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Not Every Day Needs To Be a Happy Day


We are all humans, seekers, so impatient and eager to feel the buzz. To experience what I believe is at the core of our every desire. -Happiness. Yet life happens to all of us. The life that doesn't feel like happy at all, bringing days where all you want to do is to crawl back under the covers, or weeks you want to delete from the calendar. Oh yes, I've been there.

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1.2 Million-Person Study Shows How Much Exercise You Need to Benefit Mental Health


It's no secret that exercise is beneficial for your physical and mental health. Less clear however, is how much exercise it takes to achieve meaningful benefits. Increasingly, we're seeing that less is more when it comes to exercise, provided it's done correctly and at high enough intensity.

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How Trees Could Save The Climate


The Crowther Lab at ETH Zurich investigates nature-based solutions to climate change. In their latest study the researchers showed for the first time where in the world new trees could grow and how much carbon they would store. Study lead author and postdoc at the Crowther Lab Jean-Francois Bastin explains: "One aspect was of particular importance to us as we did the calculations: we ex-cluded cities or agricultural areas from the total restoration potential as these areas are needed for human life."

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Tackling The Growing Problem Of Loneliness And Isolation


A program to address social isolation and reduce the burden on the healthcare system is being trialled in Australia. The Ways to Wellness Social Isolation Project is a partnership between UQ, the Queensland Community Alliance, the Mt Gravatt Community Centre and the Mt Gravatt Men's Shed. The program uses 'social prescribing', where patients are referred to a link worker and on to non-medical group programs in the community.

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Indigenous Traditional Healers Now Working In Medical Clinics


Aboriginal healers are bringing their 60,000-year-old tradition into medical clinics across Australia. Working alongside doctors and other health care providers, the traditional healers known as Ngangkaris are offering their ancient and powerful traditional healing methods in mainstream health settings.

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How To Grow Dragon Fruit


Dragon fruit is an exotic cactus that's just as impressive for its nutritional benefits as it is for its aesthetic appeal. While this heat-loving plant is native to Mexico and Central and South America, it's also grown in several Southeast Asian countries. Dragon fruit can be grown in pots on a patio, but must be protected from cold temperatures.

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What Should Your Poo Look Like?
The size, shape and colour of your stool gives valuable clues about the state of your health. It's so important in fact, that in 1997 Stephen Lewis and Ken Heaton from the U.K.'s Bristol Royal Infirmary teaching hospital developed what's now known as the Bristol stool chart. The chart, formally known as the Bristol stool form scale, was developed after the team conducted a study showing the chart's usefulness for monitoring changes in intestinal function.

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Psychoneuroimmunology and The Power of the Mind on Disease

We appear to have come a long way in the world of medicine with the eradication of certain diseases such as smallpox, the technology and skill to replace a non-functioning organ, and the ability to live potentially into our 90's. With all these advancements, we are chock full of medicines from aspirin to antibiotics to Xanax. There is a pill out there for just about everything, but some things just cannot be healed by Western medicine and don't need to be. But that's not a popular belief.

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Six Ways Nature Helps Children Learn

Some years ago, Richard Louv made the case in his book; Last Child in the Woods, that kids were spending so little time in nature that they had 'nature deficit disorder.' The consequences they suffered were dire: more stress and anxiety, higher rates of obesity and ADHD, and more.

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The Best Temperature for Sleeping

If you've ever woken up because you're too hot or cold, you know that temperature extremes can significantly affect your sleep quality. But even subtle differences in temperature can influence your sleep, for better or worse. Your body temperature cycles along with your sleep-wake rhythm, decreasing at night while you're asleep and increasing during the day.

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The A Pluralistic Approach To Thinking About The Human Microbiome

In "The Conceptual Ecology of the Human Microbiome," published in the June 2019 issue of The Quarterly Review of Biology, Nicolae Morar and Brendan J. M. Bohannan examine in detail the different metaphors scientists use to describe the human microbiome. Because it appears that each view has both advantages and disadvantages, the authors suggest the pragmatic approach of considering all metaphors when exploring therapies for diseases and disorders.

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Stress, pain and addiction experts unite in San Antonio, TX

"We have to be fearless about changing our mind based on new information."
~ Leonardo da Vinci ~

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The War on Human Consciousness

There is a war out there against the expansion of human consciousness. It has been escalating in recent years to the point where we must protect ourselves from the onslaught of this intervening frequency trying to turn us into stressed-out, sick automatons.

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The Right Way to Shower, According to Experts

Having a daily shower is a fairly recent development for Americans. Just 100 years ago, many thought getting their whole body wet at once (instead of taking the sponge baths that were common then) would invite diseases like pneumonia and someone would "catch their death."

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Forest Bathing Is Like A Bubble Bath For The Soul

Forest Bathing is intended to be a practice, similar to and aligned with yoga, meditation, prayer, exercising, and other endeavours, rather than a one-time event. Developing a meaningful relationship with nature occurs over time, and the connection is deepened by returning frequently throughout the natural cycles of the seasons.

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9 Hobbies to Boost Creativity and Health

Our bodies and minds require their own kind of pampering. Therefore, when we treat them carelessly and go through life without giving our lifestyle a second thought, we are bound to have frequent health scares and issues. This is why a lifestyle that embraces activities and hobbies that boost creativity, also promote physical and psychological health. When we care about ourselves, and fill life with behaviour that brings us joy, our wellbeing benefits in many ways.

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From Gut to Brain - The Inflammation-Depression Connection

When a woman experiences fatigue, brain clouding, flat mood, PMS, and constipation, we call it anxiety or stress and we stick her on an antidepressant that she will likely take for the rest of her life. Where in this protocol have we investigated why she is feeling that way? How have we personalised the treatment to her unique biochemistry? What is the plan for side effects including new and different psychiatric symptoms resulting from this prescription? We haven't. We've applied a one-size-fits all treatment to mask symptoms without consideration for the cause.

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15 Minutes Of Stretching Helps Improve Flexibility

Flexibility is likely the most overlooked part of a workout routine. Most people gravitate first to cardiovascular or aerobic work and then strengthening, adding stretching to cool down or warm up without recognising how it also helps stabilise their muscles and core to increase strength, balance and coordination.

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How Understanding Evolution Can Help Us to Be Happy

We humans evolved to be social creatures. By gaining the skills to cooperate with others, we were able to stave off predators, eat more consistently, and care for each other's young, allowing our genes to carry forward. So why do we still struggle at times to get along - even to the extent that we wage war on one another? And how can understanding our evolutionary heritage help us have better relationships and more happiness today?

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When Someone's Death feels like it's Killing You Too

"Everything happens for a reason," my friend said to me. I don't remember the context in which she said those words, but oh, how I hated hearing them. Anger welled up within me, and I remember thinking, "I hope you never have a life experience that makes you question that statement."

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Food Is Your Medicine, Not Pills

In my experience as a Naturopathic Doctor, not just a few but virtually all diseases can be healed with the correct diet and absolutely no medication. Your body is capable of handling and recovering from any ailment provided you give it the appropriate terrain to heal. Supplements may at times be beneficial, but your true medicine is food and always has been.

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10 Bad Habits we Practice Daily to Prevent Happiness

It is indeed the human way to get in our own way. Think about it: so much of what we do and don't do keeps us from feeling content and satisfied. Having a happy heart and an open mind means we are winning at life. When we can recognise the following ways we goal-tend our own happiness, we can begin to change our behaviours and habits so that we can win at life and stop sabotaging our happiness.

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From Adequate Nutrition to Optimum Nutrition

Research in human nutrition over the past four decades has led to many discoveries as well as a comprehensive understanding of the exact mechanisms behind how food nutrients affect our bodies. However, the "prevalence of epidemics of diet-related chronic diseases, especially obesity, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, cardiovascular diseases, and cancers, dramatically increases worldwide each year." Why hasn't all this intricate knowledge translated into improvements in public health?

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Is Sparkling Water Really Bad for You?

Water is a basic human need, but drinking enough of it is something that many people struggle with simply because they find plain water boring. This is why sparkling water, a drink that's been around for centuries, is finally becoming popular with consumers.

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7 Things That Happen To Your Body When You Quit Drinking Booze

Alcohol is such an ingrained part of our culture that we rarely consider the negative effects it may be having on our health and wellness. In fact, two of the most dangerous drugs in the world are alcohol and tobacco, yet both of these can be freely purchased in most any corner store or grocery market in the nation (U.S.). Alcohol companies spend nearly $2 billion a year in the U.S. trying to convince you that alcohol is sexy and will make you a more fun person. All the while, the latest research reveals how destructive alcohol consumption is, now even linking it to cancer.

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A Perfect way to Activate your PNS (Parasympathetic Nervous System)

It's near the end of the class, and we're in Savasana, or Corpse Pose, lying face-up on the floor. I'm guiding the yoga practice. I open my eyes and look around. No matter how many times I've seen this state of pure relaxation reflected on my students faces, and the complete letting go of their bodies, I continue to feel awed by it. As a teacher friend once said, "It is a cruelty to guide the students out of Savasana." I don't want to disturb this deep state of relaxation and the very delicate web of energy that can be felt in the room all around us. I want this stillness in time to go on, undisturbed..

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Study finds trend towards unusual and abnormal prescribing patterns in aged-care homes

Research from Flinders University has found that dementia patients in aged care homes across Australia are nine times more likely to be prescribed antipsychotic drug treatment.

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A Pema Chodron teaching for when Life Doesn't make a Damn Bit of Sense

I've been an editor with Elephant Journal for more than three years, and I'm still shocked (and super grateful) that I get paid - in part - to scour the internet for mindful teachings and inspiration and then share them with others. And the best teachings are usually the ones that resonate the most with me at a particular point in time.

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What we find when we take away the 'busyness' of our everyday Lives

Everything I've ever heard about meditation has always been about the 'end result.' The focus always seemed to be on the final goal of becoming a relaxed and happy person all the time, on its 'stress relieving' properties, and on its ability to magically, somehow, make the world a brighter, slower one. And that's where, if you learn more about meditation, this all goes sideways. You see, there is no end goal. But I didn't know that when I began.

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The Biggest and Most Harmful Misconception about Eating Disorders

The entirety of my life once revolved around my weight. Every thought, action and breath was dedicated to becoming thinner, smaller—invisible. After my personality and vitality had starved, my physical body began the final act of disappearance. It was during what I thought was the closing scenes of my life that a plot twist stormed the stage: a heart attack. This twist brought trained professionals to co-star alongside my emaciated body. Their actions saved my life and stopped the tragedy I was playing out.

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10 Fun Ways To Reduce Your Cortisol Levels

The body knows how to heal itself. Our bodies are beautifully equipped with natural self-repair mechanisms that fight cancer, prevent infection, repair wounds, protect us from infectious agents and foreign bodies, and even affect how our genes express themselves! But here's what most people don't know. These natural self-repair mechanisms get deactivated when your body is full of stress hormones like cortisol and epinephrine in fight-or-flight mode.

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Safe, Natural Ways to Treat Obesity

If you are overweight and you've tried everything on the market, and you still have not been able to lose or keep off pounds ... there is good news. Eat all you want! 'Experts' agree on one thing: what we consume/eat is what we are.

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The Only Two Ingredients We Need to Heal Ourselves

We're living longer on average, but we also have more health problems than ever before. In fact, the average 65-year-old in the United States is on six prescription drugs, with the focus on keeping death at bay rather than making life worth living. Three particular issues are plaguing more and more of us as we age: cancer, cardiovascular disease, and dementia. But you don't have to accept deterioration with age, or chronic illness, because you can grow a new (healthier) body.

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How Reiki Works-The Science Bit

If you are like me, deeper understanding comes from learning everything both spiritually and physically, and how it fits into everyday life, as well as we can understand it in a tangible and logical way. But to explain something that we cannot see or fully understand with our limited human minds is a massive task. I will try my best to collate my extensive research into a short version here as best as I can to help dispel any fears that may be associated with working with what is still not completely understood. Nothing is as it seems.

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The Link Between Alcohol and Magnesium Deficiency

Alcohol is the world's most socially acceptable recreational drug. Grab a glass of wine and unwind from a long day; have a BBQ and invite friends over for some beers; alcohol has its place in many people's lives - but it doesn't come without consequences to the body.

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A Whole New Scientific Approach to Digestive Comfort - Mix and Match Enzymes for the Foods You Want to Eat

Love dairy but annoyed that it doesn't love you back? Not sure that tempting dish on the menu is truly gluten-free? Need help digesting the fat in your ketogenic diet? Welcome to my revolutionary approach for proper digestion: Go broad, not deep. Select the suite of enzymes you need for what you choose to eat. If you suffer with occasional bloating, gas or other digestive concerns after eating, especially the foods you enjoy most, you're not alone.

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Two Buddhist Techniques for Dealing with Depression

In the past, I underestimated the power of the word depression. I claimed I was depressed every time I woke up disappointed or frustrated. But when someone I love was recently dealing with depression, I realised that we can’t claim to be depressed when we merely feel dissatisfied.

