths greatly reduce anxiety.

• Arthritis:The movements of Tai Chi keep the body fresh and allow the person to find a freer range of motion in the joints, greater flexibility, better balance- all of which help with the symptoms of arthritis.

• Balance and coordination:Tai Chi involvesexercises that focus on postural orientation (positioning the trunk and head in alignment to each other as well as to the ground and to the visual field) and postural equilibrium (coordinating movement strategies to center and stabilize the body) both of which have been proven to improve balance and coordination.

• Fatigue:Tai Chi focuses on controlled motion and breath, which puts your mind and body into a relaxed but energized state. After a session of Tai Chi, people feel energized and relaxed.

• Joint stiffness:The gentle and flowing motions stretch muscles, ligaments, and promote the bodies natural lubrication for joint health.

• Muscle tension:Because Tai Chi is both strengthening and stretching, people who practice rarely feel very sore. There will be mild soreness, which is normal- but those who practice usually feel limber and relaxed.

• Poor posture:A large portion of tai chi focuses on slow and controlled movement that are meant to be perfected. Tai Chi is about correct form, even in the transitions. Because of this, many people note an improvement in posture after a few sessions.

• Stress:Tai Chi encourages one to look within and harness energy. It is a constant ebb and flow of both motion and controlled breathing, which calms participants. It is nearly impossible to be stressed after a session of Tai Chi!

Tai Chi can be safely practiced in the safety of your home during the COVID pandemicTai chi for medical conditions (Information fromHarvard School of Public Health)When combined with standard treatment,Tai Chi appears to be helpful for several medical conditions. For example:
Arthritis.In a 40-person study at Tufts University, presentedinOctober 2008 at a meeting of the American College of Rheumatology, an hour ofTaiChi twice a week for 12 weeks reduced pain and improved mood and physical functioning more than standard stretching exercises in people with severe knee osteoarthritis. According to a Korean study published in December 2008 inEvidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, eight weeks of Tai Chi classes followed by eight weeks of home practice significantly improved flexibility and slowed the disease process in patients with ankylosing spondylitis, a painful and debilitating inflammatory form of arthritis that affects the spine.
Low bone density.A review of six controlled studies by Dr. Wayne and other Harvard researchers indicates thatTai Chi may be a safe and effective way to maintain bone density in postmenopausal women. A controlled study of Tai Chi in women with osteopenia (diminished bone density not as severe as osteoporosis) is underway at the Osher Research Center and Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
Breast cancer.Tai Chi has shown potential for improving quality of life and functional capacity (the physical ability to carry out normal daily activities, such as work or exercise) in women suffering from breast cancer or the side effects of breast cancer treatment. For example, a 2008 study at the University of Rochester, published inMedicine and Sport Science, found that quality of life and functional capacity (including aerobic capacity, muscular strength, and flexibility) improved in women with breast cancer who did 12 weeks of TaiChi, while declining in a control group that received only supportive therapy.
Heart disease.A 53-person study at National Taiwan University found that a year of Tai Chi significantly boosted exercise capacity, lowered blood pressure, and improved levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin, and C-reactive protein in people at high risk for heart disease. The study, which was published in the September 2008 Journal ofAlternative and Complementary Medicine, found no improvement in a control group that did not practiceTai Chi.
Heart failure.In a 30-person pilot study at Harvard Medical School, 12 weeks of practice improved participants’ ability to walk and quality of life. It also reduced blood levels of B-type natriuretic protein, an indicator of heart failure. A 150 patient-controlled trial is underway.
Hypertension.In a review of 26 studies in English or Chinese published inPreventive Cardiology(Spring 2008), Dr. Yeh reported that in 85% of trials,Tai Chi lowered blood pressure — with improvements ranging from 3 to 32 mm Hg in systolic pressure and from 2 to 18 mm Hg in diastolic pressure.
Parkinson’s disease.A 33-person pilot study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, published inGait and Posture(October 2008), found that people with mild to moderately severe Parkinson’s disease showed improved balance, walking ability, and overall well-being after 20 sessions.
Sleep problems.In a University of California, Los Angeles study of 112 healthy older adults with moderate sleep complaints, 16 weeks ofTai Chi improved the quality and duration of sleep significantly more than standard sleep education. The study was published in the July 2008 issue of the journalSleep.
Stroke.In 136 patients who’d had a stroke at least six months earlier, 12 weeks ofTai Chi improved standing balance more than a general exercise program that entailed breathing, stretching, and mobilizing muscles and joints involved in sitting and walking. Findings were published in the January 2009 issue ofNeurorehabilitation and Neural Repair.

http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20200428-asias-centuries-old-healing-technique?fbclid=IwAR0Q9l31THzNZgMQ2Fu8LOLwV-L3mHqPJ4TaUnqwR8WiZVZ6ll3kvtI26fI
Asia’s centuries-old healing technique
It’s early morning in Hong Kong. As the roar of traffic and rush of the commute begin, the city moves to its usual pulsing rhythm. But in the heart of one of the most hectic urban jungles on Earth is an unlikely garden of calm and healing – a little oasis where the pace is decidedly slower.
Located in Hong Kong Park, a lush green space in the centre of the city, is a dedicated tai chi garden. Designed with a courtyard for practicing, and decorated with bonsai trees, it has a serene quality that comes as a pleasant surprise in an area otherwise dominated by skyscrapers and the rush of city life. The garden is used frequently, if not daily, as locals gather in parks like this across the city, mostly in the morning, to practice the centuries-old martial art.

Hong Kong Park is a lush green space in the centre of the city (Credit: SeanPavonePhoto/Getty Images)It’s here under the early morning light that a group of tai chi students, led by their teacher, Master Chow, are using the garden as their classroom. They run through what’s known in tai chi as a “form” – a sequence of fluid moves.
To an observer, the movements appear effortless. The students glide and flow seamlessly from one move to the next, exuding a calmness that’s far removed from the bustling streets nearby. Passers-by stop and watch, momentarily soothed by the movements that, although gentle, cut a powerful presence.
“People think that tai chi is just soft. But it’s all things – gentle, explosive, delicate, calm and full of wisdom,” said Chow. “There are 1,000 words to define it, but there are no words to fully describe it.”
Tai chi is a type of ancient Chinese martial art that is widely believed to have originated more than 400 years ago during the Ming dynasty. Chen Wangting (1600-1680), a local military commander from the Chenjiagou village in Henan Province, has historically been recognised as the first person to create and practice tai chi. After retiring from the army, Wangting created tai chi as a fighting art to protect his family against thieves and bandits. He integrated the skills of different martial art styles with elements of the Taoist yin-yang philosophy – the idea that everything consists of two opposing forces that harmonise with each other to create a whole – as well as theories drawn from Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Hong Kong Park has a dedicated tai chi garden for practicing the centuries-old martial art (Credit: Matthew Keegan)Nowadays, tai chi is mainly practiced as a low-to moderate-intensity exercise combined with meditation, body awareness, imagery and controlled breathing. Its main objective is to achieve longevity through mind and body conditioning.
Tai chi maintains cardiorespiratory function, muscular fitness and joint flexibilityThe ancient practice is immensely popular throughout China, but it is particularly beloved in Hong Kong for its ability to relieve stress and improve health. With famously small living spaces in Hong Kong, going to the city’s parks or tai chi gardens is a good way to be out in the open while getting some exercise. Hong Kong also has a rapidly ageing population – about one third of its population will be aged 65 or above by 2038 – and the city’s elderly citizens areencouraged by the governmentto attend classes in the morning, which are often followed by tea and dim sum with their teacher and classmates. Not only do tai chi classes promote healthy movement, but they provide the elderly with a social community and combat isolation.
Some experts point to the health benefits of tai chi as a reason lifespan has increased in Hong Kong over the last 50 years. Hong Kong has thehighest life expectancy in the world. Women in the city live, on average, to 87.6 years of age and men to 81.9, beating such places as Japan and Italy, which are renowned for their longevity.“Priorstudyhas indicated that this longevity increase is associated with the more active lifestyle of the elderly today,” said Aileen Chan, professor at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, whose research expertise is tai chi. “Tai chi maintains cardiorespiratory function, muscular fitness and joint flexibility. To promote a longer life, it is recommended to practice tai chi regularly for at least 30 minutes a day and at least five times a week, preferably every day.”
Chow is the founder of theChen Style Tai Chi Institutein Hong Kong where he has taught more than 3,000 local and international students over a period of 19 years. Born into a martial arts family, Chow was inspired by his father, a kung fu master, who he describes as a humble man with great power and strength but who never showed off.

Hong Kong’s elderly citizens are encouraged by the government to attend morning tai chi classes (Credit: Marc Bruxelle/Alamy)“When I was 16 years old, I knew the power of tai chi from books and I was amazed by its philosophy,” said Chow. “So, I decided to take classes, and this is how I started my tai chi journey.”
Chow was fortunate to learn the Chen-style of tai chi – the original form of tai chi – at its birthplace in Henan province, in mainland China. (There are four other traditional styles: Yang, Wu, Wu Hao and Sun; each have different movements and can look very different from one another.) After a few years of observation and training, the Chen family accepted him to be an inheritor, meaning that he could officially teach as a master of Chen-style in Hong Kong.
Mentally, it has taught me how to think and how to control my emotionsChow enjoys tai chi for both its physical and mental benefits. “Mentally, tai chi is an ancient Chinese method which is a natural and unique way to help relieve stress and soothe our soul,” he said. “Physically, it helps build joint movement in the knees and back, improves balance and fall prevention, adds muscle strength and flexibility and training coordination.” That’s because the movements are usually circular and never forced, the muscles are relaxed rather than tensed, the joints are not fully extended or bent, and connective tissues are not stretched. Chow says he has experienced the health benefits himself.
“When I was a child, I always used to have a fever and coughing,” he said. “But as I grew up and started to practice tai chi, year by year, my health changed, and it has made me very strong now. Mentally, also, it has taught me how to think and how to control my emotions.”

Tai chi is particularly beloved in Hong Kong for its ability to relieve stress and improve health (Credit: TwilightShow/Getty Images)Chow firmly believes that tai chi can be self-healing. “It can help people a lot, especially in a busy city like Hong Kong,” he said. “It can bring peace of mind and soothe the soul. This is very important.”
And as Chow wraps up leading his students through a series of movements in the Tai Chi Garden – among them signature movements like “Buddha pestle” (a punching movement) and “white goose spreading wings” (an advance-and-retreat movement, just like a goose when it opens its wings and jumps very fast suddenly) – it’s certainly soothing to observe. But there’s more to it than one might first assume.
Our coverage during coronavirus
While travelling is on hold due to the coronavirus outbreak, BBC Travel will continue to inform and inspire our readers who want to learn about the world as much as they want to travel there, offering stories thatcelebrate the people, places and cultures that make this world so wonderfully diverse and amazing.
For travel information and stories specifically related to coronavirus, please readthe latest updates from ourcolleaguesat BBC News.The learning process for Chen-style tai chi is split into 15 levels. Level one involves learning 74 movements as a sequence, which is called a “form”. “When you finish level one, we use the same form (74 movements) in the other 14 levels, but you go deeper and you learn the internal power in the other levels,” said Chow.
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Going deeper involves more than just correctly learning the movements, but ensuring that both the external movements and the internal part, the Qi (energy), are moving together as yin and yang. By stimulating the internal energy (Qi) flow it helps to recharge the body and helps to detoxify.
“Tai chi exercise involves the recognition, development, and use of Qi, which refers to the energy in the body,” explained Professor Chan. “Based on theoretical principles that are inherent to traditional Chinese medicine, Qi is the fundamental energy that sustains life and flows in the body along channels called meridians and collaterals, which enhance the integration of all organ systems and tissues, and promote good health and longevity.”

Linda Fung practices tai chi every morning to achieve a balance in her life (Credit: Matthew Keegan)Chow explains how he uses Qi in his own practice. “At the end of each movement in tai chi, we hold the posture until the Qi energy goes down and back to the earth. We call this state ‘Yin’,” said Chow. “Then you can start the next movement and take the Qi from the earth again with breathing to guide the energy to rotate and circulate inside your body. We call this state ‘Yang’. So, the entire sequence of 74 movements contains rhythm and changing of the speed. Alternately yin and yang. This is the meaning of tai chi.”
The meaning of tai chi is something that fellow Hong Kong-based tai chi teacher, Linda Fung, wishes more people better understood.
“We often misunderstand tai chi,” said Fung. “When we say tai chi, people tend to think it’s just moving your arms and legs and doing some movement exercise, but tai chi moves are part of a subset of tai chi philosophy.”
Fung, who practices and teaches the Li-style of tai chi, says that tai chi is more than just the physical movements, it’s a way of life. It encompasses arts, music, lifestyle, she said, and you have to understand the yin and yang that is the core of tai chi.
“In tai chi it’s the interconnection between the yin, which is the body, and yang, which is our mind,” said Fung. “So it’s always the mind and body moving and working together."

The main objective of practicing tai chi is to achieve longevity through mind and body conditioning (Credit: Matthew Keegan)At an 11th-floor yoga studio – a sanctuary of calm overlooking Hong Kong’s dizzying central business district – Fung guides her students through a beginners’ class. Trained as a ballet dancer at the Royal Ballet School in London and later at the Julliard School in New York, she exudes a natural grace that embodies all her movements.
In addition to teaching classes, Fung practices tai chi herself every morning, often outdoors, and says it helps her to achieve a balance in her life.
“In tai chi you slow down your movement, but yet you’re still breathing in certain patterns and so it is movement meditation,” said Fung. “With that level of focus, time just disappears, it’s like there is no time. It’s a great feeling.”
The ability to be able to slow down and to have clarity and awareness even when things are in crisis, is, for Fung, one of the best health benefits of tai chi. “With tai chi practice, even when situations are out of hand, you can still retain a calmness like an eye of the storm. That is the core of tai chi: it’s about harmony.”
And Fung believes that tai chi is a treasure trove of good stuff that has never been more needed in the world. “We have to share it with everyone, particularly now, in the 21st Century, where there are so many ways that we are distracted with problems and even illnesses. Tai chi is really very important for people, to give us a chance for happiness, wisdom and health.”
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PERSONAL HEALTH
Using Tai Chi to Build Strength
​Tai chi moves can be easily learned and executed by people of all ages and states of health, even elderly people in wheelchairs.
ByJane E. Brody

Sept. 10, 2018126Watching a group of people doing tai chi, an exercise often called “meditation in motion,” it may be hard to imagine that its slow, gentle, choreographed movements could actually make people stronger. Not only stronger mentally but stronger physically and healthier as well.
I certainly was surprised by its effects on strength, but good research — and there’s been a fair amount of it by now — doesn’t lie. If you’re not ready or not able to tackle strength-training with weights, resistance bands or machines, tai chi may just be the activity that can help to increase your stamina and diminish your risk of injury that accompanies weak muscles and bones.
Don’t get scared by its frequent description as an “ancient martial art.” Tai chi (and a related exercise called Qigong) does not resemble the strenuous, gravity-defying karate moves you may have seen in Jackie Chan films. Tai chi moves can be easily learned and executed by people of all ages and states of health, even those in their 90s, in wheelchairs or bedridden.
It’s beeneight years since I last summarized the known benefits of this time-honored form of exercise, and it has since grown in popularity in venues like Y’s, health clubs and community and senior centers. By now it is likely that millions more people have become good candidates for the help tai chi can provide to their well-being.

First, a reprise of what I previously wrote as to why most of us should consider including tai chi into our routines for stronger bodies and healthier lives.

• It is a low-impact activity suitable for people of all ages and most states of health, including those who have long been sedentary or “hate” exercise.

• It is a gentle, relaxing activity that involves deep breathing but does not work up a sweat or leave you out of breath.

• It does not place undue stress on joints and muscles and therefore is unlikely to cause pain or injury.

• It requires no special equipment or outfits, only lightweight, comfortable clothing.

• Once proper technique is learned from a qualified instructor, it is a low-cost activity that can be practiced anywhere, anytime.

One more fact: Beneficial results from tai chi are often quickly realized. Significant improvements involving a host of different conditions can be achieved within 12 weeks of tai chi exercises done for an hour at a time twice a week.
Much of the research, which wasreviewed in 2015 by researchers at Beijing University and Harvard Medical School, has focused on how tai chi has helped people with a variety of medical problems. It is summarized in a new book from Harvard Health Publications, “An Introduction to Tai Chi,” which includes the latest studies of healthy people whose mission was health preservation as well as people with conditions like high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and osteoporosis.
Of the 507 studies included in the 2015 review, 94.1 percent found positive effects of tai chi. These included 192 studies involving only healthy participants, 142 with the goal of health promotion or preservation and 50 seeking better balance or prevention of falls.
This last benefit may be the most important of all, given that every 11 seconds an older adult is treated in the emergency room following a fall, and one in five falls results in a fracture, concussion or other serious injury.
For example, in ananalysis of high-quality studies published last year in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, researchers at the University of Jaen in Spain reported that older adults who did one-hour tai chi sessions one to three times a week for 12 to 26 weeks were 43 percent less likely to fall and half as likely to incur a fall-related injury.

Tai chi provided superior benefits to other fall-reduction approaches like physical therapy, balance exercises, stretching, yoga or resistance training. Tai chi, in effect, combines the benefits of most of these: It strengthens the lower body, improves posture, promotes flexibility, increases a person’s awareness of where the body is in space and improves one’s ability to navigate obstacles while walking.
Furthermore, if you should trip, tai chi can enhance your ability to catch yourself before you fall. It has also been shown to counter the fear of falling, which discourages people from being physically active and further increases their likelihood of falling and being injured.
Even if you do fall, tai chi, as a weight-bearing but low-stress exercise, can reduce your chances of breaking a bone. Four well-designed clinical trials showed that tai chi has positive effects on bone health. For example, ina yearlong study in Hong Kongof 132 women past menopause, those practicing tai chi experienced significantly less bone loss and fewer fractures than those who remained sedentary.
For people with painful joints and muscles, tai chi enhances their ability to exercise within a pain-free range of motion. Pain discourages people from moving, which makes matters worse as muscles get weaker and joints stiffer. The movements involved in tai chi minimize stress on painful areas and, by improving circulation, can foster relief and healing.
A2016 study of 204 people with knee painfrom osteoarthritis found that tai chi done twice a week was just as effective as physical therapy in relieving their discomfort. But that was not all: Those doing tai chi for the 12 weeks reported that they were less depressed and had a better quality of life than those undergoing physical therapy.
Tai chi can also be an entry point for people who may have fallen off the exercise wagon but want to get back to doing more vigorous and often more enjoyable physical activities like swimming and hiking, or biking and walking to and from errands instead of relying on vehicles that pollute the air and clog the roads.
Guidelines from the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association recommend that sedentary older adults begin with balance, flexibility and strength training exercises before launching into moderate to vigorous physical activity. Tai chi is ideal for getting people ready for more demanding action.
And, in the process of getting your body in shape with tai chi, you’re likely to improve your mental state. In aNew Zealand study of college students, tai chi was shown to counter depression, anxiety and stress. It also enhances an important quality called self-efficacy —confidence in one’s abilityto perform various activities and overcome obstacles to doing so.

12 Reasons to Try Tai Chi
05/12/2014 06:13 pm ET | Updated Jul 12, 2014

Olivia Rosewood
Author, Tai Chi Gold Medalist, Meditation Guide, Wellness Expert

Before I won a gold medal for Yang Tai Chi at the 2014 International Chinese Martial Arts Championships in Los Angeles, I had spent many decades drawn to this beautiful meditative movement, but unable to find a place to learn it. I was also... too busy.
“I’m too busy to meditate” is something I often hear from friends who are drawn to meditation, or even advised by doctors to meditate in order to reduce stress. I love Gabrielle Bernstein’s response to our lament. She asks, “Do you have time to feel like sh*t?”
The arguments against daily meditation don’t hold much weight. Heavily documented by science and thousands of years of tradition to be really great, five minutes a day spent nourishing your life, health, energy, and clarity withTai Chi will empower youto face your life and our world with more light and strength.
Taking five minutes to practice Tai Chi out of the 1,440 minutes given to you in each day is truly not that much. And when you consider the mountain of scientific evidence supporting health benefits from Tai Chi, it seems like a great deal. You give five minutes, and you get:
1.Better sleep!
2. Weight loss, particularly at thewaist.
3. Improvedimmune function. You won’t get sick as much! (You’ll need this to survive theantibiotic resistant superbugs we’ve created by over-prescribing antibiotics.)
4. Reducedstress levels. Not initially impressed by this fact? Consider that 99.9 percent of all disease is eithercaused by or exacerbated by stress. It’s a big deal.
5.Betterbonedensity. Even the U.S. Surgeon Generalrecommendsit.
6.Reduced pain, improved mood, better physical function, and improved flexibility in osteo-arthritics,decreases pain and fatigue in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
7. Helps preventheart diseaseandhelps alleviate anxiety.
8.Helps alleviate symptoms associatedwith Type 2 diabetes andhelps lessen need for meds.
9. Improves psychologicalwell beingand helpsalleviates depression.
10.Helps alleviates symptoms of asthmainchildrenandadults, andimproves quality of lifefor asthmatics.
11. Betterbalance, flexibility, and strength.
12.Tai Chi helps thicken the brain’s cortex, which means it may help protect practitioners fromdepression,Alzheimer’s, anddementia, all associated with the thinning of the cortex.

T’ai Chi Movements That Can Transform Your Health
From master teacher David-Dorian Ross, fundamental motions to raise your fitness and wellness
March 22, 2013

ByDavid-Dorian RossCredit: Courtesy of David-Dorian Ross
Repulsing the Monkey
The one thing most people think they know about t'ai chi is that it's slow. That's only partly right.
A lot of t'ai chi is done at a deliberate pace, but a good deal of it is done fast. A fundamental characteristic of t'ai chi is that it combines opposites: fast and slow, easy and hard, extending and withdrawing. It's about balancing those opposites just as the concepts ofyin and yangmust be balanced — rest and motion, meditation and action, the internal and the external. When you can do that in your body, you get smooth, synergistic dance-like movements.

In modern terminology we call this the principle of "flow," the element of exercise that, when done correctly, draws all the parts of your body together — muscles, heart, nervous system, even your immune system. We know that t'ai chi builds lower body strength and flexibility while delivering a cardio workout. The greatest benefit, though, is the way the practice hones your balance and coordination, making it a perfect complement to any other workout regimen. T'ai chi improves posture and balance andreduces falls, making it especially valuable for the elderly or victims of a stroke.
(MORE:Trying T'ai Chi for Health and Happiness)
But t'ai chi is for everyone. Studies show that its practice canreduce stress, anxiety and depressionand increase self-esteem.
Who wouldn't want that?

First Steps First
Classical t'ai chi — more correctly called t'ai chi ch'uan or taijiquan (pronounced "Tie Jee Chwun") — is a gentle but complex dance of kung-fu postures that lead you into a meditative state and train your body to naturally flow all the time.
The primary footsteps in t'ai chi ch'uan are a series of gentle lunges called "gong bu," like the bow (or bow and arrow) step. Bow steps go left, right and forward. But there are sideways and backward steps as well – by the end of the dance you've moved your body in all directions, keeping your joints healthy and flexible no matter which way you go.

The basic bow step is a gentle lunge approximately the length of your normal walking step, with your weight shared 60 percent over your front foot and 40 percent over your back foot. Both front and back knees are bent and kept in line with your feet. There's no torquing or twisting, one reason these movements are so safe. And there should be a bit of a gap between your feet side to side known as a channel. Look down at your feet. If they're lined up like you were standing on a tightrope, then you're not in a bow step.

Waving Hands Like Clouds
Bow steps, side steps and backward steps, in combination with specific upper-body positions for the arms, head and torso, make up distinct t'ai chi ch'uan movements. Students of different schools may learn different routines, each incorporating its own combination of these moves, but most will contain certain fundamental movements characteristic of all approaches.

Two moves common to many routines are Waving Hands Like Clouds and Repulsing the Monkey. Each can give you a good sense of how t'ai chi ch'uan trains you to flow, and how beautiful and calming these moves can make you feel, which is so important to my own way of thinking.
Waving Hands combines our simple sideways step with an upper-body motion of waving your hands from one side of the body to the other, left to right and back again. Start with your hands rounded in front of you, as if you are holding a child, left hand on top. Next you'll take a series of side steps to the left, so step out sideways with the left foot, then bring the right foot over to the left and gently let your hands float over to the left as well. As you step together with the right foot, the hands float over to the right side. Step out, hands float left; step together, hands float right.
​
Repulsing the Monkey
This movement is best described as walking backward while swimming with your arms. The basic backward motion is a series of "pu bu," or "empty steps." Each finishes with all your weight on the back foot, the front foot barely tapping the ground. Want to check if you're in a good empty step? Lift your front foot into the air. If you first had to shift any weight to the back foot, the front foot had too much weight on it. In other words, it wasn't really "empty."

The hands and arms in Repulsing the Monkey execute motions pretty close to the crawl stroke of swimming. One arm loops to the side, then bends at the elbow and strokes (or pushes) forward. As it finishes the push, the other hand and arm loops to the other side, bends at the elbow and pushes forward. Hands and feet are coordinated: Start by circling the right hand to the side. Bend the right elbow and, as you begin to push forward, step back with the left foot to create an empty step. Now loop the left hand to the side, bend the elbow and as you push the left hand forward, step back with the right foot into a new empty step. Here's how it looks:

My last bit of advice: If you're just starting out, take it easy when you practice. Let all the parts flow together and don't try too hard to make the moves perfect. As I always remind my students, t'ai chi is meant to be "played," not "worked!"

ise

The Top 10 Health Benefits of Tai Chi
ByHealth Fitness Revolution- March 25, 2015
Originally developed for self-defense, tai chi is an ancient Chinese tradition that has evolved into a graceful form of exercise that today is known for stress reduction and aiding with a variety of other health conditions.Itis a noncompetitive, self-paced system of gentle physical exercise and stretching. Each posture flows into the next without pause, ensuring that your body is in constant motion.
Often referred toas meditation in motion, tai chiinvolves a series of moves performed in a slow, focused manner accompanied by deep breathing- by doing so, it promotes serenity through gentle, flowing movements.
Here areHealth Fitness Revolution‘s Top 10 Health Benefits of Tai Chi:

• Balance:Tai Chi movements are steady and slow, shifting from one side to the other with coordinating upper body movements. Theses movements help the core regain balance and reduces the risk of falling in elderly.
• Strength and Endurance:Research shows that individuals who practiced Tai Chi at least 3 times a week on the regular, had higher strength and performance level.
• Flexibility:In tai chi the range of movements helps improve one’s flexibility as well.
• Posture:helps one maintain a good posture from constant practice of Tai Chi
• Chronic Illness prevention:helps in the treatment chronic illnesses like heart disease, blood pressure, arthritis, digestive disorders, depression and a few others.
• Improves coordination:helps with hand eye coordination as well as upper and lower body coordination with the slow rhythmic movements involved.
• Regulates the respiratory system:Breathing is one of the three parts of Tai Chi. The deep breathing helps treat respiratory alignments such as asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema.
• Aerobic Capacity:helps improve one’s aerobic capacity- researchers say that Tai Chi is a form of aerobic exercise as well.
• Stress:The mellow rhythmic movements and breathing helps distract from a hectic lifestyle. The breathing coordination along with the hand eye movement is proven to promote calmness.

