International Yoga Day!

It feels just right to return to blogging on International Yoga Day, 2022! I’ve been focused on finishing strong a career in business spanning the last several decades. Now, I’m moving on to full time teaching of Yoga, Meditation and Pranayama.

Yoga means union and is generally thought to mean the union of our Human self with our Soul self. Once that happens of course, we begin to realize that we are also in union with all that is and not really a separate being after all. Sort of like a drop of water in the ocean is, in fact, the ocean.

I started practicing yoga about 12 years ago at a time when I was just looking for some way to reduce the stress in my life. That first class was really hard but it led to another and then another and just kept building. Then, I was led to start meditating and more insights were “downloaded”. My diet changed to be healthier and more compassionate, first to vegan and now to vegetarian. And, the growing awareness that I am not my Human Being, and not separate from all living things, has changed my perspective on everything. Peace and happiness are now my daily companions.

It is never to late to start and you too may experience a life-changing shift in your entire universe!

#blackouttuesday

Another tragic killing of an innocent black man by police is, I believe, the result of one fundamental problem. Over hundreds of years and many generations we have built a society, and institutions, that create human beings that are capable of these atrocities. This is not just another “bad cop” doing something horrific. This is part of what we get for institutionalized racism.

So, a logical question is, “who has built this horrific society?” Well, let’s start at the top, so to speak. For the past few hundred years, the people in charge of building our society have overwhelmingly been white, male, and presumably Christian and straight. I’m one of these people and I’m saying we need to take ownership for the results, including institutionalized racism, and we need to provide the leadership to urgently fix this. We can no longer stand on the sidelines, pray for the victims and their families, wait a few days for this all to blow over, and continue on with the status quo. We must take bold and effective action right now.

Sadly, in subsequent posts, I will be highlighting other major problems that I and my fellow life lottery winners must step up to and solve. We can no longer enjoy the fruits of the society we’ve built without delivering solutions to the problems that have come along with the fruits. If you build and operate a society designed, in part, to perpetuate white privilege, at some point in time you have to face the consequences. Accepting ownership of the problem and taking urgent action to create a truly inclusive, fair, just and safe society for all is long past due. We must act now.

TWO BEINGS, TWO VERY DIFFERENT REACTIONS

Human Being Response

What an incredible time to be alive! The world is dealing with the first global pandemic in over 100 years. Given the global nature of our existence, with the spread of this virus just a airplane ride away, everyone on the planet has been impacted by this in the matter of just a couple of months. Now it seems the situation is changing daily almost everywhere, and even hourly in some hot spots. The global media is covering little else in the way of news and no doubt most Human Beings are checking into the latest news multiple times per day. Our individual and community survival is under serious threat.

These circumstances are exactly what our Human Being was engineered to deal with. When our survival is threatened, our Human Being goes into high alert and fight or flight response mode to take the actions we deem necessary to give us the best possible chance of physical survival. Unchecked, these instincts can not only help ensure our survival but actually can also work against us and others if panic sets in. This is sadly playing out in the hoarding of food, hand sanitizer and toilet tissue (why???) by many. There is a better way but to realize that we must tap into our Soul Being for a more rational and balanced response.

Soul Being Response

Our Soul Being is not surprised by this pandemic. As an eternal being, which has always been here and always will be, our Soul Being has seen this before. The response is a combination of focusing on being prepared, not panicked, and compassion for others and how we might help and certainly not harm. Our Soul Being is perfectly designed to accept the things that are beyond our control (the pandemic) and focus on the things we can control. There is no hoarding but rather calmly ensuring our Human Being’s needs can be met. There certainly is no lashing out at others and trying to place blame for something that is simply a part of the physical world that exists. Our Soul Being is also always in the present moment and therefore doesn’t experience the anxiety and fear felt by our Human Being, which is oriented in the future potential of contracting the virus, or running out of food and other necessary supplies, or running out of money in the financial meltdown that is part of this, or not being able to pass on our genes to the next generation (yes, quite literally), or…

Finding Balance

So, your Human Being wants to panic and worry and your Soul Being wants to prepare and care for others. Understanding and seeing and feeling these differences in the present moment is the key to finding the balance needed to cope and even thrive in this current environment.

Without conscious effort our Human Being will take control and we will head down the path of worry and panic. Remember, our Human Being is motivated by the base emotion of fear. So, this is an ideal time to shift our focus to the base emotion of love and to work on the practices that help us bring our Soul Being to the forefront. Daily meditation and Yoga are core self-love practices and are hugely helpful to stay in the moment and keep things in perspective. Enjoying the simplicity of isolation, or “social distancing” as we are saying in the US, is also hugely helpful. Basically just enjoying the simple life and doing the things that keep us in the moment where our Soul Being resides and away from a fearful future where our Human Being is camped out.

This is certainly a time to grow and develop. A time to go deeper into our Soulful practices and learn in a very real setting how to keep a healthy balance between our Soul Being and our Human Being. A time to emerge from this situation, when the health threat has diminished, and be our Soul Being more consistently day in and day out. My hope is all people will come out of this far less interested in the desires of their Human Being and far more interested in living a life of love, the life of our Soul Being.

Thanks so much for reading this post and I hope you’ll subscribe to continue to follow along. Stay safe and well, remember to give yourself and others lots of love each and every moment. And, don’t forget to wash your hands :)

Thank you,

Jim

HUMAN BEING or SOUL BEING?

Life is Very Different

Daily life as a Human Being is very different from daily life as a Soul Being. We are both of these beings at every moment of our lives, from the birth of our Human form to its’ death. We are fully capable to choose to be one or the other. We are always some combination of the two. The choice moment by moment which to bring forth impacts everything. How we feel, what we do, how our words and actions will impact others, how we impact our communities and, of course, our degree of satisfaction and happiness with life itself. At the very foundation, our Human Being comes from a place of fear and our Soul Being comes from a place of love. Think for a moment or two, right now wherever you are, about the feelings and words and actions that come from a place of fear, and then those that come from a place of love. If you put your lists side by side it might look something like this:

HUMAN BEING

FEAR

SURVIVE

STRESSED

ANGRY

SELF

ME

REACTIVE

CALCULATING

QUESTIONS

WANT

PAST and FUTURE

CONSTRAINED

FINITE

TEMPORAL

SUFFERING

SOUL BEING

LOVE

THRIVE

RELAXED

KIND

COMPASSION

ALL as ONE

EQUANIMOUS

CREATIVE

ANSWERS

SATISFIED

NOW

LIMITLESS

INFINITE

ETERNAL

HAPPY

In every moment of every day you have a choice you can make. You can choose the feelings and states of Being on the left, or you can choose those on the right. Take a moment and compare each word or statement on the left with the one directly opposite on the right. Which would you choose? Which do you choose?

