THE GUIDE TO HOLISTIC

FITNESS

By Sheldon Gerard Ginsberg

 Other Institute of Energy Based Health products
by Sheldon Ginsberg

Books

Evolution‟s Hero - A Transformational Journey

Guide to Holistic Fitness

Audios Manuals for Healing and Health

DeStress Therapy - Experiential Energy Healing

Reduce Your Pain - Harnessing the Power of Acceptance
Youthing Program - Harnessing the Power of Possibility

New Audio Manual Coming soon:

Breathe to Lose Weight

All of the above are available by visiting

http://www.energybasedhealth.com.

All books are also available at Amazon.com, BN.com,

and many local bookstores upon request.

2
 The Guide to Holistic Fitness
Sheldon Ginsberg

Cover photo provided by DonkeyHotey

Image link http://www.flickr.co m/photos/donkeyhotey/5727867400/sizes/l/

©2014, Sheldon Ginsberg

www.energybasedhealth.com

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under

International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized
reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of th is book may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electron ic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any info rmation
storage and retrieval system without express written permission fro m Sheldon
Ginsberg.

CONFIDENTIA LITY
Information contained in this material is confidential and proprietary to
Sheldon Ginsberg and may not be modified, copied, published, disclosed,
distributed, displayed or exh ibited, in either electronic nor p rinted formats
without written authorization of Sheldon Ginsberg. All characters appearing
in this work are fictit ious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead,
is purely coincidental.

Published by The Institute of Energy Based Health

www.energybasedhealth.com

3
Legal Stuff
This book is provided at no charge, as a service to subscribers of the Institute of Energy
Based Health.

You may not distribute it in any form, in any medium, without prior written permission
from Sheldon Ginsberg or the Institute of Energy Based Health, LLC.

The contents of this book are my opinions and observations, based on my own
experience, and should not be taken as anything more than that.

You are solely responsible for the consequences of your use of this material.

To comment on this guide, email support@energybasedhealth.com.

4
5
 Join us for an Adventure into Humanity’s Collective
Unconscious!
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Joan Kaiser, Nancy Fine and Victoria Stiller learn that the forces of darkness are plotting
to not only enslave not their three sons, Patrick, Darren and Adam but also the entire
Human Race. To stop this from happening they must journey to the fantastic realm of
Humanity‟s Collective Unconscious to confront the embodiment of Misery, Fear, Greed,
Judgment and Temptation who have infected the world‟s deepest thoughts and feelings.

Unfortunately, before they can take this journey, each mother must first confront and heal
their personal issues and inner demons.

Enter master healer, Nicolas Jackson and super-hero/healer Ragnar Whitestone who
provide the training in mystical Tibet with real-world healing techniques and
philosophies based on Energy Rejuvenation Therapy™.

To order your copy visit amazon.com

6
7
INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................................................11

CHAPTER 1 - THE GUIDE TO HOLISTIC FITNESS .................................................................................14

CHAPTER 2 - HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR BODY?..................................................................21

CHAPTER 3 - WHAT PREVENTS US FROM FEELING GOOD AND HAVING HEALTH?........24

CHAPTER 4 - OUR MENTAL NATURES .......................................................................................................30

CHAPTER 5 - OUR EMOTIONAL NATURES...............................................................................................32

CHAPTER 6 - CHILDHOOD IMPRINTING..................................................................................................35

CHAPTER 7 - BEING HUMAN ...........................................................................................................................45

CHAPTER 8 - OUR CURRENT AGE .................................................................................................................53

CHAPTER 9 - THE ROAD AHEAD ...................................................................................................................58

CHAPTER 10 - THE HEALTH CONTINUUM ..............................................................................................60

CHAPTER 11 - CREATING YOUR VISION ...................................................................................................68

CHAPTER 12 - HOW TO USE YOUR BODY ................................................................................................87

APPENDIX 1: WIDENING YOUR COMFORT ZONE ................................................................................98

APPENDIX 2: MEDITATIONS ........................................................................................................................101

APPENDIX 3: SAMPLE PLANS.......................................................................................................................104

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9
Dedication

To All Creators

I believe that each of us are creators and that these parts of us wish to come
out and express themselves for the good of all. This work is about unlocking
the potential within each of us to fill the world with our greatness! I believe
we are all great. We just need a chance to prove it to ourselves. All that is
required is a desire.

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Introduction

Why are you alive?

What do you like about life?

Is it the moment-to- moment excitement that your life offers that interests you?

Is it the potentiality of new experiences on the horizon that keeps you moving forward?

Is it the promise of experiencing your life in a new and fulfilling way that motivates you
to learn more, see more, and be more?

What is the experience of being alive like for you? Do you enjoy being you? Do you
enjoy the experiences that life offers? The ups and the downs?

Life is an experience. The recipient (and author) of these experiences is you. This “you”
includes your body and your mind.

If we stop for a moment and examine the nature of life, we could say that the experiences
we have occur within our body/mind because of what our body/mind experiences in the
outer world.

Our outer experiences trigger within us a variety of inner sensations and feelings. It is in
feeling these elements of life that we find either pleasurable or painful experiences. How
we meet these experiences determines if we are enriched or diminished.

This leads to the question, why are you on the planet?

Are you here to just survive and get by or are you more interested in really living your
life to its fullest?

I mean the kind of life that fulfills you, motivates you and inspires you.

Are you here to contribute your gifts to the human race or are you here for another
reason?

Having a fulfilling life in this world requires work. It requires commitment. It is no

different from the work or commitment you make towards exercise or attaining any goal
in life. The benefits from hard but meaningful work is often fulfilling in itself.

This book has been written to help you not only understand, navigate and harness your
inner world but also to help focus your daily thoughts and actions towards healthier
behaviors such as exercise and better body awareness.

The major benefit of tying in our physical goals with inner world goals is tremendous!
This multi – level health and life approach incorporates all the benefits from fitness
training such as:

 Tightening and toning

 Weight loss
 Increased strength and power

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  Improved flexibility
 Enhanced cardiovascular endurance

Beyond these goals, this approach also provides you:

 Greater available daily energy

 An improved ability to consciously use your body
 A greater practical understanding of how your unique body and mind functions
 A deeper ability to adapt yourself to life‟s ever changing conditions
 The opportunity to transform your weaknesses into strengths

The road to understanding how to live in this way requires new definitions and new ways
of thinking.

To begin let‟s define true health.

True health is the acceptance of our physical, mental and emotional natures.

Let me explain – There is no separation between our bodies and our minds.
They are one.

Now to be clear, the mind I am referring to is the part of you that thinks thoughts. It is the
constant labeling process you use to describe what happens to you, what does not happen
to you, what you want, and so on.

The body is the part of you that experiences emotion, feelings and sensations.

The seeming difference between these two aspects of being human is that the mind uses
words to think while the body uses the language of feelings and sensations.

The brain and the body work in concert to produce the experience of your life. Without
the body, the brain has no senses to gather information. Without the brain, the body has
no way to process this information.

The point is one is not more important than the other.

The problem is we have decided that the body is not as important as the mind and so we
tend to ignore or repress the sensations and emotions of our bodies in favor of “rational”
thought.

The reason why the body‟s “thinking” is deemed “irrational” is because we have not been
taught how to evolve this powerful aspect of ourselves and, therefore, its actions or needs
seem to make no sense to our ordered rational perception.

The result of this perception is that this “irrational” thinking of our bodies remains
repressed and unexpressed. Repression never lasts for very long for rebellion becomes
the eventual result of repression.

This rebellion can manifest as behavior problems, depression, pain, and ultimately,
disease.

As these problems take hold, we often seek out a health professional to “fix” us.

12
However, if you take the time to really get to know the language of your body and learn
how to navigate within its world you become highly sensitive to your body‟s needs.

The Guide to Holistic Fitness is based upon the premise that you are your own best
healer.

Since you are the only person living in your body, there is no one better suited to
understanding your body‟s needs, strengths and challenges.

We believe the real key to optimum health is through accepting that you are an evolution
in process. Whether you are conscious of this evolution or not, you are evolving. For
example, good posture gets better while poor posture worsens over time.

The focus of this guide is your evolution and development.

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Chapter 1 - The Guide to Holistic Fitness

This guide is the result of my personal and professional evolution, experience and
knowledge.

This program evolved as I worked my way from physical therapy clinics to offering my
services in health clubs, spas, country clubs and resorts. As I worked with my clients, I
found myself easily able to understand and apply various wellness techniques to address
their in- the-moment needs and unique lifestyles. I have been a top trainer and fitness
manager at Equinox on 63rd street as well as the Director of Fitness at a residential club
and spa. I was both the Guest Services Manager and Energy Healing Practitioner for
Canyon Ranch Miami Beach. I offered my work in Cancun‟s Pariso de la Bonita and in
country clubs in the Palm Desert area.

Being someone who was naturally interested in evolution, I gravitated towards many
fitness and health techniques to improve my understanding of the body and how to better
serve my clients. Learning along the way was a very pleasant experience as well as being
beneficial to me because of the personal growth that resulted from it.

My Personal Path

At the time I develop this program, I was living in NYC and getting to know the
opportunities living in the big city. Eventually I found myself in environments, which
encouraged individuality and self-expression. I began taking courses that encouraged
taking responsibility for one‟s feelings and actions.

The World of Personal Fitness Instruction

Because of what I was experiencing, I began questioning everything I knew about health.
This questioning eventually led me to look at the world of personal fitness instruction. I
soon realized that having my clients lift heavy weights that stress their already overly
stressed system did not appear to be the health I believed we needed.

True health, I had decided was an acceptance of our physical, mental and emotional
elements. With the information I had obtained and experienced, I knew that acceptance
leads to mental, emotional and physical health.

My observations led me to understand that external stress becomes internal muscular

tension. My clients were under such large degrees of stress that they were unable to
perform the traditional exercises without compromising their body in some way.

A New and Fully Conscious Technique

I soon began to develop techniques to first reduce this tension and then follow it up with
guidance to help them move with more freedom. Thus began the development of
DeStress Therapy aka Energy Regeneration Therapy (To learn more about this virtual
and in-office service visit www.energybasedhealth.com/therapy-sessions).

As my own personal evolution thrived, I began to examine other aspects of fitness and
exercise. I questioned why we do it, why it is boring and what can it be used for along
with what motivates us, what limits us, and what we really want.

14
I soon began to create my vision of what exercise could be. I believe it has lost its focus
as a tool of personal development and has become something we do to avoid getting fat
or getting old. It has become a chore and a stressful chore at. The details involved in
working out “correctly” have filled many books, taken up much media time and created a
neurotic outlook which limits personal growth and individual expression.

Ultimately what I wish to create is a form of physical movement and exertion that helps
us improve attributes, which can directly help us improve our station in life. I am
interested in taking the power away from others and re- instilling it back inside each of us
where it belongs. Each of us is powerful in ways we cannot even imagine but this power
is buried under layers of emotional debris. I wish to transform how we use exercise to
promote the things truly important to our lives.

The road to this transformation begins with this simple understanding:

Pain causes the body/mind to close down.

Pleasure causes the body/mind to open up.

The result of a closed body is it:

1. Reduces the amount of body awareness we have

2. Prevents a deeper understanding of ourselves
3. Diminishes our ability to cope with our emotional natures

An open and flowing body has:

Greater body awareness – The more aware you are, the richer your moment-to-moment
experiences of life become. Greater awareness also brings a greater self-acceptance and
empowerment to make powerful choices based upon your highest aims.

Deeper self-understanding – This understanding stems from greater awareness. The

more connected you are to how you feel and think, the more you are able to learn how
you create your life from the responses of each moment.

Better emotional coping skills – The challenges of emotional tolerance can be the
difference between a healthy flowing body and a blocked and unbalanced one. This
emotional freedom opens you to newer ways of experiencing yourself and your life.

How It Works

Practice makes perfect. This is because anything we do over and o ver again becomes
ingrained in us. This is how we evolve. Once you understand this concept, you can see,
the more unaware you are of your body the more unaware you will remain.

Now, many of us may have good reasons to avoid self-examination for it may require
facing a great deal of pain. However, the price of avoiding what is inside of you affects
not only your life but also the lives of all you touch. If you are negative, you will spread
your negativity to others. Not only that, but if you continue along this negative path your
ability at being negative will improve.

The question is do you want to do your part to make this world a better place?

While the task of facing emotions and feelings may be unpleasant, no matter which way
15
you slice it, you cannot ignore those emotions for long and remain healthy. Eventually
they will find a way to surface and cause you problems.

On the other hand, there is a great deal of pleasure and learning found within being with
our emotions. They make life worth living! They can take you to places within yourself
that transform your understanding of yourself and what‟s important in life.

The dual nature of emotions is something that can be harnessed to improve our
understanding, experience and love of life. So, let‟s stop making excuses about our
emotionality and instead let‟s find a way to make it work for us.

Harnessing this power requires understanding what being present means.

Being present is the living experience of mentally focusing on our physical presence
(both what‟s happening inside and outside of us) while practicing emotional
acceptance/observation. This is not just an inner focus but also an outer one. We are not
shutting off any sense and instead we are embracing all we, have moment-to-moment.

M E N TA L E M O T IO N A L
FOC US A C C E P TA N C E

TH E REALM O F
B E IN G P R E S E N T

P H Y S IC A L /
SENSORY
AW ARENESS

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When we begin to become fully present to ourselves and our circumstance we start to
learn about ourselves. Learning something new is always exciting! Learning about
yourself is always exciting! Experiencing yourself in new ways is always exciting!

B E IN G PLEASUR AB LE
E X P E R IE N C E S
PRESENT

P r o d u c e s M e n ta l,
P h y s ic a l a n d E m o tio n a l
E vo lu tio n a n d L e a r n in g

In c r e a s e s c r e a tivity ,
p r o d u c tivity , p r o vid e s
n e w p e r s p e c tive s a n d
o p e n s p o s s ib ilitie s

The more we focus ourselves in being present, the more we open to new possibilities we
may not have considered before. As we open to these new possibilities, our lives expand.
Expansion provides the opportunity to make new choices. New choices provide us with
even more information and experiences for us to learn and grow.

Eventually this relationship between being present and pleasurable experiences evolves.
Once this happens another flow begins to develop.

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 B E IN G PLEASUR AB LE
E X P E R IE N C E S
PRESENT

P ro d u c e s M e n t a l ,
P h ysical an d
E m o t i o n a l W e l l -b e i n g

W e l l -b e i n g q u i e t s t h e
m in d , calm em o tio n s, yo u
l o o k b e t t e r a n d y o u fe e l
b etter

The more we pay attention and allow ourselves to experience our lives as it occurs, the
more we have the ability to make empowering choices for our lives. This is because you
learn to operate directly from your highest good. The more we enjoy our lives, the more
our physical, mental and emotional health improves.

Now, just like everything else in this life, the flip side of being present during pleasant
experiences has a price.

As you develop your presence, life will eventually present you with painful situations.
This cannot be avoided. However, if you see pleasure and pain as different sides of the
same coin, you will soon come to realize, we cannot have one without the other. The
choice we are given is to embrace our pain as much as we embrace our pleasure. One
informs the other and the contrast creates value and meaning.

Now, as you already know, facing pain is easier said than done. Our automatic reaction to
facing pain and unpleasant experiences is to run away and/or shut down.

However, this is where your courage and commitment plays a role. If you can face this
pain and allow it to affect you, you learn from it as its presence creates major growth in
your life. As long as you keep breathing you will, eventually discover peace in the pain.
The pain holds important realization about yourself that you had lost.

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Now, don‟t worry, later on in this eBook, I will provide practical instructions as to how to
meet your pain calmly and productively. You don‟t have to let your pain control your
life. Facing it is the only way to truly dissolve and eliminate it from you life experience.

Our Current Situation

For too long our bodies have been abused.

With the high demands of overwhelming and stressful days our mental, emotional and
physical systems are suffering.

The anxiety caused by society‟s image of perfection as it applies to our bodies have
promoted a fear of being fat, along with an overwhelming need to look good in order to
feel good about ourselves.

Thus, many of us go to the gym pursuing the “no pain, no gain” principle of exercise.

Stressful bodies and minds performing stressful body exertions as a result of stressful
motivation equals a great deal of stress!

This guide is designed to change your relationship with exercise to associate:

1) Your physical health with 2) your ability to use your body in a more efficient
manner while 3) re maining calm and 4) using exercise as a way to practice
important attributes for you life’s goal and vision.

This program begins with helping you first re-connect to your body while clearing your
mind utilizing relaxation, visualizations, meditations, strengthening, and stretching
techniques.

The result of this work re-aligns, restores and revitalizes your body and mind.

Once you are in an open and flowing body, we then can introduce exercises and
movement techniques designed to strengthen your ability to consciously direct your body
to exert while remaining calm. These movements are based upon your body‟s needs, your
physical goals, your professional vision and the demands of your day.

Our Environment

The Internet, smart phones and emails create a constant stream of information, which
needs to be absorbed and integrated into our daily lives. Reams of information are
constantly threatening to overwhelm us with what healthy food we should be eating and
which we should not along with which exercise programs is the “best” and which are the
ones to avoid.

With all the scientific laden jargon and celebrity-touted fitness programs and diets how
can one truly choose what is best? Furthermore, with the immense variety of our body
structures, eating habits, and lifestyles, how can any one exercise routine or diet work for
everybody?

In two words, they can‟t.

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Having worked with thousands of people of various ages in a variety of health settings, I
believe, each of us needs to be treated with as much individuality as possible in order to
specifically support our unique strengths and achieve the goals and dreams we set out to
accomplish.

How I propose to do this is by reinventing the wheel.

The longer I spend my waking, semi-waking and unconscious hours contemplating

exercise and its role in our lives, the more I see the need for major change in how we use
and perceive exercise.

As a health professional, I help others discover, develop and enhance their perso nal
greatness. I know this greatness lies in each one of you reading this now. For me to stand
tall in my purpose I can no longer watch as we forgo this greatness in favor of ignorance
and fear, or more specifically, boredom and “life- meaningless” exercise programs. For
those of you who wonder what I mean by “life- meaningless” exercise programs, I simply
mean that the particulars of most exercise routines have no direct correlation to your life.
For example, the only time a bicep curl is performed is in a gym setting and nowhere else
in your life. There is never a need to do this motion in this way.

To this end, I have been exploring the nuances of fitness and my own humanity. The
results of my endeavors are the principles contained in this EBook. I have written it to
provide you with an alternative not just to increase your exercise capabilities and choices,
but more so to directly improve the quality of your life.

20
Chapter 2 - How Well Do You Know Your Body?

How well do you know its moods or its needs? Do you listen when it needs rest? Do you
know what kind of movement is good for you? There are movements, which promote
emotional freedom to strengthen your body and engage your mind while there are some
that deaden your senses and dull your feelings. Do you know the difference?

How well do you know your mind? Do you give it a rest and allow thinking to subside in
favor of being peaceful? Or do you have constant thoughts always plaguing you and
driving your mind and your life?

Body wisdom is when you not only know the difference between positive health practices
and negative ones, but you also constantly strive to promote the positive ones in your life
while weeding out the negative ones.

After having cultivated my own vision of the role of exercise and its application to our
lives, I have developed a lifestyle health program to address many of the challenges we
all face such as:

 Living in a unique human body and learning its language

 Learning to apply your unique life goals, dreams and aspirations to your exercise
program
 Dealing with the challenges of being part of an over-stimulated, analytical, critical
and judgmental society
 Dealing with each other (hopefully with maturity, understanding and compassion)
Using the transformational nature of exercise to promote our physical, mental, emotional
and spiritual health

Exercise is a Powerful Tool of Transformation

I believe exercise to be a powerful tool of personal transformation where we apply our

time, energy and focus to improving, strengthening and enhancing not only the efficiency
of our bodies but also how we use them. This enhancement helps to maintain and
increase personal health (including self- image), quality of life and lifetime longevity. The
problem however, is the definition of exercise as personal transformation has gotten lost
in the shuffle in favor of America‟s penchant for the quick fix.

Unfortunately, current trends in our society have placed huge (and negative) stressors
upon our body images, resulting in a daunting number of comple x and overly structured
fitness programs, which represents the boring repetitive, linear and life- meaningless
exercises the field of bodybuilding has passed on to us.

Additionally, our daily lives are so full of stress and tension from being constantly
bombarded by the advertising machine‟s constant affirmation “To want is better than to
have,” searching and yearning for Mr. or Ms. Right (and not finding them). Most of us
struggle with the burden of costly living expenses while living in an over-stimulated
mental society and a world constantly in strife and turmoil. This lifestyle causes a great
deal of aches, pains, headaches, overly used (and misused) prescription (and illegal)
drugs, obesity (in all age groups, but especially alarming in adolescents who are setting
themselves up for a lifetime of ill health) and the prevalence of disease.

21
America‟s greatest strength is our constant motivation to push forward. However, the
price we pay for this is a great deal of physical, mental and emotional tension.

I believe, current fitness is truly represented by the treadmill, spinning our wheels and
going absolutely nowhere!

The challenge we now face is to have fitness become more than just a chore on a
checklist that we undertake just because scientific stud ies reported by the media support
this method of health improvement.

I believe the evolution of fitness must now rise to include other elements of personal
development providing powerful and long lasting conscious individual change, growth
and personal responsibility. The power that lies in physical training is, we can create any
program to represent aspects of our lives that requires improvement.

In other words, programming exercise routines can be made to specifically promote

certain attributes that you might want in your life. Strength, power, and endurance are the
obvious ones, but did you know that you could also use exercise to strengthen your
ability to commit, improve intimacy, increase personal integrity, promote your success
and increase your dedication towards your life goals? After all, what good is health if you
don‟t use it to improve your life?

Different Perspectives Creates Transformation

In the following chapters, we will examine many aspects of life here on planet earth
including what fitness is, what being human is, and what exercise can be. All I ask of you
is to keep an open mind. All we have is our individual and unique perspectives and the
hopes that by sharing them we can help each other see things differently.

I believe internal change is a shift in perspective where you can look at something you
previously thought you understood and view it in a completely new way. This new
perspective empowers you to approach your life in a different way and change your old
reality into something that fulfills you.

Let‟s begin with the premise that the cornerstone of looking good is feeling good. Well-
being is an individualist concept and begins with self-exploration and learning what
works best for you.

We are constantly told that exercise is the most effective method to improving our health.
While there is substantial truth to this, most people do not focus on using exercise as a
means of connecting to and improving how your body functions. The more familiar you
become with the particulars of your body, the smoother it will run. Although weights,
reps, sets, classes, and cardio are methods by which you can improve your overall health,
the greatest benefit exercise imparts is an increase in self-awareness.

Body Awareness is the Key

Body awareness is a continuum where you learn the specific languages of your body and
know when it needs rest, food, to move, to be active or to sit still. This self-awareness
promotes health and reduces the need for outside (and expensive) health intervention.

