health Tag

My family lives Earth day everyday through our sustainable lifestyle. It doesn’t have to be hard. There are numerous, tiny ways you can “vote with your dollar” to celebrate and give gratitude to Mother Earth who has given so much. It’s our turn to give back by supporting earth enhancing habits and purchases.

Here are 7 Simple Ways to Celebrate Earth Day Everyday, that I hope inspire you too:

1. Reduce plastic use. We avoid buying snacks with tons of plastic packaging and buy bulk where ever we can. We don’t use plastic bags and do our best to have zero waste buying the smallest garbage bin as a challenge. So far so good the last 7 years using a 20 gallon bin, sharing with our renter.

Even when it comes to everyday household items like floss, you can play your part. Floss with compostable silk floss in glass containers to reduce plastic impact on wildlife. If you google “floss wildlife”, I was shocked to see tiny bits of floss accumulate into these tangled balls of death traps for wildlife. I was happy to take action and simply buy compostable floss in a glass container.

2. Compost and Recycle. We are lucky to live in a town where we simply buy compostable bags and dump our food scraps in a bin, that can then get dropped into our yard waste bin.

Did you know food scraps are the #2 waste product following cotton from fast fashion of dumped clothes?

3. Shop with reusable canvas bags. We have an electric car and a hybrid car. So we put a set of 4-5 canvas bags in each set that we use shopping at Trader Joe’s so we never forget when out of town and out of our normal routine.

4. Buy fair trade and organic. Nothing like eating food and sourcing products free of child/slave labor in the production supplies that are paying fair wages and are not sprayed with toxic pesticides into our body.

If you think of your body as earth itself, would you want to pollute the home you have to impact your quality of life in future years?

5. Replace all LED light bulbs in our house. Not only will they last for 20+ years versus incandescent, you can get brands that are “happy lights.” Especially in Seattle where SAD can set in from dreary weather, I have a happy LED light right above my desk giving me an extra boost.

6. Offset carbon usage: A fun new way for those who travel a fair amount and feel guilty about the carbon footprint in flying on planes, is that there are now options when buying your airfare to offset carbon emissions by investing a small amount towards sustainable aviation fuel. My last plane ticket, I reduced my environmental impact of flying by offsetting carbon at 106.59 lb for $24.50 invested.

7. Take the New Humanity Pledge: This is a declaration you make to become a truly global Earth Citizen rather than a consumer. The author Ilchi Lee asks in his latest book A New Humanity, “Are you willing to sacrifice convenience, profit, and power for the benefit of all humanity?” If yes, I’ll put a link in the description of the simple pledge you can sign up for as a commitment. https://www.newhumanitypledge.org/.

BIGGER ACTIONS:

There are more bigger decisions we’ve made as well that require more time and patience, and well worthwhile.

1. Recycle Grey Water. We have redirected our plumbing pipes from from showers and sinks to flow into irrigation for our yard and plants, rather than irrigating using new fresh clean water.

2. Buy an Electric or Hybrid Car. Since 2007, not only saved us TONS on gas, along with tax credits, we feel great knowing our choices are helping reduce our carbon footprint.

   While these actions require more thought and planning, start small. Making tiny changes each year goes a long way as we have done. There’s no effort to do the above now, and have saved lots of money along the way. This earth day everyday lifestyle is now unconscious, easy, and automatic. The biggest payoff is feeling good going to bed at night knowing that our lifestyle is aligned with our values.

3. Grow your Own Food. Not gonna lie. I was about to sell my Tower hydroponic garden after several failed attempts to grow greens, until it worked the 7th time. Now that we’ve learned from our failures, it’s a pleasure to grow enough chard, kale, spinach and spring greens for our meals. If you’re not up for this task, start with sprouting sides for microgreens! You can get a kit of 2 jars and seeds and you’ll harvest so many microgreens in a couple days, the abundance is amazing.

Tell me below! Which of the habits above do you also share or are now inspired to share?

Back from Tulum, Mexico! Honored to speak, sing, and lead somatic mindfulness and movement through qigong at the amazing RALM3 Consulting led by extraordinaire Luba women’s mastermind retreat!!

What a respite to simply hang with the ladies and talk business while deep diving into personal growth and wellness at the most pristine, beautiful jungles and underwater caves in Tulum, Mexico.

Qigong is a somatic mindfulness and moving meditation that allows you to manifest your dream life, I’ve discovered the last 3 years.

Here’s 4 steps to manifest your dream life through somatic mindfulness like Qigong.

