We See As We Are

"In India, there's an old parable about a wise king who sent two of his court officers away to explore faraway lands. One of the courtiers, the king had observed, was arrogant and self-absorbed; the other was generous and open-minded.

"After many months of travel and exploration, both men returned home to report their findings. When the king questioned the men about the cities they visited, the generous courtier said that he found the people of foreign lands to be hospitable, generally kindhearted, and not much different from the people one met at home.

"On hearing this, the arrogant officer scoffed with envy, because the cities he'd visited were full of scheming liars, cheats, and wicked barbarians.

"Listening to these reports, the king laughed to himself - for he had sent both men to the same places."

(from Rolf Potts' Vagabonding)

Oprah and the power of meditation

Did you know that every single person in Oprah's production company takes a break at 9am and 4:30pm to meditate? Enjoy this short video with Oprah and Dr. Oz on the power of meditation....

The Healing Touch

Twin girls, Brielle and Kyrie, were born 12 weeks ahead of their due date. Needing intensive care, they were placed in separate incubators. Kyrie began to gain weight and her health stabilized. But Brielle, born only 2 lbs, had trouble breathing, heart problems and other complications. She was not expected to live.

Their nurse did everything she could to make Brielle’s health better, but nothing she did was helping her. With nothing else to do, their nurse went against hospital policy and decided to place both babies in the same incubator. She left the twin girls to sleep and when when she returned she found a sight she could not believe. She called all the nurses and doctors and this is what they saw (refer to the picture above).

As Brielle got closer to her sister, Kyrie put her small little arm around her, as if to hug and support her sister. From that moment on, Brielle’s breathing and heart rate stabilized and her health became normal. From then on, they decided to keep both babies together, because when they were together they kept each other alive.

Sometimes western medicine can only take us so far, the rest is up to us.

(from Stoke My Fire)

Words to always remember

This handwritten sign was reportedly found on the wall of Mother Teresa’s room:

"People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; be kind anyway.
If you are are successful, you will win some false friends, and some true enemies; be successful anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, others may be jealous; be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough; give the world your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway."

Living in the Now!

“There is a story of a woman running away from tigers. She runs and runs and the tigers are getting closer and closer. When she comes to the edge of a cliff, she sees some vines there, so she climbs down and holds on to the vines. Looking down, she sees that there are tigers below her as well. She then notices that a mouse is gnawing away at the vine to which she is clinging. She also sees a beautiful little bunch of strawberries close to her, growing out of a clump of grass. She looks up and she looks down. She looks at the mouse. Then she just takes a strawberry, puts it in her mouth, and enjoys it thoroughly. Tigers above, tigers below. This is actually the predicament that we are always in, in terms of our birth and death. Each moment is just what it is. It might be the only moment of our life; it might be the only strawberry we’ll ever eat. We could get depressed about it, or we could finally appreciate it and delight in the preciousness of every single moment of our life.”
― Pema Chödrön, The Wisdom Of No Escape: How To Love Yourself And Your World

Enjoy the strawberry everyone!

More "Great Lesson" Master Teacher Videos

Check out 5Rhythms dance coach Jonathan Horan talking about the power of possibilities in this new "Great Lesson" video. See what's possible!



Did you know that you perform at a much higher level when you are relaxed than when you are tense and tight? So the question remains: how do we relax the body fully? Check out this new video with author, executive coach and martial artist Richard Strozzi-Heckler. See what's possible!



Do you ever feel rushed? Pressured by time? Always racing from one thing to the next? How do you find a state of calm amidst this constant busyness? Watch this new video with master teacher Robert Gerzon, author of the must-read book "Finding Serenity in the Age of Anxiety." See what's possible!

New "Great Lesson" Movie Clips

Dance visionary Gabrielle Roth talks about movement as medicine in this new clip from The Great Lesson movie.