You see, the thing is that if you don’t make a conscious choice for the list on the right, you will live with the list on the left. The list on the left, associated with you as the Human Being, is your default setting. You don’t really have to do anything to experience those feelings and states of Being because they are the “factory settings” for each of us as Human Beings. But, we can consciously choose to live much more as Soul Being and therefore enjoy the feelings and states of Being on the right. Seems so simple, and it really is just that simple. However, it is not easy.

As I have outlined previously in this blog, our Human Being is an incredible machine that is designed for two things. Survival and procreation. To support these two objectives we automatically tend to have the feelings and states of Being that you see in the list on the left. If we choose to live more as our Soul Being, we can consistently experience all of the wonderful things on the right. It literally is a choice we can make.

I hope you will follow this blog so that you can learn one perspective on how to make the choice to be much more of your Soul Being and less of your Human Being. Your health, happiness and overall wellbeing depends upon the choice you decide to make!

Thanks for reading and supporting this blog. Please click the link below and subscribe with your email so you’ll know when new posts come available.

Peace and Love!

Jim

NOT MORE. THE ANSWER IS ACTUALLY LESS.

Children are Just Naturally Happy

As a young child I remember spending summers at the foot of the Tetons in Wyoming. We always had what we needed but we didn’t have much else and I remember being so happy. Playing outdoors. Fishing with my dad and extended family. The wood stove in the cabin to keep us warm at night and early morning. My imagination that created endless adventures. Every memory I have of that early time in my life is a happy memory. Fast forward 25 or 30 years and I was in constant pursuit of more stuff, which I guess I thought would return me to those happy feelings of my childhood. Bigger houses. Newer and fancier cars. Bigger boats. A better country club membership. The latest in golf club technology. Fine Italian suits and shoes. I was the complete opposite of a minimalist and nothing seemed to give me complete satisfaction. There was no end to the desire for more, better, different. And then, it all came crashing down.

My Journey to Less

Ok, so confession time. I’m not really what most people consider to be a minimalist. I did not consciously embrace minimalism as part of the recovery process from life changing events. I actually came to the concept with a different objective in mind. As I exited a failed marriage and sought changes from an unfulfilling career and health concerns, I wanted a complete reset to my life. So, I left nearly everything behind or at the local Goodwill. After the purge, literally everything I owned fit easily in the back of a mid-sized and well used SUV. Suddenly, I felt free and completely content with what I had. Not since early childhood had I felt like I had everything I needed. The combination of a few articles of clothing, a laptop, phone, backpack and camping and fly fishing gear was more than sufficient given the enduring love of my children and family and my enjoyment of the outdoors. For the first time in decades, I wanted for nothing else. At that point, and continuing now about eight years later, less has become much more.

The Drive to Always Wanting More

In previous posts on this blog, I’ve written about how our Human Being is solely focused on survival and procreation. As such, our Human Being has this drive to acquire more and more and more.  Because our innate perception is that the more we have the better our chances at survival and procreation.  More possessions.  More money.  More power or influence.  Even more, or more robust, mating partners is an innate desire that is only offset by a conscious decision to stay true to our chosen partner.  This desire leads to a constant dissatisfaction with what we have today and that is part of the drive to accumulate more tomorrow. But, the reality is that our Human Being only needs four things to survive and one thing to procreate.  We need clean air to breathe.  We need clean water to drink and nutritious food to eat.  We need adequate shelter from the sun and from the cold.  That’s it from a survival perspective.  In order to procreate, and pass our genetics forward to the next generation, we just need one partner of the opposite sex with whom we can mate, or a surrogate who will contribute their genetics to ours and bring a new life into the world.  Everything else we strive to accumulate is simply some form of perceived insurance that we believe will enhance our longevity or our attractiveness to a potential mate.

What Minimal Means to Me

The concept of minimalism means different things to different people. I’ve struggled for weeks now to write this post and it finally dawned on me that I was going through a review of my feelings on this subject.  For me, being happy with less is not something akin to a monk’s life and having only one set of clothing, a sleeping mat and bowl for food.  There is nothing wrong with living like that, but it’s not my definition of minimalism.  For me, this is really about dropping the attachment to things and stuff as being important to my sense of wellbeing and happiness.  The jettisoning of my stuff that I described earlier was a sudden event. But the realization, at a deep level, that it is really about losing the attachment to stuff that really matters, took more than a couple of years.  Since the purge eight years ago, I try to do two things.  First, to make sure that I enjoy everything I own and that I enjoy it or use on a very regular basis.  Secondly, I make sure to swap new for old when I do buy something new so that I don’t accumulate “more” as my innate Human Being tendency would dictate.  For example, if I buy a new pair of jeans I use them to replace an older pair of jeans or pants.  A new shirt or shoes replace something older that I no longer value as much.  The items replaced are donated to charity.  As a result, over the past few years I’ve acquired things that I really enjoy and yet all of my possessions, in total, still fit in a mid-sized SUV.

Releasing the Attachment to Stuff and Happiness

In a previous post on this blog, I offered my definition of happiness as being fully satisfied with our circumstances in every moment.  In this state of mind, we are not looking for something more, something new or something different in the future, for our happiness.  We are happy with what we have, who we are and what we do in the present moment so we are not seeking to change anything in an effort to be more satisfied and happier.  The reason this is so challenging is that our Human Being is so influential in how we see our circumstances due to the drive to survive and procreate.  This biological programming is bolstered by most everything our senses bring to our awareness.  Powerful stimulants supporting our natural drives come from advertising, media of all kinds, ever expanding social platforms and the norms of society that continue to define success primarily based upon money, possessions and status.

Your Soul Being is the Solution

The only way out of this unhappy trap is to live life much more through our Soul Being that is impervious to these influences and that naturally, fully and eternally basks in the glow of unconditional love. One of the greatest gifts in my life has been some significant detachment from my Human Being’s desire to always strive for more, better, newer and the emergence of my Soul Being’s ability to just Be.  It is never all Human or all Soul and I know this journey, and the work/practice, will never end.  But doing the work daily, to stay on the path to more Soul Being and less Human Being, is an incredibly happy path to be on!

