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Summary
On episode 402 of 40+ Fitness, Coach Allan sits down with Rajshree Patel, a mind and meditation expert and international self-awareness coach who has taught meditation, mindfulness, and breathwork in more than 35 countries, and the author of The Power of Vital Force.
Rajshree explains what she means by “vital force,” a form of innate life energy distinct from calories or caffeine, and walks through the three layers of happiness, from momentary enjoyment to the deeper, more lasting happiness that comes from contributing to someone else.
The conversation then digs into how the mind gets stuck replaying the past and rehearsing the future, a simple exercise for taking inventory of what is actually occupying your headspace, and why conscious breathing is a physiological, not just symbolic, off switch for stress.
Links
- https://rajshreepatel.com
Key Takeaways
- Vital force is different from caloric energy. Rajshree distinguishes the fuel we get from food or coffee from an innate life force we are born with, and argues that chronic exhaustion often comes from depleting that deeper reserve, not just skipping a meal or a workout.
- Happiness has layers, and the deepest ones build resilience. Watching an event brings a brief spike of happiness that fades and demands more, participating brings a longer lasting joy, and contributing to someone else’s growth, like coaching, creates the kind of happiness that carries you through hard times.
- Unresolved past and anticipated future events drain present energy. Rajshree compares the mind to a computer with too many background files open: old hurts and future worries keep running quietly, slowing down focus and energy in the moment that is actually in front of you.
- Negative emotions map to time. Anger, regret, guilt, and blame are always about something already finished, while fear, worry, and anxiety are always about something that has not happened yet, and naming which one you are in is the first step to getting unstuck.
- A simple inventory exercise reveals where your attention actually goes. List roughly 10 things occupying your mind, mark each one positive or negative and past or future, and most people discover that 80 percent of their mental energy is tied up in things that are not serving them.
- Long, conscious breathing is a physiological off switch, not just a saying. The out breath actively lowers the number of active thoughts and shifts the body from a stressed state toward a calmer one, which is why Rajshree prescribes 10 slow breaths on waking, before lunch, and before bed.
- Meditation and mindfulness are not the same practice. Mindfulness, as commonly taught in the West, means actively monitoring and labeling thoughts, which takes mental effort, while meditation, in her definition, is consciously letting the mind drift and quiet down, which gives the brain genuine rest.
- Rajshree’s three strategies to get and stay well: breathe consciously throughout the day to bring in oxygen and quiet the mind; consciously release each day before sleep instead of carrying it forward; and take five minutes daily to reflect and feel grateful, remembering that you are the one driving your own life.
“Our mind, our brain, our body is filled with stuff that happened yesterday, a year ago, 10 years ago.”
Rajshree Patel
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