3 A Concert Violinist on the Metro? A friend of mine recently reminded me of this surprising 2007 video (thank you, Dan Funk.) World-famous concert violinist Joshua Bell planted himself at a metro stop in DC and played classical music for forty-three-minutes. Only seven people out of one-thousand-ninety-seven passersby actually stopped and listened. We get so caught up in the busyness of our world. Rushing to this appointment, that lunch, or whatever is next that we can miss so much. One orchestra ticket to see this maestro could cost you four hundred dollars, and here all these people missed out on a free up close and personal musical experience. Think about what you may be missing because it is not part of your schedule. If you are not too busy, take two-minutes and thirty-six seconds to listen to the music. There is a more in-depth Post article as well.
4How to Be Good. What we can learn from a therapist, scholar, monk, and CEO about being our best selves. I like one scholar’s read of what ancient Greek philosopher Plato had to offer, that goodness is the same as happiness. In a nutshell, we have natural desires of the body, the emotional desire to connect, and the desire to understand what is best to do. Our goodness is in how we express these desires. Though answering the question of how to be good is varied, simple, yet complicated, and a life-long pursuit. This article offers nine suggestions: 1) Be kind. 2) Pay attention. 3) Ask hard questions. 4) Put challenges in perspective. 5) Hold yourself accountable. Find out the other four suggestions, and get more detail on the ones already mentioned.
5 7 YouTube Yoga Practices to Finally Relieve and Release Your Back Pain, Tightness, and Tension. A few months ago, I was exercising in my living room. I rolled over from my back to get into a sphinx pose on my belly and felt something tweak in my lower right back. Since then, it has been bothering me. Not in a debilitating way, just in an annoying way – especially when I sit for too long. I can feel the compression in my back. As a result, I have turned into that person who carries around a special cushion for sitting in chairs. Believe me, it helps. So, now I am hyper-aware of articles, books, and videos that can aid in saving your back. If you have back issues, maybe these resources will work for you as well. First, a series of videos. Second, a useful book, Treat Your Own Back. The real takeaway of the book is that you can do exercises for your back. However, the key is being mindful about your posture. Something that I am finding to be true as I work to alleviate my back pain.
65 Ways Posture Can Help Improve Mental Health (SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN). A companion article to the one above. It focuses on why you want good posture. Use it as motivation, whether you have back pain or not. Here are three of the ways that posture can do more than have you walking tall: 1) Improves your mood. 2) Improves blood flow to your brain. 3) Helps you make friends – believe it or not. The article also gives tips on how to develop good posture. The infographics toward the end are terrific. And, I dare you to take the “2-inch Wall Challenge.” I made up the challenge after reading one of the infographics about how to test your posture – scroll down to the green-colored infographic section.
7Mindfulness Talk + Meditation: Journey of a Thousand Miles. As many of you know, I teach meditation and have started recording free guided sessions for the Insight Timer app. This short talk was inspired by my one hundred and twenty kilometer walk along the Camino de Santiago in Spain last September. By listening, you will learn about being present to the sights, sounds, and smells around you in your everyday life. I hope you enjoy it.
Jim B.