Why We Stop Trusting Ourselves—and How to Reclaim Inner Authority

What if the voice you keep sidelining is the one built to lead you? We sit down with Dr. Toni LaMotta to trace a brave arc from a vow of obedience to a life rooted in discernment, self-trust, and inner authority. Through lived experience and gentle, repeatable practices, Toni shows how to hear the guidance that’s already there—and how to act on it with courage.

We unpack fear as information, not a flaw, and explore a playful model where your “barking dog” (anxious mind) and your spirit (calm knowing) both speak—but only one deserves the final say. You’ll learn the seven-minute presence practice that brings body, heart, and head online in the right order, turning mental chatter into quiet clarity. We talk dragonfly wisdom and why slow unfolding isn’t a defect; it’s how deep change locks in.

Toni guides us to treat life as teacher, not enemy: finding the gift in setbacks, reframing “failure” as feedback, and using neuroplasticity to change the meaning of old memories without denying what happened. She shares how to stop asking “What should I do?” and replace it with “What does my heart want next?”—a small shift that simplifies decisions and eases chronic anxiety. 

Ready to make guidance tangible? Tune in, try the seven-minute practice, and tell us the name of your barking dog. If this resonated, follow the show, share with a friend, and leave a review to help more listeners reclaim their inner authority.

Toni's contact details: https://tonilamotta.com/

Chapters

• 0:00 Setting The Stage: Trust And Flow
• 3:58 Toni’s Journey From Vows To Voice
• 7:52 Dragonfly Wisdom And Slow Unfolding
• 10:07 Fear As Information, Not A Judge
• 12:47 Barking Dog Vs. Spirit
• 15:46 Ditching “Should” And Asking The Heart
• 18:21 The Seven-Minute Presence Practice
• 22:01 Life As Teacher: Finding The Gift
• 26:01 Rewriting The Past With New Meaning
• 28:56 From Outsourcing To Inner Guidance
• 31:06 First Steps To Hear Your Compass
• 33:06 Make It Fun: Name The Barking Dog
• 35:56 Universe As Ally And Non-Resistance
• 38:46 Guided Seven-Minute Meditation

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 1:12

I'm the host, the gentle yoga warrior, and joining us soon is the wonderful Dr. Tony Lumarton. And we're going to talk today about the flow we'll take, why we stop trusting ourselves and how to reclaim our inner authority. And I think this is very important because this in here, normally I'm I've got the whole day to prepare and I'm in one place, but I had to trouble the colour wasn't working, my IT wasn't working, it was touching gold that I was going to get here on time. And then I got into a bit of a panic, not a panic, but then I could start to worry how I prepared enough today. But it's about trusting myself because I have prepared and I've done many of these public colours. So I feel like it's letting me on point all the difficulties that I had before coming on line now. So Tony is a best-selling offer. And I read the first 40 pages of her book, What You Really Want Want to You. And I really enjoyed it because it made me feel like I there was possibilities for me to be more expansive in the way I kind of approach life. And Tony is also a master teacher and highly regarded online coach. And I let her explain a bit more about what she has to offer and how we're going to help you today, dear listeners, with the vows we all take when we stop trusting ourselves and how to reclaim inner authority. Without further ado, please welcome Tony Lovter to the show. Welcome to the show, Tony.

SPEAKER_01: 2:53

Thank you so much. I'm delighted to be here with you.

SPEAKER_00: 2:56

I'm delighted to have you on the show as well. And I know that you're joining us from Sunny, Florida. So thank you for joining us from there today. So today we're going to talk about the vowel wheel take, why we stop trusting ourselves and how to reclaim our inner authority. And after reading your story, Tony, I thought you were the best person to speak to us about this today. Firstly, would you mind explaining a bit about your journey so far and your life's experience?

