Alchemy

The practice of turning led to gold?

Yoga has been called many things.

How do we, when we have been wronged, transform than energy into love.

Negativity perpetuates negativity. 

Yoga is the practice of transforming negativity energy into unconditional love.

Honor the Practice
Acknowledge the Battle
Surrender Everything
Repeat as needed.

Indefinite Detention, Tax Dollars and Karma.

First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.  Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.  Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me. - Martin Niem ller

By now you have hopefully, but probably not heard about the new bill that Congress has passed giving the US Military the power to indefinitely detain (imprison) any American Citizens, considered to be potential terrorists with out charging them with a crime.  As I understand it this bill also makes it legal for the military to assassinate Americans with out trial, in the USA.  Seeing as this nullifies the bill of rights, many are understandably concerned about this.  Main stream media has given it little attention.

"I'm not going to let myself get worried about this, it just is what it is."  .... That was my first reaction.
I rationalized, because I have tended to become emotionally attached to issues surrounding injustice, and I have intention without attachment to the outcome.  

As I have sat with it for the last week though, it has become clear to me that it is important.  In many ways this amounts to preemptively stripping prisoners of their rights

I find it interesting but not surprising, that after a decade of US tax dollars being used to fund indefinite detention, (and torture) of the supposed "enemy", now it threatens those very tax payers.

Karma is Universal Law.  We have let them kill, torture in our name, Leaving behind a legacy of depleted uranium munitions and birth defects.  It is only a matter of time those chickens come home.

If you have been the object of racial profiling, victim of police brutality, or ever felt the need to protest the injustice of the capitalist war machine, then I don't need to tell you how this bill could be used.  If you think, "well, I don't do anything wrong, this doesn't affect me", then I ask urge you to read about the numerous past examples of forced dissapearance.  It affects everyone.


Yesterday London's police force declared their Occupy protestors as a domestic terrorist group.

Rather experience this as fear, cause it is fear in fact that created this, can we accept it as the invitation to love more fully and uncompromisingly.   May this infringement of our human rights awaken Americans to the terrorist practices that our own tax dollars fund in the form of indefinite detention, torture, murder and war.

The war we wage is bound to come home.

Sankrit Why?

I have heard on numerous occasions a debate about the importance of tradition, vrs. ignoring the dusty old past in order to hear the voice which is still speaking.

It is not either or.

Language guides consciousness.  Because concepts sometimes must be filtered though the medium of word in order to communicate them, it sometimes happens that our consicousness takes on the limitations of words. 

One could say there is a consciousness inherent in a particular language.

Sanskrit for the yogi could be understood as a technical language.  It contains words and concepts which simply are not present in English.  Synonyms draw connections, which might remain hidden to the western practitioner.

Does this mean there is no value in Creating new words or names (as in the case of yoga postures)?  Certainly not.  Create away.

But to the seekers:  Don't pass up multi-dimentional gems, just because they have been forgotten.

Unfolding in the dance of constantly becoming

Divine One,
The Empire has Fallen
Crumbled are the walls of the fortress
As From the depths arises, immortal and ancient....
Unbound,
The Source...
Through which is born
Everything and Erveryone
Before your eyes, Unfolding in the dance of constantly becoming

And the best part about Now....
Is that if you step off the path,
The path of your highest intention,
That which makes your heart sing,

Right now,
is another chance to get back on it.
And if you forget,
Then right now, is another chance.

That Body and mind be the vehicle for your self,
The person you truly are,

That Thought word and Deed,
The expression of your highest intention.

Jai Radhe Govinda

May I be healed and awakened in this lifetime so as to better serve others.

Be Here Now?

You are not your name... names can be changed but that doesn't change who and what you are. You're not the circumstances of your life, because those change, but that doesn't change who you are.  You are not what you are own, it can be taken away.  You are not your body, if you were to become paralyzed you would still be you.

Tremendous information gets encoded in plain site...   Be, Here, Now?  Those are the 3 dimensional coordinates of the source of all experience known as Self... The intersection of three planes.  A point through which pours the experience you are having right now, more often called life.

10 Reasons to Eat Kelp

Because sometimes articles are mostly mind numbing... Here's a list of the benefits of consuming kelp.  Pound for pound Kelp is one of the most economical and beneficial "superfoods "that you can eat.


1. Great source of protein,
2. Great source of minerals.
3. Wild food: containing trace elements/subtle nutrition or "Ormus".
4. Radiation protective:
               a. high in iodine which saturates the thyroid against absorption of radioactive iodine.
               b. contains sodium alginate which binds to radioactive compounds facilitating elimination.
5. Builds immunity
6. Encourages healthy liver function and
7. Maintains joint integrity.
8. Source of Vitamin B9 which has DNA protective properties.
9. Stores well, high density, vitamin and mineral rich nutrition... hard to find a better storage food.
10.  It's cheap, you shouldn't pay more than $10/lb at your local coop.

The Suddenly you remembered Divine One.....

The Suddenly you remembered Divine One
You never left.
You were always right here right now.
You had searched through the wreckage of the battlefield,
through this and through that.
And your keys were in your pocket the entire time.
That where every you go, what ever may be the external appearance...
With in you is the source,
of unlimited energy,
that everything and everybody you could possibly experience arises from this place.
Coordinates right here right now.
It is the point that opens to infiniti.
The portal called bindu.
and you can draw from this.
You can take from this unlimited source, as much as you could want...
and the best way to receive is to give,
thought word deed manifest as the gateway through which pours
Unconditional love
May we be transformed by infinitie love,
everything everyone

Whisperswords

But they didn't want to hear my word..... They wanted to hear my whispers as I stumbled lone pilgrim down this path of devotion.

On Rats and Ahimsa

So the other night I woke up to noise coming from down stairs.  I got up, went downstairs and crept through the living room.  I could hear rustling behind some boxes (we are moving) in the dining room.  I grabbed a broom, and went over to the boxes.  The noise stopped.  Using the broom I pushed the boxes to the side when suddenly a rat jumped out and ran right at me.  I hit it with the broom twice, and it ran off to the the side.  Somehow I had ended up in the kitchen defending the rat hole with the broom.  The rat tried to run into the kitchen but I again landed the broom on it.  It flew off to the side and ducked behind the stove.  I pulled the stove away from the wall, but the rat wasn't there.  I looked under the stove, but it wasn't there... Then I heard it.  the rat had crawled up inside the stove.  I pulled the bottom drawer out of the stove and low and behold I could see the rats tail hanging
down.  "Scissors" I though, but luckily I couldn't find any.  I found a kitchen knife though.  With out

McDunalds Chocolate Shake Recipe... (Sort of)

Wow I am really excited to share this elixir I've been making.  It has a texture and consistency that can only be described as like a McDonald's Chocolate shake.  Here is the catch though... It is warm and has no chocolate in it.  It may be one of those things that other people won't fully appreciate, but I am so enamored that I thought I'd break down the recipe.