Thanks so much for reading this post and I look forward to your comments and feedback.  I also hope that you’ll subscribe so as not to miss future posts where I’ll go deeper into the work that will lead to your Soul Being.

Jim 

A KEY FOR EVERY DOOR

He was born in the summer of his (57)th year

Comin’ home to a place he’d never been before

He left yesterday behind him, you might say he was born again

You might say he found a key for every door

These lyrics from Rocky Mountain High by John Denver struck me hard in the aftermath of some very challenging events in a prior marriage. The events were some of the catalyst for great change in my life. The change, or changes really, are most of what you will read about in this blog.

What I didn’t understand at the time is that the change that was underway, starting with discovering yoga, would truly be a rebirth and leaving yesterday behind. I also didn’t know that at the core of my transformation I would find meditation as the pathway to go within and there find answers to many questions. Through mediation I would find my Soul Being and learn how to happily connect to my Human Being and to literally everything that is. A key for every door? Perhaps.

Why Meditate?

Meditation and mindfulness are very hot topics these days, although the concepts and practices have been around for thousands of years. Almost daily, scientific studies, articles recapping experiences and how-to information are published on prominent internet sites. Almost all of these articles are pro-meditation and mindfulness and most everyone I talk to either meditates regularly, has tried it or has at least considered it. I believe the interest level is so high because our daily lives have become so stressful, and often frenetic, that we need some relief. Of course this is also a key reason for the record levels of anti-depressant prescriptions, alcoholism and other forms of “medicating” our stress and anxiety.

The challenge that we all face, literally each and every waking moment, is to take control of our own mind. Left unmanaged, our mind is driven by the survival instinct of our Human Being. As discussed in earlier posts on this blog, this behavior is hard wired into our physical being and is a constant loop of mostly stressful and counter-productive activity. Step one is that we perceive some threat, most often in our imagination as we ruminate on the past or worry about the future. This triggers a bio-chemical reaction of our breathing and the release of stress hormones. Eventually we rationalization the threat (thought) and conclude that we don’t need to worry about it and we “calm down” which means our breath returns to normal and the stress chemicals in our body dissipate. And then we repeat the cycle. For people who are feeling particularly stressed and/or anxious, this loop happens many times per day. As the days, months and years go by with this process on constant repeat, we are eventually looking for some relief either by learning to manage our minds to short-circuit the process, or sadly more often, by numbing the process through drugs or alcohol. This is a core part of life for most adult Human Beings living in today’s world. This stress and response loop is also now viewed as a primary cause of illness and disease as our bodies cannot cope with it continuously.

Meditation is a process that disconnects the wiring of this perception-thought-stress loop. During meditation we quiet the mind and (eventually) get to a place of no-thought so the loop is shut down. During this time we are truly living in the moment as we have no thoughts of the past or future occupying our awareness. Also during this time of deep meditation, we become aware of our connection to everything. I mean literally everything in the Universe. This then begins to unlock our full potential which is in fact limitless and eternal. This is the place where we can become Superhuman or Meta Human as discussed in detail in the three terrific books you see in the links posted below.

Repeating meditation daily trains the mind so we can be mindful or aware of the loop starting up and can consciously shut it down before the stress reaction happens. When you hear the terms Mindfulness, Awareness and Consciousness you’ll now know that these are basically all the same thing. It means to become The Observer or Witness of your own thoughts and reactions. It means the ability to observe this loop starting to activate which is the first step in shutting it down before it gets going. People that are mindful or aware and conscious still have to deal with their Human Being intent on survival. The difference is they can see the loop starting to activate and sometimes, or often with practice, shut it down before they feel stressed or anxious. This is the reason they seem calm when others are not and seem more deeply happy, more of the time. This is why we meditate.

Meditation and Happiness

In an earlier post on this blog I suggested that the definition of happiness is complete satisfaction with our life circumstances in any given moment. And, our ability to live in the moment rather than our mind living in either the past or the future. I believe that all four practices that I discuss in this blog are critically important to managing our Human Being, becoming more of our Soul Being and realizing this definition of happiness on a deeper and more consistent basis. I would have to say, however, if you must choose only one of the four for some reason, meditation is the one to choose! You can actually think of it this way, yoga and a plant-based diet and minimalism all help to condition the body and the mind for meditation. This practice is the one where all questions can be answered and all doors can be opened.

Thanks so much for reading and following this blog. The next topic will be Minimalism, or learning how simplifying and decluttering your life can help you become happier.

Jim

I have read all of the books I reference on this website. On the Mediation page are some how-to suggestions. The three below all include mediation as a way to unlock your full potential, and that of the Universe. If you choose to buy a book from the links I provide I may receive a commission from Amazon.

STOP EATING ANIMALS!

You Are What You Eat!

You’ve heard the expression that Human Beings are what they eat. It’s true. In any given day, a Human Being is replacing 40-50 billion (yep, with a B) cells per day. The entire Human body is completely replaced every 7-10 years, so something like 10-12 times in a lifetime. The raw material for all of these cells comes from what we eat, and drink and the air we breathe. Think about this the next time you are tempted by that bag of chips or processed meat hot dog! According to the latest studies, nothing has a greater impact on health and well being than our diet. Even genetics are now believed to be less important that what we put into our bodies.

My Journey to Veganism

The first major change in my life, that developed from my regular practice of yoga, was a gradual evolution in my diet from carnivore to plant-based and mostly vegan. It started in mid-2011, about seven or eight months into my yoga practice. If you had told me at the time that I would one day find the dish you see in this post, tofu curry with rice and vegetables, my favorite meal I would have said you were nuts. This dish is in fact so good my kids call it “The Truth”. In so many ways it is the truth of my diet and my belief in the importance of a plant based diet to both health and happiness.

My journey to fully plant-based eating was indeed a very gradual one. Born in Wyoming and raised by a mother who grew up on a cattle and sheep ranch and a father who’s father bought and sold meat for Armour Meat Company, suffice it to say that meat was part of almost every meal for the first 57 years of my life! But these yogis whom I had come to know kept sharing their commitment to plant based eating, for health of themselves and the planet as well as for compassion for animals. Meanwhile, I continued to be concerned about the heart disease in my family lineage and was frustrated by several prescription medicines I needed daily to control cholesterol and heartburn.

