Working and Staying in a Wellness, Detox and Raw Food Resort.

Yes, you read the title right! 

I am here in Izmir, Turkey, about to go, for the next 13 days, to one of the best Detox, Raw food and Wellness Resorts in Turkey, to play music and take part in a big group meditation experience called Born Again. 

The resort:  http://www.sianjibodrum.com 

Incredible invitation. I am so excited to be here and what an opportunity to share my music with over 50 participants, AND enjoy the pleasures of raw food, juices, detox, spa, swimming pools, gym, saunas etc etc. 

The place looks stunning, the guy who invited me is so warm and open hearted, a true sannyasin, his partner is so welcoming I really feel like a king!

And the the Born Again experience starts on Sunday morning with lots of active meditations like Dynamic, and Kundalini to shift energy, and then dancing and celebration. There will be tears and laughter, and I know it will be very rich. 

I will blog about my adventures so stay tuned. 

My passion for deep holistic wellness continues and becomes more profound with each passing day. The connection between cellular health, mental health and spiritual health is my interest. Detoxification is where it's at, but that detox has to be good and deep. 

Lets Talk about Detoxification

Lets Talk about Detoxification.

It is my opinion that a lot of people, many who are ill, think they know all about and have actually done, detoxification.

And yet I am firmly convinced that many of these people are wrong. I know, it’s contentious right?

But I just see it all the time with people who are not recovering from illness.

Detoxification, when performed with diligence, knowledge and commitment, should become the ground out of which balanced and grounded health grows. It provides an almost new base on which to build. If that building is also performed with care, love and intelligence, and full attention has been paid to the emotional and mental states, then harmony and wellbeing is almost assured. It cannot fail to happen unless something has gone wrong in the process (or in the unlikely happenstance of genetic malfunction).

And almost always the ‘something gone wrong’ is inadequate detoxification.

Let us just clear one thing up. If you, or someone you know, suffers from a chronic systemic illness, a short juice fast, a few days without carbohydrates, a smoothie feast, or a simple change of diet, even if it is to raw food, will not achieve the results I am pointing to.

IT WILL NOT BE ENOUGH.

It will not reach the areas of the body where the deepest toxicity lies. It will not reach into the liver and invite it to release some of the toxins and viruses, heavy metals and residues it is holding onto. It may not even totally cleanse the bowel or small intestines, or blood, or lymphatic system, and it certainly won’t penetrate the cells.

It may do a small something and bring some mild relief, and convince you that you have achieved the mythical ‘detoxification.’

But in a few short weeks or months you will be left wondering why you are not recovering and pretty much feel the same as you did. You might even try some new supplements in the hope that they will help. Or change the diet.

(Please not that all the above are valid and I am not taking away from them or judging them harshly, I am simply saying that if disease has penetrated to the core of the body, then detox has to reach the same core, and some detox programs just will not be able to get that deep. It is logical).

But you may also lose faith in this idea of the benefits of detoxification. Not everyone believes in detox. The mainstream do not, at all. And I know some health people who do not either.

Personally, I am a firm believer, and for this reason.

I have experienced a few times the power and results of detoxification when done properly, and fully believe I would not have the health I do now without it. I have no signs of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Hashimoto’s (under active thyroid), Raynaud’s syndrome (circulatory problems), fungus and mould in my hands, Rosacea (eczema on the face), and terrible heat that riddled my body. My IBD, which came in the form of ulcerative colitis, should be, according to mainstream medical knowledge, in full swing, and I should be on medication of steroids, or of course I should have lost some or all of my colon in necessary surgery. None of these things has happened.

It has taken a long time to heal. But I have done it, and the only thing that makes me stand out from most people who struggle with diet, supplements, emotions, exercise etc is that I have DETOXIFIED LIKE NO ONE ELSE I KNOW.

1. When I had my first Ayurvedic Pulse reading in 2003 I was told I had arthritis and a huge toxic problem in the body. I was only 44 years old.

2. In 2004 I went to India for my first ‘Panchakarma.’ Most people do not know about this Ayurvedic treatment. It is one of the most powerful detoxification protocols there is. It takes 6 weeks to perform properly and works on the deepest levels of the body. It is also a ‘karmic’ cleanse so it addresses emotional, mental and spiritual levels of consciousness as well.

3. When I got ill with IBD in 2005 I went for TWO more Panchakarmas in India. It was extremely hard work, I lost weight, looked terrible, felt so weak, and still carried the IBD symptoms.

4. But I used those three experiences to build and nutrify on, I used them as the foundations of the new 'Kavi Building.’ And slowly, slowly I began to rebuild.

5. Since then I have done the juice fasts, liver cleanses, colonics, and recently have even done a 21 Day Water Fast. I have also done the Robert Young ph Miracle cleansing, and the Karen Calabrese cleanse. I was 90-100% Raw for at least 4 years.

But nothing was as powerful as the Panchakarma. You see the detox has to get deep, real deep. If you have toxins, they don’t just hang around on the surface waiting to say hi. The liver may well take them and store them in fat deposits, or they may bury themselves in joints, or hidden and dark areas where no juice can get to. I had 20 years of drug taking, alcohol abuse and toxic emotions.