McDunalds "Chocolate" Shake (for trademark reasons of coarse I had to change the name to Mcdunalds)

 

ingredients:

4 cups warm Tea:

• Reishi (Ganoderma Lucidum)
• Birch Tinder Polypore (Fomes Fomentarius)
• Artists Conch (Ganoderma Apalatum)
• Chaga (Inonotus Obliqus)
• False Turkey Tail (Stereum Ostrea),
• He Shu Wu (Polygonum Multiflorum)
• Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)

1 or 2 bananas (depending on how sweet you want it)

1/2 cup brazil nuts

1 bunch chicory (enough so that the perimeter of the stems together is about the size of a 50 cent piece)

3 tablespoons maca

1 tablespoon chlorella

1 tablespoon kelp

1 teaspoon zeoforce

directions:

I prepare the tea the night before and leave to simmer in a crock pot.  The drink ca be ade with hot tea, although I prefer to let it cool a bit before I blend it up.

In a high power blender combine everything but the chicory and blend.  Stop the blender add the chicory (at this point I find that a tamper is useful) and bring the speed back up on the blender.  Blend until smooth.  I know that it is perfect if it is steaming ever so slightly.

Pour into a glass and enjoy with a glass straw.

The 100 Percent

In the infinite stillness of now, I accept This.

Everything is constantly changing when we overstand the past.  When we consider the future, we can understand that everything and everybody is becoming.  But if we release the past and future, there is only This.  In the infinite now I am.  Unchanging, divinely perfect, I am This.  There is no that.  This is all that there is.  Anything I say about this is mind.  This is where Purusha resides.  This is I am.  To dwell in This is to be immortal, unscathed and complete.  Ferociously Divine, I am all that I experience unseparate.  

The Third Eye is about to Crack open.

Drinking the Essence of the Goddess

The infinite can be glimpsed through multiple levels of meaning.   What is in the water you Drink?  Chemically, Electrically, Emotionally, Energetically? 

Moving back to Minneapolis after 2 years in the Mountains of Western North Carolina, one of my biggest concerns is drinking water.  It may sound strange, but Drinking pure wild mountain spring water, free of fluoride, has been a Yogic Initiation.  One reason I can explain, a vein which is comprehensible... is that I finally experiential have understood that water comes from the earth.  While I intellectually knew this, my water still came from a tap through a filter.  Drinking water directly from the earth is something very intimate, you could call it Drinking the Essence of the Goddess if you want to be Poetic.  Less comprehensible perhaps is that drinking wild water is

Doesn't matter if you think they need vegetables....

... if its a candy crowd you better serve up candy.

Black Dog Effect: The Burden of Expectation

The other day while working out on an isolated farm in the mountains a stray dog wandered up.  He was a large and looked like until recently he had been well cared for.  He was clearly hungry, and his protruding ribs showed it had been a while since his last meal.  Although I had no food to give him he followed me around as I worked at various tasks.  At one point I drove some way and he trotted a long behind.  I stopped, got out of the truck to load some wood into the trailer, and I saw the black dog walk behind the truck out of my view.  As I turned and looked to my left, I could see 100 yards down the road that the black dog was slowly trotting towards me.  I was momentarily disoriented, until I realized that I must not have really seen the dog walk behind the truck.  In an instant my mind righted the situation to what I thought was possible and without a thought I "realizes" that I had been mistaken.

Teacher Takes Many Forms

As I watched the dog approach me up the road, suddenly the first Dog came out from behind the truck and I realized now that there were in fact 2 almost identical black dogs. 

What amazed me about the situation was my minds quick and instinctual almost imperceptible ability to discredit what my eyes had just seen and rewrite the event in a way that "made sense".  I literally had not believed my eyes, even though they had accurately described the event that had taken place.  I could see now how far I have to go in my Yoga practice.

Yoga could be described as the practice of direct experience.  Yoga practices seek to quite the mind so that our consciousness can have the experience of what this is, not what we think it is.  The mind constantly "adjusts" the world to appear how we expect it to.  Due to subtly of these corrections, they are most often not as obvious as in the case of the Black Dogs.   How often do we discredit a situation as impossible when really that's not true of it.  "I can't do that" we say.  And with others, how often do we experienced someone not as they are, but as we think they are.  We dismiss whats really happening because the mind thinks it knows better.  How many times is our experience of the moment actually an after thought constructed by the mind based on expectations from past experience or conditioning. 

There is a mantra I sometimes repeat to dissolve the burden of my expectations.

May my subtle eyes be open to experience not what I think it is, but what it is.

Rama Sita vrs. Wallstreet?

Were Rama and Sita fighting Wall Street's Evils?

In the Epic History of the Ramayana it tells how the Goddess Earth (Bhumidevi) came to the Creator Lord Brahma begging rescue from the evil king Ravana whose armies were plundering her resources and creating environmental destruction through war and evil practices.  Interestingly Ravana is described as having ten-heads.  While if taken literally this sounds quite fantastic, it is an interesting parallel to the personification of the corporation in our modern times.  Could it be that Monsanto, BP, Halliburton and Wells Fargo our modern day "Ten headed evil Kings",  are the collective expression of 10 individual heads (a corporate board) who plunder the Goddess Earth's resources and destroy our environment through war and evil practices.

The Ramayana goes on to tell the story of how Rama, the Avatar who along with his divine consort Sita, became embodied in these dark times with the sacred task of ending the 10 headed King's evil rule.  Rama is known in Hinduism as Maryada Purushottama or the perfect man in harmony with his dharma or highest calling.  This literally translates as the Lord of self Control, or the Lord of virtue.  Sita too is considered to be the embodiment of Maha Lakshmi and the perfect expression of womanhood.  She embodies the characteristics of generosity, courage, light and wisdom.

Although popularly considered to be actual historical figures, could it be that Rama and Sita, rather than individuals are the collective embodiment of righteous warriors who at one time in the fog of human history stood up to and overthrew the greed and destructive practices of the Corporation Ravana.  Is it a stretch?   Sure, but scholars has spectated that authors such as Patanjali and Veda Vyasa, rather than individual persons, are the collective writings multiple people.

Reading a summary of the Ramayana I couldn't help but draw parallels with our current situation.  As corporate greed reigns supreme, plundering the earth and driving to extinction plant and animal, what is at stake is our very humanity.  To remain complacent is to aid Ravana in his destructive and corrupt greed.  As humans and protestors in the US and around the world awaken to "Occupy" the world in which we live, I am reminded of Rama and Sita who fearlessly overcame all obstacles in the divine and selfless pursuit of balance and peace.

The Importance of Diet in Practice

With classes offerings at Asheville Culture project ended, I have been able to attend more classes. While I do a do a morning practice at home everyday, I can't stress enough the importance of practicing with a teacher. The simple fact that you don't know whats coming next perhaps more accurately describes our experience of right now. A good teacher will inspire you to find your highest expression, rather than just going through the motions. While common wisdom dictates that you should leave 2 hours between your last meal and your Hatha practice, I have found that leaving even more time is beneficial. This has practical value, as if your body is trying to digest food, it will not have the same energy to devote to Yoga. Energetically Hatha practice is a practice of reversing Apana Vayu, or downward flowing energy associated with digestion, so that it may awaken the flow of kundalini energy upwards as consciousness. If you have food in your stomach this will be a struggle. The Bandas are like the water wheels which encourage the upwards flow. If you have food or water in your stomach you will not be able to fully activate the bandas.