Dr. Meir Schneider is the founder and director of the School for Self-Healing. What you might not know is that he was legally blind as a child and did his schoolwork in Braille. Today, he holds a current unrestricted California driver’s license, and his vision continues to improve. Watch this amazing healer in a new "Great Lesson" movie clip!

The Holy Flow

Check out a fantastic video from my good friend Gabriella Hartwell on the power of surrender. When you let go of expectation, attachment and time frames, you enter this flowing space in which anything is possible! Enjoy the video!

3 Brand New "Great Lesson" Promo Videos

Discover The Art of Possibilities

“Normally, we do not so much look at things as overlook them.” ~ Alan Watts

In the wonderfully inspiring documentary film What The Bleep Do We Know, one of the physicists describes quantum mechanics as the physics of possibilities. The idea is that every moment is filled with infinite possibilities.

Unfortunately, most of us don’t see life that way. Instead of possibilities, we see limitations. In fact, the older we get the less possibilities we believe we have in our lives.

After all, where are these possibilities when we are trapped in a bad marriage or stuck working at a soulless job?

The Japanese martial art of Aikido teaches us to shift our thinking. In Aikido, there are always possibilities or options. The problem is that when confronted with stress – or an attacker in the case of the martial arts - we suffer from tunnel vision.

In the face of real conflict, we see just two options. Either we lash out in anger by meeting force with force or harsh words with harsh words. Or we give way to fear and play the victim.

But in the practice of Aikido, we realize that there are actually more than two options. Instead of advancing or retreating, we could also choose a third way in which we blend with the force by re-directing it into another direction for our own advantage. In this way, we take a potentially negative experience and turn it into a positive one.

The same idea holds true in business.

In the corporate world, we’ve been conditioned to believe that bigger is better. For many small business owners, “grow or die” is seen as the only option. The idea is that we grow a business so that we can increase revenue, hire more employees, and ultimately cash out, sell our business and retire.

But are those really the only choices?

What if we take a step back and catch a glimpse of the big picture? What do we actually value most about our business?

Is it growth above all else? Or is it perhaps control over our vision and freedom to spend more time with our families and communities? In those latter cases, bigger is not necessarily better.

The point is that in martial arts, business, quantum mechanics or any aspect of life, we always have an infinite number of possibilities and options. It just requires that we widen the scope of our vision. When we do this, we see not only main road but also the roads less traveled.

This idea can also be applied to the most mundane tasks. For instance, think about taking a trip to the supermarket. You could follow the familiar pattern of rushing in and out, avoiding eye contact at every turn. Or you could choose another path ~ perhaps engaging the people in your shopping universe with a big smile and a playful attitude.

When we open our minds as well as our hearts to the infinite possibilities available to us at any moment, we start living a deeper, richer and more meaningful life. Antoine de Saint-Exupery said it best: “It is only with the heart one can see clearly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.”

3 New "Great Lesson" Promo Videos

The Power of Limiting Beliefs

“Life is too short to be little.” - Disraeli

Have you heard the story of the circus elephant? When the baby elephants are small and weak, they get chained to an immovable stake. As they grow larger and more powerful, they continue to stand chained to the same stake even though they could easily smash right through it. So, why don’t they break free?

The fact is they’ve been conditioned with limiting beliefs. They’ve been trained to believe that they can’t break through the stake and so they never will!

As it turns out, people are no different than circus elephants. We’ve also been conditioned with limiting beliefs. Did you know that by the time you turn 17 years of age, you’ve already heard “No You Can’t” roughly 150,000 times and “Yes You Can” only 5,000 times. That’s 30 No’s for every one Yes.

The problem is that these limiting beliefs create long-term patterns of behavior. And before long, we get stuck or trapped – just like those circus elephants. We settle for the ordinary instead of striving for the extraordinary!

To break free from this narrow way of thinking, we need to expand our vision of what’s possible! As Tom Crum says, we need to dance a bigger dance.

