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Alright, so it’s not really cold outside. Spring is basically here in Texas. Elm and redbud trees are budding, the ground is covered with filaree, dandelion, henbit and periwinkle flowers, and our peach, pear, apricot trees and blueberry bushes are blossoming!! We have been doing a massive amount of seed planting lately, preparing for our paradise garden. Hence the absence of a post last week. Although this winter has been mild, we still had a few cold days and below freezing nights. We used this unique opportunity to rewild ourselves and rewild our child.

Many of you may remember from this post that we keep our son naked most of the time. Even in the winter he is happily running around in his birthday suit. Although we do put more clothing on him when it is cold outside, and especially when he expresses a desire to be warm, I would estimate he has been naked about 80% of the time this winter. Because we didn’t over dress him and because we allowed him to experience the elements uncensored, he is now completely comfortable playing outside naked in 40 to 50 degree weather! I think this is amazing because he didn’t start out this way. The first time a cold front came through David ran inside as fast as he could! I know there are babies who can withstand much colder temperatures though, even playing naked in the snow! Who knows, maybe David (and I) will get there some day too.

David playing outside naked in 50 degree weather

Don’t get me wrong! I am in no way a subscriber to the eagle dad method, where you force your child to run in the snow for his “own good.” I feel children (and adults) should only do what they are ready and willing to do. This is the only way true learning takes place. For example, in The Continuum Concept, Jean Liedloff explains how the Yequana people, from birth, train their babies and toddlers to navigate dangerous waters, all the while respecting their children’s will and comfort. “The yequana take advantage of the babies predisposition to this sort of performance and, keeping his rules and respecting his go ahead signals, dip him into more and more challenging waters. A daily bath is routine from birth, but every infant is also dipped into fast rivers; first only his feet, then his legs, then his entire body. The water goes from swift to swifter and on to plunging rapids and falls, and the time of exposure lengthens too, as the baby’s response reveals growing confidence. Before he can walk or even think, a Yequana baby is well on his way toward expertise on judging the force, direction, and depth of water by sight. His people are among the finest white-water canoeists in the world.” I also read somewhere a while back that in South America, mothers will prepare their babies for consuming their normal spicy cuisine by adding just a tiny amount of spice to their baby food, increasing it little by little until the child is ready for the kind of intense spiciness the adults can handle.

How we “trained” David to handle cold weather was first to keep him naked inside where we kept our home warm. Then we would leave our front door open when we went outside, allowing David to stay inside or follow us at will. At first he would choose to stay inside and watch us through the window as we played or hung laundry up on our clothes line. Little by little, because of his desire to be with us, he would step one foot out the door, then another. Soon he was hanging out on our front porch. And eventually playing barefoot and bare bottomed in our yard. In the beginning we witnessed him squeezing his muscles and grunting a lot. We realized he was learning how to warm himself up from the inside. Sometimes we would carry him outside for short bursts of time, like when we would take our compost out or check our mail. He was naked, but also snuggled next to us in our arms or in a sling and never seemed to mind. Last year, during his first winter, it was colder, and that is when we began to prepare him to handle cold weather. I would keep him naked or only lightly clothed next to me in the moby wrap. My body temperature would warm him up and keep his temperature regulated without over heating.

Me and David outside during his first winter. Here he is wearing a hat and light shirt and no pants

So why in the world do I do this? What is so special about being cold hardy? You may be wondering. Well, first of all, there is a reason nature provides us with cold weather. She is an intelligent one you know. Exposure to the cold, if done right, has the ability to strengthen our immune system, keep our skin and hair young and healthy, improve circulation, relieve depression, and increase fertility (come to think of it, David was conceived in the winter ). As mammals, our bodies have the ability to regulate their own temperatures, but only if we allow them to. In 98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive, Cody Lundin explains that “repeated exposure to cold increases the amount of mitochondria within your cell!… The more mitochondria you have, the more heat can be produced.” In essence, activating our self regulating potential is important if you desire to be self sufficient and sovereign. Plus, it is excellent for our health! And you know I am all for that!

Last week was my birthday week; so, I took time off from blogging, but have no fear, I am back in action with the final installment of my Personal Alchemy Series. If you have yet to watch my other videos in this series Click Here for part 1, Click Here for part 2, and Click Here for part 3. And now, I present to you…. The Fire Element!

The amount of melanin in our skin, or color in our skin, clues us in to how much sun we really require. Melanin acts as a sunscreen and protects your skin. The darker you are, the more sun you will need to penetrate into your skin and create the vitamin D that is so VITAL to our health. As I pointed out in my video, vitamin D deficiency is linked to over 70 types of cancer and is called the “silent epidemic.” Ironically, the time in which it is most benefitial to go outside is the exact time that we have been told to stay inside, around noon. Dr. Michael Holick, who wrote the UV Advantage, tells us that about half of the year in the northern hemisphere, late fall to early spring, there is not enough UV present to create vitamin D. This is why it is very important to develop strategies which will help us to be tan, happy, and full of sunshine…

HOW TO MAXIMIZE VITAMIN D ABSORPTION

1. Get as much sun in the summertime as possible. Luckily, vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin, meaning it can be stored in your body for quite some time. If you get plenty of sun during the summer, meaning you are outside several hours a day, then you will be able to have enough vitamin D stores for the cold winter months. If you are not used to sun exposure, make sure to build up your tolerance first. Invest just 10 minutes outside a day then slowly increase the time you are out in the sun to at least 1 hour a day.

