A simple question can change a lot....

I have a proposal for everyone who is reading this. I read about this a while ago and thought it was the best challenge to take out into the real world, a challenge to bring a shift in our consciousness. 

How many times a day do we come in contact with a new person and ask them the same, old, monotonous question: What do you do?

Am I right? You meet someone, you ask their name, and then the inevitable question of what the person does for a living arises. It is almost impossible to avoid. And do we actually care when we ask this question? For the most part, NO. It's like we are set on autopilot or reading a script whenever we meet a person and have to interact with them. The interaction is just as bland for the person being questioned as well. They are always ready to blurt out their life story about their job, what they are in school for, and how they like it. 

But where is the sincerity in these conversations? Where is the true love and interest in one another's lives? There is nothing but a regurgitation of words and a list of topics to cross off. 

That is why I propose a challenge to change what we say when we come in contact with others. Instead of asking "What do you do?", ask this instead:

•  "WHY do you do what you do?"
• Oh Boy, will this will throw the person for a loop when they hear it. It will make them stop and ponder for a minute, even get choked up with how to answer. Why DO I do what I do? What has driven me to continue down the life path I am currently on? You will learn so much more about them when they answer. You will discover their outlooks on life, their motives, and even the activities they participate in that make them feel truly alive or vibrant. When you ask this question there will definitely be a shift in awareness on both ends. This will lead to a bunch of different areas of conversation, revealing all their thoughts, emotions, concerns, and interests. You will actually be able to CONNECT with each other. 

I have seen far too much autopilot, machine like people walking around. I too am guilty of this contagious style of interaction with people. We get so caught up in our own little worlds that we don't take the time to be thoughtful while speaking with others. So let's change this!

Let us be conscious in every interaction we have. Let us look into someone's eyes and give them our complete attention because it is EXTREMELY apparent when we are just running through the checklist of things to say and ask. There is a huge difference between asking and caring. 

Let us be human. Let us feel the energetic connection between one another as we converse. Let us be present, aware, and mindful. Let us be REAL. 

9 Life Lessons Yoga has Taught Me

Yoga does a lot. People credit it to curing illnesses, diseases, chronic pains, mental issues, etc... None of which have any resonance in my own life right now. I've always been athletic and blessed with pretty decent health. I tried yoga a couple of years ago out of complete curiosity because I wanted to know what all the hype was about. Here is why I've stuck with it ever since. 

THIS IS WHAT YOGA TEACHES ME:

1. ·         Yoga is about balance. That means I DO NOT allow yoga to be my life. Balance is crucial, and I actually find yoga through other activities besides yoga. I run, lift at the gym, hike in the woods, sprint up hills, swim, go the park and practice tumbling, bike ride, write piano music…. These are my activities. They all disconnect me from real life. I enter a flow state when I'm in these activities, and I feel limitless. I feel ecstasy. I feel the presence of God. I know who I am.
2.       You can go deeper in anything in life at any time. Stop using your head and thoughts in every situation you find yourself in. It is more important to feel the vibration of life and flow with it. Feel your experiences with your energy, not your mind. 
3. ·   Yoga is not about going to class and practicing the poses and breathing techniques and meditation just for the Hell of it. Yeah, it feels really good, but you want to know the real reason to go to class?- Consciousness. It is an inevitable result of practicing yoga. Iyengar, an awesome teacher, once said that if you open your armpits you won’t be depressed. What? Think about it. If you open your armpits while standing in a mountain pose, your chest will be shining forward and open which has a direct correlation to the state of your mind and well-being. It’s like an act and react situation. Act with your physical body, and your inner Self will react by reflecting what you portray.
4. ·         When you practice yoga, you disconnect to connect. Disconnect from the world to connect with yourself and God.
5. ·         Yoga does NOT have to be dogmatic. Yeah, it’s nice to respect the traditions of where and how yoga developed, but like anything else in life, things transform over time and change and adapt to personal lives and people’s individual experiences. Yoga is not necessarily a series of downward facing dogs, Warrior poses, savasana, and ‘namastes’. It can be ANYTHING that gives you the intimate connection to yourself, allows you to lose track of time, gives you access to your higher powers, shows you ways to shower love onto yourself and others, ……… 
6. ·         What is yoga? It is to yoke, to be in union, to know that you and me and everyone and everything around us are ALL CONNECTED. We have been, we are now, and we will be for all eternity. 
7. ·         We are undeniably capable of an immense level of power and strength- physical and spiritual, good and bad, loving and fearful. We control this power by altering our state of consciousness and choosing where and how to direct our attention.
8. ·         LAW OF ATTRACTION IS REAL. Believe and receive. Energy flows where attention goes. You create your destiny.
9. ·         Yoga taught me more than I ever have learned in church. I was always confused by the statement in the Bible: “I am that I am.” I searched for years to discover what this mysterious statement meant. I knew God was saying that he is all. He is everything and everywhere. But why were the words 'I am' used? Now I understand completely. Yoga has taught me that yes, God is everything, and so am I. So are you. ‘I AM’, the name of God is me and is you. I translate “I am that I am” to “God is God. God is me, and I AM God.” With this knowledge, I FEAR NOTHING. I walk into the world with complete confidence and comfort in everything.

