This is something I have considered for a long time and I am sure that any self aware person does.
The carefully crafted system of politics in this country seems on the surface to be one which encourages massive shifts in the way things tend to be run. We are all encouraged by our friends and family, by the media conglomerates that we watch intensely, by celebrities that we love, and sometimes even by our own conscience to vote for change.
I will never say that, as a society, change cannot be created by the simple act of voting because I truly believe that it can. But, it just doesn’t seem to me that the kind of change we NEED to see can be created through any change in the political spectrum.
We are told so often that we live in a free and democratic society where the people hold the power. It is obvious that this is not the case.
We do not live in a democracy. What we see here in America, as it relates to the way we are governed, is a plutocracy. A plutocracy relates to a society where money is the basis of power.
Some may say that those with the money make the rules. And, in certain respects, this is true.
But, what we as a people need to start to realize is that we hold ALL the power….but what is needed is for us to become aware of this fact. The most important way to demonstrate this is by deciding to VOTE with our DOLLARS first!
In a plutocracy, the open market is free to decide what policies will be implemented.
In the new movie, Food Inc., representatives from Wal-Mart discuss the corporation’s decision to stop selling growth hormone laced milk because of the public’s decision to stop buying it.
This, in my humble opinion, is a massive shift created by the TRUE power of money. The truth is that the public is granted whatever it wants and what is needed is for us all to decide that we want a cleaner, healthier planet with organic as the standard. If everyone decided to purchase organic foods and natural products, than the prices would go down and a shift would be made in a much more rapid way.
If we do not decide to become aware of how our purchases affect the world and encourage decisions in governmental and corporate policy…we will never win the game.
I don’t vote in the elections. Personally, my belief is that a bigger statement would be made if no one voted at all.
My choice is to vote each day with how I spend my money. And, everything that I do takes that into consideration.
The way I run my living space, the ways I spend my time, the foods I purchase and consume, the amount of gas we consume, whether or not we buy SUV’s or hybrid cars. Whether we buy organic food or commercially grown nutritionally denatured food.
These are the things that will decide our fate.
Remember that just a few months ago, the price for gas was hovering around $4 dollars or more a gallon.
What happened to change that?
Some may say that it had to do with the election. But, what was also happening around the same time?
Consumers began conserving their gas. They began carpooling. They began paying attention to how often they traveled and paying attention to how they consumed energy.
They became AWARE of all of these things. Why? Because it hit them in their pocketbooks.
We stopped buying gas guzzling vehicles and began asking for gas conservative vehicles.
And, that is what we got!
Oil lost value because of the simple principles of supply and demand. Supply began to increase as demand began to shrink. And, this changed its price.
Become aware of how you use your money every time you make a purchase. Determine whether it is good for you, your family, and this planet…or not. And, this will create the change we wish to see.
You know, a few years ago, I wrote a blog entitled, “Why Monogamy, Why Not?” and in it, I touched upon some ideas about the nature of monogamous relationships, why we want them so badly, and why they tend to fail so often.
What I basically discussed was the importance of evolving both ourselves (in order to prepare the way for finding that special someone) and of evolving our view of the nature of such a relationship (so that we could better understand how we can best deal with all the things that they bring into our lives).
That writing has received consistent interest and feedback over the past few years as I continually reintroduced it, and so I kind of wanted to update the information I discussed.
Love, above all areas of spiritual practice, I can definitely say is my favorite to explore. And, you know what, I have no idea why this is. The interplay of masculine and feminine has always intrigued me.
In the deepest aspects of my research, I suppose I have simply had an inner desire to understand those things that human beings most deeply crave and why they crave them.
What I came up with, in a nutshell, is that human beings crave one thing above all else and that is to experience ecstatic and blissful states of consciousness. In the deepest sense, this is what drives us all.
We can experience these things in many ways. Some achieve them through a simple meditation practice. Sometimes we may achieve them completely spontaneously, through some inner mental realization. Some experience them as a result of recreational drug use.
Most of all, we experience this through union with another. There is no experience in this world like that of finding that one person, is there? Its an amazing thing. It inspires us. It moves us to places beyond what we could have achieved on our own. It enhances us. It strengthens us.
