"Look for the flame of good in everyone, fan that flame into a fire, which by it's very nature will burn away all impurities."

(Markus Rothkranz)

Day 3 Liver/Gallbadder Cleanse

"That’s the difference between me and the rest of the world… happiness isn’t good enough for me. I demand euphoria."

(Calvin and Hobbes)

Day 3, preparing for the cleanse, and it's all good ... so far. Still eating a vegan diet, and I find myself craving cheese, of course. Mostly because it isn't recommended during the preparation phase, and in natural fashion, I'm wanting what I can't have, lol. However, I'm broaching the idea of giving it up all together. I've already noticed how much brighter my skin looks, and the doctor who over saw my panchakarma cleanse seemed to think it wasn't all that good for me, personally.

Although, I've learned it isn't always a good idea to focus on what I can't have, and take the focus on adding as many wholesome, healthy, organic foods into my diet, along other preventative regimens, and things that no longer suit me have a way of naturally falling away on their own. Better to add in good things so they crowd out the bad, and no struggle is to be had.

Day 2 Liver/Gallbaldder Cleanse

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go."

(Dr. Seuss)

One thing I haven't made completely clear regarding the cleanse is that all 6 days are really the preparation for the actual cleanse which takes place on the last day. Day 6. So, the prep includes, like I've said before, drinking 1 liter of apple juice everyday, eating a vegan diet, and properly cleansing the colon. The book offers several choices when it comes to colon cleansing, and I opted for the coffee enema. To my disbelief, I was amazed at the list of benefits and healing properties coffee enemas entailed. There is an abundance of information and testimonials on the therapy it's self.

But, what about actually doing it? Well ...

With it being my first time, it wasn't all that bad, and fairly simple. The challenging part came when retaining the 2 quart coffee mixture. Mixture meaning, you brew the coffee, like normal, using only pure water, steam distilled being best, and of course only preparing organic coffee. The optimal retention time is at least 15 minutes, and I was struggling a bit those last few, because of the slight cramping. Thank goodness for yoga practice, because consciously breathing helped.

Afterward? Once everything was evacuated I felt great. There really is something to it, and I'll be curious to see how I feel tomorrow.

I'll be posting more info I found regarding the process of coffee enemas.

Cheers!

Day 1 Liver/Gallbladder Cleanse

"Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere."

(Albert Einstein)

Drank my liter of organic apple juice, and well, it really did it's work. Andreas Moritz, author of The Liver and Gallbladder Miracle Cleanse, states that the apple juice has a strong cleansing effect. In some cases, which happened to me, stagnant bile is released by the liver and gallbladder. The fermenting effect of the juice widen the bile ducts, and Violà! There you go ...

My first thought was ... "What's a bit of apple juice gonna do?" Well, it didn't take long for it to do what it was supposed to do, lol.

Tomorrow ... drum roll, please ... the coffee enema. More on that later. I can't believe I'm about to blog about this, lol. Good times.

Embarking on a Liver and Gallbladder Cleanse

"We do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us something is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit."

(ee. cummings)

(Click on book for information)

Yup. Tomorrow will the start of my Liver and Gallbladder cleanse. Thankfully, I won't be doing this on my own, but with the support of two other fellow participants. Doing stuff like this with others simply helps, especially if it's for the first time.

Why? Well, there are many reasons why to do it. For one, it has been over six months since I embarked on my very first panchakarma experience. Which, by the way, I highly, highly recommend, I can't say it enough. I felt even months afterward, like my body was recalibrating to a state of continual balance. A wonderful feeling.

Two, I'm a big believer in taking preventive measures when it comes to health, and health maintenance. Anyone who knows me, and knows me well, knows that I look to the cause and not to the effect. Simply treating symptoms has proven itself to be a failure, time and time, again in the West. Being, a former pharmaceutical rep (ugh. I hate to admit, lol), and talking to hundreds of doctors, and sitting in their offices full of patients, clearly were never places of ultimate healing and rejuvenation. Of course, these are only my opinions, and observations during the years and I'm in no way knocking the profession of medicine. However, I feel like we only get one tiny aspect of what it means to live a healthy existence. I guess what I'm trying to say is it's important for me to run on all cylinders versus just hanging by a thread.