·         WHAT DOES YOGA MEAN TO YOU?

The Bad Oil Elimination Challenge

"For a healthy heart, stick to butter"

THE BAD OIL ELIMINATION CHALLENGE

There are a large number of artificial and even "naturally derived" ingredients, chemicals, and preservatives added into a lot of our food products that are harming our health. There is specifically one thing that is the worst of all evils when it comes to intoxicating our bodies: INDUSTRIAL SEED AND VEGETABLE OILS.
Do you ever wonder why you get sick? You wonder why you lack energy? You wonder why you are sensitive to certain food groups when others are not or why more and more so called "healthy" people are developing diseases at younger ages than ever before?

I BELIEVE IT IS LARGELY ASSOCIATED WITH BAD OILS. THE BIG ONES ARE:

• Soybean Oil
• Corn Oil
• Canola Oil
• Safflower Oil
• Cottonseed Oil
• Sunflower Oil
• Peanut Oil
• Crisco (a no brainer, but I thought I'd still mention it)

These have not been around that long. It all started when the big, influential groups began to push oils derived from plants and seeds as being "heart healthy" and recommended to replace saturated fats with them. These oils are very high in omega-6 fatty acids which when consumed in excess disturbs the proper ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 in our bodies. A long time ago before the industrial production of vegetable oils, humans consumed seafood and others great foods with high amounts of omega-3 long chain fatty acids present. A typical ratio for omega 6 and 3 fats was 1:1. 

In this day and age it is estimated that our consumption of omega-6 is 10-25% higher than during times before these seed/vegetable oils were ever produced!

Omega-6 is PRO-INFLAMMATORY. Omega-3 is NOT. 

The higher ratio of omega-6 in our society today is linked to the development of ALL kinds of inflammatory diseases. This includes diabetes, asthma, cancer, IBS, auto immune diseases, etc. 

These oils are LITERALLY EVERYWHERE. Look at the ingredients on the back of any packaged food item you buy. Almost all restaurants use corn and/or soybean oil to fry and cook all meals with. Be careful what you buy. Be mindful and aware.

If you or someone you know struggles with auto-immune issues, asthma, vertigo, leaky gut, irritable bowel syndrome, a mysterious sickness/health issue, or really any struggle you can't seem to escape from, I IMPLORE YOU TO TRY A THREE WEEK CHALLENGE. 

Three weeks. That's all I ask of you. 

When it could possibly mean your overall well-being and longevity, what do you have to lose?

Are you in? If so, here's THE CHALLENGE:

• For three weeks, cut out all processed or hydrogenated oils. The list of the absolute no no's are listed above. Here it is again.
• Soybean Oil
• Corn Oil
• Canola Oil
• Safflower Oil
• Cottonseed Oil
• Sunflower Oil
• Peanut Oil
• Crisco

• But fear not, here is the list of oils you should love and adore cooking with. These are the good fats and your best friends for the next three weeks:
• Grass-fed butter (I mean, who would complain about butter as a friend)
• Ghee
• Organic Palm Oil
• Lard (can be a trouble to find sometimes, but utilize it if you do!) 
• Extra virgin Coconut Oil 
• Olive Oil
• Avocado Oil

You may see that I have listed a number of saturated fats on the list of good fats. Yes, these are good fats! I'll leave that discussion for another post, but for now trust the experiment and try it out. Of course feel free to do your own research first on this! Don't take what I say as truth without reading your own material as well.

This may seem treacherous or impossible, but instead of looking at it as all the things you can't eat, look at it as an opportunity to explore new culinary options and expand your taste bud horizons! This will be a GOOD thing. I promise. Even if you don't have a health issue, I recommend trying this experiment out. You make find more vibrancy than you ever thought possible! Since you will not be eating any fake/bad oils, it means you probably cannot go out to eat at a restaurant for the time being unless you specifically ask the staff to inform you of the oils they use in your dish. It also means you will be cooking for yourself a lot. YAY! Focus on buying simple, one-ingredient foods at the grocery store if you can and making anything you can from scratch. 

