LET’S TALK ABOUT GRATITUDE

As I shared recently shared in my Instagram stories this past week, I’ve been keeping a gratitude journal for 21 days (a challenge to myself). The 21 days are up and I’ll be continuing this nightly ritual. 

Why? 

1. I knew intellectually that opening my mind to seeing the abundance in my life would help to lessen the “scarcity mindset,” which I am certain many of us possess. However, actually regularly doing this practice myself, I now know a true shift in my perspective is occurring. There’s a softening that I feel - in my mind, in my body, and in my spirit.

   2. It’s made me a happier person. Yes - not kidding - 21 days and I’m seeing things with less bitterness, and fear, and concern. This is NOT to say what’s happening right now on the planet (#climatecrisis) and the injustices and atrocities occurring in our country aren’t on the forefront of my mind. I can both be happy - my “spirit well” can be full so to speak - and fiercely work on what matters. I think it’s actually making me fiercer and have more clarity to act.

   3. It’s bred a whole new practice of following and logging my “generosities” each day. I’m tipping more robustly, giving money to the strangers who seem to need it, and overall finding ways to give more generously.

Do note this is not a bunch of fluff either. Science has shown gratitude rewires your brain in a positive way through neuroplasticity. For example, research has shown gratitude stimulates the hypothalamus (a key part of the brain that regulates stress) and the ventral tegmental area (part of our “reward circuitry”). It also can help to rebalance your limbic system. 

What are some other ways to cultivate gratitude other than keeping a gratitude journal? Write (and send if you can!) a thank you note; count your blessings; mentally thank someone who did something nice for you; meditate.

Tell me, how do you practice gratitude? And generosity? How do you feel it affects you as a human and on a larger scale? Would absolutely love to hear your thoughts!! 💚

YOU CAME OUT OF THIS WORLD

ALAN WATTS ONCE SAID:

“You didn't come into this world. You came out of it, like a wave from the ocean. You are not a stranger here.”

Since moving homes and going away to Hawai’i, and also in part thanks to the brilliant reminder from Jenny Odell’s book How to Do Nothing, I’ve been rekindling my practice of intentionally observing all things natural surrounding me. I haven’t had a working TV in months (since our second flood in July) and not having one helps with this practice (forced digital detox! Ha!). Though my head is packed with podcasts, there’s something truly freeing about not filling my mind with visual narratives and clutter in the evenings.

I feel like I have made more time to observe the birds and bees and clouds and trees outside my home office, while waking my dog, while re-potting plants, while commuting. I even spotted a couple Northern flickers the other day (here is a little more on attracting them to your yard if you’re interested)! All of this in a very urban part of Brooklyn!

What do you see when you start really looking? How do you feel when you remember you’re OF this Earth rather than just on it?

Hope you have a wonderful weekend! 💚

First 3 pics from the Big Island in Hawai’i - one of the most magical places I’ve ever had the opportunity of visiting. (That gorgeous (completely unfiltered) beach is a 49,000 year old volcanic tuft ring) 🌈

COMING HOME

“The ache for home lives in all of us. The safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.”

—Maya Angelou

IT’S GOOD TO BE BACK HOME FROM HOLIDAY!

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS, THIS HAS NEVER FELT MORE TRUE.

UNDERSTAND. Recently going through a huge transition of homes because of safety issues (flooding, mold), I have come to clearly understand the value - and the necessity - of having a safe and solid home to have an inherent sense of security in this very uncertain world. My psyche, heart, and chakras now more fully understand how deeply destabilizing it is to have an unsafe home; I grieve for those who struggle with housing strife or homelessness.

INFORM OURSELVES. I recently read an article in the New Republic titled “The New American Homeless” (easy to Google and read) - it spurred many layers of emotion and thought about the state of the US and the greater world. I’ve also thought a lot about the endangered coral reefs (which I saw first hand in Hawaii on my holiday), and our sisters and brothers and sibs in the Bahamas and the Amazon too. Many - from all the kingdoms - animal, plant, etc, have lost their homes recently. The problems feel so deep and insurmountable...

WHAT CAN WE DO? I say start with informing yourself. Work on unraveling your own wounds so you feel like you have energy to give. Practice being fully present to see what’s surrounding you. Choose intentionally with your words, actions, money and time. Offer help, gratitude, kindness and resources when you can. I believe this is how we better our world. 💚🙏🏽🌺

PODCAST INTERVIEW: THE POWER OF THE MIND-BODY CONNECTION

Check it out here.

ANCHOR IN THE BREATH ⚓️

morning meditation: east williamsburg sunrise

I OFTEN HEAR: “I can’t meditate,” but I know you can.

When we first learn to meditate, it’s easiest to anchor our attention in the breath. If we open our awareness too widely, we will get lost, and fast!

TRY THIS: Set a timer for 3 minutes, close your eyes, and bring your entire attention to your breath. Put your mind on it fully - simply, the IN and the OUT - and stick to it (like superglue!). When you notice that your mind has wandered away from the breath (and it certainly will!), worry not the tiniest bit, and simply bring your attention back to your anchor. Both the sticking to the breath part + the noticing when you’ve wandered off track part are equally important in this type of mind training (think: gym class for your brain 🏋🏽‍♀️ ).