SPEAKER_01: 3:25

Sure. I many years ago, I spent 16 years in a convent. And when I started to recognize this whole idea of the inner compass, I realized that for years I lived from a vow of obedience. And when you take a vow of obedience, you learn early on, especially in spiritual kind of context, that being faithful meant being compliant, responsible, and good. So it gave me a sense of belonging and safety. But over time I started noticing that I was listening more to teachers or to structures or to expectations, while losing touch with my own inner voice. You know, you start listening to everyone else. And what shifted was when I started realizing that like to go against that wasn't disobedience, it was deeper listening. Because the inner compass really doesn't pull you away from faith, it brings you into alignment with discernment. You start learning to really listen. But it took me years. There was no one instance that happened. It was slowly recognizing as I kept learning new things and taking courses and studying with these different teachers. I discovered that I had shut down my own voice. I really wasn't listening. And, you know, now I spend my whole life teaching other people how to listen to that voice because it always guides us in the most perfect way.

SPEAKER_00: 5:13

Oh, what a wonderful thing to do for people because I do feel that we don't listen to our own inner voices. I've found the times when I've not listened to my inner voice, things have gone wrong. So I think sometimes it's a good thing to like listen to ourselves, right?

SPEAKER_02: 5:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 5:26

I also know when I haven't started reading your book, which you know, a lot of people write books, but yours is very well written. Um I only got through like the first 40 pages, but I'm gonna finish the rest of it and I really, really enjoyed it. And I like the old description of the dragonflies. Could you let Alyssa's know a little bit about that?

SPEAKER_01: 5:45

The dragonfly doesn't get its colors until it reaches maturity. So one of the things that I noticed, because I work with people usually in midlife and beyond, who are like, shouldn't I be further along in my life? And you know, I use the dragonfly as a symbol to say, you know, it happens slowly. I actually have a dragonfly tattooed on my arm.

SPEAKER_02: 6:09

Oh, beautiful.

SPEAKER_01: 6:10

And they're all over my house. People give me gifts of dragonflies. I wear one around my neck, all kinds of things, but it just is a reminder that to be patient and to recognize that life unfolds. It's not something that happens, you know, in so many people talk about manifestation and you know, things should happen instantly. And and I think the truth of the matter is that we need to learn to listen. And when we learn to listen, things things happen slowly and they unfold in beautiful ways. The dragonfly has gorgeous colors, so I use it as my logo and symbol for my business.

SPEAKER_00: 6:54

So oh what a beautiful logo and and symbology. I have a couple living on on the pond in our garden, so I sometimes see them, and they're they are beautiful creatures for sure.

SPEAKER_01: 7:04

And they come from the mud. So, you know, many people think of the butterfly as a transformation symbol, and it is, but the dragonfly comes from mud to this gorgeous coloring, so it's like major transformation, major change.

SPEAKER_00: 7:20

Yeah, wow, that is what yeah, I didn't think I didn't know they came from the mud. That's really interesting, like metaphorically and also like factually amazing. You describe fear not as a flaw but as information. How can people begin to shift from being ruled by fear and trusting something deeper inside themselves?

SPEAKER_01: 7:41

Well, first of all, fear is kind of a signal that something wants your attention. You know, it's there's an old agreement that you have. There's something that's being threatened. And so when we look at it, I often tell people have a conversation with fear, you know, and then it goes away. It wants to be heard, it wants you to say, wait a minute, pay attention here. It's not something to stop you. Very often people use fear to stop them completely. And what I think it's it's the you don't want it to be the decision maker in your life. You want it to be the information, it's a way of getting some guidance again, because it's telling you, wait a minute, here, there's something here that needs to be paid attention to, you know. So, and I think that one of the things is simply recognizing it rather than going with it is so important, you know. And people ask me, like, how do I get over fear? You don't get over any emotion, you know. You you live with it and look at it and face it. And when you do face it, it it literally dissipates. I used to have conversations with fear when it would show up. I would say, What are you here for? What would you like? How can I help you? And it it's almost you can almost make it a joke, but uh it really works. It's amazing.