World Champion Martial Artist, owner of the Edgewater Kung Fu Academy and Certified Professional Coach
3 Ways Tai Chi Trains the Brain

Your brain on meditation: calm, clear and confident. Your brain on Tai Chi: calm, clear, and confident. As a practitioner of both meditation and Tai Chi, I can attest to the shared outcomes of each practice.
But, I've seen students wrestle with the challenge of finding time to do both. While it's optimal to sit in meditation, it's often not necessary -- especially if you practice Tai Chi. The common denominator may be that both Tai Chi and mindfulness meditation focus your attention on the breath. That single focus may help your brain make lasting changes that impact the way you see (and cope) with things.
Research has found that both Tai Chi and meditation have a powerful effect on the mind, cultivating a stillness that serves to increase focus, reduce stress, and boost cognitive skills. What I've found (in myself, and in my students):
Tai Chi makes your brain bigger, literally.Researchers at the University of South Florida and Fudan University in China found Tai Chi increases brain volume in seniors who practiced Tai Chi three times a week for 40 weeks.The study's resultsare pretty impressive, since gray matter usually shrinks with age. Astudy at the University of Massachusetts Center for Mindfulnessfound similar results in even less time. Their researchers saw increases in gray matter in the hippocampus (the brain region associated with learning and memory) after an eight-week mindfulness-based stress reduction program.
Tai chi keeps you on your toes, figuratively.Just as physical exercise keeps a body fit, the mental concentration required for Tai Chi exercises the brain. The martial art form trains your brain to help you retain more information, stay focused on the task at hand, and make quicker decisions (not snap decisions). A small study fromMassachusetts General Hospitalfound people who meditated 40 minutes a day had thicker cortical walls compared to people who didn't meditate. Thickness of cortical walls is linked with slower rate of cognitive decline, and conversely, quicker decision-making, sharper focus and improved memory. Research has also shown that meditation, motor learning, and single-focused attention have all been associated with changes in the cortical regions of the brain. Tai Chi's dynamic approach draws from all those skills.
Tai Chi helps you shake off stress, effortlessly.Cool as a cucumber? Another awesome benefit of the moving mediation, Tai Chi. A regular meditation practice, as well as learning anything new, improves neuroplasticity, which is the process by which our experiences help reorganize neural pathways in the brain. In simpler terms, the brain is rewiring itself in response to your experiences.These connections help shore up emotional stabilityso you can cope with stressors in a more controlled fashion. What's more, research from theUniversity of Wisconsinhas shown that people who meditate have high levels of gamma wave activity and are able to avoid getting stuck in ruminating thought patterns. So instead of saying, I would've, could've, or should've, you'll shake it off and redirect your focus to keep moving forward.
Another great benefit of Tai Chi is that it's accessible to people of all ages and fitness abilities. It's the focus on the subtle movements that exercise the brain and boost cognitive abilities. First, it's learning the precise movements of the ancient martial art form that will give your brain a boost. Then, it's the continued focus linking the breath and the movements.
Try it for yourself. Whether it's a physical limitation, or a wandering mind, don't get stuck on perfectionism. Just get started. I tell my students all the time: Don't let what you can't do effect what you will do. In the beginning, strive for consistency and habit, practicing at the same time each day or committing to a weekly or bi-weekly class. You'll feel better -- more focused, less stressed -- almost immediately, and the effects will only continue with a consistent practice

Finding Purpose
Posted: 09/20/2014 8:09 am EDT Updated: 09/20/2014 8:59 am EDT FINDING PURPOSE

Do you have a purpose-driven life? Or are you among the multitude of regular Joe's who have not identified or achieved their purpose? Because you are living without or in search of purpose, you are therefore inferior to those who are driven toward some great plan. Right?

Consider this: Why do we need a purpose? What if loving, living and learning is our only purpose? What if getting everything out of life that we ever wanted is our purpose? What if enjoying music, nurturing a child, or greeting everyone with a smile is our purpose? Is that wrong? Is it not enough?

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When lack of purpose makes you feel empty and worthless, perhaps you are defeating the purpose. Change your perspective, and you will see that a goal of being happy now is much more satisfying and much more attainable than searching for some external mission or ideal. Take inventory of all the blessings you have now. From your body and all the things it does well to your home, your job, your family, your animals, or the beauty of nature, how many things do you have to be thankful for? How long can you make your list? Why do we focus on the things we should do or have -- like a purpose -- when we already do and have so much? The constant striving for more only detracts from our enjoyment of the here and now and it devalues what we have. It is not the "better" way to go.

Follow the current. According to Eastern philosophy, going with the flow will get you to your destination much more quickly than fighting the current. At times the current is slow and lazy. Other times it is fast and furious. Occasionally it flounders, and then we can use our oars or our strong arms to propel us along. We want to progress in life. Having dreams is wonderful. As long as your river takes you toward your dreams, you can have spectacular journeys along the way. If you take breaks along the way, enjoy the scenery, the company, and the moments, it will all be wonderful. But if you have a specific destination that you doggedly fight to get to, you run the risk of burning out, missing much along the way, or arriving and wondering if this is all there is.

Destinations are meant to change. Life doesn't stand still. If we choose to, it will continue living and changing and growing around us, and it will leave us behind. Be part of the change, and you can be involved in molding it into something you love. Flexibility and optimism will get you through any form of change with the least negative side effects. Continue to move toward your dreams, but be prepared to revise them from time to time.

View setbacks as re-sets. In the biorhythm of life, there are many ups and downs. The downs are not designed to hurt us. They are not outside forces out to get us. They are signals, warnings and signs. They are telling us it's time for change. Something is dead, it's time for something new, something different is on the horizon. Don't run, hide, get angry, or wallow in fear or sadness. Try to understand the message and move forward toward a new future. Change it up. Embrace the possibilities. Find the good in even the worst situations. It is there.

If you have decided that your purpose is to progress at your own pace, build dreams, live and love with all you've got, congratulations. You win the prize! You get to be happy today. You get to spread that joy and happiness to others. Your positive outlook will help them in their life journeys. And you will have a very promising tomorrow filled with whatever you want it to be filled with. Conversely, if you are doing things that create negative value in your life, do it consciously. Make the decision. Own it. If you do something "bad" for yourself, decide that you love yourself anyway. You are not a bad person. And perhaps you can also do something to offset or positively move you closer to your dreams. When you're ready and the current is strong, you will fly toward that only-imagined realty. You will do and be want you want to be. Just know it takes more than a dream. Taking actions toward that dream will get you there, no matter how small the steps may be. One day it will be yours, and then you can dream for something more.

Cindy Tansin is author of the book Lead With Your Heart and the Rest will Follow. Her expertise is in promoting personal and professional growth, addressing issues of mind, body, spirit, and financial soundness. Follow her at www.cindytansin.com

6 Ways Being Nice To Others Is Actually Good For You
The Huffington Post | By Lindsay Holmes
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Posted: 09/10/2014 8:18 am EDT Updated: 09/10/2014 11:59 am EDT KINDNESS

There are exactly three ways to define the word "nice," according to the dictionary.

The first is the ability to "give pleasure or joy." The second is defined as "attractive or of good quality." The third is simple and straightforward -- someone who is nice is "kind, polite and friendly." Sounds pretty uplifting. So why does niceness get as much flack as it does praise?

What is technically a positive trait can also be seen as equally, well, negative. If you're too nice, you run the risk of coming off as disingenuous or insecure. You also may be appear to be a pushover (or worse, you might actually be a pushover). Not to mention, there's also that whole "finish last" cliché.

But before you write off those good-natured intentions, you might want to take a look at their benefits. Below are six things you should know about being nice:

It may be a natural behavior.
kids kind

As we grow up, we learn values and morals that help us become nice people, whether it be proper manners, compassion, consideration or a combination of them all. But research from the University of Buffalo suggests that our capacity for goodness may also lie in our DNA. In the study, scientists found that some people may be born with certain genes that give you specific receptors to oxytocin and vasopressin -- two hormones in your body that are associated with feelings of love and generosity.

However, that's not to say that you're only a nice person if you possess the right genes. Researchers also found that genetics work in tandem with your upbringing and life experiences, and the combination of both can suggest how social you become, Live Science reported. Either way, whether we're wired for "niceness" or just brought up on it, our good nature is something that's ingrained in us from an early age.

It could help us live longer.
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One hallmark of being nice is practicing charitable actions. When you're helping someone, you're not only bettering their lives, you may also be improving your own: Studies show that those who volunteer reap health benefits that may help you live longer, ABC News reported. Making the world a better place and increasing our longevity? Sign us up.

We're happier when we're kind.
kindness

The motive may be a little selfish, but being nice to others doesn't just benefit them, it clearly works in our favor, too, by instantly boosting our mood. You don't have to travel too far out of your way to be nice, either -- sometimes just a few kind words will do.

It may be the key to success.
good leader

It pays to be kind: Those who are compassionate and better in-tune with other people's emotions may be more successful at work. "People trust you more, they have better interactions with you, you even get paid better," Dacher Keltner, a professor at the University of California-Berkeley and co-director of the Greater Good Science Center, told ABC News. Not a bad trade-off.

It may bring you less stress.
nice

There's a certain thrill that comes with fighting to be at the top, but it isn't without its own challenges. One of the costs? Your stress levels. One study on baboons found that "alpha males" experienced higher stress levels, suggesting that those "nice guys" may be healthier.

While the study isn't entirely conclusive on the health benefits niceness has for humans, it does offer some interesting insight on what it means to finish second. Additionally, practicing compassion through meditation has also been shown to reduce stress.

It just feels better.
being nice

When was the last time you heard someone lament over a little courtesy? Sure, being "too nice" can have its pitfalls, but practicing kindness also has a multitude of feel-good benefits, according to clinical psychologist Lara Honos-Webb, Ph.D. "When we help others and do kind acts, it causes our brain to release endorphins, the chemicals that give us feelings of fervor and high spirits -- similar to a 'runner's high,'" she writes in a Psychology Today blog. "Doing something nice for someone also gives the brain a serotonin boost, the chemical that gives us that feeling of satisfaction and well-being."

Plus, studies show that having specific goals -- like setting out to make someone smile -- may boost our happiness. If being "nice" means feeling more joyful and better about ourselves in the long run, we'll gladly take the label.

5 Tips To Stay Curious From People Who Do It For A Living
The Huffington Post | By Catherine Pearson
Posted: 09/05/2014 8:17 am EDT Updated: 09/05/2014 10:59 am EDT CURIOUS

Employers tend to emphasize a lot of the same traits when considering potential employees. Experience is a big one, as are honesty, persistence, creativity and intelligence. But another, sometimes overlooked quality is curiosity -- and research has shown it is absolutely critical to on-the-job success.

A person's so-called "curiosity quotient" or "CQ" is all about whether he or she has a hungry mind, explains Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic on the Harvard Business Review's blog. "People with higher CQ are more inquisitive and open to new experiences. They find novelty exciting and are quickly bored with routine. They tend to generate many original ideas and are counter-conformist." According to Psychology Today, a 2011 study found that curiosity and conscientiousness trumped intelligence when it came to predicting a person's success.

There are certain careers in which curiosity is a muscle that must be regularly flexed. Here, five masters in their fields share their thoughts on the qualities that help curious people remain curious, year after year.

They look outside their industry.

craft beer

Dogfish Head is regularly held up as one of the world's most innovative, boundary-breaking breweries (a 2008 New Yorker profile called it the "mascot" for the "unruly" craft brewery movement), and curiosity is at its core, says Sam Calagione, founder and president.

"Our company's whole raison d'etre is this mission to explore and work outside of stylistic guidelines in an industry dominated by militantly defined categories -- German lagers, English pale ales," he told The Huffington Post. "We always try and approach every new recipe by saying, 'Let's do something that hasn't been done before.'"

One way Calagione has been able to maintain a sense of curiosity throughout a brewing career that has spanned two decades is looking beyond the world of beer. "I take inspiration from other industries and art forms that I care about that have nothing to do with beer," he said. "Getting outside of your industry and outside of thinking about what your competitors are doing is the best opportunity to innovate." Calagione is an avid reader, for example, but he eschews beer publications in favor of art, architecture, music and news magazines; he looks to the worlds of music, painting and sculpture for inspiration, or even artisinal cheese making and coffee roasting, he said.

They dive deep into their passions.

library

People who study information and library sciences go on to work in libraries, historical archives and museums -- fields and institutions that are founded upon and devoted to satiating intellectual curiosity. Craig MacDonald, an assistant professor at Pratt Institute's School of Information and Library Science believes an innate sense of inquisitiveness is what drives many students into the field in the first place, but there are strategies that help foster it.

"The common denominator seems to be finding things you're passionate about and doing a 'deep dive' into them until you think you've learned all you can possibly learn," he said. "That process can take a variety of forms -- reading, searching, traveling, talking to people, etc. -- but it always comes down to trying to satisfy a personal desire to learn something."

Much of what the program (and broader fields of library and information sciences) do is give students permission to indulge their passions for seemingly obscure topics, and encourages them to learn as much as they possibly can. That, in turn, whets their curiosity to explore even more.

They sharpen their critical thinking skills, every day.

computer data

Sanjay Goel -- director of research at the NYS Center for Information Forensics and Assurance and an expert in digital forensics who regularly focuses on issues like privacy, security and cybercrime -- likens the field to detective work, "digging deeper and deeper into data to be able to figure things out," he said.

"I think a lot of curiosity can be inculcated with problem solving," he explained. The programs Goel oversees often include critical thinking bootcamps, in which students are loaded up with problems and puzzles to solve, as well as cases to discuss and analyze in order to learn how to think about issues independently, systematically and analytically.

But anyone seeking to cultivate curiosity can do so by focusing on critical thinking skills, which can be honed through puzzles and games, Goel said. "There are so many puzzles on the Internet; try crosswords," he said. "These are things which stretch the mind in different ways [and] that make you think critically."

They change their angle ... literally.

photographer angle

The question of how a three-dimensional subject will look when rendered in two-dimensional form is the question that drives many photographers to do what they do, and also what moves them to look at the world around them from different perspectives, explained Steve Bliss, dean for the School of Fine Arts at the Savannah College of Art and Design and a photographer himself.

"I'm curious to see how something looks photographed, but I'm also trying to be as original and creative as possible in terms of how I'm looking at things," he said of his own process. Changing one's angle and wondering how different the same thing will look when viewed in different light and through different lenses is rooted in a sense curiosity, and also helps to foster it.

But Bliss' strategy can be taken less literally as well. Feeling stuck or uninspired at work? Force yourself to look at the issue from totally different angles and see what happens. Bliss tends to be a project-oriented photographer who throws himself into a body of work for a period of time (say, landscapes), then moves onto something else, he said. Changing his genre, like changing the angle of his camera, helps him stay fresh, curious and inspired.

They are comfortable being uncomfortable.

outerspace

"Curiosity, I would argue, is the principle drive for many of us in this field ... [it] is critical for what we do day-to-day as explorers," said Jekan Thanga, an assistant professor in space systems with ASU's School of Earth and Space Exploration. It is essential in science and engineering, he added, and the force behind innovation, new research and development.

A key to maintaining a sense of curiosity is constantly learning new things, though the pursuit of knowledge does not guarantee one will find an answer, Thanga warned, let alone the answer. "A challenge for many is having to deal with a lot of unanswered questions," he said. "Many, I would say, get frustrated and don't bother to persist onwards. [But] I would argue that persistence is critical, against overwhelming odds."

Curious people, in other words, don't need all of the answers now. Instead, they learn how to live with, and even relish, the uncertainty that accompanies intellectual exploration.

7 Habits Of Considerate People
The Huffington Post | By Alena Hall
"Being considerate of others will take you and your children further in life than any college or professional degree." - Marian Wright Edelman

Edelman, a renowned American activist, not only dedicated her life to fighting for the rights of disadvantaged children, but also served as a strong advocate for acting with consideration toward others. Being considerate, one of the roots of pure kindness, comes in many shapes in sizes. And whether you offer compliments solely for the emotional well-being of others or share what you have without expecting anything in return, it is a sense of civility that drives you to act considerately.

Abdulla M. Abdulhalim, a University of Maryland Ph.D. candidate in pharmaceutical health services research, served as a President's Fellow in 2012. Alongside six others selected for the program, he examined the issue of civility, being considerate, why the two are important and how the university could help address them for society as a whole.

"We like simple definitions," Abdulhalim told The Huffington Post. "Civility really is a more broad term compared to being considerate. Civility is simply just being nice, and it’s not only an attitude of benevolence, thoughtfulness and relating to other individuals. It also entails a real, active interest in the well-being of communities and even concern for the health of the planet. You have to really do an effort in order to be civil. And being considerate is a part of being civil."

Taking a passive approach to behaving with consideration toward others can stem from our subconscious nature rather than intentional actions. However, that doesn't mean we all can't put a little effort toward being more considerate of those and the world around us. Here are seven habits that set considerate -- and civil -- people apart from the rest.

They practice empathy.

empathy

"Always be kind, for everyone is fighting a hard battle." - Plato

It's one thing to harbor a sense of empathy and another to put it into action. Considerate people are not only capable of figuratively putting themselves in other people’s shoes, they also actively choose to view the world beyond themselves. Their sense of compassion for others drives them to connect, and they derive personal joy and satisfaction from this selfless exchange.

"I think when someone is not acting this way, just the behavior itself seems really selfish," said Abdulhalim. "No one will ever understand the perspective of another unless they take that person’s hand and consider things how they see it."

They smile often.

smile

Believe it or not, choosing to smile makes a significant impact on how others perceive you and your presence, not to mention your own mood. According to Abdulhalim, the body uses 42 different small muscles to smile, whereas a frown is the easy default. Make the effort to smile for the positive impact it has on others around you.

Abdulhalim suggests creating a reminder for yourself in developing this habit. "In the entrance of my building here, for example, there’s a big banner that says, ‘Civility, power,’ and different phrases that remind me that I need to smile at the face of a stranger, or maybe open the door for someone whom I don’t know, or maybe let them in the elevator first," he said. "I think it is also very helpful to practice with yourself. If someone looks at themselves in the mirror and they frown or they smile, it’s a huge difference. You’ll realize how you look differently. People just don’t know how they look when they frown or when they give a nice smile."

They are intuitive of other people's needs.

empathy

As you channel your sense of empathy and consider how others around you are feeling, choose to act on that information. You never know, simply asking someone how they're doing -- regardless of its impact on your life -- can do wonders for their mood and self-esteem.

"When you get into the elevator and you have 10 seconds to make a good impression or just remain quiet and look at your cell phone, I think if you ask, 'How is your day?' just to be nice, that’s being considerate," said Abdulhalim. "Let’s face it: Do you really want to know how that person’s day is going? Is it something that would add to or change your life? Especially if that person is a stranger. From the face of it, you really don’t want to know. You just ask the question because you want to make the person in front of you feel like they’re valued. And that’s the point of being considerate in this situation -- it’s not the content of the answer, it’s the intention."

They mind their manners.

listen

"Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use." - etiquette expert Emily Post

Being polite doesn't begin and end with saying please, thank you, and you're welcome. It involves a comprehensive acknowledgement of another person's feelings and behaving accordingly. Follow the golden rule and treat others like you want to be treated -- from being punctual (respecting others' time) to not talking over others (exercising self-control) to actively listening to what others have to say.

"You can’t be considerate if you’re not really listening," said Abdulhalim. "You have to really pay attention and grasp information, and even repeat it within yourself, to then provide feedback based on actual logic. Listen, process, and then act by logic, and pass that logic through empathy rather than blurting it out. Then the answer should come up with logic but in a considerate way."

They put others first... sometimes.

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"He who doesn't consider himself is seldom considerate of others." - David Seabury

Selflessness can be a double-edged sword for considerate people. While prioritizing others' needs over our own makes people happy and creates a sense of fulfillment for us, we often lose our ability to take care of ourselves first when necessary and say "no." However, striking that balance is just as important as being considerate in the first place -- otherwise, we fall into the realm of people-pleasing, which leads to a decrease in our own productivity, according to Abdulhalim.

"It’s hard, he said. "But practicing the ‘no’ in smaller situations will help you say ‘no’ in more crucial situations. Practice is very important. The sweet spot is to know when to be considerate of others and when to be considerate of yourself."

They are patient -- even when they don’t feel like it.

patience

Patience is far from a passive characteristic. It can be difficult to come by -- especially when we feel stressed, overwhelmed, and surrounded everywhere by impatience. However, that's all the more reason to find a sense of motivation and work on it.

"Many people I’ve met who are very nice and considerate would actually say, ‘Why should I be considerate when 95 percent of the time I finish last?’" said Abdulhalim. "And I agree with that logic, but you never lose if you are considerate. It depends really on how you look at it. Let’s say you’re civil to someone and they don’t reciprocate. Why don’t you use this as a motive for you to set a better example of how civility is really important for everyone? That goes back to being a positive influence. If you have this positive influence, then you have the motivation to be better and to influence others in a positive way."

They apologize -- but only when warranted.

apology

Some people say "sorry" incessantly for fear of offending others with any and every move they make. Others forgo apologies altogether, coming across as quite rude and insensitive. Similar to the people-pleasing tendencies of kind and considerate people, apologies must find a sense of equilibrium.

"Sorry is a big word," said Abdulhalim. "It means that you’re regretting an action you did. Being considerate means apologizing when you made a mistake and apologizing when you think you’ve made a mistake. But when you’re a people pleaser or overly apologetic, the only person you’re harming is yourself. People pleasers are usually less productive because they may not be available but make time anyway to help another person. Then that person knows they’re always available for them and they keep coming to you."

12 Lessons Life Will Teach You (Sometimes the Hard Way)

I'm a whopping 27 years old (in cat years, I am more). And while I can't compare to the wisdom of sages or Tibetan monks, I've learned a fair share of lessons in my relatively short time on earth. One of the first foresights I came to understand is that, ultimately, we all endure the same hardships: death, betrayal, divorce, heartache, illness, financial struggles -- these are the woes we inevitably awaken to. Next, I learned that I learn best by observing others: I telescope in on their desires and fears, their regrets and mistakes. And while I've made plenty of mistakes myself, I've also refrained from certain critical errors by remembering the consequences I've seen others pay. Sometimes we can know just as much about the battle by watching from a distance as we can by marching into it.

These lessons aren't part of any class curriculum. They are taught between the lines -- picked up through pain and need and faulty action. They are unwavering truths of life we often forget but more often dismiss. Bear in mind these 12 lessons to understand your trials, defeat your challenges and navigate through your circ*mstances with complete awareness:

Never take what isn't yours. When you take what doesn't belong to you, it will be taken right back from you -- perhaps at a later time or by different means. But what isn't yours won't remain for good. Find people and create things you can truly call your own.

Never compare yourself to anyone. When you compare yourself to another, you dull down your inherent beauty. Be happy for others; let them live their dreams and wish them well. Even if they're on a similar path as you, competition doesn't need to be a factor. Focus only on your own success. The more you harbor envy, animosity, bitterness or frustration against someone for their achievements, the more you stifle your own personal progress. The moment you realize that you are as unique as your thumbprint is the moment you can begin to utilize your inbred talents towards your total benefit.

Timing is everything. Be patient. Look towards the process, not the result. Check in with yourself: Are things slowly but surely moving in the right direction? Know when to act and when to stand still. Stay alert for signs and take opportunities as they are given; if you keep an open mind, you will be shown what to do and when to do it. Timing is everything, and everything in time.

Keep your karma clean. Your karma is not some maleficent force that boomerangs your bad deeds upon you. Your karma is the memory of your soul, of everything good and bad and in-between you've ever thought and done. When you pile up bad karma, you trap yourself in unwanted cycles of behavior. Keeping your karma clean means not causing harm to anyone whether they've caused it to you or not. Be aware of your actions and the impact they have upon others. Act in good faith, always, and you will always be the victor.

Cherish your loved ones. To cherish is not just to love, it is to treasure. You can love someone from a distance, but when you cherish a person you make every effort to be close to them. Care for those around you while you still can. Life has this curious way of causing our dear ones to dwindle in number over time. Embrace the people who are in your life before you are left with the memory of who they were.

Take care of yourself. My dear father smoked himself into an early grave and to a certain extent, I see the tendency to self-destruct in everyone I know. It might be chronic stress, a bad habit of drinking, or lack of exercise, but we all succumb to a vice that causes us more harm than good. Work to extend your life instead of shorten it. Immerse yourself in simple pleasures. Laugh more often. Give your burdens back to the universe; you were not meant to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. Because if you don't take care of yourself, who will?

Accept what you can't change. The Serenity Prayer reads, "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference." When you tolerate things as they are, and acknowledge that they will modify and mend and begin and end according to the will of the universe, then you will feel true serenity. Your mind and soul are at peace when acceptance is their mediator. Allow situations to unfold in their own natural course. Regardless of whether you do or do not try to influence people and events, everything still comes full circle in the end.

