fact or fiction
Is it a fact or is it merely fiction? Fact or Fiction explores the lesser known truths in the health and wellness world of Longevity.
The Space Behind Your Thoughts: Discovering the Observer Within
It begins with a pause. A single breath. You’re meditating — or simply sitting quietly — when a thought arises: What should I make for dinner? Then another: Why did she say that yesterday? Then another, and another. At some point, something subtle shifts. You notice the thoughts not just as content, but as movement. Like watching clouds drift across the sky. And you realize: I’m not the clouds. I’m the sky.
By Victoria Marse7 months ago in Longevity
Grounded by Gravity: Using the Body to Anchor the Mind
In the whirlwind of thoughts, worries, and distractions that fill our daily lives, the mind can feel like a balloon cut loose — drifting, spinning, tugging in every direction. But there is always something that doesn’t float away: the body. Gravity grounds us, holds us, reminds us that we belong here, in this moment, in this skin.
By Black Mark7 months ago in Longevity
When the Mind Wanders: Returning Without Judgment
How Gentle Awareness Becomes the Heart of a Sustainable Meditation Practice It happens to everyone — even the most seasoned meditators. You sit, you breathe, and then… you're suddenly planning dinner, replaying a conversation, or mentally reorganizing your closet. The mind has wandered, again. And often, our first reaction isn’t just noticing — it’s judging. “I can’t even focus for five minutes. I’m doing this wrong. What’s the point?” But what if the wandering itself is not the problem? What if the real practice lies not in staying still, but in how we return?
By Victoria Marse7 months ago in Longevity
Witness, Not Warrior: Letting Go of the Fight with Yourself
For many of us, the inner world can feel like a battlefield. We argue with our thoughts, wrestle with our emotions, and critique ourselves with the precision of a well-trained warrior. We treat personal growth as a fight to be won — discipline over desire, control over chaos, logic over feeling. But what if healing doesn't come through struggle, but through surrender? What if we stop trying to win, and instead start to witness?
By Black Mark7 months ago in Longevity
Noticing the Pause: Mindfulness Between the Inhale and the Exhale
We’re often told to focus on the inhale. Breathe in energy, life, clarity. Then we’re told to savor the exhale — to let go, to release, to soften. But between the two is a sliver of space, easily missed. That slight suspension, that moment of nothing — not in, not out. Just a pause. And in that pause, we often find a stillness that speaks louder than any mantra.
By Marina Gomez7 months ago in Longevity
The Weight of Silence: Sitting with What We Avoid
In a world driven by noise — external and internal — silence can feel like a confrontation. When we turn down the volume of our environment, the sounds we’ve been suppressing begin to rise. Thoughts we didn’t want to think, emotions we’ve stuffed away, and memories we’d rather leave unexamined all find their way into the quiet. Meditation doesn’t promise comfort. But it does promise truth — and within that truth, healing.
By Black Mark7 months ago in Longevity
Breathing Through Resistance: Finding Calm in the Moments You Want to Escape
There are moments we all wish we could skip. The awkward conversation, the creeping anxiety before sleep, the heavy silence after disappointing news. These are the moments when the body tenses, the breath shortens, and the mind looks for the nearest exit. But what if, instead of fleeing discomfort, we breathed through it? What if calm wasn’t something we had to chase, but something waiting on the other side of resistance?
By Marina Gomez7 months ago in Longevity
Why I Believe in Thoughtful Heart Care by Andrew Rudin MD
When I first entered medicine, I imagined cardiology as a field of fast action—saving lives, opening blocked arteries, placing stents, rushing into the cath lab with urgency and purpose. And in many cases, that’s still true. There’s nothing more profound than restoring blood flow to a dying heart muscle during a heart attack. It never gets old. It never stops feeling miraculous.
By Dr. Andrew Rudin7 months ago in Longevity
The Threshold Moment: Using Meditation Before Big Life Changes
Life is a series of transitions—moments when one chapter closes and another begins. Whether it’s moving to a new city, starting a new job, ending a relationship, or welcoming a child, these threshold moments are charged with emotion, uncertainty, and opportunity. Meditation can be a powerful tool to navigate these pivotal times, helping us ground ourselves amid the chaos and step forward with clarity and calm.
By Victoria Marse7 months ago in Longevity