1. Surrender Your Illusion of Control

Sounds simple, but by far the hardest part. The “work” likes within to notice how little control you actually have in life if at all. This looks like a lot of NOT doing (stop strategizing, analyzing, asking others for advice). And a whole lot more trusting of yourself through uncertainty, having faith what is happening is for your best no matter how crappy it may feel or look.

2. Connect Within

Ask your Soul: What is my next action to create [insert your dream here]

3. Listen to Your Soul (not Ego’s) Response

This took me personally years to discern which voice is which within our inner wisdom. If you’re confused, just ask “who’s talking” to yourself OR simply feel into if you feel fear/love, contraction/expansion, light/heavy.

4. Take the Action, No Matter How small, Right Now

Typically the next step naturally reveals itself. I find it’s typically just one more step though. My mind gets greedy for the next 5 steps and starts to plan out. Don’t do that. It takes longer and not as magical constrained by your limited ego’s version of results.

If you feel inspired to take more, great. But only take action to the extent there in inspiration.

The root meaning of inspire is literally to “breathe life into”.

So if you’re forcing an action, that’s your signal to go back to #1 and repeat the steps.

Why aren’t more business leaders, entrepreneurs, and CEO’s able to be healthy?

“The real problem of humanity is the following: We have Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions and godlike technology.” -EO Wilson

This conversation was 100 years ago. What’s changed since?

While technology’s god like powers have accelerated exponentially, our ancient, paleolithic brain impulses have barely evolved from survival.

We live in an age of brain overload and attention deficit economy where the new resource extraction isn’t water, or air, it’s our brain’s attention.

How does this relate to your health as a CEO?

Burnout has become a new normal. High stress “hustle” environments have become the status quo. Many high achieving clients fail to recognize they’re even in burnout.

Until a crisis forces you to pay attention. Perhaps it’s being rushed to the ER for high blood pressure. Or you receive an unexpected diagnosis with a life threatening tumor or disease. Perhaps someone close passes away that has you stop and question the meaning of your life.

Rather than wait for a crisis to give you a message to wake up, you can redefine what health looks like to you. Then commit to actions that will create that level of health you desire.

How do you define health?

The dictionary states how health is “the state of being free from illness or injury.” It goes further to say it’s “a person’s mental or physical condition.”

Yet, this definition hardly accounts for aging. Or recovery from unexpected injuries or accidents. Or being able to play with your kids or grandkids.

You can be sick or injury free, yet 20 pounds overweight not fitting in your workout. You might look healthy but drained by the end of each day unable to get a deep sleep.

Here are some examples of more holistic definitions of health:

– Complete well being of one’s mind, body, heart, and spirit

-Your body’s cells are in harmony

-You live to 120 years old with a high quality of life and healthspan

Just as each person has their own metrics for success, the same is true for your definition of health. What is your unique definition?

I define health as wellbeing, full power, and energy vitality of your body, mind, heart, and soul. Where you “youth” instead of “age” as you get older.

Here are a few real life examples of youthing “seniors” to inspire you:

• A 96 year old yoga instructor who began yoga for her first time in her 80’s more flexible than even many children
• A 105 year old cyclist wins a race, can touch his toes, with the body of someone in their 50’s
• A woman in her late 80’s had a stroke. She recovers in 3 weeks from no drugs but yoga qigong based exercises, good diet, and is able to drive again

What would you do with this kind of energy? What would be possible?

The kind of health I am talking about is totally possible and happening all around the world.

What’s Possible for Your Health

What if living to 120 years old with a high quality of living was the norm?

What if you got healthier as you get older?

I personally am more healthy at 40 years old than in my early 20’s now training 3x/week in taekwondo as a black belt with young teens.

It wasn’t always that way. Between 20-35 years old I stopped being active focused solely on business. I went to the doctor thinking I had torn an ACL only to learn my knee muscles were weakened and had atrophied. I couldn’t do a sit up after water birthing my son.

Health is a choice you make each moment. Each time you don’t eat the chocolate cake. Each time you choose to workout when you’re tired–your cells respond and reward you with more vitality.

Knowing what’s possible for your health, now it’s your turn. What is your personal definition of health?

Comment below, what does vibrant health look like for you? How do you define health?

💥 Join me for Qigong Tai Chi Yoga and pave your way to optimal wellbeing by mastering your energy. Your journey to unparalleled vitality starts here.

I will be training you on replenishing your energy through simple moving meditations of the ancient art ofTai Chi Qigong.

Don’t miss your chance to secure a spot to inspire peace within. Spaces are limited to 10, and the opportunity to learn from a Dahn Master and Taekwondo Black Belt is priceless.