Why do you suppose this truth is so undeniable? Well, I’m sure I have no way of answering that question. The answer is probably different for everybody. But, what I can say, is that connecting with someone in such a deep and profound way, in a way, is like achieving unity with the divine. It is like realizing a level of oneness that now extends outward from you. Your heart connects with their heart.
Two becoming one.
This is God consciousness being realized. Finding yourself in another is for all intents and purposes, a version of the achieving of a higher more enlightened state of awareness. Because you finally realize that you are not alone.
There is one idea that is always present within discussions about what it means to be enlightened and that is that there is a sudden realization that we are living in this vast ocean of universal energy that connects us to everyone else in existence. So, the realization of love for another and connection with them at least simulates a mini samadhi.
I was actually watching the DVD accompaniment to Ken Wilber’s program entitled, “The Integral Operating System,” and this idea actually came up.
What he discussed was that the nature of relationship was that, it truly is an imperative. And, that relationship actually sits in direct connection with every stage and level of development.
What I take that to mean is that the need for a relationship, for finding someone to love, is a real one.
According to the taoists, tantrics, esoteric christians, certain buddhists sects, and quite a few other schools of enlightenment, there are certain levels of enlightened awareness that no one can access alone. It is clearly stated (and I have actually come across this idea more than a few times) that for the seeker who refrains from the engagement in acts of spiritual and sexual union with a partner, the highest levels of enlightened awareness will remain out of reach.
Relationships, in their essence, do many wonderful things for us as individuals. They enlighten us to the things within ourselves that need to be worked out. They inspire us to achieve great things. They beckon us to dive into life ever so deeply in order to discover things that we couldn’t do alone.
But, with our current state of understanding, this all remains as a shadow in our awareness. And, rather than allowing the love of another to inspire us to connect to deeper realizations, we let them degrade us into anger, depression, and co-dependency.
Maybe it is about time we evolve our understanding of the inner workings of love and what it means to express love in an undying, and unending way, without fear of any kind.
When we find someone that loves us and that we connect with we feel we have finally received acceptance in a world where we all feel so alone. We can breath easy knowing that our existence is validated. It gives us the freedom to live and to just be ourselves.
And, we struggle with the fear of losing that person, because then we lose our acceptance and validation. Its like losing ourselves, and this, in many ways, is as scary as dying.
But, if we can learn to live in the love as a continuous and inevitable expression of who and what we ALWAYS are…maybe we can discover a more complete way to love…and be loved by another.
Before I finish this, I will leave you with a beautiful quote by Deepak Chopra…
“The best way to find yourself…is to lose yourself in another…”
In a word, Hatha Yoga is the term for the physical aspect of yoga practice. Most of what we see on television, in videos, in studios, and in the different magazines produced on the subject, is what you would call Hatha Yoga.
The pretzel poses and elegant movements are a small part of the totality of Yoga. The literal translation of Yoga is union, indicating that the point of a yogic practice is to find union with the divine. So, a true yoga practice will tend to be more of a lifestyle oriented practice that affects ones nutritional habits, hygiene, relationships, and overall mindset.
A stance that I have taken over the past few years with regards to developing a fitness practice has been to look at it from a multi layered perspective.
My interest has always been on those things that have multi-faceted effects because they tend to have a higher rate of return. Higher efficiency practices tend to provide lots more results. And, that has been a driving focus in outlining what has become the Hacking the Body Mind protocol.
What I wanted to do in this post is break down some of the reasons why adding a physical yoga practice to your health regimen can be highly beneficial.
There really are a great many reasons for anyone to do yoga. But, when we look at it from a distance, it’s tough for folks to really understand where the benefits really are.
Hatha Yoga can:
1. Aid us in our weight loss efforts.
2. Strengthen the bones, joints, and muscles.
3. Help stimulate the removal of toxins.
4. Increase production of many of the “bliss” chemicals in the brain.
5. Improve the efficiency of all the systems in the body.
If you have ever observed an experienced yogi, there are a few things that you might have noticed about them. Their bodies are usually slender, their skin is tighter, they have a distinct glow and presence about them, their movements are much more graceful and flowing, and their demeanor tends to be calmer.