I hope a majority of those who read this take it to heart and possibly feel a calling to try this three week challenge! If you do, you WILL notice changes no matter what. You may not even realize they are happening. 

Good luck friends, and let me know how it goes if you take on the Bad Oil Elimination Challenge. 

Are Soul Mates Real?

I don't know if it is just me as a young person, but I get so tired of hearing others tell me that I will one day find my soul mate and that he and I will cross paths and simply know it is meant to be. This seriously sounds like a cheesy romantic comedy that I would roll my eyes at.

But really, what is a soul mate? Some may say it is the ideal partner made for another person, but I would like to go a little bit more in depth with that statement.

I like the definition of soul mates by an author named Neale Donald Walsch. He says they are "two expressions of the Same Energy Unit. I think it is as if a cluster of energy from God was busted up somehow, and then a couple of pieces from that cluster floated in the ether back to each other."
This makes sense because all that we are is energy. It's plausible that two of the same energies created became separated at some point. That explains the inconceivable connection between some people when they first meet. You know, those mushy love stories that we all secretly wish we were in where the first second two people's eyes meet, they just know they are in love. They think the same, they can telepathically share feelings and emotions, and they always watch out for one another with intense love.

But if soul mates are two expressions of the Same Energy Unit, wouldn't you intuitively know (if you truly have a soul mate) that your other complimentary energy is out there somewhere? Wouldn't you feel it throughout your life? I believe so, and I think that is why some people are set on the idea of soul mates and others are completely opposed to it. The ones who do believe probably have that Same Energy Unit out there while the ones who don't believe probably do not. They are the only expression of their own energy in the world and therefore do NOT have a soul mate.

I used to try and tell myself that soul mates didn't exist at all, that you find a person you have chemistry with and fall in love over time.
This idea comforted me.
 I didn't want to believe that we all had a perfect match out in the world because what if I never found him? What if we never crossed paths? That would mean I was doomed to live a life with a less than perfect partner knowing I was never fully in love, and that image frightened me.

But I finally came to terms with myself. I couldn't fight the idea of soul mates because I have seen it firsthand ever since the day I was born. My mom and dad are the EXACT DEFINITION. They met and instantly knew they wanted to be together forever. My dad was headed out to flight school, so he knew he had to make a move, and he proposed to my mom three weeks after meeting each other. I think they had been on maybe 5 dates. THAT BLOWS MY MIND.
To this day, every time I see my parents they still have that same sparkle in their eye when they look at each other. They laugh like they just met yesterday, they talk with a intense passion to learn more about one another, and they greet each other as if it is the most exciting part of their day.

So I know soul mates exist. These two are obviously the Same Energy Unit, but I still don't think everyone has that. I am pretty darn sure that I don't.

Don't get me wrong! This is NOT A BAD THING.

Does it mean you are any less special if you don't have a soul mate? Does it mean you are any less complete? Destined for less happiness? NO NO NO NO NO. Absolutely NOT!!

Because EVERY single person on this planet is a COMPLETE, WHOLE BEING in them self. You walk in completeness every day no matter if you have a soul mate or not. Finding a soul mate may allow two people to walk in completeness together, to compliment each other, and to stimulate the better features of who they are so that they may shine, but being without a soul mate means you have OTHER METHODS of awakening your true being and choosing happiness.

Maybe that is a special connection you have with nature. Maybe with music, art, running, teaching, touching others, performing for others..... the list is endless. It is simply a matter of listening within to allow your passions to release so that you may express it to the world.

So feel it out for a while. Meditate on your energy. Sense if you are all present within yourself or if your energy is also lingering elsewhere in the world. Maybe you have a soul mate and maybe you don't.

Either way stay stoked because YOUR LIFE HAS SO MUCH TO OFFER YOU. Make it epic.

Stop the Sunscreen

Every time I am headed to the lake, going camping or hiking, or spending a long period of time out in the sunshine, everyone always tells me to REMEMBER MY SUNSCREEN.

Sunscreen..... The magic rub or spray for your body to protect against the vicious skin cancer that chases you everywhere. God forbid you get caught out in the sun without your sunscreen, right?

I haven't worn sunscreen for probably five years. I spend almost every summer day out in the sun and do just fine. I try to limit the things I rub into my skin because skin BREATHES JUST LIKE YOU DO. It absorbs everything you touch onto it, and just like you try to limit your exposure to pollution in the air, you should do the same for your skin.

Most people don't ever take the time to turn their bottle of sunscreen around and look at the ingredients. Do you know what those magical chemicals are that supposedly protect your skin? A majority of well known sunscreens contain the chemical oxybenzone which is absorbed through the skin. This is the nastiest one. It has been linked to hormone disruption and damaging of cells which leads to increased risk of skin cancer.