As a health professional, I have spent numerous hours improving my clients‟ ability to

use their body with increased awareness. When a client leaves a session, this body
22
awareness provides them with more energy, improves mental clarity, increases physical
fitness and health, and prevents injuries.

Why Do People Exercise?

Ans wer A –To look good.

What they really want:

If we look deeper into the need to look good we connect with the core desire to feel good
about oneself. Unfortunately, our ability to feel good about ourselves is tied to the values
of our society.

Ans wer B – To be healthy/fit.

What they really want:

Being healthy can mean an assortment of things to many people. I believe it is the ability
to have an active life style free from painful physical limitations.

Within this scope, I believe health means adequate: physical strength, cardiovascular
endurance and daily energy (depending upon your lifestyle). Additional but less obvious
goals can include: increased confidence, a clear mind along with personal and spiritual
growth.

23
Chapter 3 - What Prevents Us From Feeling Good and Having Health?

Defining Your Physical Comfort Zone

Everyone has a physical comfort zone. The majority of our day is spent in this zone
because it is the most gratifying. The comfort zone is framed by two “modes.” On one
side, we find the mode in which we deliberately relax our bodies - releasing daily stress
and tension. On the other side is the mode in which we exert our bodies to the extreme -
increasing our personal efficiency, strength and endurance.

Y o u r D a il y C o m f o r t Z o n e

E x tr e m e
D e e p ly R e la x e d
E x e r tio n

Your Daily Comfort Zone is the area located between your two extremes – exertion
(mental and physical) and intentional relaxation.

Our bodies are similar to an extremely advanced computer system. There are vast
memory storage areas reserved for your daily data input. You probably have heard the
term “muscle memory”. Every activity you complete during the day is “logged” into your
muscle memory – eventually becoming a behavior or habit.

For example, both good and bad postures are remembered behaviors. Good posture leads
to better posture and poor posture will just get worse. The same is true for all body
movements, lifestyle behaviors, ways of thinking and emotional attitudes we practice – in
the end; we are always traveling down a road of our creation.

Stress has Been Affecting You for Years

Unless you have been practicing stress-releasing techniques since you were in high
school, most adults store daily stress as internal muscular tension. As this tension
accumulates, the muscles of our bodies have no choice but to adapt by incorporating this
tension into static positions. In other words, the more tension stored, the less flexible you
become. Decreased flexibility decreases available energy, increases daily discomfort,
closes your mind down and promotes the likelihood of injury. A body with an open
energetic flow is much more adaptable to life than a rigid fixed body. The oak tree in a
hurricane has much less chance of survival than the reed bending in the wind.

If you are constantly stressed and do not practice relaxation, your tension will build and
the size of your comfort zone diminishes. Exercise is a good way of reducing stress;
however, exercise without some degree of relaxation will o nly release small degrees of
stress and tension.

24
Stress in Your Life

What kind of day do you lead? Each day when you awaken, all of your responsibilities
come right in and say “hi.” Maybe you are married with kids, maybe you have a house
and a mortgage. Most definitely, you have bills and expenses. In other words, daily stress
is as part of your lives as much as the Internet, CNN and Starbucks.

Stress does not stop here. It continues as you fight your way to work or to wherever your
day is leading you. Your day is spent dealing with your job, your boss, your employees,
the economy, clients and whatever else you want in your life. Stress, stress and more
stress.

Then, after work because you are concerned about your health and maintaining what you
know to be a healthy lifestyle, you go to your local gym.

Is your gym a place where you can decompress from your day, calmly re-connect back to
your body (getting out of your head, which is where you are all day), and release some
built up tension? If it is please let me know where this place is.

Most gyms are not set up this way. Instead, you find loud club music, packed full of
scantily clad men and women (after all, it‟s prime time). Some people are there to work
out (hopefully) and some are there to meet that special someone. The distractions do not
stop there. You enter the cardio area, find your treadmill or bike, climb on and stare up
into a bank of televisions all tuned to different stations.

Television: The Price of Watching

I cannot stress (no pun intended) enough how damaging televisions are to working out.
The effect of so many televisions completely changes the environment.

Research has shown television causes the brain to switch back and forth between
hemispheres. This switching causes the release of endorphins, which are structurally
identical to opioids. Opioids are a family of drugs, which include: Heroin, morphine and
opium. While endorphins create a positive feeling in the body and mind, the point here is
that endorphins are released by watching television. As opioids are highly addictive,
watching television becomes habitual.

Watching television causes the higher brain (Neo-cortex and mid-brain) to shut down
while stimulating the lower regions specifically the Limbic and Reptilian brain. Without
the distinguishing ability of the Neo-Cortex, the limbic and reptilian brains do not have
the ability to differentiate between reality and what it sees on television.

As a result, the events you see on the screen has a physiological affect causing the release
of appropriate hormones based on what you are watching.

Watching television causes the left-brain, which organizes information into “rational”
thought, to shut down while stimulating the right brain, which is our creative emotional
side. The right brain is being forced to interpret data from which it‟s being shown in a
manner inappropriate for its function. In other words, we cannot rationally consider the
information we are receiving from what we are watching because that part of our brain
has been shut down.

What Does This Have To Do With Exercise?

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What you watch is deeply impactful to your physiology. If you must watch television
while exercising be sure to choose information/content that leads your system to health
rather than fear, worry, anxiety or negativity on any level. Avoid the news, information
about the stock market and anything else, which causes your body to feel negative
emotions. If it disturbs you, don’t watch it!

What Is Your Purpose of Exercising?

If your purpose of exercising is to distract yourself from what you are doing, then go
ahead and watch all the TV you want. But if your purpose of exercising is to deepen your
connection to your body, improve its abilities, clear your mind and change your body,
tune the TV out and focus on what your body is doing. A deeper connection helps to
prevent injuries, clears your thinking and keeps you energized. You also become more
sensitive to your body‟s needs and, therefore, you can recognize and address health
problems before they take root and require medical attention.

Watching TV does not improve this connection. It serves to distract. Now some of you
might say, “Yes, of course it does. Cardio is boring and I need something to distract me
or else I would never do it.”

I understand your need to distract yourself. But I caution you: The body is a learning
machine. Your muscle memory banks are of the highest level and record everything you
do, especially if it is repetitive. If you are doing something physical, like running but your
focus is not on what you are doing, this will eventually become a habit and a behavior.
The result of this practice is you will get better at ignoring what is happening to your
body while it‟s happening. As you continue this practice - and this is exactly what it is -
you are practicing an association between being physical in your body and needing to
distract yourself because of an emotional reason (boredom). Therefore, you will increase
this ability and ultimately, your need to distract your attention from your body. This will
result in an escalating desire to be distracted, which will continue to grow and evolve,
diminishing your connection to your body.

Yes, cardio can be boring and it may not feel good (more on this later), but what you are
doing is practicing and reinforcing a muscle memory habit and mental focus that will
always cause you to want to leave your body during physicality. This practice or
association will eventually become a habit. What is happening subconsciously is you are
saying to yourself, “I don‟t like how it feels when I exercise so I will not pay attention to
what is happening to my body even though I know its good for me and I would rather
focus upon anything except what is actually happening.”

The Sex/Exercise Connection

Tell me, during sex do you watch TV? Do you find your mind wandering as you are
having sex? I am willing to bet, if you are in the habit of watching TV while exercising,
then most likely during sex, you are not really there either.

Is this the kind of behavior you want to reinforce? Do you want your sex life to improve?
To have great sex requires conscious practice. This practice can be performed in the gym
as you pay attention to every detail your body is experiencing as it is experiencing it.

This elevated consciousness can be applied to your workout as you pay attention to every
detail, sensation and feeling your body is experiencing as it is experiencing it.
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This will deepen your sense of your body and then when it really counts, you are so in
tune with yourself that every part of your experience becomes magnified. Additionally,
the greater awareness and connection you have to your body promotes your sensitivity
and awareness of your partner‟s body. Sex is a great deal more pleasurable when your
mind is in your body.

Everything you do, everywhere you go, every thought you ever had, every feeling you
felt, and every experience you have ever experienced all have a common factor. You!
And part of you is your body. Your body accompanies you throughout life until you leave
it to go wherever it is we go. It colors every experience just as much as your mental
thought does. How you use it effects not only how it is in the present moment, but into
the future as well. If you ignore it, your body will eventually get your attention with
signs, symptoms, aches, pains and eventually dis-ease. If you treat it well and fill it with
your essence, it will treat you well for the rest of your life.

A Stress Summary

Stress lives in us. It gets up with us, accompanies us throughout our day and has
ultimately found itself intertwined with our fitness clubs. The environment of the club
itself can produce stress. Loud music, noisy crowds and trying to look good are all forms
of stress. Applying the various complexities and nuances of traditional fitness techniques
can also be stressful. (I have had many clients afraid of using free weight because they
don‟t want to be seen doing it “wrong”). And finally, the very act of using weights,
performing cardio and attending exercise classes is a stress upon the body.

The definition of stress is:

1. A force that tends to distort the body

2. A factor that induces bodily or mental tension

Stress is a Function of Life

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There is beneficial stress, which is called (eustress) and harmful stress (distress). From
the zero point up to a certain level (based upon the individual, that individual‟s day and
that moment), stress can be considered beneficial if it challenges you to adapt, learn and
grow. Beyond this level, stress causes breakdowns. If your day is spent being stressed
with no relief, layer upon layer of tension is stored in your body. Eventually, a
breakdown will occur. Now, one could say, yes but when I exercise I am releasing stress
and I feel better. However, I caution you once again. Relying upon exercise to release
your stress makes you dependent upon exercise. If you are not able to go the gym for any
period of time (which periodically happens as your life takes you places you cannot
foresee), your stress will build up. Additionally, if you‟re building stress during the day
and releasing it during the evening, all you are doing is maintaining a stress status quo.
Stress is stored in our body in layers. If you use exercise in this way, you will not reach
these deeper levels.

Stress is the single most significant cause of physical and mental degeneration or aging. It
has been estimated that 75% - 90% of all medical doctor visits are the result of some sort
of reaction to stress.

External stress causes internal tension to be held in the muscles of our bodies.
The amount of energy used to maintain this level of tension along with the amount of
energy used to ignore it is astronomical. The energy required to maintain any degree of
tension diminishes daily vital energy reserves and prevents free flowing movements
within each joint of the body. The results are inflexibility, a build up of constant aches
and pains, fatigue, and the potential to develop injury and dis-ease. Furthermore, given
enough time, our bodies will adapt to any stress placed upon them, and this tension
eventually becomes “normal” for that individual. In other words, having this tension is
eventually solidified into movement strategies, behaviors and habits.

James Allen said, “Men imagine that thought can be kept secret, but it cannot; it rapidly
crystallizes into habit, and habit solidifies into circumstance.”

Right now take this moment to check in with your neck and shoulders. Are they tensed?
Are they raised? Most of us are in such a constant state of tension that these muscles
groups suffer from constant activity but we are not aware of it.

What most of us are doing in our workouts is taking our stressed out bodies that have not
released their daily tension and we are encouraging, reinforcing and locking this tension
into our bodies through repetitive, weighted, and linear movement traditionally designed
to increase the mass of body builders. Bicep curls have no meaning for a Wall Street
investor. All they do is make a tight muscle tighter when all day long he is in his head
while completely ignoring his body. There is no personal expression in this method of
working out and no meaning towards people‟s lives other than what science and the
media tells them.

While running off this stress may get the job done (temporarily), what you are ultimately
doing is practicing a habit of holding stress within your body. Some people believe
tension is the same thing as strength. Most of us have learned to brace the muscles of our
bodies in a tight grip. They feel the tension is what strength and power feels like. This is
an illusion. What this gripping does is to shut down our flexibility and limit our freedom
to move. Instead of being loose and open, we are tight, less adaptable and thus more
easily breakable.

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The condition of your body influences the clarity of your mind. One affects the other. If
your mental and physical stress is high and your awareness of it is low, you are heading
for problems.

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Chapter 4 - Our Mental Natures

Mental thoughts are descriptors of reality only. If you stop and look at a rainbow your
mind might say, “Oh, look at the pretty colors of reds, oranges, yellows, greens, blues,
indigos, and violets and how they interact as a result of light‟s refraction through water
and the atmosphere.” But as you have been spending your time thinking, the rainbow has
disappeared and you missed the beauty inherent in the experience.

When it‟s all said and done, lying on your deathbed do you want to look back and say, “I
am so grateful I was able to appreciate all the beautiful moments in my life,” “Or, I spent
so much time thinking about life that I missed it.”

Our thoughts help us to create, consider and direct our choices into the physical through
our actions.

Thoughts are language dependent. Try thinking without language (Hint - a way to stop
thinking is to stop talking to yourself and stop any language from being spoken in your
head. Try it and see for yourself.)

Constant Thinking: The Payoff and the Price

It is clear, the state of our bodies directly affects the state of our minds and the freedom
or lack of freedom inherent in our emotions. For example, peaceful thinking leads to
peaceful experiences. Angry thinking leads to angry experiences.

While Type A-consistent-protracted-detailed-always-on-the- move- lifestyle-thinking is

very effective for achieving results, maintaining structure and addressing problems, the
price of this habitual thought pattern often results in tight bodies, unreleased
accumulations of muscular tension, constant aches, chronic pains and eventually, disease.

The problem with this type of thinking is it creates an addiction to solving problems. It is
true, there is a great kick from seeing the nuances of a particular complex situation and
being able to tackle it with your mind and create the best solution. It stretches your mind
and imagination. It can be challenging and most gratifying. There are times when helping
another is achieved through providing solutions and there are also times when all you
need to do is listen and hear what someone is saying. (Be aware, if you actually listen to
someone, you may learn something about them and yourself!) I am not disparaging this
type of thinking for it has its uses. My point is, after a time this pattern of training your
mind to only solve problems will eventually stop being something you choose to do and
it will become automatic. Most people who think in this way find it very difficult to stop
even when the circumstances they find themselves in no longer call for it (sometimes to
the annoyance of those around them).

Constant thought is when we stay in our heads and have internal conversations with
ourselves about our day, our work, what we don‟t have, what we think we need, what we
want, where we came from, or where we want to go.

This constant stream of thought prevents us from tuning into our bodies and we treat
them like pieces of luggage. Constant thoughts also prevent us from being in the moment
where life is happening. If you examine the underlying nature of your thoughts, you will
find most of them are about either the past or the future.

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Our lives do not have to be this way. Wouldn‟t you like the ability to stop your mind
from thinking all the time? We put so much of our energy towards thinking and not
experiencing the moment. This overly- mental-behavioral-program has become so
embedded in our way of life we now spend less time being in the moment and more time
thinking about the last moment (or a possible future moment that has not and may not
ever occur).

The Function of Logic

We use logic to examine our lives and the myriad assortment of problems we encounter
on a daily basis. Logic works by taking in all available information and then forming a
conclusion.

However, logic is limited to the amount of data we are able to receive. Both emotional
and sensory information provide us with a tremendous amount of personal data to be
processed, but due to the overwhelming sensory bombardment from our environment and
our society‟s judgmental nature regarding emotionality, we have been forced to shut
down a large number of our physical and emotional receptors. Blocking this information
results in a loss of data and a subsequent diminishment of valid logical conclusions.

The logical process is founded upon a vantage point. Where your vantage point is
determines the data you allow in through your sensors and as a result, affects your
conclusions.

The larger or more expanded our point of view is (vantage point), the more information
we can receive and make better predications, conclusions and as a result, better choices.

Your vantage point is usually dictated by the limits of your mental and emotional comfort
zone. This is where you feel the safest and in the most control.

Everything that is inside your comfort zone, you can meet with confidence and security.
To a large degree, you can predict events and take your chances within its protective
shell.

Outside of your comfort zone is everything else. It is the unknown. This is the place
where you take risks without knowing what will happen. Pushing your comfort zone
increases the boundaries of your known world. The result is your world expands, as does
your life.

Our fight or flight monitor carefully patrols the outer boundary of our comfort zones.
This patrol is constantly scanning our environments for any events; people or things,
which can make us feel unsafe. Anything threatening our survival is searched out and
avoided. Most of what we encounter outside our comfort zones are usually not physically
threatening. However, they are more than likely to be emotionally threatening. An
emotional threat will cause our nervous systems to shut down even though we are not in
physical danger.

A shut down nervous system will no longer receive any information or data that is
outside your comfort zone. The question then is do you want a nervous system that shuts
down every time you have an opportunity to evolve and change your vantage point?

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Chapter 5 - Our Emotional Natures

Emotional energy exists. It lives within us like flowing water. An emotion may come up
to the surface, which is a natural expression of being human; however, societal pressure
and judgments causes us to shut down and repress this energy. Like water, emotional
energy will not be denied for long. It finds other avenues of expression and ultimately
causes aches, pains, headaches and eventually disease.

Emotions are a great source of energy. When we feel good and accept things and
ourselves as they are, we look better, we glow, we smile more and we tend to give more
and have more patience.

Our society has frowned upon emotional evolution in favor of mental prowess and
physical beauty. So, we are all brought up in a world where our feelings become
repressed as we learn to “think” or “rationalize” our way out of experiencing what we
truly feel.

You can feel good or bad, unsure or confidant, rejected or accepted, belittled or valued.
This list goes on. But what is a feeling? A feeling is personalized data your body
generates to inform you about the current experience you are having. It can be in your
head or heart, your stomach or your chest. These sensations can be “gut feelings” or just
something you know.

What is Experience?

An experience is having your whole being involved in something that is occurring in the
moment. That is, your body, mind and feelings are all sharing the same event that is
occurring for you in a moment.

For instance, water can be mentally described by its components: H20, molecular
densities and formulas. I can sit you in a classroom (heaven forbid) and we can discuss
the many uses of water in your body for hours. The information we have for water is
almost endless.

However, the experience of water is completely different. You experience it by drinking

it or bathing in it. You can wash your car with it and spray someone with the hose.
Playing with it and seeing how it “feels” involves your physical body feeling the
sensation of the water on your body, your mental body paying attention to what is
happening while its happening and your emotional body enjoying the moment through
the feelings the water elicits. All of these elements contribute to your experience of water.

To sum up, mental thought provides descriptions by which we can co mmunicate to others
our personal experience. A “negative” feeling is an undesired and unwanted experience.
Your desire not to feel something is usually based upon a previous experience you had
with it and as a result of that experience you deem it to be bad. This deeming is a
judgment.

What is a Judgment?

A judgment is:

 The process of forming an opinion by discerning and comparing

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Imagine you‟re a young child. You are given your first ice cream cone. You positively
love ice cream and not only that, its chocolate, your absolute favorite ! You begin to eat it
on a hot summer day. From nothing more than a lack of experience you did not know ice
cream quickly melts out of a cone on a hot day. You learn because within minutes it‟s all
over you. Your shirt and face are soon covered in ice cream.

Is this a good or bad experience? Lets throw in some scenarios…

Scenario 1

You are covered in ice cream and you are on the street. People pass you on the street and
start laughing. Maybe the laughter is cruel or maybe it is just laughter borne of
amusement. Either way you experience embarrassment or shame of being you.

Scenario 2

Your mom comes along and smiles at you and takes your picture because she thinks you
look adorable. You have this big grin on your face because you are having such a good
time.

Which is the “good” experience and which is the “bad”? Lets ask a more specific
question. Which is the “negative” experience and which is the “positive?” An
embarrassing experience is usually agreed upon to be undesired and, therefore, negative
while the experience where Mom accepted you as you are is considered to be positive.
The actual act of getting ice cream all over you is not bad. The judgment is on the result
of the experience. The result of being laughed at, which made you feel a certain
undesirable way is therefore “bad.” So, embarrassment is considered harmful (bad) and
acceptance is “good.” But, of course no one dies from being embarrassed. Ultimately, it
is just a feeling we have judged so strongly that the automatic reaction is to avoid it at all
cost.

The point is experiences in and of themselves are not bad. Ice cream all over someone is
not bad; it is just undesired depending upon your perspective (or maybe it isn‟t,
remember experiences are subjective).

The child, who was embarrassed, may not ever eat another chocolate cone again. Maybe
(because feelings and beings evolve) he starts to develop a fear of chocolate ice cream
cones for the feeling it may cause within him. In other words, because of this shameful
and therefore embarrassing experience, this child may associate shame with eating
chocolate ice cream cones and decide eating ice cream cones in public may not be worth
the effort because the risk is too great.

(On a side note: Yes, this is what happened to me the first time I ate a cone and we do
have pictures and I eventually got over my embarrassment and I eat ice cream cones
whenever I want. )

If we break it down, what we have is:

An Experience – Ice cream all over self + laughing people = shame/embarrassment or

bad feelings

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Result (Inte rpretation) – Bad feelings are to be avoided (judgment) therefore the cause
should be avoided – no more chocolate ice cream cones. All to avoid “experiencing a
feeling.”

We have all had experiences like this in our childhoods where we did not feel good about
ourselves as a result of something we did or did not do. These experiences are
“imprinted” on our nervous systems and can influence us for the rest of our lives. If we as
adults looked back upon these experiences, we would probably laugh at the amount of
meaning we placed upon them.

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Chapter 6 - Childhood Imprinting

An imprint is based upon an experience we have gone through as children. We classify

the experience as either good/bad, desired/undesired. From this experience, we create a
map or blueprint, which forms our perception of reality. As infants, we begin our
“imprinted education” as we absorb everything from our surroundings. An infant is a
learning machine. Whatever this little being sees, feels, and is exposed to will be
eventually integrated to form a perception of reality. Parents affect their children just by
being around them. If you are a good person and radiate this goodness from your being
your children will feel it and respond. It will touch that part of them and trigger it into
being. They will begin to experience their own goodness by feeling yours. If you are a
parent who feels you are not worthy, your being radiates this and it will trigger or transfer
not being good feelings in your child. Children will adopt either of these “imprints‟
because it‟s all they know.

Imagine the following: If you were always told (imprinted) from birth that the world was
flat, you would believe it without question. You would say, “Of course the world is flat;
why would you even doubt it?” Then along comes some bloke by the name of
Christopher Columbus and he says, “The world is round.” “Get out!” you would say and
push him like Elaine from Seinfeld. “It‟s flat and you‟re going to die if you go too far.”
You decide to go with him on a voyage to prove him wrong. (After all common sense
only goes so far.)

Months pass and you found out for yourself that the world truly is round! “Oh my god”
you would say a little humbled by your overconfidence… the world is flat. You have just
had a reality shift because of your experience.

So imprinting can run our lives until you have an experience, which opens you up to “not
knowing.” Then your vantage point changes and your world expands.