First, I gave up red meat. I quickly felt better and my heartburn diminished. A few months later, I gave up chicken. For the next year or so I ate fish and plants. I was a so called pescatarian! I never really missed the red meat nor the chicken so this diet felt right for me. My blood work showed major improvement in cholesterol and, despite my Doctor’s advice to the contrary, I stopped taking all my prescription meds.

I was a happy pescatarian for a year or more and then I read one of the most impactful books of my life. The China Study by T. Colin Campbell shifted my entire view of nutrition and health. This is real science that proves the negative impact of animal proteins on our Human Being. I read the book several times. I sent copies to family and friends. I even took the online course at Cornell University that provided an even deeper understanding of the science.

Once I had finished this book, I converted to a full vegan diet and I have not looked back!

Compassion Rules!

If you have been following this blog or read the past few postings, you will know that my firm belief is that the place of happiness for us is to live more as our Soul Being and less as our Human Being. To do this we must align our emotions, thoughts, words and actions with our Soul. This means to align with pure, unconditional, limitless and eternal love. This means to always lead with love and compassion in everything we feel, think, say and do. It is not possible for us to consume a diet that exploits animals, in the most explicit and brutal way, and be fully aligned with the essence of our Soul. A plant-based diet, and especially a vegan diet, demonstrates true love and compassion for:

• Ourselves as this diet is scientifically proven to be healthier for our body, the “vehicle” for our Soul. This is the best raw material for the billions of cells you build every day.

• The Earth itself as there is scientific proof that this diet has a much smaller carbon footprint than a diet that includes animal flesh.

• The animals themselves who are beings with Souls too! It doesn’t take a scientist to know that a cow or pig or chicken or any animal would rather live a full, safe and free life than be abused and slaughtered. I have no doubt that when we eat animal flesh we consume some of the fear-energy the animal experienced prior to its death.

Living the Vegan Life

I’ll cover this in more detail in a future post, but it is easier to live a vegan lifestyle than you might imagine. Yes, you will endure some silly questions like, “how do you get enough protein”? Plants actually have plenty of protein and, anyway, we need less than what we have been programmed to believe. Food options are plentiful, even in non-vegetarian or vegan restaurants. And, vegan food options are exploding in variety, convenience and availability as the trend away from meat picks up steam. The only downside is the need to take some vitamin supplements, notably B-12, to ensure you are getting all of the nutrients needed for optimal health.

The biggest benefit for me is to know that I’m consuming the healthiest diet possible while sparing the planet and individual animals. It is compassion with every meal!

Building Blocks of Happiness

So far on this blog I’ve talked about the fact that happiness is found in our Soul Being and not in our Human Being. So, living more as our Soul Being and less as our Human Being is the key to happiness. To do this I have, so far, proposed two daily practices. The first is yoga and the second is committing to a plant-based diet. This two practices alone, as part of your daily routine, will make you much happier and healthier! But there is more you can do to actively live as your Soul Being. Stay tuned or subscribe to this blog for happiness practice number three coming up soon.

Thanks so much for reading and following!

Jim

YOGA REVEALS EVERYTHING

Almost nine years ago, I took my first yoga class. It was hard and awkward and I became very sweaty trying to do what I would come to learn were the most basic Asanas or postures. Little did I know how profoundly yoga would change my life and my level of contentment with each moment, which is my happiness.

The word yoga is often interpreted to mean unity, the bringing together of two or more things. I believe this happens on a couple of different levels. First is the unity of the Human Being with the Soul Being. This unity within ourselves is foundational for becoming a truly whole person capable of happily living in the world without being unduly influenced either by the world nor by the Human Being’s intent on physical survival at all costs. The second level of unity is of our unified being with all that is. This is a real sense of our unity and our place as a fully integrated part of literally everything that exists in the entire universe. Through yoga, the real truth of life itself is revealed.

I was lead to that very first yoga practice by a desire to reduce my daily level of stress. It was at a time in my life when I was struggling with a failing marriage, an unfulfilling career and some serious health concerns. Not a great combination for happiness on a daily basis! What happened at first was not a Eureka! type moment that I had found the key to resolving my problems and to daily happiness. It was much more subtle than that. About an hour after I literally staggered out of the first class, dripping sweat and not interested in eye contact with anyone because I was sure I had looked like a complete joke trying to do the postures, I realized I would go back soon for another class. Yet, I really had no idea why. It was just this vague sense that there was something more to this yoga thing than just a good physical workout with lots of really fit and nice people. And, I think this is the thing with yoga. For most dedicated yogis I’ve talked to, it just grows on you at first and you keep coming back. Conversely, if you don’t stay with it for the first few classes then you go on to some other form of exercise and the opportunity to transform your life through yoga, is lost.

I accept that these are pretty bold statements I’m making about a ancient “exercise program”. However, the exploration of the history of yoga and the science of all that happens in a yoga practice helps to put the bold statements into perspective. The reality is that a single yoga practice session touches us profoundly on the dimensions of body, mind and spirit. Here is how it happens.

At the core of the yoga asana is the breath. All of the bodily movements, to take certain postures and to move from posture to posture, is in coordination with the breath. Generally, we inhale as our body is expanding, and exhale as our body is contracting. This focus on our breathing during yoga touches perhaps the deepest core root of both the Human Being and the Soul Being. When we transition from pure Soul Being to Soul and Human Being at birth, the very first thing we do is take our first breath. This is literally the breath of (human) life as it is the energy and nourishment needed to get the Human Being to come alive. We will repeat this first breath many millions of times, mostly unconsciously, throughout our lives We will need access to suitable air to breathe every moment of our Human lives and if we lose this ability at anytime we will have only minutes to recover or our Human Being will die. Likewise, the very last thing we will do, in the transition from Human and Soul Being to just our Soul Being, is to breathe. From our first breath to our last breath, we literally define the beginning and ending of our life on earth. During yoga, when we focus consciously on our breath as we move our body, we form a deep connection between the present moment and the sense of eternity that is our Soul Being. This trains us to live more as our Soul Being and less as our Human Being which is the place where we can be happier.

Another important aspect of yoga is the way in which the practice creates space in our body. The space is physically created through the stretching and extending in many of the postures. This space makes us more open, not just physically but also mentally, emotionally and spiritually. This openness is so important to be able to learn and grow and get the most out of the lifetime we are in. So often, the fears and concerns of our Human Being, due to the focus on survival, close us down to many possibilities that come our way. For example, yoga opened me to changes in my diet from being an omnivore to being vegan Not only did this dramatically improve my health, it also helped me experience a level of compassion for all living things and that helps my Soul Being thrive. Yoga also lead me to meditation as a technique to become more mindful and present. When yoga opened me to these two practices I was then on the pathway to a much happier life .

