In case you missed last week's live radio interview that I did in San Francisco, here's the abridged and edited version for you to hear. Hope you enjoy it! 

        

Conscious Business Leadership Principles and Practices

When times are tough, we are tempted to avoid or resist change.  Yet if we consciously welcome transition and know how to harness its power, we can use this transformative energy to our best advantage.  Similarly, businesses too can awaken and become conscious entities, recognizing themselves as living organisms within an interconnected ecosystem. Interested in learning how? Hear more this Thur. afternoon at Jay's live radio interview here or join him in his 5-week course (Learn More)

        

Live and Love in the Moment

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! Whether you are married, partnered, dating or single, I hope you celebrate this day knowing the power of love that is always around you! For many of you, Valentine’s Day is generally a time acknowledging the many ways love is expressed to your loved ones in life – your partners, spouse, children, family members, friends or even with your pets. With the emphasis on Valentine’s Day traditionally commemorating the romantic, familial and personal relationships in your lives, it’s easy to forget that the primary relationship that, by far, takes precedence over them all is the empowering relationship you choose to have with your Self. As you enjoy this Valentine’s Day, I invite you to celebrate and honor that most endearing and  important relationship in life – the one with YOU.

There is a beautiful metaphor from India that says just as one can never truly describe the sweet flavor of an orange without tasting it…the same is true with love. One cannot begin to describe in words the joy and sweetness of love without tasting its fruit. Your first step to savoring the succulent and divine fruit of love in all aspects of life is to cultivate the powerful and all-encompassing relationship first to you. 

 You may have wondered, why is it that so many people experience confusion, loneliness, emptiness, drama or apathy in life? Why do you choose to close your hearts to the universal love that permeates all aspects of your life? The contemporary Buddhist monk, Pema Chodron, very eloquently answers this, "The only reason we don't open our hearts and minds to other people is that they trigger confusion in us that we don't feel brave enough or sane enough to deal with. To the degree that we can look clearly and compassionately at ourselves, will we feel confident and fearless about looking into someone else's eyes."

The key to experiencing genuinely nurturing relationships and to receive authentic love in your life occurs only when you are able to embody and love unconditionally all those aspects within you. Only by accepting compassionately without judgment all that you are – your light, your joy, your truth and your dark, your vulnerability and your fears will you be able to extend that unconditional love to all areas of and to all those in your life.

One of the fundamental rules you need to recognize is that the universe operates on the “law of attraction”. The universe is fundamentally comprised of energy, and knowing that all of your emotions are just energy, the frequency of your emotional energy that you resonate with will attract that exact same energy into your life. Simply put, whatever you believe about yourself is exactly what you experience. Your thoughts, thus, literally do create your reality! The universe is nothing more than an objective and impartial mirror that reflects back on to you exactly what it is you believe about the world and about yourself. If for example, you’re currently vibrating on an emotional frequency of fear or self-loathing, the universe simply reflects that state of energy by brining you situations, people and relationships that not only match, but also reinforce these patterns and belief systems. If, however, you choose to resonate on the frequency and emotional energy of love, joy, compassion and abundance, beginning first with yourself, you will soon begin to notice these qualities manifest in all aspects of your life – especially in your relationships!

As the medieval poet Rumi masterfully writes, “Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”

So honor this Valentine’s Day by acknowledging and embracing all that you hold onto in your life that prevents your body, mind, heart and soul from truly opening to the power of love that is all around and permeates the very fabric of life. Observe and become a compassionate witness to all those aspects about you that act as barriers toward love. You may ask yourself, “What are the thoughts and belief systems that I have created and continue to hold onto in my life which prevent me from experiencing this authentic love and joyous relationship with my Self and with others?” Again without holding judgment toward these barriers you carry, dedicate your Valentine’s Day to embracing and cherishing ALL THAT YOU ARE! The more you can experience compassion and love within you, the more you will be able to revel in the love that awaits you!

Lastly, even though Valentine’s Day occurs once a year, don’t let today be the only time you celebrate love. LET EVERY DAY, EVERY HOUR, EVERY MOMENT of your life become an ecstatic and conscious celebration of love – not only to others, but to that empowering and most important relationship of all – the one with you. So the lesson that Valentine’s Day offers you is not only to live in the moment, but also to love in the moment.
 
Let your love shine forth and your light illuminate the world, and always remember that the world would be a much dimmer place without you in it! May you always be Living Your Light® from a place of abundance, joy and love as you celebrate Valentine’s Day with your Self and loved ones!