So the product we are using to save us from skin cancer is actually speeding up the process. 

Now there are a growing number of naturally based and safe sunscreens out there. A few include: Badger all Natural Suncreens, ECO Formula SPF 30+, and Poofy Supernaturals. These can all be purchased online, and I highly recommend you do it for your safety.

An even better idea though is to try and limit the things you rub onto your body at all.

There is a great supplement called Astaxanthin which is an antioxidant found in a great deal of marine animals that give them a deep, red pigment. When taken, it protects your skin and allows you to function in the sun without burning as easily.
Now all bodies and skin types are different. I am aware of that. Some can stay out in the sun for hours and turn into a brown, crispy sun god while others stay out for half an hour and become a red lobster. So experiment a little with exposure. Buy a few safer sunscreens, and take Astaxanthin. Ease into the sun, and let it be your friend.
We haven't lived in buildings forever. We used to be a species that inhabited the outdoors and lived our lives under the sun. We are meant to be out there, so let's take baby steps back into the world. Stop being afraid of the damaging sun, and start throwing away your harmful sunscreen.

Universal Number Signs

For those of you who know me, I have a small obsession with numbers. Yes, I think they are extremely representative of certain aspects in life, symbols of the divine, warning signs to watch out for, and also guidance along your individual path.

I believe everyone has a number or set of numbers. Some people might have the same ones, but it is a matter of accessing and acknowledging the presence of your numbers and realizing when/how they show up in your life.

I have a number. My brother has the same one. It has been following us since we were in elementary school. I never realized it until he pointed it out to me about four years ago. The number is 108.

Now you might know of it since I have it on my car, it's tattooed on my arm, and I talk about it consistently...but it was there even before all that.

108 was the number called for us to be released from school as children. I would check the time at 1:08 accidentally all the time. Cars with 108 on their license plate followed me. They would park next to me. I'd park next to them. I'd flip a book open to page 108. One time in a game, drawing out of a hat, I drew a '10' right before my brother drew an '8' to connect it. I found it on price tags, addresses of houses I randomly looked at.... I did and still do see it everywhere. Literally EVERYWHERE, sometimes 10-15 times a day.

Then I watched the show "Lost". Guess what number they were obsessed with? Yep, 108.....

So I became way too curious. I had to look up the significance of this number. Either I was going crazy or there was more to it than I thought. What I found? To my amazement this number shows up in almost every culture around the world, and it has for thousands of years. Here are a few connections:

• The distance between the Sun and Earth is 108 times the diameter of the Sun, and the distance between the Moon and the Earth is 108 times the diameter of the Moon. 
• There are 12 constellations and 9 arc segments. 9x12=108.
• In Buddhism AND Hinduism, there are 108 beads on a mala to aid in repeating a mantra 108 times during meditation.

• In Hinduism, there are 108 names for the supreme lord Shiva
• A Hindu carving on a temple in Cambodia tells the story of 108 gods and demons pulling a serpent back and forth.
• In some teachings of Buddhism, there are believed to be 108 feelings.
• There are supposedly 108 ways to enlightenment.
• Every end of the year in Japan, the bells in Buddhist temples are chimed 108 times to bring the beginning of the new year. 
• In Ayurveda, there are 108 pressure points in the body where consciousness intersects with the flesh.
• At 108 degrees F internally, the human body's organs start to fail from too much heat.
• The Stonehenge is 108 feet in diameter.

AND THESE ARE ONLY A FEW OF MY FINDINGS. 

The list goes on and on.. It is clear that this number is important and treasured in Eastern traditions as well as in space and in mathematics. I analyzed this significance to be the UNIVERSAL SIGN OF GOD.

AND IT MAKES SENSE:

1- There is one divine, one supreme creator of all that is (whether you call it Yahweh, Jehovah, God, Allah, the universe, or nothing at all).  THIS IS TRUTH.

0- The completeness or wholeness from spiritual practice or even emptiness from lack of practice. THIS IS LOVE. 

8- The eternity of the divine and infinite connection to it. THIS IS JOY.

This even relates to the Holy Trinity of the Christian beliefs. There is one, true God the Father; the inviting, complete love of Christ or Jesus; and the eternal Holy Spirit or way of connecting with God. 

108 is simply everywhere. It is what is. I know now that it is a reminder of who I AM and who the divine is. It reminds me to keep GOD IN MY INTENTIONS and LOVE IN MY HEART wherever I may go and during any situation. 