Finally, I want to mention how the practice of yoga strengthens our physical body and generally helps to improve our overall health. Regular, deep and challenging yoga asana will build muscle strength, reduce body fat and improve flexibility. The practice also opens the energy pathways in the body to allow energy to pass freely within and into and out of the body. This is super important as it reduces a tendency for energy and emotions to become trapped in the body which can cause distractions like worry and anxiety. It is also important to promote healthy bodily functions like digestion and respiration and a strong immune system. Feeling healthy is a strong antidote to one of the biggest sources of anxiety and fear for Human Beings and that is concern about losing our physical capabilities.

Since my beginning with yoga I have evolved in my practice both gradually and in big leaps forward. My latest leap came in the spring of 2018 when I went to Bali for two months of yoga teacher training with Zuna Yoga. Not only did this immersion lead to my RYT 500 hour certification, it literally changed my life in some very powerful ways. Through the daily practice, the teaching from the incredible Zuna team and the deep interaction with about 60 woke yogis from around the world, I experienced levels of unity within, and with all that is, that I had only imagined up to that point. If you want to become a yoga teacher, or just understand yoga at a very deep level, I highly recommend Everett, Katherine and the entire Zuna Yoga team. Caution however, the experience is often life changing!

Is practicing yoga absolutely required to live a happy life? Probably not. But, I will say that most yogis that I know are pretty darn happy most of the time and I know of very few unhappy yogis. I know that it has worked for me and has been the catalyst for the other happy lifestyle practices of a plant based diet, meditation and minimalism that I will discuss in upcoming posts. If you asked me for advice I would say, practice yoga every day if you’d like to feel happier.

I hope you’ll read the next post that will take us deeper into what the work is to open up the Soul Being and put it at the forefront of your life. To put yourself on the pathway to true happiness.

Thanks so much for reading this post and I hope you’ll subscribe to continue to follow along.

Thank you,

Jim

TWO BEINGS BECOMING ONE

On my journey to becoming happier on a more consistent basis and to live my best life, it has helped me immensely to understand the nature of the Two Beings that are me. Initially, I thought the objective was to reject one, my Human Being, sometimes referred to as the Ego, and to become the other, my Soul Being. But, I learned along the way that it is not that at all. What we really want, in order to live our happiest and best life, is to bring the best of the Two Beings together as one. One with each other and also one with all of creation.

We’ve all seen the image/cartoon in this post. An angel on one shoulder and devil on the other giving us advice in each moment about what to do or not to do. There is no doubt that our Human Being’s advice gets us into trouble sometimes. With a base emotion of fear and the relentless desire to survive, our Human instincts can certainly work against having a sense of complete satisfaction in each moment which is my definition of happiness. On the other hand, our Human Being is an amazing machine and gives our Soul Being the means to experience this life that can be incredibly beautiful in so many ways. One of the things that struck me about the people in Bali is that they believe that this life on earth is actually Heaven. And you have to admit, on our best days in this life, it would be hard to argue with the sentiment. Also, our Human Being with it’s survival instinct is enormously helpful at times. Knowing to not step in front of a speeding truck, or to not put a hand into the campfire, is very useful guidance indeed. So, we want to leverage our Human senses and abilities to get around and physically see and experience things, as well as the practical advice on what not to do in many cases.

By contrast, our Soul Being is centered in love. In fact, our Soul Being is nothing more nor less than pure, unconditional, limitless and eternal love. The guidance we get from our Soul Being is simply to love, everyone and everything, always. It doesn’t sound very practical and certainly runs against many cultural norms and the “programming” we receive in school, church, business, pretty much everywhere we go. However, if we think for a moment about the Divine beings in history, like Jesus or Buddha or Krishna, they definitely lived their human lives from a firm foundation of love. They didn’t judge or persecute. They didn’t compete for or accumulate wealth or stuff. They certainly didn’t harm others with either word or actions. They seemed fearless and happy. I believe they were nearly 100% Soul Beings in every moment with an ability to simply leverage the best of their Human Being to get around and enjoy the richness of the Earth through their Human senses, without letting the survival instincts lead them fear, anger and unhappiness.

So is nearly 100% Soul Being our objective? I think it should be but I accept that practically it is very, very difficult to do because the influence of the Human Being is so strong. In some ways it is remembering what we were in the first couple of years of our life. You can see this if you observe infants and toddlers. If they are fed and physically comfortable, they just seem to be happy in each moment, enjoying with their Human senses whatever is available to them. A rattle or stuffed animal. A ball or some blocks, Kitchen pots and pans and a wooden spoon. Having not yet learned about the harsh realities of the Human condition and been taught to compete and “get ahead” they simply float through life enjoying whatever comes up. This, I believe, is actually what true happiness really is all about. I was there in the early days of my life so surely I can return there now until the end.

These days we hear so much about being “conscious” or “woke” or having “awareness” but I don’t find a lot of clear definitions of what that really means. What I think these terms mean is that I am conscious of my natural tendencies and “programming”, my Human Being’s priorities, and I am conscious or aware of my intention to live life from the perspective of my Soul Being. So, in any given moment and circumstance, I CHOOSE to come from a place of love and acceptance and gratitude and compassion and I interpret the events of my life from that perspective. This is my intention and I find that the more consistently I can do it, the happier I am. It is simple in concept and, for me at least, enormously difficult to do moment by moment, day by day. Simply because the tendencies of my Human Being are so strong and generally contrary to my Soul Being’s priorities. Some days are definitely better than others. And, if you asked the people who know me well and spend time with me regularly they would say that I’ve gotten better over time, and sometimes i am living up to my intention, but I was an asshole yesterday, or last week, or both! It takes work! Consistent, deep, purposeful work to put our Soul Being up front and our Human Being more in the background. When we become one with this orientation life can truly be magical, Heaven in fact.

I hope you’ll read the next post that will begin to outline what the work is to open up the Soul Being and put it at the forefront. Thanks so much for reading this post and I hope you’ll subscribe to continue to follow along.

Thank you,

Jim

WHAT IS HAPPINESS?

This photograph is definitely a very happy moment.  My wedding in January, 2018.  Surrounded by family and friends and joining with the love of my life was one of the very happiest moments in my life.  So, is that happiness?  Or, that moment plus other “peak moments” in my life like the birth of my children, or their first steps, first words, graduations, my promotions and vacations…  is happiness just peak moments, or is it more?

