BREATHE N BOUNCE

 It's kind of crazy because in life we say there are no do-overs, but yet I harp on the phrase "begin again." So I don't know if that is confusing to people or not — to say no do-overs, but do it again. So I thought I would explore that a little bit here. You see, you get a shot to do something great. You get opportunities in life, and you don't wanna miss them because then you start wondering what could've happened if. There have been times in my life where I missed opportunities where I could've really done some great things. I might've been able to push on that Stoned Ranger character and make something really special with it, but I got cold feet — especially because so many people in the industry were telling me it would never work because of the connotations of marijuana and all my foul language. However, because you miss one opportunity, doesn't mean that you are gonna miss the next one. I think you have to focus on the next one though, bec...

Stop Performing Your Synonym-Heavy, Soul-Aligned Wellness Fantasy: Why Authenticity Is the Only Real Trend Let’s be completely honest for a second: this last month has been a real kick in the teeth. Between managing everyday burnout, listening to people drone on about "aligning with your highest vibrational frequencies," and trying not to throw my phone against the drywall every time I see another perfectly filtered turmeric latte, I’m exhausted. Welcome to our August series, which corporate or whatever clever branding machine decided to call "Align with Your Soul and Your Wallet" : though honestly, let’s just call it what it is: a cynical look at how we’ve managed to slap a luxury price tag on feeling like garbage and calling it enlightenment. Who comes up with these things? Is there a way out, or are we all just trapped in an endless loop of buying $128 bamboo leggings so we can achieve inner peace while our bank accounts scream in agony? It’s such a shitty pl...

I get down and dirty about my depression lately which is dealing with consequences on how I have treated people and actually understanding the scope of damage that I have caused to people long term and short term.  How do I feel better? How do I forgive myself? How do I find patience for people to forgive me? Lots of questions here, but will I find my own answers throughout the show. MUSIC FROM THIS EPISODE DIARY OF A MADMAN - Ozzy Osbourne WASTED - Nero ON MY KNEES - Rufs Du Sol ALONE I BREAK - Korn CITIES IN DUST - Siouxsie and the Banshees A MOMENT APART - Odesza THE PROMISE - When In Rome

  For the first time in seven months today, I practiced Ashtanga yoga, which quite frankly was the baseline for my yoga teacher training. It also is probably one of the most gratifying, challenging practices when it comes to yoga. At its core, it's pure. It doesn't change. There is no creativity. You can't make the class cutesy. You just have to teach it as it is. Sure, there's the express form of it that many health clubs teach, but it still is the same sequence — the same sequence of breaths. And very much like time, it doesn't change. It doesn't criticize. It is just there for you to take a part of. As people know, my yoga journey has been interrupted because I got caught up in a lot of the propaganda regarding many fitness brands hijacking the practice. I found myself questioning people going to yoga studios that I watched say some crazy shit about other students just trying to do their thing. I started to question what yoga was. I found myself not want...

Stop Wasting Time on Social Media Comparisons: 7 Hacks for Digital Sanity I’ll be real with you, this last month has been really tough for me. I’ve found myself in those weird, dark loops where you’re just scrolling and scrolling at 2:00 AM, and suddenly you feel like everyone else on the planet has figured out the "life" thing except for you. It’s a shitty place to be. You see a former high school friend posting about their third vacation this year, or some "wellness guru" showing off a kitchen that looks like it belongs in a museum, and suddenly your own living room feels like a cluttered mess and your bank account feels like a personal failure. We come out from the deep holes we create for ourselves, but man, social media makes those holes so much easier to dig. Who comes up with these things? These algorithms are literally designed to keep us hooked, and unfortunately, they often hook us by tapping into our deepest insecurities. It’s a form of brainwashi...

I know that getting your mental health and functionality in gear is a process.  It something that doesn't happen tomorrow.  It's a process.  It's a journey.  I talk about my journey and what has worked for me, and I also swear alot today.  Most likely because it is so hot and sticky, MUSIC FROM THIS EPISODE SUPER HOT JULY - Dip T Jones WHERE'S MY MIND - Pixies THE END OF THE HEARTACHE - Killswitch Engage TOXIC - Boywithuke PUSH PUSH - Cinderella PUSH IT - Rick Ross GOIN UP - Deorro DREAM ON - Ronnie James Dio/Yngwie Malmsteen

  I find myself sometimes getting super emotional, and that is not always in the best way. It then manifests itself in sickness, anxiety attacks, and other things that I'd quite frankly could do without. I get really emotional about seeing how people get treated. And for years, I did it. But now, it does affect me, and now it makes me feel a certain way. I don't want it to be seen as weakness, but a lot of people tell me not to worry about what happens with other people. I see loved ones and friends going through struggles, and I want to help, but I know that I can't. I can give advice. I can tell them what I would do, but that doesn't fix the problem. The problem is that they have to fix it themselves, and I cannot participate in their healing or their fixing, if you will. It's really hard when you want to help people who won't really talk to you or want to keep their distance from you because of things you did in the past. Sometimes you know that they...