Now, these benefits may not come without a bit of work but overtime these are a few of the things you begin to notice as you advance in a personal practice.
Lately, as I have been practicing yoga more regularly than I have over the past couple of years, I have come to an interesting realization. And that is that yoga can immensely improve the health of the nervous system.
Any good exercise regimen does this. And, the truth is that no system of exercise has as dramatic of an effect on this area as yoga.
The nervous system is our gateway to the world. It really is the lens through which we view and interact with it. The nervous system encompasses our brain, spinal column, and all those connections that are used whenever you do just about anything.
Stress destroys the nervous system, and over a typical lifetime this leads to many of the mental and physical disorders that we see today.
Many of us have nervous systems that are completely wound up and tangled. And, this slows our reactions time, makes movement more difficult, and creates a tense disposition and an inability to focus.
Yoga frees our nervous system. It elevates mood because it can reverse the damage done over so many years of stressed-out living.
Those flowing postures, twists, bends, extensions, and balances all have the effect of expanding our nerves outwardly and reactivating them over time. This allows us to take control of our attention, it makes movement easier again, and it opens up our mind and body to higher energy fluctuations.
Yoga also forces us to move in many dimensions. This is so important. It has been proven that with certain types of movement comes activation of certain brain centers. And, without that kind of movement (or movement in general) those specific brain centers are never activated.
This is so huge when it comes to developing longevity.
It’s not very easy to achieve this type of multi dimensional movement in our daily lives. Some forms of exercise are helpful, but for the majority of us who workout in gyms and on weight machines, treadmills, and ellipticals, typical movement is extremely limited. Our bodies adapt very quickly and results begin to flat line.
Yoga, through its many postures, forces you to move in many directions…sometimes forwards, sometimes backwards, and sometimes sideways. Sometimes you’re upside down, and other times you’re right side up. In the beginning, it’s not easy. You may get tired. This is why it is especially important to start slowly.
But, with regular practice, you find that you are so much freer than you ever were before. And, this is the whole point of exercise after all.
A good fitness approach activates your nervous system, gets beneficial hormones pumping, increases blood flow, activates the brain, and stimulates bone reformation. And yoga does all of this. There are so many benefits. It opens up your world in so many ways because it opens up your gateway to the world.
The nervous system is something that we don’t usually consider when we develop an exercise regimen. But, it is so important to devise an exercise strategy that energizes and activates this part of our being. The muscles are important, but they are nothing without a working nervous system.
So, next time you head to the gym, take this into consideration. Try attending that yoga class that you’ve always been curious about. Or check out a video or two. Start where you are. Don’t worry about not being flexible enough.
Just try it. Seek to activate that body mind consciousness to the ever-present flow of life energy.
The body adapts and you will grow in your abilities. But, you have to start somewhere, and you have to start sometime.
I hope this posting finds you well. I have been spending a lot of time in contemplation lately. I am going through a few things and working on others. My transition, such like any, is not without its kinks, But I suppose that is the nature of everything. The lessons I am learning are great so I would not change it.
I am actually starting a class that teaches kundalini awakening. This is something that has been on my mind and in my intention for a while now. I see it, personally, as kind of a lead in to a new way of living. As, I am mostly self taught, it would definitely be a crowning achievement for me.
In the title of this post, I mention that while practice is an absolute necessity, the concentration on the ritual of it and the dogma is not where our focus needs to be. Most of what I do has been very intuitively based. I have never really been taught but more so have been guided by my own exploration into what works well and specifically toward the multi-faceted goals that I have.
But, over the past few years and increasingly so over the last couple months, I have been on a path of filtering out everything in my daily practice that is not necessary. Now, personally, that means that I want to completely clear away anything that stands in the way between my practice and the goal of that practice you know?
I think that so many people (many that I come across) get so caught up in the hows and the whys and this keeps them from making any true progress.
Today, we are in an era where all knowledge is provided for you at the click of a mouse and we should appreciate our current station within the cosmic cycle and what the universe is trying to provide for us.