Find your vocation. We are each designated a unique purpose and endowed with the skills needed to carry out our mission. Mine is to write, and perhaps yours is to sing or dance or discover or construct. Whatever your purpose, it is your soulful duty to honor it. A vocation is a calling, and when you act on your calling, no job remains a "job." It becomes a pleasure to work because you are engaged from the seat of your soul, fulfilling your spirit's song and verse. If you know your mission but can't fully immerse in it (maybe it's not financially rewarding), try to practice it as often as possible. You can do volunteer work, have a part time job or take it up as a hobby -- whatever it takes to partake in your predestined quest.

Don't take anything personally. People will offend us and, at times, downright outrage us. Of the partner who betrayed us, we'll wonder: Was I not good enough? Of the best friend who stabbed us in the back, we'll think: How could they do that to me? But personalizing matters only causes unnecessary self-blame. Remember that when someone treats you badly they are fueled by their own unresolved issues and inner problems.

Control your emotions. Our emotions set us apart from animals; we feel our way through this world. And while emotions are the most beautiful element of our being, certain sentiments can be detrimental to our health. Never speak out of anger of act from desperation. Decisions made under extreme emotions are bound to work against us. When we master our emotions, we can decipher what's really in our best interests.

Evolve. The first law of the universe is change. The natural order of our world has taught us that the species that does not evolve dies out. We, too, must change or face stagnancy. As much as we like to blanket ourselves in comfort, we must force ourselves to grow consistently. Alter one aspect of your life with which you're dissatisfied. Give yourself a realistic time frame and stick to it. After you've made the change, reflect on it: Didn't it empower you? Now, what else would you like to improve? Aim to make new advancements, one at a time.

Everything eventually finds peace. Life comes in surges of joy and misery, and the bittersweet truth is that neither lasts forever. But when you're going through a rough patch, it sure does seem like eternity! And the happier moments appear fleeting. Rest assured that everything eventually finds peace. The sooner you confront your challenges with courage and without fear, the sooner the tranquil order of all things is restored.

We may learn these lessons through individual experience or by watching others pass through them. What's important is that we understand these wisdoms so as to elevate ourselves above our hardships and not bear the same burdens twice. What has life taught you so far?

To learning our lessons,
Alexandra Harra

5 Secrets Of People With Incredible Inner Strength

We all face adversity in one way or another. Some may have tougher obstacles than others, but regardless of the differences, we all share a universal human connection in the fact that we all must face challenges.

However, it's how we handle those challenges that determines how we move forward through the rest of our lives, says Piero Ferrucci, psychotherapist and author of Your Inner Will: Finding Personal Strength in Critical Times.

"Our will affects how we relate to others, what ideas we cultivate, what steps we take in our lives ... We need to make sure it's working well, otherwise we're in trouble," he tells The Huffington Post. "We need to build up this inner strength, because without it we may fall victim to circ*mstances. We risk having our lives run by other people or by chance."

Inner will, or the strength we have within ourselves to push us to new boundaries, is like a muscle that can be developed -- all it takes is a few small exercises, Ferrucci says. Below, find five tips on how to build up your inner strength.

Create a sacred space within yourself.
sitting in silence

A strong inner will allows you to deflect many stressful situations so you can make rational decisions, Ferrucci explains. Part of doing that is taking some time to find your center.

"You hear about the importance of finding a sacred space at home, but we also must learn to find a sacred sanctuary in ourselves," he says. "We make better decisions when we're more centered. One way we can do that is learning to breathe. I know it sounds obvious, but it's the simplest thing you can do [to feel balanced]." Ferrucci also suggests meditating or just immersing yourself in silence for a few moments in order to clear your head.

Open yourself up to challenging situations.
resilience

By putting ourselves outside of our comfort zone, we're automatically building up our resilience against the unfamiliar, Ferrucci says. "We should always be finding situations [in] which we can put our strength to good use," he explains. "Take a risk or do something that goes against your habits."

These acts of strength can be anything from making a difficult phone call to trying a new exercise. The point, Ferrucci says, is to do something you otherwise would've naturally postponed because you felt uncomfortable. "Think of a small act of courage you can make and then do it," he suggests. "Taking risks is a way to renew ourselves, break new ground and ultimately expand [our inner strength]."

Recall a time you've been strong in the past.
confident

Did you stand up for yourself in an argument? Did you spearhead an important project at work? Were you a rock for a friend in need? Chances are you've practiced inner strength in multiple aspects of your life, you just need help remembering them in order to cultivate the power to do it again.

"Even people who feel weak and anxious are usually able to find times in which they felt strong," Ferrucci says. "They used their inner power in a certain situation maybe even to their own surprise, and when they remember that, their attitude changes. A lot of us already have inner strength, we just forget that we have it."

Reflect on your good qualities.
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We all have insecurities, but it's our good habits that make us stronger without even knowing it, Ferrucci says. Are you a supportive father? A fiercely loyal friend? Do you have a knack for directions? Those are all good qualities. "Make a list of all the things you like and you feel are well-developed about yourself," Ferrucci suggests. "If we don't think about those strengths, we forget about what makes us tough in the first place."

Take a break from distractions.
smartphone bed

The benefits to unplugging are seemingly endless, and, according to Ferrucci, a more mindful use of our devices can also help us build inner strength. By unplugging, he explains, we're taking a break from a "low-level addiction" we've developed to our phones. Every time we stray away from our urge to be connected just a little bit longer, we're sharpening our will. "Often our will is weak or absent because we're too distracted," he says. "I'm certainly not against technology, but we can postpone it. We can use that time to breathe and separate ourselves from our messages."

21 Ways to Let Go and Free Yourself
Posted: 08/08/2014 8:32 am EDT Updated: 4 hours ago
"In the end, these things matter most: How well did you love? How fully did you live? How deeply did you let go?" -- Buddha

Therapists, coaches and yoga instructors love to tell us, "Just let go!" Sounds divine, yet ambiguous... What exactly is involved in the process of letting go? After 20 years of counseling clients and taking a stab or two at letting go of my own "stuff," I recommend the following strategies:

1. Detach from outcome and focus on the process. If your mind is obsessing about whether or not this is the person you are going to marry, for example, you are going to miss the enjoyment of courtship and that first kiss... Trust in the greater plan for your life and trust that things unfold over time as they should. Skip the urge to jump to the end of the story and enjoy the present moment.

2. Understand that the life you thought you would have may not be the life you will actually have. Many of us have a concept of who we are and how we think our life is going to go. The more we live, the more we learn that things don't always go as planned. Understand that not only is this okay, it might actually be better. Practice gratitude and trust in the process.

3. Don't hang your hat on expectations because this often leads to disappointment. Expectations have a way of keeping us in relationships or situations far too long, investing more and more in hopes to finally hit Pay Day. Expectations are not guarantees, rather they are markers. When our expectations or needs are not met, we need to take note, respond assertively and appropriately, and be flexible enough to change course if need be.

4. Break the barriers you've created for yourself that keep you imprisoned. We all have self-limiting beliefs. "I could never do that!" "I could never wear that!" "I could never earn that!" If you believe you won't, you won't. Expand your thinking and allow more into your life.

5. Relinquish control over others, for it's a false concept anyways. We only truly have control over our own thoughts, behaviors, choices, actions and decisions. Don't expend time and energy spinning your wheels on trying to change others.

6. Separate yourself from attachment to externals (possessions, beauty, titles, money, status, situation, etc.) Bring your attention to the internal, deeper, psycho-spiritual-relational process within. This will bring you peace, calm and serenity. When we focus on externals, enough is never enough.

7. Stop worrying about what other people think and commit to it as a way of life. While hanging onto your morale compass, free yourself from being consumed or controlled by the opinions of others. Choose to care more about how you feel about yourself than whether or not your neighbor approves. We are our happiest when we live our lives in a way that is aligned with our authentic selves.

8. Exhale. With an audible sigh, exhale through your mouth, releasing all you no longer want or need (i.e. anxiety, stress, guilt, shame, worry, etc.) Inhale deeply through your nose, drawing in all that you need (i.e. peace, strength, serenity, courage, love, etc.). Repeat this cycle, allowing your exhale to become longer and deeper than your inhale and notice your mind/body/spirit calm and relax.

9. Purge unnecessary belongings. Clear your home and office of any items you neither love nor use. Make space in your life for peace and joy.

10. Free yourself from toxic relationships. Assess your support network and have the courage to shift boundaries or even terminate relationships that are not good for you. Create space in your life for new and healthy relationships.

11. Exercise self-compassion. Did something dumb? Made a mistake? Join the club. We are human. Stop the self-flagellation and cut yourself some slack. Use the experience to learn and then move on.

12. Practice acceptance. Stop second-guessing the past. Cease wishing things were now the way they were once. Remove "shoulda, coulda, woulda" from your vocabulary. All things happen for a reason. Bring your attention to the present moment, for that is where life occurs.

13. Open your mind. Rigid, black-and-white thinking can keep us stuck. Free yourself by considering what you don't know and opening yourself up to new and unexpected possibilities.

14. Laugh at yourself, laugh at life and learn not to take it all too seriously. This will help you loosen your grip and relax into the ride of your life's journey.

15. Detach from fear. Fear causes us to move through life with clenched jaws, white knuckles, closed minds and guarded hearts. Most fears ultimately stem from the fear of death. The more you make peace with the fact that death is part of life, and choose to celebrate life rather than have fear monopolize it, the more you be able to mindfully unplug from the awesome and often irrational power of fear.

16. Release the feelings you store in your body through exercise. For example, run and imagine your feet are pounding out every bit of stress into the pavement. Whack the tennis ball and feel the release of the anger at your boss. Ride your bike and imagine with each rotation of the pedals you are cranking away your fears and limitations. Practice yoga for increase mind/body awareness and to recalibrate your life energy. A good massage and great sex are also positive ways to release energy stored in the body.

17. Express yourself. Find your voice and share your stories with people you love and trust; friends, family or a wonderful therapist. Journal or write creatively. Create art. Dance and move. Make music or sing. Cook or bake. Garden. Release and share the unique spirit of light and love inside of you.

18. Meditate. The practice of meditation will teach you how to separate from mind-chatter, find inner peace and reboot yourself for the day ahead. Life is easier and more manageable with a daily meditation practice, even for just a few minutes.

19. Process your grief. Whether you lost a loved one through death or a break-up, honor your loss. It is the "hanging on" that will continue the suffering. A love that is lost that is meant to be will come back if you let it go. Hanging on prevents you from moving forward.

20. Detach from your ego. Your ego is the false construct that you think is who you are -- aka your "mind." Don't expend energy defending yourself or taking things personally. Connect with your essence--the deeper entity that lies within (aka your authentic self or soul.)

21. Forgive. Resentment keeps you tethered to the past and prevents forward movement and growth. If for no other reason than yourself, forgive and let go.

May you let go of all that binds you & free yourself to live with a conscious mind, an open heart & a dancing spirit!

6 Signs You're A Truly Genuine Person
The Huffington Post | By Alena Hall
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Posted: 07/29/2014 8:34 am EDT Updated: 07/31/2014 11:59 am EDT Print ArticleHAPPY

We can all agree that being fake is a negative thing -- no one wants to feel like they're being played by someone who is just acting, nor does anyone want to be known as someone who doesn’t live true to themselves. But what makes a person truly genuine?

Millennials in particular, who have matured in the age of social media, struggle to both pin down this personality trait and determine whether or not they possess it. They spend significant amounts of time curating the most share-worthy photos on Instagram, creating a summarized snapshot of their lives on Facebook, and posting descriptions of themselves on online dating websites. And as "real" as those shared moments may be, there is a selectivity involved in designing one's ideal self, rather than exposing all there is to bare.

In 2002, authenticity research pioneers Michael Kernis and Brian Goldman began studying the individual differences of sincere personalities, and defined authenticity as “the unimpeded operation of one’s true or core self in daily enterprise.” In order to assess whether a person is guided by his or her genuine sense of self, one must look past the profiles created and into the collection of thoughts, interactions and behaviors that fill each day. And while science has yet to map a single path to sincerity, there are some shared traits among people who are genuine and authentic.

Here are six signs you live life according to your true self.

1. You have high self-esteem.

confidence

Genuine people, by definition, have a good sense of self-esteem, says clinical psychologist Guy Winch, Ph.D., a HuffPost blogger and author of Emotional First Aid: Healing Rejection, Guilt, Failure, and Other Everyday Hurts.

"Really, with self-esteem, it’s the ‘Goldilocks’ range: Too much is not good because that’s the narcissism range, that’s the arrogant, prideful range," Winch tells The Huffington Post. "Too little is not good; you want something solid in the middle. So genuine people are those who have solid self-esteem -- it’s solid, it’s consistent, it’s not brittle. And people who have solid self-esteem are much less defensive about things usually. They can feel authentic, they can be authentic, because they’re far less worried about the implications of exposing who they are, because they feel OK about who they are."

Research backs this up: In a 2008 study published in the Journal of Counseling Psychology, U.K.-based researchers explored the "authentic personality" and how other traits correlate with a person's sense of living genuinely. They found that people who expressed a high sense of authenticity also maintained higher levels of self-esteem.

2. You embrace vulnerability.

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The psychological idea and societal construct of inner strength vary dramatically. Many cultures place great importance on maintaining defensive walls that hide or minimize personal weaknesses and imperfections, as a means of protecting oneself from harmful or unpleasant experiences. Science, on the other hand, supports using flexible coping mechanisms to face moments of discomfort -- opening oneself up to fears and failures in an attempt to learn and grow from them, rather than shut them out altogether. And it takes an authentic person with a solid foundation of self-esteem to be able to accomplish the latter.

"The stronger your self-esteem, the more able you are to admit that you’re failing, to receive criticism, to be able to receive negative feedback without it making you crumble," Winch says about the importance of maintaining such flexibility. "You can actually take on criticism, negative feedback, something not great about you, something that you don’t love about yourself, and it doesn’t really devastate you. It’s something you can admit, you can hope to work on or just take in, but it doesn’t affect your whole way of thinking about yourself."

3. You share your true thoughts, beliefs and opinions with the world.

gardening

Authentic people not only take the time to ponder their perspective on life and the experiences that led them there, but they easily share this "true self" with others around them. This outward expression is consistently characterized as an extroverted behavior in authenticity research. However, in a 2010 study published in the Journal of Personality, Wake Forest University psychologist William Fleeson established that both genuine introverts and extroverts alike feel comfortable sharing their thoughts, opinions and beliefs with the outside world.

“Authenticity is consistently associated with acting highly extraverted, even for those who characterize themselves as introverts,” said Fleeson in a statement. “Being flexible with who you are is okay. It is not denying or disrespecting who you are. People are often too rigid about how they are and stick with the comfortable and familiar. Adapting to a situation can make you more true to yourself in some circ*mstances.”

His research also revealed that being genuine consistently goes hand-in-hand with being emotionally stable and intellectual.

4. You openly give and receive compliments.

gratitude

Gratitude clearly flows in two directions: sometimes you give, and sometimes you receive. When it comes to the latter, Winch explains in his book Emotional First Aid that people with low self-esteem can sometimes struggle with accepting compliments. That's because they believe those compliments come attached to higher expectations from others, which results in feelings of stress. Those who are authentic and maintain a solid sense of self-esteem, on the other hand, don't view compliments with strings attached.

"You have to be able to see a compliment as just a compliment, and it takes a certain level of authenticity to receive that," Winch explains. "It’s about being able to take in and also give back in a way that’s unfiltered by all these kinds of other agendas."

When it comes to expressing gratitude to others, genuine people follow a similar path of not overthinking it.

"You want to reinforce people," he said. "It’s really merit-based. You’re doing it just because it's merited, and that comes across when you do it in a pure way, when you’re simply delighted that somebody did well and you compliment them."

5. You really listen -- and prefer deep conversations.

conversation

Genuine people find it easier to let go of distractions and focus intently in a conversation simply because they are truly interested in what the other person has to say. They aren't constantly checking their smartphone for text messages or letting their mind wander off to the day's to-do list. Everything else falls by the wayside.

According to a 2013 study conducted by psychological scientist Erin Heerey at Bangor University in Wales, others can tell when you are being genuine. The observational study paired strangers getting to know one another and monitored their reactions to any smile that was exchanged -- both genuine and polite. It found that the subjects responded much more quickly to genuine smiles than polite smiles, and viewed the genuine smiles a social reward to be valued.

"When we are authentic people and our self-esteem is strong, we are just much less burdened by agendas and baggage, and we can actually have a conversation that’s about the content of the conversation in a much purer way," adds Winch. "When people are authentic, there’s a certain purity to their interactions and conversations, and the conversations tend to be more interesting in terms of the content. You can get further, you can explore more, and you can discover more because it’s a much richer conversation."

6. You're driven by an inner voice rather than your surroundings.

reflection

One of the key components of authenticity is simply (or not so simply) knowing who you are and being comfortable with yourself. It requires taking the time to develop informed ideas about the things you care about, and not blindly adopting them from others around you. It is with this foundation that you are able to live those values -- stand behind them, represent them and feel strongly about them.

"When you have thought through what you think, what you feel, what’s important to you and why it’s important to you, that determines a certain sense of purpose and directive," says Winch. "We all have these operational directives -- we just don’t necessarily articulate them to ourselves. But if we look back on our behavior and examine what we do, why we do it , what we think, why we think it, we can figure out the principles that are driving us."

People who have really looked within to understand why they think and act the way they do are clearer about the principles -- and purposes -- that drive their lives, Winch adds. "It makes them proactive rather than reactive."

5 Promises You Should Make To Yourself Every Day
The Huffington Post | By Lindsay Holmes
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Posted: 07/30/2014 8:31 am EDT Updated: 07/30/2014 5:59 pm EDT Print Article

Every day we make handfuls of commitments. We say we'll meet friends for drinks or pick up the dry cleaning. We swear we'll make it to the gym or call our grandmothers. And while these are all great promises, they all have one slightly negative commonality: They sound more like items on a to-do list than actual vows.

If you're wanting to make promises that are really worth crossing your heart for, try making the five vows below. Then swear not to break them.

I will make a point to notice when life is good.
good life

It's easy to dwell on the dreary days, the bad workouts, the broken coffee machine and the horrible fights, but the antidote isn't incessant rumination. Practicing gratitude in spite of the negative is the best way out. Expressing thanks -- whether it's just calling the good to mind or writing it down -- can help you deflect bad experiences and cultivate a happier attitude. By promising yourself you'll look at the good side and being thankful for it, you're automatically setting yourself up for joy.

I will listen to my body and my mind when I'm stressed out.
stress

As HuffPost President and Editor-in-Chief Arianna Huffington points out, burnout is the disease of our civilization -- so how can we prevent ourselves from catching it? When something's wrong, our bodies tend to scream louder than our minds. It's important to tune into the warning signs of stress -- physical and mental. That includes paying attention to out-of-the-ordinary symptoms like upset stomachs, tight muscles and recurring dreams, and making a promise to tap into those red flags. You may be able to stop (and ultimately avoid) burnout.

I will smile at one stranger today.
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Giving a friendly grin isn't just a simple gesture -- it's an instant wellness booster. Studies have shown that the simple act of smiling can increase your mood, and flashing those pearly whites to a stranger can help you feel more connected. By promising to smile at someone once a day, you're not only helping yourself, you're boosting the morale of others. And doesn't that feel good?

I will be kind to myself.
kind

Whether it's your appearance or your abilities, you deserve to be treated respectfully --and that includes the thoughts you have about yourself. Research shows that self acceptance is paramount to a happier life, but it's the habit we tend to practice the least. Make a vow to be kinder to the person staring back at you in the mirror. Don't know where to start? Try saying these phrases to yourself each day.

I will try my best.
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We're often our own worst critics when it comes to estimating our abilities, so make a promise to yourself today that you're going to take control of that criticism. Shame-based thoughts get us nowhere, and soon they affect more than our capabilities at work.

As licensed psychologist and author Margaret Wehrenberg points out, the labels we give ourselves are the ones that stick -- and it's better to accept what your best is than put down what you're not. "Observing without judgment can move you to see yourself in new, objective terms and can lead to greater understanding and acceptance of yourself without the negative labels," she wrote in a recent Psychology Today blog. "A consequence will be greater compassion toward others and more positive relationships."

7 Ways To Tell If You're A Truly Humble Person
The Huffington Post | By Lindsay Holmes
Posted: 07/17/2014 8:00 am EDT Updated: 07/17/2014 4:59 pm
In a society where fortune favors the strong, modesty is often seen as a weakness. Climbing to the top of a corporate ladder is our modern version of “survival of the fittest” -- and for that reason, meekness is often under-appreciated. But turns out, the secret to success and fulfillment may very well lie in the ability to express humility.

The emphasis on humility in philosophy and religious texts shows that it’s a trait and principle that deserves to be revered. As Confucius once defined it, humility is “the solid foundation of all virtues” -- and possibly the key to achievement. While humble people are often seen in today's corporate culture as unassertive, passive types, there's something truly powerful about them that we can all stand to emulate. Studies have associated humility with healthy adjustment, good leadership and other positive emotions -- demonstrating that in order to reach total success, we could stand to benefit from getting in touch with our modest side. And this doesn't require as much self-deprecation as one might think, says Mike Austin, Ph.D., professor of philosophy at Eastern Kentucky University.

“Many people think of humility as ... thinking very little of yourself, and I don't think that's right,” Austin tells The Huffington Post. “It's more about a proper or accurate assessment. A big part of humility is knowing our own limits, our strengths and weaknesses, morally or otherwise.”

But beyond just knowing ourselves, humility can also build upon other positive traits we already have, Austin says. “In general, most traditions, religious or philosophical, believe that certain character traits make up a good person -- and a lot of those attributes are enhanced by humility,” he notes.

So how do we add a little more humility to our lives? Below, find seven traits humble people have mastered that allow them to live accomplished, fulfilled and happy lives.

They focus their energy on others.
outward

People who practice humility tend to reflect inward, but when it comes to where they focus their energy, it’s all about other people. Austin says that while humble people put others before themselves, they do it in a mindful manner that doesn’t end up hurting themselves in the long run. “Some people think of humility as thinking little of yourself, but I would say it’s someone who just doesn’t think about themselves that much,” he explains. “Their focus is just outward. They have a real interest in others and their contributions to the world.”

Because there’s this lack of self-absorption, humble people also have more courage to try new things. With a focus on others, there is less pressure to be perfect. “That really frees them up to take risks,” Austin says. “They’re not paralyzed with a fear of failure because that’s not their chief concern.”

They're conscientious.
In addition to being concerned for others, people who exude humility also act on their compassion. According to a 2012 study, humble people are more likely than prideful people to help out a friend. Additionally, research also shows that humble people show a more charitable and generous nature toward other people. Not a bad kind of person to have in your corner -- and certainly not a bad habit to adopt yourself. Science shows, after all, that altruism can benefit health and significantly contribute to happiness.

Their moral compass guides their decision-making.
hand holding compass

We’ve all been there: Stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to making a choice. But when humble people struggle with what the best option is, they look to their instincts. “Humble people have a habit of thinking about their values when they make choices,” Austin says. “It involves certain respect for important moral values -- like compassion.” Humility by its partial definition is to accept things with grace -- and part of doing that, he explains, is knowing that you made a decision you will stand by, no matter the outcome.

They see happiness as a journey.
Studies have shown that we tend to achieve happiness more when we’re not actually pursuing it. Humble people -- who already place their focus outward -- tend to naturally take this approach. As a result, the virtue allows them to feel fulfilled on a regular basis, Austin says.

“Human nature is such that we want to be happy, however we tend to define that, but ... people that are the happiest are the ones that don’t think so much about trying to be happy,” he explains. “That works for humble people. They get caught up in projects, people and things that they consider bigger and more important than themselves and then they get more happiness anyway as a byproduct.”

They excel as leaders.
While humility is more of a softer strength, that doesn’t mean it can’t make an impact in the boardroom. “It sort of defies the stereotype of the arrogant, self-centered CEO. ... You don’t really think of humility as a key trait for success in leadership, but it is,” Austin says.

Humble people have the ability to shine in professional settings because they give credit where it is due and are open to collaboration. And while the workplace tends to recognize self-promoters over their more modest counterparts, humility actually makes people better employees and bosses, TIME reports.

They know good things lie ahead -- and they’re OK waiting for them.
good things

When you live on the side of modesty, you’re genuinely thankful for the opportunities and accolades you receive -- and not only is that a refreshing outlook to have, but it helps you cope with the periods of wait time in-between. With humility, Austin says, you’re more capable of waiting for the peaks of your life to come -- and you’re grateful when they do. “We’re impatient with people and our circ*mstances because we want what we want, right now,” Austin says. “But because humility focuses so outwardly, it tends to foster patience.”

They have strong relationships.
While humility may sometimes be viewed as a subservient characteristic, when it comes down to it, most people don’t want a narcissistic friend or partner -- and that ability to posses modesty and genuine graciousness for others can significantly strengthen social bonds.

According to the American Psychological Association, humility creates a sense of “we-ness” in relationships. Being humble means possessing a better capacity to form cooperative alliances -- a crucial component in strengthening connections. “Of any communal endeavor, whether it’s a business, a family or an athletic team, humility can make those relationships better,” Austin says. “When there’s that kind of harmony, that’s when the better angles of our nature come out.”

For Optimal Health, Savor Your Life
Posted: 07/16/2014 5:37 pm EDT Updated: 07/16/2014 5:59 pm EDT Print
Whether we suffer from common ailments like insomnia, high cholesterol and allergies or chronic illnesses like diabetes, heart disease and fibromyalgia, our health challenges interfere with our ability to enjoy our lives. The specifics of our respective health challenges simply impact our lives in different ways and to different extremes. For this reason, whatever complaints my patients have, I always ask this question at the outset of our work together: What will you do with your life, once your health is restored?

Usually the question takes my patients aback. Not only do people not expect a medical doctor to inquire about such matters, but most people have given little, if any, thought to the answer. Yet the answer to this question is typically the lynchpin for our ability to get and stay healthy.

In our fast-paced world, we are used to looking for quick-fix solutions to our health challenges, not realizing that these "solutions" in fact may contribute to our problems. Most health challenges are the result of an imbalance in our bodies and lives, and most quick-fix solutions actually exacerbate these imbalances. If, instead, we take a Slow Medicine approach -- identifying the root cause of our health challenges, then creating a thoughtful, step-by-step and long-term response to it -- we effectively bring ourselves back into balance. In doing so, we not only resolve our primary complaints, but we benefit elsewhere in our lives, often in unexpected ways.