The "Dopamine Trap" Explained: 5 Minutes to Understanding Your Digital Cravings I’ll be honest with you, this last month has been really tough for me. I’ve found myself in those deep holes we create for ourselves, the ones where the sun goes down and suddenly it’s 2 AM, and I’m still staring at a screen. My eyes are burning, my neck is stiff, and for what? To see another video of a cat playing a piano or someone I haven't spoken to in ten years on a vacation I can't afford? It’s such a shitty place to be. You feel like you’re doing something, but you’re actually doing nothing. You’re just... vibrating. We’ve all been there, right? That restless, frantic energy where you keep refreshing your feed even though you just checked it ten seconds ago. Is there a way out? Or are we just doomed to be digital junkies for the rest of our lives? At Breathe N Bounce , we talk a lot about fighting the monster which is me , and lately, that monster has been wearing the fac...

 Today,I talk about how we all lie about everything usually to make ourselves and others feel better.  I speak about how that doesn't help anyone and keeps the comfort trap going.  I also talk about my own experience with lying to myself about my role in the yoga world, and other parts of my life where I had to be more honest about things. MUSIC FROM THIS EPISODE LIAR - Gothminister ALMOST HONEST - Megadeth SAY IT RIGHT - Nelly Furtado DRIVE - Deftones I AM WHAT I AM - KMFDM I AM WHAT I AM - Doro

  I spoke about this on Friday FaceTime yesterday, and I just thought it was very important for it to be said again because it is something that I have now dedicated to working on for myself. I think that life is very precious and sometimes we can take it for granted. And when I say take it for granted, I don't mean we party and do drugs and engage in reckless activities. I think we take for granted the impact that we have on others. I have been having kind of a rough time as I have been moving, and I am now living in a place where I am very uncomfortable. This is because I have a lot of bad memories of pain that I caused others there, and I also think about the way my kids were when they were younger and how much closer I was to them than I am now because, as we all know, kids eventually grow up and wanna be independent and want to do their own thing and sometimes they don't need their parents in their business. When we have bad attitudes and bad energy, it goes out there....

Stop Wasting Time on Social Media Comparisons: 7 Hacks for Digital Sanity I’ll be real with you, this last month has been really tough for me. I’ve found myself in those weird, dark loops where you’re just scrolling and scrolling at 2:00 AM, and suddenly you feel like everyone else on the planet has figured out the "life" thing except for you. It’s a shitty place to be. You see a former high school friend posting about their third vacation this year, or some "wellness guru" showing off a kitchen that looks like it belongs in a museum, and suddenly your own living room feels like a cluttered mess and your bank account feels like a personal failure. We come out from the deep holes we create for ourselves, but man, social media makes those holes so much easier to dig. Who comes up with these things? These algorithms are literally designed to keep us hooked, and unfortunately, they often hook us by tapping into our deepest insecurities. It’s a form of brainwashi...

 I have come to the conclusion of I have not been doing everything I can to be my best self.  I am very defensive and reactive and I have had some time to reflect on this.  So I talk about that and I speak on what I am willing to do to change it. MUSIC FROM THIS EPISODE I WILL REJOICE - Steve Angello feat TD Jakes FRAGILE - Kygo FALLIN DOWN - Zeds Dead 1000X NO - Pop Will Eat Itself WORK BITCH - Britney Spears ALL THAT REALLY MATTERS - Illenium f/ Teddy Swims

Today is the 250th birthday of the independence of America. Much has been made of the fact that it's been 250 years of star-spangled freedom, but we must ask the question — how many of us are actually free? Many of us live our lives going to jobs that we do not like. We push ourselves to the brink of disaster every day, ruining our mental health more and more. The troops that we are supposed to support in this country have very minimal mental health benefits as suicide numbers rise in that community. What's more, you see many veterans living on the streets of the country that they gave their lives to protect? Now, I'm sure you're reading this and saying, "If you're not happy, then you can leave." This is usually the classic response of most Americans who just stand by and accept the shit plates that they are given to eat and move on. The reason for this is that many of these people do not experience what many people deal with on a daily basis when it...