A great way to look at us humans is to compare us to a super bio-computer. As babies,

our memory banks are empty. No programs, but loads of memory. You can program this
bio-computer for anything. What will you type into it? You can only teach what you
know. Whatever kind of person you are, educated or uneducated, smart or slow, what you
know and who you are is programmed into your child. Eventually your child will create a
working program or a behavior based upon whom and what they were exposed to. Their
individuality will determine how this program is applied, b ut the core of this program is
created directly from you, the caregiver.

Most of our childhoods consisted of parents who mean well, but were trying to juggle
their own lives and provide for us at the same time. If your parents were like mine, they
had you in their twenties. When you are in your twenties you do not even know you don‟t
know anything. You‟re still a baby yourself. Babies raising babies. And this is just my
generation.

To a child their parents are Gods. They are everything. Without mommy or daddy to take
care of them, they would not be. They would cease to exist. They are life and they are
death. Stop for a minute and imagine: You are born into a world where you know
literally nothing and you need these two giants to provide everything for you. You can‟t
feed yourself and you need them to teach you the basics. To a helpless being like this,
whoever takes care of you is everything, so you attach your life to theirs. Infants trust
parents with a very special gift. They trust them with the power of life. The parents‟ job
35
is to realize they have this power and over the course of the baby‟s life, give it back to
their child as they grow. The problem is most parents do not do this because they were
not given the power of their lives back from their parents and so they could not pass it on.

As infants, we can liken our inner state to a blank emotional blackboard. While we may
not know much, there are two things we are clear on… pain and pleasure. (Now just to be
clear. Pain is a specific reaction to stimulus from the environment that produces a certain
intense sensation we have all agreed to judge as “bad” or “undesirable”. Pain by itself is
just another experience. In this life, pain seems to be something none of us can avoid for
long. So, since it is inevitable, stop trying to avoid it and see what you can learn from it
when it comes. I am not saying I have enjoyed all the pain I have endured in my life, but I
could not have written this book or developed all of these processes without the pain I
have experienced. Pain has been my greatest teacher and I honor it. I have learned,
emotional pain does not kill you even though it feels like it should.

In and of themselves, painful sensations are just another feeling or experience. Babies cry
from pain and coo from pleasure. It is the parents‟ reaction, which determines the child‟s
eventual programming to pain.

If a parent reacts to a child‟s pain with anger, then what does the child learn? Imagine a
situation where a mother and her baby are in a room together. The mother is constantly
on the phone doing business. Many times the mother is on the phone and is often scared
and angry (business is slow). The baby is often crying during the day and mother has to
balance the tasks of running her business and caring for her infant.

Mother‟s patience is wearing thin as she is often overwhelmed with running her business
and directing her energy to her child. Because the baby is exposed to a significant amount
of anger and fear it begin to associate events with these emotions. Perhaps the ringing of
the phone sets the mother off. Eventually the baby learns to associate the ringing of the
phone and her mother‟s anger.

Soon, the baby begins crying every time the phone rings.

What is the baby‟s perception of this situation?

(Here I have taken liberty with a baby‟s thoughts. As they are emotional and sensory
blackboards they would not have the luxury of words, so I am speaking from a place of
imagined emotional consciousness. I have found feelings follow their own brand of logic.
The following is a possible subconscious program the child may have associated as a
result of this experience.)

“We (mommy and me) are one. My mommy is my source of life. What she feels, I
feel. I am not separate from her. When she gets scared, I feel her fear and I get
scared. When she is angry, I get scared. Every time I hear this sound (the phone)
mommy gets angry or scared. Every time I cry she also gets angry. It hurts me
when my mommy is angry because it feels like she does not want me around. I
cannot live without my source of life. I must be doing something wrong. Whatever
I did, I must make sure I don‟t do it anymore. I am scared to cry because I‟m
afraid that she will get angry with me if I cry. I don‟t want mommy angry with me.
So I will avoid showing my pain to Mommy as much as I can so she does not get
angry in the future.”

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A part of her begins to close down. This part of her is afraid that if her mother sees her
fear and becomes angry she will lose her mother and be alone. A baby alone cannot
survive for long.

A new behavioral program is now imprinted upon our child forever marking her with a
fear of self-expression, and loss of safety. Each time an experience occurs similar to the
first experience, it will further reinforce this imprinting.

As she gets older, her ability to utilize this program may evolve into:

“If I expose the truth of my pain to another, they will reject me and if they reject
me I will be alone and if I am alone I will not exist and if I don‟t exist I am not
real. So, to avoid feeling not real I must always have somebody with me. If I
don‟t, I will die.” (Emotionally speaking)

These are the people who cannot be alone. Ever. They are the people that always have to
be talking or connected in some way, or they go crazy. These are the people who drain
you. We tend to label these individuals, “needy”. How many of you know needy people?
If you are a needy person or have access to one, you can ask them, “Are you ever by
yourself and if so, how do you feel about it?”

Recap

 At infancy we are imprinted by our parents

 Feelings are subjective and personal experiences
 We judge feelings based upon desirability
 A past experience determines our present judgments

How Do Feelings Work?

Your body generates feelings. They rise up from within. Because a great number of our
behavioral programs are based upon “negative” experiences and judgments, some of our
feelings are allowed to come up and some are not. “Good” feelings are accepted, but
“bad” feeling will be denied.

In truth, feelings are separate from who we are. We are not tired, happy or calm. We are
not courageous or wonderful or truthful. Here is where we must be clear. You are not
these things, but you can experience these things. When you have a feeling that you are
not worthy, it is not a fact, but just a feeling. You can feel tired, happy, calm, courageous,
wonderful or truthful. You experience these feelings, but they do not define you. You are
the blackboard upon which feelings are written, erased and written upon again.

Unfortunately, we do believe we are these feelings. To our emotional being, the feeling
of sadness means we are the sadness. If we feel unworthy, then this also must be true. If
we are unworthy and this is our truth based upon our past programming, then our life
must change and conform to this truth. We must make this belief a truth. Here‟s an
example of how this works… Let‟s say there‟s a person who has a strong unworthy
program running. When an potentially beneficial opportunity arrives their inner
(unworthy) voice says,

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 “Oh, what have we here? An opportunity for our life to change for the better.
Well, we can‟t allow this to happen because we have been committed too long to
being unworthy. So, „no thank you.‟”

This often results in a passive aggressive behavior, which sabotages the opportunity.

So, what we are left with is a number of inaccurate, yet powerful behavioral programs
created by our imperfect childhoods, which has left us incapable of seeing and
responding to reality for what it is.

If we have an event and 10 of us are seeing this event, what happens? We get 10 different
opinions of what happened.

Each one of these 10 people is seeing through the eyes of their own personal
programming and individual points of view. The nervous system of each person follows
the commands of the imprinted program eliminating what is seen to not conflict with this
original programming. That is, if what they see triggers a memory of a similar situation
or experience, which reminds them of a past situation or experience, they will
automatically reject what is happening in favor of a reality that suits their own tailor-
made version of what feels safe to them. All of this is done sub-consciously.

“12 Angry Men”

Let‟s take the movie ”12 Angry Men” as an example. (It is my belief all the answers in
life can be found in one movie or another.) In this movie, for those of you who have not
seen it, 12 men are in a jury deliberation room to decide the fate of a young man who has
been accused of murdering his father. While on the surface the evidence seems to point to
a conviction, one man feels it they must take the time to truly consider the evidence
before them and see if it holds truth. Over the course of the movie it slowly becomes
clear that the accused could not of done it. However, several of the men have their own
agenda. One wants to go to a baseball game, another wants to do something else. Another
juror has racial issues. The point is all of the men have to some degree an investment in
finding him guilty so they can go on with their own lives. One by one, as their intentions
were made known and they were allowed to express their true feelings, the wind is taken
out of their sails. Until the last juror‟s agenda is revealed. His own son has rejected him
and he is so angry that he is taking it out on the man on trial. He could only see the
reality, which made him feel better about his situation. Once he expressed his anger he,
too, let go of his investment and changed his vote to not guilty.

Reality is Subjective

Reality is truly subjective. It is based upon a person‟s experience and programming and
his/her investment in this programming, which is in turn based upon judgments, which is
in turn based upon feelings and emotions.

Let‟s go further into what reality consists of. During my time with Landmark Education
(www.landmarkeducation.com), I learned about a concept they referred to as the “circle
of knowing.”

What we have here is a circle representing all the information in the cosmos. Everything
that can be known exists within the circle. There is nothing outside the circle.

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Within the circle, we cut a small tiny piece of pie sliver. This sliver represents everything
you know. This is everything you know that you know (you know?). You know how to
drive a car, or brush your teeth, order a meal or any of the millions of things you do
everyday. This is the knowledge available to you everyday.

The next pie cut is the knowledge you know you do not know. This is information you
know exists but you do not have it. This can include: brain surgery, how to fly a jet- liner,
the intricacies of the law or how to make a pie (chocolate cream, please) are just some
examples. You know you do not know it but you know someone does and, therefore, it
exists.

The last big piece, which accounts for almost all of the pie, is information you do not
know that you do not know it. How can you ask a question about something you do not
even know exists? It is like trying to see something that is not there without the faculty of
seeing. I want you to close your eyes and start looking for something you cannot find.
You have no information. No way of looking or starting. Not a sense of what it is or isn‟t.
You don‟t know you don‟t know it.

In truth, the total amount of information that exists is tremendous! The way in which each
of us uses information is subjective. Exploration of unknown areas begins by looking at
things in new ways.

The unknown areas of our lives can help to set us free. When you say, “I don‟t know”
you are opening yourself up to a great deal of possibility. Saying, “I don‟t know”
provides you with the choice to change your programming and choose another path.

We all possess this power to change these programs and input our own programming
based upon what we want for our lives. We can make anything in our lives mean
anything we want them to mean. This choice can be very powerful and life changing if
you know how to program it into your bio-supercomputer.

Unde rstanding Versus Knowing

Understanding involves a mental process by which you absorb information describing an

event or events happening in physical reality. Understanding involves a discussion with
words. It is theoretical in nature without actual practical application. Understanding is a
description not an experience.

Knowing involves the actual experience of the event in physical reality. I.e. actually
skiing and putting into practice your understanding results in you knowing what skiing is
like.

The following is an excerpt from Carl Rogers, a therapist who created client-centered
therapy (CCT). The foundational belief of CCT is that people tend to move toward
growth and healing, and have the capacity to find their own answers. This tendency is
helped along by an accepting and understanding climate, which the CC therapist seeks to
provide above all else.

Rogers distinguished two types of learning: cognitive (meaningless) and experiential

(significant). Cognitive corresponds to academic knowledge such as learning vocabulary
or multiplication tables and experiential refers to applied knowledge such as learning
about engines in order to repair a car. The key to the distinction is that experiential
learning addresses the needs and wants of the learner. Rogers lists these qualities of
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experiential learning: personal involvement, self- initiated, evaluated by learner, and
pervasive effects on the learner.

To Rogers, experiential learning is equivalent to personal change and growth. Rogers

feels that all human beings have a natural propensity to learn; the role of the teacher is to
facilitate such learning. This includes: (1) setting a positive climate for learning, (2)
clarifying the purposes of the learner(s), (3) organizing and making available learning
resources, (4) balancing intellectual and emotional components of learning, and (5)
sharing feelings and thoughts with learners without dominating the person.

According to Rogers, learning is facilitated when: (1) the student participates completely
in the learning process and has control over its nature and direction; (2) it is primarily
based upon direct confrontation with practical, social, personal or research problems; and
(3) self-evaluation is the principal method of assessing progress or success. Rogers also
emphasizes the importance of learning to learn and an openness to change.

Experience is, for me, the highest authority. The touchstone of validity is my own
experience. No other person's ideas, and none of my own ideas, are as authoritative as my
experience. It is to experience I repeatedly turn to in order to discover (experience) a
closer approximation to truth.

Reaction vs. Response

Response – individual action based upon the needs and reality of the moment involving a
clear intention.

Reaction – automatic action originating from false beliefs and past programming of how
we think the world should be based upon our past programming and emotional
imprinting.

Consciousness (for me) is a state of awareness about our relationship to the world and to
ourselves. It includes awareness of how we create our reality at any given time through
the beliefs we hold, emotions we feel, words we speak and actions we take. It is what
allows us to be fully responsible for our experiences and choices. Because consciousness
is a state in which we fully experience who we are, it is also a state in which we feel our
interconnectedness with all other living beings, rather than feeling alienated (or separate)
from oneself and the rest of the world.

A conscious individual is one who takes responsibility for his/her thoughts, feelings and
actions. It is based upon response and not reaction. The distinction between the two is
response involves acting upon situations based upon the way they are and not the way
you would like them to be. Reaction is an automatic action based upon an old system of
thinking. A conscious person is more interested in truth, how he/she expresses that truth
and how this truth affects others.

A conscious individual is interested in promoting authenticity and responsibility.

An individual aware in this way supports others through their unique creativity and
talents. As they continually examine the impact of their internal practices, products and
services on others they are constantly staying true to their integrity. Integrity provides an
awareness of responsibility for every choice they make. A conscious person knows the
result of their reality is the result of their choices and the energy of their emotional states.
Thus, they create their reality. As they continue on their path, they remain devoted to
making choices that help themselves and all others they affect. The simplest way to
40
express this is… conscious individuals are constantly looking to create “win-win”
situations.

When one acts from this place they inspire themselves. This inspiration fuels their vision
not only for their life but also for the lives of others. This allows for one‟s true Self to
come forth and express itself.

Part of our difficulties in dealing with one another is due to not understanding the
inherent difference between individuals. The most obvious of which is the difference
between the sexes. Understanding how we differ provides us with a way to navigate,
resolve and resolve our challenges with one another to allow acceptance and peace to
flourish.

Feminine And Masculine Energy

Feminine (or yin) energy refers to our receptive, creative, visionary, intuitive, and
emotional nature while masculine (or yang) energy refers to our assertive, focused,
practical, mind- and will- driven natures. Masculine energy brings presence, direction,
effectiveness, and a focus on goals, structures, actions, details and results. Feminine
energy brings depth of vision, inspiration, creativity, wisdom, magnetic energy, and a
commitment to collaboration and partnership.

As many of us have not been introduced to the sexes in this manner, most have not
allowed these energies to be integrated within us. We all have both masculine and
feminine energies. We need them both to be fully who we are. However, because many
of us have been brought up without this information, our judgments of these energies
prevent us from allowing ourselves to acknowledge our possession of them and balance
never occurs. I.e. it is ok for men to cry. It is ok for women to be assertive.

The problem is this imbalance has evolved far beyond the examples mentioned above.
The business world is predominately masculine (although it is changing). This
domination has caused many women to become overly masculine in order to compete
and be successful in these worlds but what have they lost?
However successful they are in accomplishing these goals, many nevertheless experience
a lack of inspiration, passion, fun, and vitality. Instead, they must cope with high levels of
stress and an overall loss of self- nurturing.

Masculine energy creates the powerful framework (foundational structures, strategy,

technology, goals and action plans), which allows feminine energy (vision, creativity,
relatedness etc.) to flourish.

Balancing masculine and feminine energies allows our minds and actions to be aligned
with the deeper knowing of our hearts and souls.

To sum up…

 Personal experience provides more intrinsic value than theoretical learning

 People tend to think more than they feel
 Feeling and sensation are ways in which we learn, grow and express our truths
 Most people are repressed and closed down. This internal tension combined with
the stress of living in our world causes a great deal of energy to be wasted fighting

41
 oneself. Stress leads to tension which drains energy eventually leading to pain and
dis-ease.
 Exercise is a means of improving mental, physical and emotional health and
balance through adaptation and beneficial stress release.

A Healing Response

A healing response is to start owning what we have crea ted in our lives.

This means:

 Taking responsibility for who and what we are and letting go of judging others
 We need to stop looking to others to save us from being alone in the hopes they
will save us from ourselves
 Stop blaming others and face what we have done to ourselves in the name of
distrust and anger
 Facing our anger and be free of it by forgiving ourselves
 Learning to inspire ourselves
 Authentically giving and receiving
 Being gentle with ourselves and others
 Asking for help when we need it
 Surrendering to what is
 Saying, “I don‟t know but I am going to find out for myself”
 Letting yourself have your experience and letting others have theirs
 No longer trying to fix others
 Respecting others regardless whether they respect you or not
 Continually taking a higher path and dealing with the responsibilities of this path
 Being honorable and humble
 Feeling what you feel and laughing at it and with it
 Opening yourself to yourself
 Accepting we are just as capable of making errors or mistakes as much as the next
person

Just know that somewhere out there with or without your intentional desire to hurt
another, someone, somewhere has been hurt by something you did or said. Either we can
continue to go through this life getting angry at others for their mistakes knowing they
either don‟t see, don‟t understand or are just completely ignorant. We have the choice to
forgive them and move on or remain angry and resentful.

I believe healing begins with each individual‟s choice to let go of one way of living and
embrace another.

This system of healing involves your conscious choice and subsequent practice of facing
unwanted and unpleasant feelings locked within your body. Ultimately, pain cannot be
avoided and like water, this pain will find another pathway from which to flow. I have
found: it is the very refusal to feel these feelings that allows them to have power over you.

Every moment you are aware of yourself will help you heal.

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Feeling Your Feelings Is A True Skill

No one feeling is the same and they can often overwhelm us with their power. Later on in
life, we may learn to “control” our feelings and determine which feeling we will allow
and which we will not. This may be a logical way of reacting, but it is not necessarily a
healthy way.

To be a fully free being involves having mental, physical and emotional freedom.

While science and education have provided vast amounts of data and information of what
and how the human body functions, I believe this preoccupation with these details have
precluded us from improving the way in which we live in our bodies. Approaching the
body as something separate from us leads to a non- integrated distant view of yourself
living in your body.

We Live in a Realm of Possibility

What you think could happen will happen and if you accept that anything is possible,
then anything will be possible for you.

Society has driven many assumptions into our heads regarding a great many things. Since
extremes usually help to make a point I will make mine using the following examp le:

If you assume your perception of death is the truth, then this becomes your reality
however, on this particular subject the truth is we really do not know what occurs after
our body dies. You may believe there is nothing but if you lose sight that this is an
assumption it becomes a belief. Then you start to live your life around this belief and
certain behaviors must be adapted to in order to maintain this belief.

No matter what our beliefs may be, no matter how strongly you believe in this or that, the
fact remains that on the subject of death you/we truly don‟t know (unless you have been
there). Furthermore, if you agree with the definition that knowing only occurs with
experiencing, you/we cannot know what death is until it is experienced.

I believe death has gotten bad press. Death is an unknown. We have no “proof‟ of what
happens when we die. Each one of us at some point will pass. Death is not bad in and of
itself. It is a necessary ending to life and is as meaningful as birth. Death can teach us
about letting go and that things do not last. Death helps us to accept things we cannot
control. We learn, it is okay for things to change. Change is not bad. It is a transition (one
that may or may not be painful. It all depends upon your relationship to it and how you
process it) into new more useful forms. If death is an unknown and you are afraid of
death, then what you are really afraid of is the unknown. What you may be afraid of is the
possible experience death may provide over which you have no control.

If you believe nothing happens after you die then I ask you how do you feel about being
nothing? If you say the thought of being nothing frightens you then most likely you will
avoid (and fear) any experiences that reminds you of being nothing. Since fear is an
experience most of us try to avoid, you will avoid any experience similar to the feeling of
being no-thing. Attempting something new requires venturing into the unknown. This
experience may remind you of the possibility of failure and the implication that if you fail
you will have nothing and, therefore, may be no-thing. So, as you get more advanced in
practicing your belief on death, whenever you attempt some new endeavor you must face
the feeling of being no-thing. You will feel the subsequent fear your action produces.
43
You can also feel the possibility of attaining your goal and reaching a higher level.
Depending upon your commitment you may collapse, weep and blame the world for
being too hard or you may confront and conquer your fear to then stride forward with
more understanding of yourself and life.

FYI - I must take this moment to point out, the feeling of being nothing is just a feeling. It
is not a truth. You cannot be no-thing. That is a contradiction. (The way you know you
cannot be nothing is that some-thing can only consider that IT is no-thing. No-thing
would not have the faculty to make such a statement or originate such a thought.)

The point here is whatever beliefs you have accepted to be fact in your life may or may
not support all goals in your life and may be in the way of your higher aspirations.
Emotions can be either powerful enemies or allies. The choice is yours.

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Chapter 7 - Being Human

My mind considers possibilities.

My feelings provide motivation and direction.
My physical action produces results.

We are three-dimensional beings made of mental, emotional and physical elements (Also,
spiritual but let‟s not complicate things).

We are born to grow, evolve and experience who we are as we live our lives.

I believe true health is being comfortable and accepting of your thoughts, your body and
your feelings as they are.

Your Mind/Body is Amazing!

In your lifetime, about 50 million gallons of blood will pass through your heart and it will
beat around three billion times. Each day you take about 21,600 breaths, which add up to
about 591,300,000 breaths over your lifetime. You have a complex organization of 600
muscles, which allows you to move. In your face alone, there are over 100 muscles
allowing you to smile, eat and express. It takes 34 muscles to frown and only 13 to smile.
Your skin is the largest organ in your body with a surface area of 1.5- 2 meters. Every
minute 30,000 – 40,000 skin cells fall from your body and a completely new layer of
cells is grown in approximately one month.

For women of average weight your total body weight is comprised of 27% fat, muscles
35% and the skeleton, about 12%. In a healthy male of average weight, the breakdown of
total body weight is roughly 15 % fat, 45 % muscle and 15 % skeleton. The remaining
body weight, in both cases, is accounted for by blood plasma, skin, connective tissue,
tendons, organs, hair and so on. Water accounts for about 70 % of the total body weight
of an average person. Muscle is roughly 75 % water, 20 % protein and 5 %minerals and
other matter. Body fat and bones are roughly 50% water.

Your brain is made up of 10 billion to 100 billion neurons, which are organized in such a
way to allow you to make choices and act upon these choices. For example, let‟s say you
choose to have a cup of coffee this morning. Chemicals are released from your brain,
which reach the muscles of your body and through a complex set of instructions; you lift
the cup to your lips and drink. All of this occurs without any real awareness of this vast
mechanical and chemical dance. Consequently, the result of your drink produces a chain
of effects, which cascade throughout your body systems.

In short (and to reiterate), your body is amazing! Since you live in your body, this means
YOU are amazing! Unfortunately, for most, our introduction to our being has not been
very positive. Instead, we focus our attention on finding reasons to avoid being abundant
because we believe ourselves to not be good enough.

While the functional complexities of our bodies are of interest to a select few, one aspect
of our existence is valued above all others. Our ability for higher thinking and reasoning
is held as one of the greatest attributes which apparently, at this time, only we humans
seem to possess. Our ability to think is the result of millions of years of evolution and we
still have so much to learn.

