Friends and honesty, do they match?

I was speaking with a friend this morning about telling your best friend something that’s true, but may hurt their feelings.  Or worse yet, may drive your best friend away, especially if they’re in a difficult place in their life.  Like my friend’s best friend, who’s responding to adversity with an eating disorder.  The thing is, with friends it’s oftentimes difficult to be brutally honest, especially if the truth is difficult to swallow.   And since the truth can be as painful to give as it is to receive, it’s always best to proceed with sensitivity and compassion.  For those of you who have seen my film, Boulevard Zen, you know that my character, Bobby D’Angelo, inspires others to overcome adversity while communicating the truth through example.  He uses the healing powers of yoga to help students deal with their depression, infertility, hypertension and anorexia.  So be sensitive with your truth telling, especially if it involves something serious and beyond your expertise.  And always encourage your friends to make that mind-body connection with some form of fitness, especially yoga.  So enjoy restoring your body with today’s 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #77 – Restorative Legs, Core & Abs II  – R

Little things can make a big difference

Yesterday I taught a one hour fat burning class to the children and moms living at the domestic violence shelter in San Diego.  My charity, The Boulevard Zen Foundation, has been teaching yoga there since last July.  I especially wanted to teach the families exercises from my fat burning workouts.  The moms loved it and the kids were awesome. What was most significant, though, was my interaction with one particular boy who I first met in July.  I’ll call him Alex.  When I first offered to shake his hand, Alex reached out with a limp hand as he cowered away.  Thus, my first lesson was to teach Alex how to shake hands.  Stand tall, use a really strong grip and look me in the eyes”, I said.  Which he did without hesitation.  But the real test was whether or not Alex would continue with his new handshake.  That’s why interacting with him yesterday was so significant.  He shook my hand just like I had taught him.  And I congratulated him for it.  Because little things can make a big difference.  So enjoy looking for the little things that can make a big difference with today’s 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #59 – Beautify Your Butt II. – R