The experience of happiness is surely found in peak moments that are sprinkled throughout our lives.  Recall one in your mind for a moment.  First of all, you were very likely just in that moment with few, if any, distracting thoughts of past or future.  There were most likely smiles and outright laughter and the glow of the event may well have carried on for days if not weeks.  That peak moment is still there in your memory and perhaps you return to those moments time and again to relive the positive feelings and sense of optimism.  But, is it possible to be happy outside of these extraordinary events?  Like in everyday life when we are running errands, or doing chores or working or studying or the thousand other activities and events with which we populate our lives?  Deep and sustained happiness is what I am talking about.  Not just happiness in peak moments.

Just like the feelings in these peak moments, I believe that deep and sustained happiness is really two things. First it is a sense of complete satisfaction with the circumstances of our lives in any, and ultimately nearly every, moment. This is a feeling of completeness and also the concurrent absence of desire for something different or “better”. Secondly, it is a sense of being in the present moment which is really determined by the absence of thoughts about the past or future. It is only when we want to change some aspect of our circumstances, or want something different than what we have, or stay locked in rumination about the past, or anxiety/fear about the future, that our happiness slips away.

So, if to be happy we need to be satisfied with the way things are right now, and not think about the past and future, then what about the ideas of striving for goals, learning from the past or planning for the future? Our Human Being and our Soul Being (see previous posts) approach these questions very differently.

Remember, our Human Being is designed to be a survivalist and procreator, an individual. So, our Human Being sets goals that generally relate to accumulating more security about our physical survival and passing on our genetics to the next generation. Goals about money and possessions and finding or retaining the right mate and having children. This then drives the nearly constant thoughts about the past and what went well, and didn’t go well, relative to these goals. Likewise the continuous thoughts about the future are all intended to predict the achievement of the goals, and then to worry or even be fearful about what may, or may not, be achieved. Clearly, this is the antithesis of the model of happiness described above. Our Human Being is never really satisfied with the current state and is rarely in the present moment due to the thoughts of the past and future relative to changing the current state by achieving our goals.

Our Soul Being on the other hand is clear that existence is eternal, that we are part of all that is and that only the present moment is reality and the past and future are illusion. So, for our Soul Being there are no goals as such and no thoughts of the past and future. There is only complete and constant satisfaction with what is, and awareness of the present moment. The past and future do not exist. This, then, is happiness and your Soul Being is the “you” feeling happy in that “peak moment” you thought about earlier.

That all sounds simple enough. The Soul Being is happy and the Human Being is generally not happy due to the nearly constant mental drama about money, posessions, jobs, relationships, children and of course thinking about the past and future. It is, in fact, very simple. However, it is not easy to live more as our Soul Being and less as our Human Being. Unless you are one of the fortunate few to whom this comes naturally, it takes consistent and sustained work to be able to overcome the power of your Human Being’s senses and mind and biology of survival and procreation and to put your Soul Being in charge. How to accomplish this will be the topic of the next few blog posts. I hope you’ll continue to follow along.

Thanks so much for reading and following!

Jim

MY SOUL BEING

This is me, Jim, aspiring Yogi/father/husband…I am seeking to live each moment of each day primarily as my Soul Being rather than as my Human Being. It’s been a long slow journey from the 24/7 Human Being Jim, starting in late 2010, and really taking off a year ago in Bali. It is a daily challenge for me and I have to stay with my Way of Living to keep my Human Being in check. But boy oh boy the more I am my Soul Being, the happier, healthier and more fulfilled I am!

My Soul Being, or Purusha in the Vedic tradition, is exactly like yours, and is very much a part of God. It is our true nature and it is eternal, so our Soul Being existed before our Human Being, and it will carryon forever after our Human Being is gone. If you want deep and sustained happiness, you will have to learn how to live much more as your Soul Being than as your Human Being. Consider the following aspects of your Soul Being:

• True Nature: Eternal, birth and death mark the beginning and end of occupying the Human Being for purposes of experiencing life on Earth, which may in fact be Heaven. Connected to everything and everyone; no sense of I or self, only all Beings as One.

• Operating Systems: Cosmic energy and universal awareness. All-knowing and capable of seeing and doing things beyond our Human Being’s imagination. All in order to:

  • Give love to self and to others, without ceasing .

  • Create a better world for self and all others.

  • Be happy, without ceasing.

• Core Objective: Love and happiness

• Core Emotion: Love. Unconditional, limitless and eternal love.

• Satisfaction Comes From: Loving and giving of self for the benefit of all.

• Time Zone: Eternal, only the present moment exists for the Soul Being.

Our Soul Being existed before our Human Being was born into this world. From our time in our mother’s womb through infancy and very early childhood, we are way more Soul Being than Human Being. Just consider the priorities of an infant. As long as we have food, water, clean air to breath and are physically comfortable, we want for nothing. We are satisfied with this basic definition of “enough”, and we seem content to just experience life as it washes over us each day.

As we grow and develop through childhood into adolescence and adulthood, we are literally trained, or “programmed”, to be a Human Being in the full sense of the term. We are taught to be concerned, even fearful for our future well being. Certainly in western societies we are taught to accumulate as much as possible and to care for ourselves first before others. We learn fear and anger and anxiety and self-doubt and all of the negative emotions that Humans struggle with each day. And, we are taught to think about the past and the future, to learn from what has happened and to prepare for what might happen in the future. These are all survival techniques at the core and have been passed from generation to generation and institutionalized through families, schools, churches, governments and so on. All of it makes it difficult, no, impossible to be happy.

But within all of that, at the very core, our reality is that we are a Soul Being first, last and always. Our Soul Being knows only one thing, Love. The kind of unconditional, limitless and eternal love that is the very root of peace, contentment and true happiness. We get glimpses of this in the precious moments in the life of our Human Being when we see something so beautiful that it takes our breath away. Or in the embrace of someone we love very deeply. Even in the sincere smile or laughter of a child or grandparent. All of these moments of happiness are from our Soul Being reaching out from within our Human Being. And they are all present moment events, happening in real time which is the only time the Soul Being knows.

Assuming we want to be happy, and that we value Love over Fear, the question then becomes, how do we live more as our Soul Being and less as our Human Being? It seems a very simple and straight forward concept until we consider the power of the Human Being’s hardware and software. The hardware is the way our biology works, triggering reactions to threats and concerns. The software is the training and programming, the mindset, to care for survival type issues first and foremost and to dwell on the past and the future. To be fearful of what the future may hold.