With that disclaimer, the type of food we eat also has an affect on our ability to access the subtle forces in our Hatha Practice. Dense foods even if eaten the day before create blockage in the intestines, as well as require massive amounts of water and energy to break down and digest. The best foods to eat in order to access the intention of Hatha practice is fresh juices, smoothies and elixirs, or water rich fruits and vegetables. I have seen time and time again, practitioners gravitate towards this way of eating simply because it feels better in the daily practice. Yoga is a practice of being present, awake and skillful right now right here where life is taking place. That our thoughts words and deeds be the concious choice to express te person who we truly are. This extends off the mat, with the simple yet radical invitation that every thought, word and deed have the intention of yoga, or the free flow of energy.

This has profound implications on the foods we eat. When in doubt you can simply ask yourself the question "Is this helping me to expand or making me contract". You already know the answer.

Netles, Gynostemma, Reishi Elixir Recipe

In this video I walk you though a delicious easy way to get the mineral rich superfood nutrients from fresh nettles.

Reishi: Ganoderma Lucidum

Reishi Mushroom has been used for thousads of years by practitioners of yogic arts. While is mostly used today for its immune modulating effects, reishi is a food that anyone with a practice of lucidity may want to consider.

Reishi is the most researched herb in the world.  Studies have shown reishi to be immune modulating, that is stimulating to an under active immune system and calming to an overactive immune system.  Reishi has been a valuable tool for many people in overcoming allergies.  Reishi is a superb liver tonic and has ben used with out any toxic side effects for thousands of years.

Reishi is considered to be an adaptogen meaning it helps the body to "adapt" to stress.  Its said that when taken regularly it reduces the bodies reaction to stress allowing us to remain calm and skillful in the face of intensity.

In Chinese medicine reishi is considered to be a long term energy builder.  It is nourishing to Jing, Chi and Shen.  While reishi's effects on the immune system certainly have powerful implications perhaps it has been most coveted for its effects on awareness.

Reishi is considered nourishing to Shen.  Shen is a concept from traditional Chinese medicine which in yoga terms corresponds to the subtle bodies.  In my personal opinion I believe that reishi accesses Shen through cultivation of lucidity.  That is it makes us conscious of the

Mind Body and Subtle effects of Cordyceps Sinsensis

Cordyceps Sinensis is a parasitic mushroom that grows out of the head of a caterpillar.  Known for thousands of years as a powerful tonic herb, it has in the last 30 years been hybridized to more strongly express its beneficial attributes.  With its long history of use in Asia, it has relatively recently become known in the West primarily after Chinese Athletes broke 9 world records at the '93 National summer games.  Suspicion arose that they were using performance enhancing drugs, but were found to only be using cordyceps. 

Cordyceps is a lung tonic and known to increase endurance.  Cordyceps is said to increase our ability to harmonize mind body.  Cordycpes strengthens the skeletal system and joints with a special affinity for knees and ankles.   For this reason it is a highly valuable tool for people with an intense Asana or Hatha practice.  Modern studies have showed that cordyceps increase energy production in mitochondria and increases oxygen uptake by the lungs.

Like any good tonic herb cordyceps is known to be a sexual tonic, and given to women to increase fertility.   Cordyceps is also said to increase sexual endurance and cure impotence.  Cordyceps clearly has a tonifying physical affect on the sexual systems of the body.  Energetically cordyceps may assist our ability to awaken and harness Kundalini.  Sexual energy is intrinsically linked to life force energy, and skillful use and maintenance of this force is paramount for yoga practitioners.

Cordyceps is very beneficial to the immune system and increases immunity against bacteria, viruses and fungus.  Cordyceps is being heavily researched in China as a cancer cure.

Cordyceps is a supreme brain tonic.  Cordyceps is said to increase mental clarity and create better mental focus. 

Cordyceps has traditionally been consume as a broth, all though the rarity and power of this mushroom make it very expensive.  Perhaps the best way to consume cordyceps today is as an extract. 

We have laboratory grown cordyceps sinesis that is then hot water extracted to 10 times the potency.   It has an strong but not unpleasant nutty flavor which combines well in a smoothie or tonic elixir.  Available here.

Guided Yoga Practice 3: City Becomes OM

Why anyone thinks Meditation is Boring?

This is a "concept" that has come to me in meditation on a few occasions.

What is there was a lifeforms that we could not see, because in our three dimensional perceptive awareness, the manifest aspects appeared to be something else.  What if the 3-dimensional physical world supported non-material beings, which were primarily manifest in higher dimensions.  What if there was a whole kingdom or "life", which three dimensionally is expressed as systems, of which plants, fungus, animals and nature are the cellular building blocks or provide non-material nourishment to consciousness as far advanced from humans as humans are from single celled organisms.

Could it be the complex organization of our society enables, allows or is food for subtle, energetic anatomy of a more advanced awareness than human.   That we are only a rung on a ladder of consciousness levels, and the only reason we don't see those above is is because our perspective is too small. Or perhaps the existence of higher beings is simply

New Guided Practice

Yama and Niyama

Yama and Niyama are fundamental but often subtle energetic distinctions....  Simply these are the does and don'ts of a practice of awakening.  These are often mistakenly taken as moral guidelines or judgement.  Yoga practice is a practice of awareness of the non-dual self, or remembering that opposing forces which appear to be separate are non-separate.   Rigidly holding to ideas of "this" and "that", "right" and "wrong" can actually be an obstacle awareness of "this" as non separate.  In Yoga there is no "right" and "wrong".  These are relative terms... Something that is right for one person, may be wrong for another.  The archetype of the Goddess Kali, Destroys all that is in her path, but of coarse destruction becomes new life.  We might object to humanity being wiped off the earth, but animals on the verge of extinction might appreciate it....

The object of practicing Yama and Niyama is yoga.  Practitioners have found the the energetic effects of a the Yama and Niyama practices are conducive to the state we call Yoga.  Don't take these as dogmatic rules that you "have" to do.  Everything leads back to Yoga eventually, including action that in the short run (many lifetimes) may cause bondage and suffering.  These practices are meant for those seeking transformation, they are to prepare the way for greater energy and awareness to manifest in the experience we call life.....

Some Fun Kelp Recipes, that Kids might like

So I've had a surprising number of conversations recently with people struggling with how to incorporate kelp into their family's diet.  If you're like "wait... what, Kelp?" click here.

Now take into consideration that my daughters have never had refined sugar, and its gettin' on 15 years since I have, but....

We've been working the kelp from quite a few different angles, one of my favorites is in "smoothies".... Not just any smoothie, Kelp can throw off the taste of a mere fruit smoothie, but what I've found is that it blends well with creamy, nutty, malty type flavors....

Another recipe approved of by my 2 year old daughters is this.....

Emerald Almond Butter

2 cups soaked almonds
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 teaspoon maca powder
2 teaspoons he shou wu extract
2 teaspoons reishi extract
2 tablespoons Chlorella powder
2 tablespoons Kelp (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon stevia powder
2 teaspoons powdered zeolite
2 teaspoons shilajit

optional:
honey to taste

this combined in the food processor until the consistency of a nut butter.

