Michael Gelb returns to the podcast to talk about his latest book, Walking Well, co-written with Bruce Fertman.

In our conversation, we cover a wide range of topics:

• the biomechanics of walking
• how we can powerfully improve the experience of walking through simple mindfulness and imagination exercises
• why walking is the quintessential human activity
• the benefits of walking (physical, cognitive, emotional, spiritual)
• other basic human postures (standing, sitting, lying down)
• materialist vs spiritual orientation to life
• and much more...

Michael makes the case that walking, if done well, is kind of a magic Swiss army knife for life. It can give us the same benefits as meditation, strenuous exercise, yoga, breathwork, and many other "advanced" modalities.

From the eminently practical (you'll learn three exercises that will have you walking better in minutes) to the deeply philosophical, this is a conversation (and book) that you won't want to miss.

MichaelGelb.com

WalkingWell.com

Walking Well

Lessons from the Art of Juggling

I've been on a memory reconsolidation mission since I was first introduced to it a couple of years ago.

Two missions, in fact.

One, to learn as much as I can and incorporate it into my coaching and mentoring.

Two, to share it far and wide.

Today, we're going to talk about memory reconsolidation and some of the techniques that you can use to help bring it about for yourself and for others. My guest is my daughter Yael Zivan who has been studying memory reconsolidation and experiential therapies with some of the luminaries in the field that we talk about in this episode.

I'm so happy and delighted that she is carrying on this mission in her way, bringing healing and support and compassion and love to people thanks to this recent neuroscience breakthrough, that shows us how to shortcut transformation and make it effortless and permanent.

In our conversation, we dive deep into therapeutic modalities and memory reconsolidation.

Yael shares her journey in transforming her own trauma into a passion and career, exploring techniques such as AEDP and Coherence Therapy.

We talk about the importance of self-compassion, understanding schemas, and innovative approaches to healing triggers and old patterns.

Well, it's getting to be that time of life when I begin to realize that I'm mortal. Next year I turn 60, which, according to the Jewish blessing "May you live to a hundred and twenty," puts me smack dab in middle age.

I've been whole food plant-based for decades, and I'm pretty athletic. I meditate, and I keep a journal just in case I ever get the urge to write in it. I drink water, avoid tobacco products, drink about a quart of alcohol a year, and wear a bike helmet.

So you'd think that I'd be going into the second half of life all guns a-blazing, ready to tackle any and all challenges.

But you'd be wrong.

The area where I'm weakest is flexibility.

I'm working harder and harder to put my socks on. When I'm playing Ultimate or Padel, I have trouble bending down to catch a disc or return a ball.

I'm worried about turning into a caricature of an old man: shuffling around, complaining about the weather and my rheumatism.

I decided to do something about it.

Maybe I even mentioned this to my wife, because in no time my Facebook feed was swollen with ads for online stretching programs.

One caught my eye, because the presenter seemed real and down-to-earth. So I bought a "Science of Stretching" course from Lucas Rockwood, founder of YogaBody.

Then I realized that I knew Lucas.

In fact, he'd hosted me on his Age Less / Live More Podcast way back in March, 2014, where I talked about my goal of turning the world into a giant food forest. (Ah, permaculture :).

We'd first met, in fact, about 8 years before that, when we were both learning the ins and outs of digital marketing.

And one thing that caught my eye was that Lucas had settled in Barcelona, less than 30 km from where I live. So I reached out, and he graciously agreed to be a guest on Plant Yourself. I shlepped my recording equipment into the city, and we met at his studio and had a really good conversation.

Mostly we talk about how to maintain healthspan, particularly in the second half of life.

Lucas shares lots of valuable insights:

• how our athleticism might evolve as we age
• the balance between training and injury prevention
• how to get the benefits of yoga if someone (ahem) isn't crazy about actually doing yoga
• the power of intentional breath practices for regulating the nervous system
• the science of flexibility training (and why it's more or less unknown in most gyms)

Lucas gives us the three principles of flexibility practice, and shares why most of the stretching we do doesn't actually increase our range of motion.

And he shares three types of breathing and how to apply each one in practice and in daily life.

We also cover some of the problems in the yoga community, including sexual exploitation. As you can see, our "range of conversation" parallels Lucas' own range of motion, and hopefully the one that I'm developing as I continue to deepen my own practice.

If you plan on living a full and vibrant life, and you're approaching A Certain Age, this episode may serve you — as it did me — as a wakeup call.

YogaBody.com

Lucas' Age Less / Live More Podcast

My appearance on the Age Less / Live More Podcast

Job's Body: A Handbook for Bodywork, by Dean Juhan