Understand your true self as a spiritual being, the ’light of the universe,’ not just your physical body or negative self-talk. Practice mantra meditation (like OM) and visualize a light at your heart center to feel its energy and vibration, which helps you love yourself and others. If visualization is difficult, use a cell phone flashlight, look at it, then close your eyes and hold the image at your heart center.
When encountering someone who triggers negative feelings, ’look again’ beyond their physical appearance or actions to see their inner light, which is the same as yours. Intentionally send love and light to them to evict negative thoughts from your mind and respond from a higher place, rather than giving in to lower emotions.
Become aware of your thoughts, inner dialogue, and how you treat yourself. Reflect on where negative thoughts originate (their root emotion or interaction), and actively choose to switch them to positive ones, putting out positive energy instead of letting negativity dominate your day.
Pay attention to your breath to recognize when you’re stressed or off-balance. Always breathe in and out through your nose, using diaphragmatic breathing to fill your lower lungs, and make your breath audible (Ujjayi or ‘stress breath’) to stimulate the vagus nerve, connect mind and body, and bring yourself back to the present moment with long, slow breaths.
When working with underserved communities or individuals, drop the ‘savior complex.’ Focus on empowering people to help themselves by teaching practices they can use and share, rather than fostering dependence or needing you for anything.
For children in crisis, provide a dedicated school space where staff offer active listening, mirroring, breath work, meditation, and mindfulness practices for 15-20 minutes to help them re-center and return to class. This teaches kids to recognize stressors and use practices in real-time, significantly reducing suspensions.
To introduce practices like yoga and meditation to skeptical or challenging individuals, initially offer appealing activities (e.g., basketball, swimming) and then introduce the new practices in a fun, entertaining, and challenging way, explaining their practical benefits for energy, sports, and mental calm.
Make conscious efforts to expose children to different environments and experiences, such as driving past affluent neighborhoods or taking vacations, even if it requires extra effort or financial stretch, to broaden their perspectives and aspirations beyond their immediate surroundings.
Actively seek out wise and caring spiritual mentors who can introduce you to contemplative practices and provide guidance on life’s purpose, even if you initially resist their teachings or don’t fully understand their value.
When implementing programs in communities, prioritize training and empowering local community members to deliver the programs with their own cultural spin, fostering sustainability, creating local jobs, and ensuring solutions are deeply integrated within the community.
Engage in challenging physical activities or workouts, even in difficult conditions, to build mental toughness and resilience, pushing past comfort zones to strengthen your resolve.
Treat yourself and others with love, as love is a powerful force. By embodying love in your interactions, you help others connect to themselves and foster self-love, which can ripple outward to improve relationships and community well-being.
Begin your day connected to your true self or inner light to establish a strong base and function from the inside out. End your day by burning off all the external negativity in the light, allowing for more peaceful sleep.