Three, well, it all comes down to the liver and the startling formation of gallstones that form there due to the nature of our diet. After some research, and learning about how important the functions of the liver are, it seems quite crazy NOT to do the cleanse. Simply put, I don't want gallstones in my body.

Benefits? Well one can expect a whole host of benefits through cleansing the liver, such as improved digestive and metabolic functions. Increased mental clarity, vitality, and energy. Clearer skin. Reversal of premature aging. Freedom from pain. Hormonal balance ...

The list goes on, and on ...

The protocol begins with drinking one liter of organic apple juice for 6 days. This helps to soften the stones via the malic acid contained in the apple juice. Not too shabby. However, the fun part comes in during the 6 day when a concoction of Epsom salts and filtered water, along with a grapefruit juice, olive oil mixture are ingested. I'll be posting more of the details during the actual day.

This should be interesting.

Where The Wild Things Are

Ah. I so remember this book as a kid.

Tie Your Heart at Night to Mine

Tie your heart at night to mine, love,
and both will defeat the darkness
like twin drums beating in the forest
against the heavy wall of wet leaves.

Night crossing: black coal of dream
that cuts the thread of earthly orbs
with the punctuality of a headlong train
that pulls cold stone and shadow endlessly.

Love, because of it, tie me to a purer movement,
to the grip on life that beats in your breast,
with the wings of a submerged swan,

So that our dream might reply
to the sky’s questioning stars
with one key, one door closed to shadow.

(Pablo Neruda)

Nataraj

Nataraj Nataraja Jay Shiva Shankara Nataraja
Shivaraj Shivaraja Shambo Shankara Shivaraja
Om Namah Shivaya Namah Shivaya

Lord Shiva - is the cosmic energy of change and transformation, the fire that burns away all that stands between us and freedom. He is the absolute pure consciousness, the embodiment of auspiciousness. He is know as the Lord of time, of dreams, of the unconscious mind, of ghosts, of death. He is the exhale that creates room for the inhale. He is destruction that opens up the way for rebirth. Creation, preservation, and destruction happening every moment ... When we sing to Shiva, we offer ourselves to Him to be cleansed, purified, transformed, liberated. We offer our sense of separateness, our ego driven self-will to the will of the divine.

Nataraj/Nataraja - means Lord or King (raja) of the dance (nata). This is an epithet of Shiva, referring to his tandava, his ferocious dance of fury which causes the entire world to crumble to dust. This is the auspicious and sometimes frightening clearing away of the old to make way for the creation of the new.

Shivaraj/Shivaraja - means Lord or King Shiva.

Shankara - is the epithet of Shiva, meaning "the annihilator."

Shambo - is another epithet of Shiva.

Om - is the cosmic sound, the scared syllable, the core sound of creation, preservation, and destruction.

Namah Shivaya - is translated as: I bow to; I surrender to, I honor; I offer myself unto Shiva, the great Lord of yogis and of transformation; the indwelling higher Self.

(Written by Jai Uttal)

A Talk on School Lunch

A must see!

Provacative Talk on Food

Tony Robbins

Give. Nice, reminder.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to seeing this film. Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, and Jude Law are a some of my favorite actors.

Ganesha Sharanam

Ganesha Sharanam Sharanam Ganesha
Gan Gan Ganapati Sharanam Ganesha
Jay Ganesha Jaya Jaya Gananatha


Ganesha is the elephant-headed god, son of Shiva and Parvati. "Gana" means troops or multitudinous spiritual attendants of Shiva, and "isha" means Lord, so Ganesha is the "Lord of the troops." Ganesha is the remover of obstacles and is always invoked at the beginning of any endeavor. He also represents the earth element - the root chakra - which needs to be solid before we can fly. Ganapati and Gananatha are two other neames of Ganesha. "Pati" means Lord or protector, and "natha" means Lord, so Ganesha, Ganapati, and Gananatha really mean the same thing: "Lord of the troops."

Sharanam means refuge, protection.

Gan Gan is part of the bija, or seed mantra of Ganesh. This core sound doesn't carry discursive meaning. Bija mantra are said to contain the essence of the deity. I seek refuge in Ganesha. Please protect me, oh great Elephant.

