Saturday, February 11
Agape International Spiritual Center
5700 Buckingham Parkway
Culver City, CA 90230
“May I Be Frank” movie screening with Rev. Michael Bernard Beckwith, Jason Mraz, and more.
Tickets/Details:  HERE

Monday, February 13
PeopleBrowsr
474 Bryant St.
San Francisco, CA 94107
My fiancé, Sean Stephenson, and I will be speaking on love and money.
Register HERE
All proceeds will go to support Pencils of Promise.

Rollin McCraty (55:35)

Listen here: 

What do you think?  Leave a comment below!

Here’s an image of the electromagnetic field mentioned in the interview:

Bio:  Rollin McCraty, Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Director of Research

Dr. Rollin McCraty has been with IHM since its inception in1991. McCraty is a Fellow of the American Institute of Stress, holds memberships with the International Neurocardiology Network, American Autonomic Society, Pavlovian Society and Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback and is an adjunct professor at Claremont Graduate University. McCraty is an internationally recognized authority on heart-rate variability, heart-rhythm coherence and the effects of positive and negative emotions on human psychophysiology. He is widely published in those and other research areas.

I’m a self-professed book addict, so I’d love to know what else are you reading that is rockin’ your world right now!  Leave me a note in the comments section below.

(Click the images if you’d like to order directly from Amazon.)

You Can Heal Your Life is the book I continue to return to, for myself and my clients.  As Louise says, it really is quite simple: most of our challenges in life stem from not loving our Self.  Here, she offers the metaphysical equation for how our emotions affect our health, prosperity and well-being.

Breaking Clean is fiercely good literature.  It’s a series of essays that tells the story of living authentically, sustaining the courage to go against the cultural grain and speaking what is uniquely true for you.  You may not have come from a ranch in Montana, but you will see yourself in Judy’s struggle to break free.  Judy was one of my advisors in grad school and her essays ring true to the strength and faith she maintains.

Ok, so this book doesn’t even come out until April, but I added The Fire Starter Sessions to my list because, having worked with Danielle one on one, I guarantee it will transform your success.

Who, but Ellen Bass, could write such a gorgeous poem entitled “God and the G-Spot”?  Ellen’s poetry takes the mundane in life and highlights its most graceful, intimate side. The Human Line includes one of my favorite of her poems, “Gate C22.”

The Book of Awakening is a daily guidebook to opening to the wonder of each day, and seeing the transcendent in the the ordinary.  It’s another book I continue to read through year after year.  You can listen to my interview with the author, Mark Nepo, here.

Admittedly, I was late to the party celebrating The War of Art.  When I read it last year, I highlighted most of the book.  It’s a slim volume, but absolutely packed with insight.  Plus, it offers up the challenge to confront all of the resistance that has been holding you back from truly shining.

Colin Tipping offers a new way of looking at forgiveness that I find helpful.  He calls it Radical Forgiveness because he actually suggests that there is no need for forgiveness.  It’s like Sacred Contracts meets Many Lives, Many Masters (two more important books to check out if you haven’t read them yet).

Here’s my latest Heart to Heart featuring Gabrielle Bernstein, motivational speaker and author of Add More ~ing To Your Life and Spirit Junkie.

I know you’ll enjoy this native New Yorker’s wit and wisdom.  In this interview, Gabby and I talk about:

• How to bring your mind back to love
• The “I’ll be happy when…” mentality
• “Eff it. Let’s go.” vs. “Sit back and receive.”
• A Course in Miracles and who she goes to for inspiration

Leave me a comment below and let me know what you think!

All love,

Mindie

___________________________________________________

Featured Heart to Heart Interview:

Gabrielle Bernstein (42:27)

Click here to listen:  

Thanks so much for checking out my conversation with Gabby.  Learn more about her work at GabbyB.TV or Her Future and mention that you heard her here on Restart Your Heart!

Gabrielle’s Bio:

Since 2004 Gabrielle, who has a degree in theater from Syracuse University, has been on the speaking circuit. Gabrielle has presented lectures at the Massachusetts Conference for Women, Seattle Center for Women in Democracy, Nobel Women, Integral Yoga, Kripalu, Universities nationwide, The Step Up Women’s Network, The Junior Leauges and many other venues.

In 2008 she launched her social networking site www.HerFuture.com for young women to find mentors.