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Unfortunately, there is a belief we have about our ability to think that I believe limits our
lives. We believe thinking is confined to the area above our shoulders and our minds exist
only in our heads. This belief has caused some of us to ignore our bodies. The results of
this approach to life are sedentary behaviors, which lead to obesity, heart disease,
diabetes, constant aches and pains, as well as other health problems. While medicine has
provided many wonderful cures for our modern world, the amount of prescription drug
abuse has risen to frightening proportions.

Our bodies are capable of independent movement and actions. They provide us with
varying extremes of physical sensations (different from feelings) in the form of pain to
pleasure, heat to cold, and soft to hard. Our bodies carry us throughout the minutes,
hours, days, and years of our lives. Our body ceaselessly works everyday at providing our
consciousness with a place to live. Our body has so many beautifully synchronized
systems that work efficiently at keeping your home on this earth so you can enjoy ice
cream cone, the latest movie or the feeling of your lover‟s arms.

The current technological information age in which we live has created an environment
where we are constantly programmed by all we see, hear, touch, taste, feel and read.

These various inputs of our modern age can help support our health practices or detract
from them through succumbing to: poor food choices, negative body images, financial
pressures and social stresses.

True Change

In order to change, you first must be willing to tell yourself the truth.

I know this sounds obvious, but lying to oneself is one of the easiest things to do. The
desire to be honest with yourself is step one. The next step is committing to what the truth
within you wishes to express as fully as you can. Being truthful requires integrity and
dedication. This is the work of training yourself and is no different than strengthening
your body. The more you do it (lifting weights, practicing integrity) the stronger you get.

Next comes the choosing. To what degree are you willing to commit yourself to changing
your life for the better? Be honest. Do you want fulfillment in your life? How badly do
you want it? What are you willing to do to achieve this fulfillment?

We always have choices in life. There is a great deal of power in the choices we make.
We can choose not to investigate ourselves and our lives for many reasons, but what I ask
of you is to consider… a choice not to examine yourself is a choice which carries much
responsibility. When you choose to stay inside a comfort zone and not reach for more in
favor of comfort, your life narrows. It narrows because your life is constantly evolving in
one direction or another. Either you learn to flow with change or you resist it with all
your might. Resistance ultimately causes pain and pain can make you angry.

Anger leads to resentment and everyone you meet in your life is affected by your anger.
You carry it with you like a signpost. You then begin to attract others who are also angry.
Like attracts like and you will not have the love in your life you desire. So please,
consider…our lives are not what they seem. Try something else. Open up to new
possibilities and perspectives to help improve your life. When you improve your life and
give yourself the freedom you deserve, it makes you smile. Smiling is contagious.

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Your Body Is Your Responsibility

Our bodies, thoughts and feelings are our responsibility. No one can take away your pain.
No one can carry your pain for you. Yes, you can take drugs to numb the pain but after
the drug wears off, it‟s still there waiting for you. In the end, if your body is breaking
down, it is your responsibility and no one else‟s. You can blame nature and God, other
people or situations but ultimately you cannot escape that you play a role in every
experience in your life. Taking back this responsibility is not an easy matter but it is a
powerful way to change your life.

Taking Responsibility

The choice to take responsibility is the first step in taking it back. It begins with intention.
Your nervous system responds to your intentions with feelings. Let‟s take the example of
when you intend to go on a vacation. Your body starts to gear up and prepares itself for
the vacation. Feelings of excitement begin to rise within you as you begin to consider all
the fun you will have once you arrive.

It works the same way for your intention to take back responsibility. Your body starts to
respond to your intention. It may become sleepy and quiet or excited and overwhelmed.
You may experience a variety of feelings and body sensations. The key is to allow these
feelings.

Feeling feelings is an art.

Learning to Listen to Your Body

I believe learning your body‟s language will serve you for the rest of your life. It will
protect you from unnecessary physical pain, expensive treatments and surgeries while
providing access to your power, strength, endurance and pleasure.

Learning the body‟s language is a process that takes time and you must allow yourself
this time to evolve.

Our bodies are in constant communication with us, but we are usually not listening.
Instead, we have been constantly thinking and spinning our mental wheels. This has
caused us to ignore important signs and signals the body is giving us.

The body communicates through feelings and sensations. Most of us have blocked
feelings and sensation from flowing because they can be overwhelming and scary.
However, allowing uncomfortable feelings gives us access to healing, self–mastery and
personal autonomy.

As you read this, your body is providing you with a constant stream of sensations and
feelings to your awareness. The challenge is to be able to connect to this stream and
begin a new relationship with your body.

An additional benefit from learning to listen to yourself is it improves your ability to

listen to others.

While it is true that learning to listen to your body will lessen some of the more obvious
discomforts of life, once you being listening you may start to find things within yourself
you may not like or things you have been avoiding for some time. You have been in the
47
practice of ignoring these parts of yourself and when you bring them into the light, you
may have to endure some difficult moments. However, I assure you, the price is well
worth it. By working through this pain, you will free yourself from its power over you. I
believe this freedom is worth the price of experiencing pain. The alternative is not to
listen and therefore continue being a victim of your body and your life.

Learn to Observe Your Patterns of Behavior

There are many patterns of behavior within our body/mind that reduces our ability to
reach our goals. These patterns have been ingrained from childhood and were originally
created to help us survive whatever was happening. Now as adults, these patterns can be
more destructive than beneficial. To remove these negative patterns from your life
requires you to make the choice to recognize these patterns either before they occur or
after they have already occurred.

I suggest using the Intentional Relaxation Process (page 57) and Reflection Meditation
(page 98) to help you become aware of your patterns on a daily basis. However, the real
work begins when you recognize the pattern as a pattern. The method I have been
working with simply involves observing whatever feelings are involved when the pattern
is triggered.

The feelings existing behind the pattern is the power behind the pattern‟s expression. It is
what keeps the pattern in power. Feelings are the structure upon which patterns rests.
When you neutrally observe these feelings and relax your body it allows the feelings to
flow. This effectively removes the energetic foundation from the pattern causing it to
collapses.

How to observe patte rns of behaviors:

Example:

Ice Cream Scenario – You come home from a long hard day of work. You go to the
refrigerator and you see the means to make a healthy dinner, but you also see Ben and
Jerry‟s Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. Instead of making the dinner, you eat the ice
cream your dinner.

Later on, while having an upset stomach, you recognize that this is a pattern you do when
you‟re tired and emotionally drained. Congratulations! You have just completed the first
step towards changing this pattern – recognizing it for what it is!

Re-programming begins with relaxing your body and focusing within yourself.

Take the time to relax your body and mind. Once peaceful, go back in your imagination
to when you were looking in the refrigerator. Pinpoint the moment you made the choice
to go with the Ben and Jerry‟s and stop the movie right there. In that moment, the pattern
comes to the surface and says, “Ben and Jerry‟s, Ben and Jerry‟s, Ben and Jerry‟s.”

Stay with this moment. See this scene in your head and observe what your body is
feeling. Whatever is there is where you begin. Stay with the scene in your head and focus
upon what it felt like to desire the ice cream and pick it over the healthy food. What
feeling is there? Whatever the feeling is, give this feeling space to be as it is. Don‟t judge
it or try to change it. Just allow this feeling full freedom to be and relax your body around
this feeling. Magnify this feeling and ask yourself, “Where in my body do I feel this
48
feeling?” Ask yourself, “What is the texture, size, shape and intensity of this feeling?”
Breathe into this feeling and keep imagining it.

Stay with the scene in your head and watch this feeling in your body. The longer you
observe and allow it to change on its own, the more you will cause it to change.
Continue to follow this feeling. Give it permission to move anywhere it wants to in your
body. Follow it and you will find it changed into another feeling. Observe this new one
and see where it leads you.

Every feeling wants to flow. The root of any pattern is buried by the accumulation of
feelings that have not been allowed to flow. Focusing your attention upon any feeling (or
sensation) will invariably cause it to dissolve and flow. Somewhere in your body is the
root of the pattern and it is waiting for you to discover it and dissolve it.

I have removed a great many patterns from my life in this way. The internal freedom as a
result is wonderful and life changing. Don‟t let any one pattern convince you that you
cannot change. Believe me, you can. All that is required is the desire to change along
with focused and persistent effort.

Self-Observation Procedure:

1. Intentional Relaxation Process (page 57) and Reflections Meditation (page 98)
to prepare your body/mind.
2. Pick or recognize a recurring pattern that produces an unwanted result in your
life.
3. Reflect upon the particular aspects of this pattern.
4. What feelings and thoughts motivate you to choose this course of action?
5. Calmly observe this thought/feeling and give it space to be as it is.
6. Listen/observe/watch these feelings as they occur in the moment.
7. Continue to follow the feeling as it changes until you reach a point of
completion or understanding regarding this pattern. (If you don‟t reach this
point keep at it and eventually you will.)

How To Eat Food

While dieticians, scientists, and nutritionists argue about what foods are good for us,
there are few which address how we eat.

We all struggle with food and what is good for us. We eat for a myriad of reasons
including, social eating, emotional eating, being bored and of course, when we are
hungry.

However, most of us have no real experience of what true hunger really is. We eat three
meals a day because science has told us through experimentation and data collection.
(This is changing as other data suggest 5-6 small meals throughout the day.)

In my experience of working in the fitness industry, I have learned, each of us is unique

in our physical, mental and emotional needs. One exercise or diet may work miracles in
one person while another may derive no real benefits. This individuality is good and each
of us needs to find the things that work for us. The translation is, no one person can really
tell you what is good for you. The best person for this job is YOU. The key is learning
your body‟s language.

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What Is Hunger, Really?

Have I ever really experienced true hunger? No, I decided. So, I began a 4-day fast. I did
not eat anything and only drank when I was thirsty. Each day I experienced “hunger” but
would treat it as I have treated other sensations and feelings. I breathed with it,
acknowledged it, and allowed it to flow. I nurtured myself through each day. Each hunger
attack would pass with my attention and meditations and I would constantly redefine
what “hunger,” meant to me. I was training people at the time and was able to function
just fine each day. Finally, at day four, I began to feel slightly weak. I felt this was
enough information and experience and so I began eating again. I realized “hunger” for
me was just another inner experience I can observe. I also learned I can function without
three meals a day. Further, because of this experience, food has less of a power over me.
I no longer need as much food and can go without for many hours without diminishment
of health or energy.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: I am in no way saying or suggesting that any of you

should try this. Please don‟t try this unless you feel you have a good to great connection
to your body. This was me, questioning my reality.

Unconscious Eating

In the information age in which we live we are constantly bombarded with an abundance
of caloric, dietary information regarding:

 When to eat
 What to eat
 What not to eat
 How much we should eat

I have found this technical way of approaching food and life does not allow for the
individual ways in which our bodies work. In my experience, the deeper connected we
are to the natural rhythms of our bodies, the easier it is to make healthy choices that fulfill
us rather than deprive us.

The act of eating is something most of us take for granted. Eating has become such a
social event we may or may not even realize we are eating. This is where unconscious
habits take over our lives and prevent us from feeling good about ourselves.

Eating has also become automatic in favor of conversation or mental meandering. Again
we are practicing ignoring what is happening with our bodies and d istracting ourselves
from them.

I have noticed many of us gobble our food and do not really pay attention to what we are
doing. When we gobble our focus is usually on the next bite. So, what we are doing is
teaching our body and nervous system that what we value is wanting the next bite and not
having the one we have.

Do I have to mention the need many of us have to finish everything on our plate
regardless of whether we are full or not? No, I did not think so.

Conscious Eating

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I suggest we begin the practice of conscious eating. Conscious eating is more than being
aware of what we are putting in our mouths. It involves being aware of the act of eating.

The Apple Experience

Only try the following exercise when you truly feel hungry.

Grab your favorite apple. Try to pick a particularly crunchy and fresh one. (Note: Any
food will do. The next time you are eating alone, turn off the TV, don‟t read the paper
and instead focus all your attention on what you are eating.)

Sit down somewhere and hold the apple. Start to breathe and connect to your body. (To
maximize this experience, skip to Intentional Relaxation - page 57 - and practice this
process at least once.) Relax and surrender to the moment. Clear your mind from your
day. Connect to your mouth, tongue, and taste buds. Begin to connect to your stomach.
Feel whether it‟s calm or upset. Calm it by observing any tension within and dissolving
it. (See Melting Tension, Aches and Pains page 59) Once it is cleared prepare your
stomach by opening it to receive the forthcoming food. Feel it open. Bring the apple to
your mouth and take a slow bite. Experience the sensation of biting into the apple‟s flesh.
Feel the texture of the crunch as you chew your apple. Feel the juices running down your
throat. When you have chewed and savored enough begin to slowly swallow. Feel the
apple sliding down your throat. Feel your body accepting this nutrient you have provided
for it. Feel it enter your stomach and experience the sensation of having the apple.

Now, put the apple down.

Sit with yourself and experience having the apple in your belly. Feel it fill you. Notice if
your mind has focused upon wanting another bite and instead return your attention back
to your stomach. Feel the warm glow of the apple in your body.

When you feel you have waited long enough and your body is ready, reach for your
second bite. Bite and enjoy again putting the apple down between bites. There is no rush
to finish. Take your time. Notice when you feel full. Don‟t finish the apple if you‟re full.

Taking the time to eat in this way provides you with the experience of truly having the
food you are eating and you will find it fills you up much faster and with less food.

The more you practice eating in this way, you will begin to cut down your food intake
and still provide you with the nutrients you need. Practicing eating in this way by
yourself is easy. The real challenge is eating like this in social settings. Social eating
usually prevents us from focusing upon what we are eating in fa vor of conversation. My
suggestion is, talk less and savor more. Practice as much as you can by yourself.

So, how do you feel? Are you full? How many bites did you take before you got full? Did
you learn anything about yourself?

Conscious Eating Procedure:

1. Intentional Relaxation (page 57) to connect and calm your body/mind.

2. Pick a meal you really and truly enjoy.
3. Pick a spot somewhere to eat without being disturbed by another.
4. Focus you awareness on your taste buds, mouth, and tongue.
5. Open your stomach to receive.
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6. Take one bite of your meal and put your utensil down.
7. Slowly chew and savor your food, paying attention to the texture and taste as they
flood your mouth.
8. Chew this bite fully and enjoy it.
9. Swallow.
10. Do not take another bite.
11. Focus on this first bite in your body as it travels down your throat into your
stomach.
12. Feel this sustenance in your body and allow it to fill you.
13. Only take the next bite when you have fully been filled by the previous bite.
14. Try to stop eating once you are full.

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Chapter 8 - Our Current Age

We live in a time of great change. Each of us is going through it. We can all feel it each
day. Things are not the same.

So far, we have been utilizing certain tools of transformation to aid us in our ability to
handle change in a more efficient, productive and healthy manner. The possibilities of
change include both our inner and outer worlds.

Inner world change may occur through some sort of professional intervention, (i.e.
mental health professional or counselors) through spiritual means, or through self- help
seminars and groups.

Outer world change may occur through a new haircut, new wardrobe, new house, new
mate, new career or a new body. There are also many professionals specializing in these
areas.

I believe true powerful and long- lasting change begins within and extends without.

Currently, there are many people working out in gyms trying desperately to change their
bodies from the outside in. While there are many success stories, there are also many
more failures.

Besides, can a bench press; squat or running on a treadmill really improve your life?
The question I have is what do people want from their lives?

I believe people want more of life.

They want to experience their life in new and exciting ways.

The challenge is how do we create this life for ourselves?

Is going to the gym every other day and lifting weights and running on treadmills going
to help? To a degree… better body performance = better mind performance.

Everyday each of us is being programmed. Every ad, every commercial, every magazine,
every newspaper, every motive, want and desire is being guided, shifted, and influenced
by our advertising machine. This programming is carried out by:

 Where we are as a society

 Where we are in our individual lives
 What we lack
 What we want or desire
 What we do about trying to get what we want or desire

Media Fitness

There is tremendous pressure placed upon all of us to look good and be fit. However, the
true ideal of health and well-being has become corrupted. Walk by any newsstand and
you will see a large variety of fitness magazines and fashion publications. A closer
examination reveals female models gracing these covers are ultra-slim, <10% body fat,

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and represent less than 1% of real women‟s body type. The air brushed, fashion model
has become our ideal of fitness. This is not only unfair – it is ridiculous.

We are setting ourselves up for trouble when we attempt to look like someone who does
not exist. To make matters worse, most of us know this but still, we buy the magazines
anyway, sending the message that we still support this illusionary ideology of fitness. My
solution? Stop buying these magazines. Don‟t worry - in a very short time the powers
behind the magazines will realize what you/we want and will change to accommodate us.

The hidden cost of this fact (besides the billions we spend each year) is we are forever
struggling with the fact that most likely, we will never be fit. To reach the ideal of being
as thin as a fashion model, whether male of female, most of us would have to quit our
jobs and focus all our energy, time and money to a strict (and probably unhealthy)
regiment of exercise and diet.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, through a tremendously powerful and focused personality made

bodybuilding a great deal more attractive and alluring to us all. However, the job of
becoming a bodybuilder is full time. Bodybuilders spend most of their time working out
(at least twice a day), eating a very controlled diet (sometimes unhealthy diets) all
designed to produce massive muscles and decreasing levels of body fat. For any of you
who have gone to the gym and worked out really, really hard and for those of you who
have not, imagine, what it would be like to push yourself to your nth degree of effort
where every muscle is straining and striving for more. Now imagine reaching even
further. Do you have it? Now realize this does not even approach the effort these people
put into each workout. Your toughest workouts, as tough as they are and as tough as you
are, are still only a drop in the bucket compared to them. Think about it. Their full- time
job is to become bigger. They spend hours in the gym. They think about the gym when
they‟re not in the gym. They live in the gym and in their bodies. There is no quitting. No
giving up. They continually reach for more and bigger. The end result is quite beautiful
and definitely inspiring.

The question here is, is this what you want for yourself? If the answer is yes, then go to
Venice Beach and get to work! If you are like most people, what you are interested in is
being healthy, but not at the cost of your job, your way of life and what you eat.

So, if our goals are not to be bodybuilders, than why do we hold them as the ideal of
fitness? Yes, its true… they do represent an extreme of what fit could be, but let‟s face it,
most of us will not look like that, nor do we want to.

The bodybuilding physique, while attractive is not a good poster child for practical fitness
goals for the average person.

If our fitness goals are not to be bodybuilders or models, where does that leave us?

It leaves you with the following questions to answer:

 What do you want from you body?

 What are the everyday demands you place upon your body and what are your
physical needs?
 What do you want your body to look like?
 And, how do you want to feel everyday in the body that will be with you for the
rest of your life.

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Too much power has been given over to the modern science and the professionals of
fitness to inform you as to what you need. The time has come for you to become
informed about this wonderful companion and tool you have. Please don‟t get me wrong;
I am one of those professionals. We have our uses but the ultimate goal of physical
training and exercise has become lost in our society.

My point is, exercise has become an obsession and another stress in our already stressful
lives.

I am offering you a new way to use your body to improve how you think and feel each
day. The power of fitness is not in the latest fad, class or program, but in the way you use
fitness to improve yourself.

Fitness Evolution

If you enter any health club, you maybe dazzled (and possibly intimidated) by the myriad
numbers of seemingly sophisticated workout machines littering the gym. Now these
machines have their uses, but the question is why are you using them?

The current fitness techniques of today originated from bodybuilding protocols of

yesterday. The sole purpose and intentions of bodybuilding techniques is to increase the
mass and size of every individual muscle on the human body. As the fitness industry has
grown, many of the movements and machines created are still utilized for the same
purpose. The makers of these machines have just improved their craft and have created
what they believe is a useful tool to help their consumers reach their fitness goals and
make some money. (Nothing wrong with that!)

Currently, our aging population has required fitness to adapt to the limitations imposed
by the affects of aging. Limited ranges of motion, decreased cardiovascular responses and
diminishing lean muscle tissue have helped to create shifts in our exercise prescription to
improve quality of movement, prevent injury and promote health. The industry‟s
response has been to include physical therapy protocols with body strength techniques to
yield the Functional Exercise. The intention here is to strengthen those movements which
correlate to activities of daily living providing a foundation of strength and movement
and therefore improve function.

As the needs of our clients continue to evolve and grow in complexity, the needs of
qualified and educated professionals have also grown.

However, this structure of fitness information and evolution, while effective and complex
in its understanding is only appreciated by the fitness professional. The average person is
more interested not in how we get there but, “When are we going to get there?” and
“How am I going to look?”

Curre nt Fitness Perspective

Let‟s examine the current gym- goer‟s experience of what is happening behind the scenes.

Going to the gym – I have heard it all:

“I am afraid of looking stupid.”

“I am afraid of doing it wrong.”
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”I need to lose weight before I join the gym.”
“What am I going to wear?”
“I am just plain scared.”

Just being in the gym causes stress because of:

 Loud music
 Hectic energy from banks of TV‟s
 Other peoples energy and or dramas
 Exercise classes
 The procedure of exercising
 Motivation to look good (which is really fear of looking bad)
 Being overworked

Behind the scenes – We all are under the influence of:

 Needing to look good

 Trying to eat sensibly with so much sugar and unhealthy (but tasty) food around
us everyday
 The medical community constantly changing the “rules of healthy eating and
exercise.” This week egg yolks. Next week, no egg yolks
 Wanting to fit in

Exercise (lifting weights, running on treadmills, taking exercise classes) is stress on the
body. Exercise is a controlled stress that forces our bodies to adapt. Strength, endurance
and fitness results are the results of this adaptation. Every machine, every exercise class
and every method of fitness is based on our bodies adapting to the stress exercise
imposes. It‟s that simple.

If the goal is adaptation through stress, we can consciously create and choose to impose
this stress utilizing any system of movement. Traditional strength training is just one
expression of how to impose adaptation/exercise.

However, since most of us are spending our days being significantly more mental than
physical there is increasing amount of muscular tension accumulating within your body.
When you do go to the gym and begin using weights, you are increasing the amount of
tension in an already overstressed system. Imagine loading a chain that already is
overloaded with more weight… eventually something has to give.

My solution is to start with what you have and allow for personal progression.

Personal Progression

Each of us has our own way of learning and our own way of moving forward. Some of us
can handle the extra resistance weights offer us but if your goal is to use your body better
with more awareness than the rule of thumb is less is more. There is no need to be
overtaxing your already overtaxed body with additional stress and tension. Your body
weight used with focus and intent can provide a great deal more than just bigger muscles.
It all depends upon what you are looking to create. My path is one of having not only a
stronger body but also a whole slew of inner life improvements.

Exercise Adherence
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Do people actually like working out?

I believe the answer is yes and no.

Some people enjoy the linear repetitive motions bodybuilding has provided us. They
enjoy the feel of their bodies working along with the power and the look it provides.
These people are usually fairly independent in their exercise programming only requiring
small amounts of advice from a professional.

