Getting up at 5.30 am keeps me healthy and happy, and this is why…
My yoga teacher once taught the class a series of movements called The Five Tibetan Rites.
They are an ancient set of postures that apparently date back over three thousand years.
She told the class that they have been known as the secret fountain of eternal youth.
To prove this she then shared the fact that Bruce Forsyth had been doing The Five Rites every morning for over 50 years. At the time she told us this information, Bruce was 89 years old and still working on television.
I thought I would give them a try. If they were good enough for Brucey…
But, in order to fit them into my day, I was going to need to set my alarm for thirty minutes earlier.
Hmmm.
I thought about it. It felt like a big challenge. I would rather stay warm and cosy in bed for that extra half an hour.
I gave it a go, though.
I decided to set my bar low and to try it for a week.
And I really liked it.
I felt great, and my day seemed to flow better.
I was still full of energy at the end of the day, despite my earlier start.
I'm on day 1267 now, and I wouldn't miss a day for anything.
I also worked out that an extra half an hour a day for the next 50 years - please god - would add an extra 9000 hours to my life that I wouldn't have had.
Maybe that's the secret to eternal youth.
Here are a few things I felt were worth sharing this week:
I took my ten-year old daughter to see Pixar’s latest film, Elemental, last week. It was great. I’ve become a bit cynical of some of the relentless digital animation films that have been churned out over recent years but this one surprised me. It works on so many levels and has some beautiful and powerful deeper meanings behind the colourful, fun action and story.
Derek Delgaudio’s, In & Of Itself, is phenomenal. It’s hard to describe but it’s sensational. It’s essentially a film of the stage show he performed for almost two years - a show of magic, illusions, and storytelling; and it’s directed by Frank Oz of The Muppets. This article describes Derek and the show in greater detail.
Here’s how inspiration works in the brain, and how you make your brain more creative.
Ram Dass talking about ‘the truth of your deepest being’ from a talk he gave in 1992, is inspiring and wonderful. I could listen to him talk all day.
Classic but often forgotten tracks from 1988 that I revisited this week.
Thanks for reading!
My new book, B7965 - A boy called Szmulek: A man named Sam, is out NOW!. It’s a powerful memoir of my unexpected year-long journey with a Holocaust survivor. I’m super proud of it and very passionate about sharing Sam’s incredible story and getting it out into the world. I truly believe this is a very important story and one that the world needs to hear more than ever right now.
Also, if you like great music, please check out my radio station, The Buzz Mcr. We don’t do ad-breaks, news, weather, and travel. The music never stops. We have a thing called our Three Song Trust Policy, it’s like the old Pepsi challenge only with music. Try us, I think you’ll like us.
With love
Rik
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