2. Expose as much of your body to the sun as possible. There may be parts of your skin that have never seen the light of day! The more you expose the more sun nutrition you receive. Naked sun-bathing is very good for overall health and beauty. Seek out places and times where you can do this… or just expose as much as you are comfortable with.

3. Consume vitamin D rich foods such as cod liver oil or krill oil. Vitamin D is stored in the liver. By eating the liver of fish the Inuits were able to live healthily lives in their massively cold climate. If you live in a cold or cloudy place and are not apposed to eating animal products, this is a great vitamin D supplement. Some mushrooms and other vegan foods such as kelp have a little vitamin D in them too, along with vegetarian foods such as raw dairy and eggs, but only from free range, grass fed animals. Plant sources usually contain vitamin D2 and animal sources contain vitamin D3. I suggest doing some research on foods containing this valuable nutrient. Vitamin D is extremely important to Longevity and Health!

The more we immerse ourselves in nature, the more we will gather into our bodies the quintessence, life-force, and prana which is the 5th Element. Let us all make it our intention to leave behind more of the artificial world we were born into and become more wild and FREE! Instead of watching a movie or gathering around the TV, let us gather around the fire, go out into nature, breathe fresh forest air, soak in hotsprings, drink fresh spring water, sungaze, and eat mineral dense wild food. The 5 elements are the true LIVING forces. By becoming the master of the elements, we become the master of LIFE!!

Hello my fellow Alchemists!! Today I bring you part 3 of my Personal Alchemy series. If you haven’t seen my other videos in this series Click Here for part 1 and Click Here for part 2. This week I am focusing on the Air Element which to me represents our Etheric body. When I was a baby I had challenges with my lungs and my breathing and as a result I have put a lot of my attention on the air element in my life and have extensively studied “the perfect breath” and breathwork. Watch my video below to learn about this most vital element…

First, I must say, more important than any special way of breathing is to become aware of our own breath and follow our own body’s rhythm. It’s best to let every part of your body breath. Allow your body to move and undulate when you breathe. Babies breathe with their whole bodies, even their fingers and toes. Practice trusting your breath and allowing “spirit to breathe you.” That being said, it is also helpful to practice certain breathing techniques and explore the inspiration, insight, healing and relaxation which come with it. Here are my favorites…

1. Breath of Love: This is a particular rebirth breathing pattern I have studied and have become certified in. It is supposedly the “ideal breath” that humans and animals are meant to use. It represents our relationship to the universe. On the inhale you take in as much air as possible, filling both the lower abdomen and upper part of your lungs. This represents how much you are willing to take in from the universe around you, how much you are open to, how effortlessly you are open to it, and how satisfied you are when you get what you want. The exhale is then quickly dropped with no effort or force. You just relax your abdomen and lungs. This represents what you think the universe does: does it accept your old, stale, used substance? Does it reject you? Do you have to fight to get rid of something? The in and out breath is connected and flowing like the waves of the ocean crashing onto the sand and pulling back into the ocean. This represents your willingness to be present and live in the moment, Right NOW.

2. Rhythmic Holy Breath: This is a common Yoga breath. The pattern is inhale-hold-exhale-hold for equal amounts of time. I like to add visualization to my breathing such as…
*On the inbreath, breathe the love/light of God into your body
*As you hold your breath, visualize assimilating the love/light of God
*On the outbreath, expand the love/light of God into every cell, organ and electron of your physical, etheric, mental and emotional bodies
*As you hold the breath out, deliberately project the assimilated love/light of God into the heart of every man, woman and child
Repeat this pattern for several minutes until you feel light, calm, and relaxed:)

How To Cleanse Your Respiratory System:

1. Nauli: It’s best to do this exercise first thing in the morning before you have had any food or drink. Stand outside or near a window to receive fresh Prana filled air. Bend over at the waist and fully exhale. When you feel you have exhaled fully exhale even more. Then stand up and pull your belly in. Your abdomen will be concave. Hold for a little bit and then push your belly out and slowly allow air to come back in to your lungs. The bottom of our lungs can hold in stagnant air for a LONG time and this yoga technique will clean it all out!

2. Neti Pot: This will clean out your sinus passages. I haven’t quite mastered this one yet (it took me a while to even get the guts up to try it;), but it really does work and there are many things you can do with your neti pot. I suggest you research how to best use it. Adding a little sea salt and essential oils to your water is very refreshing and healing too.

