Tell me if any of these sounds familiar: - "I have so much to do and no time to do it!" - "I'm never going to make the deadline" - "I feeling like my mind is going a mile a minute" - "I can't seem to catch a break" - "I'm so stressed out" - "I NEED a vacation!" If you are between the age of 15 - 65 and live in America, chances are that you have spoken at least one or all of these phrases (Probably within the last week or perhaps even today). With the ever increasing pace of l

SMILE! Have you ever had the experience when you were upset or had a frown on your face about something and someone came up to you and said one word.. "smile!"? They may not have known what was going on at the time, but they were doing their best to help you feel better. Through neuroscience studies on brain function, we know that when we smile we trigger our brains to condition a positive attitude and sends signals for us to release tension. It has also been proven that if y

As summer draws to an end and the fall begins to creep in, it can only mean one thing for children across the country... it's Back to School! I can recall growing up that there was always a mild sadness mixed in with a little nervousness and excitement on the last day of summer break. Sadness because I would have the feeling of wanting the endless summer to go on forever and coming to the realization that it can't. Nervousness and excitement from not knowing what the new year

Meditation has significant mental and physical health benefits for both adults and kids. Lots of schools are doing short meditations and find that the children are more relaxed, more focused, have greater concentration and are better able to cope through the day. Harvard research has shown that meditation can increase levels of serotonin in the brain, as well as growth hormone which repairs cells and tissue. It has also been shown to lower the heart rate, boost immunity, lowe

Be In Touch With Your Inner Self: The first step towards being present is to take a voyage into your inner world. Unless you go there, you can't move on. In our world and depending on where you grow, vulnerability can be considered a weakness. As a result, not only do you end up hiding your feelings from others, you also hide them from your ownself. As a result, thoughts never get processed and spin around in your head ad infinitum. Processing your emotions and your thoughts

As a parent, you want your children to be successful. But often we force our personal definition of success onto them and find vicarious pleasures in pushing them in that direction. Society correlates success with financial wealth or fame and thats the value we try and ingrain in our children. But the society of tomorrow needs children who are mindful, community-minded and compassionate. Parenting with this in mind is not easy; given that we are living in a society which expe

If your children are like mine, I bet they love Harry Potter. Most of my students even if they haven't read Harry Potter, have watched the movies and are familiar with the characters. Before you do these exercises, the Harry Potter Way, take kids through Harry Potter, the Wizarding World and the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizarding. Remind them of Harry's character and the many adventures of Harry and his friends (Hermione and Ron). Train Breathing: Imagine you are on

This is a body scan for children. If you’re a parent, you might choose to do this with your child, or feel free to use the audio or the whole video as part of bedtime routine or at any other time of the day. You can use the script and do the meditation with your children. 1) Lie down on your back or sit in a comfortable position. Let your legs and your arms relax. Close your eyes. 2) Take two or three gentle, large breaths. Imagine you are floating in a cloud and let yourself

Remember the clip from the movie "Inside Out"? What happened when the little girl was eating dinner with her parents? Does this sound like a familiar scene from your family dinners? What do you think the girl and her parents could have done differently to take care of the neuroplasticity of the brain? Your primitive brain prepares you to either fight, freeze or run in the hope that you are not noticed. That hunter gatherer brain is the amygdala, that responds to threats - rea

What are the 21st century jobs are going to look like and what skills are needed for your children to thrive?