One powerful way to do this is by setting really big goals.

According to Hard Goals author Mark Murphy, the great goal achievers - Gandhi, Kennedy, King, Mother Teresa and others like them - set really BIG, heartfelt and challenging goals. They realized the secret that all great goal setters know: if you have a big enough and compelling enough "why" behind your goal, the "how" will fall into place.

Each of these master goal setters had a story in their mind about how they were going to change the world for the better. The stakes were so high that they couldn't contemplate not achieving their goal. In a way, it was all or nothing for them!

Unfortunately, most of us don’t do this. We set small, uninspiring goals that resemble to-do lists. You could say that these safe goals are more like work than play.

Did you know that of the roughly 60% of Americans who set New Years Resolutions, less than 10% are successful. In fact, time management firm FranklinCovey found that a third don't even make it to the end of January.

If you want to break out of the box of limiting beliefs, it’s time to set big, bold inspiring goals that get you so excited that failure is just not an option!

Forget thinking small! What are your really BIG goals?

Simple Tips For Getting Centered

Do you ever feel disconnected from your body? Think about all of the hours we spend at the office and at home, hunched over a computer. Sure, we exercise the mind, but what about the rest of us?

When we neglect the body, we pay a steep price in our physical and mental health and wellbeing.

In the upcoming movie The Great Lesson, we learn that one of the most powerful ways to connect with the body is by getting centered. Centering is an integral part of mind ~ body practices like yoga, martial arts, tai chi, dance as well as most sports. The center goes by many names: Dantian in Chinese, Hara in Japanese, and the Lower Chakra in Sanskrit. In America, we call it the gut or the belly.

So where is the center? The center is a point in the middle of the body, about two inches below the navel. It is a source of balance and stability. According to Richard Strozzi-Heckler, when you are centered, you are completely relaxed. In this way, you are making an ally with gravity instead of fighting against it.

Think about a time when you felt deeply relaxed and grounded in your body even though things around you were chaotic. Perhaps you even experienced a sense of time slowing down. This is the magic of your center - the place where mind and body come together.

But the center is a moving center. It goes wherever you direct your awareness. If you are deep in thought, the center might be in your head. If you are feeling heavy emotions, it might be in your chest.

However, when you are centered in the mid point of your body, the mind becomes quiet and still. Instead of dwelling on the past or thinking ahead to the future, you get rooted in the present. You accept who you are and where you are unconditionally without trying to change things. According to Chuang-Tzu, “Flow with whatever may happen and let your mind be free: stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing.”

Here are some simple tips for getting centered right now:

1. Take a few deep, slow breaths.
2. Align the body by sitting or standing up straight.
3. Release any tension and allow the body to relax completely from head to toe.
4. Direct your attention toward the point two inches below your navel.

Some might say that this sounds great in theory, but who has the time to do this? According to Tom Crum, any moment can be an opportunity to find your center.

For instance, when you are taking a walk, you can become more aware of your center with each step. Try pressing your index finger on the point about two inches below the navel from time to time as well. Think of yourself as pushing a button to power up your center.

Another great centering moment is when you are stuck in traffic. Instead of getting frustrated, Crum uses the seat belt as a centering belt. The click of the seat belt can be a reminder to connect with your center. If you are not in a car, use a belt buckle as your centering belt. Adjust the buckle so that it rests on your center.

Unfortunately, most of us spend most of our day OFF center. Becoming irritable and stressed are sure signs that we have lost our center.

To regain the center, choose moments throughout the day to take centering breaks. Give it a try and see what happens! If you think about it, any spare time during the day can be an amazing opportunity to recapture the magic of your center!

Investing In The Best Health Ever!

"Let thy Food be thy Medicine and thy Medicine be thy Food" – Hippocrates

What is the greatest investment you ever made? If real estate, stocks and bonds come to mind, you are not alone. Most people think in terms of “financial” wealth when they think investing.

