049 Jeff Agostinelli: A Vipasana Retreat May Be Your Greatest Mindfulness Experience

Jeff Agostinelli is a life and business coach and was trained as a Macrobiotic Chef who focuses on alternative healing. Jeff is an avid believer that eating raw foods is a recipe for better health. For more than six years, Jeff submersed himself in learning and practicing everything food and health related. Jeff then became fascinated withdigital marketing and business, and proceeded to share his expertise with others through his coaching practice and podcast called, The Next Level.

Contact Info

• Twitter, Instagram: @jeffagostinelli
• Facebook: Search Jeff Agostinelli
• Website: www.jeffagostinelli.com or www.jeffa.co
• Podcast: The Next Level

Most Influential Person

• Thich Nhat Hanh

Effect on Emotions

• It's enabled me to allow myself to be completely present with what I feel and let that be ok.

Thoughts on Breathing

• Breathing IS my mindfulness practice.

Suggested Resources

• Book: Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames by Thich Nhat Hanh
• Book: True Love: A Practice for Awakening The Heart by Thich Nhat Hanh
• Book: True Meditation: Discover the Freedom of Pure Awareness by Adyashanti

Advice for Newbie

One of the keys for me with mindfulness is breathing. I did a number of 10 day Vipasana Meditation Retreats where basically all you can do for fifteen hours a day is sit there and meditate. No looking at each other, no physical contact. Men and women are separate. Really just very focused effort. As long as you're breathing, you need to be mindful. That's really all there is to it because its one of those things that's like, if you're not being mindful then, what else are you doing? Being mindful is washing the dishes and being aware that you're washing the dishes. It's listening to your spouse and listening to your spouse and breathing and being aware of what's happening in your immediate environment. Be patient, because like anything else, with practice comes one new level of understanding and then the next level and then the next level and just be ok with where you are now and know that there's not a destination. It's not to get anywhere other than to be present, to be more loving, or whatever it is that is your current focus. It's to amplify who you already are.