As many of us are beginning to understand, health is not just the absence of disease, but rather, a state of wellness. Sadly, despite this realization, the more-more-more drive of our materialistic lifestyles -- more money, more status, more stuff -- is slowly killing us, from a combination of stress, isolation and emptiness. When we slow down, live our lives with passion, meaning and purpose and cultivate harmonious relationships with those who are important to us, we bring ourselves into greater alignment on every level -- body, mind, heart and soul. This alignment in turn enhances our sense of overall wellness, shifting us from the sympathetic nervous system's fight-or-flight response to the parasympathetic nervous system's healing response.

To this end, most of my patients have experienced symptom relief not from exercising this many times a day or ingesting that particular supplement, but rather, as a byproduct of whatever conscious steps they have taken to return to a state of genuine fulfillment, that place where they feel truly alive.They have done some combination of spending time in nature, playing a musical instrument, mending a broken relationship, volunteering at a homeless shelter or otherwise honoring, deepening, and celebrating their lives.

There are, of course, many external triggers for illness, such as environmental toxins or injuries that lead to a chain reaction of difficulties. In many cases, however, the root of a health challenge is related to an emotional or spiritual component. When this component is taken into consideration as part of a comprehensive treatment plan, people experience better outcomes.

The proverbial struggle with weight, for example, is typically aggravated by emotional eating, yet the most common "remedy" for it is dieting -- which in fact is often counterproductive. The shame, guilt and self-recrimination of dieting only exacerbate the root emotions -- creating a vicious cycle of feeling bad, then eating to feel better. Fixating on calories, exercise or specific foods entirely misses the point of why we overeat to begin with, and therefore is doomed to fail in sustainably transforming our habits. Instead, we need to identify why we are overeating: What void in our lives are we seeking to fill, and what steps can we take to actually fill it?

To achieve and sustain good health, no matter what the ailment, we need perspective. We need to zoom our lens on the area calling for attention, pan our lens to take in the big picture, then use our intelligence and intuition to connect the dots in-between. We need to become aware of each area of our lives and explore how to optimize our wellness in those areas -- by eating nutrient-dense foods, spending time by the ocean, becoming a foster parent, traveling abroad, finding a loving partner or whatever else helps us create a harmonious life that is filled with passion and purpose.

Everything is inter-dependent -- muscles and nerves, bodies and minds, people and planet -- with each connecting thread having a domino effect on the other. We all have the capacity to understand the inter-connected web of our health and to channel the domino effect in a positive direction. This individualized process requires trial and error, and therefore takes time, but ultimately allows us to cultivate lasting wellness.

Thewhole reason we want to be healthy, after all, is to lead a fulfilling and meaningful life. By figuring out how to do so right now, in whatever modified forms may be required at this time, we can achieve the state of wellness we seek, without unnecessary deprivation and pointless sacrifice. Instead of dieting, we can increase our intake of whole, unprocessed foods that are both healthy and delicious, and we can celebrate our meals with flowers, music and good company. Instead of exercising on a treadmill at the local gym, we can enjoy moving our bodies through hiking in the woods, practicing tai chi on the beach or dancing at a night club. These changes are all about living, which is the point of being well.

Getting healthy does not need to be a chore; rather, it can be an adventure. By getting creative about how to expand into the life we have right now, and by truly savoring this life -- physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually -- we chart new paths to wellness that leave us feeling better on every level. And that is what health is all about.

How to 'Work Out' Your Heart: A Guide to Building Emotional Strength
Posted: 07/15/2014 11:05 am EDT Updated: 07/15/2014 11:59 am EDT Print ArticleWOMAN IN WORKOUT CLOTHES DRINKING WATER

Most of us aspire to be in peak physical condition, so we take the stairs instead of the elevator, train for races or join a gym. We invest our money, time and energy into working out our bodies. We even plan our days around that cycle or yoga class, because, after all, if we don't make exercising a priority, we won't do it.

The benefits of physical exercise are endless and engrained in our minds at a very young age. However, an important workout regimen we overlook is the one that exercises the "heart" muscle.

I know the heart is an organ that needs standard exercise to thrive, but I'm talking about the heart in a figurative sense. Since it's natural to associate emotional strength and well-being with the heart, what if we gave the same care and focus in learning to work out our heart muscle the same way we work out and strengthen our bodies?

Dr. Scott Bea, clinical psychologist at Cleveland Clinic, said it best: "It rarely occurs to us that we can practice new attitudes, new emotional responses or characteristics."

Fortunately, some of the very same training techniques that we use to improve our bodies can also apply to our emotional and psychological fitness:

Warm Up/Cool Down
Warming up, stretching and cooling down are essential to physical workouts. They are what prepare your body before a workout, keep your muscles loose and bring your body back to equilibrium after. Similarly, self-love is what's essential to opening your heart.

woman look in bathroom mirror

Maximize the start and end of your days with repetitions of self-love:

As a warm up, start your day with self-affirmations to build your confidence and courage. Are you currently worried about something? Do you have a big day ahead of you? "Affirmations are a great way to center yourself, and how you start your day is critical to your overall happiness and how you live each moment," international life coach Shannon Kaiser explains. She suggests telling yourself, "All is in right order, I am right where I need to be to get to where I want to go, I accept myself fully in this moment." Or you can try one of these.

At the end of the day, center yourself with meditation. There are several ways to meditate and stay in tune with your heart and its needs. Next time you've had a busy day, take a few minutes to take deep breaths after work. This will help you know when it's time to say no to plans, put yourself first or even unplug to avoid burnout. Before you sleep every night, take a few minutes to let your mind be at peace, either reflecting on your day or letting it go from your mind altogether. With this mindfulness, you'll be able to better manage stress and gain fresh perspective on situations.

Build Stamina With Practice
Physical stamina is important because it is the power to physically perform at maximum efficiency and capacity. Similarly, emotional stamina is as necessary and demanding. Building emotional stamina is a matter of give and give -- give to yourself and give to others. The more you put compassion and generosity into practice, the easier it will become.

compassion

Compassion (kindness, empathy, thoughtfulness, giving) is the general concern for other people's well-being, and it can be extended through the day to strangers or friends. Recognize we are all human beings with the same basic needs for love, food, shelter, acceptance and happiness. Maintain this perspective every day as you interact with people of all moods and in all circ*mstances. Gratitude is the second source of emotional stamina. It's having awareness every day that you are alive and that you are blessed (in ways others may not be). It's seeking out and appreciating the wonder in the world.

Exercises to improve your emotional stamina:

Volunteer your time with no expectation of anything in return; this can be lending a hand to strangers or signing up for a structured event. Furthermore, ask and learn about your company's volunteer days policies and use them. "We don't need a reason to share the love, we just have to take the step to do it," explains Kaiser. "Simply ask how can I help, instead of what can I get."
Raise money for a charity. (If done through a walk or race, this can be a good way to work out your body and your heart.)
Don't hold back nice thoughts. Next time you're thinking a compliment or praise, whether it's thinking the person on the subway is well-dressed to appreciating how work was done in the office, say it freely.
Learn and address people by their names to create a personal connection or alliance.
Be conscientious of other people's feelings and time: Is someone huffing and puffing in line behind you at Starbucks? If you're not pressed for time, let them in front of you. Are you witnessing a customer rudely talk to an employee? Write a quick note or say something positive to lift the employee's spirits.
On that note, don't make quick judgments of people's actions, unless you know their whole story. And don't be a lesser version of yourself, because someone else isn't being his or her best self. Who you want to be is dictated solely by your choices.
Make a gratitude list of 10 things you are grateful for, every day, for a month. You'll find that you've started to take people and overlooked luxuries (like the ability to have Internet to read this post) for granted. Professor of Psychology at UC Davis Robert Emmons' advice is to remember that the most important lesson about trying to become more grateful is to not focus on yourself.
You never know the difference you will make in another person's life. And remember: What you put out into the world is what you get back in.

Endurance
Physical endurance is tested by the length of time of your performance rather than the level at which you are performing. The way compassion and gratitude provide everyday stamina for connecting with and living among others, positivity is absolutely necessary for your life-long capacity to endure, adapt and acclimate to anything that comes your way.

positivity

In order to not only survive but also thrive in life, you should be equipped with these three things:

The understanding that you have everything it takes to get through your struggles.
Faith in yourself, in humanity and perhaps in anything greater.
Knowledge that sometimes coincidences aren't real, and sometimes, everything just happens for a reason. As The Huffington Post President and Editor-in-Chief Arianna Huffington says in her book Thrive: "We don't have to know what coincidences mean, or arrive at some grand conclusion when we encounter them ... the combination of improbability, timing, and felicity has a kind of magic power. To the philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, coincidences were the 'wonderful pre-established harmony' of the universe."
If you are able to look at the bright side and understand that each struggle is a greater opportunity for transformation, you can endure all that doesn't kill you. The optimistic heart is one that is resilient, one that can cope better and one that suffers lower rates of depression.

Stretch Out of Your Comfort Zone
Being physically flexible allows you to maximize and utilize the full range of motions of your body. The same applies to emotional flexibility. It's essential to become flexible as your life and the people in it change (for better or worse).

man on bench

Patience provides the heart with the necessary range of movement to deal with various situations. Along with patience comes the practice of forgiveness. This is simply accepting that other people's choices are their own and not relative to you -- regardless of whether you keep them in your life or not.

Exercises to flex your heart muscle:

Be tolerant of other people -- their opinions, their belief system, their way of living and their situations -- and respect their individuality.
Know the difference between what you can and can't control. As my favorite quote by Denis Waitley goes: "Change the changeable, accept the unchangeable, and remove yourself from the unacceptable."
Act on your inspiration, the pull of your heart. Kaiser explains that, "this will allow you to be comfortable in the unknown. We can develop more patience by trusting ourselves more, we can do this by nourishing the nudges that come to us."
Eliminate grudges, negativity and toxic relationships in order to maintain a healthy psychological well-being.
All of these training routines are intertwined the same way different physical workouts contribute to each other. By practicing one exercise, you strengthen your heart to improve in the others, and in the process, you build emotional strength. Strength that fuels your decisions to connect with other people, be authentic and maintain a happy and positive perspective through life.

It's time to be intentional and make working out your heart as important as working out your body, not just for the health benefits but also to be your best self and contribute to a better world.

7 Things Great Leaders Do Differently
Posted: 07/13/2014 11:50 am EDT Updated: 07/14/2014 3:59 pm EDT Print Article

There have been thousands of books and articles written about leadership. There's also a plethora of companies today that teach leadership skills. In my experience, however, these resources are mostly someone's ideas or theories about the specific behaviors that define great leaders. Yet, if you look closely, you'll find that the behavior of inspiring leaders does not fit a specific mold. The wildly different Gandhi and Vince Lombardi were both great leaders, for instance.

So, regardless of behavior, what truly defines leadership? To me, it's the following seven inside-out traits:

1. Great leaders know (beyond a shadow of a doubt) that their feelings come from their thinking, not their circ*mstances.
What's the main reason that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the finest leaders of all time? He knew that his feelings came from inside of him. In spite of the dysfunctional actions of many, King realized that his perceptions of other people were based on the normal ebbs and flows of his own thinking (and subsequent moods). In short, great leaders look inside of themselves for explanations. This allows them to live in clarity more often -- a necessity if you want to motivate others.

2. Great leaders know that judgment is not helpful.
Here's a simple rule: Judging another person says more about your state of mind than the other person's. When your head is cluttered, you'll be prone to judge. When your head is clear, you won't be. Great leaders know that when their feelings are cluttered, disquiet, or insecure -- they're not capable of making sound assessments. They wait for clarity, peace of mind, or understanding to set in -- and evaluate the actions of others from this perspective.

3. Great leaders act from a feeling of inspiration, not desperation.
This trait might seem obvious. Yet, no matter how hard a person tries, if he or she doesn't understand the purpose of feelings, acting from desperation will occur too often. Great leaders understand that an "off" gut feeling is an intuitive sign that they're not seeing things quite right. So, making decisions from this psychological disposition won't pay dividends. Leadership is about acting only from inspiration -- when a person feels unencumbered, compassionate, and free.

4. Great leaders are genuine.
Following another person's approach to leadership will not work for you. Great leaders do not act like someone else. They're real, spontaneous, and natural -- never scripted. Remember: Genuineness is an offshoot of clarity, which originates from not blaming the outside world for one's feelings. Those who look inside for explanations are wonderfully unique. All leaders are.

5. Great leaders know that their words are less important than the state of mind from which they speak.
Words do not convey truth; feelings do. That's why people can say the same words with opposite connotations. Great leaders know that their words are merely an echo of a feeling -- and positive feelings only originate from positive states of mind.

6. Great leaders keep goal setting in perspective.
Those who appreciate the inside-out nature of life know that the more people focus on an outside "prize," the more they obstruct their awareness, shrink their perceptual field, and limit possibilities. Great leaders understand that achieving goals does not elevate self-worth or happiness. Instead, they relish the journey -- the relationships and experiences -- as the path toward creating what they want turns clear.

7. When in doubt -- great leaders look to love.
Great leaders set guidelines based on one overriding principle: Love for others. They grasp, above all else, that love is the epitome of a clear mind. So, when they're jammed up and not reaching their audience, great leaders look to love. How to help others then becomes obvious.

5 Surprising Things That Keep You Calm (Even If You Don't Know It)
The Huffington Post | By Lindsay Holmes
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Posted: 07/15/2014 7:03 am EDT Updated: 07/15/2014 7:59 am EDT Print ArticleCALM

We all know meditating, going outdoors and doing yoga are incredibly useful ways to stave off stressful emotions, but sometimes we need to get creative when it comes to boosting our mood. The truth is, the secret to finding some zen may be closer (and easier) than you think. If you're looking for a way to cultivate some calm, check out some of the surprising ways to banish your blues below. Soon you'll be feeling relaxed and ready to take on the stress of your day (yoga mats and trees optional).

Go back to your roots.
welcome home

They say home is where the heart is -- but it can also be where the zen is. There's nothing quite like the comforts of the old and familiar. Going home can bring back memories of Saturday morning cartoons and holidays with the family -- and that source of nostalgia doesn't just induce positive emotions, it reminds us of the value of the little moments. As author Elizabeth Wagele explains, by recalling those memories, we can banish the stressful feelings we try to fight on a daily basis. "Indulging in nostalgia is different from reminiscing and can counteract loneliness, boredom, and anxiety and inspire optimism," she wrote in a Psychology Today blog. "[E]xperience is a prized possession that no one can take away."

Let out a heavy sigh.
breathing

If life is weighing you down, sometimes letting it all out through your breath is the only way to lift yourself up. When we focus on our breath, we have the power to calm our nervous system so we can get ourselves back to balance. But if you're looking for a way to ignite your inner zen -- and fast -- you can quickly reset your body and mind through deep sighs. Talk about an easy, feel-good way to power through tension.

Visit your local cafe.
coffee

While that 3 p.m. caffeine habit may not be the best idea for your sleep, inhaling the heavy, warm aroma of the drink can be smart. Next time you're feeling a little frustrated, head over to the nearest cafe (or coffee pot). In a small study on rats, researchers found that the smell of coffee reduced stress levels. Forget about stopping to smell the roses -- we'll be stopping to smell the latte.

Paint your thoughts blue.
blue scene

If you're a little overwhelmed or high-strung, try visualizing (or surrounding yourself with) the color blue. Color psychology associates the hue with a sense of calm, and some research has found that exposure to blue light can help relieve stress. Need a little help? Try picturing one of these relaxing scenes.

If all else fails: When nothing goes right, go left.
left turn

Sometimes all it takes to traverse the peaks and valleys of life is a simple shift in perspective. When Plan A doesn't work, there's always a Plan B (or a C or a D) -- and as author and coach Lisa Manterfield explains, reframing how we approach overwhelming situations can do wonders for our ability to get back on track. "Sometimes, we get so caught up in chasing our dreams that we lose track of what it was we really wanted in the first place," she wrote in a Psychology Today blog. "Sometimes, a shift in perspective can be enough to show us that the things we thought we could never have were there for us all along."

This GPS Guide is part of a series of posts designed to bring you back to balance when you're feeling off course.

GPS Guides are our way of showing you what has relieved others' stress in the hopes that you will be able to identify solutions that work for you. We all have de-stressing "secret weapons" that we pull out in times of tension or anxiety, whether they be photos that relax us or make us smile, songs that bring us back to our heart, quotes or poems that create a feeling of harmony or meditative exercises that help us find a sense of silence and calm. We encourage you to visit our other GPS Guides here, and share with us your own personal tips for finding peace, balance and tranquility.

5 Ways Your Friends Make You Happier, Healthier And An All-Around Better Person
The Huffington Post | By Lindsay Holmes
Posted: 07/09/2014 8:23 am EDT Updated: 07/09/2014 8:59 am EDT Print ArticleFRIENDS
Where would we be without our friends?

Not only do they lift us up when we're down and celebrate when we're successful, they're essentially an extension of our family (and sometimes they become our actual family). And while we can wax poetic on how our social relationships are crucial to our everyday life, there's also real science showing how our friendships actually benefit our well-being on a physical and emotional level.

As if you needed any more reasons to be grateful for your BFF, below are five ways your social bonds can have a positive impact on your health and happiness. After all, what are friends for?

They keep you calm.
friends calm

Feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders? Your BFF can help. According to a 2011 study, spending time with your friends can help decrease your stress. In a culture where almost 50 percent of us have experienced stressful events in the past year, our friends can be a much-needed rock.

They increase your sense of belonging.
supportive friend

Connecting to others not only makes you more compassionate, but building friendships also gives you a greater sense of belonging and meaning. According to Karyn Hall, Ph.D., director of the Dialectical Behavior Therapy Center in Houston, Texas, friends can also be a gateway to feeling a part of something bigger. "A sense of belonging to a greater community improves your motivation, health and happiness," she wrote in a recent Psychology Today blog. "When you see your connection to others, you know that all people struggle and have difficult times. You are not alone. There is comfort in that knowledge."

They help you battle health issues.
health

Having a friend by your side can help big challenges seem smaller -- and our health is no exception. Research has shown that strong social support systems have a positive effect when you're battling a disease, cut your risk for dementia and also alleviate depression.

They can improve your mood.
friends laughing

In addition to squashing your stress, your social relationships may also have a positive influence on your overall mood. Researchers have found that making new friends can lift your spirits through the release of oxytocin in the body. Not to mention the fact that no one can cheer you up like your friends can -- who else knows the ins and outs of your brain and behaviors like your BFF? (As Aristotle once said, a friend is "a single soul dwelling in two bodies.")

They can help you live longer.
old friends

Your friends may have an immediate impact on your life right now, but a 2009 study found that they can also help you later on. Our social bonds have been scientifically proven to help us live longer, possibly due in part to the healthy influences they have on our daily behaviors. Our friends can help us stop smoking, eat better and dodge loneliness later in life -- all key components for longevity. Not a bad reason to be thankful for your pals.

Turning Japanese could help you live to 100!

The Japanese have lower obesity levels, the world's longest life expectancy and lower rates of cancer than in the UK - here is how to copy the lifestyle.

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Turning Japanese could help you live to 100! Forget the Med Diet - eat until you're only 80% full, have health checks every year and switch to seaweed and sushi

Japanese live longer and are less likely to get cancer and heart disease
The Japanese 'way of life' is could lead you to a healthier lifestyle

While we eat vegetables and fish, all slathered in olive oil, hoping to benefit from the healthy Mediterranean diet, the Japanese way of life is attracting the attention of research scientists studying health and longevity.
Those who live on the East Asian islands have the longest life expectancy, at 82.5 years compared to our 80, and the highest proportion of centenarians, including Misao Okawa, 116, perhaps the oldest person in the world.
Their obesity rate is just 3.5 per cent, compared to a quarter of Britons. Rates of breast cancer, prostate cancer and heart disease in Japan are also much lower than those in the UK. Here, experts reveal the Japanese habits that can help you live to 100...
Chop it up: Give your lifestyle an Oriental twist by following the Japanese way
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Chop it up: Give your lifestyle an Oriental twist by following the Japanese way
DITCH DESSERT
THE HEALTHY HABIT 'In Japan people tend to finish off meals with green tea or fruit rather than a pudding,' says Dr Craig Wilcox. 'Dessert is something to be taken with coffee in the afternoon, if at all, and the portions are much smaller than in the West.'
THE THEORY Increasing evidence has linked sugar to weight gain, and related diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.
THE EVIDENCE Japanese people consume on average 48.8g sugar per day, compared with the British who get through 100.4g a day, according to recent statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.

SWAP SALAD FOR SEAWEED
THE HEALTHY HABIT Experts link Japanese health and longevity to a diet low in fat and high in fruit and sea vegetables such as seaweed.
THE THEORY Seaweed is packed with disease-fighting antioxidants and can help you to lose weight.
THE EVIDENCE In March, scientists at Newcastle University reported that alginate, a compound found in seaweed, stops the body absorbing fat. Their study showed that a fourfold increase in intake of alginate boosted suppression of fat digestion by 75 per cent.
LIVE LIKE THE JAPANESE If you want to try seaweed, buy wakame flakes, available at health- food stores, soak in water for five minutes and add to salads.
Eating habits: By practicing 'hara hachi bu' - stop when you are 80 per cent full - and eating sushi, which has omega 3 rich fish and sea vegetables such as seaweed, you could lengthen your life
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Eating habits: By practicing 'hara hachi bu' - stop when you are 80 per cent full - and eating sushi, which has omega 3 rich fish and sea vegetables such as seaweed, you could lengthen your life
STOP BEFORE YOU'RE FULL
THE HEALTHY HABIT The remote Japanese island of Okinawa has the highest proportion of centenarians in the world, and some credit this to the practice of 'hara hachi bu' – eat until you're eight-tenths full.
THE THEORY If you stop before you're full, and wait, you'll find you don't need those last few mouthfuls after all, so you'll eat less, staying slim and healthy.
THE EVIDENCE This theory is based on the delay between the stomach becoming full and the brain receiving this signal, which experts agree takes 20 minutes – which means many of us, by eating too quickly, end up having more than we need. While the British love 'a clean plate', evidence shows calorie restriction helps to maintain a healthy weight, and protect against diseases such as heart disease and cancer. A 20-year study on monkeys showed that those whose calorie intake was restricted by 30 per cent had longer life spans and showed slower ageing of the brain.
LIVE LIKE THE JAPANESE Have dainty portion sizes and you'll be less likely to overeat, says Naomi Moriyama, author of Japanese Women Don't Get Old Or Fat. 'The Japanese daily calorie intake is ten per cent less than in the UK. That's because the food pattern is more filling, and food is served on much smaller plates.'
SAVOUR SUSHI (BUT HOLD THE SOY SAUCE)
THE HEALTHY HABIT Sushi is a good source of omega 3 fatty acids, important for brain and heart health. The Japanese eat 80g to 100g of fish every day, while the British struggle to eat one portion of oily fish a week.
THE THEORY 'Sushi is a great source of omega 3 fatty acids, and it's also a healthy way to eat protein because you're not accompanying it with saturated fat as you do in a Western diet,' says Dr Craig Wilcox of the Okinawa Research Center for Longevity Science.
THE EVIDENCE Research has found that Japan's low rate of heart disease was down to their enjoyment of fish and seafood. Japanese men had less cholesterol in their arteries than US men, even though they had similar blood-pressure readings and higher rates of smoking. A high fish diet may have a protective effect against artery-clogging.
LIVE LIKE THE JAPANESE Have sushi or oily fish at least once a week, but Dr Wilcox warns not to cover it in soy sauce, or it becomes very high in salt.
Traditional movement: By walking to work and practicing Tai Chi, the Japanese people improve fitness and psychological well--being
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Traditional movement: By walking to work and practicing Tai Chi, the Japanese people improve fitness and psychological well--being
WALK TO WORK
THE HEALTHY HABIT Driving is expensive in Japan, so many people rely on public transport and walking. 'One of the biggest health secrets of the Japanese lifestyle is walking,' says Naomi Moriyama. 'People walk two or three times per day on average, and spend radically less time in cars.'
THE THEORY Going places on foot results in a daily dose of at least 30 to 60 minutes of routine, incidental exercise, which gives a very powerful health boost.
THE EVIDENCE Walking for two-and-a-half hours a week could add seven years to your life, Harvard University researchers reported in 2012. They reviewed six long-term studies and found that even 75 minutes of brisk walking could extend life by almost two years.
LIVE LIKE THE JAPANESE Incorporate walking into your daily routine and think about whether you really need to drive, says Moriyama. 'Most people can find a way to briskly walk for 30 minutes a day.'
BALANCE YOUR LIFE
THE HEALTHY HABIT It's common to see groups of adults practising tai chi in parks in Japan. The ancient Chinese martial art combines deep breathing and very slow, graceful movements.
THE THEORY Tai chi is considered a good form of exercise for older people because of the minimal impact on the joints. It's also thought to be good for improving balance and mobility and reducing stress.
THE EVIDENCE A 2011 study reviewed a number of studies on tai chi and concluded that the practice can prevent falls by improving balance, and that it is also good for psychological wellbeing.
LIVE LIKE THE JAPANESE Tai chi is suitable for everyone. Find an instructor in your area by visting the Tai Chi Union of Great Britain website, taichiunion.com.
EMBRACE BACTERIA
Know the score: Japanese are required to have annual health checks
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Know the score: Japanese are required to have annual health checks
THE HEALTHY HABIT For centuries, the Japanese have been eating fermented or pickled vegetables.
THE THEORY The vegetables are pre-digested by bacteria, which make their nutrients easier for the body to absorb, and stimulate the growth of 'good' bacteria in the gut.
THE EVIDENCE Research shows this healthy gut bacteria is linked to the immune system – 80 per cent of our immune cells are in the gut. Fermented vegetables provide a rich source of lactic acid bacteria which are thought to be the most useful for gut health.
LIVE LIKE THE JAPANESE Research shows suguki, a pickled turnip, could protect against flu. Miso is also made from fermented soy beans.
TOFU BEATS MENOPAUSE
THE HEALTHY HABIT Amazingly, there is no word for 'hot flushes' in Japan and studies show that women there suffer much less during the menopause than women in the West. Why? Some experts suggest it's down to their high intake of soy beans and soy foods, such as tofu.
THE THEORY Soy foods contain isoflavones, which mimic the effect of oestrogen, the hormone that naturally falls in women in middle age.
THE EVIDENCE In 2012, a major review on the subject found that two daily servings of soy can reduce the frequency and severity of hot flushes by 26 per cent, compared with a placebo. The paper, published in Menopause: The Journal Of The North American Menopause Association, reviewed 19 previous studies which looked at a total of 1,200 women.
Melissa Melby, a medical anthropologist at the University of Delaware and co-author of the study, said the effect is probably greater in Japanese women who have eaten soy products from birth.
'But if you're 50 and you've never touched soy, it's not too late,' she added. 'We've found that it still helps.'
LIVE LIKE THE JAPANESE 'In Japan they have tofu a couple of times a week,' says nutritionist Marlene Watson-Tara. 'It's best to get soy beans in this fermented form rather than a soya burger, as it's much more easily digested.' Try tofu in stir fries or Asian broths and stews.
KNOW YOUR NUMBERS
THE HEALTHY HABIT Everyone in Japan is strongly encouraged to attend a free annual health check. Employers are charged with ensuring that their workers do not gain weight.
THE THEORY Gerontologist Dr Craig Wilcox says Japanese people are encouraged to be health-conscious, to eat well, take regular exercise and listen to the body. 'There's a sense of responsibility to take care of yourself as you get older – you don't want to be a nuisance so you stay healthy.'
THE EVIDENCE A study in The Lancet concluded that a major reason for Japan's excellent life expectancy was heavy government investment in the public healthcare system, free annual health checks, and a sense of health-consciousness among its citizens.
Increasingly, doctors are stressing that changes in lifestyles are the key to reducing disease, death and the strain on the NHS.
LIVE LIKE THE JAPANESE Although there are no free health check-ups in the UK, that doesn't mean you can't pay attention to your health and diet and keep a healthy weight.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2664450/Turning-Japanese-help-live-100-Forget-Med-Diet-eat-youre-80-health-checks-year-switch-seaweed-sushi.html#ixzz35LJrVmH3
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17 Lifestyle Fanatics Share Their Secrets to Success
Posted: 07/06/2014 10:15 am EDT Updated: 07/06/2014 10:59 am EDT Print Article

Too many people settle for less than they deserve in life. This has lead to a majority of people reporting they are not happy. If we're going to change this, (and if we respect human life, we better) it's time to look for different ways of doing things. Seventeen successful lifestyle fanatics would like to share how they each created a passionate life of freedom.