But what about your health? Let's face it, you can have all of the money in the world, but without your health, what do you really have?

So why doesn't everyone invest in the best health ever with the same gusto that they invest in their 401 K's? Part of it is a lack of information. Many people don't realize the power that they have over their health. Another reason is people assume that it is too expensive to live and eat healthily.

No doubt buying fresh organic fruits, veggies and other REAL non-processed, whole foods will cost more than the processed stuff. It will also take more time to prepare than fast food. But those are just the short terms costs. Like any good investment, you pay a little more upfront, but look at the long-term picture. You will save boat loads of money by minimizing, possibly even eliminating, your drug, surgery and hospital costs in the future!

Let's look at six simple ways to start investing in your health right now!

1. Make optimum health your top priority. The goal here isn’t just to prevent illness. It’s to actively promote the best, most radiant health that you and your family have EVER experienced. To do this, you may need to make some tough choices. Shift some priorities around. For starters, do you spend money on the latest, greatest new cell phone and cable TV package? Or do you invest that money in the most healthy, nutrient dense foods on the planet?

2. Read the ingredients. Less is more when it comes to ingredients. If you don't know what it is and how to pronounce it, you probably shouldn't be ingesting it into your body. Most of these hard to pronounce ingredients are preservatives only there to increase shelf life. Look for products with no (or at least minimal) preservatives. You may have to eat it sooner, but your body will thank you for it!

3. Load up on fruits and veggies! Buy a wide variety of colors. The more colors, the more nutrients, the more powerful health promoting antioxidants! I'm thinking green spinach, orange carrots, red tomatoes, blue blueberries and yellow squash - just to name a few. To get the biggest bang for your health buck, buy local organic produce. To save some money, buy in bulk and shop at Farmer’s Markets. Or best case scenario, grow your own organic garden!

4. Fill your plate with whole grains. It doesn’t cost any more to choose brown rice and whole grain pasta over the white processed varieties. The difference is that the whole grains are loaded with essential nutrients and fiber that get largely removed when processed. Again, buy in bulk to reduce costs.

5. Know your super-foods. To get the maximum amount of life enhancing vitamins and minerals, you want to be eating super-foods. Dr. Linus Pauling, the world's only 2 time unshared Nobel Prize winner, said that "You can trace every sickness, every disease and every ailment to a mineral deficiency." Very simplicity, Deficiency of nutrients = Disease. Super-foods are jam packed with nutrients. You can eat them straight up or spoon them into a juice or smoothie. Some great examples of super-foods are goji berries, spirulina and raw organic cacao powder. Sweet potatoes, garlic and blueberries are some other readily available super-food staples in my diet!

6. Start a mind ~ body fitness practice. Most of us spend our days hunched over a computer. It’s so important to have some activity that moves the body on a daily basis. Some great examples are yoga, martial arts, running, tai chi, even gardening. The list goes on and on. Experiment until you find a practice that you really enjoy.

If you think about it, when you invest in your heath, not only do you save money, but you also get to enjoy the benefits of vibrant, amazing health for the rest of your long life! What could be a better investment than that!

What do you want to be?

Amazingly powerful commercial. Always always ALWAYS - think and dream BIG, like you did as a child!!!

Finding Your Inner Traveler

Do you see yourself as a traveler or a tourist in life? G.K. Chesterton once wrote that “The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.”

In Zen, you could say that the traveler embodies the idea of Beginner’s Mind. A beginner’s mind is like an empty cup. It has no expectation for the future or baggage from the past. It is alive only in the Now.

Just like a child at play, the traveler sees limitless opportunities for adventure at every turn. According to Suzuki Roshi, “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few.”

On the other hand, tourists have lots of baggage. They alternate between the past and the future, rarely if ever setting foot in the present.

Tourists never deviate from a pre-planned routine. They avoid stepping outside their comfort zone at all costs. They think everything looks the same so they tend to grow bored quickly.