Reserve your spot today and get ready to unleash your brilliance through this peaceful warrior student community.

What are your biggest blocks to unleashing your truest self?

To unlock your true self overcoming doubt and fears, you must penetrate those layers to the True Self with your awareness.

Imagine concentric circles with your True Self or Soul at the center. To embody your Soul, your awareness needs to penetrate each layer of your

Thoughts > Emotions > Beliefs > Preconceptions > Doubts > Fears

Interestingly enough, these layers correspond to the layers of your brain from the outer prefrontal cortex, into the limbic system of your emotions, down to the brain stem firing the amygdala designed to survive.

Your awareness has to be strong enough to stay centered amid all the noise of your programming. This includes your ego, upbringing, societal expectations, media and news, and inner triggers and reactions from survival mode.

The more consistently centered you are, the more your soul power takes over the ego’s programming of what is possible for you or not.

How do you cultivate stronger awareness to penetrate your preconceptions and grow your soul power?

Here are 3 Paths to Grow Your Soul Power over Ego Power

1. Grant more space and silence in your life to force your ego to face the noise within. This can be done as a silent retreat at home or traveling to a retreat center with a community. A practice I continue since the pandemic are silent periods. I let my 12 year old son and husband know I’m going into silence, then only talk to them with a whiteboard during those periods. I find that my anger melts and bliss blossoms.

2. Face fears intentionally than waiting when they arise. Constantly be clear on what fear you’re going after.

As a black belt in Taekwondo–I’m constantly facing fears on the mat whether sparring, testing, or many other things I have no idea how to do working out 3x/week alongside 12-14 year olds in their prime. Here’s my last belt test from last Saturday where I showcased new forms and weapons.

We meditated all together right before starting the belt promotion test. In doing so, I was able to calm the nerves, as did my peers, and right before sparring someone 3x my weight, had an out of body transcendent experience.

I kid you not, time slowed down or stopped, noise from outside became muted, and it was as if I could see what was about to happen being 100% present in this moment. No thoughts, no emotions, just the “zero point” or void it’s sometimes called.

It felt so nourishing, like sitting at the bottom of a deep ocean of peace. Never have I experienced this during taekwondo, conditioning, and surely not a belt test. Fear disappeared and I was home. I was able to then relax and enjoy the rest of the 2 hour test.

Imagine living life from this space of nothing or zero point. What could be possible?

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3. Trust “the how” will unfold itself and take action anyway. This requires developing your will over your analytical thinking of figuring out out how to meet your goal.

I’ve discovered over 20 years that when I force an outcome it rarely goes to plan. Now I imagine specific outcomes and milestones, take actions, and allow my Soul to partner with me in co-creating the outcomes. Especially post pandemic, a super defined plan where all the variable and assumptions will change became a waste of energy.

But the biggest energy suck is over-strategizing HOW to meet your goal, and instead focus all energy on BEING the feeling you will feel after the goal is met to attract higher vibing people and opportunities.

I used to be like a terrier who will keep moving forward with the plan no matter what to perform and be my word (often to my wellbeing’s detriment). While that approach has its merits and can be used in specific situations, using that approach every time was exhausting.

Now, I take action in the face of doubt and fear, confront the feelings I’m scared will happen if I fail, let them flow through, and focus on the feeling I want if the outcome is met. You’re only focused on what you want or don’t want in any moment.

Why not focus just on what you want? What you don’t want naturally melts away. Then trust the next step will reveal itself.

As simple as this sounds, many clients when asked, “What do you want?” have a hard time with specifics. Typically it’s all very similar: I want to travel, have more freedom, have a stronger marriage or quality relationship, make lots of money. But when asked, “then what?” They draw a blank. It gets vague real fast.

The funny part is that they don’t really want the goal. They want the feeling the goal gives them. You can generate that feeling of the goal met now. Then see what arises.

👇Comment below: What opened up from this post? What new actions might you take?

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Love and Light,

Anna

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Anna Choi, Founder of SolJoy.Life, Qigong Tai Chi Instructor, Energy Master, Taekwondo Black Belt, and 2x TEDx speaker serves high achieving, mindful entrepreneurs, leaders, and executives to shift from burnout to brilliance. Bringing 20 years experience of entrepreneurship, trained by two world renowned enlightened energy masters–Anna blends ancient wisdom, healing martial arts, and moving meditations serving thousands of students to embody their brilliance and unleash their soul’s joy. Learn more at https://linktr.ee/annasunchoi