ObamaCare? More like PranayamaCare!

if you are stressed, upset or at all nervous about the shenanigans with this so-called "ObamaCare", then I suggest you STOP!....TAKE A BREATH....& ACCESS YOUR OWN FREE HEALTH CARE! it's called......breathing. AKA Pranayama.

this may get ranty....it's hard to say for sure. but that's why I love this blog. my thoughts, my ideas.
I CAN DO WHAT I WANT! ;)
that's what 'Merica is all about, no?


the thing is people, up until a hundred years ago or so (keep in mind humans have been around for thousands and thousands of years) humans were not controlled by the big business that is cancer, heart disease, depression, AIDS, auto-immune conditions like multiple sclerosis, restless leg syndrome, Monstano, Hollywood, Miley Cyrus, McDonalds, Walmart, the Internet.....and so on. These are recent developments in our human evolution; very recent. No longer are kids learning to read, write, explore, create & imagine. Instead they're being bottled up in prisons called schools that teach a very skewed perspective of what's important in life. We feed them Justin Beiber & video games & happy meals.
& then we get all pissed off when we're threatened with a healthcare ultimatum.

I'm wondering when folks will start to wake up and realize the more you continue to BLAME others for your health & the more you continue to eat shitty foods that aren't even really foods, & the more we rely on "doctors", celebrities, politicians & pharmaceutical companies, the more you are playing THE VICTIM. that's right....it's easier to be an ignorant sheep (the true sense of the word is knowing but ignoring) that just follows along with what everyone else is doing, rather than question & exercise critical thinking & autonomy. get real people....do you really think the government cares if you are happy & healthy? HELL NO! that's what keeps this big business machine running!

if "they" did...then why would these big business diseases, disorders, drugs, fast food companies, celebrities & health care providers be making so much MONEY? why would they perpetuate finding a "cure" to our illnesses rather than look to what's causing them? (oh wait...it's how we live that's causing them). not only is our current system of healthcare illogical and obviously meant to control the masses, but these approaches are SO far from who we are naturally as human beings & directly affect the natural world we live in.

the Earth has provided to us the most incredible first-aid kit & the most fabulous selection & potential to experience delicious foods, herbs, medicines, entertainment, mystery, imagination, soil, water, sunshine, land, sex, art, music & spiritual connection we could ever imagine! So why are people still fighting this Truth & looking away from themselves for an answer to their problems? Let's consider what a typical day might look like for an average human being in America.

-- wake up to an annoying alarm or bratty kid....maybe gunshots?!
-- start the day with an anti-depressant, pain med or statin drug, eat an unfulfilling breakfast or hit up a fast food drive-through, take in ZERO nutritional value, & eat it in the car
-- drive to/commute to a terrible job in obscene traffic where everyone is completely self-absorbed
-- spend the whole day slaving away over mindless, pointless tasks for somebody else's agenda (which a lot of times is just a cog in a nasty killing machine)
-- eat a lackluster proceesed lunch & slam a poisionous energy drink or two or three to make it through the rest of the day
-- spend any free time glued to a phone, computer, social networking site, worrying or stressed
-- travel home back through said traffic
-- deal with... kids, bills, the dogs, cleaning, routine shit, whatever....
-- turn on the TV/computer & zone out for the rest of the night to social networking, "reality" shows & mindlessly eat said processed/poisonous food again
-- fall asleep with an Ambien cocktail (& during this time have some nightmares, maybe do some online shopping, have an affair, get in a car accident or potentially murder someone.....all in your sleep!....
I'm not kidding. look up some Ambien case studies & you'll find this particular brainwashing drug is not just to get you to sleep. it makes people crazy. I've seen it happen to people I know)
-- and.....Repeat over & over & over until something snaps

& ya wonder why.....
hmmmm....
sound healthy? sound fun? sound like anything at all that humans were meant to be doing?
if you think so, then so be it. enjoy your ObamaCare.

But you can't place blame on anyone else for not stepping up to the plate of your own life.
I'm not ranting here to make those who have had to deal with cancer, multiple sclerosis, AIDS, terrible situations, etc. feel bad or make it seem like I have no compassion. It's because I have had DIRECT familial connection with these diseases & situations. I have seen the supposed "treatment" & support given to the folks suffering through it.
& it's total bullshit. hence why I'm writing this.