If needed you can slowly add liquid.... water, or chaga tea work nicely...
The idea is o get as much Kelp in as possible without the taste being overpowering.

To be fully present, awake and in appreciation without fear

Its so divinely beautiful.  That's why it is so hard to let go... These moments of rest, of ease, time spent with family in peace.  What is more beautiful than being here now knowing the impermanence.  Only with death in the picture do I truly not take for granted all of this, all of you.

I'm not going to lie and say that I am not scared.  It's intense at moments, overwhelming my ability to act skillfully, and remain connected.  I've been meditating on death for the last month and a half, since I had this dream about my father.  I woke up and knew that my resistance to my father's mortality I was storing in my low back.  As I practiced morning asana I could feel the weight of resistance.  I don't want my dad to die.  With practice, drishti awareness and breath I found that I could release him in meditation, though resistance comes in waves through out daily awareness.

What seemed like emotional yoga, a hypothetical practice has taken on new light since I saw this video.  And this one.  The Karma of what we have done to our earth could off us.  Over whelmed by the sense that the nuclear threat is unprecedented, my practice has become that of releasing my wife, twin 3 year old daughters and new born son.  Whether the threat is real or not, who can say.  To my emotional body it is real, which like all intensity is an opportunity to open to teacher in all experience.

Things are changing fast.

Personally in my life, and for all of us world wide.  Two of the elders in our family are suffering from unknown genetic disease.  What is it?  Would a diagnosis in the form of a recognizable word make it easier?  It's transformation, and it's really hard.

Globally, politically, whether anything has changed or not, I am now aware of the nuclear situation.  While I personally feel empowered that I have the knowledge and will to thrive through this new unfolding realty, living in a radioactive world, I have been disappointed that we as a larger community are not dialoguing about this.

I guess the most shocking part of Fukishima, for me, was that the plant didn't have back up power.  It wouldn't even have taken a tsunami.  The electricity going out would have had the same effect.  Learning that there are over 200 nuclear power plants in the United States, with more radioactive waste then Fukishima, is overwhelming.  I see 2 possible outcomes, be they soon or in the distant future... 1. We do something about nuclear waste now, be it browns gas, zeolites, or some other solution unknown to me.  2.  When the grid inevitably does fall at some point (like Rome or the Soviet Union) those who remain will experience the effects of our nuclear waste in their food, water, rain, and air.


So.... With this knowledge, arguably true or false, but emotionally real none the less, the practice is to let go.  To be fully present, awake and in appreciation without fear.  To be receptive to the call; if there is anyway that I may serve my family and all of you.  Connected and in appreciation.  That my energy be available to focus as skillful intention.

Mainly this has been a deepened relationship with right now.  Dissolving into ThankYou.

I have hope though.

I have a strong suspicion that the answers are right in front of us, in the natural systems, in the weeds that thrive in our parking lots and yards.  This information unfolds little by little though, as greater strength, balance and wisdom.



So for now, I practice everyday, love my family with all my heart, and feel the weight of my 3 year daughter when she lays on my chest during shavasana.  There is nothing better.

On Yoga, Fukishima and Waking Up

To all yoga practitioners, whether you call it yoga practice, or by it's more common name "Life”

You are a master of Prakrti (everything manifest), you’ve just forgotten.  In the face of adversity you have only to remember your being-ness more intrinsic than the dis-ease of the mental plane, and from this connectedness radiate healing and unconditional love from your source.  It's that simple.

For most of us maintaining this awareness as a constant waking state is challenging.  It is easy to slip into identification with ego, body, mind.  This false identification is not without cost.  Identification with ego, body, mind has a specific "medicinal" affect on our body and bodies (physical, mental, emotional and subtle). In the physical body it is oxidizing, experienced as tight muscles, injury or disease.  The corresponding subtle aspects can be harder to describe.  For a practitioner however the greatest cost is that false identification with perceived limitations lulls us deeper to sleep.

Most of us remain in a profound waking sleep even as we move through our daily lives.  Though our physical body is located right here right now, we experience not what this is, but what the mind thinks it is; the dream of past, future, judgement and preference.  If we have a daily practice of awareness we may catch glimpses of right now, not as we think it is, but as direct perception.

I have sensed much discomfort/resistance to the relatively new consciousness arising about nuclear power, waste, radiation and its affect on us... that is every-body.   I have heard in our discourse, a sense of helplessness, seen in our actions a desire to bury our heads in the sand, to not know.  It can be easy to not want to look at what this is and instead focus on things that are more "relevant".  It could be though that how we collectively choose to address this situation is the most relevant.  As scary and confusing as what we face may seem, as practitioners what is at stake here is bigger than radiation, health, life or death.

Every choice we make has the effect of expanding our awareness or contracting it.  This phenomenon is commonly called Karma.  Karma is neither "good" or "bad".  All Karma leads eventually to liberation once we finally release resistance to "what it is" and become receptive to the experiential knowledge that is shared alike through joy and pain, sunshine, rain, this and that.

When we face adversity or joy, this or that, we have 2 choices.  We can accept it or we can resist it.  We can embrace it in unconditional acceptance, or fear it and  and try to resist.  Of coarse we can only resist for so long.  One day soon we all will surrender.  Knowing that acceptance and resistance each have a "medicinal" effect, the conscious practitioner chooses acceptance. 

There is debate in yoga circles about the correct practice in the face of "Wickedness" (Sutra I.33).  The Yoga Sutras recommend “Indifference”.  This is not to be confused with "ignoring" or “inaction”, which it is sometimes mistakenly thought to mean.

While it can be tempting to ignore or try to dull the intensity of daily life, whether that be tight hamstrings in paschimottanasana or Nuclear Meltdown, as practitioners, the medicinal affect of resistance in the form of dulling carries to great a cost.  Fear is the opposite of expansion.  Preference is the domain of ego and mind.  Mind might not “like” what it thinks it sees, but our practice of being awakened invites us to step back into unconditional love for everything and everybody.  Fear clenches and dulls awareness while acceptance and surrender open us to greater understanding, deeper appreciation.

The practitioner responds to Nuclear Meltdown, with breath and awareness, that the intensity purify and dissolve all obstacles to conscious awareness.  From our connectedness to source we the act skillfully. 

Yoga a practice of inaction.  Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita defines Yoga as Skill in action.  It is the invitation to awake from the dream of preference and be fully awake now; That our actions may be the expression of our highest intention, that our thoughts words and deeds be the outpouring of the ferocious and incomprehensible beauty of who and what we really are.  This is most challenging, relevant and medicinal in the face of great intensity like that which we are offered here today.

Please leave Comments/Reflections in the Box Below

Filled With Gratitude

Full Scale Meltdown: Radiation Protection Foods

In the wake of Japans announcement that Fukashima is worse than previously acknowledged and far from over,  here is an outline of some herbs and agents used for detoxification and protection from radioactive pollution. 

