“ We all use expressions like ‘ trust your gut ,’ ‘ follow your heart ,’ ‘ tap into your body ,’ yet we approach most of life ’ s challenges first and foremost with our heads .”
“ We all use expressions like ‘ trust your gut ,’ ‘ follow your heart ,’ ‘ tap into your body ,’ yet we approach most of life ’ s challenges first and foremost with our heads .”
Mindful Travel
Pulse : You spent 15 years touring for your musical career , so you ’ re probably a pro at planning travel . What advice do you have for ISPA members heading to Colorado Springs next March ? PK : Actually , we always invite our retreat attendees to practice “ mindful travel .” I fell into it naturally through the travel required by my line of work . Eventually , I learned to find a sense of ease and flow in the unpredictable nature of travel . Flights get delayed , connections get missed , airport transfers can be dodgy , luggage can go missing …. If we can prepare ourselves for
this and manage our reactivity as it ’ s happening , it can do wonders for our overall energy levels when we arrive . More often than not , by the time people arrive at a retreat or vacation , they ’ ve gotten so worked up by the stress of travel that it takes a day to start to enjoy themselves — and the same thing happens on the way home . By staying tuned in to your breath , managing your stress levels and priming yourself for a bit of unpredictability , you can experience the little adventure of travel from a much more grounded place .
How Peter Katz celebrates everyday life
l Most interesting thing you ’ ve learned recently ?: This is a ridiculous answer , but the first thing that comes to mind is I just learned how to properly cook soba noodles ! I ’ ve always loved soba noodles at restaurants but could never get them to turn out well when I made them at home . The secret is to “ wash ” them in cold water after you ’ ve boiled them and get all the starchiness out of the water . l An activity you would turn into a competitive sport ?: Cooking . My family does a version of Iron Chef every year over the holidays , where we select secret ingredients and have a big cooking competition . I look forward to it every year and would be happy to have it turn into a proper sport ! l Celebrity you ’ d swap places with for one day ?: I love the singer-songwriter Noah Kahan . He has a real authenticity and joy when he plays , and over the last couple of years his career has exploded and he ’ s now selling out massive venues . He seems to have stayed connected to his roots and his joy of playing . l Most unusual thing you ’ ve ever collected ?: I don ’ t feel connected to collecting things , but I feel very connected to collecting moments — especially sunrises and sunsets . Moments when I get to pause , be in awe of nature , feel small in a good way . Hopefully I ’ m sitting or walking with someone I love who is sharing the memory collection with me . I think the more moments like that that I can collect in my life , the more I ’ ll feel like I ’ ve lived it well . l Walk-up song that should play when you enter any room ?: “ Follow the Sun ” by Xavier Rudd . I use that song a lot in my facilitation work to set a mood , get people into their hearts , and connect them to the feeling of nature . l Common advice you completely disagree with ?: “ Everything in moderation .” There are so many things we would be better off cutting out completely , and other things we could stand to do abundantly . I feel like that expression is just enabling bad habits .
OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2024 n PULSE 51