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3 Ways to Cultivate Emotional Safety in our Relationships

In my "old life" I was a real stinker. I was the kind of person who would fight long and hard for the sole purpose of being right. I had to make my point or win an argument at any cost, and would unleash any emotional weapon I could in order to get my way: guilt, shame, yelling, door slamming, crying, passive aggression, or anger. You name it, I would use it.

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8 Different Types of Love According to the Ancient Greeks

There are many paths in life. But the longest of them all is the path to the heart. If you resist this path, you will take lifetimes to find it again. If you surrender and embrace it, you'll be home. We've all been blinded by the blanket of emotions that comes from falling down the precipice of union into love. While we only have one word for it, the ancient Greeks in their pursuit of wisdom and self-understanding, found eight different varieties of love that we all experience at some point.

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The Powerful Impact Yin and Softness can have on our Fiery Lives

Serenity is an acquired taste, my therapist told me on a crisp Autumn day last year. Back then, as the brilliant leaves fell and the trees turned bare, I had no idea what she meant. Maybe I didn't yet care. Now, I believe her. Serenity is not a taste I even wanted until recently. I couldn't fathom it, really.

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Diabetes: An Introduction to a Modern Epidemic

According to research conducted in late 2016, life expectancy in the United States has declined for the first time in two decades, leaving the researchers baffled as to what the exact cause is. One of the primary perpetrators of this decline is believed to be drug overdose. But there is another major factor that has been pinpointed by a supporting study: diabetes, specifically Type 2 diabetes. There's no doubt that diabetes is steadily growing to be an epidemic, particularly among Americans. According to data from the American Diabetes Association, at least half of all adults in the U.S. are either in a state of pre-diabetes or already have diabetes.

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Scientists Explain How Digital Technology Affects The Brain

Does it ever make you wonder why so many people have a difficult time concentrating, suffer from sleep problems, and are becoming more anxious? Scientists from all fields, including neurologists and human behaviour experts, are examining how digital technology affects the brain. Many are realising that it may be a bigger problem than we think.

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Is Grounding the Missing Link to Better Health and Wellbeing?

Have you noticed that when you are outside in nature you feel calmer? Have you noticed how your holiday at the beach is soothing for your entire being? There is nothing like a long swim in the ocean, or a long walk through the bush when it comes to recharging and realigning a stressed body and mind. The interesting thing is, there is a perfectly logical explanation to why it feels like that. You see, the sand and ocean are both naturally conductive materials, meaning when your whole body connects. It grounds our energy - our electric charge - and removes excess positive electrons. Let me show you just why we all need some extra “vitamin sea”, and a hug from a large pine tree.

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A Comprehensive Guide to Hemp: Uses, Nutrition, Benefits and History

Hemp has a long-standing history throughout civilization, but what is hemp? As a renewable source for raw materials, hemp is incorporated into thousands of products from health foods and holistic body care to paper, textiles, and rope. In fact, hemp has been around for thousands of years - its earliest documented usage dating back to approximately 8,000 BC. So how does hemp differ from marijuana?

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Replace Dangerous Oils With Healthy Fats

Dietary fats are a crucial component of a healthy diet, but the devil is in the details, and the type of fats you choose can make a world of difference. While the notion that saturated fats cause heart disease is a fallacy, some fats do cause cardiovascular problems and need to be avoided. Replacing dangerous oils with healthy fats is one simple way to boost your health and reduce your risk of chronic disease. Here, I'll review some of the key points to remember when adding more fat into your diet.

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2019 Astrology Forecast - The Silent Revolution: Healing Our Collective Karma

We are in a time of immense change. Our world is moving into a totally new way of being. We are integrating completely new layers of what it means to be human and embodying dimensions of ourselves which have never before been experienced in the evolution of mankind. The year ahead will reveal many things to us about who we are and who we have been, as human beings. It will offer us opportunities to grow in ways we may not have imagined possible. But it will not be easy; as we wade into new territory we will be asked to trust the process, and allow ourselves the time it takes to grow into who we know we can be and align with a life that is authentic and meaningful.

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Inspiration from Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha

Hermann Hesse's timeless book, Siddhartha, should be required reading for any spiritual seeker. The book is about Siddhartha's journey as a respected son of a Brahmin. Everyone expects that he will follow in his father's footsteps. He enjoys an idyllic life and follows the tenets of his religion expecting that they will bring him peace and happiness. He feels the pangs of discontent though, and observes that his father and elders have not yet reached enlightenment, even though they too have followed the instructions of their religion. When starving and naked ascetics cross Siddhartha's path one day, his journey truly begins. On this endeavour, he comes to a river that teaches him many life lessons.

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Start a Daily Ritual and 7 other Mindful Resolutions for the New Year

With the New Year upon us, people are arming themselves with resolutions that will set 2019 in motion.

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25 Things We All Need to Stop Doing

1. Arguing about things we have absolutely no knowledge about.
2. Jumping to conclusions eg. putting comments on articles based on titles or images without reading the article first......

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What Happens to Your Body When You Drink Too Much Alcohol?

Some people believe that an occasional glass of red wine can benefit your health. Regardless of the merits of this view, too much red wine is unhealthy. Alcohol can impair decision-making abilities and motor skills. It is frequently a factor in vehicular accidents, violent behaviour, unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to alcohol poisoning too, which negatively impacts your health and may even cost you your life if it's not properly addressed.

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Start Your Day With A Shot Of This - Its Exploding With Vitamins

Many antioxidants - even some of the more potent ones - are unable to cross both your blood-brain and blood-retinal barriers to reach your brain, nervous system, and eyes. However, a breakthrough study reveals astaxanthin's astonishingly rare ability to do just that.

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Crisis in New Zealand health services as depression and anxiety soar

A landmark inquiry has found New Zealand's mental health services are overwhelmed and geared towards crisis care rather than the wider population who are experiencing increasing rates of depression, trauma and substance abuse.

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Food Is Your Medicine, Not Pills

In my experience as a Naturopathic Doctor, not just a few but virtually all diseases can be healed with the correct diet and absolutely no medication. Your body is capable of handling and recovering from any ailment provided you give it the appropriate terrain to heal. Supplements may at times be beneficial, but your true medicine is food and always has been.

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ANH Partners to Reverse Obesity and Diabetes Spiral in ASEAN Countries

Last year, the Economist Intelligence Unit's "Tackling Obesity in Asean" report confirmed that Malaysia has the highest rates of obesity and overweight among the Asean countries. Last weekend Rob Verkerk PhD and Meleni Aldridge from ANH-Intl came together with other international speakers and local experts in Kuala Lumpur to work with some of the region's top doctors and health professionals in an effort to turn the tide on this insidious yet preventable health crisis.

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Healthiest Cooking Oils - 7 Oils to Use and 7 to Avoid

When it comes to the cooking oil in your cupboard, plant-based oils made from fruit, seeds, nuts, and grains are the way to go. From familiar olive oil to exotic macadamia oil, plant-based oils can be rich and flavourful or light and neutral. You can use them for sauteing, frying, baking, roasting, and drizzling on salad. However, not all cooking oils are created equal. They all offer different benefits (or detractions) to your health. And depending on your intended use, some work better for high-heat cooking, while others are better for low-temperature baking or salad dressings. Here is what you need to know to make the best choices for your health.

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Yoga and Meditation Becoming Mainstream

Yoga and meditation are becoming increasingly mainstream according to a new report issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As compared to data collected in 2012, rates of involvement with these two complementary health approaches were on the rise in 2017, with more women than men taking advantage of these activities and the health benefits associated with them.

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9 Morning Habits That Will Change Your Life

Healthy body, spirit and mind are just a few simple habits away. I know this, because over the years I have gathered up the following, in a quest for balance throughout the day. On their own, they have incredible impact. Together, these habits create a fertile bed for a life well-lived.

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What is Lifestyle Medicine and How Do I Get It From My GP?

For many centuries medical treatment has been sought mostly for 'acute' problems - acute means an illness with trauma, pain, fever, or infection which requires an immediate diagnosis and treatment. Once correctly treated, usually with medication or surgery, most acute illnesses will resolve, with return to normal functioning in a short period of time.

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Science Says Silence Is Vital For Our Brains

The value of silence is felt by everyone at some point in their life. Silence is comforting, nourishing and cosy. It opens us up to inspiration, and nurtures the mind, body and soul. Meanwhile, the madness of the noisy world is drowning out our creativity, our inner connection and hampering our resilience. Science is now showing that silence may be just what we need to regenerate our exhausted brains and bodies.

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Type 2 Diabetes: The Science of Resistance

Obesity and its related diseases are the biggest threats to human health in the modern age and it's facile to say those afflicted simply haven't heard the message to eat less and exercise more. Getting on top of the over-fat epidemic isn't about helping people feel good or bad about their bodies - positive or negative. It's about health and longevity and ensuring that the fabric of society continues in a self-sufficient manner to support future generations. Humans are not built to carry excess fat beyond a certain level designed for energy storage and survival, and when they do, there are severe health consequences.

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11 Superfoods That Will Supercharge Your Body

A diet full of natural healthy foods is a guaranteed way to help the body maintain optimal function. Unfortunately however, the mass production of food means many live foods sold in supermarkets and stores are depleted of nutrients due to the overuse of chemicals in soil and during food production. Moreover, at times our bodies need a little extra help to clear away toxic debris that collects in the body from processed foods and environmental pollution.

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9 Natural Indigestion Remedies Proven by Science

For most of us, mealtime is a pleasure. Sometimes though, eating brings with it the uncomfortable symptoms of an upset stomach or indigestion. One in four people experience tummy upsets occasionally or regularly. While there are a variety of over-the-counter and prescription drugs that claim to target symptoms, effective natural remedies to improve your digestion are readily available in your pantry.

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Conquering Loneliness: An (Almost) Foolproof Method

"Why don't other people struggle with loneliness the way I struggle with it? Everyone else is happy and knows how to do this, but I don't." Inevitably, regardless of the stated reason for coming to therapy, my clients will make this statement with certainty. The grass is greener over there and filled with feelings of acceptance and companionship and love. And over here, clearly there's something wrong with me.

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All About Astragalus

What Is Astragalus Oil? Astragalus oil comes from the root of a plant known as Astragalus membranaceus, which has various names including Huang Qi, Bei Qi and Hwanqqi. It is native to northern China and the elevated regions of the Chinese provinces. A member of the pea family, astragalus was coined Huang Qi which means 'yellow leader' because of its yellow root.

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39 Self-Care Ideas for Those Who Struggle with Self-Love

No matter who you are, what you've done or what stage of life you're at, there's ONE thing you absolutely must incorporate into your life. And that is self-care. Without self-care, you can spend your life perpetually stressed, sick, and exhausted. Without taking the time to care for yourself, you can also miss out on the truly important things in life, such as spending time with loved ones or doing what makes you happy.

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Emotional Imbalance: The Emotional Ticking Time Bomb

How many times in your life have you known something wasn't good for you but you have gone ahead and done it anyway? Whether it was the food you've eaten, your choice of drinks, activity (or otherwise) or a relationship. We've all experienced what it's like to proceed with potentially self-destructive behaviour in spite of being fully aware of the warning bells going off in our heads. It's as if there's an internal driver demanding that an action be taken despite the consequences.

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How To Break Free From The Mind Game

Being able to think is what we tend to believe makes us superior to other beings. Not that we don't believe that other species think, but we do it so much better. We resonate, analyse and contemplate. We keep pondering and pondering, using the mind as if it was who we were, and the most valuable asset of any human being.

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How A Fourth Century Taoist Concept Is Treating Anxiety

While the Tao Te Ching is not one of the world's most discussed religious texts, at least relative to the amount of attention the Bible, Quran, and Buddhist and Hindu doctrines receive, Laozi's slim volume of instructions has massively influenced how we think about Eastern philosophy. The basis of Taoism is embedded in this series of short and punchy ideas that are rooted in, at times, paradoxical thinking.

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Seven Strategies to Turn Trauma into Strength

When Army surgeon Rhonda Cornum regained consciousness after her helicopter crashed, she looked up to see five Iraqi soldiers pointing rifles at her. It was 1991 and her Black Hawk had been shot down over the Iraqi desert. Dazed from blood loss, with a busted knee and two broken arms, the then-36-year-old medic was subjected to a mock execution by her captors, sexually assaulted, and kept prisoner in a bunker for a week.

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6 Lemongrass Benefits to Support Your Health

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) is a perennial herb with a distinct, lemony aroma and flavour. It is a staple of both Vietnamese and Thai cuisine, and is grown all over the world. Lemongrass is also a rich source of nutrients that offer many therapeutic benefits

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How to Not be Seduced by our Culture of Busy

I've been chronically tired for most of my life. Since the age of eight or nine, I have rarely experienced a full night of sleep. In addition to very little sleep, I love to work, so I've channelled a lot of energy into working ever since I was 14 years old.