This style of exercise however, bores most people. Maybe you see the value in it or
maybe not. Maybe you have health problems you are trying to transcend or maybe you
are trying to avoid one all together. Most people today have highly developed and
complex thoughts but when it comes to their bodies this level of sophistication drops
drastically.

The words “exercise” and “enjoyment” rarely go hand in hand. Instead, for most, exercise
is a chore and to complete twenty minutes on a treadmill is sheer torture for some.

The goal is to create a new way of exercising that feels good mentally, physically and
emotionally.

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Chapter 9 - The Road Ahead

What is it like being you? What do you go through on daily basis that nobody else knows
about? Do you find yourself going through the motions of your life and sometimes, not
very often but sometimes, you wonder what the hell are you doing, in this job or with that
person? How much of what you do is based on others liking you? Do you ever catch
yourself wondering who you are? Where you came from? Do you watch movies about
heroism or true love and wonder, not when but if you will ever get these things for
yourself?

Do you ever wonder why you‟re here? Or how you wish you could discover your
strengths, transform your weaknesses and free yourself from the feelings keep ing you
down?

Exercising purely as a health goal is just not enough. The benefits of exercise are much
more efficiently applied (and more enjoyment and productivity is derived) when there is
a clear and defined vision of what you want from your life.

Creating Your Vision

The goal of this EBook is to help you create for yourself your personal vision of what life
can be for you. Once this vision is held firmly in your heart and mind, everything you do
becomes another step closer to achieving it. And I do mean everything! In other words,
you will create a meaningful exercise routine based upon you and your life. Meaningless
exercise only produces frustration and boredom.

Before we begin creating your vision there are some things we first must cover to set the
stage.

New Definition of Exercise

Our definition of exercise is as a means to strengthen and improve your connection to

your body so you can use it better for the needs and goals of your life. The way we
improve this connection is the various fitness applications of weight lifting, endurance
training, Yoga, Pilates, etc.

Exercise is a process of evolution. There is no “getting there”. Our goal is to help you to
recognize, address and flow with your body‟s ever changing needs.

Allowing your body to be as it is without trying to conform to some attachment to the

way it was in the past provides your body greater freedom to change and is so much
healthier for your mind. The focus here is to improve your body without expectation or
attachment to a result. If you focus all your attention to what you are doing as you are
doing it then results happen much faster. The more effort you give to each moment you
are exercising increasing your exercise output and efficiency. The greater this efficiency,
the greater your results will be.

Freedom from results brings results. Place all your energy and focus on maintaining a
maximum effort per workout. By giving your full attention to the practice of moving and
using your body gives you the power to achieve the goals of your life with more
awareness and connection to what is actually happening rather than what you think
should be happening.
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Practice and Discovery

Exercising in the “correct” way for reasons outside of yourself creates stress in your body
and mind. I have watched too many clients decrease their enjoyment of exercise because
they believe they should be able to exert at a higher level than they are currently capable
of performing. Their belief is “Exercise should be easy. It‟s so simple!”. When you
expect to perform at a level higher than you can exert the most common reaction is to
blame yourself for being weak. People have a tendency to make themselves wrong,
criticize and judge themselves or become so impatient ultimately, they spoil their
experience.

What I suggest is that you approach exercise as a process of discovery. Allow yourself to
be wherever you are in your exercise evolution without judgment or assessment of your
performance. In short, practice exercising. By practice, I mean there is no right or wrong.
You are trying and exploring different ways of using and moving your body and seeing
what happens. Productive exercise is hard enough without adding additional pressures.

When it comes down to it, the big picture is… it‟s just exercise. The more you make
exercise a time where it‟s okay to do it “wrong” aka inefficiently, the more you cause
additional stress and tension to wear your body (and self-esteem) down. However, the
more you focus your attention on exercising from your heart because it fulfills the needs
of your life, the more you will enjoy it.

Fitness Investment Payoff

Using the average life expectancy of 100 years (I‟m an optimist!), I have calculated the
number of gym visits based upon age and usage of the gym from a statistics company
called Promote it. (http://www.promote- it.com/Report_Form.html) I have averaged the
number of visits depending upon the month and calculated the average times a person
uses the gym over the course of one year to be approximately 100 visits.

Therefore:

Age Number of Expected Gym Visits Over Remainde r of Lifetime

25 7500
35 6500
45 5500
55 4500
65 3500

This means if you are between the ages of 35-45 you can expect to be in the gym (or
workout) between 5500 - 6500 more times! That‟s a lot of workouts! If you think of it in
terms of stocks, you know over this course of time each workout will be added to your
total workouts, which will ultimately produce improved quality of life, health and
longevity!

What this tells us is no 1 session will make or break you. The changes you are creating
take time for your body to develop. Remember it‟s all about adaptation. Each workout is
cumulative and part of the larger process of your development.

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My point is this: If you give yourself enough time and expend sufficient effort while
focusing on the process of exercising instead of obsessing about the desired outcome, you
will achieve the results you desire.

Chapter 10 - The Health Continuum

Step 1 - Establish Where You Are

Constant Aches, Pains, Discomfort

Out of Balance Normal Fit
Clouded Thinking Healthy In Balance
Depressed Pain Free Vibrant

Pain Zone Comfort Zone Fit Zone

If you‟re in pain from life and exercise without addressing the pain you‟re doing yourself
a disservice. This is because you are working at a deficit and ignoring your body‟s needs.
Pain is a signal from your body that something is wrong. Pain can also be an indication
that something in your life is changing but you are resisting this change. You are out of
balance if you are in pain.

Additionally, your exercise efficiency, freedom of movement and possible enjoyment of

exercise is virtually eliminated if you‟re in pain. A body in pain does not want to move.
Pain also closes down the mind.

The goal of this work is to help you create a new association and relationship with your
body based on pleasure and/or your highest path. “No pain no gain” has its place but not
if you‟re already in pain.

You can address many physical aches and pains through the following exercise.

Step 2 - Intentional Relaxation

Intentional relaxation is an art requiring you to actively focus your energy into your body.
The purpose is to help it relax and attain balance. It involves tuning into what already
exists in your body/mind and learning how to let it go.

Letting Go

During the trial and tribulations of life, we may encounter a moment when someone tells
us to “let go” of some mental or emotional matter currently troubling us. This “issue”
prevents us from moving forward in our lives. Oftentimes, this is easier said then done.
Spiritually, we often use the term “letting go” as a means of attaining a higher state of
awareness by releasing an aspect of ourselves that no longer serves us.

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In my experiences, letting go is very powerful tool we can use to deepen our self-
connection and find peace within our body/mind. It, like any other tool needs to be used
as often as possible to remain sharp and effective. The key word here is practice. The
more you practice “letting go” the better you will get at it. Then when a pivotal
professional or personal moment occurs in your life, you will be able to respond to the
moment rather than be overwhelmed by it.

How Does One Practice Letting Go?

I have been repeatedly asking this question for many years and have discovered the most
powerful (and clearest) way of letting go involves practicing with the tool that is the
interface between the realms of our internal and external worlds: our bodies.

Our bodies are more than just chemical bags tak ing in air, liquid and substance. As
previously described, your body is a beautiful and unique sophisticated bio-
supercomputer holding your essence. I believe the body is one aspect of your essence.
Therefore, every experience you have becomes part of who you are. We have all heard
the saying, “You are what you eat.” Let‟s add, “You are what you experience.”

To me, the magic of my life is realized through each experience we have. The more we
allow each experience to affect us, the more we are moved, shifted, deepened, inspired
and motivated. We then are more aligned with those experiences that bring us more life.
Each experience becomes a teacher that informs us more about our life and our
relationship to it.

By choosing to be fully aware of the affects each experience produces in our body/mind,
the more we have the opportunity to release what gets in our way or does not serve us.

Once the obstacle is released, we can replace it or “re-program” our bio-supercomputer

with a more updated and fulfilling life program.

Your ability to let go provides you the opportunity to observe your behaviors. This
empowers you to choose to engage only in behaviors that serve your life while no longer
choosing the ones that harm yourself and/or others. The idea here is to instill into your
body/mind that letting go is more desired than being negative, angry, or overwhelmed.
Your body is a learning machine and the more you reinforce the behaviors you wish to
develop the more you will strengthen those behaviors while the older, less sophisticated
behaviors will be cleared out.

FYI – we have developed a special program called The Letting Go Project email course,
which focuses on 10 specific topics such as letting go of judgment, guilt, weight loss and
more. We have had great success helping others transform with this program. To learn
more go to: www.lettinggoproject.com.

Here are the principles: Pain (contraction) causes the body to close down, and pleasure
(expansion) causes the body to open. The more pain your body experiences, the more
negative emotion arise and cause your mind to become clouded. The more pleasure you
provide your body causes your mind to open, your outlook to improve and your world to
expand. Pain = contraction. Pleasure = expansion. Therefore, experiences that produce
body/mind contraction are to carefully considered (avoided) and those that provide
body/mind expansion are to be embraced.

How to Apply Letting Go to a Workout

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This simple procedure will help to reduce a great deal of stress and inner tension in your
life while creating space for health and vitality. This technique can be practiced anywhere
but for the purposes of applying it before a workout you need to find a quiet area before
you begin your workout. You will receive the most benefits if you practice while lying on
the floor. You can practice at home before you try this in the gym setting. Depending
upon your gym there may be an empty stud io or a stretch area quieter than the rest of the
gym. If not, and your coming from work, sit in your car and practice before going in.

The goal is to connect to yourself and calm your mind from your day.

This technique, which involves observing your breath, can also help you get to sleep at
night and is great for helping you to remain relaxed and connected to your body when
traveling for long periods.

Connection to Inhale

1. Close your eyes (make sure your in a safe and quiet area) and begin to notice
where in your body your inhale begins.
2. Allow your breath to travel in and out through your nose.
3. Allow your breathing to be natural. If it is shallow, let it be shallow. If it is deep,
let it be deep.

Connecting to Your Exhale

1. Now focus on your exhale.

2. Allow your exhale to leave your body as fast or as slow as your body breathes it.
3. Allow your exhale to be effortless. Exhaling in this way provides you an actual
tangible experience of what “letting go” feels like. Take your cues from this
experience (which you can perform anywhere at anytime) and learn from what
letting feels like.

Letting Go

1. As you continue to exhale, extend your new ability of letting go to your entire
body.
2. Continue to exhale and release your body‟s weight through the support beneath
you. The more weight you give the floor, the more the floor will support you.
3. Allow this feeling of support to travel upward through the bones of your body.
4. As your body recognizes this support, your muscles will have more freedom to
relax. With every exhale release the grip of your muscles on your body and let go.
5. Maintain your mind‟s focus on your breathing and continue to let go, traveling
down your body, relaxing your neck and shoulders, the muscles in your belly, the
small of your back, your buttocks, the muscles in your groin, your thighs and your
legs.

Once you have finished relaxing stay quiet within and rest. Eventually you may recognize
how good you feel and how clearer your mind has become.

When you are ready, slowly transition from a lying position to a sitting position. Rest and
breathe, allowing your body time to adjust before finally getting to your feet.

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Pay attention to the feeling of support you feel beneath your feet. The more weight you
give to your feet and the floor, the more the floor supports you. Allow yourself to be fully
supported by the floor. Relax all your muscles as the floor supports you through your
skeleton. Allow the floor to support you through your feet, your ankles, your lower legs,
your knees, your hips, each spine of your vertebra, your neck, and lastly, your head.

Once you are supported in standing, notice your posture. Are you standing straighter?
Does it feel good? Pay attention to how your posture feels and continue giving your
weight to the floor until you feel good to great in your posture.

To make this procedure easier we have created a product to help train you and your
nervous system to release its accumulation of tension from stress. It is called DeStress
Therapy and you can purchase it online. The product is a 5-week course complete with
audios and a manual. To purchase this visit, www.energybasedhealth.com/products/dt.

Once you feel fully supported and grounded you are now ready to work out.

Note – If at any time you feel lightheaded, go slow. Allow your body time to adjust before
moving quickly. Sit back down and pay attention to how you feel. Please take care of your
needs and do not continue if you feel uncomfortable.

Practice of this technique can be performed anywhere at anytime and provides:

 Deep relaxation
 Heightened body connection and awareness
 Increased flow of energy in your body

The more time you spend practicing letting go in this fashion, the more you will int egrate
this behavior into your daily life. The deeper you are able to connect to yourself where
you are, improves your ability to let go. Eventually your body/mind will adopt it as a
natural part of your life.

Step 3 – Melting Tension, Aches and Constant Pain

If you have aches and pains that never go away, this step is for you to perform.

The built up tension or tightness in your body can be dissolved. Pain and pleasurable
sensation all have the same characteristic of coming and going. That is, no sensation is
permanent. They do not last. Every feeling and sensation you have had eventually ended.
What determines the period of time you experience a particular sensation is based on
your internal resistance to feeling or experiencing it. As you relax your internal defenses
and breathe with the part of yourself in pain, the pain will lessen and eventually
disappear.

The challenge is to be able to face your pain and remain calm in the presence of it.

Begin by scanning the body and observing any tightness or tension you may find. It may
be a subtle sensation of tightness or an obvious discomfort. Upon finding your pain begin
to observe it. Do not try to do anything with it. Just allow it to be as it is. Be with the
reality of it. Then answer the following questions:

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 1. Rate your pain. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the most intense) what is the degree
to which you feel your pain?
2. What is its size? Calmly examine how it feels. What is its size? How far does it
extend? Where does it originate? Allow the pain to inform you as to how big it is.
Get clear on its size before moving on to the next step.
3. What is its shape? Is there a shape to your pain? It is a line? A square? A fist?
Pay attention to the feeling of your pain and allow it to inform you as to its shape.

Now that you have a rating, a size and a shape, give it room to be as it is. Continue to
calmly and neutrally observe it and offer it acceptance. Surrender to its presence. Most
importantly, relax the muscles surrounding this area. Eventually you will find the
pain will begin to change. Follow the changes with your awareness. Allow the changes to
happen as they happen. If it moves to another part of your body, calmly follow it. Stay
with it, offering it space to be by relaxing everything around it until it has completely
dissolved.

Continue to scan your body and work with the areas that require your attention until your
body releases its pain.

Dissolving pain is a skill that requires practice. Our last product for this series is our
Reduce Your Pain program. The product is a 5-week course complete with audios and a
manual to guide you to train your body to release its pain. To purchase this visit,
www.energybasedhealth.com/products/reduce-your-pain.

FYI - A word about observation: observation in this sense means opening yourself to
your body and listening to what it tells you. Have no expectation as to the method of how
it may communicate with you. Just remain open to every sensation and feeling that comes
your way.

Step 4 – Maintaining an Open and Flowing Body During Exertion

The length of time you can perform any exertion is based on intensity. High intensity
exercises can only be maintained a short period while lower intensity can last much
longer.

What I have discovered is that by training yourself not to close down upon the pain of
exertion by remaining calm and open, you will experience tremendous benefits such as:

 Increased strength, power and endurance

 Improved ability to stay calm during any stressful situation
 A deeper connection with yourself
 Pushing your limits with more tolerance

The practice of intentionally relaxing before you begin a specific exercise will help you
to focus upon staying calm within your mind and body while you exert. As you exercise,
the sensations of exertion rise within your body. Face them head on and continue to
remain calm and open. Maintain a connection to your body and keep your muscles calm
and open as you push your limits whatever they may be. This practice will enable you to
produce more results as your become more comfortable being uncomfortable.

FYI – if you have lived long enough you know that being comfortable while being
uncomfortable is an extremely valuable skill, which will help you for the rest of your life.

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The 2 Point System of Holistic Fitness

As previously discussed, the purpose of exercise is to connect to and improve the way
you use your body. You have now been given the tools to push your comfort zone and
keep yourself calm and open. Now we need to push your envelope and create some
results.

Point 1 – Push Your Comfort Zone

If results are produced by adaptation caused by stress then the most efficient way to elicit
change is to fatigue your muscle to the point where they grow stronger. This means in
order to create change, you must push your personal comfort zone.

This is where “no pain, no gain” comes in.

FYI - However, if your body is still in pain and stressed, you should only impose a limited
amount of “no pain, no gain” on your body. The goal is to listen to your body and only
push it when it‟s ready.

If you can push yourself to this point, your body will change, grow, and get tighter and
leaner before your very eyes.

I recommend discovering for yourself where the edge of your comfort zone lies. The
more familiar you are with this edge, the more you can safely push it.

What About Reps and Sets?

Reps and sets are great ways to organize a workout or are they? If you like the structure it
imposes and the need to have a goal, then they are great.

There is another way. The following suggestion requires a great deal of self- honesty and
a desire to push your limits.

Picking Workout Intensity

On a scale of 1-10, pick a level of workout intensity at which you wish to train. The
higher you go, the more focus you will need, the more energy you will expend and the
more results and benefits you can expect to achieve.

What‟s that? You want to work out at an 8? Great! Okay, that will get you good results!
Let‟s begin with a simple exercise. How about a bicep curl? (1 -You can use any
traditional exercise or non-traditional exercise like a yoga pose or Pilates. 2- Only do this
exercise to this degree you feel comfortable. Doing these exercises without a certain
degree of safety is completely contradictory to the point I am trying to convey regarding
listening to your body. So, please tune in and listen to your body. Pick any exercise or
movement you like. Bicep curl is only an example.)

Pick a weight (resistance or time to hold the pose) you know will challenge you based on
your commitment of an 8. Begin to curl the weight, both arms at the same time. Don‟t
stop until you get to the point where you cannot do another (Be sure to have good, safe
form). Good job!
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Now assess… did you give an 8? Could you have done another rep? My guess is you
probably could. (Once again, I remind you to listen to your body. This is where brutal
self-honesty comes in. Either your body could do another rep or it could not. Only YOU
know the truth. Also, form is important but we will get to that later.)

Try another again and push yourself to where you cannot do another rep. It does not
matter what number you reach as long as you go until you cannot do another (all the
while maintaining good form).

If you exercise in this manner, pushing your limits while listening to your body, you are
guaranteed to safely fatigue your muscle and obtain results. If it takes you 1 minute to get
to fatigue, you probably need to add more weight/resistance. If it takes you 2 seconds to
get there then lighten the load. The beauty of working out this way is it ensures
variability for each day that you have different energy levels. This way you don‟t have to
worry about reps and sets. All that is required is you do the best you can for each exercise
and focus completely on what you are doing. If you want to do two sets, do them as
intently and intensely as you want. If you want to do four sets, go for it, as long as your
body has a positive response without pain.

By practicing exercise in this way, you will learn your limits, improve your endurance,
deepen your commitment and stay true to your word (integrity). See how this works?

The point here is to become comfortable pushing your level of comfort to the very ed ge
of tolerance. Having this information about yourself is invaluable in your daily life.
Knowing what you can take on and what is too much for you can be the difference
between a good business decision and a bad investment.

Once you develop your ability to recognize your limits you can choose whatever level of
exertion you wish to perform for a workout keeping in mind the following:

 Always listen to your body before, during and after an exercise because it knows
best
 Always address your body‟s needs, signs, aches and pains
 Only choose exercises, classes, or movements you enjoy, otherwise what‟s the
point?
 Know results require some effort (within safe limits of your ability and tolerance).
The more effort expended, the more results you can expect
 Only push your limits if you want to not because you have to

Point 2 – The Practice of Good Form Provides More than Just Increases in Strength

I have found with every activity, no matter if it‟s running, sitting at lunch, performing leg
presses, squats, or bicep curls, or even doing something as simple as drinking a beer,
good posture is always desired. The more you practice good posture, the more you body
will remember and your posture will improve. Posture is such an important aspect of self-
image. How important is posture to you?

Good form is good posture! Remember our posture exercise where you relaxed into the
floor…the more you perform this exercise the better your posture will become. The more
you understand what good posture feels like, the more you can bring it into the gym
environment. Practicing good form means head held high, shoulders back, core tight, and

66
legs planted on the ground while doing your exercise (if that is what the exercise calls
for) and staying focused on (or committing to) maintaining this form regardless of how
much it hurts. If you focus on giving 100% of your energy to doing as much as you can
until you cannot do anymore with good form/good posture, you will be addressing a
whole slew of things including the following positive outcomes:

 Practicing good posture

 Harmonizing your body and mind
 Strengthening your entire body

The benefits do not stop there because you also achieve the following side benefits:

 Improving the attribute of maintaining integrity

 Enhancing internal fortitude
 Pushing your limits
 Improving dedication and commitment
 Becoming more comfortable outside your comfort zone

The key here is to completely focus upon the experience as it is happening. No

distraction, no excuses, just you and your body.

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Chapter 11 - Creating Your Vision

Step 5 – Defining Your Physical, Emotional and Mental Needs

Once you body is pain free, you are now ready to create your vision.

The following questionnaire is designed to help you create your vision by mapping out
your day and what your needs may be.

The goal is to understand:

 What you‟re body is doing every day? What position is it always in? What is the
demand on you while you are in this position?

 How much energy you exert throughout the day? What kind of energy are you
exerting? Physical labor? Taking care of others? Managing employees?

 What is the nature of your thinking? How do you spend your mental time each
day?

Once you finish answering these questions, take in all your information. From this
perspective you should be able to identify:

 How much stress you are under?

 The type of stress?
 How stress affects you, mentally, emotionally, and physically.
 What you need in terms of helping you to balance your body and mind from the
habits of your daily life.
 Your outlook on life determines how much energy you have. Poor outlook lessens
energy while a positive outlook helps to keep you energized.

Please print out pages 65 – 71 and answer all questions.

68
 My Physical Picture
How do you feel each day?

o Every day I jump out of bed.

o I feel great every day
o I have some aches
o I have many aches and pains
o I can‟t feel my body
o I listen to my body only when it hurts

The specific demands upon my body per day consists of:

o Sitting at a computer
o Walking
o Walking with briefcase
o Standing
o Other

How many hours do you work per week?

o 40 or less
o More than 40

Right now, how do you feel in your body?

o Free and open

o Tight and closed
o Energized
o Tired
o Don‟t know

On a scale of 1-10, what is your daily stress level?

(10 is the most stress)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

What exercise do you like to do? Make a list. (These are exercises or movements you will
be adding to your routine.)

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

What exercise do you NOT like to do? Make a list. (These are exercises or movements
you will not be doing)

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

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________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

My Emotional Picture
Each day the energy of my emotions are challenged by:

o Deadlines
o Kids
o Significant other
o Managing Employees
o Managing Bosses
o Managing Co-workers
o Budgeting Concerns
o Meetings

The amount of emotional energy I either try to control within myself or I give to others
per day is:

o High
o Medium
o Low

Make a list, what motivates and inspires you?

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Optimism is an inclination to anticipate the best possible outcomes of my actions.