        

Turn Your New Year's Re-Solutions into Re-Affirmations

Statistics show that during the middle of January, more than 90% of people drop their New Year's Resolutions. Many of you probably started the New Year with enthusiasm and with the best of intentions to make improvements in your life, but get too discouraged in the span of just a couple of weeks. Year after year you make the same New Year's resolutions - I want to lose weight, I want to become more successful in my career, I want to quit smoking, I want to have a boyfriend/girlfriend. Does this sound like you? While it is unfortunate that many of us don't stick to our intentions, there are a number of reasons this occurs. Jay Kumar will discuss what these factors are and how you can get back on track by learning to make Re-Affirmations, and not more Re-Solutions.

To learn more about Jay, please visit livingyourlight.com 

        

I woke up today with some tragic news. My colleague and friend, Kelleen, unexpectedly died last nite when a rogue wave took her life at the beach in Pacifica celebrating the Full Moon. What makes me really sad is that I saw her Tues. in the hallway, but didn't stop to say Hi, as I was rushing to a meeting. The lesson - never take for granted all the people in your life who make it so special. Life is too short and unpredictable. Live and Love in the moment. 

If I could go back to that day on Tuesday, Kelleen, I would have taken a minute to enjoy one your wonderful hugs and to spend a moment catching up, rather than worrying about being late for my meeting. Kelleen, you are a beautiful spirit. I love and miss you. Rest in Peace, my friend! 

I invite you to take a moment today and recognize the importance of all the people that love you and are a meaningful part of your life. 

Keep on Living Your Light® 

Jay

        

Embracing A New Paradigm of Health

Welcome, and thanks for taking the first step on your journey toward authentic health as you continue Living Your Light®. Before reading any further, I’d like for you to take a moment and consider how you define health? Take a minute and write down what health means to you. There’s no rush, take your time. 

Great. So now let’s ask how do you think our health-care system defines the notion of health? So, does your definition of health match or differ from that of our current health care paradigm? 

I intentionally began with this thought-provoking question, since an important step into manifesting authentic health is to reexamine what health means to you. Our current medical paradigm has made us believe that the goal of health and medicine is to eradicate disease and illness, at all costs. While preventing disease is certainly an important aspect of health, it is only a small fraction of what health truly means.

So what is this new definition of health? In the emerging paradigm of health-care and medicine, health needs to be understood as a state of Wholeness. The healing process is one where the individual experiences her or his authentic state of Wholeness, in body, mind, heart and Spirit. Rather than limiting the definition of health merely to the absence of disease, we need to expand our notion of health to embrace the integration of our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of our Self.

Even though our health-care paradigm is changing, it still largely operates from an old and outdated paradigm that continues to define health as the absence of or negation of disease and its symptoms. Albert Einstein famously said, “

We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” While Einstein was referring to the need to examine physics and our understanding of the Universe from a completely new paradigm and not from the old paradigm of Newtonian physics, his statement holds true on a greater level. 

We currently are witnessing a very profound shift toward an entirely new paradigm of consciousness, not only in medicine, but also in the economic, social, political and scientific fields. The old paradigm was one that promoted fragmentation and separation. In medicine, this outdated paradigm of fragmentation manifested as the separation of the body from the mind, heart and Spirit. Conversely, the newly emerging paradigm of consciousness advances interconnectedness and Wholeness where our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual parts unify into a greater state of Oneness, into a state of authentic health.

If we remember Einstein’s quote, humanity cannot solve its current problems by using the same paradigm and thinking that created these very same issues. Instead, we are beginning to recognize that an entirely new way of thinking is required if we are to find a solution to all the current crises. It all can start with you! In order for you and all of humanity to heal, you must become Whole. The more each of you begins to live from a place of authentic health, the more you embody this state of wholeness. You, then, literally have the power and ability to transform the world! 

Keep on Living Your Light®.

        

Happy New Year! It is with great pleasure that I write this first Living Your Light® blog for 2010. As many of you know I decided to take a break in 2006 to pursue some other projects. I’m happy to report that both Living Your Light® and I are back in full swing with many exciting things in store for 2010 and beyond. You are going to love the new interactive website that we have launched! It is full of new videos, guided meditations, educational lectures and articles to empower you on your unique journey toward authentic health in body, mind, heart and Spirit. 

        

Hello and Welcome to the LYL Blog. My name is Jay Kumar, and I’m the founder and principal. LYL is an organization I established in 2001. My intention for this website is to promote creative conscious living for you and the planet. We here at LYL have as our objective to provide you with the latest information and resources to empower you on your unique journey towards authentic health – in body, mind, heart and Spirit.