Live in the present...live CURRENTly

The waves crashed beneath us in our air-filled blue vessel, as the Costa Rican river rushed us down stream.  With not a care in the world and pure excitement, we were present, we were going with the flow, we were traveling with the current, we were living currently.

Two simple definitions of "current," provided by the Oxford dictionary are: "belonging to the present time" and "a body of water or air moving in a definite direction."  Aren't they just different ways of saying go with the flow?  Whether we're on a raft in the Costa Rican rain forest, in the rush of daily New York City life, stuck in Atlanta traffic, or trying to get our kids ready for school in the morning, all we want is to live in the moment.

What greater peace is there than living in the present?  There is a sense of calm that descends upon us when we're consciously existing in the here and now...not thinking about what was or what will be.  Our circumstances don't have to be perfect, but still, what a joy it is when we are fully aware of ourselves, as we are, in that moment.  We're detached from the past, which is now out of our hands, and we're detached from the future, which has not yet graced us with its presence.  We simply are.  Have you felt that?  What did it feel like?  We can recreate it and live it everyday.

Meditation has been the key to helping so many of us live in the present, to detach ourselves not from ambition, but rather from the mistakes of our past and the worries of our future, neither of which even exist.  While we seek the calmer waters below, meditation can help us live currently.

***Reminder of how to do mindfulness meditation:

Just 5 minutes a day!  If you prefer, begin with a prayer or simply envision the peace you hope to feel.  Sit in a chair with your feet flat on the ground, or on the floor cross-legged, and keep your spine erect, shoulders relaxed, and chin parallel to the ground.  Rest your hands on your thighs with your palms facing up.  Close your eyes and concentrate at the point between your eyebrows.  Just passively observe your breath going in and out through your nose, without trying to control the rate.  If your eyes drop, gently bring them back up.  If your mind wanders, don’t worry about it, just bring your attention back to your breath.

Meditation in the Water

As I lay in the still waters under the Puerto Rican sun, I watched my breath go in…I watched my breath go out.  I existed as a passive observer of the automated inspiratory and expiratory actions that kept my body alive.

With each inhalation, my lungs expanded…my body becoming evermore buoyant.  I floated in the stillness, undisturbed by the sights and sounds around me.  With each exhalation, my lungs contracted…allowing me to sink deeper into the water…to sink deeper into the peace within.  In this experience, physiology and physics were swimming together to produce this inexplicable feeling.

I felt true presence – a detachment from what was or what would be.  I lived in the here and now.  But as the Caribbean rain began to pitter-patter on my face, the world began to call.  I arose from the water, refreshed and inspired for what new life was to come.

***Reminder of how to do mindfulness meditation:

If you prefer, begin with a prayer or simply envision the peace you hope to feel.  Sit in a chair with your feet flat on the ground, or on the floor cross-legged, and keep your spine erect, shoulders relaxed, and chin parallel to the ground.  Rest your hands on your thighs with your palms facing up.  Close your eyes and concentrate at the point between your eyebrows.  Just passively observe your breath going in and out through your nose, without trying to control the rate.  If your eyes drop, gently bring them back up.  If your mind wanders, don’t worry about it, just bring your attention back to your breath.

What Does Freedom Mean to You?

Perhaps this would have been better saved for July 4th, but I had to share now.  What does freedom mean to you?  Out of fear of starting off like a college application essay, I will reiterate Merriam-Webster Dictionary’s definition: “the quality or state of being free: as the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action, or liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another.”

Rather than following the eloquent description above, most of us define freedom basically as, “doing what I want, when I want.”  This rationale works for characterizing how we want our job to feel, luxury items, vacation, dining, and per my discussion with a Marine friend of mine, the absence of tyranny presiding over us.  But is doing as we please truly freedom?

If I’m a drug addict with money and resources to supply my habit, and I desperately want to quit but am unable to do so, then how am I free?  Sure, I can get what I want when I want, but if my addiction controls me, then I am bound by the shackles of my uncontrollable desire.  If I’m trying to be more fit, yet I can’t look away from the fries and doughnuts because the money’s in my pocket and they just look so good (we’ve all been here), then I’m not truly free.  My desire owns me.  Lastly, and relevant to our current political climate (irrespective of party affiliation), if I vote for the most popular person simply because everyone else is, then I’m not free either.  While exercising my freedom to vote, I’m still being moved by the herd mentality.