SPEAKER_00: 9:12

Well, I like that because that yes, and I I get fearful when I drive because I I came back to driving later in life because I was living in a city and I didn't need to drive, but I kind of make myself do it and then so maybe I should I'll I'll try that, Tony, that the next time I feel scared about it. Um you know, I really resonate with this actually. Many thoughtful people live for constant sense that something might go wrong where we kind of can't fully live or enjoy the moment. How does feel fear quite disconnect um one from uh in a compass when that happens?

SPEAKER_01: 9:48

What happens to people? It's interesting. I don't know if you're familiar with the concept of the anneagram.

unknown: 9:54

Yes.

SPEAKER_01: 9:54

The anneagram is a whole spiritual path that shows you how to live. And the majority of people in the world are anyagram sixes, and an anneagram six is exactly what you described. They're afraid that the next shoe is gonna drop all the time, you're gonna look worried. And one of the things that I teach them is to, and this is a this is interesting. It's a teacher of mine who's Sonia Choquette, her name is, and Sonia teaches that we have inside of us a spirit and a barking dog. You know, it's kind of fun again. And the spirit and she actually invites us to name both of those: name your spirit and name your barking dog. And so it becomes, you know, when fear shows up, it's the barking dog. And you can hear that voice and you start to notice the difference. When fear is showing up, it's usually causes anxiety, you feel tension in your stomach, you get headaches, you know, all kinds of bodily things will tell you it's fear. And when it's your spirit speaking, there's calm peace. And so it becomes it, it becomes a matter of becoming aware. Most people are just not aware. There's both voices are constantly speaking, and when we stop and say, and when we make it fun and make it your barking dog and your spirit, it becomes easier to listen to. I have clients right now who are literally journaling every day about all the ways they're now hearing their spirit because they're like, oh, it was my barking dog speaking all the time, you know. Fear, fear says stop. And one of the things I suggest to people is stop asking what I should be doing. You know, the word should, take the word should out of your vocabulary, because that's usually some message about this is what my parents would have done, this is the right thing to do, this is what society, and it's not listening to what my heart wants. So we want to learn to listen out of the shoulds and into the heart that says, you know, what's what's longing to happen right now? What is the the thing that I most want to be doing? I have a practice where literally going from one activity to another, I stop and I ask my heart, what do you want next? What's what's my next step? And it could be make a phone call, go get a cup of tea, it could be any little thing or it could be something major. But it's like instead of running from one activity to another, it slows me down and makes me stop and and go within. It's a very simple but very profound practice, and it brings me constantly to the present moment. You know, breathe, what's happening, what's next? And it takes two seconds, but it's to me the the way to counteract all all those fears and to really start to listen.

SPEAKER_00: 13:51

Oh, that's beautiful. I'm gonna remember to to do that myself. That's a really and bring us into the present moment because I I can begin myself sometimes of rushing from one task to another. Yeah, that's a thank you. And I let you teach that true guidance comes from the body, heart, and mind. How can someone begin listening when they've been trained to rely on thinking alone? Because uh so many of us are in our heads so much, right?

