Los Suenos Institute
The Secret to Extending Your Life
by Sueños on 01/05/17
The secret to everlasting life has been sought after since the time of alchemists. Although I don't have any idea how to help you live forever, I've come across something to help you feel very similar. The first premise of this argument is supported by a really interactive timeline made by Maximilian Kiener. It deals with how we experience time as we get older. You see, as we get older we perceive time as passing faster, because the moment we are experiencing makes up a smaller portion of our overall life. That's why as a kid we remember the summers being longer, and waiting for 24 days for Santa seemed like an eternity.
Something that may add to this is how we perceive time as related to the novelty of a stimulus. This was explored in an experiment by William J. Matthews in which an image was shown for 506 milliseconds, and then a comparison image was displayed for either 306 or 706. The subjects then had to say whether or not the comparison image lasted longer or was shorter than the original image. Upon repeat trials the subjects claimed that the comparison images lasted shorter than the original stimulus, even though they lasted the same length. What this boils down to, is the more often we experience something, the shorter we perceive its duration.
So, the secret then to extending our lives, or at least how long we perceive them to be, is to have as many novel experiences as possible. In short -- get lost. Try a new coffee shop instead of the one you always go to on your way to work. Try taking a different route on the way to a friend's house. What I encourage in all of my clients is to constantly be learning something new, even if it isn't directly related to work. Having novel experiences enriches your life, and breaks up the mundane nature of the wake up, work, sleep, repeat.
3 Changes I Noticed After Meditating For a Year
by Sueños on 01/04/17
No More Sweating the Small Stuff
I used to be a stickler for punctuality. This worked very will in my professional life, but was often the source of much annoyance in my personal life. I found myself getting incredibly stressed out if I was just a few minutes late to a movie. Traffic was another thing that made me madder than a hatter. No one had to cut me off or give me the bird, just being surrounded by other cars was enough to get my shoulders tense. However, since meditating, neither of these things bother me whatsoever. I find myself able to react much more calmly to stressful situations, because I know getting frustrated or angry doesn't do much to change the situation.
My Relationships Are More Meaningful
This probably stems from something a little bit larger. In general I feel more grateful for what I have and the life I live. Expressing this gratitude to my loved ones has strengthened our relationships deeply. I feel closer to my family and friends, and I've made them a priority. In general, I've found myself more considerate, and that I've become better at listening. Remembering weird, obscure things my friends and family need, and then getting it for them. This has encouraged them to do the same in return, and overall, we all care about each other more.
I Have More Fun
I'm not so concerned what other people think about me anymore, and this has been incredibly liberating. I drum up conversations with random clerks and strangers in coffee shops. When I go out with my friends I laugh harder and smile more often. It's as though all of the meekness had been taken right out of me. It's this unabashed appreciation for the present that I have now, that I definitely didn't have a year ago.
If you have a moment, I'd love to hear what changes you've noticed since you started meditating or doing yoga. I love to write this blog, but I love even more to hear what you think! Thanks for reading, and have a beautiful week.
TODAY YOU CHOOSE, IT’S A NEW YEAR, IT’S A NEW LIFE!
by Sueños on 01/02/17
1. Develop a habit of making time with family and friends a priority .
2. Develop a habit of meditation, ounce a day for 20 minutes.
3. Develop a habit of being aware of negative self talk and simply say, “that is not true”
4. Develop a habit of daily intervals of walking for 5 minutes then running for 5 minutes for a total of 30 minutes.
5. Develop a habit of Grazing as a form of eating.
6. Make a habit of sleeping at least 8 hours a day.
The quality of your life is determined by the habits you choose, good or bad. Many times our greatness is just over the horizon out of sight, though to see it we have to let go of the known and embrace uncertainty, and with it our true path, what we are meant to do, our genius.
TODAY YOU CHOOSE, IT’S A NEW YEAR, IT’S A NEW LIFE!
I WILL LEARN TO DREAM IN 2017! I WILL NOT LIVE IN FEAR!
by Sueños on 01/01/17
I will take risk! I will not live in fear!
I will start the business I always dreamed of! I will not live in fear!
I will find the job of my dreams! I will not live in fear!
I will stay only in healthy relationships! I will not live in fear!
I will embrace love! I will not live in fear!
Wishing you and yours a beautiful New Year!
The Three Presents of Presence
by Sueños on 12/30/16
This morning I was talking to one of my friends about her plans after she graduated with her degree. Her problems were symptomatic of most post-grads. "How can I find a new job, while staying close to home, and that has a university nearby in case I want to continue my education? What will I do about my current boyfriend?" (She was really working herself up at this point) "What if he can't find employment near where I find employment? What if we both find a job in a city that's far away from my family? How will I make the judgment call? What if neither of us can find a job in our field and we're both stuck working part-time near the university?" And she finally finished with,"It's so hard to worry about all of this, while still focusing on my grades and the job I have now!" Her list of concerns were almost endless, but what I found the most humorous about this is she doesn't graduate for another 6-months.
Now I am far from type-A, and I my procrastination often bites me in the you-know-what, but like anything the key here is balance. When we worry about the future, we are causing ourselves distress based on events that may not even come to pass. My friend was worried about getting a job in a city that wasn't close to her family, but she doesn't even know if that choice will even present itself. So this first present of presence, is freedom from anxiety. When we are focused on the current moment, we are not worried about hypothetical issues that may not even occur. Instead we are able to use that mental power to take full advantage of the moment we are in. This is certainly easier said than done, but what I find most helpful is conscious assignment of the thought as being useless. Quite literally when I have an anxious thought I think, "This is an anxious thought based on an event that has not yet come to be. I will not allow it to have power over me." When I do this I notice the thought tends to disappear, even if I had been rolling it over on my head for hours.
The next present comes when no longer allow the past to affect our current experience. I can't count the number of times I have heard my clients say they were incapable of doing something, based on an experience that bares no relevance to the current moment. For a long time I myself could not bring myself to speak to women I deemed /too/ beautiful because in High School I had been unpopular, or at least I hard perceived myself that way. What's so troubling about this is that by allowing our past to dictate our present, we often limit our capabilities. In order to combat this I recommend a similar solution to how we fight anxious thoughts. We must consciously label it as maladaptive.
The final present of presence comes as the result of our other two practices: full commitment to our conscious experience. People have so many different names for this, flow, zone, focus, etc. but really what we're talking about is putting 100% of your cognitive ability into the present moment without previous bias or attempt to predict the outcome. You are simply being in the moment that is currently taking place. This is where your peak performance lies.
So do not worry about what is to come, and do not kick yourself over what you could have done better. Instead be grateful for the moment you are currently experiencing, and express that gratitude through the complete and unbiased observation and reaction to it. You will find your life is much less bogged down by worry and anxiety, and that your expression is honest and sincere.