1. Don't let your circ*mstances be an excuse.
Even if you are barely scraping by financially, working a job and have kids, you can still start a business that lets you live the life of your dreams.-- Scottie Hobbs, Elite Top 10 Beachbody Coach

2. Recognize the value of your creative endeavors.
If your passion involves an artistic endeavor, you don't have to settle for being broke. Stop calling yourself a "starving artist." Stop "suffering" for your art. Recognize the immense value your creative endeavors bring to the world, create a way to get paid for it, and pursue your dream. -- Bob Baker​, author of the Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook

3. Stop worrying about failing.
Failure is great. It's part of the process. It's just an event. Failure does not define you unless you let it. When you fail, just get up and move on. -- Jeet Banarjee, founder of Visionary Media Group & TEDx Speaker

4. Stop thinking stuff will make you happy.
When you get caught up in accumulating nice cars, a house in the Hamptons and lots of stuff, it becomes a prison because you have to work more and more to pay for the stuff that doesn't make you any happier anyway. -- Jordan Harbinger, co-founder of The Art of Charm

5. Be consistent.
Consistently doing the same thing over and over again is how you build something. Be consistent and patiently wait for it to grow. At first you may not see any results, but keep going and you'll see the small things you've done add up to something bigger. -- Jonathan Taylor, host of The Beginner Internet Business Podcast

6. Do something that scares you.
If you are afraid of doing something, do it. Doing something you are afraid of will move you toward the lifestyle you desire. -- Loralee Hutton, author of Info Product Complete

7. Build strong relationships
Relationships with other people help you get things done. When you help or add value to other people, they are willing and even excited to help you out when you need it. Be strategic about helping other people. -- Nick Unsworth, host of Life on Fire TV

8. Create passive income streams.
You need freedom to feed your passions, and that comes from passive income streams. Plan strategically and invest the money from your current job into passive income streams, the first being your own business that supports the lifestyle you want. -- Ryan Daniel Moran, founder of Freedom Fast Lane

9. Start now.
The biggest regret most people have about pursuing what they want is not starting sooner. Well, what's wrong with today? Start now, and tomorrow, you won't have that regret! -- Travis Sherry, world traveler and host of #1 travel podcast

10. Don't strive for perfection.
Don't get bogged down in details and making everything perfect. Know when good enough is good enough. An endless pursuit of perfection will get you nowhere. -- Nick Loper, Chief Side Hustler at Side Hustle Nation

11. Set a time budget.
Figure out how much time you can devote to pursing your business and stick to it. Everyone has to work around the realities of their lives, so work with what you have. Figure out how much time you can devote and then devote that time. -- Scott Fox, founder of Click Millionaires

12. Be OK with hearing "no."
When you're pursuing something big, you'll ask people to buy from you, to partner with you or any number of things. Sometimes they will say yes, sometimes they will say no. When they say no, it usually has more to do with their personal or business situation and has nothing to do with you. -- Jason Kanigan, president of Sales On Fire

13. Don't settle for mediocrity.
If you keep telling yourself the next job, the next promotion, the next whatever will be better, you'll never thrive. You'll settle for mediocrity. Go after what you want. -- Sheri Fink, author and founder of "The Whimsical World of Sheri Fink" children's brand

14. Surround yourself with excellence.
Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you and who have achieved success. They succeeded for a reason, and there is probably something you can learn from them. -- Christina Daves, serial entrepreneur

15. Don't life a life of regrets.
We don't know how much time we have left. Take a hard look at your life and ask what you would want to do differently. Now do it. -- Justin Brokop, coach

16. Hustle.
Success takes a lot of hard work. You have to get up and do the work every single day. Don't be afraid to try something new and different.-- Mike Kawula, entrepreneur and INC 500 Award Winner

17. Stop listening to other people.
Each week for over a year, I've interviewed successful lifestyle fanatics who rejected the common script for how life is "supposed" to be and created a passionate life of freedom. Each of them have a different idea of what that means, but they all have one thing in common: They decided what they wanted out of life and created it. If you want to create the life of your dreams, you have to stop listening to the advice of people who who are in the majority and listen to the ones who are happy. -- Jeff Steinmann, lifestyle fanatic

12 Habits of Calm and Happy People

Posted: 06/30/2014 8:27 am EDT Updated: 06/30/2014 8:59 am EDT Print Article

Do you ever notice how some people always seem to have it together? They're calm and happy with both feet firmly planted on the ground, even amidst turmoil. Like a mountain that stands tall and strong, they weather the many storms that come their way. They seek out blessings and uncover them like the beautiful hidden gems that they are. Magic seems to find them each day, inviting an authentic smile to cross their lips.

Others, not so much. When similar turmoil is thrown their way, they tend to experience more difficulty dealing with the turbulence. Stress levels rise when life chucks its curve balls at them. The silver lining is difficult for them to see in the haze as they struggle to find their joy and feel stuck in their situation.

It's easy to say "Look on the bright side," or "Keep a positive mindset" so that everyone can be a part of the happy-go-lucky group. But sometimes in the throes of life we forget just how powerful we are in creating our own destiny.

In my own roller-coaster ride of a life, as well as in the work I've done as both an executive coach and an entrepreneur working with a diverse group of clients, vendors, and employees, I've seen and experienced the full spectrum of dealing with life's adversities.

In my observations, I've noticed that, at the end of the day, attitude is everything. It will make you or break you. But, it's not as simple as just flipping a switch to turn that powerful positive mindset to the 'on' position. It takes gentle reminders and some good, old-fashioned work.

When you're feeling the effects of stress and struggle, try to connect with some of these top habits shared by calm and happy people and allow the light to shine in:

They exercise regularly. It's well know that exercise releases endorphins, which leads to happiness. So get moving and get the happy juice flowing. Do so regularly and keep the stress and blues at bay.
They have a mindfulness practice. Many can relate to the crazy, busy, go, go, go lifestyle. It is so important to take time to slow down, savor, notice. Even finding just five to 10 minutes a day to sit in stillness or to walk in nature and really notice can help your mind build the 'muscles' it needs to let go of all the stress and worry, and just be present and joyful in the moment. This moment is all that we have, after all.
They honor their truth. What is it that lights you up? What do you just love to do and lose all track of time doing? Never mind what everybody else wants you to do, or what you think you are supposed to do. What is it that your soul keeps whispering to you? Honoring that is the ticket to Blissville. A suppressed spirit will cry out for help in many ways. Set your soul free and reap the rewards of a happy, whimsical life.
They take down time. You have to let those batteries recharge. Get your vacation on and refresh and rejuvenate. You don't need to be a big budget jet-setter, either. Take some time off. Mix up your routine. Find a new place to explore. Adventure and fresh sights are a powerful way to bring in new energy and shift your perspective in a positive way.
They say what they mean. It can be easy to fall into the trap of being a people pleaser or overly worrying about what other people think. But, every time you say 'yes' to something that doesn't fully resonate with you, you are essentially saying 'no' to your own goals and dreams. You can't be everything to everyone, but you can be true to yourself.
They let it all out (at appropriate times). Sometimes, a good cry is what is needed. Or, screaming into your pillow. Or going on a rant or perhaps a 10-mile run and taking your worries out on the concrete. Point being: Let it all out. Bottled up emotions will build and build until the pressure is so great that they come out with explosive force. It's best to honor them and find ways to let off a little steam. Then move onwards to a happier place.
They surround themselves with supportive friendships. By nature, humans are social creatures. Being part of a supportive tribe of people that get you and want to see you succeed is a key component to living a happy and full life. Align with those who have similar goals and dreams. The key to supportive friendships is to be a good and supportive friend. The rest will fall into place.
They express gratitude. By focusing on our many blessings (even the most basic ones like a roof over our head and food to eat), we have a lot more to smile about. In doing so, we take the spotlight off whatever we could be stressing over. We realize it could always be worse. And, as an added bonus, being grateful for what we have attracts more abundance into our life.
They get enough sleep. During sleep our body rejuvenates, replenishes and rebuilds. To keep our minds and bodies healthy and working at their optimum capacity, it's important to get plenty of rest. Find a routine that helps you wind down each night. A simple yogi way is to lay on the floor (with a small pillow or blanket under your pelvis if needed for support) and stretch your legs up the wall. This gentle inversion is restorative, relaxing, and calms the mind. Perfect before crawling into bed!
They disconnect from tech. We're all a little bit overly connected these days. If our mind stays preoccupied with what new emails are coming in or what is going on in our social feed, we are robbing ourselves of the precious moments of the present. It's good to take breathers. Allot specific time (and set limits) to check emails and get on social media. The world doesn't end when you log off for a while. In fact, it can actually become a lot more beautiful when you do!
They look for the opportunity. Let's face it, life doesn't always go as we plan. And, sometimes, it can be downright frustrating and disappointing. But wallowing in the misery of that doesn't do anybody any good. Instead, a more powerful mindset is to realize that everything is happening for the greater good. A healthy reframe is to ask, "What is the lesson or opportunity in this?" Trust you are being guided, drop the resistance, and be open to the possibilities.
They continue to learn and grow. Remember that life is a journey, not a destination. Once you think you have it all figured out, you cut off your capacity to make mistakes, discover new horizons and become an even better version of your already awesome self. Be the student. Be the beginner. And reap the rewards of a calm and happy life.

The 5 Characteristics of Incredibly Resilient People

I remember the day I found out that my aunt had cancer. Although she was the most positive person I had ever met, I still worried about how she would handle such an overwhelming diagnosis.

Looking back, now that her cancer is in remission, she continues to be the most positive person I know. But even more than that, she is what I call an elegant spirit.

Cancer, in my aunt's world, was a small valley hidden amongst the many glorious peaks of her life. While she may have had some moments of despair as we all do when we find ourselves alone in our thoughts, unable to see the light at the end of the tunnel, she never showed this to the world outside.

She never complained. During her treatment, she continued to go to work and share her passion. She turned long days of chemotherapy in the hospital into a party with her friends where they would share stories, laugh and play cards.

Life threw her an arrow, and she, an archer herself, caught this arrow and created her bow. She knew that she could not control the fact that this arrow had come to her, but her bow could hold it stable. Instead of defeating her, the arrow ultimately strengthened her.

As a physician, I have met many such elegant spirits. Their resilience is awe-inspiring. They have the ability to handle even the most devastating diagnosis.

How then, do people cultivate such strength? And how can we do that for ourselves?

Here are five things resilient people have in common:

1) They practice mindfulness

Mindfulness is the art of paying attention to your life on purpose. Mindful people monitor the thoughts that come through them. However, instead of reacting to their negative thoughts, they observe them like a storm that is passing through.

Furthermore, they pay attention to what is right in their lives. They give it strength and value, thereby turning up the volume on the beauty that surrounds them.

They understand their role in the universal flow of life. They realize that they are a part of a divine cycle of life and death.

And in this understanding, they remain like the eye at the center of a tornado.

The world will continue to change around them. But at the center of this tornado, is their mind, where there is tranquility and calm.

2) They don't compare themselves to others

They don't spend their time feeling sorry for themselves. They realize that every soul has a different journey and therefore it is pointless to compare the path of your life with someone else.

They are continually trying to be the new and improved version of themselves. And as long as they are better than they were yesterday, they know they are on the right path.

They are their own measuring stick of success.

3) They understand that after every big setback is an even bigger transformation

I remember in medical school when part of our rotation was to learn how to deliver bad news to patients, I shadowed a physician who informed a young 40-year-old woman that she had stage four breast cancer.

Immediately, without missing a beat, this woman said, "I know one thing. After every big setback is an even bigger transformation."

Resilient people understand this. They see difficulties as stepping stones to a transformation.

4) They find humor in everything

Laughter, in its very highest form, is a spiritual practice. It connects us to the part of our soul that heals. When we laugh with others, we gain a sense of interconnectedness and belonging.

Laughter may help lower our blood pressure and increase our vascular blood flow. It can do wonders for our health.

Resilient people look for reasons to laugh. They find humor in the mundane. They understand that paying attention to the ordinary is what makes life extraordinary.

5) They do not try to control their lives

Gary Zukav wrote about elegant spirits like this:

The journey of a hawk depends on both the hawk and the wind. The wind is your life. It is all the things that happen from the time you are born and the time you go home. Elegant spirits don't know what will come up next, the same way that hawks don't know which way the wind will blow next.
This doesn't bother them, because they don't try to control their lives any more than hawks try to control the wind.
Resilient people do not try to control their lives. They surrender to the flow of the wind. They adjust their sails and ride the next wave of their life.

People that have overcome hardships, tremendous obstacles or disease often feel that life goes from black and white in the before to many beautiful colors in the after. The have turned up the volume of beauty in their lives. They practice mindfulness. They stop comparing themselves to others. They find humor in everything.

And they know that they have been transformed.

5 Ways to Think Differently About Happiness

When we're asked what our ultimate life goal is, we often reply, "to be happy."

Happiness is certainly a worthwhile life goal, especially if by "happiness" we mean the Greek eudaimonia, which Daniel Gilbert, in Stumbling on Happiness, translates as "good spirit ... human flourishing ... [and] life well lived."

But do we ever ask, "Why pursue happiness?" The question itself sounds subversive, even anti-American.

Let me assure you I am emphasizing the verb, not the direct object, in that question.

Though we're obsessed with pursuing happiness, many experts would tell us that our very pursuit is what sabotages our efforts to find it.

In his classic work Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi writes, "It is by being fully involved with every detail of our lives, whether good or bad, that we find happiness, not by trying to look for it directly."

Happiness is a byproduct of an engaged, connected, and meaningful life. Yet we still pursue happiness as if it were the ultimate goal, as if it existed somehow in a vacuum.

In The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking, Oliver Burkeman challenges the conventional wisdom about happiness, as well as the advice of motivational speakers, for they continually persuade us to pursue pathways to happiness that are not borne out by the research. Burkeman advocates what he calls the "negative path" to happiness, in that it involves embracing the negative, as well as a more relaxed not-doing. He suggests several ways that we need to think differently about happiness.

1. Instead of positive thinking, practice mindful, nonjudgmental awareness of your thoughts.

Motivational speakers tell people to think positively and banish the word "impossible!" There's no room for negativity if you want to be happy!

But tell someone to think only positive thoughts, and what do they think about? All those negative thoughts running through their mind! In fact, putting effort into positive thinking only draws more attention to our negative self-talk, because we are looking for it... and then we get mad at ourselves for not being more positive!

Instead of banishing negative thoughts (which is nigh impossible), we should bring our mindful awareness to them, examining them with calm indifference. We cannot overcome our negative thoughts by simply denying or repressing them -- mindfulness teaches us to acknowledge them, but not be driven by them.

2. Instead of setting audacious goals for success, practice non-attachment to the outcome of your actions.

Burkeman cites several corporations that have abandoned goal-setting, after finding goal-odicy often had unintended consequences, such as diverting resources away from other important work and ignoring (or even covering up) evidence of failure.

Goals can also be limiting. Ever wonder why it's so hard to get a taxi in New York City when it's raining? It's not just supply and demand. Taxi drivers work to meet a quota each day; when they've hit their goal, their day is done. On a rainy day, they hit their goal sooner, so most decide to end their shift early, and there really ARE fewer cabs on the street! Often, our goals limit our pursuit of maximum happiness (additional income and dry commutes for all).

If we ask people to focus instead on form, and not on the end result, they actually perform better. Burkeman argues we're better off if we don't "strive too ardently for any single vision of the future."

3. Instead of seeking stability, dance with uncertainty and even failure.

So much of our pursuit of happiness consists of seeking stability and permanence, when those things don't really exist. Buddhism, and biology, teach us that we are a constantly shifting collection of cells, thoughts, emotions, breath, sensations, and form. We are impermanent. We are always changing, flowing just like that river we can never step in twice. So why do we pursue something that doesn't exist? Burkeman advises, "The point is not to 'confront' insecurity, but to appreciate that you are it."

If you fail, embrace it. We need to think like scientists, who learn as much from the experiment that fails as the one that succeeds. Dance with your uncertainty.

And be wary of those books that identify all the criteria of "successful" people (risk-taking, goal-setting, teeth-brushing, etc.) -- those things probably characterize unsuccessful people, too. But researchers usually don't study them.

4. Instead of envisioning your completely satisfied self, consider the worst possible scenarios.

This seems to fly in the face of the advice of many popular self-help titles in which people are told to envision themselves holding their ideal job or completing the great American novel. While daydreaming can have positive psychological benefits, researcher Gabrielle Oettingen has found that "spending time and energy thinking about how well things could go ... actually reduces most people's motivation to achieve them." Visualizing the good outcome produces relaxed and happy thoughts, which, to the brain, feel just like actually having accomplished it!

Burkeman instead recommends envisioning the worst case scenario. This will likely will remind us that 1) we can find a way to cope with the negative outcomes, and 2) most often, things rarely go as wrong as we fear they will. Daniel Gilbert writes, "anticipating unpleasant events can minimize their impact.... [F]ear, worry, and anxiety have useful roles to play in our lives ... [and] motivate people to engage in prudent, prophylactic behavior."

5. Instead of waiting for inspiration, just do it!

If, as Daniel Gilbert writes, happiness comes through "being effective -- changing things, influencing things, making things happen," and, as Csikszentmihalyi states, it occurs "when a person's body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile," then we need to take action.

Burkeman claims that the problem with much of the self-help literature, and with motivational speakers, is that they're about "how to feel in the mood for getting things done." But feeling like doing something, and actually doing it, are two different things. If, instead of waiting for inspiration, we take "a non-attached stance towards procrastination," we'll discover that our "reluctance about working isn't something that needs to be eradicated or transformed into positivity.... [We] can note the procrastinatory feelings and act anyway."

This negative path to happiness suggests we abandon our pursuit, and instead practice mindfulness, embrace uncertainty and insecurity, drop our obsession with goals, and take inspired action. That sounds pretty positive to me.

How Giving Back Can Lead To Greater Personal Success

As we strive to achieve our various goals in life, we encounter countless opportunities to help others succeed simultaneously. And according to Adam Grant, taking the time to give back in these situations is what will make us truly successful.

Grant -- the youngest tenured and highest-rated professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, author of Give and Take, and the inspiration behind our Go Giver series here at The Huffington Post -- joined HuffPost Live host Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani today to discuss why we should all include giving when we envision the modern American dream.

"When I think about people who are givers, I would just define them as being the kinds of people who enjoy helping others and often do it with no strings attached,” says Grant. "And nobody does that every single moment of their lives. On the other end of the spectrum, even the people who are the biggest takers still have moments of concern for others. … I think we all have roles that call out our more generous sides.”

While many think that one must achieve success before acting charitably toward others, Grant’s research actually suggests the opposite.

“There are some people like Bill Gates who succeed first and then start giving back, but the majority of successful people out there began giving long before they achieved greatness,” he says. “I would love to redefine success to say it’s not just what you achieve, it’s also what you help other people achieve.”

3 Things Happy People Understand
Posted: 05/27/2014 8:36 am EDT Updated: 2 hours ago Print Article
MORE: Vulnerability Health Emotional Wellness Happiness Tips Happiness Happy People Happy Tips Happy People Tips Emotional Wellness Tips
If today is like every other day, you will be inundated with messages about what you need in order to be happy. And all these things will be things. Products you need so you can look right, or feel right or smell right. But Happiness Is an Inside Job, as Sylvia Boorstein writes in her best-selling book. And it really is. We can get so caught up in chasing brass rings, making deadlines, dieting, and waiting for vacations that we truly forget to live. Here are three reminders so that you don't get caught up in the insanity, and miss all the beauty that happens in each day.

1. There's only one you.

We have roughly 7 billion people on this planet, but we only get one you. That's pretty amazing when you stop to think about it. There are somewhere between 30-100 trillion cells that come together to make up the person known as "you," and these cells have never, and will never, come together again in exactly the same way. You have your memories and your experiences and your outlook. You have your particular gifts to share, your unique perspective, your beautiful, tender heart. If you don't sing your song, the world will be robbed of notes only you can provide. Don't allow yourself to get caught up in being, looking, feeling and smelling like everyone else. Just be you.

2. What other people think is none of your business or concern. We can get so bogged down in worrying about how we might be judged. First of all, most people have enough work to do keeping their own side of the street clean. And as Eleanor Roosevelt famously said, "You wouldn't worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do." Secondly, you're the one living your life. At the end of the day when you're looking in the mirror as you're brushing your teeth, you're either looking at a friend, or a stranger. When we deny what's true for us in order to please other people, or to live up to some idea of how we think we should be, we betray ourselves. Doubt and fear are normal emotions we'll all experience, but when we allow those feelings to stop us from living life in a way that feels good to us, we feel lost and alone. It's impossible to find our way when we repress or deny our intuition.

3. Being vulnerable is part of being human. This is tough to swallow for so many people, but it's reality. We have these bodies with their unknown expiration dates. Every single person we love is in the same boat. We never know what might happen from one day to the next. These truths can fill you with fear, or they can inspire you to live and love with your heart wide open, every single day. So you make sure the people in your life know how you feel about them. So you don't hold onto grudges, or focus on ways you've been slighted or wronged. Life is too short for that. If you're in a relationship that brings you nothing but pain, you'll have to get out, because life is too short for that, too, and because you can't shine your light if you're participating in something that crushes it. You have this one life. I think the idea is to leave nothing in the tank, to share all the love you've got for as long as you have to give it.

We're culturally trained to think in terms of milestones and markers. We'll be happy when we graduate from a good school, get a great job, meet the right person, buy a big house, lose those 10 pounds. The truth is, life is made up of moments. Connection, love, laughter, giving from your heart, affection, a hug from your little one or your partner, your brother, your best friend, the feeling of the sun on your face, passing but real connection with a total stranger -- all these moments are so filled with beauty. If you can string together a bunch of beautiful moments, you'll have an incredible day. And if you string together a bunch of days like that, you'll have an amazing life.

How to Live to Be 110: Supercentenarians' Secrets of Longevity
Posted: 05/20/2014 7:07 am EDT Updated: 4 hours ago Print Article

MORE: Long Life Healthy Living Longevity Living Longer Aging Gracefully Health Healthy Living News
In the Andes Mountains of Peru, living in extreme poverty, Filomena Taipe Mendoza, 116 years old, is in the running to become the world's oldest living person.

If her claim proves to be true, it would make her three months older than Misao Okawa of Japan, who currently holds the record for the oldest living person according to Guinness World Records and the Gerontology Research Group.

2014-05-10-mendoza.jpg

Image Source: AFP

Mrs. Mendoza lives in the tiny village of Huancavelica, one of the poorest cities in Peru. Her age was reportedly discovered when she left her village to pick up a new type of retirement check for seniors living in poverty. BBC News reports that Peru's National Identity Register claims that her ID card indicates that she was born on December 20, 1897.

"I am not of the past century, young man, but the other one... I am very old," she told an official accompanying her to cash her first check according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Eat From the Garden, Don't Eat Processed Food

What is Filomena Taipe Mendoza's secret to such a long life? According to BBC News, she attributes it to the following:

Eating a natural diet of potatoes, goat meat, sheep's milk, goat cheese and beans
Cooking only items she grows from her own garden
Never eating processed foods
While we wait for officials from Guinness World Records and the Gerontology Research Group to verify Mrs. Mendoza's claim, we can take this opportunity to spotlight the rare group of individuals known as supercentenarians in order to learn their secrets for living long and healthy lives.

Supercentenarians are the elite group of people who have reached the 110-year milestone. According to the Gerontology Research Group (GRG), there are 74 verified living supercentenarians in the world and 71 of them are female. The GRG reports that there are probably hundreds more supercentenarians that have yet to be verified.

Lots of Sushi and Lots of Sleep

Leading the pack is Misao Okawa. According to Guinness World Records, she is the current verified oldest living person at 116 years and 64 days. She was born on March 5, 1898, at a time when Queen Victoria was still on the throne.