Radiation Protective Regimen: 

1. Water - Find A Clean Source.  Reverse Osmosis and Charcoal Filters have been shown to have some effectiveness in removing radioactive compounds.  A combination is best.
2.  Potassium Iodide, (to ensure that you are getting enough potassium to block absorption of radioactive potassium) follow the directions on the bottle
3.  Kelp, 1-3 tablespoons daily... has the trace minerals which support iodine, so is good to use in collaboration with Potassium Iodide Highest natural source of Iodine.  Kelp and other Sea Vegetables like Dulse and Nori contain Sodium Alginate which has been shown to bind to radio active compounds to facilitate elimination. Crucial.  Stimulates the immune system, encourages healthy liver function and maintains joint integrity. Contains Vitamin B9 which has DNA protective properties.  Some people develop goiters if they eat too much kelp.
4.  Reishi as decoction or extract, (1 ounce dried mushroom to 1 gallon water) for its anti-mutagenic, liver protective and immune supportive properties.
5.  Chaga as decoction or extract, synergistic with Reishi, supreme anti-oxidant, meaning it protects the body from oxygen and "burning".  Chaga is also an amazing immune modulator.
6.  Chlorella 2 or more tablespoons a day, - detoxifying and building.  Chlorella facilitates the elimination of radiation and heavy metals from the body.
7.  Spirulina- 5 grams daily, In Russian Studies after Chernobyl, has been shown to reduce radiation levels in the body, regenerate bone marrow, spinal fluid, blood and the liver, as well as increase white blood cell count.

8.  Selenium - 200 micrograms or more daily - increases levels of antioxidant enzymes and stimulates DNA repair
9.  Sun Flower Seeds/Almonds -High en Vitamin E - Protects and Repairs cells from Free Radical Damage
10.  Zeolites 2 or more tablespoons a day- encapsulates and eliminates radioactive molecules in the body.
11.  Shilajit Powder 2 or more teaspoons a day - Source of trace Minerals.  High in Fulvic Acid which attaches to destructive molecules so they can be eliminated.
12. Tumeric or Tumeric Extract.... Highly anti inflammatory.... Because the effect of radiation is to basically slowly burn us, Tumeric can counterbalance this.
13.  MSM - tablespoon to every gallon of water, facilitates breakdown of toxic calcium in the body, which can pick up heavy metal and radioactive isotopes.
14.  Yarrow Special Formula from FES - Yarrow again is indicated in the case of burns. "Yarrow Special Formula is indicated for exposure to nuclear radiation and other forms of noxious environmental or geopathic stress." --Taken from Flower Essence Repertory by P. Kaminski and R. Katz
15.  Adya Clarity or natural spring water.  I have heard that Mica is being used extensively in Japan to protect drinking water.  I have seen this affect first hand in Mountain springs where Mica attaches to impurities in the water and concentrates them as a film at the bottom.  In this way the minerals naturally present in water have a purifying affect.  Adya clarity is a Black Mica mineral solution which can be added to drinking water to mimic this natural process and remove and neutralize toxic elements.


With the exception of the Potassium Iodide, these are foods which are beneficial to take daily regardless...

Eating as water rich a diet as possible of fresh locally grown wild foods and produce is also beneficial.
Violets, Lambs Quarter, Nettles, Chickweed, Dandelion, Milkweed, Miatake, June Berries, Raspberries, Wine Berries, Blue Berries, Black Berries and Mulberries are tremendous.  Fresh wild foods in most of us detoxify the body and provide trace minerals we need to thrive... As a guideline, go for foods that are thriving in your environment and eat them fresh. 

We have all been exposed to radiation for quite some time now.  This not a new phenomenon or something to fear, but rather an invitation to commit to a new level of awareness and dedication to healing this body and everybody.  Remember that worry, stress, fear and judgement actually tax your immune system and oxidize (age) the body, so my advice is to enjoy the ride while taking appropriate precautions to protect your loved ones and your self in the wake of this unfolding paradigm.

Please leave comments/reflections in the box below.

Sale: N. American Chaga 21.99lb

We Have:
Wild Crafted N. American Chaga  21.99lb
Sale extends through Sunday or till we run out.

Chaga (Inonotus Obliquus):

is a supreme immune enhancing mushroom and protective tonic.

It has been shown to have anti-mutagenic effects on the cellular level level, inhibit free radical oxidation and aid in DNA repair.

Chaga has a long history of use among Native American groups and in Eastern European. It is used to cure cancer, gastritis, ulcers and tuberculosis.

Studies have shown it to be effective against breast cancer, liver cancer, uterine cancer and gastric cancer. Herbalist David Winston calls it the strongest anti-cancer mushroom.

Chaga has been effective in treating diabetes and hypertension.

Chaga was used by the Russians after Chernobyl for its Anti Mutagenic  DNA protective effects.

Chaga is made into a delicious tonic tea which resembles coffee but has a distinctive Vanilla taste due to the presence of vanillic acid.

available here

David Wolfe Coming To AVL

David Wolfe has been a leader in the Raw foods movement for the past 20 years.  In my own practice as a raw foodist and herbalist, SunFood Diet is the number one book I have reccomended to people looking seeking greater potential and awareness through diet.

As of recent David's focus has come to incorporate Medicinal Mushrooms and herbs as well as wild Foods, foraging and generally looking at how are we as a people going to save this world.  David Wolfe has been a consistent source of high potency information, and in the confusion and insecurity that followed Fukishima, was the light that many people turned to for practical measures to protect our selves and our families.  An expert on Super-Nutrition and Detoxification, his visit is sure to be inspiring and enlightening.

Radiant Life Yoga will be there with Wildcrafted Chaga and Reishi Mushrooms.  Look For our Table.

Walnut Pate with Ramps and Sea Vegetables

Ramps are a delicious first spring edible that comes up before forest canopies fill out.  Look out for the signature eye shaped leaf, it will probably be some of the first green you'll see in the forest.  They have a delicious  but lite taste, related to onions and garlic.  This recipe is a fun way to eat ramps raw.  They add a lite savory element, and while you could use onions and garlic In my opinion the taste of the ramps is superior.


To Begin you'll need.....

Yoga : Asheville Culture Project : RadiantLifeYoga.com : Matt Portwood

The Importance of a Daily Practice

I'm gonna just put this out there.... We don't usually say things straight up in this society because there is an unspoken mutual code that we not pierce the armor of egoic structures with truth.... We tiptoe around what is true to be polite and

Immune Boosting Tonic

Quick smoothie recipe I wrote out for a client, but I thought I'd post it here for you too.

2 or 3 cups chaga tea
banana
handful of fresh chicory leaves or any other greens
handful goji berries
teaspoon reishi ext
teaspoon cordyceps ext
tablespoon Maca
teaspoon vanilla extract or powder
optional
handful soaked raw organic almonds or raw milk

Tulsi (or Tulasi) - Holy Basil

Tulsi is a much revered plant medicine from Aryuveda.  It is considered adaptogen and used to increases immunity and antibody production.  Tulsi is thought to have anti bacterial, anti-fungal and anti viral properties.  When used over time it has been shown to reduce the bodies response to stress.  Besides being regarded as cure all, and known as a supreme health promoting earth, Tulsi is held as a Talisman and considered to have almost supernatural ability to protect her devotees.

Tulsi is great used fresh and can be easily cultivated.  It is traditionally made as tea with ginger.