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Tibetan Rites of Rejuvenation: a Guide to Meditation and Breath

We have analytical minds with mediated wants which promote us to live highly complex lives. And yet underneath it all we all crave simplicity, but are led to believe it can't be obtained without further complexity. In fact, it is simple to be simple - and it's completely up to you.

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Politico Health Summit 2018 on WHO's doorstep

It's the third consecutive year that a news machine - POLITICO EU - with an indefatigable interest in health has convened, alongside the Swiss newspaper "Le Temps", a healthcare summit in Geneva. The aim of the summit is to illuminate thorny issues by using POLITICO journalists and an engaged audience that interact with leading influencers in the healthcare sector. This of course implies a major turnout for pharma, but also regulators, such as the European Medicines Agency and European Commission.

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How to Grow Flax for Seeds and Fibre

Flax (Linum usitatissimum) is among the most ancient of superfoods, with a history of use spanning over 10,000 years. Remains of flaxseed have been found in Stone Age dwellings in Switzerland, and in Egypt, where the ancient Egyptians used it in the manufacture of linen. Flax reached the U.S. in the 1800s with the arrival of European settlers.

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The Truth About The Patient/Therapist Mind Game

There is something particularly odious - in my view - about the way in which we in the West approach what (until very recently) used to be called 'mental illness'. We may use a slightly different terminology now, preferring to talk in terms of 'conditions' rather than 'illness', but our approach is still the same. There is something very unpleasant - toxic even - in our attitude, and this unpleasantness, I think, stems from our fundamental lack of respect towards the experiences of the people we, as mental health professions, are dealing with.

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The 4 Keys To Wellbeing According To Neuroscience

Wellbeing is something that is hard to define and yet we all have an understanding of what it is. It derives from how you feel about yourself and your life, whether things are going well, and how you cope with stress. Wellbeing changes over time and is influenced by every aspect of our lives, from close friendships to feeling that you belong and having a sense of purpose.

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Understanding the Opioid Epidemic

With an estimated 11 million Americans abusing prescription opioid medications, opioid overdose is now the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 50. So how did we get here?

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Listening Through the Noise: Steps Toward Inner Peace

Every now and then it gets harder to hear all those subtle voices within - those whispers of higher knowing or feeling that seem to guide us, inspiring us into creativity or just getting a sense of the deeper meaning. When we are connected with these inner voices, life is magical. They give us a depth to our being that makes us feel really alive. We experience a unique kind of 'inner peace'.

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Witch Hazel May Work Wonders On Your Skin

For hundreds of years, various cultures have used plants to help alleviate symptoms of different illnesses that people are experiencing. One prime example of a plant that has consistently remained in use is witch hazel. Originally utilised by Native Americans, this plant has gained a reputation for helping soothe pain in various situations.

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How to Boost Brain Health and Reverse Neurological Disease Without Drugs

The less inflammatory your diet is, the faster you're going to get well, because inflammation is nearly always a contributor to neurological dysfunction. Your brain is a really important part of your body. I'm sure no one would disagree with that. In this interview, Dr. Lee Cowden, cofounder of the Academy of Comprehensive Integrative Medicine (ACIM)*, discusses some really simple and inexpensive strategies that boost brain health and support neuroregeneration.

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The Best Way to Improve our Lives-Personally, Professionally, & Spiritually

I've come to believe that the simple formula for happiness and success in life lies in caring about others, helping them in any way we can, and sharing what we have. I learned this the hard way. In the beginning, when I was striving for career success, better relationships, improved overall health, and mental wellbeing, I thought others had nothing to do with it-that it was a battle I had to win on my own.

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An Alternative View Of Human Nature

For a long time, there has been a general assumption in our culture that "human nature" is essentially negative. Human beings - so it was assumed - are strongly disposed to traits like selfishness, domination, and warfare. We have strong natural impulses to compete with one another for resources, and to try to accumulate power and possessions. If we are kind to one another, it's usually because we have ulterior motives of some form. If we are good, it's only because we have managed to control and transcend our natural selfishness and brutality.

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Living For Change

Love it or loathe it, change is inevitable. The world around us along with everything we do and experience are in a constant state of flux. Some fear change, others embrace it. Change for many of us means getting ourselves out of our habitual patterns and comfort zones. The great news for those who are struggling with change is that we come ready-adapted for it. Our ability to tolerate and adapt to change is built into our genes. It's one of the reasons we've been so successful as a species - with so many still thriving in a world that's visibly, socially, biologically and ecologically collapsing around us.

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Why We Need Hopeful News

Reading news stories that offer solutions and hope can make us more engaged with the news. Recently, Google announced that its voice-activated program, Google Assistant, will be offering a new feature called 'Tell Me Something Good' so users can request to only receive positive news stories.

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10 Self-Care Survival Tips When You're Suffering from Burnout

Suffering from burnout? Sick of feeling exhausted and bedraggled from life? Stress happens to everyone and burnout is inevitable at times. But there are many tricks to releasing stress that give us respite from feeling overwhelmed. Merely thinking about doing these things is not enough however. In order to take care of our stress, we actually have to take some action. Start small and try one or two of these suggestions.

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Studies Show Acupuncture Can Help If You Suffer From Depression And Anxiety

More than 300 million people suffer from depression and anxiety worldwide. That's approximately the entire US population. There are simply no words to describe the level of anguish that people - many needlessly - endure. The good news is that among many holistic methods of addressing this epidemic, there is acupuncture. Several scientific studies addressing depression have come to light recently which prove this ancient technique of healing can be very effective for addressing such as wide-spread issue.

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Six Smoothie Mistakes We are Making & How to Fix Them

Smoothies are a fantastic and easy way to get a big dose of nutrients in the morning. They can be made in less than five minutes and taken on the go making them super easy to fit into a busy morning routine. Recently smoothies have been making quite a comeback because of their reputation for helping people to lose weight and improve their health. The problem is many people are making mistakes when they make their smoothies, creating a drink that is not only unhealthy but contributing to weight gain!

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The Power of Being a Misfit

At the back of the classroom sits a boy. When the teacher calls on him he struggles for words. The teacher informs the boy's parents that he has no prospects - how could he when he can't even form a sentence? A few years later, the boy will be expelled for being rebellious and a bad influence on his peers. A 'no hoper' in society.

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We Have A Choice

"Shit happens." I remember seeing this saying on a bumper sticker and loving it. I have always felt its accuracy in describing life. Today, when I scan the news and take in the problems of the world, I find myself repeating these profound words-shit happens. It is true. But we have a choice."

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The Way the Western World Is Set Up, Disconnection Is Almost An Inevitability

Unless you are lucky enough to be included in the minute percentage of people who are sincerely attached to a religious or spiritual community or some kind of support group, chances are you feel a bit empty from time to time. It is common in our world to address this emptiness with various "solutions."

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Free Yourself from Your Mental Prison: Three Approaches to Healing

Many of us have spent years trying to find solutions to help us feel better. For some it is pills or years of therapy. Or maybe we have tried non-traditional approaches like meditation or working with spiritual powers beyond ourselves. Still, sometimes our negative thoughts keep coming back. We cannot seem to "make" them go away.

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The Art of Maintaining a Core Frequency in Life

Balance is one of the most important aspects to a healthy and fulfilling human life. Without balance, health starts to decay due to disruption and infiltration from disharmonic energies. All things have their own core frequency, which signifies balance to their particular system. Another way to phrase that is simply by saying there is an optimal frequency for peak health for all energetic forms in the universe.

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7 Facts About Depression That Will Blow You Away

A silent tragedy in the history of modern health care is happening right now in America, but no one is talking about it. We have been told a story of depression: that it is caused by a chemical imbalance and cured by a chemical fix - a prescription. More than 30 million of us take antidepressants, including one in seven women (one in four women of reproductive age). Millions more are tempted to try them to end chronic, unyielding distress, irritability, and emotional "offness" - trapped by an exhausting inner agitation they can't shake.

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Mind, Self, Spirit and Soul: What's the Difference?

Matilde, one of our readers from Switzerland recently asked: "What's the difference between the mind, body, spirit, soul and the self? In an article, you say that we should question who we are and that we will discover that we are not our minds, but that we are nothing and everything at the same time. But what about the soul? Is the soul individual? Are we all separate souls? Or are we the self, and we are all one?"

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Lao Tzu's Four Rules For Living

Many centuries ago, Lao Tzu spoke of the four cardinal virtues, teaching that when we practise them as a way of life, we come to know the truth of the universe. The ancient Chinese master said that living and practising these teachings can open you to higher wisdom and greater happiness, as they realign you to the source and enable you to access all the powers that source energy has to offer.

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What Doctors Say Are CBD Benefits Observed In Actual People, Not Mice

There's definitely no lack of anecdotal stories about the benefits of cannabidiol (CBD), a chemical compound in the cannabis plant. But unfortunately there's still only few human clinical studies that confirm how CBD benefits us. Therefore, it's exciting to hear medical professionals share their opinions about the effectiveness of CBD on actual people.

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Celebrating the Life of Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez

Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez's passing was an unthinkable loss for so many who were inspired, transformed, and saved by his work. He was a clinical genius, an activist, and a visionary that changed the course of medicine for all those willing to let go of the old paradigm.

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10 Ways to Protect Your Brain From Alzheimer's

Alzheimer's. The mere mention of the word sends shivers down our collective spines. Millions have been touched by it, having witnessed the devastation up close with loved ones who've been diagnosed. It is, as we all know, a grim picture, so it's imperative that each one of us does everything possible to avoid the disease.

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Why I Regularly Switch to Restorative Yoga

Although I have practised various forms of yoga for over 20 years, I was surprised to learn that there is an immensely therapeutic style of yoga that I hadn't heard of, and it is one that has quickly become my go-to during the more stressful periods of my life.

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4 Suppressed Superfoods with Amazing Medicinal Potential

Today information on curatives and healthy foods are constantly suppressed, and substances are even prohibited, like cannabis (which remains turmeric's fiercest competition for its balancing and curative effects).

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5 Reasons To Get Into Intermittent Fasting - and 4 Ways To Do It

For thousands of years, fasting - the practice of voluntarily abstaining from food and drink for a prescribed period - has been used for religious reasons, to make political statements, as a form of protest, self-expression, to rest the digestive system, or to minimise the effects of overdoing it at the buffet table.

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Pema Chodron: A Buddhist Teaching on Loneliness, Rejection and a Broken Heart
"There comes a time when the bubble of ego is popped and you can't get the ground back for an extended period of time. Those times, when you absolutely cannot get it back together, are the most rich and powerful times in our lives."
~ Pema Chodron ~

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Rift & Repair: the Magic of Leaning into Uncomfortable Moments

I dread rift. But I'm settling into it-kind of the way you settle into accepting a relative you don't much care for. Or dog hair on the floor. Or impending death. Settling is a soft word and that's intentional. I don't jump into the rifts. No kamikaze-ing. I just lean.

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Lymphatic Massage Helps Immune System

Massage is often considered to be a treat reserved for special occasions, but there's good reason to make regular massages a part of your health and fitness routine. Researchers from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles revealed that massages prompt significant physical changes in your body, including boosting your immune system, your body's key defense against illness and disease.1

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3 Easy Holistic Detox Tips, according to a Certified Detox Expert

When it comes to genetics, I didn't start out too fortunate. All the women in my line developed cancer at a very young age. My great-grandmother died of breast cancer at 40, my grandmother died of uterine cancer at 46, and my mother was the first one to survive breast cancer at 42, but had to undergo six chemo treatments. It broke my heart to see her fighting for her life.

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Our Food Industry in 8 Words: We Think We Can Do Better Than Nature

The problem with our food industry and big agriculture goes far beyond foods which are genetically modified, irradiated, pasteurised, homogenised, enriched, refined, toxically preserved, or grown with antimicrobials, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides or any other "cide." The problem is actually in our minds and how we think about food and nature itself. We are filled with knowledge but no wisdom. We think we can do better than nature. We think we can outsmart nature. Most of all, we think there will never be consequences to our superiority complexes in how we treat nature.

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When we're Triggered: How to Stop Reacting Defensively

Every single moment you live-awake and aware inside your life-is another tiny (or huge) opportunity for healing, even your moments on Facebook.

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Autophagy Finally Considered for Disease Treatment

Autophagy literally means "self-eating" and refers to your body's process of eliminating damaged cells by digesting them. It's an essential cleaning-out process that encourages the proliferation of new, healthy cells, and is a foundational aspect of cellular rejuvenation and longevity.

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Why Sound Heals

What produces the healing power of sound? We can feel it when we turn on the radio and our favourite song happens to be playing, or when we sit quietly and listen to the rain. There is a palpable peace when we are absorbed in quiet and a different kind of rejuvenation when we hear the wind in the trees. There is no doubt that sound has subtle, but profound effects on our body, minds and spirits. How exactly does sound work, though, to heal us?

