Try this for one week to help feel absolutely happy and then let us know how it went by clicking here. 

Day One: Joy is Your Natural State
Joy is our natural state yet it can be hard to access just like a beautiful stained glass window covered with dirt. One of the things that blocks us from joy is holding onto past trauma.
Paramhansa Yogananda says “Circumstances are neutral.” Much of our trauma actually comes from our definition of what happened and our response to that. Then we often hold onto a definition of our own selves and feel bad throughout our lives because of it.

As an example, I used to always hang onto a memory of a time when my father played with my brother and sister and not me. When I was three years old I could see them under the door playing the game Operation where you, as the doctor, have to take the bones out of the body without touching anything else and making the buzzer go off.

What I read from that was that my own father did not want to play...

There is a great freedom in being able to freely to give, to be present for others, and to feel safe and empowered while doing so. Here are seven tips on how to tap into that freedom.

1. No Resistance
At the Enlightened Warrior Training Camp that I attended about a month ago, a number of people asked me how I was so freely giving. It is hard to know how you are until you see something in comparison.

When I launched the gofundme campaign for my book Healing Happens, I didn’t realize some of my friends would want to look over the campaign before deciding if they would donate. For me in the past, if a friend asks for a donation, I always want to support them with at least $5 or $10 regardless of what they are asking for. I usually then ask God what the amount is I should give and then I give the number that comes into my head without question.

There are a couple lessons I have learned that have made me want to be more freely giving. The first is we are all trying to accomplish a...

A couple weeks ago at the beginning of April 2017 I attended a training program called Enlightened Warrior Training Camp. I have probably seen the most internal transformation out of that program from any I have taken. During the program we had the opportunity to get close with many participants. I was repeatedly asked how I was so energetic, happy, and freely giving during the program.

There was not much time to answer those questions during the program, but those questions were ringing in my head on my flight home. A few minutes into my traditional airplane sudoku puzzle, the words to answer those questions came flooding into my head. This blog post shares seven steps to feel boundless energy. Keep your eyes open for the next two on how to be absolutely happy and the freedom of freely giving.

1. Lighten Your Load: The less of our past we carry, the lighter we will feel in our body and spirit. Negative emotions build up as toxins in the body, infringing on its ability to...

With New Years Resolutions in place they do no good unless we figure out how to take action on them, integrate them into your daily life, and make them a habit. One of my favorite quotes from the great yoga guru Paramhansa Yogananda is “Your trials may be great, but the greatest enemy of yourself is yourself!” In order for us to create a new habit that feels recharging, we have to figure out how to get ourselves out of the way.

We commonly talk about developing a buddy system where someone, a class, or a group program holds you accountable. Or we use our will power for a small amount of time when beginning new activities which will automatically develop a habit longer term. Below are five creative tips which we do not commonly think about on how to develop a recharging habit.

1. Conquer unwillingness: Do it when you least feel like it. Paramhansa Yogananda explains this in a really good way: “Unwillingness is an energy; willingness is a friend at times when...

With holiday travels around the corner and many people sick right now, how are we going to keep our bodies healthy, purified, and vibrant? Here’s another idea to add to the blog post Secrets of the Happy Traveler – Part 1.

2. Energization Exercises

Once I am all checked in for my flight, I find my gate, go to the bathroom, and fill my water bottle. Then I look for a gate without a plane taking off for a while. I love it if I can find a quiet private spot by a window. Now you do not have to find privacy but then you have to be ok with people looking at you funny. Most of the time I think they just wish they had the courage to join in because what you will do is so invigorating.

Here’s three Invigorating Energization Exercises:
These were developed by the great yoga guru Paramhansa Yogananda to help people feel more energy in their body, focus their mind, and get ready for meditation. Always tense from a low to medium to high tension, relax high, medium, low, and then...

 
Get ready to learn something about energy that I have never shared before. I will also be suggesting we redefine how we use the word ‘energy.’

Here’s why: First thing to keep in mind as you read this blog is that science has shown our bodies are made of energy. A couple months ago I was going through a tired spell. That can happen in conjunction with the body trying to catch up to an immense spiritual growth that just happened. When the energy body of our consciousness has just transformed, the mind, emotions, heart, and body feel compelled to transform as well to match this new vibration in all of our parts. I believe that can happen in the opposite direction as well.

To offer another frame of reference, consciousness has just begun to form itself in a baby’s body. The body must rapidly grow to match the intention of the soul in human form. You would think a baby being new to the earth would have tons of energy, yet it naps a lot.

Ayurvedically...

This past weekend’s Energy Dance with Sonika Tinker and Christian Pedersen started with the video above. Right away it reminded me of the days I used to dance with a partner. I was never that trained, nor that courageous, nor quite that risque, but I am sure some of our experiences are the same.

 
You may ask, how can they do that? Well, you can’t think about it. Of course you have to focus on what you are doing but there is no space to question trust and if it is possible.

I remember I used to run and jump on my partner while we were creating pieces without either of us knowing what would happen. I never used to think about it. I would just do it and let happen what happens. In reality, I knew he was not 100% trustworthy because he was still human and had injuries. Yet I trusted the divine that somehow it would all work out. We only ever fell once and did not get injured.

 
In that process of trust and openness, I was always amazed at what physical feats I would...