I enjoy making this

Tulsi Lemonade:

4 cups Spring Water,
Fresh Tulsi or 1 teaspoon Tulsi extract,
1/4 Lemon juice,
1/3 cup local honey,
1 teaspoon ginger
you can optionally add a pinch of good salt.

I have Tulsi Extract available here http://radiantlifeyoga.com/products-page/herbs/
The videos below only start to express how highly Tulsi is regarded.  I can only think of

Yoga as Activism part 2 - The Practice of Liberation, How Sustainablity is a Prerequisite to Your Ability to Act as the Expression of Who You Really Are.

coming soon.......

Yoga as Activism part 1- The Warrior Practice and Skill in Action

In light of the many leveled war that rages around us I would like to reflect on Yoga as activism.

One of the ways that this practice has come to me is through the form of martial arts. In my practice there is no difference between martial arts and yoga. Yoga is a martial art, meaning that it is a warrior practice.  Martial Arts is the practice of skill in action, how Krishna defines Yoga in the Bhagavad Gita.  Both are the practice of
skillfully expressing your intention.
In Hatha Yoga, the practice of asana and pranayama is a martial practice.  Asana means seat.  Seat is your connection to the earth.  Asana is the practice of maintaining a conscious connection to the earth.  This connection is first maintained through the existence of the physical body.  Intrinsic in the practice of Yoga is the practice of maintaining to what ever degree the integrity of the physical body.  It is not that the warrior/yogi is attached to the physical body, rather the body is the foundational level of tapping into conscious awareness of the self which is not limited to the body alone.

Pranayama is conscious awareness of breath.  Breath is of coarse intrinsically connected to and symbolic of life.  So pranayama is the practice of conscious awareness of life, we are aware that we are having this experience right now that we call life.  We are aware that the body is going to die, and that everybody is going to die.  We embody this awareness not as morbidity, but

Guided Yoga Practice1 - Where Pain Becomes Strength

Chaga in Stock

Right now we have in stock some amazing North American Wildcrafted Chaga.  This medicinal tree mushroom is a supreme immune modulator and said to be the number one anti-cancer herb (although its not an herb its a mushroom.... Rich in Poly Saccharides and anti-Oxidants, tea made with Chaga has a distinctly Vanilla flavor due to the vanillic acid it contains.  I can not fully describe the profound effect that this mushroom has had on my life and my families life, but as someone who does not want to be dependent on antibiotics, in this ever changing world, to me Chaga is invaluable.
You can buy it here.  http://bit.ly/gOiC7e

Power Vinyasa : Matt Portwood : Asheville Yoga

Asheville Yoga Center: Join me 5:30 on Sundays... New Students: 8 days 20 dollars

Pumpkin Seed Nettles Pesto

Hey y'all,

The first greens which come up in Spring are some of the most mineral rich and nutrient rich foods of the whole season...... so this is the first recipe, with probably more to follow.

While some parts of the US are still under snow, Stinging Nettles are knee high right now in NC, so I thought I gotta drop this easy and delicious recipe, and hopefully inspire you take advantage of this delicious and nutritious Wild Edible.  I threw the Kelp in optionally for those of you who may be stocking up the thyroid to protect against radioactive Iodine.... and it's a really great addition.


Stinging Nettles Pesto

1 Cup Stinging Nettles
1 Cup soaked almonds
1/2 Cup soaked pumpkin seeds
6 cloves garlic
Juice of 1 Lemon
1/2 up Olive Oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
2 teaspoons Kelp (optional)

It may help to rough chop the nettles, but after that simply add the ingredients into a food proccesor and blend.

Goes great with vegetables, crackers, in a collard or Nori wrap, or simply on top of a salad...

Leave any questions below or lemme know how it is in the comment box....

Happy foraging.... NAMASTE

Healing Journal.....

So since October I've been taking Adya Clarity.  I started out both with "super shots"  (1 teapsoon mixed with 1 oz water), and mixing it into my drinking water (1 teaspoon/gal).  The first round lasted about a month.

I noticed it to be very detoxifying.  I lost weight, not much but it was noticeable to me, and as I progressed, started to develope a sore "enflamed" throaght.  I have experienced this symptom ongoing, especially while fasting, eating very pure or earlier that year during a time of drinking strong green juice every day.  My throat has been the "weak link" in my body as far back as I can remember.  Many mornings I would wake up with a sore throat that would dissipate as the day went on.  When ever I get sick, it would begin in my throat.  Even knowing all this, even knowing how detoxification works and feels, I still had to question wether the Adya Clarity was "Causing" my dis-ease.  So I stopped.  My sore throat went away.  My weight returned.  I felt strong and energetic, and my body began to fill out with muscle.

I waited a couple weeks, and began my second round with the Adya clarity.  I experienced the same symptoms as before, as well as some very bizarre detoxification symptoms.  The most poetic being burning tears.  For about 2 weeks I was crying a lot.  The simplest things, would make tears well up in my eyes.  Even stranger is that my tears felt like they were burning my eyes.  Flushing my eyes with water would relieve the burning.  I also felt a lot of sensation in my joints.  An "arthritic" feeling seemed to last about a day in each joint, and then it would move through.  I found that if I didn't drink plenty of water my body would become very stiff. This would be relieved dramatically by hydrating.  My sore throat came back as well as a feeling of weakness.  I went about a month and then stopped because I wanted to prepare for a big workshop in Minneapolis.  As soon as I stopped the detoxification symptoms went away.  My body got strong, my muscles limber and I felt great.

It was about a month and a half later that I finally got back to Adya.  I was determined this time to get through the sore throat to whatever is on the other side.  I started slow, simply mixing the Adya clarity into my drinking water.  I had noticed before, but clearly felt this time that my urination was more complete and seemed to be very detoxifying.  At times my urine felt electric, and would almost give me little shocks.  At other times even though I was drinking about a gallon of water a day, my urine would become very dark.

After about a week, my throat began to hurt.  It didn't fully manifest, but remained tender, as if I was about to get sick.  I kept a steady regimen of Adya in my water for about a week more, when my throat became very painfully sore and inflamed.  My neck and shoulder muscles were tight and my right tonsil became very inflamed.  At that point I started the super shots again morning and night.  The pain in my throat remained.

Intuition told me again and again that it was heavy metals.  I ordered some Zeolites powder online.(Zeoforce).  It had been a week of feeling like I was swallowing broken glass, before the zeolites arrived.  With in an hour of taking it (teaspoon mixed into an elixir twice a day), my sore throat went away.  It has been 3 weeks now and it has not returned.   My skin has been glowing, and the tightness in my muscles is gone.

I continue to take the Adya clarity in my drinking water, but have cut back to 1 teaspoon a day of the zeolites, which do require that I drink more water to stay hydrated.  I still feel the effects of the Adya clarity, but now only periodically.  My throat and neck feel open in a way that I can't remember.  This also extends to my  inner ear and temple, which when I place awareness on them feel t be resonating with energy.  My body remains a little light, and I intend to finish this bottle (my second bottle of which I have about 4/5 left) and then take a break and assess further. 