SPEAKER_01: 14:14

Oh, absolutely. And and again, with the enneagram, if you're a head type, especially, and I am one of those. So one of the things that I have learned is something called a seven-minute practice. And I start every day with this, and it's very easy practice, so I'll teach you right now. We spend two minutes just getting in touch with your breathing and sensation. It's like, what's going on in my body right now? What am I feeling? Maybe feeling your feet, maybe feeling tingles in your hands, maybe feeling a pain somewhere, not analyzing it, not questioning it, just being with it. And two minutes, it goes very quickly. And then say, okay, now that I'm grounded, usually what happens is the heart comes online immediately, and the heart begins to say, What's important here? What am I loving? What's special today? What's happening in my life? Where can I be appreciative? And so you open your heart for two minutes, and again, two minutes is very short, and then you then you go to the head because when you're grounded with the body and the heart, the head actually takes on a whole different meaning. It's not the chatter anymore, it becomes the quiet knowing. And all of us have had moments where you get a flash of insight, a possibility, you see visions, and I don't mean see visions, but you get a sense of something larger in your life, and that's the head center when it's really functioning at its best. And once you do that for two minutes, spend one minute just integrating and recognizing that your breath takes you through all three of those centers, both body, heart, and mind. And so what happens is you become fully whole person present. And that that's what is called the presence practice, the seven minutes of just being present. And I find I start every day with that, and then I find myself doing it like 10 times during the day, but short, you know, doing it very quickly. Like if I'm in the middle of something and I've kind of lost touch, I just stop and say, hmm, what am I feeling? Where's my body right now? Because the body is always in the present moment. The head and the heart can go lots of places in the past or the future, but the body is always present. So it's simply coming back to the body. Best remedy for that to stop that chatter is just breathe and come to sensation. So simple. Again, none of this is, you know, it's profound, but it's very simple.

SPEAKER_00: 17:13

Yeah, it's but I what I like about it is accessible for so many people. It if we can just set the I maybe put something a reminder or something to do it once a day, I'll do it as soon as I get up. It's gonna help a lot of people, I feel.

SPEAKER_01: 17:28

Yeah, and the more you practice it, the easier it becomes. At first it's a little challenging, but you can practice it, and they the more and more you practice, it becomes like, oh, the best part of my day. I get to just be.

SPEAKER_00: 17:44

Oh, perfect. Because that things actually where we're supposed to live, I feel, rather than always in the past or looking to the future, it's kind of being in the now. Um so instead of fixing or kind of bypassing our life's experiences, you invite people to learn from them, which I find very interesting. How does that that shift um restore self-trust?

SPEAKER_01: 18:13

Well, interestingly enough, there is when I teach people the intercompass system, it has six different parts. And one of them, in fact, the part that we're on now with the group I'm working with is getting in touch with our life experience. And we do a series of journaling and looking at what life is trying to teach us. Our life is the biggest teacher, and very often we just like bypass it. We don't even notice that there are people who have come into our lives or that there are situations and none of it is by accident. You know, one of my favorite lines, I don't remember where I first heard it, so I can't give credit to who it came from, but life is not happening to us, it's happening for us. And that alone, if you really get that, can change everything. It's like instead of fighting or fixing or trying to remedy something, every situation, even the traumas that we've been through, have been a gift. And so if we can translate that and say, what's the gift here? I'll give you an example. Recently, I literally fell and broke my ankle, and I'm still in recovery right now, but the in and you had pretty heavy, and it was amazing. And rather I I found myself even on the floor in pain, saying, What's the gift here? And it's amazing. I'm still exploring some of those gifts rather than saying, Why did this happen? What's wrong? What's you know, it's changed everything, it's slowed down my life. There is lots of things I couldn't do. And one of the gifts is I've I've discovered how supported I am, how many people have come to really support me, and that's been it's been a treasure. And I've also seen who doesn't support me, which is very interesting. People I thought would be there who haven't been, and so all of that it's information and it's gift. So it's every single thing in life is not happening to us, it's happening for us. Just take that one phrase and notice how you're responding to things when you're looking at something and saying that shouldn't be. There's that should word again. You know, whenever we're saying that shouldn't be, we're resisting life. And you can't resist life, it keeps coming back at you. It there's a lesson to be learned, you're gonna learn it one way or another. So you might as well stop and say, Okay, why is this here? What's the gift here for me? It's a profound way of living. I don't always remember it, but usually do.

SPEAKER_00: 21:17

Oh, wonderful. That's a that's a good way to live for sure. And then like I guess no one's gonna remember it the whole time, but it sounds like you've you've kind of you've got you've you've got it quite nailed. How can ordinary moments, especially difficult ones, become teachers? Well, you've just explained that in a way, rather than than the evidence that we've done something wrong.