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Chia Is Easy To Grow

If you were alive in the 1970s and 80s, you undoubtedly remember the "chia pet" craze. Cultivating one of these characters was easily accomplished by applying moistened chia seeds to a grooved terra cotta figurine and watering them daily until they sprouted. Because chia seeds become gel-like when wet, they adhered to the pottery in such a way as to create tufts of green sprouts that mimicked fur, hair and beards.

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Waking Up to the Sacred in Nature and Reclaiming Our Earth Soul

During my recent writing I have been surprised how difficult I found it to write a 'short chapter about nature and sacredness' for a readership that would be mainly urban. I was reminded how urgently we need to re-connect with the sacred aspect of nature, not only because we face an ecological crisis and need to stand up in vast numbers to the ever increasing destruction of natural habitat and resources, but also because the separation from the nature aspect of ourselves, from our earth roots and souls, is contributing extensively to the dis-connection from our own wild nature and to our mental, emotional and physical suffering and dis-enchantment.

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How Stress Kills Your Adrenal Glands and Your Health - and What You Can Do About It

One thing I learned the very hard way during my long and diligent path from chronic illness back to health, is that the body feels terrible when the adrenal glands are not happy and strong. To me, this is the missing link in any discussion about health. That we will detoxify and heal through eating clean and whole foods is obvious; that we might be hurting ourselves even more deeply by not addressing the stress factors in our lives … not so much.

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Food-For-Thought On Nutrition Controversies

Reducing life insurance pay-outs to families who've lost their main income earner, or paying out less in the way of medical bills to the long-term ill, are topics that are of great interest to most insurance companies. It's now an unassailable fact that what we eat, as well as when and how we eat, along with how we move (and think), have a huge bearing on our health, especially in our later years.

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Emotions: The Hidden Face of Autoimmune Disease

As we discussed last week, the skyrocketing increase in autoimmune disease could soon eclipse heart disease, the no 1 killer in the Western world. We described the role that gluten plays, but we didn't discuss gender or the contributory role emotions play in the development of an autoimmune disease. This week's article is based on Dr Keesha Ewers' brilliant lecture, "Stress and Autoimmune Disease", at the Institute for Functional Medicine's 2018 Annual Conference.

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Meditation and Music May Be the Ideal Combo to Fend Off Depression

The combination of meditation and music may be one of the simplest ways to fend off depression. The two have no unpleasant side-effects, nearly everyone can enjoy them, and the cost is negligible. They can be used together or stand-alone to reduce stress, regulate mood and reconnect with one’s soul. They are an easy way to actively nurture our mood. As well, they can help mitigate the stressed-out and overwhelmed human condition that has become all too common.

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Prevalence by Country of Lifestyle Related Cancers

According to a comprehensive analysis of cancer-related health outcomes and patterns from 1990-2016, there has been an increase over the past decade of lifestyle related cancers such as skin, colorectal, and lung cancers, as published in JAMA Oncology.

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Are you courting auto-immune disease with your daily staple?

In case you hadn't noticed, as a society, we are now dying slowly (mostly uncomfortably and painfully) from chronic inflammatory and metabolic diseases, not fast from acute infections as our ancestors used to. Interestingly nothing much has changed in 40 years as far as genes and environmental triggers go, yet acute chronic disease rates continue to rise. Would it surprise you to know that we're not born with the destiny to develop chronic inflammatory diseases (CIDs)? The stark fact is that our current health crisis is not down to genetic changes or pathogens (infections), it's down to something we are doing to ourselves and the planet.

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Overwhelmed? Learn the ancient practice of Pratyahara

Are you in control of your senses, or are they in control of you? For most of us, our senses are in control in an attempt to ward off any rejection or disappointment while boosting joy, happiness, and stimulation when good things happen.

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Best Foods for Healthy Lungs

Flavonoids are a group of polyphenols, phytonutrients found in most fruits and vegetables. There are more than 6,000 unique flavonoids, but as a group, they're most well-known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and have been found to lower the risk of many chronic conditions rooted in inflammation.

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When It's Not Your Body, It's Your Soul That's Tire

When we've gone through periods of extreme emotional or mental stress, our souls can go into temporary deep rest, which can feel similar to the symptoms associated with being depressed

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Emotional Energetic Healing: The Future of Medicine is Here

Energy medicine is at once time-honoured and new. Whether using traditional forms like acupuncture, tai chi and reiki, or modern applications such as Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), magnetic, vibrational or music therapy, working with the human energetic system to create wellness is an esteemed practice that produces tangible results.

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Who has ever felt disconnected from themselves and their lives-like something is wrong, or they're not quite whole?

It's common for many of us, especially those who were raised to follow others' expectations regarding what we should do with our lives. I used to feel this way. As a child, I was taught to do what adults told me to do, regardless of what I wanted to do. Failure to do so-even if behavioural expectations were unclear or non-existent—resulted in yelling and other punishments. My earliest recollection of being shouted at for something I didn’t know I was supposed to do was around age two.

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Natural Health: A Comprehensive Guide to Living Healthy

"The natural healing force within each of us is the greatest force in getting well."
~ Hippocrates ~

If you don't know where to start when it comes to taking your first steps towards natural health, this comprehensive guide can help. This article explains how daily lifestyle choices can create optimal health - or take away from it. These include making positive decisions about how and what you eat, your physical fitness habits, and the products you buy for your home and body.

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The Art of Maintaining Core Frequency in Life

Balance is one of the most important aspects to a healthy and fulfilling human life. Without balance, health starts to decay due to disruption and infiltration from disharmonic energies. All things have their own core frequency, which signifies balance to their particular system. Another way to phrase that is simply by saying there is an optimal frequency for peak health for all energetic forms in the universe.

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A Guide to Iodine for Women's Health: Breast Health, Pregnancy, and More

Iodine is a critically important nutrient that we all need. In women and men, iodine is used by the thyroid to produce T3 and T4 hormones, which manage metabolism. Iodine also supports digestion, bone development, muscle control, and heart and brain function. For women, iodine is necessary for an optimal reproductive system, healthy breast tissue, successful pregnancies, nutritional lactation, and for hormone production in the ovaries. Women who are deficient in iodine may see weak results during and after pregnancy. Here, we'll take an in-depth look at the importance of iodine for women's health.

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21 Signs You Are Experiencing Soul Loss or Psychological Disassociation

"Soul loss is regarded as the most serious diagnosis and the single greatest cause of premature death and serious illness by the ‘traditionals’, and it’s not even mentioned in our Western medical textbooks." ~ Deepak Chopra ~

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Humbling Relationship Advice That Can Help Resolve Conflict

I've never heard of a relationship that was completely free of problems. People are much too complicated to have things run smoothly when we are intimately connected with another human being. Haven't you noticed? We have too many blind spots and too much emotional baggage to move in total accordance with another person, who has their own set of blind spots and their own emotional baggage. We are simply too strange to have our relationships ever be perfect.

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How Electro-Magnetic Fields Damage Your Health

Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) have been shown to cause biological damage and even cancer, but exactly how does this happen? In this interview, Paul Héroux, Ph.D., a researcher and professor of toxicology and health effects of electromagnetism at the faculty of medicine at McGill University in Montreal, helps answer that question.

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EU Bans Bee-Killing Pesticides in 'Huge Win for Pollinators, People, and the Planet

The European Union has voted to ban agricultural pesticides that are harmful to bees and which scientists have warned could have a broader impact on the global food chain.

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Why Saying Yes To The Hardest Things Just May Change Your Life

Why does change feel like a threat to our very existence-and how do we manage when the sh*t hits the fan?

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Choose a Way of Life, Not an Occupation

"Are you sure you just want to farm? Don't you want to do something more with your life?" These were the questions posed to me in high school by my well-meaning teachers when I had declared that I was going to farm with my family after graduation. In their eyes, I was wasting my talents by staying on the farm I grew up on.

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How To Release Trauma From Your Body

If you've ever practised yoga or even been for a massage, you've probably heard some version of the saying: Our issues live in our tissues. It basically means that we store our trauma-emotional, psychological, as well as physical-in our bodies.

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No Such Thing As Chance

"Every Cause has its effect; every Effect has its Causes; everything happens according to Law; Chance is but a name for Law not recognised; there are many planes of causation, but nothing escapes the Law."
~ The Kybalion ~

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An Exercise to Help Us Overcome Fear and Self-Doubt

It's easy to become paralysed by self-doubt and fear. Our minds often get stuck on worst-case scenarios and 'what-ifs' which in turn discourage us from ever pursuing our goals. It's especially heartbreaking to witness young people succumb to this kind of negative thinking, as it often leads them to abandon dreams almost as soon as they develop.

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How Your Cells Use Light To Communicate

Have you ever wondered what makes the difference between a living and non-living process? What makes us 'alive' instead of just machines or robots acting out commands? What is the life force, or what ancient philosophers called the "animus"? It is light, and this is the fundamental method by which your cells and DNA communicate.

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The Greatest Spiritual Event of Our Time, According to Rudolph Steiner

Almost a hundred years ago, as if peering into a crystal ball and predicting the future, spiritual teacher and clairvoyant Rudolf Steiner prophesied that the most momentous event of modern times was what he referred to as the incarnation of the etheric Christ.By the 'etheric Christ,' Steiner is referring to a modern-day version of Christ's resurrection body, which can be conceived of as being a creative.

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Buddhism vs. Laziness: Busyness is Laziness

Life emerges out of the silence of our inner being. The life that we have in our mind, the life that is a reflection of our planning, the life that has been constructed out of bits and pieces in our environment—external conditioning, things we have observed in other people, things that influential people have told us—is actually not who we are.

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A Self-Healing Method We Usually Ignore - Finding Peace Through The Art Of Making.

My soul's voice had been telling me for years: "Paint, glue, stitch, make, draw." I would listen to it only occasionally, creating beautiful paintings, costumes, drawings, and wall hangings. Looking back, I realise I made art far more often than the average person, but because I wasn't doing it as often as my soul's voice directed me, it felt random.

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5 Things Never To Say To Someone Who Is Struggling

I'll never forget that visit. I was called to the ICU for a patient death. I swiped my badge to let myself into the unit and went straight to the nurses' station. The nurse manager led me into the room where an elderly man lay lifeless on the bed, his wife standing next to him staring blankly.

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Fear: The Gateway to Positive Change

The ultimate challenge is always fear. In some shape or form, it locks us up in our own invisible prison. We are all living a story, and it might be a good one too, for a long time - until it blows up in our face, or we hit a bump in the road big enough to shake our reality; big enough to stop us from believing any more of the bullshit we kept telling ourselves. If we are lucky that is.

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Karma Yoga: Enlightenment Through Service to Others

Karma Yoga is a path to enlightenment achieved through selfless service that often involves some form of work.Anything that helps people can be considered service, which includes creative work. Even if your job prevents you from helping people on a regular basis, it can still be considered a form of service if it helps the world function.

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Why You Must Fix Your Anger Before Trying To Fix The World

"The best fighter is never angry."
~ Lao Tzu ~
There are so many different social movements coming into the media spotlight every year, each of them working towards a different agenda, and each of them working against other social movements. It is chaos. But in this chaos there is one commonality they all share: they are motivated first and foremost by anger.

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Your Ancestors Didn't Sleep the Way You Do

Nobody questions the importance of getting enough sleep. At minimum, it's essential for rejuvenating the mind and revitalizing the body. But what is enough? And what does it look like? Many people find they wake during the night and wonder if they're suffering from a sleep disorder or other health issue. While that could be totally possible, it's also possible that sleep may not be an all-night thing. In fact, historical records, centuries-old literature, and ancient references to sleep are all revealing a whole new way we should be looking at how we slumber.

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Natural Supplements for a Healthy Gut

There are a number of potential problems people can experience with their digestive system, but one of the worst is leaky gut syndrome. This condition involves undigested proteins and toxins, and microbes can pass through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream. When these particles are able to enter your blood, they cause system-wide inflammation, which is linked to many serious diseases.

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6 Home Remedies for Acid Reflux

Acid reflux is painful. Food and acid splash into the oesophagus and cause belching, heartburn and in severe cases, chest pains. Some individuals have experienced pain so intense they have thought they were having a heart attack. If a person experiences acid reflux on a regular basis, the acids irritate the oesophagus, which may advance to scarring, ulceration, swelling, or haemorrhaging. What is the risk of acid reflux? Many experts agree, if acid reflux persists, it may lead to oesophageal cancer.

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How Taking Time Off From Work Made Me A Better Human

A few of months ago, I attended a friend's wedding in Wisconsin. This trip gave me the getaway I desperately needed from my job on a medical-surgical unit and its white hospital walls in downtown Minneapolis. However, it was only reluctantly that I agreed to attend this wedding. As a matter of fact, I hate the idea of going out of my house for things other than work or getting necessary supplies for survival.