What I can say at this point is that Adya Clarity has facilitated some very precise detoxification in my body.  For me it seems to have allowed specific healing to take place in my eyes, ears, throat, joints and kidneys (I didn't really mention that one), although I have felt larger systemic transformation.  I am filled with a sense of optimism about having moved through a major obstacle, the pin in my throat.  I highly recommend this product to anyone, although caution that it has been an intense ride.  As far as the super shots go, I recommend using them wisely.  I found them tremendously beneficial during the acute symptoms in my throat, but felt that for the most part I was detoxifying as fast as I could handle simply adding a teaspoon to each gallon of water.  If you do try super shots I recommend that the water you drink through the rest of the day have adya in it.  While super shots are tremendously detoxifying, the real work seems to get done drinking the adya supplemented water all day (and night).  If there's one thing  I can say for certain, its that success on this product necessitates that you drink a lot of water.  If you have comments or questions feel free to leave them in the comments box below.

Namaste

Radiant Life Health Tip#2 Drink enough good water....

Drink enough water....  one of the simplest things we can do to improve our health.  So many of the things that ail us are really dehydration.  Injury, disease, indigestion inflammation and general lack of energy can all be side effects of not enough good water.  A hydrated body, is not only better able to eliminate toxins, but is protected from injury.  When we're feeling sick, or tired or conflicting emotions, on one level this is simply a chemical state in the body.  One of the simplest ways to transform this is drink water. 

Find the best water you can.   Whenever possible avoid water that comes in plastic bottles.  Plastic releases a spectrum of toxic  and carcinogenic chemicals.  The best water is spring water from a pristine source.  If that's not available, filtered water is better than tap.  Become a connoisseur of water, seek out the best water you can find, and you may be surprised at the benefits.

What is Healthy Food?

An Healthy Diet is one that not only benefits you, but also the environment.  Foods aren’t “healthy” if the production or shipping of the those foods is contributing to the destruction of the natural world.  In this time of complicated social and trade networks it is important to look again at our practice of Ahimsa.  Many vegetarians claim moral superiority because they don’t eat animal products, while eating the fruits of big agribusiness, shipping, and oppressive trade relationships.  Energetically, and Karmically this all comes into play.  By it’s very nature, eating is a destructive practice.  As Yogis our practice of eating, must take in to consideration, not only what foods are healthy for our body, but what foods are healthy for everybody.
I can’t tell you what you should eat, that a decision each of us must make on our own.  I do encourage you to avoid 1. all plastics, and things stored in plastic 2. all processed foods 3. soy.
The healthiest foods to eat are local wild foods which require no agricultural practices, toxic chemicals, herbicides, pesticides or fertilizers.  These are plants that have what it takes to thrive in your environment.  Learning the the amazing edible and medicinal “weeds” that surround us, even in our cities, is very empowering.
After wild foods the best foods are the ones grown in your own garden.  Garden foods not only require a minimum of input from the grid, because you have a relationship with the plant they can give you exactly what you need.  The more love and care that you put into your garden the healthier the foods will be for you.  Heirloom varieties are a better choice than more domesticated plants but even hybrids can provide you health, if you treat them right.  For a great video on Super Gardening click here.
After a home garden, the Farmers Market is the next best place to obtain food.  Support your local farmers or they will be gone.  The most important thing for strong cities and strong communities is to have good farms.  Big Agri-business has lobbied very hard to try to eliminate the competition of small farms.  Knowing who grows your food is crucial.  Not only can ask if they spray or use chemicals on their produce, but you can be sure your not funding big agribusiness who values profit over the environment and basic human rights.
When Farmers Markets are not available, organic certification is better than nothing.  It is important to remember that ” Organic” doesn’t necessarily mean healthy.  Organic should be the minimum requirement for the food we eat.  The standards are very weak, and are more a definition of whats not done to food, than what is done.

Radiant Life Health Tip#1 Green Smoothies....

Chlorophyll is a tremendous builder, cleanser and toner in the body. Kale has been shown to prevent cancer and is filled with easily absorbable nutrients. For glowing skin, bright eyes and healthy nails, make sure your getting plenty of fresh green foods.

Green Smoothies, are a delicious and fun way to get those greenz.

Simple Recipe

2 cups liquid (water, juice, coconut water, tea, kefir or whatever)
a handful greens (kale, parsley, collards, ect.
1 Apple(peeled)
1 banana,

blend and enjoy...


Here's a more elaborate variation...

2 cups Chaga Reishi Dandylion tea
2 handful parsley or wild greenz (violet, lambsquarter, chickweed in season now)
1/2 cup soaked Goji Berries
1/2 Cup soaked Mulberries
1 cup sprouted Chia gel
2 tablespoons Maca
1 teaspoon He shou Wu Extract
1 teaspoon Astragalus Extract
1 Teaspoon Ashwaganda Extract
1/2 teaspoon Shilajit

Blend and Enjoy....

Tonic Herbs for Yoga Practice

Tonic herbs are non-stimulant plants that with consistent use over time condition the the body, mind or subtle aspects to be healthier, stronger and more vital. Tonic herbs and agents, often called adaptogenic herbs have a tonifying effect on the body. That is they challenge the bodies organs, or systems and with consistent use over time the body "adapts" to the challenge, or becomes immune.  While antibiotics have the long term effect of creating stronger pathogen strains, and weakening our bodies own natural defense, many tonic herbs work with the body, nourishing, balancing ad harmonizing body systems in a way that prevents disease.  Tonics have been used alongside self realization practices for thousands of years and have tremendous potential for aiding body mind and spirit on the path of of surrender.

Tonic herbs can be distinguished from stimulant herbs that may have a similar initial effect, in that they do not provide immediate benefits.  Stimulants provide an initial effect, drawing from the body's reserve energies to create a heightened state more immediately. This is of coarse is then associated with a swing in the other direction, as the body comes back depleted from the stimulated state.  This can become a malevolent cycle if more stimulants are used to compensate for depletion.  A tonic on the other hand conditions the body over time to function on a higher level.  Tonic herbs are associated with a benevolent cycle.  Over time tonics can cultivate more energy, balance, strength and vitality, which manifests as feeling good, motivating us to live in a way that cultivates more of this.   In the Yoga tradition this is called a satvic state and is most conducive to the awakened awareness we call yoga.  A tonic subtly challenges body systems over time, and body becomes conditioned to the challenge.  That is not to say that a tonic will not have a "feeling" associated with using it. Just like every food has a taste and changes the way that the body feels (whether we are conscious of that or not), so too every plant, every medicine will have at least a subtle feeling associated with it.

It can be useful to understand that while herbs may affect the physical body, organs, and systems of the body, they also act on the subtle layers of being. The body can be understood as existing on many dimensional planes. With the physical being the most solid, the body ripples out in ever more subtle expressions, thought emotions, and ever more subtle aspects. Transformation on one level of being, affects all levels of being, and far from being distinct from one another the bodies or koshas are one dynamic very connected experience. As esoteric as this may sound, it is very practical. When you exercise the physical body, it usually has the affect of elevating your "spirit" too. That is physical exercise reduces mental stress, lifts mood, and make you "feel" good.  The experience we call "health" is that of "ease" in body, mind, emotions and the intangible experience.  As far as tonics the benevolent or satvic state they cultivate in the body is not limited to physicality. For instance Reishi Mushroom is associated with nourishing Shen, or subtle energy.  This can be understood in concrete terms as increased concentration and calm, or the quieting of mental chatter in yoga called chitta vritti.  It is clear why Reishi has been used for many thousands of years in the Taoist tradition as a compliment or aid to meditation practice. 