The universe knows what we need. The universe is a fully conscious being and we are its reflection. I feel that the universe is fully aware that what humanity needs right now is evolution into a higher state of consciousness. So, through the construction of the internet it has given us free reign to explore ANY and ALL avenues for achieving that growth.
And, for me personally, I trip myself up because I really look at my program and I question it, asking, can it really be this simple? Can I really achieve a level of enlightenment in mind, in body, in my intuition and improve my life in such a drastic way by doing practices that really don’t take much time and only improve my experience with life?
The answer is an absolute YES!
But, what is the first step in realizing this? We have to let go of our want to understand every aspect. It is, for many reasons, time to begin moving forward with what we already know.
One big aspect of what I do and something I have put tremendous attention to over the past few years is eating healthfully.
I have read book after book, article after article and web page after web page. And, I do think there is a place for that, but I feel that right now is the time for us to concentrate on moving toward the goal of healing and no amount of reading and searching will bring us that.
If we want to heal we have to heal. We have to change our diets. We have to realize that the message of “live to eat” is only good for us if we want to be constantly sick and unhealthy. And we should already know that if we have lived that way most of our lives and if we are fat or sick or unhappy then we need to immediately begin a new path.
Release the ego’s hold on you. Yes you have not died eating cheeseburgers, but you can bet that if you continue, those cheeseburgers will kill you, but not before you are hospitalized for years and made to suffer through the last few decades of your life. This does not have to be considered an inevitability. Has anyone you know even really tried the opposing path? With what we already know it is clear to see that adding in more vegetation will make our process of growth so much better.
A really big thing also is to not get caught up in the opinions of those who base those opinions on judgment rather than curiosity. You have to live through a space of love and a big component of that is CURIOSITY! Get curious about life and the things you want. If you want to heal and lose weight and become stronger and increase energy and focus then you need to get curious and learn about ways to do that and as you learn, your curiosity will draw toward wanting to EXPERIENCE those things!
If you hear from someone who gives you great energy that something is good for you…try it! Go home and do a Google search or two and if the overwhelming majority of input you get is that that is something that is good then try it.
Live with curiosity. Lose the judgment and let go of those who live through their ego. This is how life becomes enjoyable. If everything life presents you with, you feed back judgment to, then how can you say you are truly living?
Judgment and ego equals stagnation. And stagnation leads to death. Start living through abundant curiosity, and I will too.
Thank you all so much for your time, attention and encouragement.
For all of the talk that has been going on regarding this issue, I am sure you will not be surprised that colon cleansing is being mentioned here as a top priority in the process of health transformation.
Colon health is of utmost importance. And, there are many components that determine this.
For the purposes of this blog, we will only discuss the aspect of cleansing. But, I will briefly mention that, nutritional components, such as hydrochloric acid creation, fiber intake, and pro-biotic supplementation are absolutely necessary things to pay attention to when both clearing the colon of waste products…as well as improving the digestive function.
Now, to be honest, if I were dealing with someone who was very sick, the first thing I would encourage them to implement would be a very focused colon cleansing regimen. And, in fact, this is what I have done with past clients and friends.
It is obvious that a nutritional overhaul would be needed as well. But, sweeping nutritional changes would not be of initial importance. The reason for this is that, if you have a colon that is caked with waste products and solid masses of plaque aligning its walls, how can it be assumed that we would be able to absorb and actually utilize these nutritional elements?
The implementation of a predominantly vegetarian diet would be the first step in the nutritional focus since the fibrous vegetation would do much in the way of clearing the blockages in the large and small intestines.
But, in order to get a solid foothold and reduce the troublesome aspects of detox that would occur as a result of nutritional enhancements (fatigue, cravings, sweating, foul smell…eww…) then you would need to implement a focused colon cleansing program.
There are actually many ways to go about this. But, I want to stress that the biggest consideration for me when I was designing the Hacking the Body Mind protocol was simplicity and efficiency.
Now, we will discuss the methods. To be honest, I have been a little freaked out to discuss these concepts. Nothing grosses folks out more than talking about the bowels.
