We may seek self help audios, read self help books or look for positive friends around us to help us through these rough times, but is looking at society the right first step on our way to personal growth?

Unfortunately relying on someone else's view of self development usually ends up backfiring on us, just as fad diets rarely work to keep off weight, seeking short-term solutions to personal growth and development are doomed to fail in the long run.

Personal improvement must begin from within, and can then applied socially – so we must first discover ways to look within ourselves and discover the values, purpose, and underlying objectives that will provide the beacon on our quest for self-improvement.

I hear from many people that when they are low, they also experience very serious period of loneliness – feeling isolated from society who all seem involved in their own selfish pursuits.  Certainly, that experience is not suprising given that when we live in discontinuity with our inner purpose we are putting up a barrier through our sub-conscious and conscious mind that shows in our behavior toward those who would otherwise be our strongest allies. 

So when you are low and begin the process of self-improvement don't be afraid of being alone, instead embrace it and commit to selfgrowth methods that will finally uncover deeply held desires and objectives that will arm you with an entirely new energy and make you much more socially desirable to others who are congruent with your ultimate purpose.

In short, if we live a lie and fool ourselves, we will also fool all of those around us and one day discover that we have alienated the very people that we, deep down, would like to have attracted to us. 

By beginning your personal growth pursuit by looking inward, suddenly you will find that the barrier will come down and you will, rather magically, begin attracting quality people into your life to meaningful friendships and relationships that are congruent with your life's purpose.

We go through this process in detail in this top selling self-improvement manual outlining 5 pillars of Greatness that will help you achieve this inner awareness and begin attracting incredible people, places and things into your life. 

Until now, you may not happy with the people around you – you are not living congruent to what is inside — and you would not be in the minority as MOST people are not even aware of what's inside let alone living in tune with that underlying purpose and values. 

So, how do you find out what's within you without a ton of extra work and study? 

The good news is that it's all there for you to discover and the process of discovery is incredibly empowering, fun and tremendously exciting.

I have found that methods such as meditation and yoga have allowed me to both discover what I truly feel about certain things AND gives me the added self-confidence and self-esteem to live in tune with what I discover.  

There are 3 major reasons that people consider, and then move ahead with yoga instruction…

1. Social motivators – many of us begin yoga and meditation because of friends or family, we tag along for an instruction or two and then gain a new interest in what is happening.  Still others may look into prenatal yoga or join yoga after having been isolated from friends or contacts after losing their job or after having a baby desiring the social venue to be active outside of the home.

2. Physical motivators – there are numerous health benefits to practicing yoga including weight loss, blood pressure regulation, heart health, blood sugar stabalization as well as a part of overall healthy lifestyle choices that can also involve exercise and dietary improvements.

3. Mental/Emotional motivators – you've heard the terms 'calming mind' or 'peaceful bliss' which can certainly be experienced by regular practicing of yoga. 

Interesting to me is the fact that most people I know choose beginners yoga because of friends or for the physical benefits but then discover the incredible emotional benefits of being more in tune with your mind and body only AFTER the fact.

Certainly, you ability to succeed in your career, relationships, friendships, and other major goals in your life is heavily influenced by factors directly targeted by yoga and meditation – as is pointed out in the top selling 'Beyond Greatness' where achievement can directly be enhanced using techniques of yoga and meditation.

Specifically, here are 10 benefits you expect to realize from beginners yoga:

1. More positive outlook – suddenly you find yourself a much more positive person

2. Overall healthier attitude – I have found when regularly practicing yoga and meditation I automatically eat healthier, sleep better and find exercise much easier

3. Improve your circle of friends – it's always great to be around like-minded, positive people, you will find your own energy goes up because of this fact alone

4. Improved sleep – if you struggle getting to sleep or staying asleep when you get there, yoga and meditation can be of tremendous help to balancing out irregular sleep patterns

5. Weight loss – Both a direct and indirect impact of yoga instruction is weight loss, if you have tried other methods to no avail, give yoga a try

6. Better relationships – believe it or not you are likely driving away as many people as you are attracting – your behavior is directly influencing the behavior of others.  If you can change your mindset, outlook and by extension, your behavior, you will be amazed to see what great relationships you can attract into your life.

7. Get 'Unstuck' – I know so many people that get stuck in a rut and lose the feeling to want to do better or have more fun, once that feeling is lost it's very hard to get back – yoga and meditation is one of the few techniques that can bring your life back into balance again and get you 'unstuck'

8. Achieve greater things – suddenly I was able to achieve promotions at work, start my own busineses, become a sports coach when I never thought I was capable of these things in the past.  The benefits of yoga and meditation toward overall life achievement is well documented in 'Beyond Greatness'

9. Sense of calmness – are you nervous all the time?  Are there situations, times or people that make you very anxious and you wished that you could be more in control of yourself?  Yoga and meditation can bring that control back into your life.

10. Mental clarity – Yoga training is terrific for helping you to live in the moment instead of having a 'fuzzy' or wandering mind.  Clarity allows you to be sharp, on the ball, witty and attract others to you who like you for being so down to earth.

There are many other benefits of yoga, these are only 10 of the most important we've discovered in our own lives and the lives of those around us.  So, if you have been considering beginners yoga but have not yet taken the leap, consider this long list of benefits as an added incentive for getting started right away. 

Haven't you found that students, our kids, are bombarded with more and more external information and, in some cases, bad habits these days?

Video games, multiple TV's in the home, the internet, more homework, increased organized sports and more stressed-out parents make schools and homes more tense environments than ever.

Kids are increasingly being stressed out – and so the principles we outline in Attracting Greatness – the methods for calming your mind, unleashing your true inner passion, enjoyment and skill – equally apply to their lives. 

I was happy to see a new book launched today by an 18-year veteran of bringing yoga into schools – Gail Bently Walsh – the book is called "Yoga In the Classroom".  As she outlines on her website, the book has been written as a yoga for beginners course with a specific emphasis on helping kids in school

There have been many studies lately showing the advantage of yoga for kids where even a short period of daily yoga exercises can bring out more confidence, peacefulness and reduced stress in our kids.

In fact, if you ever notice your kids all of a sudden staring off into space – they typically do this several times a day – this is their own, built-in way of practicing meditation.  Yoga exercises and yoga postures for kids are just another way to make sure they are getting enough time to relax, introspect and bring out their full potential in spite of a very fast-moving, challenging society we now live in.

Some of the benefits of yoga your kids can experience include:

• higher self-esteem
• more self-confidence
• better able to deal with social and learning pressures at school and at home
• better chance at higher grades
• happier, healthier child
• more creative and imaginitive

As anyone who tries to practice or teach yoga for kids, you will soon realize the difference from adults in the sense that you need to keep it fun, let kids explore and learn through the process – they need to be engaged to get the best results. 

We've been incorporating aspects of yoga and meditation in our two boys for several months now and I have to say the experience has been incredible – both in terms of how close it has brought us AND how much confidence it has given to our kids. 

I highly recommend any family, teacher or coach to explore how they can introduce aspects of yoga into their respective time with kids – the payback will be tremendous.