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An African Shaman Explains What It Means To Answer The Healer's Call

"Make no mistake about it. Enlightenment is a destructive process. It has nothing to do with becoming better or becoming happier. Enlightenment is the crumbling away of untruth. It is seeing through the facade of pretense. It is the complete eradication of everything we imagined to be true."
~Adyashanti ~

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Freedom From Within

"The real tragedy of our time lies not so much in the unprecedented external events themselves, as in the unprecedented ethical destitution and spiritual infirmity which they glaringly reveal."
~Paul Brunton ~

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And the Beet Goes On-The Health Benefits of Beetroot

When it comes to healthy foods, it's hard to beat beetroot. The nutritional facts for beetroot don't lie. They are a powerhouse of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that are great for your health - antioxidants and fibre just to name two. Beetroot supports heart health, liver detoxification, brain health, and much more.

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5 Healthy Foods That Can Help You Replace Sugar

There's simply no working around it: sugar is bad for us. And more and more foods nowadays contain it in considerable amounts. Even those that shouldn't, such as plain white bread, have unreasonably high added sugar contents. This makes clean living almost impossible in this day and age.

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The 2,500-Year-Old Teachings That Can Help Us Navigate Our Crazy Modern World

Over 2,500 years ago-when the Buddha gave his first sermon-life was different. Today, the world is advancing rapidly and technology is everywhere. We have various economic, environmental, and political problems, along with our own personal issues to worry about. With so much to think about, we might find ourselves either too busy or too overwhelmed to put old scriptures into practice. As conditioned human beings, we tend to automatically try to solve issues the same way we always have. Now that I've been studying Buddhism for a few years, I see the Dharma as a much-needed resource in our modern lives.

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Natural Cancer Cures: Busting the Myths


Natural cancer cures do exist, and are even widely known. There are numerous promising and outright proven natural cancer cures, treatments and remedies - many cheap and easily self-administered. But the first things to get past are your own doubts and fears. It can be hard to step out of the box of orthodox, conventional, mainstream, allopathic Western Medicine, especially when faced with a serious illness like cancer. However, the prospect of facing surgery, radiation or chemo is no more difficult or appealing, as each comes with its own set of toxic and even lethal side effects (and extremely low survival rates.)

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Natural Approaches to Reversing Tooth Decay


They say the eyes are the window to the soul, perhaps the truest reflection of one's innermost feelings and emotions, speaking volumes even when words don't. But the eyes aren't the only facial feature with an alluring story to tell. The mouth is likewise telling in the area of physical health, serving a purpose much greater in scope than just putting a smile on your face or chewing your food.

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Why Chronic Pain Doesn't Have To Be A Life Sentence


In my childhood memories my Mum always had a sore back. She never seemed to do much to overcome her pain. She would just treat the worst symptoms with heat or some topical cream and rest. I cannot remember her ever going for a massage or physiotherapy. I never saw her do any stretches.

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Ancient Cultures Suggest Morning Meditation May Lead to a Deeper Experience


According to the beliefs of several ancient cultures, the early morning hours may be ideal for meditation and spiritual reflection. New age and spiritual circles will also claim that if you wake between the hours of 3am and 5am, you may be going through a spiritual awakening.

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How the Beatles Trip to India Changed the Face of Spirituality in the West


Fifty years ago, yoga, meditation, and Eastern spirituality burst onto the scene in the West. Exactly half a century ago (contemplate that, Baby Boomers), the Beatles were settling into the ashram of their guru, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, in the small Himalayan pilgrimage town of Rishikesh.

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Beyond Yoga - Stretching Into the Deep Heart


During my early twenties, I did lots of yoga. About five hours a day to be exact, not including teaching it, for years. I also meditated regularly, practiced Tai Chi, and spent good long hours in nature. These mind-body pursuits and experiences significantly changed my life. I peeled off many of layers of armouring, and some just fell away. But after years of this intense routine, at about the age of 23, I realised how much emotional pain I still had, how angry I still felt, and how unfulfilled I was.

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3 Extraordinary Paradoxes of Personal Awakening


How do you reconcile the utter madness of the world with the overwhelming joy of being alive in it? "Paradox: a situation, person, or thing that combines contradictory features or qualities."

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The 3 Gunas: A Yogic Understanding of Addiction and Recovery


"Whether these ever-present characteristics or forms are manifest or subtle, they are composed of the primary elements called the three gunas."
~ Patanjali's Yoga Sutras ~

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Meet My Friend Shame


Not too long ago, I received an email from a new friend. We had just finished spending five days together with some colleagues from the "yoga service" world, working on a book about the best yoga practices for sexual trauma survivors. His email was thoughtful and gentle, but I had made a comment over the weekend that just didn't sit right with him, and he wanted to let me know. He offered me some useful reading on a subject that he admittedly has much more knowledge on. He offered himself for continued conversation and signed off with love. Without a beat, shame set in.

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How Does A Society Drugged Up On Statins Clean Up?


Those of us who run our health largely by natural means are still a small bunch by comparison with those who believe their local GP's prescription will deliver their best health outcomes. Nearly 1 in 4 Americans over the age of 40 are on statins and the UK is pushing to get all men over 60, all women over 75 and a growing band of high risk over-30s on the drug. If that wasn't enough, there's a strong push to put thousands of children under the age of 10 on statins. And it's not just heart disease that statins supposedly protect against, it's cancer, multiple sclerosis and more. Such is the promise of statins, it's routinely referred to as the 'wonder drug' by media around the world.

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Five Ways to Help Teens Think Beyond Themselves


Teens can seem self-centered sometimes, can't they? Of course they can; they're still developing the capacity to see beyond themselves. They can also lack a strong sense of purpose - and that's not surprising either, because the ability to think about other people is developmentally linked with a sense of purpose.

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3 Questions To Help Us Shift From Placing Blame to Taking Responsibility


I only ever dated shitty men. I was never attracted to kind, loving, available men. It was always the emotionally unavailable ones - the ones who were never there for me, who inevitably put me down, led me astray, cheated on me, spent my money, and abandoned me.

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How to Use Your Unconscious Mind to Achieve Your Goals


The most effective way to change your behaviour for the better is to work in tandem with your unconscious mind.

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Incredible Lessons from my First Visit to a Buddhist Monastery


This past fall, one of my greatest dreams came true: I had the opportunity to visit Plum Village,Thich Nhat H?nh's home and monastery near Bordeaux, France. It was almost shocking at first to see the simple way in which these peaceful, wise, smiling and playful, respectful, and intelligent nuns and monks live.

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Meditation Comprehension for Youth


Meditation itself is a trick. It is thought to be a complicated practice, but that is confusion. The trick begins in the following contrast: Meditation is a simple practice, and yet it enables us to understand, and to perform complexity.

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The Most Important Decision You Need to Make in Order to Create Change


Do you want to know the most important decision you can make that will allow you to make a personal change, manifest something new, and truly move forward in your own spiritual evolution? Willingness. Being willing to change is way more complex than most of us think it is. And it's where so many people get stuck. There's this edge between being willing or not, where self-sabotage and resistance dwells; it's also where spiritual bypassing lives. ?

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How Gratitude Can Reduce Burnout in Health Care


When we are sick, we look to medicine to heal us. But what does the medical profession do when it's ailing from stress and overwork?

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How Walking Mindfully Can Improve Your Health


Walking, like breathing is something we do every day - so it's easy to take it for granted. That is until something happens that hinders this ability. And that is what happened to me.

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The 5 Best Yoga Asanas for Improving our Mobility


"Grasping at things can only yield one of two results: either the thing you are grasping at disappears, or you yourself disappear. It is only a matter of which occurs first."

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The 5 Best Yoga Asanas for Improving our Mobility


All yoga asanas are a combination of strength, flexibility, mobility, and balance. We always feel our muscles working hard to support our foundation or hold a certain pose while we're practicing, but we're rarely aware of the hard work our ligaments, tendons, and joints do in order to make the posture possible.

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Coping With Emotions Without Opening the Fridge


Most people would agree that animals eat to live. There is no connection to food beyond survival for animals. Humans, however, create a relationship with food. We celebrate with it at birthdays, weddings, new homes, job promotions, and more. And we mourn with it, offering our condolences via casserole or cake in times of loss and devastation.

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The Truth Bomb About Yoga Nobody Seems To Know


Meditation is an experience which may arise after practising yoga postures and breathing techniques. It cannot be done, because it is not an activity. It cannot be taught, because there is nothing to teach. It is a peaceful quality of mind that forms spontaneously.

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The Buddhist Way To Be In Love


Romantic love is a complex human experience. Despite all the gratification it evokes, love remains a concern and a mystery to most of us. No matter how much we love someone, one of us, might get hurt. Can we unlock the mystery of love? Can we love our partners without hurting them or receive love without getting hurt? The answer is a definite "yes."

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Free Yourself From Depression Forever By Applying These 10 Basic Principles


Depression is a horrible condition to live with. As some of my readers may know, enduring its presence in my life when I was younger, made me seriously contemplate suicide, because I began to delude myself into thinking that there simply was no other way out. Fortunately, it never came to that. But for many others who are never shown a better way, it does. I remember my struggle very well, and if I can help someone else to overcome their depression naturally, then I am happy and honored to do so. I sincerely hope that this article helps you…

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Suicide Sucks and Silence Kills


For the last few weeks, I have been asking as many people as I can a single, uncomfortable question: "What are your thoughts on suicide?"

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3 Ways To Heal Chronic Stress


Stress is something we all have from time to time. Sometimes it can be good (helping you focus to meet a deadline), sometimes bad (the paralysing fear of public speaking). Scientifically speaking, stress is an evolutionary adaption to help us survive. It temporarily increases your awareness, and can improve your physical strength for short periods of time. It speeds up your heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure, which keeps you alert and tense. However, this is only supposed to be for a short period of time.

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What Almost Dying Taught Me About Living


I thought I was leading the "right life"-prestigious college, fancy job in New York City, kind husband, happy child, good friends, nice house ... then I got incurable cancer. The doctor told me I had 15 months to get my affairs in order.

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Reduce Stress and Anxiety with Essential Oils


I know first-hand the devastating effects anxiety (as well as depression and insomnia) can have on your health and to your overall sense of well-being! And in our fast-paced society is it any wonder that these particular health conditions are on the rise and growing exponentially each year?

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She Danced


This was inspired by an initial curiosity for Latin dancing-from learning in Ecuador with a teacher who was only fluent in Spanish, to returning to Australia and re-learning along with many others who were unfamiliar with dancing.

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How Writing Helped Me To Heal From An Eating Disorder - And Sexual Abuse


When people ask us about our lives, we often mention our careers, our families, and our accomplishments. We tend to cut out the bad parts to let people think that we are happy and fulfilled. It's time to change this rule. We shouldn't be afraid to be true to ourselves and to share the truth. Telling the truth can encourage us to change-to help ourselves and to help others. It's time for us to be brave and to move past our fear, shame, and insecurity.

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A Free Way To Reclaim Your Vigour, No Matter What Your Age


Most people take the sun rising every day for granted and do not appreciate the full extent of the role it plays in life on Earth. When it comes to living with vitality, being disease-free, and recovering faster from exercise, there is no pill, food, or any new product or trend that matches the quantum healing properties of the sun.

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New Study Finds Inflammation Is The Cause of Almost Every Disease: Here's What You Can Do About It


The latest science is in, and though it is being used to promote a pharmaceutical solution (is it any surprise?), there are natural ways to stop chronic inflammation in the body - a problem that is now linked directly to the top five killers on our planet - heart disease, cancer, neurodegenerative disease, and diseases of the gut, primarily.

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Historic - Norway's Parliament Votes to Decriminalise All Drugs


In a bid to assist addicts, rather than lock users in cages, Norway's parliament voted last week to decriminalise all drugs - citing Portugal and its general success lowering addiction and incarceration rates, getting those who need it into treatment, and drastically reducing crime and other issues related to the illegality of substances for personal use - thus, becoming the first Scandinavian nation to do so.

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When I Tackled The Junk In My Emotional Closet, I Found My Voice


Every time we sit on our feelings or when we fail to say what's bothering us, those unexpressed emotions accumulate like piles of clothing that no longer fit. Or like papers we no longer need. The bigger the piles get, the messier life becomes.

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Yoga Poses to Balance Your Doshas for Health and Happiness


Ayurveda-India's ancient wisdom science of longevity-categorises us as unique individuals, each stepping into life with our own physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual blueprint.

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World Health Organisation Acknowledges the Effectiveness as Cannabis as Medicine


Cannabis legalization proponents have argued for years that the cannabis plant offers numerous medical applications. Now the World Health Organization (WHO) has finally joined the bandwagon. The agency issued an official report declaring Cannabidiol, or CBD, a compound found in cannabis, to be a safe and effective medicine.

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How Strong is Your Intuition? It Might be the Highest Form of Intelligence


This article was inspired by one published in "Forbes" with the same title. Who would have ever expected to see "Forbes", a finance publication, post something about intuition? This is a surefire sign that times really are changing.