Gabrielle has been featured in media outlets such as The New York Times Sunday Styles, Marie Claire, Health, SELF, Women’s Health, Forbes List: 20 Best Branded Women and New York Moves Magazine. Gabrielle is a regular blogger for the Huffington Post, Intent, and CrazySexyLife. In addition she can also be seen riding around the East Village on a unicycle.

Up Next…

Next month’s Heart to Heart interview is with Rollin McCraty, Director of Research at The Institute of HeartMath.  Don’t miss it — Subscribe Now!
___________________________________________________
Restart Your Heart is on Facebook! “Like” us and post a comment on the wall–tell me who you’d like to hear from in future Heart to Heart interviews!

Restart Your Heart…

Because Love is Worth the Risk

It occurred to me that some of you might be major procrastinators like me, and may not have jumped at an offer like this, or may have missed it altogether in the slew of holiday social-networking. ;-)

Anyway, if that’s you, I wanted to let you know that coaching sessions with me are still available for “pay what you can” through December 31st.  I know this week is busy with travel and holiday festivities, so I’ll actually extend the offer through January, as long as you schedule your coaching session by December 31st.

Here’s how it works:

• Email me by Dec. 31st to schedule a one-hour coaching session (between now and the end of January).
• We’ll jam for an hour by phone or Skype, on whatever topic is most pertinent in your life right now. (I’ll send you a free recording of the call after the session)
• I send you a blank PayPal invoice after our session, you fill in the amount of your choosing, and send it back.

My average session fee is $250 so this is a serious steal to get the coaching you want to get your New Year off to a rockin’ start.

I’m looking forward to working with you!

Contact me today to schedule your appointment.

Happy New Year!!

** Limit one value-based session per client please **

“There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread.”
~ Mother Teresa

I have seen hunger in the streets of the cities where I’ve lived
On the paths winding through Kibera slum in Nairobi
In the eyes of children reaching out their hands for alms
In the in-between space of ribs protruding from skin

It seems absurd that there is a greater need for love
Something free.  Something simple.  Something so elemental.
Yet I’ve seen it to be true

Some of the hungriest I’ve known are yet the most joyful…
Somehow, indescribably, filled up with love that sustains them longer/stronger than food

Love.
It’s the essence of each one of us, the very core of who we are.
The stuff we are made of.

This holiday season, I want to remind you that you are greatly loved.
No matter who you are.
No matter what you’ve done.
I love you.
I appreciate you.

Pass it on…
Spread the love.   =)

In 2010, Oprah chose The Book of Awakening as one of her ultimate favorite things.  “Mark Nepo is a poet,” Oprah says. “He’s an author and a philosopher and has been through two different cancers. So when he writes, he writes purely from the heart.”

I’m a huge fan of Mark’s work and am delighted to share this conversation with you.  In this interview, Mark and I talk about:

• How we can prepare for our hearts to be opened
• How we move forward when the life we once knew is gone
• How we sometimes stunt our own growth
• Why we need each other
• And who he reads for inspiration

All this and more are included in this month’s Heart to Heart with Mark Nepo.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on our conversation.  Please leave a comment below.

All love,

Mindie

___________________________________________________

Featured Heart to Heart Interview:

Mark Nepo

Click here to listen:  (48:04) 

Mark’s Bio:

Mark Nepo has published thirteen books and recorded eight audio projects. Recent work includes a new book of teaching stories, As Far As the Heart Can See, and audio books of The Book of Awakening and Finding Inner Courage. As a cancer survivor, Mark devotes his writing and teaching to the journey of inner transformation and the life of relationship.

His work has been translated into twenty languages including French, Portuguese, Japanese, and Danish. In leading spiritual retreats, in working with healing and medical communities, and in his teaching as a poet, Mark’s work is widely accessible and used by many.

Like Restart Your Heart on Facebook! Post a comment on the wall and tell me know who you’d like to hear from in future Heart to Heart interviews.

Restart Your Heart…

Because Love is Worth the Risk

• Maybe the holidays remind you of someone you lost and you can’t quite “get into” the festivities
• Maybe you’re seriously sun-deprived and could use an energetic boost beyond Vitamin D supplements
• Or maybe your family stresses you out (ok, that’s all of us to one degree or another)   =)

I’ve been tossing around the idea of “value-based coaching” and decided now would be the perfect time to roll it out to help you through the holidays this year.  I’ve offered it to a few clients so far, and those who have taken me up on it are loving the concept.