Just because we have the technology to "advance" as a society surely does not mean we are doing it to benefit our highest good individually OR FOR THE WHOLE. seems to me we've all given away our power to those in control, believing somehow we don't know anything. & we are now finally realizing we're just a bunch of guinea pigs in a sick experiment.

If you tune into your own breath, you WILL find your own inner peace, happiness, health & connection to a bigger picture. You will pull away from the illusion of what's going on & enter into a realm which transcends time & space. Mindfully controlling the flow of the breath has been shown to reduce stress & anxiety, lift stagnant depression, cleanse the physical body, move us from a state of survival to a state of rest, & induce feelings of euphoria. Basically, you can get a FREE NATURAL HEALTHY HIGH on your own breath!!! what what?!? You don't need a prescription for that!

Yoga is a time-honored & scientifically validated method of caring for one's mind, body & soul.  Yoga teaches us to explore one's Truth & Essence. The asanas (poses) move blocked energy and unlock hidden beauty, strength & joy. The practice of pranayama (breath work) leads us through our troubles & struggles, & naturally to our our highest space of authenticity. Breathing into the physical body helps us root into the center of our being so we don't fly off the handle at any random moment of frustration. That rootedness illuminates our inherent wisdom & ability to thrive! The practice as a whole encourages us to take a look at ourselves, how we behave, what our habits & patterns are, & to question our motives and the motives of others.....to tap into the wonder, curiosity & excitement of life!

By accessing our own inherent wisdom (and healing capacity), we are lead directly to the source of what makes us all human. This power is not OUTSIDE OF YOU. This, for example, is one of the flaws of most organized religion. You may take classes & find your teacher or Guru, but you do not need anyone else to "save" you from yourself or to be entered into the gates of heaven. Heaven is available in the natural beauty of a forest, the helping of one to another, or even in an elated sensation of breath. The power is both WITHIN and AROUND YOU! It is your God-given right to return to that Source & don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise! Acknowledge that we are all cut from the same cloth & that we are ALL reflections of light on a multi-faceted gem that is consciousness.

So riddle me this..."Are you an advocate for yourself? Do you listen to what feels right in your heart & in your gut? Do you truly take care of yourself? Are your opinions & life choices your own or that of a brainwashing ill-intended agenda?"

you have a choice.
?ObamaCare or PranayamaCare?
(p.s. breathing is FREE).
...and thank you Amy Elizabeth for your wonderful play on words!!!

end o' rant.
with love & TRUTH...
the wise owl
XO

AUM my goodness...all things work in balance

   :::Hatha Gong/Evening Yoga:::purify::transform::rejuvenate:::

Wednesdays @Dark StarYoga on Scottsdale & Shea from 6:45-8pm 

------------------------<<<>>>-------------------------

we have a choice to view life with the unnerving, unserving habitual patterns of fear. OR we can wake up with our happy pants on (hey Astara Robinson ...you wear those!:)) && offer the day with a heart full of love. it's phenomenal we are living & dying at the same time in any given moment. and in Mayan thought each morning a rebirth & each evening a death::our cells die & rejuvenate::planets & moon cycle::seeds germinate, grow, develop, flower, fruit, are eaten, digested, excreted & transformed! the dance of balance is constantly moving in an orchestrated time/space/vibrational frequency
.:::always there is a balance of creation & destruction....of the dark & light.....the harmonic interweaving of birth & death. kali & shiva unite in divine ecstatic love & then she devours the pieces of one another returning to the void/the abyss/ the space of emptiness/peace & potential. here lies the archetypal interplay of consciousness!

seems everyone i chat with lately, including the dialogue with my myself, is having some kind of an epiphany of a necessary change/shift, emotional growth & some pondering into the realms of the deep. this is in especially direct connection to our relationships. are we flowing in equanimity & diplomacy? are we being fair to ourselves?? this is being displayed right now in the concept of governmental affairs & the jurisdiction of fate by an ill-understood force of great power over the most precious piece of our human experience.....OUR HEALTH! why do we give our power away to others so easily & blindly?....i think we are living in a shadow puppet show, an illusion, a performance. & remember october is an auspicious time to explore the fine line between what's "real" & what's "fake". the mystery of life & death. all hallow's eve & dia de los muertos remind us to dance the macabre of the soul with ourselves past. thus the birth of a self that has "upgraded". a dance with the darkness surely propels one's growth.