WHY THE BREATH IS AMAZING: it’s our life force; it’s always with us; we can control it if we want; it’s ever-changing (like the sky 🌄, like our minds, like life itself); it’s shallower + contracted when we’re anxious or scared; it’s long + full when we’re calm and chill; it connects our minds to our bodies in a very direct way (thanks #vagusnerve) and a plethora of indirect ways; we can use it as a tool for quieting ourselves; it costs us nothing, yet without it, EVERYTHING changes.

 This Moon Deck card has been resonating with me in a very deep way this week:

THE RHYTHM OF MY BREATH DIRECTS THE RHYTHM OF MY LIFE.

Perhaps it resonates with you too?

TEACHING THE NEUROSCIENCE OF MEDITATION!

What a joy it’s been to start teaching the neuroscience of meditation for Nalanda Institute’s Meditation Teacher Training at Pure Yoga West. My two other co-instructors Megan Mook and Scott Tusa are truly AMAZING meditation teachers! Looking forward to an awesome next 10 weeks! More to come soon! ♡

THE YEAR OF YES: MUSINGS - INTENDED ACTION

On this AUTUMNAL EQUINOX - I looked in the mirror and noticed a furrowed brow. On this day when day/night, light/dark are in relative balance, I have been pondering the deep IMBALANCES of our current state of affairs in the U.S. & our planet as a whole.

My meditation & contemplative practice keep reminding me that intention is the seed of our actions. When we begin noticing our presence (read: how we are showing up) in the present moment, we then have choice - we can DECIDE how to act RATHER THAN REACTING to the external circumstance at hand.

In this way, what we think can lead to chosen, intended action. Each action, large or small, is powerful. The ripples created by each one of us can change the sea. May I ask, how are you showing up in your own life in this very moment? 

The Year of Yes is a weekly photo-and-word installment by Dr. Shah written with the purpose of evoking hope, resilience, and a gentle movement toward healthy change in all of us.

THE YEAR OF YES, EP. 24: YES TO MORE LOVE

You may roll your eyes and want to dismiss this as a platitude, but hear me out if you can. I am not talking about the sappy stuff of Disney films and I’m not talking about the hyper-sexualized conception of love by the Western world and media.

I am talking about the “affectionate concern for the well-being of others,” that is built on the foundation of empathic, compassionate care. Empathy is the core of true connection, with other humans including your love interest, animals, and the earth.

If practiced and cultivated, this type of love can help alleviate the suffering of human existence that we all tend toward - depression, anxiety, hopelessness, existential dis-ease. Its basis is in kindness and generosity, and science shows it can even help to make your coupled partnerships last. 

It’s important to remember, empathy and sympathy aren’t synonymous. Sympathy is feeling for someone, while empathy is a process that involves feeling with them.

Empathic love makes you feel calm, connected, and translates into warm and affectionate behavior. This means, physiologically, your adrenal (stress response) system isn’t in overdrive - in fact - empathic behavior helps to move your body processes into a relaxed place, where good “rest and digest” hormones take over.

Empathic love builds bridges. It leads to pro-social choices - ones that lead to not only benefitting yourself, but benefitting others involved as well. And though all of this may sound woo-woo or soft, I can assure you it won’t make you weak; you can still be a WARRIOR - a warrior who fights honestly, and wins fairly. 

So, how to practice empathic love? Loving-kindness (metta) meditation practice is a great place to start. When I’m having a bad day or having a depressive or anxiety-filled spell, I direct to one person after the next the following statements silently in my head:

“May you be happy, may you be healthy, may you be peaceful, may you live with ease.”

I may do it while walking on the street, on the train, driving in traffic, at work, or in the slowww line for groceries. Try it - it’s incredibly powerful - you'll notice how your stress starts to dissipate, your mood starts to shift and a sense of greater connection starts to grow. One that reminds you, “we’re all in this crazy, beautiful world together.” 🌎

Dr. Shah's Metta (Loving-Kindness) Cards

THE YEAR OF YES: MUSINGS - WHAT IS SUCCESS?

Thursday musings: WHAT IS SUCCESS? Working from home, unfiltered.

Maya Angelou said it wonderfully, “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” .

Being an entrepreneur is the road untravelled. I always joke, “I have the most demanding boss” and then roll my eyes 🙄😅. You build your schedule, and within it you’re somehow building a dream. The map is uncharted. It means blurred lines and sometimes forgetting to eat. It means procrastination and tsunami “productivity.” Zoom meetings wearing a ratty white t-shirt. Dog underfoot. 1960s Tropicália blaring.

Sometimes it’s so challenging and the brakes feel like they’re screeching for hours or days, sometimes you’re on fire 🔥, burning through that to-do list, making connections you never thought possible.

Compassion and kindness toward oneself is not just important, it’s imperative. And it all comes down to: THIS IS LIFE, RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW. Being here right now, with whatever you’re doing at this very moment, is SUCCESS 💚

THE YEAR OF YES: NEW MOON CONTEMPLATION (POSTED A DAY LATE!)

“Flying starts from the ground. The more grounded you are, the higher you fly.” - J.R. Rim

On this new moon day (8/11), let’s all begin the process of learning to fly, and one day to gracefully soar, by starting from the ground, using tools like mindfulness and lovingkindness meditation.

Working from within, from your inside ↠ and not seeking without ↠ you can discover that your wings are nestled right there with you, just waiting to stretch out, take up some space and work magic for you. Flying is easier than you think. Get quiet and start to listen!

With love and blessings. <3