Here’s what it looks like:

• You and I schedule an hour together on Skype or phone between now and December 31^st
• We jam for 60 minutes on whatever you want to talk about to get you inspired and moving in the best direction
• You pay based on the value you feel you received (Whatever amount that is… no questions asked; no amount is too small or large)

Now, there are a couple stipulations to this kind of agreement:

1. Payment is due on the day of your session.  Following our meeting, I send you a link to pay through PayPal for the amount of your choosing.
2. There are no refunds since you determine the price.

Whatever your situation, if you could use some insight, guidance or a strategy session this holiday season, CLICK HERE to schedule a coaching session with me or call me at 480.788.8756.  Appointments are available on evenings and weekends, in addition to regular business hours.

By the way, if you’re looking for a more comprehensive coaching program, check out HeartFlow.

(Excerpted from The HeartMath Solution)

The term “freeze-frame” is movie lingo for stopping a film at a single frame to take a closer look. As you know, a movie is made up of countless frames of film. The projector showing the film runs the sequence of frames past a powerful light so quickly that we perceive them as continuous and unseamed. Together those separate frames create the movement that draws us into the story. If we want to see a still shot of one of the moments flashing by, we have to stop the projector—or freeze the frame. We can look at life as a high-speed movie. We get so caught up in the momentum of the story that it’s easy to forget that it’s made up of individual moments. From one minute to the next, we have an astonishing range of thoughts, emotions, and experiences that make up our lives. Think about it. How much has happened inside you since you started reading just this chapter? Maybe the phone rang or you were otherwise interrupted. Maybe you had to move around to get comfortable or find the right lighting. Maybe a certain phrase you read reminded you of something else and your mind began to wander. Each of these events left a mental or emotional trail in your internal world.

If the interruption was enjoyable, you returned to your reading in a pleasant frame of mind. If it wasn’t enjoyable, your discomfort was subtly—or not so subtly—woven into your experience as you continued to read. You get the point: each response leads into the next frame. You’re writing the story of your life one moment at a time. The FREEZE-FRAME technique gives you the power to stop your reaction to the movie at any moment.

It lets you call a time-out to gain a clearer perspective on what’s happening in a single frame. By helping you align your head and your heart, it gives you quick and efficient access to heart intelligence. Going to your heart through FREEZE-FRAME reduces stress, but it does more than that. It shifts your perspective, allowing you to tap into a deeper source of intuition and power. FREEZE-FRAME uses the power of the heart to help manage the mind. Because our mental, emotional, and physical systems are all interconnected, FREEZE-FRAME also has a powerful effect on our emotions and biology…

From time to time it’s a good strategic move to call a time-out and regroup your internal team—your head and your heart. You may think you don’t have time to take a break, but you do: FREEZE-FRAME was designed to work quickly. The brief mental time-out it gives you allows you to gain access—on the spot—to the balancing power of the heart and the revitalizing insights of heart intelligence.

The Five Steps of FREEZE-FRAME technique:

1.  Recognize the stressful feeling and FREEZE-FRAME it! Take a time-out.

2.  Make a sincere effort to shift your focus away from the racing mind or disturbed emotions to the area around your heart. Pretend you’re breathing through your heart to help focus your energy in this area. Keep your focus there for ten seconds or more.

3.  Recall a positive, fun feeling or time you’ve had in life and try to re-experience it.

4.  Now, using your intuition, common sense, and sincerity, ask your heart, What would be a more efficient response to the situation, one that would minimize future stress?

5.  Listen to what your heart says in answer to your question. (It’s an effective way to put your reactive mind and emotions in check and an in-house source of commonsense solutions!)

Try the Freeze-Frame technique next time you find yourself in a stressful situation.  With practice, you can use it to immediately bring yourself back into balance.

Patty describes how she made it through the tough times even as thoughts such as “how did this happen to me?” and “how will I support myself?” could have weighed her down.

She also shares some of the “sensuality secrets” from her program and describes how masculine/feminine energy mingle on the dance floor.  I was surprised to hear how similar it was to “real life” relationships.

All of this and more are included in this month’s Heart to Heart with Patty Contenta.

Bio:

Patty Contenta began her career in the ballroom dancing community 20 years ago with the Arthur Murray Dance Studio in Montreal.  As a professional dancer, choreographer, judge, international traveling dance consultant and owner of the World renowned Arthur Murray Dance Franchise, she has transmitted her passion for dance to students around the world.

She is creator of Sensuality Secrets, a book and DVD set that helps divorced women over 40 who are struggling with their body image feel sexy, feminine, confident and attract quality male attention.

This interview is now available in the Archives.