practicing Svadyaya (Self-inquiry) supports our practice of accessing hidden or undiscovered information via meditation, intuitive knowing, reflection & self-healing. look at your relationships... with your family, the workplace, your yoga practice, yourSELF, your perspectives, with DEATH? with FEAR?
are you enjoying? what's truly happening? dig deeper & find out.

it's usually uncomfortable & easier said than done to peel away the layers of our oniony-selves. yet try as we may to escape, avoid or flee...we surely are not exempt from change. it's that cliche "change is the only constant" bit. but AUM my goodness it's true. either ya choose the change willingly or the change will choose you kicking & screaming. denial of the evolving nature that is the Self is denial of the Truth of Truths. this is the natural order of things!

take yourself out of the details for a bit & consider what lies beyond the confines of your own thinking. question your motives...and equally the motives of the systems which control your money, your decisions, your "likes" & "dislikes", your time, your health, your creativity!?!

our behaviors & emotions can build up into dis-ease:::like carving grooves into a record of our consciousness. these samskaras are the ache in your heart, the furrow of the brow, the tightness of your lungs the weakness in your back, the sickness in your stomach. these signs cry for recognition, release, balance & healing!

this is why i'm drawn to practice & honor the power of yoga...
to move the body & awaken the feeling of bountiful strength, grace & vibrant energy. it's to commit to the presence of stability & change in the same cycle of breath. our practice opens the door to a fascinating trip into & out of thyself.  as we cultivate the breath & bath our cells with the sound waves of the gong, we are oxygenating, refreshing & serving ourselves a dose of vibrational medicine.

thewiseowl

 XOXOX

 IZ

presto parsley pesto

Here's some helpful information and a tasty parsley pesto recipe from a cool group called HerbMentor. Learningherbs.com is a sweet resource you should check out to discover skills and ideas to empower your health and your life with herbals.

Parsley Pesto!

by Rosalee de la Forêt

Parsley is often mistaken for a “garnish” herb. Something to brighten your restaurant dinner plate only to be discarded with the trimmings.

But don’t be fooled! Parsley is an amazing powerhouse of nutrients and it should be respected as one of our best herbal medicines. In fact, that sprig of parsley may be the healthiest thing on your dinner plate!

The Amazing Benefits of Parsley

Nutrients

Parsley is really high in nutrients, notably Vitamin K, Vitamin C and Vitamin A. It is especially high in Vitamin K. This vitamin is strongly tied to heart health and healthy bones.

Promotes Digestion

Besides looking pretty, another reason you find parsley on dinner plates is because it helps to promote digestion. It is an aromatic herb that stimulates digestion and moves stagnant digestion. Ever eat a meal and feel like you have a bowling ball stuck in your stomach? Try parsley!

Anti-inflammatory

Parsley helps to modulate inflammation. Excess inflammation in the body is associated with muscle pain, arthritis, and degenerative diseases, including cancer.

Protects Against Cancer

Parsley stops negative angiogenesis. This happens when a tumor creates a blood supply that enables it to grow. Cutting-edge cancer research shows us that many people have cancer cells in their body but, by eating antioxidant-rich foods like parsley, we can stop cancer cells from ever growing!

The Taste of Parsley

Have you ever really tasted parsley? Parsley certainly tastes “green”, but it also has a slightly spicy and pungent taste to it. The way herbs taste is a huge clue as to how we can use them as medicines.

Spicy and pungent herbs are often used to promote digestion and reduce inflammation.

THE RECIPE

Pesto is a very forgiving mixture. If you can’t have nuts or dairy, feel free to omit them and change the recipe as you would like. It’s hard to go wrong!

What you’ll need...

Ingredients

• 2 cups tightly-packed flat leaf parsley leaves
• 3/4 cup toasted chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 3 large cloves garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika powder
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest

Throw everything in a food processor or blender. Blend on high until it forms a smooth consistency. Store in the fridge and use within a few days. You can also freeze it in whatever portion size works for you.