The degree to which I am optimistic in my daily life on a 1-10 scale is:
(10 being extremely optimistic)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
How often do you find yourself smiling?

o Very often
o Often
o Sometimes
o Rarely
o Never
o I‟m the Grinch

Would you like to smile more?

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 o Yes
o No

My Mental Picture
(Check all that apply)

Describe your mental outlook:

o I over-think and over-analyze everything

o I can‟t stop my mind from constantly thinking
o Stopping constant thinking is something I am interested in
o Yes
o No
o I think when I want to and stop thinking when I don‟t need to

The majority of my thinking is:

o Problem-solving
o Math Whiz
o Complex abstract thought
o Daydreamer
o Worrier
o Over-analyzer

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Using the above information, fill in this
M y R e a lit y
chart. The goal is to identify where you are
in terms of energy, stress and output.

If you‟re energy is low, your stress is high

and your giving a lot of energy to others M y D a ily E n e rg y
your exercise progression needs to start with L e v e ls
relaxation and recharge before you are ready
H ig h
to exert with intensity. This progression is M e d iu m
organic. This means you need as much time Low
as you need to train your body to no longer
hold tension before you feel free to exert at
higher levels. Patience with yourself is of
the utmost importance.
D a ily S tre s s
L e v e ls
Those who are ready to exercise intensely
will have high energy, low stress and are H igh
M e dium
giving out minimum levels of energy to
Low
others. However, most likely your body is
still in need of releasing tension from your
day. Take the time to relax your body and
mind before exercising. You will see great
changes in your performance when you do. T he Am ount O f
E m o tio n a l E n e r gy I
C o n tr o l O r G iv e A w a y
For those in between, you will need to start
with relaxation to offset the tension. Slowly, H igh
M e dium
over time, you can increase exercise Low
intensity as you become consistent in your
relaxation-exercise routine.

When you create your vision below, have

the flow chart filled out and in front of you. M y D e gr e e O f M e n ta l
Also, have all your list of what motivates A c tiv ity P e r D a y
and inspires you.
H igh
M e dium
Low

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Vision/Purpose/Mission
Vision

What do you see possible in life, for yourself and others that would fulfill, motivate and
inspire you? What could you contribute to the world that would make it a better place for
you and for everyone else?

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

What is the vision you have for your life? If you were 135 years old and you looked back
on your life, what would you want to see? What goals, dreams, and aspirations would you
have lived out?

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Purpose

Why are you here? What needs to be done to bring this vision to fruition? Who do you
have to become? What changes need to be made? Looking from the highest possible
perspective, what is the best use of your combination of interest, talents, and experience?

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Mission

What are the daily steps you need to take in order to accomplish your purpose and
manifest your vision? What are the key actions and main measurable, observable results?
Where does this current mission fit in with regard to you fulfilling your life‟s purpose?
What do you want from you body? What are the everyday demands you place upon your
body and what are your physical needs? And, possibly the most important question: How
do you want to feel everyday in the body that will be with you for the rest of your life?

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

73
Reflect on the questions above. Then write a rough draft (a page of any length) of your
mission statement. Remember, it should describe what you want to do and who you want
to be. This is not a job description. Carry it with you, post copies in visible places at
home and work, and revise and evaluate. Be patient with yourself. The process is as
important as the outcome. After a few weeks, write another draft. Ask yourself if your
statement was based on proven principles you believe in, and if you feel direction,
motivation and inspiration when you read it. Over time, reviewing and evaluating will
keep you abreast of your own development.

Take some time to formulate the path you want your life to lead. The longer you spend
looking and creating this for yourself, the sooner the answers within you will arise.

You may be wondering how you will know what is meant to be your life‟s purpose or
your vision. The simplest answer is, it will feel right and you will be excited whenever
you think about your vision!

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Step 6 - Committing To Your Vision

Now that you have established your vision, the next step is to fully commit to it! Answer
the questions below to see where you are. Some of the questions are redundant but this
redundancy is important to see where your truth really is.

Are you interested in truly having the goals you say you want in your life?
o Yes
o No

Are you willing to fully commit to these goals?

o Yes
o No

To what extent are you willing to commit?

o 0%
o 50%
o 90%
o 100%

Are you sure?

o Yes
o No

Are you sure you‟re sure?

o YES!
o NO!

(Assuming the answer is 100%) Are you willing to give up whatever gets in your way of
fulfilling your commitment? (i.e. certain foods, negative thinking, negative behaviors like
feeling small, believing you are not good enough or not deserving, not taking
responsibility for your anger, etc.…)

o Yes
o No

(Assuming the answer is yes) Are you sure?

o Yes
o No

Are you sure you‟re sure?

o YES!
o NO!

After you have filled this out, stop and sit back. Look within yourself and ask yourself
how does it feel to be committed in this way? Focus on listening to your body and the
sensations and feelings that arise from the commitment you have made.

Do Not Print Beyond This Page

75
Step 7 – Becoming Your Vision

Find somewhere quiet and comfortable and begin to focus your mind on your body and
relax. Observe your inhale and let go of your exhale until you feel centered and calm
within your body. Make sure all distractions of your day and your body is cleared before
moving on.

When you are ready, begin to see your vision in the greatest detail you can imagine.
Imagine it happening right now in this moment. See yourself dressed the way you want to
be dressed. See yourself doing whatever it is your vision would require. Hear the sounds
or words you would hear. Feel how it would feel to actually have all of this. How
wonderful would it be to have your vision come true? The more you feel it, the more your
body will respond.

Once you feel it, amp it up! Then notice, where in your body do you feel this feeling?
Focus your awareness there and breathe into it. Feel it throughout your body and mind.
Stay with it as long as you can. I can‟t imagine why you would want to leave this
experience. It‟s the experience of having the things you want in your life ! Enjoy it! Revel
in it! This is yours and yours alone.

Then when you‟re ready, pick a word/image/symbol encapsulating the feeling of having
your vision. It can be anything as long as it reminds you of your vision. You will keep
this word/image/symbol with you and put it in as many places as possible to reinforce
your choice and commitment to yourself.

Once you have your word or symbol, maintain the connection between the vision, the
feeling and the symbol until you feel complete. Again, I encourage you to stay with this
feeling as long as you can.

Congratulations, you have just re-programmed yourself.

Be aware, there will be challenges to this new program. Old negative programming will
surface and try to regain control. You however, have made a very powerful choice to
change and therefore, you will overcome any and all negative programming, bad eating
or poor health habits.

You have now embraced your new programming and behaviors to fulfill and support
your new goals and visions. You are now becoming more aware of how your previous
choices have not been supportive and you see your life changing before your eyes. Stay
with it. Get help from only those who truly support you and don‟t let anybody drag you
down or distract you from your vision.

Now that you have direction we can look at what attributes your vision requires for you
to realize your dreams.

The Meaning of Words

I have found the true meaning of a word is a very personal thing. I believe each of us has
internalized words to mean one thing that may be comparable to other individual‟s
meaning, but like snowflakes, there are differences.

I suggest that for each of the attributes you wish to improve first go within yourself and
clearly define what these words mean to you. Use a dictionary if you need to but the
76
purpose here is to clarify for yourself what, for example, integrity means for you and
your life. The result of this is your use of the word and the meaning it implies will
forevermore suit you and your life.

Have the word mean something you can use to improve your connection to yourself or
your life. If you cannot relate to the word and its does not interest you, then don‟t practice
it or change it until it has a purpose in your life. Freedom begins with making the choice
to be free and create your life the way YOU want it to be. If we are forever giving away
our power to a dictionary to teach us about integrity, we will always lack it.

Step 8 - Practice Attributes of Success in Every Workout

Your vision will either focus on the development of personal goals and/or professional
goals.

Some examples of personal goals:

 Meeting a life mate

 Raising a family
 Having close friends
 Having an active social life
 Traveling
 Gaining specific material good(s)
 Other?

Some examples of professional goals:

 A fulfilling and successful career

 Having a positive effect on others
 Being wealthy
 Achieving recognition in your field
 Other?

If we have missed any, please add what resonates with you.

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 Necessary Attributes to Achieving Pe rsonal and Professional Success can Include:

Attributes of Personal Success: Common Attributes Attributes of Professional Success:

 Intimacy  Commitment  Drive

 Sexual Performance  Creativity  Intuition
 Self Comfort Level  Willingness to Change  Organizational Skills
 Self Connection  Integrity  Multi-tasking
 Sensitivity  Honesty  Confidence
 Empathy  Self- motivated  Perseverance
 Compromise  Initiative  Strength
 Understanding  Open
I would remiss if I did not mention that
to there  when
New are inherent emotional risks Endurance
you reach
 for
Appreciationyour goals and dreams. Things/Ideas/Experiences
 Expression  Respect
Inherent Risks of Striving for
 More in Your Life
 Loyalty Courage
 Focus
Exposure
 Assertion
Being vulnerable
 Grace
Being wrong
Failing  Adaptability
 Remaining Calm
Unintentionally hurting others
Being seen differently from the Trust
way you see yourself
 Tolerance
 Listening

Reaching for Your Dreams

We all possess dreams, but reaching them is not always easy. However, it is always
rewarding. The act of reaching for them will strengthen you, enlighten you, challenge
you, broaden you, help you realize more of who you are and show you who you are not.

If you don‟t reach for your goals, you are doing yourself and the world a huge disservice.

Within you is a unique voice. You have specialized gifts. Keeping these gifts hidden
helps no one, especially you. The choice is either to reach for them or to resign yourself
to being less in your life.

Your commitment is what allows you to face and overcome the risk of reaching for your
dream Every moment of your life can become an amazing opportunity to learn more
about yourself. You can make the word “mistake,” mean anything you want. I, long ago
changed the definition of “mistake” to represent “challenge” and have embraced every
challenge as just another way of seeing what works and what does not. The goal is to
learn the lesson.

The opportunity of embracing each of these “negative” feelings is they already exist in
your body/mind. They already have an effect in your life everyday. If you don not
acknowledge them, their affect remain underground and unseen.

Be aware - when you practice positive behaviors, it causes the negative ones to surface.
This is the opportunity for growth, healing and empowerment. If you allow the negative

78
ones to surface, they will eventually clear leaving a space for you to fill up with your new
positive ways.

Within this space is where you begin linking your personal and professional goals to your
exercise so your workouts become a metaphor for your life.

1. Establish your vision

2. Committed to it 100% and accept responsibility for it
3. Plant your vision like seeds into your body/mind
4. Apply the attributes of your vision to your exercises

What Kind of Exercises Should You Do?

To answer this question we turn to your vision… what attributes do you need in order to
realize the goals you have set for yourself?

How we get better at these attributes is by practicing them and becoming more familiar
with how they fit into our lives. If you have no opportunity to practice them, how can you
get better? The following realization is the key to the specific attributes you‟re interested
in developing being integrated into your workouts.

Whatever your body goes through is indelibly impressed upon your subconscious. When
you consciously choose to practice a specific attribute with physical activity, what you
are doing is creating an association.

This association is, “Whenever I focus upon my body and I exert myself I will also focus
upon feeling and having the attribute I have chosen to practice.

The more you workout with this intention, the more you will strengthen this association
between your body and your chosen attribute.

Imagine you have just spent the week practicing running with good posture. You discover
your ability and form improved because of your commitment to yourself. You have
learned you can maintain good posture during a stressful situation. One day you are in a
situation where you are really tired but you have a presentation to do. You remember
your experience of maintaining good posture during your running. Instantly your body
also remembers as inner reserves of strength come forth to energize your posture. You
have no problem making your presentation and you look good doing it.

Successful Personal Attributes:

Intimacy

Be with your body as you move and use it. During your workout focus on having every
moment be yours and yours alone. Feel every movement. Make each one count. Being
good at intimacy begins with your connection to yourself. Use every workout as a
practice of how to feel your body as you would a lover‟s. Put aside for the moment any
misgivings, shame or embarrassment this thought brings forth and simply view your body
as something wonderful. Even it you only do it for a couple of seconds. If you keep at it,
a couple of seconds will grow to a minute and beyond just like stre ngthening a muscle.
As you become more intimate with the movements of your body during every exercise
you will find your connection to yourself improves and deepens. After all, if you cannot
be intimate with yourself, how can you be intimate with another?
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Improved Sexual Performance

If you really want to improve your ability to have sex I suggest taking the time to feel
your body from the inside out. (Intentional Relaxation on page 56 and the Feelings
Mediation, page 99 will help.) Sex does not just involve the genitals. Your entire body
has pleasure receptors all over it. Dancing can be very erotic. So can a bath. Engaging in
any activity or form of exercise that deepens your connection to your body and its
sexuality will enhance intimacy with another. Masturbation is a wonderful way of
connecting to what excites and pleases you.

Personal Comfort Levels

This is the comfort you have with yourself when you are alone and is challenged when
you are in close proximity to others whom you do not know. Practicing being at ease with
your body, as it is when you are alone, will enable you to maintain this same degree of
comfort when you are not alone. Use Intentional Relaxation (page 56) and Feelings
Meditation (page 99) to become more comfortable with uncomfortable feelings. Your
personal comfort levels will rise the more you practice staying calm and relaxed in the ir
presence. Comfort and discomfort are a natural part of life. Learning to be comfortable
while you exert is an extension of this ability.

Self-Connection

Learn to listen to your body as it speaks to you. Listen to the nuance of its moods and
needs. Learn to recognize any patterns of behavior your body habitually performs. Notice
how your mind distracts you from what your body is doing. Use the sensations and
feelings in your body as the focal point of your attention. If you become aware you are
dialoguing with yourself you know your back in your head. Gently but firmly bring your
attention back to what you are experiencing in your body. Listen when you‟re unhappy,
sad, glad, mad, angry, happy, and fulfilled. Don‟t ignore any of it. The more you listen to
yourself the more awareness you develop and therefore the more information you have
about what you are going through and what you need.

Sensitivity and Empathy

As your self-connection, self-acceptance, personal comfort, and intimacy improve so too

does your sensitivity and empathy. Practice listening to your body during exercise and
listen for what is needed and balance it with what the goals are. For example, if you are in
the gym working out and you are feeling exhausted, maybe you should go lighten up on
your intensity. Maybe, if you‟ve had a long week you should go stop and go home.
Alternatively, if you have not worked out for a while and you‟re tired, maybe you should
push forward. The point here is to have your mind present with your body during every
moment of exertion. As you strengthen this association your connection to your body will
deepen. The greater your listening is, the greater empathy and sensitivity you develop,
not just for yourself but for others as well.

Unde rstanding

Once again this involves listening to your body. Practice listening for what is needed in
that moment. Learn to discern the difference between laziness and true fatigue.
Understand when your body needs rest or when it needs to be pushed. Allow yourself to
be where you are when you are there. True understanding requires true honesty.
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Appreciation

Learn to take the time to celebrate when you have completed something that is difficult
or challenging for you. Appreciate that you have been true to your commitment.
Appreciate that you have two working arms and legs because there are those who don‟t.
Appreciate the fact that your body works as well as its does because there are those
whose bodies don‟t work very well. Appreciation is all around you. The challenge is to
take the time to realize what you truly have and be grateful for it. Taking the time on a
daily basis to appreciate your body will generate more hea lth and balance within your
body and mind.

Expression

Learn to express yourself through body movements. Dancing is great for this! Let
yourself go as you dance. You can also try different ways of exercising traditional
exercises and movements (be sure to keep it safe). See how it feels to allow your body to
lead you. Enjoy the feeling and keep trying something new. Be free with your movements
and refrain from creating too much structure.

Loyalty

Practice staying true to yourself and your goals. Be loyal to your needs. Devote time each
day to giving your body time to be “center-stage” (your mind usually takes center-stage).
Learn what loyalty to yourself means to your body. This practice will empower you to be
loyal to others.

Successful Professional Attributes:

Drive

Once you find a rhythm or comfort with one form of exertion, push yourself to higher
levels of intensity. See how high you can go. Don‟t stop until your reach your goals.
Don‟t fall into a “routine”. This leads to boredom.

Intuition

Intuition resides within and is a valuable resource. It can be tapped through learning to
listen and tune into your truth. Intentional Relaxation (page 56) and Feelings Meditation
(page 99) can help. Intuition is a very real thing and exists within your body. Practice
listening to different areas of your body to develop your ability to connect to your inner
world. This will promote your intuition to surface and provide you with clearer
communication. Open yourself up to hearing your intuition. Ask yourself out loud to
have your intuition speak louder than the rest of the voices in your head. Allow your
body to move with less structure and more freedom to express.

Multi-tasking

The benefit of multi-tasking in our modern world is valuable. It is true anything you
cannot place your full attention on loses quality but nonetheless multi-tasking is an
attribute that makes a big difference in performance and therefore, future success.

Practicing multi-tasking – try to perform these things while remaining calm

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  Squats on a balance board
 You can add throwing a ball to another person or just up in the air while on the
balance board
 You can learn to juggle while on one leg

While these specific tasks may be more than you‟re willing to attempt, the point is to
physically perform two activities at once. You can lift one foot while using a cable
column or hand weights. You can make circles with your arms while doing squats. You
can have one arm circle in one direction while the other arm circles in another direction
while doing walking lunges. It‟s based in your ability to physically imagine.

Now these things may seem to be unrelated to the kind of multi-tasking you need in your
day but what you are doing during your day but if you practice these things with intent
you will develop:

 Your overall ability to balance (physically, mentally and emotionally)

 An improved ability to handle more than one thing at a time while remaining calm

Strength During Adversity

The concepts I am offering are intangible. They are on a page of written words and not in
real life. When you physically practice something it becomes an anchor for you to
remember. Here is a real life situation. Your job is to handle many roles at once. When
it‟s quiet and calm you are fine, but when many things start to happen all at once you
quickly lose your composure and worry, fear and anxiety set in. Maybe at first this stress
helps to sharpen and strengthen you, but eventually you become worn down. You may
get sick or maybe you need to spend your weekends doing absolutely nothing until you
recover.

If you start applying multitasking to your workouts slowly and with a certain degree of
fun you will slowly discover something about yourself. You will know you can handle it.
“Hell, if I can balance while on a balance board in a held semi-squat position while
throwing a ball, and if in that situation I can remain calm, then I can handle my job and
this moment.” Slowly it will dawn on you… you can handle a great deal more than you
thought with much less energy. There is a great difference between thinking you can do
something and actually doing it.

Confidence/Strength and Powe r

I define power as clarity of purpose. The more your purpose is clear, the more power you
will have. Maintain your focus on your purpose and no one or nothing will get in your
way. Let nothing distract you. After all, this is your life.

Walk into the gym with the intention to pick a degree of intensity and commit to it. Pick a
time by which to finish and LET NOTHING STAND IN YOUR WAY. Do every rep, set
and run with as much focus and dedication as you can. Have perfect form. Feel the power
of your commitment. True power is strengthened when you see you can achieve that
which you set out to do.

I define strength as the ability or means to achieve your purpose. Your strength flows
from your commitment of purpose. Your strength increases as your ability to channel

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your power improves. As you experience your strength and power, your confidence in
these areas will grow. Because this confidence stems from your body - this body that is
with you all day long – this confidence will flow into all areas of your life.

Perseverance

Pick a day and detail out your workout. Pick a level of intensity for the entire workout
and a time you will be sure to finish. Then do it. Don‟t stop until its finished in exactly
the form you intended. Be fierce. Persevere. Overcome your own resistance. (Even if its
only two minutes, that‟s a start.)

Endurance

Pick a piece of cardio equipment and commit to a certain number of minutes, at a certain
intensity and do not stop until you fulfill this commitment. When you hit that point where
you don‟t think you can go any longer, DO IT ANYWAY. Practice extending your
ability to endure, for longer and longer periods of time.

Common Attributes:

Acclimation

This is one of the most important attributes of both worlds: exercise and inner
improvement. The more familiar you are with how to acclimate to any situation, the
better off you will be with regard to exercise and in your daily life. Every exercise is an
opportunity to adapt to the stresses involved. Learn to harness the power of adaptation
inherent in the cells of your body.

Commitment

Let‟s say you want to improve your ability to commit. Maybe you have problems
committing to others. Well, the first place to practice commitment is to yourself.

Commit to getting yourself to the gym twice a week. That‟s it. Just learn how to fulfill
this commitment. You can even walk in and walk out. Now, you might say, “that
ridiculous”, but if I say try this and already you‟re thinking “ridiculous”, I‟d say this is
the voice which prevents you from committing. It is this voice that talks you out of doing
something because it seems to be ridiculous. Don‟t let this voice win. Treat this walking
in and walking out as a success. Take the time each day to practice fulfilling small
commitments. As you get better and increase your comfort with fulfilling these
commitments, you can up your ante and raise the stakes.

Next, commit to two minutes on the bike. Anyone can do two minutes. Slowly you will
realize you can commit and it can be successful. Keep adding higher levels of
commitment to your workout. Eventually you will reach the point where committing to
working out will not be difficult. Beyond this, when you are in a situation that requires
your commitment you can always say to yourself in that key moment, “If I can commit to
30 minutes running on the treadmill at 6.5 m.p.h., I can commit to this...” Your
commitment confidence will improve along with your physical and cardiovascular
strength. There is nothing like feeling physically strong along with a mental concept of
inner strength and fortitude.

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The concept here is you can make any exercise mean anything you want. If you want
more power in your life, you can practice it in the gym. Lift weights and feel what
physical power feels like. Work on pushing yourself harder not because you have to but
because you choose it for yourself. Start by committing to a challenging number of
minutes (whatever is challenging to you) on a piece of cardio equipment.

Stay on it until you fulfill your commitment. After you finish, write down what your
intention was and what your action was. At that moment, commit to the next day/time
and number of minutes you will do for your next workout. Make sure you increase the
number of minutes from the first day to the next. This can be applied to any exercise.
Pick one exercise and a certain number of reps, sets and weight and then follow through
and do it.

Tolerance

We all need more tolerance of each other and ourselves. As you exercise, what you are
doing is tolerating or accepting the feelings and sensations of exercise and how it affects
your body. Once you begin tolerating the sensations exercise produces in your body the
more tolerant you become. This is also linked with intimacy or staying connected to what
is happening to your body as it is happening.

Creativity

Learn to move and use your body in new ways. This will help promote you to think in
new ways. Dance naked in front of a mirror. Try to create a new exercise or a new way to
move. Walk differently. Try to figure out for yourself how to run more efficiently.
Applying yourself to being physically creative will promote creativity on all other levels.

Willingness to Change

Change happens whether we like it or not. Instead of dealing with it when it comes,
choose instead to create it in your life. Change not because you have to but because you
want to. Change the way you eat, sleep, move, sit, walk, and talk. Seek change out.
Embrace it when you find it.