 Some might say that numbers are of the human origin. They mean nothing to the bigger picture and to classify any with God would be placing Him/Her into a physical, tangible box which are completely opposite of what God is. But as much as we try to ignore it, we are HUMAN. We ARE physical, tangible creatures that try to access our soul and connection with the divine as often as possible, but we are bound by the limits of the world we exist in currently. So why wouldn't God have ways to connect with us on a physical level such as numbers? Everything we understand in life is due to numbers and mathematics. Without it, all would be a blur of confusion. It just makes sense that God is present in it as well.

God is present in any and all numbers.
So my challenge to you. KEEP AN OPEN MIND. YOU HAVE A NUMBER. Your number is out there, around you, following you. It is waiting for you to take notice and latch on to the wonderful implications it has for your life. Stay clear minded and it will surely show up as your guide because the divine is omnipresent, and forever accessible to you.

Eat That Whole Fat Dairy!

·     I swear. It makes me want to rip the hairs out of my head every time I hear someone ask for skim milk or say “non-fat dairy is healthier for you” or “I’m trying to watch my weight so I need low fat options”.

STOP. PLEASE STOP.

 Like anything else in life, it is SO important to do your own research before you follow or believe something ANYONE OR ANYTHING EVER TELLS YOU TO BE THE TRUTH.

If the government decided one day to promote a new nutritional guideline that had cupcakes as the grounding for a proper diet, would you automatically believe them and start eating cupcakes for breakfast and lunch every day? No! So why has everyone so easily bought into the idea of low-fat for the past 30 or so years?

It’s because Americans want a quick fix for every aspect of life, and when the government persuaded public health advocates and doctors to preach low fat in the 20^th century, it stuck! It sounds so easy. Eat foods low in fat and you will lose fat on your body, right?

THEY COULDN’T BE MORE WRONG. First of all, what is the biggest commitment to eating a healthy diet? Choose foods that are exactly as they come in nature or as close as possible to it. And how does milk come in nature? Does it come in 2% or 1% variety? Absolutely not! It comes with all those delicious milk fats, and they are there for a reason.

It also comes down to biology and scientific facts. So let’s look at some important points. I’ll keep them simple and short:

• ·         Butyrate, a compound found in full fat dairy, gives energy to the cells in the colon and can protect from bacteria finding its way into the bloodstream. Cellular energy is the key to how your brain, organs, and muscles work in synergy.
• ·         Milk fat is an excellent source of fat soluble vitamins including Vitamins A and K2 which help digest and absorb micronutrients in vegetables and fruits when you eat them.
• ·         Consuming fat slows down the digestion process, so you will feel fuller longer, and if you pair the fat with sugary foods, it will slow the process of sugar entering the bloodstream which means less of an insulin spike.
• In the same period of time that the consumption of lo-fat products grew in the US, the rates of type 2 diabetes and obesity increased EXPONENTIALLY. Think about that for a moment. As we supposedly ate "HEALTHIER" more and more people became sick at a quicker pace. Now not only adults struggle with diabetes and obesity, but America's children are gaining more weight and are at a risk for heart disease every year. Still think it's the fat to blame?
• Saturated fat (such as the fat found in dairy) has the power to increase HDL (the GOOD cholesterol in your body) and can lower triglycerides in the blood. With a higher ratio of HDL to LDL (the bad cholesterol in the body) you will have BETTER protection against heart disease. 
• "Most saturated fat in milk has no effect on circulating cholesterol and no negative implications for human health" Take a look if you want to read more. (http://www.todaysdietitian.com/news/exclusive0912.shtml). 

I could go on for pages and pages with more information, but I know I would lost most you as readers, so I will leave it at that for now.

I will skip posting about various statistical studies and the implications they have on what to believe. There are SOOO many research studies with different and/or skewed results, so it is up to you to read and analyze the research if you are interested.

Now the thought of eating more fat, especially saturated fat, may seem repulsive or completely wrong to you, and it is because our country has been indoctrinated for far too long. Before going and brushing off what I am saying, I ask that you do a small, minute amount of research. Look at the PRIMARY studies and statistics.

Countless numbers of cultures have and still do rely on saturated dairy fats as a consistent part of their lifestyle, and they flourish with long, healthy lives. I am confident that America CAN be one of those cultures. We just need to come together, re-educate, and listen to our bodies once again. 

It is clear that we have been forced to believe something that simply is not true and may be harming health. So next time you are at the store grab that tub of full fat yogurt. Start pouring half-and-half or whipping cream (ORGANIC if you can) into your coffee instead of skim milk. Choose ice cream over non-fat frozen yogurt! Your body, energy, vitality, and taste buds will absolutely thank you for it in the long AND short run!