The Living Experiment: Rethink Your Choices. Reclaim Your Life.

This week on The Living Experiment, we’re talking about Summer — a season so full of potential, projects, and activities, it can leave you feeling exhausted. So in this episode, we talk about how to make the most of summer, while coming through it as healthy and happy as you want to be, and while setting yourself up for the fall season to come. Dallas shares wisdom drawn from his seasonal model of health, including tips for nutrition, fitness and sleep. Pilar offers a few summer insights for managing your physical and emotional energy. And of course, we offer you some experiments to help you enjoy summer’s best gifts in ways that work for you. Get full show notes and resources at http://livingexperiment.com/summer/

This week on The Living Experiment, we’re talking about Forgiveness: The important role it plays in our health and happiness, and the rich opportunities it can offer — if and when we’re ready to embrace them. We talk about our own personal experiences with forgiveness, and we share some expert recommendations for approaching forgiveness in ways that are healthy, safe, and rewarding. Finally, we offer you some experiments to help you more fully explore the potential of forgiveness in your own life. Get full show notes and resources at http://livingexperiment.com/forgiveness/

This week on The Living Experiment, we’re talking about Non-Toxic Bodycare — the importance of having some personal safety criteria for the products we put on our skin, and some strategies for avoiding the chemical compounds most likely to negatively affect your health. From phthalates to fragrances, we talk about the long list of commonly used ingredients known to cause trouble in the human body, and why regulatory organizations like the FDA don’t provide anywhere near as much protection as most people think. We suggest some guidelines for selecting better, safer options, and we offer some experiments to help you upgrade your own use of bodycare products in ways that work for you. Get full show notes and resources at http://livingexperiment.com/non-toxic-bodycare/

This week on The Living Experiment, we’re talking about Aging Gracefully — what that means to us, why it matters, and how to go about doing it well. From challenging dominant cultural norms and anti-aging messages to feeling comfortable in our own skin as the decades pass, we discuss what it means to grow older in a culture that tends to glorify youth. We offer suggestions for reclaiming your own aging experience. And we offer some experiments to help you expand your assumptions about aging, to release some of your judgments about it, and to more fully embrace its positive possibilities. Get full show notes and resources at http://livingexperiment.com/aging-gracefully/  

This week on The Living Experiment, we’re talking about Satisfaction vs. Success — the sometimes surprising tensions that can exist between our pursuit of those two goals, and the ways we can redefine both in the service of our own health and happiness. In a world where it can seem like everybody on your social feeds is oozing wealth and glamour, it's easy to feel like you should be keeping up somehow — striving harder, achieving more. At the same time, slogging away at a dead-end job or a feeling stuck in a not-quite-right career can also be a soul-crushing endeavor. So here, we talk about our own relationship with our work and our ambitions, and we share the insights and open questions that we’re still exploring in establishing our own definitions of a life well-lived. Finally we offer you some experiments to help you experience more satisfaction and success in your own life. Full show notes and resources at http://livingexperiment.com/satisfaction-vs-success/

This week on The Living Experiment, we're talking about the art of the Commute — the strategies that can make our daily trips less stressful and more rewarding, and the subtle shifts of attitude that can make them easier on your body and mind. From redesigning your commuting environment to being more mindful of your media, we explore the skills and techniques that can rescue commuting from the realms of drudgery and elevate it to a daily practice you actually enjoy. Finally, we offer you some experiments that can help you make your commute work better for you. Get full show notes and resources at http://livingexperiment.com/commute/

In this episode of The Living Experiment, we go on a One-Year Ramble, reflecting on what we've learned over the course of our first year of doing this podcast, warts and all. We explore what we've both taken away from our conversations and our friendship, and from our personal and professional journeys over that time. From observations on the state of health media, to insights about our own strengths and weaknesses, we consider the body of work we've created, and where we see ourselves going next. Finally, we offer an experiment that gives you the opportunity to connect and reflect with a friend on the nuances of your own life experience. Get full show notes and resources at http://livingexperiment.com/one-year-ramble/