Ok, it’s now time to watch part 4! Click Here to get started:)

P.S. Click Here to check out my Young Living essential oils:)

Welcome to part 2 of my personal Alchemy series! If you have yet to see part 1 Click Here first:)

I just got back from a wonderful vacation in Miami with my girlfriends! I walked on the beach, swam in the ocean, drank coconut water, partied in the evening, and even got to do a “dolphin encounter” at Miami Seaquarium (I have been desiring to play with dolphins for a while!). While in Miami I recorded this video on the Water Element…

Spring water is by far the best water you can drink. Better than filtered, ozonated, purified, vitalized, alkalized or any other man made technique we have invented to improve the quality of our toxic tap water and make it as close to spring water as possible. Many people, when they consider drinking their water straight from the ground feel fear about consuming harmful bacteria and pathogens. This may be true if you were to drink water from a lake or river, but while drinking water straight from the source you will not find anything more pure. Spring water is created by water seeping down into the earth, way down, until it reaches what is called an aquifer or an underground lake. This water may stay there for thousands of years, restructuring itself and absorbing the advanced information earth provides, until it is ready to come back to the surface. On its way up it is completely purified and structured. The earth is the most advanced water filter in existence! In fact, many water filters learn their technology from how the earth purifies water. Water that is coming to the surface from these aquifers are sometimes several thousand years old, meaning it has not been around on the surface to be polluted by modern day technology (chemicals, explosives, poisonous sprays, etc.) This is another reason why spring water is the best drinking water available!

How To Test Your Spring Water:

Look for the following characteristics…
1. Temperature. 4 degrees Celsius is the purest temperature for water. Cold water is quality water. Harmful organisms can’t really grow in cold water. This is why we refrigerate our food to preserve our food.

2. Total Dissolved Solids. You can purchase a TDS meter to test the mineral content in your water. Anywhere between 9 and 50 TDS is really good water. The more minerals your water has the more hard the water is and the less hydrating it becomes.

3. PH. Water that is between 6.8-7.2 ph is the best. You want to have a very neutral ph water because our bloodstream is also close to neutral.

4. Pressure. The more pressure the water has the more vitality it possesses. Strong flow insures your spring water is coming from a full aquifer.

5. Chemical Content. Most of the time spring water is free of chemicals but you may desire to chemically test your water to insure quality.

6. History. Talk to the people who are already using this spring. Does your spring have any history or lore? If people have been using it for a long time you can be sure it is safe!

To find a spring close to where you live please check out FindaSpring.com and if you know of one that is not on there please add it. This is a community site which allows us to share with each other the best drinking water available!

(To Be Continued… Click Here For Part 3)

I love you!

Balancing the Four Elements in our life is the basis of Longevity and Health. I always knew this intuitively and this is the reason why Daniel Vitalis’ Invincible Health Mastery Course resonated with me so deeply. In his course, Daniel explains practical steps and ways we can balance the four elements… Earth, Air, Fire, and Water for maximum health! Today’s Blog is the first of a 4 part series where I will explain a little about each of the 4 elements and what I do to invite each one into my life…

MY NEW AND IMPROVED FOOD PYRAMID: EATING FROM THE FOUR KINGDOMS OF LIFE

Kingdom #1: Plant Foods. In my opinion, this should be the main part of our diet. At least 50-60%. We can find massive variety and flavors in the plant kingdom. Greens, Fruits, Roots, Seaweeds, Nuts, Seeds, Grains, Herbs, Spices, Raw Vegetable Oils and Superfoods. Plant foods provide us with phyto-nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants, essential fatty acids, protein, carbohydrates, etc.

Kingdom #2: Cultured Foods. We have 4 times as many bacteria as we have cells. When we eat food we are actually feeding our bacteria, which transform our food into something usable for our body. Therefore it is very important to get the “friendly” bacteria in our body through fermented foods such as Kefir, Kim-Chi, and my favorite, lacto-fermented sodas!. I believe about 25-30% cultured foods is a very healthy ratio.

Kingdom #3: Fungi. Many people feel the fungi kingdom is harmful and can cause mold and fungus in our bodies. The opposite is actually true when you are eating medicinal mushrooms such as Reishi, Agaricus, Maitake, Shiitake, Cordyceps, etc. They help our immune system in many ways. In order to receive the precious polysaccharides these mushrooms have, they must be “heat-treated”. I like to make a tea out of them. About 5-10% of my diet consists of Fungi.

Kingdom #4: Animal Products. This one was a real hard one for me to accept. I was vegan for a couple of years and care very deeply about animals, so I am opposed to how they are being treated in factory farm situations. However, there are actually a few nutrients that are very difficult to find in plant foods which animal products can provide. Even wild Chimpanzees, whose DNA is supposedly closest to ours, eat a small amount of insects and even other animals. Since I am dedicated to my longevity, I allow myself to eat some animal product as long as it is earth friendly and sustainable… Organic Bee Products, Organic and Raw Dairy Products, Deer Antler, and even Wild Game occasionally (animals that have had a very natural and free life). You don’t need a lot. About 5-10% will do.

My pyramid is a rough estimate. It’s important to let our intuition guide us as we eat from the four kingdoms of life. Eating about 80-90% raw has been an excellent longevity practice for me too;) The question to ask yourself is, “how can I do the least amount of damage and processing to my food while extracting the most nutrition from my food.” I hope you have enjoyed todays post! Please leave a comment below and share with your friends. Oh, and check out Personal Alchemy Part 2 by Clicking Here!

With Love,
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