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Image Source: Reuters

She resides in Osaka with her two daughters, one son, four grandchildren, and six great grandchildren.

So what is Misao Okawa's secret to longevity? Guinness World Records reports that she attributes it to the following diet and lifestyle:

Three large meals a day
Eight hours of sleep a night
Lots of sushi
Misao Okawa's advice is rather simple. "Eat and sleep and you will live a long time," she said in an interview to The Telegraph, "You have to learn to relax."

In addition to her regimen of sleep and sushi, Mrs. Okawa maintains a healthy lifestyle of physical activity. The Telegraph recounts one remarkable story of her strength of body and character. When she was 102, she fell and broke her leg. After returning to the nursing home from the hospital, she was seen doing leg squats to help herself recover.

Mrs. Okawa is a prime example of Japan's healthy aging citizens. According to the GRG, Japan boasts the highest population of verified supercentenarians in the world.

In John Robbin's book Healthy at 100, he talks about the specific group of centenarians in Okinawa, Japan, the place where more people live to 100 than anywhere else in the world. In fact, fifteen percent of the world's documented supercentenarians live in Okinawa. In his book Robbins describes the Okinawan Centenarian Study, which researched human longevity from a group of over 900 centenarians.

The study found that, first, genetics was an important factor for longevity. In addition to genetics, cultural habits such as hara hachi bu (eating only until being 80 percent full) and the maintenance of a healthy lifestyle by keeping physically active were key reasons that Okinawans retained remarkable health.

While Misao Okawa is the oldest living person, she does not hold the record for being the oldest person ever recorded. That title goes to France's Jeanne Calment according to Guinness World Records. Mrs. Calment died on August 4, 1997 at the impressive age of 122.

Eat Two Pounds of Chocolate and Take Up Fencing

Jeanne Calment was born in February 21, 1875, in Arles, France. Her date of birth falls one year before Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone.

In her New York Times obituary, it recounts how in her preteens she met Vincent Van Gogh, describing him later as ''very ugly, ungracious, impolite, sick -- I forgive him, they called him loco.''

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Mrs. Calment at age 22 in 1897 and at age 122 in 1997

Her secret to staying young as reported in her obituary was a most unconventional list of diet and lifestyle habits:

Drinking Port wine
Eating two pounds of chocolate per week
Treating her skin with olive oil
Taking up fencing at 85
Riding her bike until she was 100
Smoking until she was 117
Yet despite her smoking and addiction to chocolate, her long life continued to surpass expectations. As recounted in her obituary, to one man's financial disappointment her age not only surpassed his expectations but also his own lifespan.

When Mrs. Calment was 90, lawyer André-Francois Raffray, bought the apartment in which Mrs. Calment had lived. However, there was one provision. He would have to pay her 2,500 francs a month (the equivalent of $400 today) until she died and then the apartment would belong to him. He agreed.

Year after year after year Mr. Raffray paid the monthly allowance, and Mrs. Calment went right on living. At the age of 77, Mr. Raffray died and his widow continued to pay her. When Mrs. Calment died 32 years later, the total payment came to $180,000 -- more than double the original price of the apartment.

Although Mrs. Calment, being the wife of a well-to-do shop owner, never had to work, this did not mean that her life was without hardships. Her husband died in 1942 after consuming a dessert of spoiled preserved cherries. Their daughter, Yvonne, had only one son, Frédéric Billot, whom Mrs. Calment raised after Yvonne died of pneumonia at age 36. In 1960, Frédéric Billot died, also at age 36, without children in an automobile accident.

A Long Life Is One of Persistence, Not Just Attitude

Living with and through tragedies is a theme found also in Filomena Taipe Mendoza's life in Peru. "I had a very hard life, I was a very young widow with nine dependent children and I worked hard to raise them. Only three of them are alive," she said to Peru's Ministry of Development as reported in Agence France-Presse.

In their book The Longevity Project, the authors Drs. Howard Friedman and Leslie Martin consider what role tragedy and having a worry-free life plays in living longer. They discuss the findings of an eight-decade study of 1,528 participants that was begun by Dr. Lewis Terman in California in 1921.

In reviewing the factors that have an effect on predictions of living longer, the authors state: "It was not those who took life easy, played it safe, or avoided stress who lived the longest." They explain that instead those who live longer had "an often-complex pattern of persistence, prudence, hard work, and close involvement with friends and communities." The authors explain that because of their perseverance they "found their way back to these healthy paths each time they were pushed off the road."

If Filomena Taipe Mendoza's claim is verified, then as the oldest living person, her life really does exemplify this fact.

Living in extreme poverty with her new pension check she will now receive about 250 nuevo soles (about $90) per month and obtain free medical care.

According to Agence France-Presse, when asked if there was anything she wished for, she replied: "I wish I still had teeth."

LOOK: What Meditation Can Do For Your Mind, Body And Spirit
Posted: 05/14/2014 8:04 am EDT Updated: 43 minutes ago Print Article

MORE: Meditation Mind Body Soul Meditation Studies Meditation Benefits The Third Metric Meditation Meditation Body
Over the past few years, meditation has evolved from an of-the-moment fad to a legitimate health craze, as research has linked the practice to everything from improved cardiovascular health to cognitive benefits. Science has even shown that mindfulness meditation can affect gene expression.

While the modern-day science behind this age-old practice is still developing, plenty of studies suggest that meditation is about way more than blissing out -- take a look at some of the possible benefits below, and scroll down for more information on each.

See full-size graphic here.

Infographic by Alissa Scheller for The Huffington Post.

Body

Reduces Pain Several studies have identified a connection between meditation and pain. One Journal of Neuroscience study, for instance, showed that after four 20-minute meditation sessions over the course of four days, a group of volunteers rated the same burning pain as 57 percent less unpleasant and 40 percent less intense, Health.com reported. Plus, a review of 47 studies published in JAMA Internal Medicine earlier this year showed that meditation may be helpful in easing pain (though it was difficult for the researchers to identify exactly what type of pain, according to Reuters).

Researchers speculate that those who practice meditation develop the ability to exert greater control over unpleasant feelings, including pain, by turning them down as if using a "volume knob" in the brain.

Boosts immune system. One small 2003 study showed a link between an eight-week mindfulness meditation program and better immune function, and 2012 UCLA research suggested meditation could improve the immune system in older people.

Lowers blood pressure. A study co-directed by Dr. Randy Zusman at Massachusetts General Hospital took patients being treated with typical high blood pressure medication and taught them a technique called the relaxation response; more than half experienced a drop in blood pressure, sometimes even resulting in reduced medication, NPR reported. "I'd been using medications in these patients, they were hopefully following my recommendations," Zusman told NPR. "[But] we still couldn't get their blood pressure under control. And I was somewhat skeptical that meditation could be the key to blood pressure control." What's more, the Mayo Clinic reports that research suggests meditation could be helpful in managing the symptoms of high blood pressure.

Eases inflammation. In 2013 research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds in the Waisman Center, scientists identified a possible tie between mindfulness meditation and the relief of inflammatory symptoms among people who suffer from chronic inflammatory conditions. “This is not a cure-all, but our study does show that there are specific ways that mindfulness can be beneficial, and that there are specific people who may be more likely to benefit from this approach than other interventions," lead author Melissa Rosenkranz said in a statement.

Reduces heart risk. A 2012 study published in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes showed a link between Transcendental Mediation and a reduction in heart attack, stroke and early death from heart disease in a group of African Americans, TIME reported. “The main finding [of our research] is that, added on top of usual medical care, intervention with a mind-body technique -- transcendental meditation -- can have a major effect on cardiovascular events,” lead author Robert Schneider, a professor at the Maharishi University of Management, told the publication. The American Heart Association also says that the stress-busting benefits of different types of meditation can be a boon to heart health.

Mind

Increases gray matter. Meditation may just be exercise for the brain. In fact, a 2009 study from UCLA researchers showed that MRI scans of long-time meditators revealed that certain parts of their brains were larger than those of a control group, particularly in regions known for emotion regulation. Another small study published in 2011 in the journal Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging showed that an eight-week mindfulness-based stress reduction program resulted in increases in gray matter in the hippocampus and areas of the brain tied to compassion and self-awareness, U.S. News reported at the time.

Cultivates willpower. Stanford health psychologist Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D. told Stanford Medicine's SCOPE blog in 2011 that both physical exercise and meditation can help train the brain for willpower:

Meditation training improves a wide range of willpower skills, including attention, focus, stress management, impulse control and self-awareness. It changes both the function and structure of the brain to support self-control. For example, regular meditators have more gray matter in the prefrontal cortex. And it doesn’t take a lifetime of practice -- brain changes have been observed after eight weeks of brief daily meditation training.
Builds focus and concentration. A 2010 study published in Psychological Science showed that Buddhist meditation improved focus and attention on a task that was designed to be both boring and demanding. "People may think meditation is something that makes you feel good and going on a meditation retreat is like going on vacation, and you get to be at peace with yourself," study author Katherine MacLean, who worked on the research as a graduate student at the University of California Davis, said in a statement. "That's what people think until they try it. Then you realize how challenging it is to just sit and observe something without being distracted."

Boosts cognitive function. Another Psychological Science study identified a link between mindfulness training and increased standardized test scores, as well as improvements in working memory. What's more, Dr. Sara Lazar, a neuroscientist at Massachusetts General Hospital who studies mindfulness meditation, previously told HuffPost that regular meditation may stave off the thinning of the brain's prefrontal cortex, and in turn declines in cognitive function, later in life.

Spirit

Builds self knowledge. According to a 2013 article published in Perspectives on Psychological Science, mindfulness (defined as "paying attention to one's current experience in a non-judgmental way") can help people to understand their own personalities. "For example, one who overestimates the positivity of his or her personality or status is often disliked by others, whereas having insight into how others perceive the self and acknowledging one's flaws seems to attenuate the negativity of others' impressions," the researchers wrote in the study, as previously reported by HuffPost.

Helps relationship satisfaction. As the American Psychological Association reports:

Several studies find that a person's ability to be mindful can help predict relationship satisfaction — the ability to respond well to relationship stress and the skill in communicating one's emotions to a partner. Empirical evidence suggests that mindfulness protects against the emotionally stressful effects of relationship conflict (Barnes et al., 2007), is positively associated with the ability to express oneself in various social situations (Dekeyser el al., 2008) and predicts relationship satisfaction (Barnes et al., 2007; Wachs & Cordova, 2007).
Increases compassion. A 2013 study from researchers at Northeastern and Harvard Universities suggested that meditation may be the key to unlocking compassion. The findings, which were published in the journal Psychological Science, showed that volunteers who underwent eight-week trainings in two types of meditation reacted more compassionately than those who hadn't meditated. Specifically, researchers set up a waiting room where an actor with crutches appeared to be in pain while other actors ignored her -- 15 percent of the non-meditators helped the person in pain, compared with 50 percent of those in the meditating group. "We know meditation improves a person’s own physical and psychological wellbeing," lead author Paul Condon said in a statement. “We wanted to know whether it actually increases compassionate behavior.”

Improves empathy. A small study from Emory University showed that a compassion-based meditation program, called Cognitively-Based Compassion Training (CBCT), might help people to read others' facial expressions, HuffPost reported when the results were released in 2012. "These findings raise the intriguing possibility that CBCT may have enhanced empathic abilities by increasing activity in parts of the brain that are of central importance for our ability to recognize the emotional states of others," senior author Charles Raison said in a statement.

Body & Mind

Improves depression. The 2014 review of 47 randomized trials, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, showed that mindfulness meditation can be effective in easing depression for some patients, as well as anxiety, HuffPost previously reported. The researchers wrote: "Anxiety, depression, and stress/distress are different components of negative affect. When we combined each component of negative affect, we saw a small and consistent signal that any domain of negative affect is improved in mindfulness programs when compared with a nonspecific active control." And depression has been linked with other serious health conditions, including heart disease.

Physically changes the brain. University of Oregon Research released in 2012 suggested that one type of Chinese mindfulness meditation could be associated with physical changes in the brain -- ones that might help stave off mental illness, HuffPost reported when the findings were released.

Mind & Spirit

Reduces loneliness. At least among older people. A 2012 Brain, Behavior and Immunity study of 40 adults between the ages of 55 and 85 showed that a two-month mindfulness meditation program was linked with reduced loneliness. "While this was a small sample, the results were very encouraging," Dr. Michael Irwin, a professor of psychiatry at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA and director of the Cousins Center, said in a statement when the findings were released. "It adds to a growing body of research that is showing the positive benefits of a variety of meditative techniques, including tai chi and yoga."

Cuts emotional reactivity. The American Psychological Association reports:

Research also supports the notion that mindfulness meditation decreases emotional reactivity. In a study of people who had anywhere from one month to 29 years of mindfulness meditation practice, researchers found that mindfulness meditation practice helped people disengage from emotionally upsetting pictures and enabled them to focus better on a cognitive task as compared with people who saw the pictures but did not meditate (Ortner et al., 2007).
Like pain, researchers have suggested that mindfulness meditation helps the brain to have better control over sensations, including negative emotions.

Body & Spirit

Fosters a healthy body image. Australian research published in Clinical Psychologist suggested that being mindful (which can be cultivated through mindfulness meditation) may be linked to having a healthier relationship with food and your body, Berkeley's Greater Good reported.

Body, Mind & Spirit

Eases stress and anxiety. The review of studies from Johns Hopkins University researchers that was published earlier this year in JAMA Internal Medicine showed that mindfulness meditation may improve anxiety for certain people. "If you have unproductive worries," Dr. Elizabeth Hoge, a psychiatrist at the Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders at Massachusetts General Hospital and an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, told Harvard Health Letter, “...You might think ‘I’m late, I might lose my job if I don’t get there on time, and it will be a disaster!’ Mindfulness teaches you to recognize, 'Oh, there’s that thought again. I’ve been here before. But it’s just that -- a thought, and not a part of my core self.'"

The Mayo Clinic also reports that many people control stress by practicing mindfulness meditation (plus it's been linked with lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol) -- for the basics on how to get started, click here.

Helps sleep. Research presented at the 2009 Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies suggested that meditation could be helpful in the treatment of insomnia. "Results of the study show that teaching deep relaxation techniques during the daytime can help improve sleep at night," principal investigator Ramadevi Gourineni, M.D., director of the insomnia program at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Evanston, Ill., said in a statement. Plus, a University of Utah study released last year showed a connecti

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Author, Producer and founder of Project Happiness

10 Things Creative People Do
Posted: 05/12/2014 8:18 am EDT Updated: 05/12/2014 9:59 am EDT Print Article

MORE: Distilled Perspective Friendship The Balanced Life Mindfulness Creative People Innovation The Inner Life Happiness
Have you ever wondered why some people are more creative than others? Did you ever wish that you had more of that particular gene? The good news is that research shows that happiness and creativity are not only related, they can be developed. Here are 10 ways to jumpstart your creativity, starting now:

1. Listen In: Listen to your intuition and capture your new ideas. Whether from your morning shower, nighttime dreams, when running, in the car, or in nature, keep an idea notebook and jot it down.

2. Mind Your Mindset: When you start something new, you can either choose to put yourself down and succumb to the inner critic (fixed mindset) or enjoy the process of creation (growth mindset).

3. Get in the Flow: Focus on the moment rather than the goal. When you are totally immersed in a creative activity, when hours feel like moments, you open to tapping into something bigger than yourself. Let it flow through you.

4. Let Your Senses Come Alive: Notice not only how things look, but how they feel in your hand, how they smell, the sounds surrounding you, even the nuances of taste. Don't forget to listen to your gut -- that's an important sense too!

5. Happiness Spurs Innovation: Sadness inhibits innovative ideas, causing people to exercise more restraint, but happiness expands creative thinking, fresh associations and new perspectives. Remember to take a break and make time for fun! You'll come back refreshed.

6. Gratitude Rules: Being grateful for where you're at and "taking in the good" helps sculpt your brain's neural pathways to receive more of it. Imagine what you are creating. Like an athlete training for peak performance when you visualize something special, your can embody it even more.

7. Seek Out Challenging Tasks: Just for fun, challenge yourself with projects that don't have solutions, like how to make a horse fly (no -- we're not talking unicorns) or build a perfect model of a part of the body. This opens the mind for all types of strategies, which helps generate fresh ideas.

8. Surround Yourself With Interesting People and Things: Spend time with diverse friends, listen to new music, see new exhibitions to broaden your horizons. Having unusual objects around you also helps you develop original ideas.

9. Learn Something New: By taking a class outside your typical area of interest, you can have a wider range of ideas to draw from and interconnect. Research shows that connecting in new ways is the basis for all creative thought.

10. Know Your Strengths and Passions: Get to know what makes your heart soar, what makes you feel most alive and energized, and use it as fuel for the creative process.

By nourishing your creative side, you'll bring happiness not only to yourself but to those around you. You'll also know what you had inside yourself all along. What do you do to tap into your creativity?

25 Science-Backed Ways to Feel Happier

ByAlexandra DuronMay 5, 2014 

If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands! Even as children, we’re taught to recognize and celebrate feelings of happiness—and it’s no wonder. Not only is happiness one of the most positive emotions we can experience, but being happy is also the key to a fulfilled, healthy life. Plus, cheeriness is linked to living longer, how hard we work, physical function as we age, and an improved immune system, among other health benefits.

While it’s hard to define (especially since it varies from person to person), some experts describe happiness as “a combination of life satisfaction and having more positive emotions than negative emotions,” while others view it as consisting of three parts: feeling good, living a “good life,” and feeling part of a larger purpose. There’s also a distinct difference between short- and long-term happiness: The former is a fleeting feeling, while the latter applies to how we describe our own lives.

While some factors that affect happiness might be outside of our control (such as genetics or certain life circ*mstances), there are always actions we can take to amp up our own good feelings. To smile wider, be more satisfied with life, and feel altogether better—both in the present and the future—try introducing any (or all!) of these practices into your life.

How to Be Happy

1. Spend time outside.
Enjoying time al fresco is a great way to put some pep back in your step. Living near green spaces is associated with better mental health, and even just looking at images of nature scenes can stimulate the parts of your brain associated with happiness, positivity, and emotional stability. Plus, spending time in the great outdoors exposes us to sunlight, which can help our bodies produce vitamin D [1]. Since low levels of the nutrient have been linked to depression, soaking up a little bit of sun (we’re talking just 15 minutes per day) may lift your spirits both in the present and over the long term. Just make sure to slather on some sunscreen!

2. Sweat it out.
We’re obviously big fans of exercise in general, but making time for a regular fitness session does more than just sculpt a strong physique. While getting your sweat on may not cause happiness, it can certainly contribute to it. Physical activity helps our bodies produce disease-fighting proteins—called antibodies—and our brains release endorphins. While antibodies boost happiness by keeping illness at bay, endorphins are feel-good chemicals that improve your mood while promoting feelings of euphoria. To top it all off, research suggests that regular activity may lead to lasting happiness [2]. So it’s safe to say your pricey gym membership pays off—physically and mentally—in the long run.

How to Be Happy3. Sleep more.
Catnaps, power naps, a full night’s sleep… no matter the method, a quality snooze session is vital for overall well-being and happiness. In fact, research shows that not sleeping enough (four hours per night) may lead to lower levels of optimism. And skimping on sleep can cause us to choose larger portion sizes and hurt on-the-job performance [3] [4]. Your best bet: Load up on your vitamin Zzz’s for a healthier, happier life.

4. Meditate.
Though meditating can sometimes be daunting (quieting your mental chit-chat is tough work!), there are tons of health benefits associated with the practice. Research shows that eight weeks of daily meditation can lead to greater happiness. Looking to get started? Try incorporating any of these 10 meditation strategies into your day.

5. Get a new hobby.
Not only is it mentally stimulating (not to mention fun), but challenging yourself to learn a new skill can lead to greater happiness. That’s thanks to the feelings of accomplishment and self-confidence that often come along with gaining new expertise. Consider this your cue to sign up for those French lessons you’ve always wanted to take, or pick up the ukulele—choose something that genuinely interests you, and run with it!

How to Be Happy6. Turn up the tunes.
Just try to frown while listening to upbeat songs (like any of the ones on our Ultimate Happy Playlist)—we dare you! Jamming out can help reduce stress—which leads to greater happiness in general. Plus, listening to music with the goal and desire to become happier may actually lead to greater happiness than simply listening for the sake of listening. So the next time you pump up the volume, keep that positive intention in mind—you may just find yourself smiling a little wider.

7. Write it down.
Negative thoughts are nasty, powerful, and all too easy to dwell upon—and it goes without saying that doing so can make us feel pretty bummed. One way to relieve your mind: Jot it all down. Try writing down your negative thoughts on a piece of paper, and then throwing the piece of paper away. Research suggests that physically tossing your worries can lessen their hold over you. On the flipside, if you document positive experiences that you feel grateful for, you’re likely to feel happier and more satisfied with life. And if you really want to boost your mood, phone a friend and share some of your happy journal entries—doing so may triple your positive feelings.

How to Be Happy8. Twist the sheets.
It’s no secret that stress can get you down. Luckily there’s a pretty sweet solution: some between-the-sheets action—and that totally includes solo sessions. Those mind-blowing romps can not only boost your mood, but also slash stress and beat anxiety [5]. Can’t argue with that, right? And in case you need an excuse to get it on more often, consider this: Research suggests that the more sex people have, the happier they tend to be. One study even suggests that having sex once a week may make you feel as stoked as scoring an additional $50,000 in income. Getting lucky even more frequently—four or more times per week—has been linked to making more money—and while extra dough certainly can’t buy happiness, it definitely plays a part in it.

9. Have an attitude of gratitude.
Our parents were onto something when they reminded us to always say your “thank-yous”—doing so can make you healthier and happier. What’s more, being grateful may lead to other positive emotions (including a boost in energy and optimism) and well-being [6]. Besides simply thanking people, try keeping a gratitude journal, and write down what you’re thankful for every day. Experts maintain that jotting down even one sentence of gratitude a day can boost feelings of happiness.

10. Be a friend.
A few wise men once sang, “I get by with a little help from my friends”—and they couldn’t be more spot-on. Except we don’t just get by thanks to our friendships—positive friendships help us feel more confident, less stressed, and happier. To make new friends—and keep the ones you have—use these 16 tips.

How to Be Happy11. Spread joy.
Much like yawning and a case of the giggles, happiness really is contagious. One study found that happiness has a waterfall effect among pals (and their pals… and their pals’ pals). When one person’s happy, it spreads to his or her friends and entire social network over the long term. Pretty much the most awesome way to influence other people, right?

12. Learn to let go.
Adopting a hakuna matata outlook can boost overall happiness. Easier said than done, to be sure, but making a point to detach yourself from mistakes, worries, and regrets may lead to more lighthearted times. In fact, holding onto resentment and hurt feelings can tie you to the past and also marks a decision to continue suffering. Make the choice to be happy by forgiving people who hurt you and moving away from situations from your past that brought you down.

How to Be Happy13. Practice self-care on a daily basis.
Given the manic pace of day-to-day life, it’s easy to forget about taking care of yourself—and that’s a surefire way to end up unhappy, burnt out, and even ill. Try treating yourself to regular actions that improve your overall, long-term health and happiness (this list is a pretty great place to start!).

14. Do some downward-facing dog.
Getting your om on is an excellent way to boost your mood and beat anxiety [7]. In fact, one study suggests yoga may be more effective at boosting mood than other methods of exercise. Plus, practicing yoga can also help slash stress and improve immunity—both of which contribute to overall, long-term health and happiness.

15. Load up on nutrients.
When it comes to leading a healthy lifestyle, eating well is clutch—especially since the nutrients you consume improve your mental health as much as your physical well-being. Case in point: Research finds that happiness and mental wellbeing are highest among people who eat a good amount of fruit and vegetables per day (seven portions, in this case). Plus, some nutrients, like calcium and iron, are particularly good at making you merry. Check out this long list of mood-boosting nutrients here, and fill up your plate with the good stuff.

How to Be Happy16. Go easy on yourself.
Too often, we’re our own worst enemies. While it’s good to be aware of mistakes you’ve made and improvements you can make, beating yourself up on the regular is a surefire way to wind up singing the blues. In fact, experts believe that self-criticism can just make us more miserable. So instead of dwelling on your every failing, focus on how and why you value yourself. This shift will help make you stronger, more productive, less stressed, and, yes, happier.

17. Just say yellow.
The next time you’re feeling down, try harnessing the power of a yellow hue. Happy people tend to associate their mood with the cheerful color, and folks also tend to think of yellow as the color of optimism (possibly because we associate it with the sun). To incorporate the power of yellow into your life, try adding a bit of yellow to your outfit or painting your walls the cheerful hue.

How to Be Happy18. Feel the flower power.
Apart from brightening up a room, flowers can also brighten up your mood. A floral fixture may reduce feelings of pain and anxiety while boosting positive emotions. One study also shows that looking at flowers first thing in the morning leads to increased happiness and energy and decreased anxiety. Not only that, but being surrounded by blooms can also positively affect your 9-to-5—it’s been shown to boost creativity and make workspaces feel more pleasant.

19. Minimize stress.
When it’s a chronic problem, the big bad stress monster is responsible for tons of health problems—including anxiety, sleep issues, depression, and more—and these can all put a damper on your mood. To keep your spirits soaring, try incorporating any of these stress-busting strategies into your life, and get ready to feel the stress melt away.

20. See the glass as half-full.
If there’s one trait that goes hand-in-hand with happiness, it’s optimism. People who think positively are less likely to feel depressed, more productive at work, and generally healthier than their doom-and-gloom counterparts. That said, it’s important to be both optimistic and realistic instead of just blindly positive (In fact, forcing ourselves to feel over-the-top positive may do more harm than good, especially for those of us more prone to cynical thinking.). People with a healthy combination of optimism and realism don’t let unhappy thoughts bring them down, but they use their realistic outlook to make smart decisions and actions. Talk about the best of both worlds.

How to Be Happy21. Have meaningful conversations.
Shooting the breeze may be fun and completely effortless, but small talk won’t lead you to a happier life. In one study, people who engaged in the least amount of meaningless chit-chat were also the happiest [8]. And speaking of conversation skills, being a good listener may also lead to a greater sense of wellbeing, stronger relationships, and all-around better experiences.