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How My Annoying Puppy Taught Me How To Meditate


"Chew, chew, chew. Crunch, crunch, crunch." There he goes again. Every single time I sit to meditate, my dog gets the hardest chew toy he can find and chews it. It never fails—as soon as I sit down, he starts. He gets close enough for maximum volume, but just out of arm’s reach. It is absolutely amazing how loud he can be!

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The Transformative Power of Jnana Yoga and Ashtanga Yoga


Yoga is the most ancient system for physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing in the world. The aim of the different yoga processes or schools is to ultimately help the individual achieve complete harmony. The different systems of yoga have techniques and practices ranging from physical postures (asanas), to the deepest stages of meditation, all aimed toward helping a person achieve optimum physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing. In this article, we will look at two of the main yoga systems i.e. Jnana Yoga and Ashtanga Yoga.

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Reversing Type 2 Diabetes Through Fasting


Type 2 diabetes, sometimes referred to as adult-onset diabetes, doesnt have to be permanent. Fasting and calorie restriction can help you get control of your blood sugar, lower your blood pressure, and even help reverse type 2 diabetes. But, before we get into how fasting can undo the damage of type 2 diabetes, we first need to understand how type 2 diabetes affects the body.

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4 Ways You Can Refresh Your Mind And Deepen Your Practice


Consider your body as a storage unit where all of your experiences-waking and sleeping, conscious and unconscious-are stored. Any information the brain processes has some physical implications, even the experiences you dream up. For example, when youre having an especially unpleasant dream, the nervous system doesn't know its dreaming. You may wake up in shock, in a cold sweat, or even crying. Of course, you quickly realise it was "just a dream, and carry on as usual. However, even this experience is stored in the body. When we practise conscious movement, we have the ability to wipe the slate clean.

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5 Spiritual Reminders for When We Are Healing From Loss


"In school, you are taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you are given a test that teaches you a lesson."
~ Malcolm X ~

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6 Common Pitfalls For New Meditators and How To Leap Over Them


Probably as many people fall off the meditation bandwagon as stay on it. As with all beginnings, a beginner’s meditation practice is often a rocky road. Trust me, I know. I started meditating over 50 years ago. In the 60s, meditation was the big new thing in the West. Sparked by Timothy Leary and LSD, the phenomenon of psychedaelic experiences led many, including me, to wonder if they could attain similar states without drugs.

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Food That Prevents Inflammation Also Enhance Your Brain Function


It is important to realise that chronic inflammation often leads to chronic illnesses and health conditions, including obesity, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, cancer and immune-mediated conditions. In fact, inflammation plays a significant role in seven of the top 10 leading causes of death.

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How Music Helps Us Be More Creative


A new study suggests that listening to happy music promotes more divergent thinking-a key element of creativity.

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Why Giving Too Much of Ourselves is Not A Redeeming Quality


I'd been bumming around on the internet, searching for new inspiration, when I stumbled upon this quote from an unknown author: "Good people are like candles; they burn themselves up to give others light."

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The Toxins In Our Brain and the Essential Oils That Can Actually Help


Just like other organs in the body, the brain needs to regularly purge toxins, such as viruses and heavy metals. It is during our hours of sleep that our brain can unplug and detoxify, as it is constantly busy and engaged during our waking hours. While we sleep, the metabolic activity of our brain is about 10 times more active.

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Four Ways To Find Your Calling


I'm going to put all of my Dr. Brene Brown knowledge to the test and get really vulnerable here. When I was 10 years old, my parents had this Billy Joel LP (those were those big things people played on record players), and there was a photo on the back of the album cover of a bearded and candid Billy sitting outside of his palatial East Hampton estate, drinking a cup of coffee and reading the 'Times'.

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Forget What They Say - Here's How To Overcome Anxiety


I have been filled with anxiety my entire life. Who knows where it comes from. Perhaps it is the anxiety of not being good enough, of failing in my endeavours, of not being loved, or even of dying. In my experience, it is important to acknowledge both the personal and the universal elements of our problems. In the case of anxiety, it is necessary to understand what it is about ourselves specifically that makes us anxious, as well as having a grasp on what anxiety means in a broader context, if we are to overcome it.

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The People in Okinawa, Japan Don't Live Longer and Happier By Accident


In places like Loma Linda, California, Costa Rica, the islands of Okinawa, Sardinia, and Greece's Ikaria, people are living healthier, happier, and longer than anywhere else in the world. These locations are called "Blue Zones."

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Free Yourself From the Narcissist/Empath Pattern


"The beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image. Otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them."
~ Thomas Merton ~

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Questioning the Effectiveness of New 'Breakthrough' Cancer Drugs


While the USA represents the single biggest customer for the pharmaceutical industry, Europe has long been the nerve centre for R&D of the global industry, with Swiss (Novartis, Roche), French (Sanofi), UK (GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca) and German (Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Merck) companies dominating.

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3 Spiritual Concepts that Will Help You to Endure Times of Chaos, Unrest and Fear


Due to our technological connectedness, now more than ever before people are feeling the heavy weight of severe cataclysmic and tragic events, affecting millions of people around the world, with only the promise of greater turmoil to come. It's easy in this environment to slip into overwhelm, despair, anxiety and depression, which only makes things worse. It's imperative to focus on self-care and personal spiritual cultivation in order to endure and protect ourselves from the negativity which confronts us.

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Sexual Alchemy and Kundalini Energy


Sex is a concept that completely dominates the collective psyche. Some would argue that this is completely natural, that it's simply an everyday aspect of life in which most living creatures partake. And it's true; our bodies were made to procreate. However, sex has moved a long way from the simple objective of procreation, and our desire for it has been taken advantage of in many ways.

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3 Ancient Medicines That Already Live In Your Home


In this article I'm going to focus on three natural medicines that are so easy to find that they may already live in your kitchen!

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Low-Carb Ketogenic Diet Proves as Effective as Antipsychotic Drugs, Without Negative Side Effects


Among the many pharmaceutical options available for treating mental health issues, antipsychotic medications are some of the most over-prescibed. So much so in fact, that in 2015 the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in the U.S. issued a report urging lower uses of antipsychotic meds for elderly patients suffering from symptoms of dementia, citing a number of dangerous side effects of this class of drugs.

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6 Keys to Making the Global Shift in Human Consciousness


The great shift in the consciousness of humanity has hit critical mass and passed the point of no return. It's been building slowly but surely, and now it's about to kick into high gear. The next decade or so will be a period of enormous change and perhaps more than a little turbulence. Think of this as the process of humanity going into labour as it begins to birth a new earth reality. In this article, I offer what I consider the six keys to smoothly and successfully making the shift to the New Earth and becoming a charter member of a wonderful new era of humanity.

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Buddhist Monks Offer Key To Fighting What Makes Us Old Before Our Time


For most of my adult life, I have been in close association with monks and nuns, and I have watched many of them grow old and pass away. Surprisingly, I have never seen a practising monastic develop Alzheimer's or dementia. This is a phenomenon I have given a lot of thought to, and I think the medical community is not paying enough attention to it. Why do elderly monks and nuns remain so sharp right up until the moment of passing? I think for the answer to this question we have to look at their daily schedules.

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Nothing to Fear - Shifting From Fear to Love


Fear is running rampant in our world and it is blinding many to the inner guiding voice of their soul, and keeping us from creating a better world. We can all transcend our fears by embracing a few higher truths and increasing our awareness of a few important points.

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Understanding Brahman Realisation - A Vedic Perspective


Most of the yoga teachings that are presented today are taking people toward the Brahman effulgence. This is the impersonal aspect of the Supreme. It's like the sun rays or the impersonal aspect of the sun, and so the Brahman effulgence is an impersonal destination. It's like merging into the light and we often hear about this. "I merged into the light," or, "I merged into Brahman."

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This 2,000 Year-Old Story Holds The Key To Finding Ourselves


A story that sums up the human experience for me is that of the prodigal son. This is the story of the overzealous son who wastes his father's fortune and ends up destitute through his reckless travels. He returns home with the intention of begging his father to be made a servant, but is unexpectedly welcomed back and celebrated for his journey. He is celebrated because he lost himself through the trials and tribulations of being out in the world, but was found again on his return home. He was lost and then was found.

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The Greenest Way To Detox Our Homes


Household plants do more than adorn our homes - as living, breathing beings themselves, they also inject more life force into our space.

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Our Addiction To Suffering


The Buddha said that suffering arises from craving - for instance, craving for more love, more possessions, more physical prowess or beauty. But sometimes I wonder if the truth is more akin to the reverse - that we crave our suffering. In other words, are we actually addicted to suffering?

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Are Empathic Doctors Seen as More Competent?


Recent research shows that when physicians show empathy, their patients also rate them as more competent and better caregivers.

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Our Addiction To Suffering


Searching for the roots of today's problems, and for realistic solutions, can be a wild goose chase. It seems almost everyone is pressing an opinion or pushing an agenda, always outwardly, always blaming some group or other for the chaos and suffering in our world, which never lets up. The division and frustration breeds more division and frustration, as we drift ever further from harmonious, peaceful living.

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Disconnected from Nature


Since the 1950s, research suggests, we have become more and more distanced from nature and its life-giving benefits. It's hard to overstate how much good nature does for our well-being: Study after study documents the psychological and physical benefits of connecting with nature. People who are more connected with nature are happier, feel more vital, and have more meaning in their lives.

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How To Overcome Body Pain During Meditation


Meditation is supposed to make us feel good. However, when we sit for more than 30 minutes, meditation no longer feels as pleasant. It's enough that we have to deal with all the mental noise-experiencing physical pain can often feel unbearable.

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I'm a Therapist But I Won't Fix You: 5 Questions That Can Help Us Help Ourselves


A woman perched on a grey sofa screams at her therapist. The room has a large window that looks out on blue sky and sunshine. "I've been coming here all these years and I'm still not okay. You're the expert with all the training! Why haven't you done a better job at helping me? You're supposed to guide me toward what I need. I have entrusted myself to you. What is wrong with you? You've been wasting my time and money!"

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The Four Qualities of a Boundless Heart


I think many people look at earth-based spirituality as worshiping the outside world; something outside of yourself. Spirit has shown me it's about honouring, remembering, celebrating an aspect of myself, wisdom that is being passed on to me and that I feel called to reclaim.

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It's OK to be Jealous, Angry and Insecure

"Yes, others have flaws, too." I used to think. "But mine are different.""Mine are heavier. My flaws are the kind of flaws one actually needs to hide, because they'll disturb people."

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Towards Healthcare Sustainability

Last week at the second Lifestyle Medicine Australasia annual conference, this year in Manly, Sydney (Australia), I was given the opportunity to lay bare key elements of a strategy we believe has the potential to transform mainstream healthcare. Many of us around the world are dealing with different pieces of the same puzzle, motivated by our recognition that the existing system is being driven by various corporate interests at lightning pace into a dead end - one in which innocent citizens will be the main casualties.

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Life is always one step ahead of us.

It seems that once we figure one thing out, another problem always pops up. We get good at one thing, and then realise we are completely inept at something else. We pick up one skill, and then realise we have lost sight of another. Nothing is ever settled. Nothing is ever lastingly resolved. It all exists in a perpetual state of chaotic flux-a dynamic field of everlasting change-and the absence of certainty and stability oftentimes leaves us feeling confused and wanting more.

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The Physics of Sound: How and Why Sound Heals

An examination of the majority of spiritual paths and religions on this planet reveals an overriding belief that sound was the primary force of creation. Examples of this come from the Old Testament ("And God said, 'Let there be Light'") and the New Testament ("In the beginning was the Word"). It comes from many other traditions-Egyptian, Hopi, Mayan, Polynesian, and more-which all have creation myths that invoke the power of sound. It is said in the Hindu spiritual path that "Nada Brahman"-everything is sound. Even from a Western scientific perspective, we talk about the "Big Bang," signifying that the creation of the universe was somehow sonic in origin.

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Can Dry Brushing Help Your Lymphatic System?

Your skin is the largest organ of your body, so treating it with TLC and maintaining its health will go a long way toward making you look and feel your best. Besides consisting of blood vessels, sweat glands and nerve endings, your skin helps remove waste, aids in digestion and has a lot to do with good circulation.

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A Hindu Priest Explains How Your Subconscious Mind Can be Reprogrammed

The subconscious mind is akin to that unseen portion of an iceberg which remains underwater. Some believe that up to 95% of our mental activity takes place in the subconscious, just below our conscious awareness. This 'underwater' portion of the mind is never inactive, though, as it continues to collect and process information even when we are asleep.

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This is Why Environmental Problems Should Be Blamed on Consumers

Both consumers and corporations are to blame for environmental problems; however, the burden of addressing environmental problems rests on the shoulders of citizens and consumers.