I’m not suggesting we forsake our Human Being. After all, it is the vehicle for our Soul Being to experience the wonders of this life in the Universe of infinite possibility. In fact we need to love and nurture our Human Being so that it is healthy and strong and as capable as possible for the fullest expression of our Soul Being. I am suggesting that we bring our Soul Being more to the forefront of how we approach every moment in life. To approach from a place of love and peace and fearlessness and creativity, knowing that our eternal survival is assured.

In the next post I’ll talk about what happiness really is and how it feels and then we’ll move on to how to live more as your Soul Being and less as your Human Being. I hope you’ll follow along!

Thanks so much for reading!

Jim

MY HUMAN BEING

That was/is me, Jim, business man/banker/father/husband…I lived as my Human Being pretty much 24/7 for decades. Always reaching and striving for more. The next promotion, bigger house, newer car, fancier boat. All in the relentless pursuit of happiness. Frequently in a state of worry or fear about the future. But it was never enough and although I had moments of true happiness, I was never deeply and sustainably happy. Then, it all came crashing down.

My Human Being, exactly like yours, is an amazing creation of God. With physical and mental capabilities that are truly miraculous and, to this day, still not fully understood by science. But, our Human Beings are designed for one thing and one thing only, survival. Fundamentally this is why it is so difficult for Human Beings to be deeply and consistently happy. Let’s look at some of the characteristics of our Human Being:

• True Nature: Mortal, birth and death mark the beginning and end of existence. Individual oriented; separate from all others; I; me; mine.

• Operating Systems: Chemical, mental and physical structures and systems that are intricately connected in order to:

  • sense and respond to survival threats.

  • maintain status quo in the absence of threats.

  • procreate.

• Core Objective: Survival, avoid death at all costs

• Core Emotion: Fear

• Satisfaction Comes From: Survival and the constant accumulation of things that are believed to support survival. Money, stuff, power. The status quo. And also, procreation.

• Time Zone: Primarily past or future

You may be a little shocked about the survival commentary. But, you have to accept that our Human Being hasn’t evolved much biologically since the days when we really were running from the saber tooth tiger in a eat or be eaten reality. Every day as our senses constantly scan for and pick-up threats, the chemical and physical reaction in our body is immediate and profound. Glands release stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. Our breathing becomes more shallow and urgent. Our heart rate increases. All of this is to prepare our physical body for fight or flight. And in today’s world these things are most commonly triggered by a testy conversation, or a difficult meeting at work, or the antics of our three year old, or being cutoff in traffic. For some of us this happens multiple times per day and it doesn’t just affect our chemical/mental/emotional/physical interactions, medical science has proven it affects our health and general sense of well being too.

You may wonder why fear is the core emotion for our Human Being. The reason is simple and emanates from the never-ending question of what we need to fear as threats to our survival. So, we are constantly scanning for threats or challenges to our survival and of course this leads to worry, anxiety, frustration, anger and other emotions tied to fear that are certainly not a place of happiness, or even health.

One way we try to manage all of this is to seek a steady state where we are not perceiving threats that trigger this chain reaction, and then be resistant to change from that steady state. Our Human Being strives for the status quo. One of the ways we do this is to nearly constantly ruminate about the past to lock in our knowledge of what helped us stay in the safe steady state, and what threats did we sense that we need to try to avoid in the future. And, when we are not thinking about the past we are thinking, if not worrying, about the future. What could happen in the future that will be a threat to my safe steady state, or even worse, to my survival? This is sometimes called our Monkey Mind and if you just observe your thoughts for a few minutes you’ll see that your Human Being is living primarily in the past and future. Two places that do not exist. One, the past, is simply a mental image of what happened but no longer exists. The second, the future, is simply a fantasy, another mental image, of what could happen but also doesn’t exist. And, in the experience of my Human Being, never happens they way I fantasize it will anyway. My Human Being, and your’s, typically lives in a place of illusion or fantasy, but rarely in the only place of reality which is here and now, in this moment.

Of course our Human Being wants to be happy. The problem is that the concept of happiness for the Human Being is completely tied to the survival instinct. So, the Human Being has to block out the reality of mortality. Death is obviously the opposite of survival. And, the Human Being must do everything it can to increase the odds of survival. This includes out performing my competitors for resources that I perceive to be scarce, and accumulating as many resources as I can to reduce the threat of scarcity. Happiness then becomes dependent upon winning the affection of another; achieving the next promotion at work; buying the new outfit, fancier car, bigger house. But, it’s never enough. There is no end to this striving because we never reach a point where we believe survival is no longer threatened. We are momentarily happen with individual achievements and acquisitions, and then the bar goes up and we have to get the next things, once again before we can be happy.

It may all seem hopeless but I assure you it is not. Step one is to be aware that, for all of it’s magnificent qualities, our Human Being simply operates this way. It is the reality of our hardware and software and, left unchecked, our Human Being will operate this way from early childhood until the day of death. Once we are aware of this we can modify our way of living to engage our Soul Being and to counteract the Human Being tendencies before or as they arise.

In the next post we will explore our Soul Being and it’s very different priorities and outlook on life. Then, we will begin to explore what happiness really is and how to modify our way of living to live more as a Soul Being, less as a Human Being, and find deep and sustained happiness. Stay tuned!

Thanks so much for reading!

Jim

TWO BEINGS...

This blog post marks my return to regular blogging on the topic of the two beings that constitute each and every one of our lives. As you can see if you scroll down to prior posts, it has been nearly four years since my last post. A whole lot has happened in my life over that four year period. I’ll be sharing my experiences and thoughts about what we need to do to be consistently and deeply happy in our lives.

Since November, 2010 I’ve been on a journey to increasing happiness. A journey without end, no doubt, but the experiences along the way keep getting better and better. And now at age 66, I’m happier and healthier than ever before. You can read more about what I’ve been up to in the About page of the website. For now, I want to focus on this concept of two beings and the new and exciting purpose of this blog.

