The Divine Dish

Interview with Davidji at the Chopra Center, La Costa

Davidji is an internationally recognized meditation teacher, life guide, and public speaker. He travels the world sharing timeless wisdom on stress management, deeper life fulfillment, emotional healing, balancing business and wellness, getting unstuck, and taking your life to the next level. He is the author of several books, hundreds of articles, and is the subject of many videos.
Since 2003, davidji has lived and worked at the Chopra Center for Wellbeing in Carlsbad, CA which he refers to as “the sweet spot of the universe.” Having apprenticed under Deepak Chopra and David Simon for seven years, he is the Chopra Center’s lead meditation teacher and ayurveda instructor teaching thousands each month throughout the world to tap into the stillness and silence that rests within.

Davidji

The Chopra Center serves as headquarters of alternative medicine gurus Deepak Chopra and David Simon.  It houses a multitude of classes, daily meditation and yoga, seminars, workshops and treatments based on the principles of Ayurveda, an ancient healing system of India.   The Center combines mind and body techniques with natural spa treatments, including Oshadi, a herbal wrap to eliminate toxins; Pizichilli, a rhythmic therapy massage to enhance circulation; and Abhyanga, a two-therapist massage to enhance the immune system.

I sat down with Davidji, aka David Greenspan, for a chat at the Chopra Center at La Costa in Carlsbad about the center, how he came to teach there, and the mind/body connection.  Throughout our conversation a variety of people walked by and all of them had to stop to chat with David.  He greeted each person with a huge hug and every friend thanked him before leaving.  I also felt better after I talked with him than before our conversation, which I think is part of the reason he is one of the main reasons to visit the center.  He gave me a CD of his meditations and after a week I’ve reduced a good deal of stress following the CD.  You can purchase his meditation CD, DavidJi Guided Meditations, at his website, www.davidji.com.

Interview with NASCAR racer Taylor Barton

NASCAR racer Taylor Barton

I recently sat down with NASCAR racer Taylor Barton to chat a bit about poker and race car driving.   For over nineteen years the Las Vegas native has been competitively racing in motorsports.   He started at age 5 and has competed in over 200 competitions, locally and nationally, and has always placed in the top ten.  He currently races in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series and is planning to compete in the 2010 NASCAR Camping World West.   Barton also spends a lot of his time volunteering and raising money for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Las Vegas.  One of his main sponsors is Full Tilt Poker.net.

Interview with Michael Lamanna, Director of Golf Instruction at the Phoenician

Michael Lamanna, golf pro at the Phoenician

While staying at the lovely Phoenician resort I was lucky to grab a private golf lesson with pro Michael Lamanna.  He taped my swing and provided a detailed CD of our lesson at the end of the hour, which is really helpful if you are trying to improve your game.   Michael began playing golf at age 4 and earned a golf scholarship to the University of Idaho.  After graduating he worked as a club professional for 10 years.  He has taught golf using video training techniques since 1979.   During the past 18 years he has dedicated himself to teaching full-time.  First as a Master Instructor, then as Director of Instruction and Director of Schools for three Jim McLean Golf Academies.  In 1998, he became the first Director of Instruction for Resort Golf Group and opened and operated golf academies at Sierra Nevada Golf Club in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, Mesquite Golf Club in Palm Springs, California, Cimarron Golf Club in Cathedral City, California, The Westin Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage, California and at Doral Arrowwood Resort in Rye, New York.  In 1999, he was named Director of Schools at the PGA TOUR Golf Academy in Saint Augustine, Florida and in 2002, he was named Director of Instruction at the prestigious The Academy at La Cantera, located at The Westin La Cantera Resort in San Antonio, Texas.

Michael has worked with teaching legends Jim McLean, Bob Toski, Golf Magazine Top 100 Teacher, Scott Sackett, and Golf Digest Top 50 Teacher, Tim Mahoney.  He has conducted clinics with Hall of Fame members Billy Casper, Ben Crenshaw, Gary Player and Tony Jacklin, and with tour legends Bruce Lietzke, Calvin Peete, Bill Rogers, Dale Douglass and Gay Brewer.

Michael has been affiliated with the PGA and teaching golf for more than 27 years and is a Certified Golf Fitness Instructor with the Titleist Performance Institute. He was named “2004 Harvey Penick Teacher of the Year” in the Western Chapter of the Southern Texas PGA and has written articles for About.Com, Avid Golfer magazine, Texas Golfer, AZ Golfer, Northwest Golfer and numerous local and regional newspapers and periodicals.  He has hosted local golf talk radio programs and has appeared in numerous TV golf tip segments.  He has taught players of all levels, including the San Antonio City Girls, Boys and Men’s Champions, the Texas State Mid Amateur Champion, Arizona Amateur Champion, Phoenix Men’s Amateur Champion, Montana State Open Champion, Arizona State Boys and Florida State Girls Junior Champions, collegiate golfers, members of the LPGA, Nationwide Tour, The Champions Tour and PGA TOUR.

Here is our conversation about golf and the three nine hole courses at the Phoenician. 

Interview with Ron Heraty, Head Golf Pro at the Arizona Biltmore

Ron Heraty, Head Golf Pro at the Arizona Biltmore

While in Arizona for a golf story I got to take a private lesson with head golf pro Ron Heraty at the Arizona Biltmore.  Ron has been a member of the PGA for 15 years is a graduate of the Professional Golf Association Business School in San Diego and in Denver.

View of adobe course, 14th hole

We talked about his golf background and the  two 18-hole courses, The Links and The Adobe, at the Biltmore.