Tourists can change the scenery, but they can’t change the eyes through which they see and experience it. Most people live like tourists every day – at home or on vacation!

So how do you find the traveler within? It starts by emptying your cup or unpacking your bags. When you let go of the past as well as your expectations for the future, you begin to lighten your load. You allow yourself to open up to new experiences. You see the world with new eyes. You realize that the traveler is not out there, but is available right here, right now, wherever you are.

A daily mind ~ body fitness practice like Yoga, Martial Arts, Tai Chi and Meditation is a powerful way to help you find your inner traveler. These practices are designed to emphasize process over results. They encourage mindfulness over mindlessness. They also help slow you down!

Imagine going through your daily routine as if you were a traveler in a foreign land. Think about walking down a street in your neighborhood - a street you've walked hundreds of times - and seeing it as though for the first time!

Choose to be a traveler not a tourist in life and you will see everything in a completely new light!

The Weight of a Snowflake

"Tell me the weight of a snowflake", a coal-mouse asked a wild dove.

"Nothing more than nothing", came the answer.

"In that case, I must tell you a marvelous story," the coal-mouse said.

"I sat on the branch of a fir, close to its trunk, when it began to snow -- not heavily, not in a raging blizzard -- no, just like in a dream, without a wound and without any violence. Since I did not have anything better to do, I counted the snowflakes settling on the twigs and needles of my branch. Their number was exactly 3,741,952. When the 3,741,953rd dropped onto the branch -- nothing more than nothing, as you say -- the branch broke off."

Having said that, the coal-mouse flew away.

The dove, an authority on this since the time of Noah, thought about the story for awhile, and finally said to herself, "Perhaps there is only one person's voice lacking for peace to come to the world."

Kurt Kauter from New Fables: Thus Spake the Carribou

The Great Lesson movie trailer

Enjoy the latest "Great Lesson" movie trailer. The movie is almost ready! Be sure and check back for more details!

Martial art masters, tai chi and dance visionaries, a cell biologist, executive business coach, holistic psychotherapist, sports psychologist, Harvard professor and an inspiring self-healer join forces in one film to explain the great lesson. See what's possible!

The Good Fight

"In 1986, I went for the first and only time on the pilgrimage known as the Way to Santiago, an experience I described in my first book. We had just finished walking up a small hill, a village appeared on the horizon, and it was then that my guide, whom I shall call Petrus (although that was not his name), said to me:

'We must never stop dreaming. Dreams provide nourishment for the soul, just as a meal does for the body. Many times in our lives we see our dreams shattered and our desires frustrated, but we have to continue dreaming. If we don’t, our soul dies

'The Good Fight is the one we Fight because our heart asks it of us.The Good Fight is the one that’s fought in the name of our dreams. When we are young our dreams first explode inside us with all of their force, we are very courageous, but we haven’t yet learned how to Fight. With great effort, we learn how to Fight, but by then we no longer have the courage to go into combat. So we turn against ourselves and do battle within. We become our own worst enemy. We say that our dreams were childish, or too difficult to realize, or the result or our not having known enough about life. We kill our dreams because we are afraid to Fight the Good Fight.'" - Paulo Coelho in “The Pilgrimage”

The Mexican Fisherman story

The American investment banker was at the pier of a
small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with
just one fisherman docked.

Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna.
The American complimented the Mexican on the quality
of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The Mexican replied, "Only a little while."

The American then asked, "Why didn't you stay out longer
and catch more fish?"

The Mexican said, "With this I have more than enough to support my family's needs."

The American then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life."

The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing; and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat: With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the
processor; eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles and eventually New York where you will run your ever-expanding enterprise."

The Mexican fisherman asked, "But, how long will this all take?"

To which the American replied, "15 to 20 years."

"But what then?" asked the Mexican.

The American laughed and said that's the best part. "When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions."

"Millions?...Then what?"

The American said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."