22. Get stuff done.
Fact: Since it prevents us from accomplishing goals, procrastination diminishes happiness. Avoid putting off tasks and continue working towards your goals in order to give yourself a mental boost. Though conquering something challenging may stress us out while we’re doing it, it also makes us happier in the long run (hey, who doesn’t love an accomplishment?). Plus, when we set goals (and meet or surpass our hopes and expectations), it can help us feel more purpose and control and boosts our self-esteem.

23. Complain—the right way.
Whining is generally considered a bad thing—and yeah, it can get pretty annoying if you’re on the receiving end. Done effectively, however, it can actually benefit our mental health. So what exactly makes complaining effective? When voicing a concern leads to results, which in turn lead to a better mood and self-esteem and feeling empowered, it’s effective. In other words, complaining done right involves identifying a problem and taking positive action to address it, not just getting stuck in a loop-de-loop of complaints.

How to Be Happy24. Save money…
Building up a nest egg is an important part of a happy life—and a financially sound future. One survey found that the more people saved, the happier they tended to be. Putting money aside is also associated with feelings of security, wellbeing, and control. Save some cash here, there, and everywhere with these 94 (!) money-saving tips.

25. …But also spend money (wisely).
While it’s crucial to stash some cash away for a rainy day, indulging in the occasional shopping trip can actually reduce sadness by making us feel more in-control. While retail therapy seems to be a legit thing, science shows that spending money on others is especially beneficial to happiness. And if you really want to boost your mood, experts suggest combining an actual gift with the gift of your time—so both you and your giftee enjoy both the purchase and the time spent together. To reap the mood-boosting benefits, enjoy the gift with your loved one—whether you’re giving an experience, like cooking classes, or something more material, like new golf clubs.

How To Find Some Calm When You Just Can't Meditate
Posted: 05/01/2014 8:51 am EDT Updated: 05/01/2014 8:59 am EDT Print ArticleMEDITATE

The stress and strain of constantly being connected can sometimes take your life -- and your well-being -- off course. GPS For The Soul can help you find your way back to balance.

GPS Guides are our way of showing you what has relieved others' stress in the hopes that you will be able to identify solutions that work for you. We all have de-stressing "secret weapons" that we pull out in times of tension or anxiety, whether they be photos that relax us or make us smile, songs that bring us back to our heart, quotes or poems that create a feeling of harmony, or meditative exercises that help us find a sense of silence and calm. We encourage you to look at the GPS Guide below, visit our other GPS Guides here, and share with us your own personal tips for finding peace, balance and tranquility.

It's a well-known fact that we can all benefit from a little meditation. Research has proven that the practice can help reduce our blood pressure, keep stress at bay and boost our immune system. But just because there's science behind it doesn't mean it's always easy to fit in a little meditation. If you're looking to create some calm in your day but finding it tricky to actually meditate, take a look at some of the suggestions below. Tell us in the comments: How to do you find zen when you have trouble meditating?

Look on the bright side

"Think positive and explore/enjoy other parts of life." -- Sopida Tongsopit
Go on a walk

According to a 2013 UK study, taking a walk through nature may help put the brain in a meditative state.
Set up a relaxing atmosphere

"Music, candles and darkness." -- @tamaralajoy
Be with friends and family

A 2011 study found that being around loved ones helps reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the body.
Sit in silence

Experts agree that sitting in a few moments of silence can help cultivate calm, make you more thoughtful and even increase your focus.
If all else fails, ask for a little help

"I find using guided meditations are really helpful." -- Jane Meyers

13 Things Mindful People Do Differently Every Day
Posted: 04/30/2014 8:23 am EDT Updated: 04/30/2014 8:59 am EDT Print ArticleMEDITATION

MORE: Mindful Habits Mindfulness Becoming Mindful Mindfulness Research The Third Metric Meditation Mindfulness Meditation Mindful People Mindfulness Benefits
It may have started as a trend among Silicon Valley tech companies, but mindfulness seems to be here to stay for all of us.

2014 has been called the "year of mindful living," and in the past several months, mindfulness has made headlines in seemingly every major print publication and news site. No longer an activity reserved for the new age set, the public is looking to mindfulness as an antidote to stress and burnout, technology addiction and digital distractions, and a sense of time famine and constant busyness.

More and more research is legitimizing the practice, demonstrating that it may be an extremely effective intervention for a wide range of physical and mental health problems.

But beyond the buzz, what does it really mean to be a mindful person -- and what do they do differently every day to live more mindfully? Mindfulness, the practice of cultivating a focused awareness on the present moment, is both a daily habit and a lifelong process. It's most commonly practiced and cultivated through meditation, although being mindful does not necessarily require a meditation practice.

"It's the awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally," explained Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) technique, in a video interview. "That sounds pretty simple... but actually when we start paying attention to how much we pay attention, half of the time our minds are all over the place and we have a very hard time sustaining attention."

Here are 13 things mindful people actually do every day to stay calm, centered and attentive to the present moment.

They take walks.

woman walking in park

"In our culture of overwork, burnout, and exhaustion, in which we're connected and distracted 24/7 from most things that are truly important in our lives, how do we tap into our creativity, our wisdom, our capacity for wonder, our well-being and our ability to connect with what we really value?" Arianna Huffington asked in a 2013 HuffPost blog post.

Her answer: Solvitur ambulando, which is Greek for "it is solved by walking." Mindful people know that simply going for a walk can be excellent way to calm the mind, gain new perspective and facilitate greater awareness.

Walking through green spaces may actually put the brain into a meditative state, according to a 2013 UK study. The act of walking in a peaceful outdoor landscape was found to trigger "involuntary attention," meaning that it holds attention while also allowing for reflection.

They turn daily tasks into mindful moments.

Mindfulness isn't just something you practice during a 10-minute morning meditation session. It can be incorporated throughout your everyday life by simply paying a little more attention to your daily activities as you're performing them.

As the meditation app Headspace puts it:

"Mindfulness starts to get really interesting when we can start to integrate it into everyday life. Remember, mindfulness means to be present, in the moment. And if you can do it sitting on a chair, then why not while out shopping, drinking a cup of tea, eating your food, holding the baby, working at the computer or having a chat with a friend? All of these are opportunities to apply mindfulness, to be aware."
They create.

artist painting

Mindfulness and creativity go hand-in-hand: Mindfulness practice boosts creative thinking, while engaging, challenging creative work can get you into a flow state of heightened awareness and consciousness.

Many great artists, thinkers, writers and other creative workers -- from David Lynch to Mario Batali to Sandra Oh -- have said that meditation helps them to access their most creative state of mind. In Catching The Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness and Creativity, Lynch compares ideas to fish: "If you want to catch a little fish, you can stay in the shallow water. But if you want to catch the big fish, you've got to go deeper."

If you want to become more mindful but are struggling with a silent meditation practice, try engaging in your favorite creative practice, whether it's baking, doodling, or singing in the shower, and see how your thoughts quiet down as you get into a state of flow.

They pay attention to their breathing.

Our breath is a barometer for our overall physical and mental state -- and it's also the foundation of mindfulness. As mindful people know, calming the breath is the key to calming the mind.

Meditation master Thich Nhat Hahn describes the most foundational and most effective mindfulness practice, mindful breathing, in Shambhala Sun:

"So the object of your mindfulness is your breath, and you just focus your attention on it. Breathing in, this is my in-breath. Breathing out, this is my out-breath. When you do that, the mental discourse will stop. You don’t think anymore. You don’t have to make an effort to stop your thinking; you bring your attention to your in-breath and the mental discourse just stops. That is the miracle of the practice. You don’t think of the past anymore. You don’t think of the future. You don’t think of your projects, because you are focusing your attention, your mindfulness, on your breath."
They unitask.

women at work

Multitasking is the enemy of focus -- many of us spend our days in a state of divided attention and near-constant multitasking, and it keeps us from truly living in the present. Studies have found that when people are interrupted and dividing their attention, it takes them 50 percent longer to accomplish a task and they're 50 percent more likely to make errors.

"Rather than divide our attention, it is far more effective to take frequent breaks between intervals of sustained, one-pointed attention," Real Happiness at Work author Sharon Salzberg writes in a Huffington Post blog. "Debunking the myth of multitasking, we become much better at what we do and increase the chance of being able to remember the details of work we have done in the past."

The mindful way, Salzberg suggests, is to focus on one task completely for a given period of time, and then take a break before continuing or moving on to another task.

They know when NOT to check their phones.

Mindful people have a healthy relationship with their mobile devices -- they set (and keep) specific parameters for usage. This might mean making a point never to start or end the day checking email (and maybe even keeping their smartphones in a separate room while they're sleeping), or choosing to unplug on Saturdays or every time they go on vacation.

But most importantly, they stow their phones away while spending time with their loved ones. One unfortunate byproduct of tech addition and too much screen time is that it keeps us from truly connecting with others -- as HopeLab CEO Pat Christen described her own aha moment, "I realized several years ago that I had stopped looking in my children's eyes. And it was shocking to me."

Those who mindfully interact with others look up from their screens and into the eyes of whomever they're interacting with, and in doing so, develop and maintain stronger connections in all their relationships.

They seek out new experiences.

Openness to experience is a byproduct of living mindfully, as those who prioritize presence and peace of mind tend to enjoy taking in and savoring moments of wonder and simple joy. New experiences, in turn, can help us to become more mindful.

"[Adventure] can naturally teach us to be here now. Really, really here," adventurer Renee Sharp writes in Mindful Magazine. "To awaken to our senses. To embrace both our pleasant and our difficult emotions. To step into the unknown. To find the balance between holding on and letting go. And learn how to smile even when the currents of fear are churning within."

They get outside.

national park yosemite

Spending time in nature is one of the most powerful ways of giving yourself a mental reboot and reinstating a sense of ease and wonder. Research has found that being outdoors can relieve stress, while also improving energy levels, memory and attention.

“We need the tonic of wildness," Thoreau wrote in Walden. "At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature.”

They feel what they're feeling.

Mindfulness isn't about being happy all the time. It's about acceptance of the moment we're in and feeling whatever we feel without trying to resist or control it.

Excessive preoccupation with happiness can actually be counterproductive, leading to an unhealthy attitude towards negative emotions and experiences. Mindful people don't try to avoid negative emotions or always look on the bright side -- rather, accepting both positive and negative emotions and letting different feelings coexist is a key component of remaining even-keeled and coping with life's challenges in a mindful way.

Meditation, the quintessential mindfulness practice, has been shown to be a highly effective intervention for managing emotional challenges including anxiety, depression and stress. A 2013 study also found that people with mindful personalities enjoy greater emotional stability and improved sleep quality.

As Mother Teresa put it, “Be happy in the moment, that’s enough. Each moment is all we need, not more.”

They meditate.

meditation

You can be mindful without meditating, but all the research and experts tell us that meditation is the most sure-fire way to become more mindful. A regular practice can help to reduce stress, improve cognitive function, and boost well-being. Research has found that mindfulness meditation can even alter gene expression, lowering the body's inflammatory response.

Aside from the wealth of research on the physical and mental health benefits of meditation, the testimonies of countless meditators attests to the fact that a consistent practice can help you stay awake and present to your own life.

“It’s almost like a reboot for your brain and your soul,” Padmasree Warrior, CTO of Cisco, told the New York Times in 2012 of making the time to meditate and unplug. “It makes me so much calmer when I’m responding to e-mails later.”

They're conscious of what they put in their bodies -- and their minds.

So often, we shovel food into our mouths without paying any attention to what we're eating and whether we feel full. Mindful people make a practice of listening to their bodies -- and they consciously nourish themselves with healthy foods, prepared and eaten with care. But mindful eating is all about taking your time, paying attention to the tastes and sensations, focus fully on the act of eating and eating-related decisions.

Mindful people also pay attention to their media diets, are equally careful not to feed their minds with "junk food" like excess television, social media, mindless gaming and other psychological empty calories. (Too much time on the Internet has been linked with fewer hours of sleep per night and an increased risk of depression.

They remember not to take themselves so seriously.

laughter

As Arianna Huffington writes in Thrive, "Angels fly because they take themselves lightly." A critical factor in cultivating a mindful personality is refusing to get wrapped up and carried away by the constant tug of the emotions. If you can remember to laugh and keep an even keep through the ups and downs, then you've come a long way already in mastering the art of mindfulness.

Much of our distraction is internal -- we ruminate, worry and dwell on our problems. But those who are able to maintain a sense of humor about their own troubles are able to better cope with them. Research from the University of California Berkeley and University of Zurich found that the ability to laugh at oneself is associated with elevated mood, cheerful personality, and a sense of humor.

Laughing also brings us into the present moment in a mindful way. Joyful laughter and meditation even look similar in the brain, according to a new study from Loma Linda University.

They let their minds wander.

daydreaming

While mindfulness is all about focusing on the present moment, mind-wandering also serves an important psychological function, and conscientious people are able to find the happy medium between these two ways of thinking. It’s smart to question whether we should always be living in the moment. The latest research on imagination and creativity shows that if we're always in the moment, we're going to miss out on important connections between our own inner mind-wandering thoughts and the outside world.

Engaging in imaginative thinking and fantasizing may even make us more mindful. Research has found that those whose daydreams are most positive and most specific also score high in mindfulness.

Click here for complete article.

How Breakthroughs Help You Create the Life You Want
Posted: 04/29/2014 8:40 am EDT Updated: 04/29/2014 8:59 am EDT Print Article

MORE: Spiritual Development Stress Breakthrough Overcoming Challenges Life Changes Creative Genius Self Help Success The Third Metric Happiness
When each of us feels good within, and we are enjoying the freedom that comes from living the life we desire, there are no limits to the positive possibilities and potentials that will unfold. Although we may know this is true intellectually, why is it so difficult to break through and create the life we want?

During these challenging times, how we have been living can quickly become our undoing. The breakthrough that will lead us to the life we want cannot happen without first examining the life we have been living. With everything we are managing and enduring, we may have lost touch with the vision of who we wanted to be and how we wanted to live. As we move forward, our unworkable issues are in full view and the tried and true methods of resolution may not be as effective. To make progress, being open to new perspectives, directions and choices is critical.

To help create breakthroughs, prioritize the following seven actions:

1. Overcome Tension and Turmoil
If our safety and home life is affected by turmoil, we are apt to stay in survival mode and the experiences of prospering, strength and peace can elude us. Living daily with violence, financial uncertainty, health challenges and family conflicts leave us little energy or resources to contemplate or plan for different and more positive choices. If we choose to keep a list of infractions that one individual has committed against another, acceptance and forgiveness will be unavailable for us. If we judge another, then the forgiveness and understanding that can erase all that went before is unattainable. If we choose to look at events in our life from a victim perspective, then we will experience more of the same. On the other hand, if we overcome the tension and turmoil that has become our normal and develop the strengths and abilities that are needed to make a more promising future, our life will reflect back to us a set of new circ*mstances and chances to choose differently.

2. Get Free of the Past
Old wounds, stubborn and outdated beliefs, trauma during childhood and unresolved issues can hold us back when they are left to fester in our subconscious. Bringing painful memories to the surface to be finally healed and released is emotionally difficult, but finding a way to face these traumas can transform the pain into wisdom and allow us to experience a new level of connection and different life experiences. Our willingness to look at these unresolved aspects, to end what is not working, facilitates a new way of being and frees us from our past. When we are freed from our past, the breakthrough can create healing and balancing which allows us to move into a future of our choice.

3. Pay Attention
Watch for moments when life opens up in new ways. Opportunities abound, but if no action is taken, they can disappear as quickly as they came. Pay close attention to what is in front of you -- inspiration, help, advice and choices -- and quiet the voice of uncertainty and fear. If we pay attention to our inner voice, not the programming from our past or those who profess to know us better than we know ourselves, we will find our way. Doors will open. When they open, we may be introduced to new people, new projects or new situations. If we allow ourselves to get stuck in complaining, fear or controlling mode, the opportunity may be lost.

4. Make Major Changes
Be hungry for change -- we have the right to live our lives in peace and abundance. It is human nature, however, to feel uncertain when things suddenly and sometimes unexpectedly change. It's understandable that we want to know what's happening and where we are headed, so we can control our fear, but at times of major crossroads, we may not have all the facts and/or the control that would make us feel comfortable. Once we learn to feel safe in the vulnerable space between uncertainty and a new reality, we can learn to embrace change instead of pushing it away. Because let's face it, change is happening and this is no time to dig in our heels and resist it. Finding a way to harness the energy of change and move with it instead of against it is fundamental for breakthroughs.

5. Recognize Our Failings in Order to Move Forward
When we find the courage and humility to look at those moments when we did not live up to our highest vision of who we are, it may feel like our deepest fears and darkest moments are merging with our anxiety, shame and self-doubt and it can be overwhelming. Forcing to the surface the memories of our vulnerabilities and failings is necessary for us to experience compassion, forgiveness and surrender. When we allow ourselves to be vulnerable, we actually find freedom from fear and we give ourselves permission to be different. Regardless of what we view as our failings, we can bring an end to the hiding and judgment of them. Bring yourself into the present and remember why you are alive now. Remind yourself of who you really are. And as we move forward, know that none of us were ever meant to be perfect and yet, we are perfect because we are here.

6. Trust you Have Genius
Contrary to what we were told and conditioned to believe, we have power and potential -- aka genius. Each of us has our own particular genius and it expands within us once it is recognized. It is up to each of us to discover what our genius is and how to gift it to the world.

7. Begin to Express Your Genius
Now is the time to rethink what we always thought was possible. Be patient with the circ*mstances needed for our genius to unfold and gain traction. Whether it is radical revolutionary change or being able to express hope to our family, know that our genius is our purpose and connect with any and all inspiration to bring it to life.

During the inevitable breakthrough, remember to breathe deeply, stay present and feel confident. Maintain the vision of the kind of the life you want and you will create it.

The Huffington Post | by Catherine Pearson

MORE: How to Be Wiser Wisdom How to Be Wise Wisdom Tips Best of HuffPost The Third Metric The Third Metric Cultivating Wisdom
Quick -- who are the wisest people you know? Chances are they have at least a few things in common: They're experienced, kind and of a certain age. Wisdom, the thinking generally goes, is hard-earned by putting in your time and piecing together scraps of knowledge along the way.

But maybe a younger person also sprang to mind -- someone who, despite his or her relative youth, you regard as genuinely wise. That's because wisdom -- which University of Florida, Gainesville sociology professor Monika Ardelt, defines as a combination of cognitive, reflective and compassionate qualities -- is not the sole purview of the elderly. Wisdom, explains Ardelt (who studies the topic), is something that can be cultivated, and the potential pay-offs are big: Her research has shown that wise men and women enjoy improved well-being as they age, because they're better able to deal with challenges, such as declining health and the loss of loved ones.

So what are the secrets of those people who are wise beyond their years? Ardelt shares a few traits that wise people tend to have in common, as well as several pathways for getting there ... soon.

1. Wise people have a lot of experiences ...
travel
The reason it's often said that wisdom comes with age is, in fact, because older people tend to have had more life experiences than their younger counterparts. And experience, Ardelt says, is one of the true cornerstones of wisdom.

2. ... And they're sponges.
"It's not just experiences alone that make you wise, it is learning from them," Ardelt says -- and not everyone does that. That's why she pushes back against the idea that travel necessarily cultivates wisdom. Sure, some people leave their comfort zone and see the world through a different lens, which opens them up in new and valuable ways, but others travel the world and don't learn at all. If anything, Ardelt said, traveling just reinforces their negative stereotypes. The key is soaking up lessons wherever you are, whether it's the town where you've lived your entire life, or some far-flung location.

3. Wise people see what's right in front of them.
After the publication of a recent New York Times article on the connection between age and wisdom (which referenced Ardelt's research) a reader wrote her summing up wisdom as, basically, understanding the obvious. "Wise people know something," Ardelt says. "But the interesting thing is not that they know more, about, say, the origin of the universe ... wise people actually know the deeper meaning of things that are generally known, actually."

We all know we're going to die, for example. Wise people have a better understanding of the meaning of that, and live differently -- placing an emphasis on relationships, spirituality and personal growth rather than on more superficial markers of success.

4. They meditate.
meditation
In order to achieve that kind of direct, I-see-who-I-am, who-you-are, and-the-circ*mstances-right-in-front-of-us kind of knowledge, reflection is paramount, Ardelt says. Which is why meditation -- a kind of self-examination -- has long been believed to be a pathway to wisdom. "It's kind of a time out of everyday life by just observing the breath, or observing sensations," she says. "Naturally, things come up and the trick is just to accept it, whatever it is, and not to react with negativity."

5. Wise people grow from crises.
Often the people who are considered wise beyond their years have survived a trauma, or several, and have effectively coped with it, according to Ardelt. Indeed, there's an entire area of psychology dedicated to post-traumatic growth -- exploring the ways in which people who have survived something devastating emerge changed for the better.

But wisdom can also come from managing smaller problems, she says -- such as a really bad day at work, or someone cutting you off in traffic: "These are little crises, and you can say, 'How do I react to this?' Do you get all riled up, or do you look at it from another perspective?" Your boss may have had a bad day, or that the man in traffic may have been under enormous pressure to get home for reasons you can't fully know.

6. They have a strong support network.
One of the conditions that tends to separate people who are able to grow and learn from a difficult situation from those who are not is the presence of a strong support system, Ardelt explains. It may be a formal support group, therapy, friends or family. "People who feel that they are alone ... if there is nothing, it can be very difficult to learn anything [from the trauma] because it's just so devastating," she says.

7. They're tolerant.
holding hands
Compassion is a key component of wisdom, Ardelt says. She cites the example of very skilled politicians or sales people who may have a keen understanding of themselves, or great insights into how the world works, but if they use that knowledge for self-centered means, they lack true wisdom.

That's why reflection is so important -- it helps you see yourself as you truly are, limitations and all, so you can then empathize with others, and act accordingly.

How To Ditch Multitasking For Better Productivity
Posted: 03/24/2014 8:22 am EDT Updated: 03/24/2014 8:59 am EDT Print ArticleMULTITASKING
MORE: Multitasking Greatist Multitasking and Productivity How to Be More Productive The Third Metric Burnout Productivity Healthy Living News
2013-02-19-GreatistLogo.jpg
By Katie Golde

Quick reality check: We live in a busy world where a million things are happening at once. For many of us, multitasking is a way to keep up with the flow and feel like we're not getting left behind. From checking email at brunch with friends to finishing a status report during a staff meeting, a lot of us are trying to accomplish a whole lot, all at the same time.

Here's the problem: Only 2 percent of us multitask effectively. That means the remaining 98 percent of us are running around like headless chickens in the name of "productivity."

Increased productivity is available to us all -- and surprisingly, it may come in the form of doing only one thing at a time.

What to do? It's time to put down the smartphone, lift up your head and actually listen to that funny joke your friend is telling or that question your boss is about to throw your way at the meeting. Increased productivity is available to us all -- and surprisingly, it may come in the form of doing only one thing at a time.

What's The Deal?
Just so we're all on the same page, multitasking means trying to do more than one thing a time. In the era of smartphones, tablets and portable laptops, it's easy to multitask without even realizing it. After all, most of us have checked Facebook in chemistry class or during that long conference call (at least once).

Multitasking with a phone (or iPad, tablet, etc.) is so prevalent (among those with access to these technologies) that one study even called it the "epidemic of distraction." Contrary to popular thought, addiction to mobile electronic devices may actually impair multitasking, lower performance and result in cognitive overload. Guess we aren't as productive with that iPhone as we thought, huh?

As it turns out, our brains aren't very good at doing more than one thing at a time. One study found that the brain may get overwhelmed when faced with multiple tasks. Researchers found that when we attempt to multitask, the brain "bottlenecks" the information and quickly moves its attention from one thing to the next, instead of addressing the items simultaneously. Rather than becoming more productive when faced with multiple tasks to accomplish at once, this suggests we really only become more frazzled -- and thus less able to handle the challenges of a high workload.

Your Action Plan
While most of us are susceptible to multitasking, research suggests that people who have a harder time blocking out distractions and focusing on a single task are more likely to be multitaskers (sound like someone you know?). Those of us who do multitask often overestimate just how successful we are at doing so, to boot.

But there's hope for us yet. Once you're willing to accept that multitasking isn't doing us any favors, follow these tips for focusing on one thing at a time -- without sacrificing productivity.

Put down the phone (gently!). Block out distractions while you work, hang out with friends or play the guitar by turning off the phone, TV and anything else that draws you away from what you're actually doing.
Get into a routine. This can be helpful if you spend a good chunk of your day on the computer or working from home. Instead of diving in to tasks willy-nilly, set up a schedule that tells you what to work on and when (and be sure to incorporate some breaks into the day). That way, you'll know what to expect from yourself each time you sit down to work (and you'll be less tempted to goof off online or tinker with household repairs).
Set goals. Know what you're going to do before you start doing it. If you have no clear path, distractions can come easily. Before starting a new task, take a few minutes to plan out the steps you'll need to complete and in what order -- that way, you'll be less able to wander. An important step of goal setting? A quality to-do list.
Eat a good breakfast. Turns out taking a second to chow down on a healthy breakfast can help boost concentration and focus. Bonus points if that meal includes some protein.
Meditate. Studies suggest that regular meditation can boost brain function and is associated with better focus and attention. It can also help reduce stress when a massive to-do list is looming.
Block it out. Can't beat distraction with willpower alone? Don't worry: There are applications out there that will shut down distractions on your media devices. An app called Dark Room only allows your computer to allow you to write. For $15, the app Anti-Social will stop you from checking social media while working. And Rescue Time allows you to block select sites and track the amount of time you spend on various activities, so you can adjust accordingly.
Listen well. We're not being the most productive when we're half listening to someone while checking our phone, Facebook and LinkedIn all at once (also, it's just plain rude). To be a better listener (and get the info you need the first time), face the speaker and look him/her right in the eye and stay present with the conversation. Who cares if you have 12 unread emails; this person deserves your attention.
Cut out clutter. To help avoid distractions, stay organized. Find a place for everything on your desk and keep your paperwork in order so you're not wasting time searching through piles of files (say that five times fast). This goes for your desktop too: Keep files organized and close extra browser windows and taps so you can work with a clean screen. For an extra boost, apply some Feng Shui principles to your workspace.
Give yourself a break. Catch yourself staring at your computer? Literally, just staring at it? Probably time for a break. Studies show taking brief breaks during a task can improve focus. So take a walk around the block, get up and do some jumping jacks or take five minutes to face the wall and breathe deeply. It's good for you, and it's good for your productivity -- win-win!
Read about it. Want even more tips? There are plenty of books available that will help you develop strategies for achieving better focus and deeper concentration. Check out this list to get started.
It may not be easy to quit, but science tells us that multitasking is not all it's cracked up to be. Staying focused and concentrating on one task at a time is worth a shot. And who knows? We may end up getting more done (and feeling a whole lot calmer) in the long run.