That is so unfortunate. You simply cannot be healthy unless your bowels are clean and moving properly and regularly. It is the concept we avoid most but it is the most important concept by far.
There are numerous products and methods being implemented for this purpose. But, truly, they are all centered around two distinct concepts.
There are products you ingest. These range from things like psyllium fiber products to bentonite clays and other magnetic clays to full spectrum herbal formulas.
Now, in addition, to oral supplementation, which actually tends to be harsher on the body in the early goings, there are processes which require the direct injection of fluid and other cleansing substances into the colon itself. These tend to work much much faster.
And these things, such as colonic irrigation and coffee enemas…yes…coffee enemas…are what I most highly advocate. Coffee enemas are very very cheap and easy to implement. They are highly effective and the results come much quicker.
For more info on these you can visit http://www.gerson.org/
(I am cringing as I write this…I am sure someone is getting disgusted…)
Now, when I mention the colon…you have to understand that I am actually talking about three seemingly distinct organs.
These are the colon, liver, and gall bladder.
It was realized by Dr. Max Gerson (of Gerson Therapy fame) that health of the body relied in large part on the health of these three organs. And over time he discovered that coffee enemas, when combined with a strict vegetarian diet, did this most effectively.
Coffee enemas are so effective because they go in directly and remove waste from the colon as well as the liver and the blood while also stimulating increased efficiency in the liver and gallbladder.
What this actually creates is dramatically increased digestive power overtime so that one does not need to become dependent on the enemas for any reason, contrary to certain other opinons.
Coffee enemas are efficient and highly effective. And when someone is just starting out on their cleansing regimen, these can be a godsend as they severely reduce the effects of detox by applying a focused and purposeful way of removing the waste that your body is beginning to push out.
Standard protocol is for many people to just start eating more vegetarian and maybe start using an oral cleansing product. What happens here is the body will start dumping its waste back into the colon and bloodstream in increasing amounts. The end goal is to remove the waste from the body totally, but what ends up happening is the dreaded detox effect that usually results in these folks feeling extremely tired and wasted for days or weeks at a time.
So, its not really a good thing to rely on oral methods alone. Best thing is to do a combination.
Please understand, I KNOW that the thought of injecting anything into the colon is disgusting to consider, but once you get past the gross factor and realize how easy they are, you will notice that you just feel better after doing them.
If you are on any type of colon cleansing regimen, I encourage you to add enemas so that you quicken the pace of detox and just make the program more effective overall all.
You wont regret it, you have my word on that.
And wouldn’t you know it? The caffeine, in the coffee, when injected in this way has the opposite effect on the body than when its consumed through drinking. The caffeine soothes the nervous system!
If you do them at night, you will sleep better! That was a surprise for me as well as just about everyone I have made try them.
In the beginning they were all disgusted by the idea but as they began implementing each one of them went from disgusted that they had to do them to disappointed when they were not able to.
If any of you have questions, please feel free to send me a message.
Comments are appreciated. I would love to hear your thoughts.
A very quick thought just occurred to me to ask this to those of you reading. Have you ever looked out at the world around you and asked, “Is this the only world that is possible?”
It is pretty easy for most of us to see that the ones who question our reality are usually the ones who are most remembered.
Thomas Edison, Galileo, Christopher Columbus, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs…..even a few of my favorite authors, David Wolfe and Peter Ragnar….these are the kinds of people that continually question the basis on which the fabric of society rests. And, they are usually the ones that are most remembered and whose theories become recognized as facts.
Why can’t this be you?
Or will it?
Have you ever stopped to question whether there actually is a cure for cancer or the common cold or HIV?
Have you ever stopped to question whether or not we are the only intelligent life in the universe?
It doesn’t so much matter the answers you get, but just that you have asked the question. It often occurs to me that you shouldn’t ask a fish about water. Its just right there you know? The ideas and perspectives that are so closely a part of our world are rarely ever questioned simply because the necessity of questioning them doesn’t occur to us.
So many of these concepts are drilled into us…but why?
Maybe some of you can provide some answers to THAT particular question.