Integrity

I think of integrity as a structure. Integrity is what holds things together. Integrity is the
ability to hold a form constant. Practice being true to your word and your commitments.
Pick an exercise or a whole routine where you practice every aspect of the routine as
perfectly as possible. Declare out loud your intentions. Make sure each form is as it
should be according to your vision and commitment. The more fully you feel the
structure you chose to impose upon yourself, the more you will know what integrity feels
like, not as a concept but as an actual physical reality.

Honesty

Pick your intensity level before you workout. When you are finished ask yourself, “Did I
stay true to my intensity level?” Then ask yourself, “Could I have worked out even
harder?”

Self-Motivation
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Get to the gym/yoga or exercise class without relying upon anyone. Just go. Commit to a
week‟s worth of going regardless of who is there or how you feel. Practice doing things
on your own. Venture out on your own.

Show Initiative

When you set for yourself a goal for a workout, after you attain your goal do an extra set,
mile, or rep. Go to the park and run. Go help a stranger. Do something above and beyond
the goals you set for yourself.

Open to New Things/Ideas/Experiences

Whatever exercise modality you are used to, take one week and try something you
usually never do. Try yoga, spinning, hiking, biking, dancing or anything that challenges
you to open to something else outside of your comfort zone. Going outside of your
comfort zone in the exercise realm opens you to new opportunities that will expand your
overall horizons.

Respect

When you complete a goal, honor yourself for the work you did and ack nowledge
yourself. Respect where you have come from and where you are now. The more respect
you have for yourself, the more you respect you will have to give others when you feel
this it is appropriate. (Note- it is almost always appropriate to show others the respect
they have to make their own choices about their lives just as you would want them to
show you respect for the choices you make for your life. No one likes to be told what to
do or how to live. Give them this freedom because you give it to yourself.)

Courage

Courage is the ability to act in the face of fear. Go to the gym by yourself. Try a weight
you have never tried before. Run faster than you have before. Reach for something you
have always told yourself you could never have or do.

Focus

Ignore everything around you except for what you are doing. Focus on every sensation of
every motion. Do not let anyone take you away from what you‟re focusing on. Try
working out next to the most beautiful person in the gym and never once look at them.
Try focusing on NOT looking in the mirror for your whole workout. Resist temptation.

Assertion

When you are exercising and you reach a point where you feel like you need to stop,
assert yourself and finish what your commitment. You will deepen your presence as you
command your body to obey.

Grace

As you do your run or take your exercise class, move your body with as much grace as
you can. Feel your grace in every step and in ever gesture. Play with your movements and

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feel grace within you. This will enable you to become familiar with the feeling of grace
so you can integrate it into your day-to- day activities.

Adaptability

Adapt to the conditions in your gym. If it‟s crowded, work out around people by focusing
on not getting in anyone‟s way. Challenge yourself by making sure you get all the
specific aspects of your workout completed as planned. Another way to practice is to
change the way in which you work out. Change the order of exercises. Run for 10
minutes, get off and work with weights for 10 minutes and then run for 10 minutes again.
Switch things around and live a little. This new way of being will teach you how to adapt
to what life throws at you.

Remaining Calm

Exercise is a stress. As you exert, stay calm. After you exert, return to the calmest state
you can.

Trust

Trust your body. Trust it can handle extra weight, an extra rep, an extra mile, etc. Trust
that you can do what you say you can.

Self-Listening

Pick one day to listen to your body and give it what it needs even if it seems to be
contrary to your goal (however, always use your discernment. If this need involves
something harmful to yourself or others, don‟t do it). If your body does not want to work
out, don‟t work out. If you need to workout and press more weight, press more weight. If
you need to eat something that tastes great, but may not be the healthiest for you, eat it
and savor it. Give yourself permission to do what you truly want not based upon fear of
repercussion but because you simply want it. An additional benefit of this practice is it
improves your ability to listen to not only yourself and your body but to others as well.

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Chapter 12 - How to Use Your Body

Step 9 – Using Exercise Tools in a Purposeful Way

As we have previously established, exercise is a means to connect to and improve how

you use your body. If you have intentionally relaxed your body and released the tension
stored in your body before you exercise you are now in a body ripe for movement. This
state will promote your desire and ability to move and exert.

The formula is:

 Only exert yourself in ways, movements or exercises that feel good.

 Only push yourself if it feels good.
 Commit to each subsequent workout being more intense than the last one even if
it is only a little bit (if that feels good).
 Be honest about each workout intensity level.
 If you feel pain stop and try something else.
 Exercise to improve who you are.

The Check – In

With the enormous amount of information regarding health, the unique needs of your
body have been replaced with the “rules” of fitness. Your mind knows the
facts….“Exercise must be done in order to be healthy.” Or, “I need to run a certain
amount of time and lift weights to burn this amount of calories in order to look good!”

I am not disputing any of this.

However, instead of always telling yourself what you should be doing based upon other
people‟s opinions, try listening to your body and it will tell you what it needs.

The Check-In is a self-evaluative tool where you sense for yourself what is going o n
within your body. From this check- in you will easily be able to discern what health
practices are aligned with where you and your body are in any one moment.

My suggestion is to perform the check- in when you:

 Start your day

 Periodically throughout your day
 Before a workout
 After any stressful event

Before you leave your car for the gym, remain seated and close your eyes. Feel what your
body is like in that moment. Is it tired? Is it tense? Is it energized? Does it feel like doing
cardio or exert via weights? Maybe today is the day to try a yoga class. Whatever the path
you take, allow your body to tell you its needs. What this provides is a great deal of
autonomy versus the strict discipline that you must conform to “this routine” or “that
routine.”

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The current fitness environment provides for three scenarios:

 Exertion – Weights, classes or cardio

 Stretching – Self, classes, trainer
 Relaxation – Yoga, meditation, quiet time

Stretching

Stretching is a wonderful opportunity to deepen your connection with your body. A good
understanding of stretching sensitizes you to the degree of tension your body is
experiencing in any one moment. This is such an important skill in a modern world where
we sit for long period.

The body accumulates tension slowly over time. The problem is this slowness causes you
to adopt to it presence as “normal.” Years of sitting at a desk working in a stressful job
focusing on things around you have caused your neck to progressively tighten until your
shoulders are elevated. You unknowingly walk around with this tension locked in your
body and mind. Not only does this affect your posture and movements, it also drains your
energy and influences your thinking.

Stretching provides our body an enormous amount of relief. What is required is a focus
upon the sensations the stretch brings. These sensations are loaded with information
specific to your body.

Stretching teaches you to:

 Connect to the muscle(s) being stretched

 Gain greater awareness of your body
 Let go and surrender

Tension reveals the body‟s resistance to life. This tension keeps us from being fluid and
open. Stretching is a practice that will improve session to session. You will discover
muscles you never knew you had and discover internal reserves of strength that will
empower your daily life.

Again, I recommend becoming well practiced with the Intentional Relaxation (page 56)
and Melting Tension, Aches and Pains process (page 59), before attempting the following
stretch.

Forward Bend

Contraindication – if you have any pain in bending forward or have problems in your
lower vertebra, disc problems, spinal conditions, etc. please refrain from the forward
bend.)

1. First begin with Intentional Relaxation (page 57) and ground your feet into the
floor. Your knees should be strong and unbending.
2. When you are ready, begin to lower your upper body toward the floor, bending
only at the hips.

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 3. Lean forward as far as you feel comfortable until you can feel the stretch in the
back of your thighs and/or your lower back.
4. Once you find a comfortable, but stretched position, remain in your stretch and
close your eyes.
5. Give all your weight to your feet and let the floor support you.
6. Inhale and exhale through your nose.
7. As you exhale let go of any tension in your lower back, buttocks, and hamstrings.
8. As you exhale and let go of your body‟s tension, your muscles will gradually
release and you will descend towards the floor.
9. Keep breathing in this way until you notice that your body no longer can let go.
10. Rise up by pushing your feet through the floor without bending your knees.
Pushing through your feet will limit the amount of exertion in your lower back.
11. When you return to a full standing position again, close your eyes and breathe
your feet into the floor, grounding yourself once again.

This technique takes practice. The payoff is tremendous. Learning how to connect to your
tension and let go of it is invaluable in daily life.

The more you practice the better you will be at surrendering to your body‟s sensations.
This technique of conscious surrender is a great step in learning your body‟s language
and limits. Also, the body‟s tension usually goes very deep. Once you reach this depth,
you can work with it and release it.

The procedure of the Forward Bend Stretch described above can be applied to any stretch
as follows:

1. Relax your entire body as much as possible before you begin any stretch.
2. Make sure the parts of your body that are NOT stretching feel the support of the
ground. This helps the body let go because it feels safe through this support.
3. Choose a stretch and begin.
4. Stretch yourself until you find your edge between discomfort and pain.
5. Once you find this point, remain in it while you focus on the sensations of the
muscles being stretched.
6. Allow them to be as they are without trying to push away the sensation or
distracting yourself elsewhere.
7. As you breathe out through your nose, release any tension in any part of your
body.
8. Once your body is relaxed in the stretch, focus on relaxing the areas AROUND
the muscles experiencing the stretch.
9. As your tension ebbs you can deepen your stretch if it feels right to do so.

Core Conditioning

Your core is composed of the muscles constructing your midsection or torso (the
abdominal and lower back region). This section connects your upper body to your lower
body, from the top of your hips to your rib cage. Without your core you would not be
able to stand up straight.

The core‟s strength, power, and stability flow from the center of the body to the
periphery; therefore, the stronger your core, the stronger your periphery.

Your goal is to begin using your core everyday and re-train your body to rely upon it
rather then unconscious static tension from stress. Most people use their upper neck
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muscles to stabilize their upper body. This causes the neck muscles to be overworked.
The more attentive you are to your core when you‟re sitting, walking, standing, and
moving - the more your body will adapt positively to your life. Eventually, this daily core
practice will become automatic.

How to Use Your Core

In order to properly use your core, you must understand that muscles function in three
ways:

 They shorten.
 They lengthen.
 They hold a position with tension.

The last function is what we want to focus on.

 Right now, clench your stomach muscle region (core). Tighten them so you
cannot breathe (only for 1-2 seconds).
 Then relax. Do it again. Relax.
 Now try to see if you can tighten your core and then breathe. (You may have to
reduce your tension to allow your breath to enter.)

A different method is to push your fingers into your stomach so you can feel your
stomach muscles when they contract.

Then, laugh or cough. Laughing or coughing automatically activates the muscles of the
core. Use this as a tool to directly experience a contracted core.

As you progress, try to see how much core tension you can develop. Tighten as much as
you can and relax as deep as you can. This will help to not only strengthen the area, but
also it will strengthen your connection to your core. The more you practice, the better you
will get at using your core.

Remembe r the Goal Before Proceeding

This section below describes the mechanics of exercise. Before yo u can apply your vision
attributes to your workout understanding how to use your body will take up most of your
processing power. If you already know how to use your body then you can immediately
apply the attributes of your vision to your routine. For those of you who need more
education, please read on…

Core Progression

Lie on your back and connect to your core. Make sure the small of your back is pressed
against the floor and you can feel this connection. Hold your core (or engage your core)
so the small of your back does not move off the floor.

Level 1

Bend both knees so the bottoms of your feet are flat on the floor. With your core held
tightly, and your knees bent, lift one leg off the floor. Then lift the other leg off as well. Is
your core still holding you stable?

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If so, slowly straighten one leg away from you so it is parallel to the floor. The more you
straighten your leg the harder it will be for your core to maintain its position against the
floor. The goal is to only straighten your leg as far as your core remains stable.

Alternate legs and repeat for at least two sets of 15 repetitions.

Remember to challenge yourself, but be aware of your limits. Exercise can be intense but
it should NEVER CAUSE you PAIN.

Level 2

With both knees bent and feet off the floor, place both hands behind your head and focus
on holding your head with your hands.

Maintain this position and focus upon tightening your core while relaxing your neck.
Again, observing your inhale will help and as you exhale, relax your neck into your
hands.

When you feel you have allowed the muscles of your neck to sufficiently relax, focus on
connecting your hands, head, neck and upper body into one unit. Then as one, lift this
unit off the floor towards the ceiling then lower.

Perform two sets of 15 reps.

Level 3

Assume same position as in Level 2. Now, with the same crunch you will combine both
exercises.

 Hands behind your head

 Back flat against the floor
 Core tight
 Neck relaxed
 Knees bent, then lift so both feet are off the floor

As you crunch up, allow one leg to travel away from you. Focus upon keeping your lower
back and core to ensure total stability.

Only allow this leg to travel as far as your core dictates. As you lower your first crunch,
bring your leg back in. Next crunch - use your other leg. Perform two sets of 15 reps.

Endurance Training

The traditional purpose of endurance training is to promote cardiovascular health via

repetitive motions of large muscle group. This increases the oxygen-carrying capacity of
the blood thereby increasing the amount of O2 uptake and improving the efficiency of the
heart.

In my thinking, this effect is gravy. This is because so much of us spend our energy
trying to get “there”. Traditionally, the goal has been much more important than the

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process. In our heads we hear the chant, “I want to get there now,” but as soon as we get
“there” we start saying, “No time for rest, now, I want to get there.”
The quest for “there” can become endless. There is always another mountain to climb. If
you spend the rest of your workout life trying to get somewhere where you are not, all
you will experience is frustration.

If you focus on the process of exercise to: 1) express your vision, 2) discover your power,
and 3) learn to use your body better then you are more engaged in the activity for it has
meaning and purpose in your life.

This method constantly stimulates your mind in a new way. Your health improves. Your
connection to yourself improves and as a result of all of these deeply meaningful benefits
you also receive the benefits of aesthetics. I am not saying aesthetics aren‟t important,
they are. What I am saying is aesthetics come faster and stay longer when you focus on
the process as the goal.

In our lives, we need a great deal of mental and emotional endurance to get us through
the tough moments of life. The need for this endurance increases when we begin to reach
for our goals. Learning to endure while staying calm will serve you for the rest of your
life.

If you begin your endurance training with this procedure and base it upon how your body
feels, you will begin to enjoy moving your body. If you can have enjoyment in your body
during exercise, then this becomes another motivation to exercise. However, we still want
results from our efforts, so brutal self- honesty is required here.

Start with this simple procedure and be true to how your body feels. If it feels like
running: run; if it feels like walking: walk. Let yourself explore your body on a daily
basis and allow for its daily changes. The honesty is finding out what you really want to
do, what your commitment is and staying true to it.

Grounding

Grounding involves literally giving our full weight to our feet. Our feet connect us to the
floor. Most of us have been holding so much tension in our necks and shoulders for so
long, we seem to be literally trying to lift ourselves out of our bodies. The result from this
body behavior is weak backs, tight necks and weak abdominal areas. Grounding provides
much relief for the body and is easy to do.

To Ground:

 Stand without effort…

 Pour your weight into your feet.
 Allow the weight of your body to flow into your feet and feel the floor‟s support
beneath you.
 Actively breathe into your lower body and send the force of your exhale down
into your feet.
 Allow your exhale to leave through your nose, directing it down towards your
feet.
 As you breathe, you will find you can begin to simply relax your body‟s weight
into the floor.

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  With each exhale, actively let go of your body‟s tension. Let all the muscles that
are not needed in standing to turn off, release and let go. The more weight you
give to the floor, the more the floor will support you. You will feel this support as
a force pushing against your feet.
 As you continue to let go, allow this supporting force to travel up through the
bones of your legs. Continue up to your hips, to your spine, neck and finally your
head. As you practice this, your body will begin to feel and trust the support of the
floor and your legs and let go of upper body tension.
 Drop your shoulders. With focus and awareness, continue to release muscle
tension from your shoulders down to your feet. Take as much time as you need.
The more you practice this, the easier it will be to call upon it in time of need (i.e.
during stressful and/or emotional situations)

Walking

Walking is an advanced level of grounding.

 Once you feel you have reached a point of being completely grounded, start
slowly (really slowly) walking. You can do this outside where you have a lot of
flat space or on a treadmill at a low speed (2.5 mph).
 The goal is to spend as much time as possible on each step
o Focus landing on your heel and actively pushing off on your toes.
o Feel each time you land on your heel.
o Feel as you shift your weight forward until you reach your toes.
o Push off the toes as you transfer all your body weight to your other leg.
 Continue to practice consciously walking and feeling your body weight in your
feet.
 When you feel you have acclimated to the feeling of spending as much time on
each step as long as possible, increase your pace.
 Remember to stay relaxed and open, only exerting energy where it is needed.

Running

After practicing walking at an easy pace, you may start to notice a calm and comfortable
feeling. Your body may naturally start to move faster. Soon you start a slow jog and then
you break into a run.

Running can be wonderful! Remember when you were a kid? Running is such a pleasure
when you do it strictly because you can. Run as long as you want for as long as it feels
good.

We take exercise much too seriously. Why do you want to do something that has such
wonderful benefit for your life and make it into a chore?

Treadmill Routine 1

(Only perform this routine if you are comfortable working at high speeds and have no
contraindications to walking for long periods of time. If you have bad knees that hurt
while walking, please do not walk on the treadmill.) The speed I have used is just an
example. Please find out for yourself what speed you and your body can work at that is
comfortable but also challenging)

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Grounding Phase

 Focus your attention to where in your body your inhale begins and try to maintain
this connection throughout this whole routine.

 Keep relaxing your body as you exhale.

 Try to stay open and loose.

 Start walking at a slow pace. (3.0 mph).

Acclimation Phase

 Keep your focus on each foot as it lands on the treadmill.

 Spend as much time as you can on each foot (this will widen your stride).

 Widen your stride to a comfortable length. (Play with your length until you feel it
is right for you). Once acclimated, increase your pace and acclimate again.

 Increase to 3.5 mph and acclimate to this speed. Once acclimated increase to 4.0.
This is a fast pace and you may not be able to maintain it for long. Stay at this
speed as long as you can maintain your form.

Running Phase

 Increasing your pace from 4.0 to 5.0 then finally to 6.0 mph.

 Increase to the point where you feel comfortable. Allow yourself ample time to
acclimate to each new speed.

 Run as long as you can while maintaining connection to your breath and to each
step.

 Note: As you advance you can begin to increase your pace every minute or
minute-and-a-half or whatever time period you wish to set to challenge your
ability to acclimate.

 Acclimation occurs when the pace you set no longer challenges you. You will feel
you can maintain this pace for some time.

Treadmill Routine 2

Grounding Phase

1. Focus your attention to where in your body your inhale begins and try to maintain
this connection throughout this whole routine
2. Keep relaxing your body as you exhale.
3. Try to stay open and loose
4. Start walking at a slow pace, 3.0 mph
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Acclimation Phase

 Keep your focus on each foot as it lands on the treadmill.

 Spend as much time as you can on each foot (This will widen your stride).
 Widen your stride to a comfortable width. (Play with your width until you feel it
is right for you).

Once acclimated, increase your pace and acclimate again.

3.5 mph
4.0 mph

Incline Phase

Increase the incline to 5% and acclimate.

6% - acclimate.
7% - acclimate.
8% - acclimate.
9% - acclimate.
10% - acclimate

Continue upward until you reach a point where you can only stay on if you hold on.
(Please be careful and use your discernment. Only attempt this level if you are ready to
push your limits.)

Weight Loss

I believe weight loss is directly tied to our belief systems. Most of us believe eating too
many calories causes us to get fat and yet there are so many diets out there, which
conflict with this. There is a book called the Ice Cream Diet proclaiming you can lose
weight by following its process. I am not disputing or agreeing with this or any claim. I
am merely observing that diet is a highly personalized thing that may be more about what
you believe than what you actually eat.

Recently, there was a professor of nutrition who did an experiment. He ate nothing but
junk food and vitamin supplements for 2 months. He closely monitored his cholesterol
levels and other aspects of health via blood samples. Over the course of his experiment,
his levels of health actually improved as he lost weight! You can read more about this
experiment at: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/

The point of sharing this is not to suggest eating junk food as a way of losing weight and
attaining health. I believe this experiment illustrates the power of belief. Since this
professor has been studying nutrition for x number of years, not only his mind has
learned but his body has as well. Because of his research, on a very deep level of his
being, he believed a calorie is a calorie no matter where it comes from. It was his belief
that caused his results.

If this is true, than your belief can create YOUR results.

Therefore, I suggest listening to your body and eating what your body needs. Eating
“correctly” is easier than it looks when you listen to how food affects your body. If eating

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a certain food makes you feel sluggish, stop eating it. If other foods make you feel
energized, continue eating them.

Re-Program Your Nervous System To Lose Weight (or re-program yourself for
anything you want)

Find someplace quiet and comfortable and begin Intentional Relaxation (page 57).
Observe your inhale and let go with your exhale until you feel centered and calm within
your body. Make sure all distractions of your day and your body is cleared before moving
on. (See Reflections Meditation - page 98 - if you need help to clear your mind)

Begin to imagine yourself at your desired weight. (Now please be reasonable here. I
don‟t want to encourage you to see yourself super thin if your body is used to having a
large amount of body fat. Rapid change never lasts. If you really want to be super thin,
do it in increments over a long period of time. Also, if everyone around you tells you, you
look good but you constantly see yourself as being fat then please consider getting help to
change your self-image. Most likely, you are not seeing reality and are striving for goals
that may be beyond your abilities or they may be unhealthy. Please be honest with
yourself.)

Close your eyes and see yourself looking the way you would like to look. See yourself
wearing the clothes you want to wear. Feel how your body feels to be this weight. If it
feels good, you‟re on the right track. Spend time really feeling this and sending the
message to your sub-conscious and all the cells of your body that you are ready to change
and have the body you say you want. The more you feel it, the more your sub-conscious
will adapt to this new goal. Feel what life would be like if you were this ideal weight.
What would change in your life? How would your life be better?

Continue to feel this new reality and choose an empowering and easy to remember
image/symbol/word that encapsulates this commitment. See this image/symbol/word and
associate it with the feeling of your commitment. Feel it. Make it real for yourself.
Thinking about it is not enough. Feel it in every cell of your body. Strengthen this
association as much as you can. Pour your heart and desire to be this goal weight into this
image/symbol/word so every time you see it or think it about it your whole being
remembers the path you have set for yourself.

Now each day have this image/symbol/word all around you. Put it where you can see it.
You post it notes and put them in your car, by your computer as your screen saver and on
the refrigerator. This will help to remind you of your commitment and goal. By doing this
you will be actively reinforcing your message to your subconscious.

Once you begin, you will start to notice the behaviors that support your goal while at the
same time, the ones conflicting with it will come to the surface. This is good for you will
choose the new and shed the old. Remain true to your goal. Be strong. Be dedicated.
Remember, if you don‟t do it for yourself no one will.

Our next product due to come out is Breath to Lose Weight. This product will explore the
topic of programming your nervous system to lose weight through audios and a manual.
Visit www.energybasedhealth.com or since you are on our mailing list we will inform you
when this product will be available.