Like Yoga the use of tonic herbs is a practice. Like Yoga tonic herbs won't transform you if you don't use them regularly. Herbs have long been used along side Yoga practice with the intention of realization of the totality of self.  Just As Yoga in India has worked alongside the Aryuvedic system, Taoism, Zen and Chi Gong have worked alongside Chinese medicine.   The best way to get started incorporating tonic herbs into your practice is to pick one.  By their very definition, tonics do not create harmful side effects in people.  This does not preclude idiosyncratic reactions.  As you start to include any new herb or food in your life, listen and feel the effect.  Often you can intuitively sense how it is affecting you.  Decoctions, are a traditional way that herbs have been consumed, but they can also be eaten.  In my practice I use extracts as well because they can easily be added to food or smoothies or tonic elixirs.

For a list of high quality herbs and extracts we offer and descriptions you can visit radiantlifeyoga.

Teach- Become One.mp4

Old trax, 2004... never finished never released, so here it is. Enjoy.

Firefly to Scorpion

Here's a short clip I made of Titibasana to Vrschikasana. Enjoy

Calcification and "Medicine" as Yoga Practice

Calcification is the root cause of many diseases. From heart disease to arthritis, it is a hardening of the body tissue, as microscopic barnacle like organisms live and die creating a coral reef like structure in the body tissues and arteries, often incorporating heavy metals and toxic material into their structures, as protection from our body's immune system. While the goal of Yoga is not longevity, Yoga energetically looks like the free flow of energy. Yoga is expressed in the physical body as flow, ease, health, and flexibility. Elimination of bad calcium has been the focus of much discussion recently in alternative health circles. As a Yoga practitioner I am very excited at the implications.

Yoga is our natural state of being... that is, conscious awareness of being, or the essential "self" which is unbound even by being. Energetically it is described as the free flow of prana, through the nadis. In three dimensions it is the embodiment and expression of the multi-dimensional self. In practical terms, this is expressed as "ease" in body mind and emotions, as opposed to "disease". Obstacles to the expression of the multi-dimensionality of self can be physical, mental or emotional. Yoga describes 5 koshas or bodies, each more subtle then the next. Physical, Mental, Emotional, Energetic, and Bliss make up the bodies. It is helpful to think of them as separate from each other for the purpose of illustration, but they are really one dynamic expression. For example, when we experience worry in the mind, this creates "tension" or tight muscles in the body. When we experience the emotion anger, it has a specific chemical reaction in the physical body systems. Conversely, when we eat toxic low quality foods, this doesn't just affect the physical body, but also the mind, emotions, energy body many subtle expressions.

With this background it becomes clear that from the lens of a yoga practice, physical disease is an obstacle to expression of the totality of self.

disclaimer.....
That is not to say that an awakened being can't be fully manifest in a calcified body. To awakened awareness the body is prakriti, illusory and non-real, and a master of prakriti would be unhindered by the illusory constraints of all things manifest. I am clarifying this only that my words remain an invitation for the articulation of infinite possibility.

For most of us however, the body, and its corresponding expression on the level of mind and emotion, can be a significant obstacle to our ability to remember the expansiveness of who and what we really are. Flexibility is not the goal of Yoga, or even a requirement of Yoga, but it is an indicator of Flow. Yoga can certainly be expressed through a diseased body, but the quality of that expression is ease. Elimination of disease is not the objective, but rather a tool to be used by the practitioner of self realization. I want to be clear that progress in Yoga is not measured by by a beautiful or healthy body. Yoga is conscious awareness that transcends the body. As beginning practitioners, however,the practice of keeping the body healthy and flowing is Satvic. That is it is a state more congenial to the experience we call Yoga.

Purifying the body with the intention of sacrifice is a shat kriya. In these days the body, mind and emotions are subjected to an incredible barrage of seemingly new poisons. In the air, water, food and even the DNA of the food we eat, are new chemical expressions that the body has no practice eliminating. The destruction of nature systems has further degraded the earth's (i.e. the body's) natural processes of detoxification and renewal.

In a discussion with Matthew Backos (who I will be interviewing shortly), he described how Adya Clarity is simply mimicking the state our water would assume on a pristine earth.  Natural systems would effectively infuse ionized minerals and magnetic particles into water in a way that would naturally detoxify heavy metals, pathogens, and cellular waste. It is only the interruption of natural systems, i.e. human interference, that prevents us from being healed by our very environment.

Calcification is the blockage of ease in the body. A calcified spine corresponds to an energetic state which blocks Kundalini. With out getting too esoteric (maybe its too late), prana can be visualized as living water, with all its connotations.  Electrical Magnetic elixirs like Adya Clarity can aid the effects of Yoga practice, by creating fluidity, and the balance of natural Ha, and Tha energy, which allows the body to turn up the volume on both ida and pingala aspects. By releasing the blockages which occur on the physical level of experience, we are eliminating the blockages which occur on the more subtle levels of experience, beginning with mind and emmotion, but ultimately clearing energetic pathways to consciousness of our multi-dimensionality. This is the premise behind Hatha Yoga and the practice of Asana and Pranayama. Raja Yoga, or the practice of Meditation, is a great for people who are already advanced in their practice (from this life time, or past ones), but can be frustrating for people if we do not first create a satvic state in the koshas.

There are many ways people are using to eliminate calcification. I have used MSM and Adya Clarity. MSM in the way I have used it (a tablespoon/gallon of water) is more gentle in my body. Adya Clarity (teaspoon/gallon water) is more insistent that transformation occur. It feels that it works faster. The crucial thing with either method is to make sure that you are drinking plenty of water. I have found MSM in large doses to be very dehydrating, and the detoxification symptoms I have experienced with Adya Clarity can reduced to almost nothing by drinking enough good water.  If you are practicing yoga, though this issue may be worth exploring for yourself.

-Matthew Portwood
 radiantlifeyoga.com

Adya Clarity


For information about our offerings visit radiantlifeyoga.com

Classes at Asheville Culture Project

 We finally are kicking off some more classes at the Asheville Culture Project.  Friday class will periodically have a special focus such as Nutrition, Sutras, Energetic Anatomy and other various things that might interest yogis.  Were offering an ongoing free week (starting any day), to new local students, so feel welcome to join us at any time.

New Students: One Week of Free Yoga* 

Class Schedule

Mon	10:00am-11:15am	Asheville Culture Project	Power Vinyasa
Wed	10:00am-11:15am	Asheville Culture Project	Power Vinyasa
Fri	10:00am-11:15am	Asheville Culture Project	Power Vinyasa/ Special Topics
Sun	5:45pm-6:45pm	Asheville Yoga Center	Hot Flow

 

Asheville Culture Project  -  257 Short Coxe Ave Asheville NC 28801                  

Asheville Yoga Center  -  239 S Liberty St. Asheville NC 28801

Note: the Free Week is valid for new local students only. 

More info visit radiantlifeyoga.com

matt@radiantlifeyoga.com