Breathe, Smile, Be Grateful...

"The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another." William James

I get super excited when science and so-called woo-woo agree. And agree they do on the positive effects meditation have on the brain. Neuroscience has clearly demonstrated that a regular meditation practice increases and improves...

• Resilience

• Outlook

• Attention

• Generosity

Think about it, your brain is capable of processing 10's thousands of thoughts per day. The quality (or not) of these thoughts are critical when you know that our thoughts create our feelings, which then drive our actions, which create our results.

Studies by Dr. Richard Davidson ( and @healthyminds on IG ) and others in the field of epigenetics agree on the powerful role meditation plays in our health and Davisdon says that,

"while DNA determines much of who we are at birth, our everyday environment and outlook can affect our ultimate genetic expression."

Genetic expression? That's right. That's HUGE. It's no wonder meditation is coming out of the New Age closet and being taught to cancer patients, police, fire/rescue, school kids and others. This stuff is real, it's powerful and it has the ability to greatly improve the quality of our lives.

Not sure how to begin? Start now - whatever you are doing. Straighten your spine and take a deep and conscious breath in that goes deep into your belly. Hold onto it for a few seconds. Now exhale, pushing all the air out of your belly. You've just begun an incredible journey that begins with being aware of and connecting to your breath and this perfect moment. You want to go deeper into this moment, add on a feeling of gratitude for each breath. Deepen even more...smile as you breathe in and feel this smile pass through every cell in your body. Deepen more, put one hand on your heart, and one on your belly. Breathe, smile, be grateful. So whether you practice this breath awareness meditation for 3 minutes or 20 minutes each day twice a day, you will begin to see and feel differently, be more aware, and more present in each moment. And most importantly, connected to your center - realizing more and more that you are not your collection of thoughts, stories and experiences. You are a beautiful expression of creation. I love you. xx