So what is true freedom?  We are only free if we are in control of our response to circumstances we can’t control.  We are only free if we are not bound by our compulsions.  We are only free if we control our desire, rather than our desire controlling us.  Why is this so pure?  Simply because it relies not on outer influences, but is inspired from within.  That freedom cannot be shaken.

People have asked me how I became a vegetarian over night in college, how I quit drinking over night just after college, how I quit caffeine over night just a few months ago, and how I have stuck to daily meditation for 18 years.  I simply say that I was not coerced into doing one thing or another…I used my freedom to choose what is best for me.  Some might say, “But isn’t it a restricted way of life?”  It absolutely is if the only thing that moved me down this path was an external influence, while the desires were actually steaming up from within.  But my freedom lies in the fact that I can look at them, appreciate my prior experiences and their value for others, and have absolutely no desire for them.  I don’t have to live with regret.  I’m not saying do as I do – I’m saying we all have this power within us.  Apply it to your own circumstances.

Whatever your faith or not, make meditation a daily part of your life, and you will own your desires rather than them owning you.  It allows us to still our mind to concentrate our energy on what we truly want in life.  Let us all aim for this pure freedom.

Happy New Year: Now is the Time

Happy New Year!  I hope 2016 has been kind to everyone so far.  As we collectively enter a new phase of our lives, we look forward to starting fresh and (hopefully) learning from our past, rather than simply forgetting it.  We make commitments to do the things we've always wanted to do and refrain from those we've been unable to previously avoid.  Well, time moves fast and life is unpredictable so, if not now, when?!  Only we control our own destiny and only we are responsible for our actions.  If challenges to commitment arise, we can't always blame our circumstances...we must change our response to them.  Keeping our commitments and being clear about what we do or don't want is one of the many benefits of meditation. 

Reminder of how to begin:

If you prefer, begin with a prayer or simply envision the peace you hope to feel.  Sit in a chair with your feet flat on the ground, or on the floor cross-legged, and keep your spine erect, shoulders relaxed, and chin parallel to the ground.  Rest your hands on your thighs with your palms facing up.  Close your eyes and concentrate at the point between your eyebrows.  Just passively observe your breath going in and out through your nose, without trying to control the rate.  If your eyes drop, gently bring them back up.  If your mind wanders, don’t worry about it, just bring your attention back to your breath.

The key is to be in the present moment without reacting to every distraction.

Stick to this practice just 5 minutes everyday and you will experience the benefits firsthand.  Stay committed to daily meditation and meditation in turn will strengthen your commitments this year.  Contact me any time for questions or comments and if you'd like to be added to my email list for upcoming events.  I truly want to help.  Wishing everyone a peaceful 2016.

Interventional Radiology: the Wave of the Future

Interventional Radiology (IR) in a nutshell: https://vimeo.com/122651123

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Lower extremity angiogram showing right popliteal artery occlusion
 --- source

One of our angiography suites at Mt. Sinai West

One of our angiography suites at Mt. Sinai St. Luke's

Happy Holidays: 5 Minute Meditation

I hope everyone has had a wonderful Christmas weekend. The message that the season brings is not limited to one special day, but lives on within us if we turn within everyday. Meditation is truly for everyone, whatever faith or not, and can be practiced alone or together. It will make your faith in God or yourself stronger by your own personal experience. It is a beautiful additive to whatever you’re already doing to get centered.

Great way to start:
If you prefer, begin with a prayer or simply envision the peace you hope to feel. Sit in a chair with your feet flat on the ground, or on the floor cross-legged, and keep your spine erect and chin parallel to the ground. Rest your hands on your thighs with your palms facing up. Close your eyes and concentrate at the point between your eyebrows. Just passively observe your breath going in and out through your nose, without trying to control the rate. If your eyes drop, gently bring them back up. If your mind wanders, don’t worry about it, just bring your attention back to your breath.

The key is to be in the present moment without reacting to every distraction.

Do this 5 minutes everyday and you’ll see the peace translate to your daily life. So many of my friends and family have wanted to learn more, so while the world’s collective spiritual energy is so high, I figure I’ll share. I’m here to help if you have questions or want to know more, as I appreciate all I learn from you all.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.