We are, every single one of us, from the moment of birth to the moment of our passing, two distinct, and very different beings. We are a Human Being, of course, as evidenced by our physical bodies and our minds; by our goals and achievements; by our survival instincts that govern much of the functioning of our physical bodies as well as our thoughts and actions; and, by our struggle to be happy. We are also, at the same time and in every moment of our lives, a Soul Being. As evidenced by our capacity and desire for love and compassion; by our desire for meaningful relationships; by our intuition; by our creativity; and finally by our happiness, at least from time to time. It has helped me immensely to come to the realization that the more we live as our Soul Being, the happier we will be. The purpose of this blog will be to fully explore this fundamental truth, how to become more consistently and deeply guided by our Soul Being and why it matters to our happiness. For me, this reality that I am two beings explains why, as much of the research and writing on happiness consistently shows, happiness is much more determined by our relationships, our self perception and our experiences than by our money or possessions or Human achievements. The more I am my Soul Being, and less my Human Being, the happier I feel. It is that simple. It is also quite difficult to do, consistently moment by moment, and I’ll explain why as well as how to be more your Soul Being and less your Human Being.

In the photo at the top of the page you see my attempt to illustrate the two Beings that are my life. The photo of me on the left was taken in 2013, so about 2 1/2 years into my journey. I was (and still am some of the time) a very focused and reasonably successful consultant to the banking industry. I was mostly my Human Being from moment to moment and day to day. I was happy from time to time, but not consistently so, and I did not have any deep insights about my Soul Being. In the 2015 and 2017 blocks you start to see more and more of the photo on the right. That was actually taken in the Spring of 2018 near the end of a two month yoga immersion training program in Bali. It was there that I had nothing less than a transformative experience where I first deeply understood my Soul Being. My life was change such that now, in 2019, I am able to live much more as my Soul Being and much less as my Human Being. As a result I am almost always happy, and more deeply so than at any other time since very early childhood.

I will not be suggesting along the way that you forsake or try to abandon your Human Being. In fact, I will be talking about ways to nurture and enhance your Human Being because it is the miraculous vehicle for your Soul Being. The point will be to approach life from the perspective of your Soul Being more consistently moment by moment. This will deliver the happiness you seek. Conversely, approaching life consistently as your Human Being will make deep and sustained happiness impossible to reach.

In this blog I will tell my full story, and share all of my experiences and “how-to” , that I believe can provide specific guidance to anyone who wants to be happier. I intend to post 2-3 times per week to both get the story out there fairly quickly but also to provide new food for thought and action on a regular basis. I hope you’ll follow along, share your comments, and perhaps subscribe for email alerts about new postings in the input box below.

I am now completely convinced that anyone and everyone can be happier, regardless of their circumstances, by living more as their Soul Being than as their Human Being. Some people may come by this naturally but for most of us, it takes regular effort and the adoption of a way of living that nurtures and elevates the Soul Being while simultaneously keeping the very strong Human Being in check. I hope you will join along. After all, we all deserve to be happy!

Thanks so much for reading!

Jim

IT IS TIME TO TAKE ACTION!

By: Jim Buchanan

Evidence of climate change, and increasingly dire scientific studies, should compel us to take urgent action.  If we continue on the current path coastal cities and millions of people will be underwater before the end of this century.  The problem is that the ice is melting faster than previously thought, and at an accelerating rate.  This latest study, although a bit technical, is further evidence.

One big challenge for most of us is knowing what we can do to help.  Certainly drive less and walk or bike more.  Recycle and be more responsible about our overall consumption.  Reduce our so-called Carbon Footprint.  

But, there is one BIG thing we can do that will help the planet and our health and energy levels.  Eat more vegetables and less meat.  Few people know that the global meat industry is one of the primary contributors of global warming.  It also has a very negative impact on fresh water supplies (another huge environmental problem for this century) and pollution from waste runoff and toxic chemicals.

There are many, many studies out to confirm the positive impact of Veganism on the environment.  There are also a multitude of studies that prove less meat and more vegetables in our diet improves health and overall longevity.  It is time to make the switch!

As a Vegan I have found it to now be super easy to embrace this Way of Living each and every day.  And, I travel constantly for business and still find plenty of options for each meal.  So, no more excuses!  

You can do this.  Eat more vegetables and less meat.  You'll lose weight, have more energy, live longer and help heal the earth.  There is nothing more important you could do starting today!

Thanks for reading and providing your feedback!

Finally, A Great Way to Manage Your Diet!

By: Jim Buchanan

One of the three principals of having maximum energy throughout each day is to have a nutritionally balance vegetarian or vegan diet.  Finding that balance, while maintaining a desired body weight, can be challenging from meal to meal.  Well, not any longer!

I started using the mobile App, myfitnesspal about two weeks ago and absolutely love it!  I'm now able to precisely manage my calorie intake and macro nutrient balance each meal, and each day.  I'm also half way to my weight loss goal of 8 pounds and I have complete confidence that I will hit my goal and be able to maintain my new weight over the longer term.  Here is how the App works for me.

First, the set up on my iPhone was super easy and quick.  After entering in my personal information I was asked for my weight goal.  You can set the app to help you lose, gain or maintain your weight.  My goal as noted above is currently to lose 8 pounds.  So, given my other personal information, I was given a target of 1500 calories per day.  More about how this works in a moment.

With a data base of over 3 million foods and complete meals, I can review the nutritional content of any menu item, recipe or ingredient in advance.  So when I'm traveling or out for dinner with family and friends, I look up potential menu items and make my choices based upon the calories and nutritional content of each item.  The data base can also be used to evaluate the nutritional content and calories for my own recipes so that I can prepare dishes that are healthy, delicious and fit with my daily goal.  The breadth of the data base helps me review lots of options and make choices that are healthy and delicious!

During set up I linked the App to my iPhone health App which tracks my steps and other fitness activity.  So, during the course of the day, my calories remaining adjusts when my activity either falls below or exceeds my normal daily activities.  This is really helpful because it compensates for fitness and other activities, like lots of walking during a busy work day, and the result is reflected in the calorie target.  On a number of days I've checked my calories remaining after lunch and an afternoon snack and found that I wouldn't have enough calories remaining for a planned dinner with friends.  So, I simply squeeze in a quick workout, or walk rather than drive to run errands, and I get more calories to cover the dinner plans, or a second beer or glass of wine, and still hit my target!

The App has other functions like daily nutrition reporting.  I'm now much more sensitive to the fat content in some of the foods I eat.  Just because I'm Vegan doesn't mean I'm not faced with significant fat content of some of my favorite foods, like nuts.  You can also connect to friends and family who have the App and share your progress while cheering them on to their goals.

Overall, this is a really great App that can help you reach your weight and overall health goals while contributing to your daily energy levels.  Go for it!