(Written by Jai Uttal)

Kirtan

Chanting the many names or mantras of the Gods and Goddesses - is perhaps the most important technique in Bhakti yoga. Although the practice itself is very simple, the internal process that it stimulates is vast and mysterious. Externally, we're just singing repetitive songs with simple melodies and a few Sanskrit words. We're asked to try to put our analytical minds to the side (easier said than done), and sing from our hearts. We're told that whatever emotion we're feeling, even anger, can be passionately channeled into the song. We're told that it doesn't matter the slightest bit what our voices sound like. Then the magic happens. Walls constructed long ago come crumbling down. Wounds that we never knew were there begin to heal. Long submerged emotions, both joy and sorrow, come to the surface to be offered up into the chant. And somehow, effortlessly, we move into a meditative state that creates a safe, calm haven for the flower of the heart to unfold. Whether or not we understand the meanings of the words, these chants become vessels to carry our deepest unspoken prayer to the infinite soul of God.

One of the amazing things about Kirtan as a practice is that it welcomes any mood or emotional condition. We can sing softly, like a mother to her baby. We can sing sensually, as if to a lover. And we can sing with powerful energy of an angry warrior. Our whole being is offered. Whoever we are at any given time, whether happy or sad, shining with light or hidden in darkness, our prayers are perfect in the eyes of unconditional love.

Finally, one who embraces the path of Bhakti very quickly stops doing these practices to get anything or feel anything. Rather, the Kirtan becomes an outpouring of love and emotion to the beloved, and unburdening, an offering. I feel, when I sing, my connection to my guru, my longing to be closer, and my gratitude for His unending grace. Truly, the essence of Bhakti is surrender, offering our individual selves to the great ocean of pure consciousness, gently resting in the loving embrace of the Divine Mother, saying, "Not my will, but Thy will be done."

(Written by Jai Uttal)

Meditation

Discipline

When you hear "discipline," what do you usually think of? It may evoke a feeling of rigidity inside. It may connote enforcement or obligation. Everything we do with this concept of "discipline" feels like a job, but in truth it isn't. The literal translation of discipline is, "to have the capacity to discover something new about oneself." I think that's a better way to interpret discipline. The hardest part of any practice is to show up. When you stand on your Yoga mat, you're in a space of openness to discover something new. Niyama means the ability to come back to your practice again and again, without force or rigidity. Approaching life this way will invoke a totally different energy than the usual mechanical approach.

(Anthony "Prem" Carlisi)

I really enjoy Prem Carlisi's approach toward the meaning of discipline. If anything, coming to the mat with an air of discovery is more fun than the alternative - becoming trapped into feeling like there is somewhere to be in the practice, or as if something needs to be attained - brings heaviness to it. Why take the joy out of the process?

Finding a balance between disciplined effort and non-attachment is an interesting dynamic to play with. It's amazing how things open and expand when no longer confined by the tangle the mind put us in. Hence, a reason to practice.

Always having a wild imagination, and active mind, I've learned how it can either stifle or set me free. It feels good to have tools to perceive more clearly. Not that I always get it right, but really, I guess the point isn't to get it right. Right? Just opening the mind, setting aside filters of past and future aside, is enough for now.

I've never been good at spiritual banter, and honestly, I'm happy not to be, because sometimes it's best not to verbalize what the heart can only know. Through practice, I enter the spaciousness of my heart, and learn to speak it's language. Silence. The silent hum of perfect fulfillment - the feeling of being embraced by an unknown/knowable force, that vibrates, pulsates, and buzzes with nothing more I can explain, but unspeakable LOVE.

I may not be the most eloquent when expressing all the inner workings of the mind, yoga, spirituality, and life, but at the end of the day, I ask myself ... Have I loved deeply? Have I been of service? Have I added value to those around me? Feels like some good stuff to start with.

It makes all that discipline worthwhile. That's for sure.

Theory Class with KPJ

KPJ in Encinitas, California, 1987.

Advanced Series - Old School Style

Practitioners include: Chuck Miller, Gary Lopedota, Clifford Sweate & Tim Miller. 1987.

Love this!!

Ashtanga Yoga Standing Sequence

"The unreal is more powerful than the real, because nothings is as perfect as you can imagine it. Because it's intangible ideas, concepts, beliefs, fantasies, that last. Stone crumbles. Wood rots. People, well, they die, but things are as fragile as a thought, a dream, a legend, they can go on forever."

(Chuck Palahniuk)