This week on The Living Experiment, we bring you the third in a series of four special guest episodes featuring teachers from Lafayette Morehouse. For more background on this series, check out the introduction to the first Lafayette Morehouse episode, "Resistance to Pleasure". In this episode, Pilar talks to teaching trio Judy St. John, Colin Selig and Janet Ribaldi about Intimacy and Connection - our human longing for it, the fears and social programming that get in the way, and the steps we can take to create the deeper sense of authentic connection that most of us desire. A lot of the Morehouse teachings focus on the value of relationships, and the opportunity we have to amplify our enjoyment of life by relating to others with more attention, awareness and authenticity. Morehouse teachings also focus on sensuality as an important aspect of a gratifying life, so we touch on that, too. Get full show notes and resource links at http://livingexperiment.com/intimacyconnection/

This week on The Living Experiment, we’re talking about Attractiveness. What makes us attractive? What do we find attractive in others, and why? From health and beauty to intelligence, kindness, confidence and self-esteem, we explore the whole-person factors that come into play as we size each other up — and evaluate our own mojo. We also consider some of the psycho-emotional and scientific underpinnings of those factors. Finally, we suggest some experiments to help you expand your awareness of what attractiveness means to you. Get full show notes at http://livingexperiment.com/attractiveness/

This week on The Living Experiment, we’re talking about "Idleness" — those all-too-rare moments when we allow ourselves to do nothing in particular, and the surprising magic they can bring to our lives. From the neurological rewards of daydreaming to the value of more extended sabbaticals, we explore the possibilities of doing less, rather than more, as a means of enriching your life experience, and expanding your gifts to the world around you. And naturally, we offer some experiments designed to help you experience the counterintuitive rewards of idleness for yourself. Get full show notes at http://livingexperiment.com/idleness/

This week on The Living Experiment, we’re talking about "Perfect" — the pressure we feel to achieve that impossible standard, and the strategies we can use to escape perfectionism's often-agonizing grip. From the tendency we have to compare ourselves to unattainable ideals, to the shame-based frustration that can result when we find ourselves lacking, we share insights from our own perfection-seeking experiences, as well as counsel from recognized experts in the field. Finally, we offer experiments to help you explore and evolve your own relationship with whatever “perfect” means for you. Get full show notes at http://livingexperiment.com/perfect/

This week on The Living Experiment, we’re talking about Sleep — why it's so hugely important, and how you can get more of the healthy sleep your body deserves. After touching briefly on some science-y fundamentals, we delve into how you can get the kind of high-quality rest your body needs to repair damage, rebalance itself, and thrive. We share insights about how to overcome important but little-known barriers to a decent night’s rest. And of course, we offer you experiments to help you start sleeping better — tonight, and for the rest of your life. Get full show notes at http://livingexperiment.com/sleep/

This week on The Living Experiment, we bring you the second in a series of four special guest episodes featuring teachers from Lafayette Morehouse. For more background on this series, check out the introduction to the first Lafayette Morehouse episode, "Resistance to Pleasure". In this episode, Pilar talks to Morehouse teachers Sugar Goens-Baranco and Boris Sheckeloff about the concept of Win-Win Relating. The now popular term "win-win," as Sugar explains, was actually coined by her father — Morehouse founder Victor Baranco — back in the 1960s. And as you’ll learn, he used it to describe a dynamic rather different from the one most of us now associate with the term. Within the Morehouse philosophy, win-win relating is a foundational concept — one that provides the basis for more successful relationships, and a happier, more rewarding life experience. And as Sugar and Boris describe it, this more nuanced definition of win-win might challenge some of your assumptions about what true winning entails. Get full sh

This week on The Living Experiment, we’re talking about Energy Drinks — the surge of popularity they’re currently enjoying, and the widespread energy-deficit that appears to be driving their consumption. We explore where real energy comes from, the mechanisms by which energy drinks may give us a real or perceived boost, and why that boost may come with some serious strings attached. Whether you’re a fan of energy drinks, or concerned about the effect they might be having on you or someone you love, we offer you insights into their potential pros and cons, and we suggest some experiments to help you generate more sustainable energy in ways that work for you. Get full show notes at http://livingexperiment.com/energydrinks/