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Antidepressant Use Continues to Rise Sharply Especially Among Children

Mental health in America is in decline, and while there is no one-size-fits-all reason for this, doctors and psychiatrists do offer a one-size-fits-all solution: antidepressants. The number of people who have taken antidepressants has soared some 65% in just the last 15 years, and the numbers continue to rise.

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The Words That Woke Me Up Last Night

"I'm a bit scared about the change," I wrote to my friend.

I am about to move to a new home-again. I am about to leave an artist community behind that I had lived in and loved for four years. But, I need a change-I've needed it for a long time now. So, there I was having all these nervous and exciting thoughts about the new place and the bittersweet memories of the past after packing all my belongings in piles of boxes and bags. His response was, "Search, 'What do you desire,' on YouTube."

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The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in 'Healthy Foods' That Can Cause Disease and Weight Gain

Are you eating a healthy, whole food diet yet still struggle with weight gain and health problems? Part of the problem might have to do with lectins. Dr. Steven Gundry, author of the book "The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in 'Healthy' Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain", makes a strong case for a lectin-free diet.

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An Open Letter to the Spiritual Community About Psychiatry

There's life with the experience of mental illness and then there's life as a mental patient. I've been told that both entail a large serving of unfathomable suffering. Suffering that brings you to the brink of something you can't imagine tolerating one more second of, and then it asks you how you'd like to stay there for infinity. The kind of existential fear that comes with not knowing what is real and what is illusion. A depth of pain that feels so endless it's like a black hole inside your core. Others describe feeling on fire, electrified by worry. Or maybe you've just been told that your behaviour is concerning, scary, or dangerous.

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The Stages of Fasting: What Happens to Your Body When You Fast?

While fasting is nothing new, it is experiencing a resurgence in popularity as many discover its health benefits. If you are planning your first fast or looking for ways to improve your next one, there are a few things you should do to prepare. The first step is learning about the different stages of fasting. This knowledge helps you mentally and physically prepare for what happens to your body when you fast.

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Do It Yourself Reflexology to Heal and Invigorate

As a practicing reflexologist, I am continually amazed by the positive effect reflexology can have on people. It can release energetic blockages and held emotions, and encourage deep relaxation. In this article you will find three useful reflex points that you can enjoy working on at home. Who doesn't love a foot rub? While reflexology practitioners use particular methods of applying pressure, any type of massage or pressure application can be beneficial, so try it out on yourself, a family member or friend - tune in to what works and feels good for you. You can inadvertently work the body, and help it to re-balance. Enjoy!

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Resisting Change Is The Easiest Way To Miss Out On Life

It is hard to admit when we get stuck. It hurts our ego and makes us feel like we've made a personal mistake. We take this personally because we have identified with the part of ourselves that wants to stay the same. When we identify with something, we make ourselves into it. Admitting that we need to change requires acknowledging there is something wrong with us, and we tend to have a hard time with this.

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What Is Fasting? A Guide to the Different Types of Fasts

A fast is a voluntary practice in which people go for extended or structured periods without eating and drinking for spiritual, medical, or weight loss reasons. Others fast to protest or raise awareness for causes. Fasts vary widely depending on the type you're following. Some fasts allow water, tea, coffee, or other fluids during the fasting period, but dry fasts go without. A fast may be intermittent, or it may extend for multiple days.

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The 'Medicine' In Your Kitchen
"A herb is the friend of physicians and the praise of cooks."
~ Charlemagne, 9th Century ~

A pinch of this and a sprinkle of that! Culinary herbs used to be a mainstay of food preparation. Their use in the days before fridges was to sanitise and preserve food, assist digestion, provide medicinal benefits and prevent food poisoning. The same active compounds that were present 'back in the day' can still be found today, yet most people add herbs and spices to their food simply for flavouring purposes.

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To End Suffering, Escape into Discomfort

An Interview with Shinzen Young

In the months leading up to the 2016 election, therapists began reporting an uptick in patients reporting anxiety and depression related to the possibility of Donald Trump winning the presidency. As Slate columnist, Michelle Goldberg, wrote in September 2016, "Victims of Trump-induced anxiety describe nightmares, insomnia, digestive problems, and headaches. Therapists find themselves helping their patients through a process that feels less like an election than a national nervous breakdown." And then Trump won.

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Suicide: Falling Through The Cracks of Stigma

If you have ever lost a loved one to suicide, you know the tremendous amount of pain it causes. There may not be a worse feeling in the world. In my experience as a psychiatric nurse, I believe that nobody commits suicide because they want to die — they commit suicide because they want the pain in their lives to go away.

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Should I Stay Or Should I Go? The 4 Essential Questions To Break Up Without Regrets

Recently, a few of my clients have been contemplating whether it’s time to end therapy. Some of my other clients have been contemplating whether to end their romantic relationships. Should I stay or should I go? How do I know? Fritz Perls, the founder of Gestalt Therapy says, “Just as at the beginning the patient has come under his own steam, so at the end he must go under his own steam (Perls et al., 2009, p250).” A premise of Gestalt Therapy is that ultimately the client knows best what they need. The job of the therapist is to facilitate awareness of blind spots so that they can make a more informed decision.

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The Seven Requirements Of Love

How to Develop an Evolutionary Relationship
It is critical to remember that this crisis we are facing is a crisis in which the sacred powers of love in the human soul are being diverted by distraction, by greed, by ignorance, by the pursuit of power, so that they never irrigate the world and transform it. What is needed is a vision of evolutionary relationship as a relationship that helps us come into the real, take responsibility for it, and enact our sacred purpose with a partner, and for the world: when two lovers come together in this dynamic love consciousness, they create a transformative field of sacred energy, from which both can feed to inspire their work in reality.

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Why Rebels Are So Important To Society

The human mind is incredibly complex. It's been approximated that the human brain contains around 100 billion neurons, which is a testament to just how little we know about the uniqueness of the human experience. With as much as there is to understand, psychologists have spent years building conceptual frameworks of personality which serve as a way to break down the complexity into more easily digestible parts. One of the most common of these concepts is the "Big Five" dimensions of personality, however many more exist including work done by Carl Jung, as well as Dr. Carol Pearson's "Six Archetypes We Live By," as popularised by her book "The Hero Within."

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How To Do More Than Just Cope With Our Problems

Coping is what we have been doing since the beginning of time. We see the problems in front of us, and we "get through." We find ways to tame the pain and manage the challenges. But what if we could do more than that? What if we could go beyond just coping, and actually find ways to embrace healing?

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Buddhism for the Brokenhearted

The fullness of her breasts, the sweet little freckles on her cheeks and her flashing smile enraptured me the moment I pulled into her driveway. Unfortunately, I was not there to pick her up for a hot date, I was there to pick up my two and four-year-old daughters. As a matter of fact, everything between her and I, except for the child support, was over.

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Reclaiming My Power From Big Pharma: A Journey of Healing Depression, PTSD, Ambien Addiction and Beyond

"Healing is resolving the separation between the journey of the body and the journey of the soul."
~ Dr. Brit Cooper ~

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Heart Medicine - Awakening and Reconnecting to Your Soul with the Sacred Plant Iboga

"Man is a stream whose source is hidden. Our being is descending into us from we know not whence."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

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In the Language of Trees: How Plants Can Teach Us to Communicate

When I was a kid, I would name the trees in my backyard. They all had distinct personalities and dynamic qualities, including the ability to talk. I would spend inordinate amounts of time collecting their branches and sticks, talking with them about my life and theirs. My imagination was fascinated with their solid presence coupled with a mysterious aliveness that defied their seemingly fixed nature. They knew something and I wanted to know what that was.

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Twelve Things Happy People Do Differently

I'd always believed that a life of quality, enjoyment, and wisdom were my human birthright and would be automatically bestowed upon me as time passed. I never suspected that I would have to learn how to live – that there were specific disciplines and ways of seeing the world I had to master before I could awaken to a simple, happy, uncomplicated life.
Dan Millman

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15 Diverse Superfoods That Fight Inflammation

If you are anything like me, our obsession with ornamental lawns seems nothing short of folly at best, sheer polluting waste at worst. Many are unaware that lawns are one of the largest sources of pollution in the US, with 40 million acres under cultivation. They absorb three million tons of chemical fertilizers and 30,000 tons of pesticides per year, and use 800 million gallons of gasoline for mowing.

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15 Diverse Superfoods That Fight Inflammation

One of the simplest ways to prevent, and even reduce, chronic inflammation in the body is with your diet. By eating high-quality superfoods, including herbs, spices, vegetables and seeds, you can pack your meals with anti-inflammatory ingredients.

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We Need To Talk About Suicide

Every once in a while, something happens in the news that brings the issues of depression and suicide to the forefront of our minds. Most recently, this news has been the death of Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington. Bennington died by suicide on July 20, after a lengthy and somewhat public battle with depression. None of us can judge the choice he made, or think any worse of him because of it. Even those of us who have dealt with depression and suicidal thoughts before do not know what his precise situation was or what he was going through. I wish his loved ones all the best, and I truly hope he has found peace now. But, that said, we do need to talk about suicide.

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Simple Techniques to Evolve and Expand Our Minds

“A mind is like a parachute, it doesn’t work if it isn’t open.” ~ Frank Zappa
If there is one thing I noticed on my path to consciousness, it’s that the more I open my mind to new experiences and ideas, the more I get to learn.

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Why Can’t We Forgive, and How To Change That

Last year, I struggled to forgive someone in my life. As I was sitting on the floor in a library in Dharamshala, a girl came over to me and handed me a book. She thought the book might interest me or help me in some way. Sometimes, the answers we seek the most come to us at just the right time. The book turned out to be, ‘The Heart is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out’, by the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje.

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Mindfulness and Open Focus: Complementary Practices to Drastically Improve Your Life

Mindfulness is defined as an attention training, which can benefit health and general well-being. In this article we present another type of attention training called Open Focus. Combining these two approaches may help you to understand attention training better overall, and to experience its benefits faster and more effectively.

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Sophrology: A Hidden Gem to Tackle Self-Doubt

I’ve suffered from crippling self-doubt for most of my life. Self-doubt first punches me in the face, making me think I will never achieve anything, and then stabs me in the back after I have achieved something, making me wonder if I only made it by sheer luck. Nice work, self-doubt!

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The Pursuit of Everyday Happiness and The Danish Art of Hygge

Voted one of the happiest countries in the world for over 40 years straight, many have wondered how Denmark — a place with depressing weather, a soaring divorce rate and astronomical taxes — could possibly be to home to such happy people. The answer lies in high levels of trust, a vast social safety net, work-life balance, as well as a distinct way of parenting and an overall positive approach to life. But one aspect is especially important for cultivating such contented people — in short, the Danish art of hygge.

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8 Signs You’ve Lost Touch with Your Intuition – and 10 Tips to Help You Reconnect

There’s a lot of buzz about the benefits of tuning into your intuition. We know that intuition helps us make spiritually-aligned decisions, protects us from danger, acts as our inner doctor, gives us the heads-up when we are needed by our loved ones, and serves as the unseen world’s secret gateway to the human world, helping us live our best lives.

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9 Healing Benefits of Music

Music … loved, cherished, and admired by humans for countless ages. It’s shaped culture and society in very profound ways. It has started social revolutions and shifts in collective consciousness. There is a magical feeling that can come from music and its enchanting spell has affected billions of people in sometimes life-changing ways, as it continues to do to this day.

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20 Health Benefits of Fasting for Whole Body Wellness

Fasting has been recognised for its many health benefits dating back to Hippocrates. These benefits extend to everything from better weight management, improved cardiovascular health, healthier blood composition, and better cell recycling, among many others.

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An Open Letter from a Therapist

~ Therapy is a “come as you are” kinda deal. It’s a place where you can be real—let more of yourself roam free. You can be honest. There is no uniform. I don’t care what you look like. You don’t have to put on makeup. You don’t have to wash your hair. Arrive in your pajamas or your Burning Man tutu.

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7 Rituals to Restore Some Calm in our Lives

We live in such a fast-paced world. It’s a world that’s on 24/7 and a world in which we’re faced with a lot of negativity: crime, war, violence, arguments, drugs and ill-health. There’s a lot to test our inner peace, and so often, it can be hard to remain calm in the face of the chaos that surrounds us. I’ve studied mindfulness for many years, and as a result, I’ve honed the skill that is equanimity—something I’d never even heard of six years ago, yet something I now find is the most valuable skill I possess, as it helps me in all areas of my life and work.

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Activated Charcoal Health Benefits

Activated charcoal is a wonderful remedy for a wide spectrum of health issues. Activated charcoal is used as a home treatment for digestive problems, infections, insect bites, and pain. It is even useful as a natural deodorant! And that is just the beginning of the usefulness of this simple remedy.

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4 Affordable Ways to Practise Ayurveda

People often expect a healthy lifestyle to be expensive. But, you don’t need pricey equipment, fancy foods, and snack subscriptions to live a healthy life. In fact, the things people equate with health, such as plastic water bottles and intense workout sessions, may do more harm than good. Ayurveda is all about natural, organic ways in which we can heal our lives. The following ancient practices have added benefit—they are inexpensive too.