SPEAKER_01: 21:38

Yeah, exactly. In in looking at there's a gift here, and it could be a way of like, where do I need to pivot? Maybe, you know, maybe here's the other thing is to. Relabel what we call failure. We think something's gone wrong and we say I failed. And there is no such thing as failure. It's simply a message about what should be different. What can we do differently? You know, you probably have heard Thomas Edison found a thousand ways not to create the electric light bulb. And he never saw it as failure. It was like, okay, that didn't work. Let's try the next. And that's how I think if we look at our lives that way, and rather than label it as something wrong here, it's like, oh, that's information. It's information showing me where I need to pivot. And maybe just a tiny pivot is all I need. And it will change. And that's one of the ways of listening to guidance. You know, listening to what's not going right is as valuable as listening to what is.

SPEAKER_00: 22:49

I like that. Instead of live and it is wrong, like the top that tells myself thing, the light bulb moment. It's instead of seeing, oh, this is wrong, seeing it as well if we're trying to do something, if something's not working, it's just it's just shown as that it's something different rather than seeing it as bad. Oh, I like that a lot. Perfect. I love that a lot. And you know when we get stuck in the past as well, because there's so many people that think their past disqualifies them. How do we can we help these people reinterpret their history as wisdom instead of failure? Like you know, like going a bit further on, I guess, from what we just said about changing the lens of how we perceive things.

SPEAKER_01: 23:35

Yeah, with one of the things that quantum physics has taught us in neuroplasticity, that we can actually change not the memory of what happened, but we can change the meaning we gave to that memory. And one of the pillars of my intercompass system is a process called the quantum living process. And the quantum living process actually takes people through 21 days, and it's a it's really intense. But we look at what's triggering us in life, and it could be something simple like my computer's not working today, or something happened to my dishwasher, or some little thing, or someone made a remark, or I got an email that I didn't like, whatever it is, the Course in Miracles teaches we're never upset for the reason we think. So we stop and we say, Okay, I'm being triggered. What are these feelings that are coming up? And if you really do some deep digging, when did I first feel those same feelings? And what it does is take you back almost always to early childhood, and something that happened that may look trivial, but it caused you to come up with a belief about yourself or about life. I'll give you an example of my own life. When I was probably, I don't know, first, second grade, some very young, I brought home a report card that had probably no grade less than 98 on it. I was pretty sharp, and gave it to my dad who looked at it and said, so why wasn't it 100? Okay. So that little girl, can you see what could have happened? My dad never meant that. My dad was proud of me. But at that moment, I took on a belief that no matter how hard I tried, it would never be good enough. And I want you to know that I lived with that belief until I was in, I don't know, 60s or 70s. I mean, like really old, looking at that same thing kept happening when I would teach or when I would do something. There was some little thing part within me saying, not good enough, not good enough, until I did these process, the quantum living process, and I literally went back in my memory and rewrote that scene. And now I see my dad picking up the report card and saying, Oh my god, I'm so proud of you. This is so wonderful. Let's go celebrate. He called my mother and my sister into the room. I made up this whole new scene. And what it does, your brain can't hold the two scenes at the same time, and it chooses the one that's most possible that or that's most you know helpful to you. And so now when going to teach, and I have this little sense of not good enough, I laugh and say, not true, not true anymore. And it really does change those beliefs. And and that's part of part of what we need to do is recognize whatever happened in the past, we made it mean something. And usually we make it mean something that's hurting us. And so why not make up a new meaning? And we can. And so learning the process, it's important to really learn the techniques until you can almost do it in your sleep. But it takes a while and a practice. So all of it, all these things that I'm talking about take time and take practice, but they're possible. And I watch people transform before my eyes when they really work with it.

SPEAKER_00: 27:35

Oh, fantastic! And what a gift to give to people. So, dear listeners, we will share more about Tony's work before that before the end of the podcast. What shifts when somebody stops outsourcing their authority and begins living from inner guidance? Because I I've seen myself do it before where I've kind of tried to kind of please people in the past to the detriment of myself. And so could you could you share what happens?