8 Ancient Beliefs Now Backed By Modern Science

The Earth may not be flat nor is it the center of the universe, but that doesn't mean old-world intellectuals got everything wrong. In fact, in recent years, modern science has validated a number of teachings and beliefs rooted in ancient wisdom that, up until now, had been trusted but unproven empirically.

A full 55 pages of Arianna Huffington’s new book, Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder, are dedicated to these scientific breakthroughs that often confirm the power of ancient psychology and contemplative practices. On an intuitive level, we’ve known for centuries that these lifestyle practices can help us lead happy, healthy and balanced lives. But now, with the support of hard science, we can embrace these pieces of ancient wisdom and start really living them.

Here are eight ancient beliefs and practices that have been confirmed by modern science.

Helping others can make you healthier.

helping others
In their never-ending search for the best way to live, Greek philosophers argued over the relative benefits of hedonic and eudaimonic happiness. Hedonic well-being sees happiness as a factor of increased pleasure and decreased pain, while eudaimonic ("human flourishing") happiness has more to do with having a larger purpose or meaning in life. A recent study from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill psychologist Barbara Fredrickson may reveal which form of happiness is more beneficial for health and well-being.

The study, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences last year, found that while both types of happiness can make you feel good, the latter could promote physical health and longevity as well. Using phone interviews, questionnaires and blood samples, the study explored how the two forms of happiness affected individuals on a genetic level. Participants with more hedonic and less eudaimonic well-being were found to have a lower production of virus-attacking antibodies, while those with more eudaimonic well-being experienced an increase in antibody production.

Acupuncture can restore balance to your body.

The traditional Chinese medicine technique is believed to address imbalances in a person’s qi (pronounced chi), the circulating energy within every living thing. Whether or not you believe in the existence of this energy flow, a new study published in Archives of Internal Medicine found that the age-old practice may be an effective way to relieve migraines, arthritis and other chronic pains.

Analyzing previous research data from approximately 18,000 subjects, researchers found that acupuncture was more effective than sham acupuncture and standard western care when treating various types of pain, including migraines and chronic back pain.

We need the support of a community in order to thrive.

community
Traditional Buddhist teachings suggest that community is a key component in any happy, fulfilled life. A 2010 study conducted by Brigham Young University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers confirmed this belief, concluding that a healthy social life promotes longevity.

In analyzing the 148 studies -- involving more than 300,000 individual participants -- available on the subject, the researchers discovered that those with stronger social relationships maintained a 50 percent increased likelihood of survival. The effect of social relationships on mortality risk is even greater than the effect of exercise or obesity.

Tai chi can help alleviate a variety of health conditions.

This ancient Chinese martial art is based on the belief that achieving balance with one’s mind and body creates an overall sense of peace and harmony, naturally inspiring a long life. A report in the May 2009 issue of Harvard Women’s Health Watch summarized several studies confirming that this “moving meditation” practice can help prevent and treat many age-related health problems alongside standard treatment in older adults. A number of studies in the past decade have found tai chi to be helpful for those suffering from arthritis, low bone density and heart disease.

Meditation can help you reduce stress and discover inner peace.

meditate
Stemming from ancient Eastern origins, the practice of meditation is believed to help still the mind and reach a heightened level of awareness, improving health and well-being as a byproduct. Science is now proving the health benefits of meditation. The latest study from a team of Harvard Medical School scientists reveals how this mind-body practice can affect genes that control stress levels and immune function.

Harvard psychiatrist John Denniger and his team used neuro-imaging and genomics technology to measure potential physiological changes in each subject more accurately. After observing the high-stress individuals as they followed the study’s prescribed yoga and meditation practices, the team noticed an improved mitochondrial energy production, utilization and resiliency, which help to reduce the stress linked to health conditions like hypertension and infertility.

Compassion is the key to a meaningful life.

Tibetan Buddhist tradition includes a practice called metta, or loving-kindness. A 2012 study from Emory University found that compassion meditation based on this Tibetan model can effectively boost one’s ability to empathize with others by way of reading their facial expressions.

Another loving-kindness meditation study from 2011 found that, over time, this practice increased participants' positive emotions that allowed them to find a deeper sense of mindfulness, their purpose in life, the network of support surrounding them, and their health. These components helped increase their overall life satisfaction.

Accepting what you can’t change is key to reducing suffering.

serenity
According to Buddhist teachings, one must accept the things they cannot change in order to reduce suffering. Now, scientists have found that this belief rings true, especially for older adults who are working through difficult life changes.

Researchers from Deakin University in Australia found that facing the realities of living with assistance and losing a degree of independence helps seniors live longer and feel far happier. Their study, which was published in the Journal of Happiness Studies last year, compared feelings of life satisfaction and perceived control of older adults living with assistance and those living in the community. Their analysis revealed that the ability to accept the inevitable (as well as maintain low-level control) in an assisted living setting was a significant predictor of life satisfaction. The researchers concluded, "In order to protect the well-being of older individuals, adaptation involves both a sense of control and the active acceptance of what cannot be changed."

All you need is love.

If there is one thing that a variety of ancient wisdom traditions can agree on, it’s the value of love in maintaining a happy, meaningful life. And a group of Harvard researchers, on a mission to uncover the true roots of life fulfillment, conducted a 75-year study that reached the same conclusion.

The Harvard Grant Study, led by psychiatrist George Vaillant, followed the life trajectories of 268 male students in order to answer life’s universal questions of growth, development, value and purpose. Vaillant considers the most meaningful finding of the study to be that a happy life revolves around loving relationships. He explained that there are two pillars of happiness: "One is love. The other is finding a way of coping with life that does not push love away."

10 Things Highly Intuitive People Do Differently

Intuition is challenging to define, despite the huge role it plays in our everyday lives. Steve Jobs called it, for instance, "more powerful than intellect." But however we put it into words, we all, well, intuitively know just what it is.

Pretty much everyone has experienced a gut feeling -- that unconscious reasoning that propels us to do something without telling us why or how. But the nature of intuition has long eluded us, and has inspired centuries' worth of research and inquiry in the fields of philosophy and psychology.

"I define intuition as the subtle knowing without ever having any idea why you know it," Sophy Burnham, bestselling author of The Art of Intuition, tells The Huffington Post. "It's different from thinking, it's different from logic or analysis ... It's a knowing without knowing."

Our intuition is always there, whether we're aware of it or not. As HuffPost President and Editor-in-Chief Arianna Huffington puts it in her upcoming book Thrive:

Even when we're not at a fork in the road, wondering what to do and trying to hear that inner voice, our intuition is always there, always reading the situation, always trying to steer us the right way. But can we hear it? Are we paying attention? Are we living a life that keeps the pathway to our intuition unblocked? Feeding and nurturing our intuition, and living a life in which we can make use of its wisdom, is one key way to thrive, at work and in life.
Cognitive science is beginning to demystify the strong but sometimes inexplicable presence of unconscious reasoning in our lives and thought. Often dismissed as unscientific because of its connections to the psychic and paranormal, intuition isn't just a bunch of hoo-ha about our "Spidey senses" -- the U.S. military is even investigating the power of intuition, which has helped troops to make quick judgments during combat that ended up saving lives.

"There is a growing body of anecdotal evidence, combined with solid research efforts, that suggests intuition is a critical aspect of how we humans interact with our environment and how, ultimately, we make many of our decisions," Ivy Estabrooke, a program manager at the Office of Naval Research, told the New York Times in 2012.

Here are 10 things that people in touch with their intuition do differently.

They listen to that inner voice.

introspection
"It's very easy to dismiss intuition," says Burnham. "But it's a great gift that needs to be noticed."

The No. 1 thing that distinguishes intuitive people is that they listen to, rather than ignore, the guidance of their intuitions and gut feelings.

"Everybody is connected to their intuition, but some people don't pay attention to it as intuition," Burnham say. "I have yet to meet a successful businessman that didn't say, 'I don't know why I did that, it was just a hunch.'"

In order to make our best decisions, we need a balance of intuition -- which serves to bridge the gap between instinct and reasoning -- and rational thinking, according to Francis Cholle, author of The Intuitive Compass. But the cultural bias against following one's instinct or intuition often leads to disregarding our hunches -- to our own detriment.

"We don't have to reject scientific logic in order to benefit from instinct," says Cholle. "We can honor and call upon all of these tools, and we can seek balance. And by seeking this balance we will finally bring all of the resources of our brain into action."

They take time for solitude.

intuition
If you want to get in touch with your intuition, a little time alone may be the most effective way. Just as solitude can help give rise to creative thinking, it can also help us connect to our deepest inner wisdom.

Intuitive people are often introverted, according to Burnham. But whether you're an introvert or not, taking time for solitude can help you engage in deeper thought and reconnect with yourself.

"You have to be able to have a little bit of solitude; a little bit of silence," she says. "In the middle of craziness ... you can't recognize [intuition] above all of the noise of everyday life."

They create.

solitude
"Creativity does its best work when it functions intuitively," writes researcher and author Carla Woolf.

In fact, creative people are highly intuitive, explains Burnham, and just as you can increase your creativity through practice, you can boost your intuition. In fact, practicing one may build up the other.

They practice mindfulness.

Meditation and other mindfulness practices can be an excellent way to tap into your intuition. As the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute explains, "Mindfulness can help you filter out mental chatter, weigh your options objectively, tune into your intuition and ultimately make a decision that you can stand behind completely."

Mindfulness can also connect you to your intuition by boosting self-knowledge. A 2013 study published in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science showed that mindfulness -- defined as "paying attention to one's current experience in a non-judgmental way" -- may help us to better understand our own personalities. And as Arianna Huffington notes in Thrive, increased intuition, compassion, creativity and peace are all wonderful side effects of meditating.

They observe everything.

look out window
"The first thing to do is notice -- keep a little journal, and notice when odd things happen," Burnham says. You'll gain a keen sense for how often coincidences, surprising connections and on-the-dot intuitions occur in your daily life -- in other words, you'll start to tap into your intuition.

They listen to their bodies.

Intuitive people learn to tune into their bodies and heed their "gut feelings."

If you've ever started feeling sick to your stomach when you knew something was wrong but couldn't put your finger on what, you understand that intuitions can cause a physical sensation in the body. Our gut feelings are called gut feelings for a reason -- research suggests that emotion and intuition are very much rooted in the "second brain" in the gut.

They connect deeply with others.

empathy
Mind reading may seem like the stuff of fantasy and pseudo-science, but it's actually something we do everyday. It's called empathic accuracy, a term in psychology that refers to the "seemingly magical ability to map someone's mental terrain from their words, emotions and body language," according to Psychology Today.

"When you see a spider crawling up someone's leg, you feel a creepy sensation," Marcia Reynolds writes in Psychology Today. "Similarly, when you observe someone reach out to a friend and they are pushed away, your brain registers the sensation of rejection. When you watch your team win or a couple embrace on television, you feel their emotions as if you are there. Social emotions like guilt, shame, pride, embarrassment, disgust and lust can all be experienced by watching others."

Tuning into your own emotions, and spending time both observing and listening to others face-to-face can help boost your powers of empathy, says Reynolds.

They pay attention to their dreams.

dreaming
Burnham recommends paying attention to your dreams as a way to get in touch with your mind's unconscious thinking processes. Both dreams and intuition spring from the unconscious, so you can begin to tap into this part of your mind by paying attention to your dreams.

"At night, when you're dreaming, you're receiving information from the unconscious or intuitive part of your brain," says Burnham. "If you're attuned to your dreams, you can get a lot of information about how to live your life."

They enjoy plenty of down time.

dream studies
Few things stifle intuition as easily as constant busyness, multitasking, connectivity to digital devices and stress and burnout. According to Huffington, we always have an intuitive sense about the people in our lives -- on a deep level, we know the good ones from the "flatterers and dissemblers" -- but we're not always awake enough to our intuition to acknowledge the difference to ourselves. The problem is that we're simply too busy.

"We always get warnings from our heart and our intuition when they appear," she writes in Thrive. "But we are often too busy to notice."

They mindfully let go of negative emotions.

Strong emotions -- particularly negative ones -- can cloud our intuition. Many of us know that we feel out of sorts or "not ourselves" when we're upset, and it may be because we're disconnected from our intuition.

"When you are very depressed, you may find your intuition fails," says Burnham. "When you're angry or in a heightened emotional state ... your intuition [can] fail you completely."

The evidence isn't just anecdotal: A 2013 study published in the journal Psychological Science showed that being in a positive mood boosted the ability to make intuitive judgments in a word game.

That's not to say that intuitive people never get upset -- but your intuition will fare better if you're able to mindfully accept and let go of negative emotions for the most part, rather than suppressing or dwelling on them.

Wednesday, Jul. 31, 2002
Why Tai Chi Is the Perfect Exercise
By Christine Gorman
It's easy to tell people to make exercise part of their daily routine. It's not so easy to tell them what to do. Some folks like to run marathons or climb mountains. But if you would rather care for your body without risking life or limb or increasingly creaky joints, you might consider Tai Chi Chuan, the ancient martial art that looks like a cross between shadow boxing and slow-motion ballet.

Not to be confused with Falun Gong, a quasi-religious and political movement that uses similar exercises, Tai Chi combines intense mental focus with deliberate, graceful movements that improve strength, agility and — particularly important for the elderly — balance.

Practitioners praise Tai Chi's spiritual and psychological benefits, but what has attracted the attention of Western scientists lately is what Tai Chi does for the body. In many ways, researchers are just catching up to what tens of millions of people in China and Chinatowns around the rest of the world already know about Tai Chi. Scientists at the Oregon Research Institute in Eugene reported last week that Tai Chi offers the greatest benefit to older men and women who are healthy but relatively inactive. Previous studies have shown that Tai Chi practiced regularly helps reduce falls among healthy seniors. The next step, from a scientific point of view, is to determine whether Tai Chi can help those who are already frail.

There are several styles of Tai Chi, but most of them start with a series of controlled movements, or forms, with names like Grasping the Sparrow's Tail and Repulse the Monkey. There are many good how-to books to get you started, or you can choose from among the growing number of classes offered at rec centers and health clubs across the U.S. (These have the added benefit of combining instruction with a chance to meet new people.) Either way, the goal is to move at your own pace. As Tai Chi master Martin Lee of the Tai Chi Cultural Center in Los Altos, Calif., puts it, "Pain is no gain."

It can take a few months for the effects to kick in, but when they do they can act as a gateway to a new lifestyle. "Once people start feeling better, they often become more active in their daily life," says Dr. Karim Khan, a family-practice and sports physician at the University of British Columbia.

Any form of exercise, of course, can do only so much. "For older individuals, Tai Chi will not be the end-all," says William Haskell, an expert in chronic-disease prevention at Stanford University. "But Tai Chi plus walking would be a very good mixture." Younger people probably need more of an aerobic challenge, but they can benefit from Tai Chi's capacity to reduce stress.

The best thing about Tai Chi is that people enjoy it, so they are more likely to stick with it long enough to get some benefit. It helps when something that's good for you is also fun.

Los Angeles Times-Science: Exercise works as well as drugs for some ailments
10/06/20130
There was no difference between exercise and drug interventions for the people with coronary heart disease and for the prevention of diabetes. (Associated Press / October 2, 2013)
By Mary MacVean
This post has been updated. See note below for details.
October 2, 2013, 2:25 p.m.

Exercise might work just as well or better than drugs for people with coronary heart disease or recovering from a stroke, according to a review of evidence published Wednesday.

The scientists looked at the outcomes of 305 previous trials with 339,274 participants to try to determine whether physical activity was as effective as drugs at preventing death among people with four conditions: coronary heart disease, rehabilitation from stroke, treatment for heart failure and prevention of diabetes.

There was no difference between exercise and drug interventions for the people with coronary heart disease and for the prevention of diabetes. Exercise was more effective than drugs for recovery from stroke. And drugs, specifically diuretics, were more effective for treatment of heart failure.

Exercise should be considered as “viable alternative to, or alongside, drug therapy,” the researchers said.

[Updated, 3:13 p.m. PDT Oct. 2: The exercise in the research generally took place in structured rehabilitation programs to which patients had been referred by their doctors, said Huseyin Naci, an author of the study who is a fellow at the Harvard Medical School and a researcher at the London School of Economics. The patient’s condition would vary, he said, adding that for people with a prediabetic condition, an exercise program might be more informal.

Naci added in the interview: “The results of our study by no means imply that people should stop taking their medications, especially without consulting their doctors.”]

Research is lacking on the potential for exercise to prevent death as compared with drugs, the researchers wrote. Still, they said their “analysis suggests that exercise potential had similar effectiveness to drug interventions with two exceptions. In the case of stroke rehabilitation, exercise seemed to be more effective than drug interventions. In heart failure, diuretics outperformed all comparators, including exercise.”

They called the lack of medical literature a “blind spot” that leaves doctors without evidence of when drugs or exercise or a combination is the best choice.

They called for additional research and noted that their study is limited by the scarcity of studies on exercise interventions and by any limitations of the studies they used.

They were inspired by the well-documented benefits of exercise, including improved health and less likelihood of such things as needing hospitalization. Also, only a third of adults in England meet the recommended levels of physical activity, but drug prescription rates are on the rise, with the average person there having an average of 17.7 prescriptions in 2010.

A survey released Wednesday by Kaiser Permanente about walking in the United States found that almost everyone knows it’s good to do. But nearly 80% said they should walk more.

The researchers were from the London School of Economics, Harvard medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, and Stanford University. Their work was published in the British Medical Journal.

mary.macVean@latimes.com

Is Tai Chi the Ultimate Exercise?
02/18/20132 Comments

...learning tai chi could be the best decision for you!
No one disputes the importance of regular exercise. Unfortunately, there are so many fitness programs available today, the general public is often confused as to which are the best. Consequently, they are the willing guinea pigs of every fitness fad that comes along.

The Chinese have always maintained that inactivity is the major cause of illness. Thus, they have developed numerous systems of medical gymnastics both to cure as well as prevent disease. Of the many exercises they have devised, they consider the martial art tai chi chuan to be the best.

Advantages of Tai Chi: Tai chi chuan has many distinct advantages over other types of exercise. The biggest shortcoming of most systems of physical fitness is that they service only part of the body. They concentrate on certain muscles or muscle groups, while neglecting others entirely.

For example, isometric exercises tense one set of muscles against another set or an immovable object. Because this is a one-dimensional exercise, the benefits are minimal.

Another problem with isometrics is there is really no way to measure the correct amount of exercise. Unlike calisthenics or weightlifting, you cannot simply increase the number of repetitions and expect results. Recent evidence has also found that isometric exercises render joints more vulnerable to injuries.

Calisthenics produce a wide range of motion and give the muscles more staying power than isometrics. Unfortunately, calisthenics also concentrate on only individual muscles and thus have little benefit on overall health. This is also true with weightlifting.

Tai chi, on the other hand, brings into play every part of the body and benefits all bodily parts, not just the musculoskeletal system.

Other Benefits of Tai Chi: Scientific research conducted at the Medical Academy of Shanghai, the Tangshan Medical Center and Bellevue Hospital in New York City has shown that tai chi chuan stimulates the central nervous system, lowers blood pressure, relieves stress and gently tones muscles without strain. It also enhances digestion, elimination of wastes and the circulation of blood. Moreover, tai chi’s rhythmic movements massage the internal organs and improve their functionality.

Perhaps tai chi’s greatest attribute, however, is the fact it channels the flow of chi (intrinsic energy) through the body’s meridians. According to traditional Chinese medicine, as long as this flow is uninhibited, a person will remain healthy. If the flow of chi becomes obstructed or unbalanced, illness will result. The correct practice of tai chi chuan guides the individual’s chi through the meridians and restores its balance throughout the body. None of the aforementioned exercises offers any of these benefits.

Tai Chi vs. Aerobic Exercise: Many people believe that tai chi chuan does not develop the same degreeof cardiovascular fitness as high-impact exercises, such as jogging, rope-jumping, cycling or aerobic dancing. This is not true, however.

In 1978, noted tai chi instructor Lawrence Galante and an associate conducted an experiment to determine whether tai chi chuan is effective in stimulating cardiovascular development. They used 25 tai chi students, ranging in age from 20 to 60 years old, as their models. The students had been studying the yang-style tai chi short form for a period of one to seven years. Galante and his assistant monitored the pulse rate, blood pressure and heart rate of all the students before and after they practiced the form. In all cases, the researchers found that if the form was practiced in a low stance, great cardiovascular stimulation occurred-between 60-80 percent of the maximum heart rate established by the American Heart Association (AHA). On the other hand, if the tai chi movements were performed in a high stance, there was very little heart stimulation (less than 60 percent of the maximum heart rate). However, for people who suffer from high blood pressure, or those recovering from heart attacks or heart surgery, the high stance is a better option. According to Galante, a person can easily meet the standards set by the AHA by practicing tai chi chuanthree times a day.

Dr. John Painter, a Fort Worth, Texas based teacher of internal Chinese martial arts, claims that “When the movements of tai chi chuan are performed quickly or in a lower formed stance, they have the same beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system as jogging or high-impact aerobics, but without the stress and strain.”

According to Painter, greater physical stimulation can be achieved by performing the movements slowly while wearing weights on the ankles, arms or body.

Although some doctors claim high impact physical activities are the best health-building exercises, a growing number of medical experts believe that the hazards of their long-term practice outweigh the benefits.

According to psychologist Dr. Jo Ann Hunter Farr, high-impact aerobics can produce health benefits over the short term, but the long-term implications of such exercises are irreparable damage to the joints and internal organs. Vigorous walking or tai chi practice, she claims, are much safer forms of exercise and offer the same health benefits as high-impact exercises.

Dr. Wen Zee, a retired cardiologist in Shanghai, believes tai chi is “an incomparable exercise because it never accelerates the heart rate. Exercises such as running and jogging can injure the heart.”

Many other medical experts are warning that strenuous exercise may shorten a person’s life. According to John Hall, who writes a medical column for an internal Chinese martial arts magazine, for a fitness program to be conducive to long life and health, it must take into account the balancing of body fat levels as well as the other necessary factors for proper exercise. “The ideal fitness program will provide some form of consistent, progressive, sustained movement of the legs, torso and arms to benefit and improve the flexibility, strength, stamina and aerobic potential of all [bodily] systems,” Hall asserts. “At the same time, the exercise program must help to ward off obesity without exceeding the capacity for recovery. Tai chi chuan…more than adequately meets these requirements.”

Another problem with high-impact exercises is they are incomplete physical activities. Aside from the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal gains, they benefit none of the other bodily systems. Tai chi, however, has a salubrious effect on all bodily systems. Furthermore, aerobic exercises do not have any of the other health benefits of tai chi chuan.

Finally, tai chi may be practiced by virtually anyone, regardless of age. This is not the case with high-impact exercises. In fact, doctors recommend that no one of middle or old age engage in any of these activities without first undergoing a complete physical examination.

Tai Chi vs. Yoga: The postures of hathe yoga provide many of the same health benefits as tai chi chuan. Unfortunately, most of the yoga positions are held for three minutes or longer, which can be very taxing on the body. Brief rest periods are therefore needed. Tai chi practice, on the other hand, does not require any rest period because the postures change too quickly to tire the body.

Yogic inverted postures, such as the headstand and shoulderstand, offer two advantages not found in tai chi chuan. First, they relieve the gravitational pressure on the internal organs and glands. And second, they ease the strain on the heart caused by having to pump blood against the force of gravity. Yoga exercises, however, do little to promote cardiovascular endurance.

Moreover, many people cannot perform certain yoga exercises because of health problems. Tai chi chuan, in contrast, may be practiced in virtually any state of health.

The yoga breathing techniques, known as pranayama, have many health benefits. They increase energy levels within the body, strengthen the immune system as well as the internal organs and glands, reduce stress, purify the body and improve memory. They also enhance the cellular expulsion of carbon dioxide, increase arterial circulation to the brain, reduce levels of lactic acid in the muscles, and stimulate intestinal peristalsis.

Unfortunately, if these exercises are practiced incorrectly, they can cause serious mental disturbances. Tai chi chuan does not present these problems. In tai chi, deep breathing is never imposed on the student; it is developed step by step. The student learns to gradually coordinate his breathing with the movements. This is perhaps the greatest advantage tai chi has over yoga. One final advantage of tai chi is that it can also be used for self-defense. ~ By Frank Petrillo Jr.

A Gentle Way to Reduce Stress from Mayo Clinic
12/25/2012
Tai chi: A gentle way to fight stressTai chi helps reduce stress and anxiety. And it also helps increase flexibility and balance.
By Mayo Clinic staffTai chi involves a series of movements performed in a slow, focused manner.

If you're looking for a way to reduce stress, consider tai chi (TIE-CHEE). Originally developed for self-defense, tai chi has evolved into a graceful form of exercise that's now used for stress reduction and a variety of other health conditions. Often described as meditation in motion, tai chi promotes serenity through gentle, flowing movements.

What is tai chi?Tai chi is an ancient Chinese tradition that, today, is practiced as a graceful form of exercise. It involves a series of movements performed in a slow, focused manner and accompanied by deep breathing.

Tai chi, also called tai chi chuan, is a noncompetitive, self-paced system of gentle physical exercise and stretching. Each posture flows into the next without pause, ensuring that your body is in constant motion.

Tai chi has many different styles. Each style may have its own subtle emphasis on various tai chi principles and methods. There are also variations within each style. Some may focus on health maintenance, while others focus on the martial arts aspect of tai chi.

Who can do tai chiTai chi is low impact and puts minimal stress on muscles and joints, making it generally safe for all ages and fitness levels. In fact, because tai chi is low impact, it may be especially suitable if you're an older adult who otherwise may not exercise.