Some days I’m far better at being responsive rather than reactive to stuff that comes up in life. In my opinion, one of the primary benefits of a consistent meditation practice. And I owe pretty much all of my zen moments to my 14+ years of meditation because this wasn’t and isn’t always the case).

Yesterday was one of those days when I think I got it right. Let me set the stage for you. Every morning Monday-Friday at 6 & 7 am, I lead my morning bootcamp class down on the beach near Lifeguard tower 26. On this particular morning I lead the class directly out in front of the boardwalk (but out toward the water).

About half way through the 7 am class, I noticed a gal sitting on the bench attempting to meditate at the end of the boardwalk. I could sense that her energy was agitated and something told me that it was due my voice and our presence. As it turns out, I was correct. In total there were 7 of us out there. 5 of us walked by her when the class was over and...

One of the fondest memories I have of my childhood, comes from my bedtime ritual growing up on Hempstead Rd in Toledo, Ohio.

For whatever reason, for most of my life I've been a nervous wreck. Whether it was taking a test in school, trying to summon up the courage to ask a girl out, playing a sporting event or simply going about my day, I couldn't calm my mind.

In fact, my nerves were the reason I quit playing baseball when I was in 5th grade. I was the pitcher for my team but before every game I would get super sick to my stomach and be saddled with anxiety. It got to the point that I couldn't take it anymore and stopped playing. As an aside, pretty sad that I did, because I was pretty darn good. Oh well...

Having said that, there was one thing I did as I was falling asleep at night that soothed my mind and made me feel like it was all going to be ok. My mom would come in and turn on the radio to a program called "Music From The Hearts Of Space".

It was the most calming, relaxing...