SPEAKER_01: 28:04

Well, what happens is we begin to make decisions much more easily. You stop asking everybody, what do you think I should do? You stop all those pros and cons lists that trying to figure out the right thing because you get much more in touch with what it is you really want. And the other thing is that anxiety goes away. People who live in constant anxiety tell me, oh my god, the anxiety doesn't go away entirely. You know, we all have anxious moments, but it mostly goes away. You don't live with that doom all the time. You start noticing that there is this quiet clarity. It's like, ah, it's okay. And life becomes a lot more, you know, easy. It it stops stressing, you stop fighting life. You start noticing, ah, here's another gift. What's this for? And you begin to really, I think the biggest thing that I've seen is people have courage, and you go from lack of clarity and self-doubt to a sense of courage, and and then they begin to trust themselves and other people, because one of the things that this type of personality is always mistrusting everybody and mistrusting, especially themselves, and suddenly it's not that you trust everyone, you become more discerning, and you start recognizing ah, yes, this is something I can trust, but I don't have to give myself away to it. You know, trusting doesn't mean I surrender my own thinking and my own beliefs, and so there's a new freedom that happens and a joy that people live with. So you're getting a lot of blessings that come from listening to your own inner compass.

SPEAKER_00: 30:01

I I like that, I like that a lot. So for listeners who who feel kind of inspired by this conversation and are thinking, actually, I want some of that, I want to to change. What was the best next step they can do to reconnect with their own inner guidance and by yourself?

SPEAKER_01: 30:21

Well, the first thing is stop asking what you should do, you know, it just just notice that in the beginning. Start noticing what actually brings relief and clarity, even in small ways, and even start saying out loud, this is what my guidance is telling me. You know, if you start recognizing it, when you recognize it in small things, it gets louder. It's like your inner guidance is very quiet initially. But when you start saying, hmm, being guided to do this, you don't have to say it to anybody else. They'll probably think you're crazy if you start, you know, talking out. But you it's something about hearing your own voice saying it that makes it like concrete. All right, I'm hearing it. And then I have someone who actually started a journal where she has pictures and uses stickers and just kind of like accepting all the different ways she's been guided and finding the guidance in life. And by doing that, she said it's been the most fun. She never liked to journal before, and all of a sudden she's got this whole book of you know, adult stickers and and ways of looking at so it's just start to looking, looking for it, and the more we do, the more we see. It's amazing. But you focus on it, life increases.

SPEAKER_00: 31:48

So yeah, yeah, and so look focus on that's a good thing. And having the book, I really like that. What is the one thing our listeners can do today to change their life? If you could tell everyone in the world what is the one thing they could do today. Come join my intercompass program, that would be wonderful.

SPEAKER_01: 32:04

But I think I think that the most thing that I would say to people is make it fun. You're we take our lives so seriously sometimes and like seeing what's wrong. And so make it fun. Start by naming your barking dog. That's a good thing, you know. And if you start there, it becomes it becomes laughable. When you hear that voice saying you should be doing this, or what about this, or this is gonna happen, you can say, Thanks, dog, I'll take you out later. But right now I'm listening to somebody else. You know, I think that when we do that, start with small things and start becoming aware of how often you're listening to that barking dog rather than listening to your spirit. And when you do that, you make it fun. I mean, you know, if you've got a dog that's barking all the time, you don't get angry. Hopefully, you take care of it and find out what it needs and do the same for yourself. So it's make it fun, make it simple, and become aware and be patient with it. It's a practice, it takes time. You're not gonna change overnight if you've been constantly worried and not listening. You know, it's not gonna happen. It for me, it took decades, really, and each of the processes that I teach are something that I learned and kind of added to my toolbox, and now I have all the tools that I can use.