Yoga

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Yoga is a great form of exercise and very productive in terms of body connection and
calming the body/mind. However, I have observed individuals in a yoga class may be
overly focused not so much on the quality of their forms and breathing into their body,
but instead on keeping up with the rest of the class. This is just another form of stress.

Yoga is a highly personalized activity and I strongly encourage you to have your own
experience in the class. Listen to your body and forget about what others are doing. I
have also found the work of Intentional Relaxation (page 57) helps with the poses of
Yoga. The foundation of the poses is built upon how well you can stay relaxed, open and
grounded in your body while maintaining the pose. If you practice staying relaxed, open
and grounded without any outside stress you can really improve these facets of your
Yoga abilities.

Summary

In short, the gym or any exercise routine you do should be a time for you to let your hair
down. A time for you to step out of the character of your life and allow yourself to be
whatever you need to be. Then, you can remember what it is you are here to do. As you
use, move and strengthen the health of your body/mind, yo u can also strengthen all the
attributes you need for your success. Increasing your emotional fortitude while increasing
physical strength not only promotes health but also sends a powerful behavioral message
to your body. Working out in this way will flow into all other areas of your life and your
life force will get stronger. It will have no choice but to get stronger. A stronger life force
promotes life itself and things you want to happen to you will start happening.

Below you will find additional mediation and sample plans to help you see in action how
this system works in a real person.

This completes the Guide to Holistic Fitness. I hope you feel empowered and informed as
to how you can approach exercise in a whole new manner that supports who you really
are in your life.

If you need help or have questions about this program and how to apply it to your life,
you can contact me at support@energybasedhealth.com. We do provide virtual 1-1
sessions or if you‟re in the San Antonio area, in-office session to help you overcome any
obstacles to your higher calling.

Thank you so much for sharing in this journey and we wish you well.

Sheldon Ginsberg

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Appendix 1: Widening Your Comfort Zone

Set up

This particular exercise routine is designed to maximize your time, exercise efficiency,
and body connectivity. It targets strength development, improves mental focus/clarity,
and releases stress.

Before beginning, be sure you are capable of moderately to maximally exerting your
body without incurring injury. This high- intensity workout requires skill and a desire to
push your limits.

First warm up and prepare to exercise.

Pick three exercises of your choice, which involve the chest, legs and back. For example
a good combination would be: 1) Push- ups, 2) Squats, and 3) Lat Pulldown.

If you have knee, back, or neck problems, go slowly and immediately stop if any part of
you hurts. Health begins when you listen to your body.

Stand and “ground.”

1. Stand where you will not touch any person or object and begin to breathe.

2. Focus on the area inside your body where your inhale begins

3. As you focus on this area, begin relaxing your body into the floor. Allow your
breath be natural.

4. Let the weight of your body flow into your feet and let go of your body as you
breath out. This will connect your mind to your body and release muscle tension.

5. Take ten breaths. Close your eyes and relax into your body.

6. When you are ready you will go from one exercise to the other without stopping.
The goal is to exert while attempting to remain calm.

High Exe rtion Workout - Chest

Push-ups

1. Push up form: Both feet pressed together and energize your legs so your knees are
straight.
2. Raise your head and align it with your back.
3. Open your hands as wide as possible on the floor and push the floor away from
you. Keep your chest out. Be sure not to use or tighten your upper neck.
4. Once you find this position, close your eyes and stay in it for ten breaths. Focus
on keeping your breaths even and stay calm while your holding yourself up.
5. Try to focus on using the muscles you need to hold yourself up and relax the
muscles you do not need.
6. After ten breaths, slowly lower yourself to the floor by bending only your elbows.
7. Listen to your body and lower yourself only as deep as feels right for you.
8. Stay calm and when you reach your bottom slowly press up.
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Repeat as many times as you can while trying to maintain your original form.

Keep in mind, exercising while trying to remain calm helps to isolate the muscle you are
working and is a stress management technique.

High Exe rtion Workout – Legs

Squats

1. Stand with your feet about hip width apart.

2. Connect to your feet and allow your weight to flow into the floor.
3. As you give your weight to the floor the floor will begin to push back against you.
In physics this is called the “Normal Force.” The more weight you give it, the
more support it will give you.
4. When you‟re ready, slowly lower yourself on this force, bending your knees as
you lower. The key is to lower yourself like an elevator. Listen to your body.
When you reach a challenging depth pause, and then slowly ascend.
5. When you reach the top you should still be connected to your feet. Repeat and
lower.
6. As you lower yourself, notice what parts of your body you need to lower and what
parts don‟t. For example, you do not need your neck or shoulders for this lower
body exercise. Therefore, don‟t clench or engage your neck or shoulders.
7. After you have completed five repetitions, lower yourself to the deepest point you
have reached and stay there.
8. Practice holding this position while observing your breath and remaining calm
(eyes closed). Stay connected to your body.
9. Turn off any muscles you do not need. (For example, relax your neck, face, and
lower back.) Stay here as long as you can.
10. When you rise you may feel dizzy. When you are standing fully straight, stay
where you are and continue to breathe and ground into the floor until the dizziness
passes.
11. Continue on and finish the set. Complete as many squats as you can.

High Exe rtion Workout – Upper Back

Lat Pull-down

1. Make sure your knees are firmly held by the support bar. Select a weight that
challenges you, but also one you can control.
2. With the bar above you, raise both hands and form a Y.
3. Grab the bar from this position. Start your set by pulling the bar down towards
your chest. Perform three repetitions.
4. As you reach the fourth repetition, hold the bar at the top of your chest and
practice observing your inhale and staying calm.
5. Make sure you are exerting downwards while holding the bar.
6. Begin turning off all muscles you do not need and focus on the ones you do need.
7. After ten breaths, slowly raise the bar and repeat at a slow pace.
8. Do as many as you can while holding the form you attained while performing the
ten breaths.

Further techniques to help improve your ability in completing this exercise would be:

 Intentional Relaxation
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 Core Conditioning

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Appendix 2: Meditations

Releasing Pain, Tension and Stress In Your Back

Do you have pain in your lower back? Most of us have some degree of pain in this area,
as it is a focal point for support and stabilization in our lives. If your back is in pain, the
following practice can help alleviate some or possibly all of your pain.

Make sure you begin this practice in a calm and quiet place where you know you will not
be disturbed. Turn off all phones and any distractive noises.

Use the Intentional Relaxation Method to prepare your body and mind.

Once you are fully prepared, bring your attention to your lower back. Notice what your
lower back feels like. Is there tension? Is there pain? What does the pain feel like in terms
of texture, degree of intensity, shape and size? The more you define your pain, the more
you can practically deal with it.

Once you have established the dimensions of your pain, begin to inhale through the pain
and as you exhale focus on relaxing the muscles that surround this pain.

Continue to release the tension around your pain until you feel like you have created a
space twice the size of your pain.

Now, go into the feeling of the pain and simply observe what you find there. Remain
calm, open and breathing as you allow your pain to be there without trying to figure it out
or change it or push it away. Remain neutral. Remain focused. Give your pain space to do
what it has to do. The less resistance you have towards you pain the more it will flow,
change and eventually dissolve.

As you continue to focus on this area, re-define the dimensions of your pain. Have they
changed? Have they gotten smaller? If so, great! If not, continue to focus on letting go.
My observation about self- healing is the only way to heal is to be open to healing. Your
choice to heal begins the healing process. Your choice to let go signals your muscles to
let go. After all, it is your body.

Reflection Meditation

This meditation is used to help clear your day and your mind. Begin the process of
Intentional Relaxation. Observe where in your body your inhale begins. As you exhale
release all tension in your face, your shoulders, your chest, your back and so on.

Continue until you have relaxed your body as completely as you feel you need.

Now begin to let your mind do whatever it wants to do. Let it think about anything it
wants to focus on. Give it complete freedom. Observe it all, but remain calm and neutral
to where it mentally travels. Try not to get lost in your mind‟s thinking by maintaining
the major amount of focus on your breathing and observing your mind as it thinks.

Whatever problem or situation your mind examines let it continue as long as progress is
being made in that area. If you find your thinking becoming circular or going over the
same points over and over, then you are worrying and this solves nothing. At this point,
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focus on your breathing and calming your mind.

You will find problems of the day will dissolve the more space you give your mind to
create solutions and then, like a checklist you will move through all of your points until
you will be finished. Then you have the space to simply breath and relax.

Once you have cleared all the thoughts of your day, revel in your mind being clear.
Recognize what a clear mind feels like. Cultivation of this clarity will improve your
thinking performance.

Feeling Meditation

This meditation is to be used to listen to your body and allow feelings and sensation the
time and space to grow, change and evolve. This provides a great deal of internal
understanding and connection along with promoting health, increasing your energy flow
and will ultimately enhance your comfort with your feelings.

Make sure your mind and body are ready to begin this. I suggest starting with Intentional
Relaxation and then perform the Reflections Meditation (page 98) to clear your mind.

Once your mind and body are relaxed and cleared from your day, begin to notice what
you are feeling in this moment. Where in your body is this feeling? Use your calm and
clarity to maintain your focus upon any feeling that is most prominent.

Once you find a feeling allow it to be as it is. Your mind will want to figure it out. Put
this desire aside and continue to neutrally observe your feeling without trying to change
it. Once again, describe for yourself the dimensions of this feeling: What is its size,
shape, texture and intensity? Keep your body relaxed and calm and stay with this feeling
wherever it goes in your body. Eventually, it will change and become another feeling.
Follow this feeling and keep observing.

Give each feeling space to fully express itself. Do not try to do anything with it. Leave it
be. The more space it has to flow the less power it will have over you. Continued focus
on your feelings will deepen your sense of self and ultimately the core of certain
behaviors and patterns you have been doing for years will emerge. Here is where you will
begin to heal.

Expansion Mediation

This mediation is provided to help you experience an expanded state and to establish your
connection with everything and everyone around you.

Breathe and relax your body and mind as previously stated. Make sure you have done the
Intentional and Reflection mediations (page 57 and 98) to relax your body/mind and clear
your day.

Envision yourself standing on a grassy meadow. The wind is blowing the grass and you
can hear the soothing and calming sound it makes. You feel very much at peace. As you
are enjoying this moment you begin to feel a gentle pressure beneath your feet. Slowly to
your surprise and delight, you start to rise off the meadow into the air. You slowly and
tranquilly raise straight overhead into the sky. You can see the meadow upon which you
stood. Now you can see beyond the meadow. You see a road and some trees beyond the
road. Higher and higher you go. Breathing is not a problem and you start to see more and
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more of the world around you as your vantage point expands. Now you can make out the
details of the country you are in. You see rivers, mountains, roads, highways and even
cities in the distance. As you continue to rise, you begin to see the state where you were.
Soon the surrounding states become visible. More and more you can see as higher and
higher you go. The continent starts coming into view and you see the ocea ns and other
continents. Higher and higher you go. You start to notice the curve of the earth and then
you are out in space staring at the awesome sight of your planet slowly and majestically
revolving beneath you. You watch the blue and green planet of your birth spinning before
you and you start to feel something. A sense of belonging. This is your home. You share
this home with a multitude of other beings and life forms. As you feel this belonging
something begins to happen to you. You start getting bigger but with less substance. You
watch the moon, circling the earth pass harmlessly through your body.

Slowly the earth and moon get smaller and smaller as you continue to get bigger and
bigger. The other planets pass through you as you continue to journe y outwards.
Eventually you can see the whole solar system before you. Immensely huge it spins
around the sun. Clouds of gas, planets, asteroids, quietly circling their vast provider of
light as you watch the dance of your home and its neighbors.

Still you travel on. Larger and larger you become. Passing new planets and solar systems.
You glimpse the arm of the galaxy the earth is home to. You encounter suns beyond
count. As you continue, more and more suns come into view. And at last, you see the vast
Milky Way Galaxy spinning before you. You are stunned. No words to describe this
incredibly-complex- huge-star- filled- magnificent creation, which moves over space like a
living crawling thing. You examine it from all angles and you continue on your way.
Slowly leaving it behind as your size begins to dwarf even this huge celestial creation.
You start to notice another galaxy, Andromeda, our closest neighboring galaxy, coming
into view. It, too, is filled with stars and spins before you, no less amazing than your own
galaxy. You watch the two galaxies in their relation to each other. At first you could see
no relationship, but as you continue to expand, you see a pattern start to unfold before
you. There is a relationship between them. But there is something wrong to the pattern.
Something missing. Oh, there it is. You knew another galaxy was needed there to balance
out the pattern. And another. And another. Until you see thousands of galaxies that make
up our clusters and super clusters of galaxies from which we live.

You watch super clusters of super cluster unfold. More and more you see and experience
the place in which we live. This is the place we share with multitudes of planets, stars,
galaxies and all of creation.

Does this make you feel small? It is OK to feel small. However, each of us makes up this
vast beautiful creation and we are just as important as each of the suns or planets that
make up this universe. Even the size of the earth is miniscule when compared to the
spaces existing between galaxies. Size is not the point here, but that you belong here just
as much as everyone else in existence.

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Appendix 3: Sample Plans

The following case studies are examples of how exercise goals can be aligned with career
or personal development goals. These are real scenarios, but the names have been
changed.

Dina

 A 40-year-old woman - slightly overweight - 5‟ 7”, 150 lbs

 Profession – Image Consultant
 Mother of one child - 15 years old
 Has intermittent back pain
 Involved with live- in boyfriend, but marriage, while desired by Dina is not
forthcoming due to his reluctance and fear of commitment.

Physically she has a high degree of body sensitivity, and a fear of pushing her body too
hard. Highly emotionally charged. Uses food and chocolate as means to avoid unpleasant
emotional issues. Childhood imprinting of not feeling good about her body has created a
negative association. She is a very interactive, highly intellectual, but is also a shy person
who has a great deal of warmth and empathy. Her skills are listening to her clients‟ needs,
goals and desires and providing the best and most tasteful arrangement of colors,
wardrobe and makeover suggestions suited towards each client‟s individuality. She is
highly creative but lacks motivation, direction and stamina to make her dreams come
true.

Vision

 Physical Goals - to lose weight, feel good and have more energy
 Career Goals – wants to be on TV with her own style show

Physical Picture

 Tight upper neck muscles

 Tightness between shoulder blades
 Weak core
 Weak lower body
 Tight hamstrings

Requirements for Physical Goals

 Increase her bodies calorie-burning efficiency

 Decrease emotional/bored eating habits
 Stretching of hamstrings, upper neck, and upper back with
 Core and lower body strengthening increase her ability to support herself

Requirements for Career Goals

 Commitment – following through for her health and career goals

 Increase self comfort levels – for her own health and being on TV

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  Integrity – to help her hold her body/mind together during trying times
 Courage – to face herself, the camera, and the audience
 Remaining calm – for all aspects of life
 Confidence – to help her realize she can achieve what she wants and that she is
worthy of success
 Perseverance/Endurance – Maintaining her course

Dina’s Prescribed Plan

 Help her feel safe and comfortable in her body/mind.

 Provide her with an experiential process to realize for herself her potential
through progressive strengthening exercises while pushing her comfort zone
 Provide her with coping mechanisms/tools during moments of emotional need to
empower her personal choice of healthy eating.
 Progressive endurance training program

Specifics

 Commit to a specific number of sessions per week

 Increase self comfort levels:
 Intentional relaxation
 Stretching
 Listening to her body
 Creating her vision
 Melting tension
 Discernment - Help her get on track with her eating and provide her with the tools
to discern between true hunger and emotional eating.
 Integrity – Encourage her to perform each exercise with the utmost honesty and
commitment to form and the completion of the movement
 Courage – to attempt new movements, weights and reach for higher goals
 Remaining calm – Apply relaxation to the parts of her body that do not need to
work while maintaining an inner calm
 Confidence – Have her experientially know she can perform exercises she
previously thought she could not do
 Perseverance/Endurance – Focus on picking a time and pace and sticking with it
until it is finished

Exercises to be Utilized

 Lower body – Only perform standing poses to encourage self supportive

behaviors
 Squats, leg lunges, held squatting positions, walking lunges,
 Core
 Stabilization poses, Swiss ball exercises
 Treadmill
 Interval Training
 Walking progressive incline
 Upper body movements
 Light weights to promote upper body mobility
 Have her create her own movement patterns which feel good for her

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Steve

 35-year-old man - 6‟ 0” - 160 lbs

 Married with two toddlers
 Runs his own successful real estate business
 In good shape – athletic, but no longer has time
 Overly mental
 Poor body awareness
 Endures a degree of daily pain

Steve is under a great deal of stress running his business and providing for his family. He
is very driven and intelligent. Has had a lot of experiencing working out, but his body is
starting to breakdown.

His vision is to have his body back to a physical comfort level that promotes his active
lifestyle, provides him with enough energy to run his business and have enough left over
to be with his children and wife.

Good disposition, but can be overly aggressive and unforgiving.

Physical Picture

 Tightness
 Upper neck muscles
 Upper and lower back
 Hips
 Thighs are taunt and unrelenting in their grip
 Good core strength, but these muscles are always on to brace against lower back
pain
 Lower body strong, but also tight to avoid pain
 Super tight hamstrings and quads

Requirements for Physical Goals

 Decrease/eliminate his pain

 Educate self-relief and self- healing techniques
 Stretching of hamstrings, upper neck, and upper back
 Teach focused relaxation techniques to release the stomach
 Teach proper core usage techniques
 Teach mental calming and clearing techniques

Requirements for Life Goals

 Intimacy and self- awareness

 Self comfort level and self-connection
 Remaining calm
 Grounding

Steve’s Prescribed Plan

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  Help him calm his mind and body.
 Provide him with experiential awareness and coping tools to begin practicing
stress and tension releasing techniques during his day.
 Provide stress releasing/strengthening exercises

Specifics

 Increase self comfort levels – Steps 2 - 4

 Remaining calm – Apply relaxation to the parts of his body that do not need to
work and maintain an inner calm.
 Progressive intense complex strengthening program designed to increase his
ability to focus along with his ability to exert

Exercises to be Utilized

 Relaxation/meditation
 Stretches lower and upper body
 Lower leg exercises with a focus on explosive power movements to release the
built up tension locked within
 Combine these explosive movements with stretching and calming techniques
 Squats
 Jumps/Forward bend
 Lunges
 One legged leaps/hamstring stretch
 Cable column
 Straight legged hip flexion performed fast to expel accumulated stored
energy/stand, ground and breath
 Upper body
 Chest press/chest stretch
 Slow back exercises to generate deeper body awareness, performed with mindful
intensity

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 Sheldon Ginsberg is an author, Stress Healing
Practitioner, healer and CEO of Institute of
Energy Based Health™, a health company
devoted to self-healing products and services.

Sheldon’s degree in Exercise Science and

experience as a Healing Energy Practitioner led
him question the nature of stress and how it
negatively and progressively affects our bodies and the minds. He
developed a process called DeStress Therapy™ aka Energy
Regeneration Therapy™. This program teaches his clients how to
take charge of their body’s habitual reaction to stress to eliminate
aches, pains, digestive problems, anxiety, insomnia, and other
health conditions.

For over 14 years, he has been providing this service to 5-star

resorts and country clubs such as Miami Beach Canyon Ranch,
Zoetry’s Parisio de la Bonita 5-star resorts in Cancun,
Thunderbird, Tradition, Ironwood and Trilogy in Palm Desert.

Sheldon has worked with people with spinal cord injuries, patients
recovering from strokes, clients with frozen shoulders, multiple
sclerosis, emotional anxiety, cancer survivors, children with
multiple handicaps and more.

Sheldon has appeared on San Antonio’s Daytime at 9, Telemundo

in Florida and Blog Talk radio, NewsTalk 920 and Savvy Divorced
Chicks Radio Show. He has worked with such celebrities as
Woody Johnson, philanthropist and owner of the Jets, Joan
Severance, actress and supermodel and Clarissa and Edgar
Bronfman Jr. previous CEO of Seagrams and Warner Music Group
as well as vice-chairman of Vivendi Universal. He has lectured to
guests at Canyon Ranch Miami Beach and at Zoetry’s Parisio de la
Bonita. His articles have appeared in Dare Online Magazine and
other health websites.

In 2011, Sheldon wrote the novel, “Evolution’s Hero” a self-help

fantasy designed to help individuals heal themselves and the
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Collective Unconscious through story and meaningful healing
information.

To learn more about his products and services, visit

www.energybasedhealth.com.

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 In the Letting Go Project, we teach people how to use Body
Tools and release lower vibrations in the body.

Hundreds of people are experiencing amazing results from just one or two
lesson of The Letting Go Project. It is fun, easy, and it works! If I had to
think of one word to describe the Letting Go Community, it
would be LOVING.

Check the program out today at: www.LettingGoProject.com

Participant Testimonials from Lesson One in the Letting

Go Project:

“So grateful for this program. Not only is the 1st lesson
awesome – but there is something about just being in enrolled
in the program that allows you to give yourself permission to
Let Go. I was so excited tonight because I emailed a statement
to someone I work with today that I would have NEVER done
in the past – I said „If this doesn‟t work with you then I do
think I‟m going to have to throw in the white towel and ask for
some help if you want me to get working your other project .
FYI The Letting Go course I‟m taking is awesome! – I‟m letting
go of thinking I can do it all and that I can find time for everything.”

“When I stumbled over the letting go project, I suspected

it would be powerful work. I did not expect anything to change
so quickly. One of (the many) things on my letting go intention
list is a bad-for-me relationship. This afternoon I said no.
Not “no, because…” just “no”. Not because I had a commitment
I couldn‟t get out of but because I didn‟t want to. Wow.
Just… Wow.”

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 “Wow. Lesson One was amazing. I‟m really surprised at
how quickly I‟m responding to just the 4 practices introduced.
I never had slept so deeply & I actually napped today! Anyone
else feeling physical effects like this?”

“L O V E the exercise and the open space it creates…

actually felt movement… blessings to Sheri Keys and Sheldon
Ginsberg for the gift of this most beautiful exercise. My heart
is filled with Gratitude today for you both. Biggest of hugs and
love!”

“My 13 year old daughter encouraged me to take this course

: ) I felt God nudging me, and the timing was His. I‟m in my
40′s, and have just left my life as I knew it to be, including a 25
year marriage. I knew I had a lot to let go of, because I could
feel it in my body as tension, or stress. This exercise was amazing
and simplistic, which I love that combination! After the
breathing exercise was complete, one word, about every minute,
popped into my mind. Not thinking, I wrote it down. I sat
looking at the list, and it pretty much defines my days. What
\
I‟m thinking, what my fears are, and dis-ease…. it‟s all there.
I‟m so grateful to be here….and that is going to be at the top
of that gratitude list.”

http://www.LettingGoProject.com

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