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The Work It Takes To Be Truly Vulnerable

Imagine, for a moment, that you wanted to get in better shape. You’d know what you’re in for right? More or less, the formula is to challenge your body in various ways that a) burn fat that isn’t serving you, b) build strength, and c) stress your muscles in order to produce growth. The results certainly won’t be immediate, but over time, we start to see where the grind is paying off. We engage with a stress point, knowing that a better version of ourselves is on the other side of the discomfort.

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Reiki – Hands On Healing with the Energy of Life

Reiki is a traditional Japanese technique for healing, relaxation, and stress reduction. The most well-recognised Reiki technique is where the palms of the hands are held several inches from the body of the person receiving Reiki. However other Reiki practitioners lay their hands on the physical body to transmit healing energy to others.

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4 Quotes to Master the Art of Listening

I’m trying to listen. Not to something or someone, but to simply embody the art of listening. Listening is a lot subtler than we make it out to be. To truly listen, we must momentarily forgo all of our knowledge. Having an empty mind is necessary to truly listen, otherwise our predetermined opinions and beliefs disallow us from hearing another side of the story.

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Simple Ayurveda for a Pain-Free Period

Ladies, I invite you to take a moment to tune in to your physical body. Listen deeply, and explore how your body feels - particularly during your monthly cycle. What do you notice? If you’re like many women, you experience a clear set of symptoms each month that indicate that your body is preparing to cleanse and rejuvenate through the monthly process of menstruation. We often hear this set of symptoms referred to as pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS), and most of us are all too familiar with the discomfort this time can present in our lives—from deep back pain to pesky cravings.

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Hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s? What You Need to Know and Why It Matters

Thyroid disorders and autoimmune diseases are on the rise dramatically these days and they are a common phenomenon in most modern societies. But have you ever thought that the information you are receiving and the kind of thyroid or autoimmune treatment you are following is not enough or is not efficient? Additionally, how can you consider any treatment to be efficient if your health is still poor and new negative symptoms keep appearing in other areas of the body? The reality is that without exactly knowing what is going on in your body, you can’t take proper decisions about your health. Here is some essential information you should understand about thyroid disease and autoimmune conditions.

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How a City in Denmark is Fighting Terrorism With an Unconventional Strategy — and Winning

“Every minute, I just imagine him in that solitary confinement, facing 20 years, because I cooperated with the government. It’s a horrible feeling. I can’t get rid of it,” said Sal Shafi, father of Adam, a 22-year-old American suspected of Islamic extremism.

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Synchrony and Exertion of Dancing Found to Encourage Social Bonding, Raise Pain Threshold

To watch us dance is to hear our hearts speak.”
~ Hopi Indian saying ~

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Top 20 Ayurvedic Eating Tips to Improve Digestion

According to Ayurveda, there are three major guidelines when it comes to eating. They focus on How, When, and What we eat. In the West, we incessantly obsess over what to eat, constantly arguing over which is “the best” diet, while ignoring the value of how you eat and when you eat. We generally eat on the run, while driving, late at night, throughout the day, or in a rush. Many eat basically the same foods year round.

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All it takes is one experience

One intimate and trusting experience with a healing plant ally to heal the body. After this, we are forever opened up to the enchanting and abundant realm of naturopathy, alternative medicine, and plant extract remedies.

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Using the Vibration of Sound to Heal the Physical and Spiritual Self

Many healing modalities read your symptoms and then tell you what pill to take, or surgery to undergo, but what if you could conduct “sound surgery” sending holistic, healing vibrations into every single cell in your body?

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The 8 Stages of Conscious Evolution

Have you ever wondered … about what level of consciousness you’re truly at? Not in terms of it being a contest, or to say you’re better/worse than other people, but as a kind of inner GPS that simply tells you where you are? As humans, we tend to have very distorted and biased perspectives, especially when it comes to ourselves. It’s really easy to go on a yoga retreat and think you’ve transcended stress forever, or think you’re enlightened after reading a few spiritual books. This is why it’s crucial to have references that “tell it like it is” and objectively reflect where you’re at.

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The Genius That Is Virginia Woolf

I feel like we are all children in a way. We are thrown into this world, innocent, unblemished, and are forced to contend with the sheer magnitude and complexity of being. Even when we become adults, there remains that childlike innocence within us, and I feel as though it might be important to tap into that innate sense of wonder and curiosity so that we may live more happily and be more loving to others. It seems as though when we tap into the child within us, we are living more closely with nature, and this is a powerful thing.

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A Buddhist Perspective on Astrology

On the first day of my Introduction to Buddhism course, the monk explained the birth of the universe. He clarified that Buddhism agrees with the big bang theory. Buddhists accept that there is a gigantic cosmic energy that gave birth to the stars, planets, and all living things.

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True Love Is Watching Someone Die

We come into this world as a bolt of lightning. Screaming and red-faced as we announce we’ve arrived. The elation of that hospital room, bedroom, or bathroom is at a peak—something not often re-experienced as we move through our lives.

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There’s A New Antioxidant In Town: 3 Ways To Boost It

While we give nutrients like vitamins C and E a huge amount of limelight, there is a “secret” master antioxidant that can help prevent numerous conditions including ageing, cancer, heart disease, and dementia. Yes, we can get it as a supplement, but there are more effective ways to build this antioxidant. It’s called glutathione (pronounced “gloota-thigh-own”): and is the mother of all antioxidants, the master detoxifier, and maestro of our immune system.

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Just One Brazil Nut a Day Lowers Inflammation, Blood Sugar, Cholesterol

Brazil nuts are a tasty addition to that handful of nuts we can eat daily. But did you know that eating just one Brazil nut a day can help control inflammation, blood sugar and cholesterol levels?

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Practising Bliss: Calming the Hyperactive Mind with Breath and Mantra
Wouldn’t we all like to live in a space of being consciously aware and experiencing bliss? Wouldn’t it be sweet to have this, rather than being pushed and pulled by all the externals (news, politics, TV, junk food, social media) in our lives? Well, here’s the good news: we can do this through breath and mantra.

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33 Uses of Essential Oils for Home, Health and Happiness
Essential oils are the oil-based aromatic extracts derived from the leaves, stems, fruit, bark, flowers, roots, or seeds of plants. They are a highly concentrated form of volatile oils — another name for essential oils — and have many beneficial properties. Historians estimate that humans have been using essential oils for 5,000 to 6,000 years for medicinal, cosmetic, and hygienic purposes.

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It’s Not About You. 7 Tips and Quotes To Stop Taking It Personally
When something feels like an attack, it can be quite a challenge not to take it personally. It happens all day, every day. We all project our frustrations, feelings, challenges, or things we don’t like about ourselves outwardly. When we do that, we blame it on others. Thus, when someone is projecting their stuff onto us, it can be very hard not to take it personally because it can feel as though it is about us. However, it is not about us. It never is. It only seems that way. It’s a trick of the ego to make it all about us. Don’t fall for the trap!

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The Ocean Cleanup – Amazing Technology Will Launch Within 12 Months
Boyan Slat, CEO and founder of The Ocean Cleanup, has announced The Next Phase to clean up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Initially, Slat predicted clean up would begin in 2020, but with the new modifications and funding, he now promises to begin clean up within the next 12 months!

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The Soul In The Sea: Reuniting With The Dolphins
“What mystery is the sea,” exclaimed Herman Melville, “whose stirrings speak of a hidden soul beneath!”1 I only understood what the great American meant for the first time two years ago, while visiting the Roatán Institute for Marine Sciences in Honduras. It was located at an otherwise uninhabited islet just off the mainland, where a shallow barrier corralled more than thirty dolphins within some six square acres. The top of the fence stood so low above the water, all but the most arthritic dolphin could easily hop over it. In fact, several have made good their escape in this manner, I was told, only to jump back inside a few days later.

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The Difference between Mindfulness and Meditation
“In any one day there are moments where there is nothing going on, but we link up what is happening from thought to thought without any space. We overlook the spaciousness that it’s all happening in,”
~ Gangaji ~

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Why your T3 thyroid hormone is low and why it is the most important factor to know?

There is no doubt there is an epidemic of thyroid disorders right now and they are on the rise. It seems that the greater majority of women have some degree of thyroid dysfunction. Unfortunately, medical doctors do not look for the cause of hypo or hyperthyroidism and usually prescribe a medication which masks the actual cause of the actual thyroid issue leading to a worsening of symptoms over time.

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9 Healthy Reasons to Add Flaxseed to your Diet

Flaxseed is one of the oldest crops that humans have cultivated. It was initially grown in the U.S. by colonists for use in textile production. Years of research have shown that flaxseed and its byproducts contain high levels of essential vitamins and minerals, making the crop a staple superfood in various diet schemes. An article in AuthorityNutrition.com lists 10 health benefits of consuming this superfood.

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The Lost Art of “Entertaining the Thought”

“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” ~ Aristotle ~

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5 More Lessons from the Animal Kingdom

Nature has many wisdoms and lessons for those who are open to her teachings. 7 years ago I went through a major life change where I began to “wake up.” Fortunately, nature was there, patiently waiting for me. Animals are wonderful communicators and messengers who are more than willing to interact with those open to the possibility.

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Medicating Migraines With No Relief? Try This.

I am now a firm believer that our body is trying to tell us something when we have distressing physical symptoms—and it is in our best interest to find out what that something is. Not listening has significant consequences.

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Eleven Ways To Live In Harmony With Bees

As one of nature’s primary pollinators, honeybees are responsible for one in every three mouthfuls you’ll eat today, and are truly the glue that holds our agricultural system together!.

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Voices in Your Head? Don’t Worry You’re Not Crazy!

Although most people never discuss it, almost everyone hears voices in their heads. In fact, there is usually at least one internal voice that controls our behaviour and enforces perceived limitations. We often know this relentless voice as the “inner critic” or “doubter,” but where did it come from, why is it stuck on replay, and, most importantly, how do we get rid of it once and for all?

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5 Principles for a Pure and Sound Mind

Up until this past year, I always had the good intention of beginning a daily meditation practice, yet I’d keep putting it off ‘until later.’ Meditation just seemed like such a lofty endeavour, and I consequently developed a sort of hang up about it. Ironically, the very thing that was supposed to grant serenity seemed instead to induce panic.

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The Quote That Helped Me Stop Chasing the Tail of Self-Esteem

Some time ago, I was behind a car with a bumper sticker that read, “God, help me be the kind of person my dog thinks I am.” I laughed to myself and thought, “Good thing I have a cat, because she has low standards.”

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Vital Mind Stories: 3 Beliefs Holly Ditched When She Stopped Antidepressants

In January 2014, I decided to come off all psychiatric medication — Zoloft, Lamictal, and Xanax.Though I’d only been taking these drugs for a year and a half, I felt completely destroyed by them. In that short time, I gained 60 pounds, lost my sex drive, and I emotionally flatlined. While I no longer experienced dramatic mood swings, my life was consumed by persistent brain fog and quiet shame about my rapidly expanding waistline.

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Superfoods: Fuel for Self-Care

As an advocate for self-care, I speak about using food as a tool to take the best care of your body. As a holistic nutritionist, I work with people to optimise the meals they are eating each day so that they may be provided with the most nourishment.

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Waking Up to the Sacred in Nature and Reclaiming Our Earth Soul

“In the absence of the sacred, nothing is sacred. Everything is for sale.” Oren R. Lyons, Faithkeeper of the Turtle clan

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10 Truths re Finding Happiness

What is happiness, and how do we find it? It’s the question we’re all trying to find the answer to. We all seem to be pursuing it, yet we so often miss the mark. Happiness is not merely the absence of suffering or a temporary halt in unhappiness; it’s being connected to who we are. It’s less about elation and perfection, and more about purpose and fulfillment.

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Wired for Tribe

I was walking beneath a huge willka tree in the jungle a few months ago when a shiver of realisation ran down my spine. This tree relies on all of its branches, leaves, and roots to interface with the outside environment in a harmonious way in order to survive and thrive. There is no one part that is more important than the other, there is no separation among its many constituents. Every inch of this willka has an important role to play, and the health of the surrounding jungle depends on each tree like this one living in full connection with its neighbours.

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Buddhists and Leading Neuroscientists Agree: “Consciousness is Everywhere”

“Broadly speaking, although there are some differences, I think Buddhist philosophy and Quantum Mechanics can shake hands on their view of the world. We can see in these great examples the fruits of human thinking. Regardless of the admiration we feel for these great thinkers, we should not lose sight of the fact that they were human beings just as we are.” – the Dalai Lama

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Learning to Love your “No.” 4 tips for Boundaries in Dating, Business and Life

I sometimes wonder how a world might look where we truly loved the word “no.” Would it be customary to send our exes a “thank you for not choosing me” note when we get married to the person who is right for us?

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