SPEAKER_00: 33:37

Oh, I I I'm loving this interview because I feel like you've got so much to offer the world and and uh have a way of like sharing it in a way which makes me feel like, oh, actually I can I can do that, I can change, etc. So this podcast goes out over over 300 countries. If one of my wonderful listeners is thinking, actually, I'd like to connect with Tony, hear about our courses, etc., would you mind explaining what they can do?

SPEAKER_01: 34:05

Probably the simplest thing anybody can do is get on my mailing list so then you'll know what's going on. And you do that simply by going to tonylamada.com, t-o-n-i-l-a-m-o-t-t-a.com. And when you do, when you sign up, I send a quiz that helps you say look at how well are you listening to your inner compass, and that's a place to start. And then my email is dr Tony, D R T O N I at Tony Lemata.com. You can email me and set up an appointment. I love to talk with people and meet with people and see if there's a way that I can help. I have lots of different courses. I have, you know, the Intercompass Program is a six-month program. And when somebody's ready for that, that's really when you want to go to and take it through deeply. But there are lots of different ways that I can help people get started. And I love having conversations with people so they can just email me and we'll set up an appointment sometime.

SPEAKER_00: 35:15

Oh, perfect. And I'll also, dear listeners, I'll also put details in the show notes as well so that you can find Tony very easily. Is there anything you'd like to share with the listeners that we haven't covered? Because you you are my guests after all.

SPEAKER_01: 35:29

Oh, thank you. No, I think that uh I'm gonna repeat the line that life is not happening to us, but it's happening for us. I know I said that, but to me that's like the the key of all of the spiritual growth is to be with what is. Like one of my friends laughs at me because she always hears me whenever something happens and she'll say, Oh my gosh, that's awful. I was like, it is what it is, and that has become my mantra. It is what it is, and when we stop resisting life, life really supports us. You know, the universe, Einstein said it the most important question you can ask is, is the universe a friendly place for you? And when we discover, yes, it is, the universe is on my side, and what's happening in my life is for me. And so when I look from that uh viewpoint, things change all the time, no matter how painful it might be. Sometimes painful things are happening, but they're it rather than fight them, just go with the flow.

SPEAKER_00: 36:44

I've really enjoyed our conversation today. I feel that it's been a grace to to speak with you, and I'm really looking forward to putting this podcast episode out. Yeah, let's just do stay tuned as always as a meditation inspired by today's show, but the wonderful Tony Lamotta. Thank you, Tony, for joining us from Florida today.

SPEAKER_01: 37:03

Thank you so much. I've enjoyed being here.

SPEAKER_00: 37:05

Top tips for the meditation is either sit nice and cross-legged on the floor with a nice straight back, always nice to sit on a block or a cushion. Well, that's not available for you. You sit in a chair with the back nice and straight. The important thing is you're not slouching. And if you're doing something that requires little concentration, all you need to do is just pause this and you can reconvene the meditation at a time that is good for you. If you're doing the meditation, let's begin. Now I've done something a bit different today on the meditation. I've broken down Tony's meditation into the seven minutes with time in between what she said. It's becoming one of my most favorite meditations that I've been taught by a guest. So thank you, Tony.

SPEAKER_01: 37:52

Be spending two minutes just getting in touch with your breathing and sensation. It's like, what's going on in my body right now? What am I feeling? Maybe feeling your feet, maybe feeling tingles in your hands, maybe feeling a pain somewhere. Not analyzing it, not questioning it, just being with it. And then say, Okay, now that I'm grounded, usually what happens is the heart comes online immediately, and the heart begins to say, What's important here? What am I loving? What's special today? What's happening in my life? Where can I be appreciative? And so you open your heart for two minutes. And again, two minutes is very short. Then you go to the head because when you're grounded, the body and the heart, it actually takes on a whole different meaning. It's not the chat anymore. It becomes the moments. A possibility. You see visions. And that's the head center when it's really functioning at its best. Once you do that for two minutes, spend one minute just integrating and recognizing that your breath takes you through all three of those centers of body, heart, and mind. And so what happens is you become the whole person present.