This week on The Living Experiment, we’re talking about Generosity —  the instinct we have to share with others, and the mutual benefits that giving can confer, not just mentally and emotionally but also at the physiological level. From the surge of feel-good compounds our bodies release in response to generous acts, to the value of giving others the benefit of the doubt, we explore the ways that generosity serves both giver and recipient. We also consider the ways that giving more than you can share joyfully tends backfire, creating anger, resentment and regret. Finally, we offer some experiments to help you explore your own generous impulses and refine them in ways that work for you. Get full show notes at ‎ ‎http://livingexperiment.com/generosity/

This week on The Living Experiment, we’re talking about Spring — the essential nature of the season, and the shifts your body wants to make in keeping with it. In a continuation of Dallas’s Seasonal Model of Health, and the season-by-season series we started this winter, we talk about the value of adjusting your eating, activity, sleep and social activities in ways befitting spring. We also explore the energetic and psycho-emotional dynamics you might be noticing this time of year, plus some insights from Chinese Five-Element theory, and the value of integrating rather than fighting your body’s natural rhythms and desires. Finally, we offer up some experiments that can help you get your own body and mind in sync with the gifts of this spring season. Get full show notes, experiments and resource links at http://livingexperiment.com/spring/

This week on The Living Experiment, we’re talking about Sensuality — what that word really means, and the important, underappreciated role that sensual experience plays in our health and happiness. We live in a culture that often distorts sensuality — glorifying sex and promoting certain forms of consumer-oriented decadence , but limiting our appreciation of our own inherently sensual natures. So here, from the biological benefits of sensual of pleasure to the difficulties we have in talking about in polite company, we take a look at what’s known about sensuality and where it fits into our lives. Get full show notes at http://livingexperiment.com/sensuality/

It's high time we had a serious talk about pleasure. Because it can have a huge impact on your health. And well, it's fun! So this week on the podcast, we're bringing you the first in a series of special guest episodes featuring teachers from Lafayette Morehouse, an intentional community founded in 1968 with the goal of maximizing the potential of its members, and on having life be, in their words, "as much fun as possible." One fundamental principle of Morehouse teachings is that they don't prescribe solutions or try to fix anybody (they think you're perfect the way you are). Rather, they simply describe what they've seen work (and not work) in closely observing their own lives and the lives of others. And their #1 rule is this: Don't do anything you don't want to do. In this first of four Lafayette Morehouse episodes that we'll share over the course of the next two seasons of the The Living Experiment, Pilar talks to teachers Judy St. John, Colin Selig and Janet Raibaldi about a dynamic they call "Resistanc

This week on The Living Experiment, we're talking about Saying No, that magical word that can set you free – or feel like a one-way ticket to a guilt trip that will never end. Whether it's declining a request or rejecting an offer, the discomfort we feel in saying no — or feeling that we can't — is an immense source of stress for a great many of us. It's also a necessity that none of us can avoid. So how can we get better at managing our authentic "nos" more consciously, and saying them with more clarity and conviction? How can we manage our desire to say "yes!" to life with our responsibility to set healthy boundaries that help us create a life we enjoy? We get into all of that, and we offer you some experiments to help you say "no" with confidence, so you can say "yes!" when it matters most. "Saying No" Episode Highlights The anxiety inherent in many "yes" and "no" situations in a culture where the onslaught of offers and opportunities can be overwhelming The difference between the saying an enthusiastic "

This week we're talking about News – the kind that comes at you 24 hours a day via all sorts of media. The kind that can make you feel a little crazy and hopeless if you let it. Particularly in times like these, when competing headlines come fast and furious, and when so much of the news seems disturbing or difficult to interpret, it can be tough to moderate your intake – and your response. So here, we share our counsel on how to balance your desire to know what's going on in the world with your need to maintain some sense of sanity and resilience. We also offer some experiments to help you manage your news consumption in ways that work for you. "News" Episode Highlights Why habitual (or excessive) intake of news can distort rather than inform our view of the world, with anxiety-inducing effects "If it bleeds, it leads" – the predominant media bias toward fear-producing, violent, and disturbing topics The increasingly blurred lines between marketing, propaganda, and actual news The importance of understandin