So detoxification has to get very, very deep. That means it has to have some wisdom and intelligence and wisdom behind it. The Panchakarma method has over 4,000 years of development behind it. It is designed, at its best, to penetrate the 7 levels of the body, through external and internal treatments, to soften the body up so that, over a period of time, the body becomes willing to release some, or all, of its toxins.

A soft body will willingly release more than a hard and rigid body. The toxins are then moved to the gastrointestinal tract for subsequent elimination and cleansing. It is quite some process and hard going.

When I walked out of the clinic after the first Panchakarma in 2004 I was like a baby. I could feel everything, I was so sensitive it was almost painful. Everything was stripped bare and I felt naked. I knew I would never be the same again. It took quite a lot of adapting to and I had to change and grow a lot.

THAT IS DETOXIFICATION.

The only other system I know of that has the same level of power and depth is Water Fasting.

Water Fasting is extremely powerful, and so simple it defies the mind. It is the process of doing NOTHING AT ALL.

You surrender everything to the natural intelligence of the body and allow it to do what it needs to, through non-doing and non-intervention. That might mean a 5, 10, 21, 40, or even a 50 day fast. The body turns its full attention to living on fat stores and removing everything useless and toxic. It is Nature’s Secret Weapon, and we miss this most simple of actions by taking loads of supplements, medicines and using endless meaningless ineffective diets (Sorry dieticians!)

It can be an amazingly transformational experience on all levels of being. Do not doubt the simplicity of fasting as a means to resolve long standing and chronic physical issues, mental issues or feelings of spiritual disconnection. It is no mistake that all religions carry some vestige of fasting as a means of connecting with God. Fasting is what animals do in nature when they are sick. It is the most natural thing to do in the world. And yet there is such fear around not eating!

So for me, the two most effective detoxification protocols, and both very different from each other, are Panchakarma and Water Fasting. 

The former you will probably have to go to India, and in India you will have to research and investigate the best, most recommended and thorough PK centre to go to.

Panchakarma is a word thrown around in India, and some even use it to describe a spa. Do not be fooled. If the process is not performed with wisdom, good herbs and attention to detail, it could be worse than not doing it at all. The toxins get stirred up but the removal from the body is incomplete = toxicity that was dormant is now active in the body. That can cause trouble to major organs. So do research. I have included a link to the centre I attended in Mumbai, which could be the start of your investigations. You can, of course contact me for more information.

The second protocol, Water Fasting, if you decide to do over 10 days, I would suggest finding a centre and putting yourself in the care of an experienced professional. Again, they are hard to find, and in UK and USA they are few and far between.

Up to 10 days, if you are not really sick, is possible at home, but support is necessary, and having the space and time to totally let go, unplug from work, internet, family etc is vital to allow the body to do its healing. And of course attention needs to be given to the re-feeding program. You cannot just launch back into your old diet when you finish. It can be dangerous. The centre I attended is in Costa Rica. I have included a link to it at the end of this article.

Of course you can talk to me about it.

I may also be offering one to one support for those who wish to dive into a 5-10 day fast. Even the short fasts bring stuff up physically, emotionally and spiritually. Please get in touch if you are interested.

Which ever protocol you choose is a powerful vehicle for transformation. One reason I value both of these very different methods so highly is that both of them will challenge you on every level of being.

They are both deeply holistic. You will meet unresolved emotions, beliefs and thoughts. You will come face to face with that part of you that feels unloved and even unlovable. They will lay bare your feelings of isolation and separation. And they will open the door to self love, gratitude and compassion. They offer you the opportunity of a lifetime to resolve karmic issues and allow the healing to flood through the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual bodies. What an opportunity!

The other trick regarding detoxification is not to get too hooked up on it. There was someone I met a couple of years back who wondered, rightly, why there are so many people in the raw food movement who are obsessed with cleansing and detox. It almost appears as though they feel dirty and are trying to erase themselves. Detox is necessary, but the desire needs to be tempered. The body is not something to be punished.

It is not a bad thing to have a body, and we don't have to get too religious about it. It is not our ‘hair shirt.’

Do it efficiently and move on. Return every so often and then leave it. Don't pick at it as though it is something neurotic, it may become an obsession. That is not what you want, or what it is for.We are, surely, looking for harmony and balance within. Of course we do consume toxic chemicals and pollutants all the time, and with the arrival of the modern industrial machine, this has only increased.

But cleansing has to be balanced by high quality and focused nutrition. When these two work together, then the body really starts working. One without the other creates imbalance. Detoxification allows the body to absorb nutrients and become strong and powerful. Focused and high quality nutrition help the body to naturally detox what it does not want.

Focused nutrition brings power to the immune system and blood supply, supporting the whole organism, the liver and all the vital organs, to work efficiently and expel unwanted toxins and poisons, viruses and bacteria from within.

Detoxification Specialists:

Ayurvedic Panchakarma: Try Ayushakti in Mumbai. 
http://ayushakti.com/services.php 

Water Fasting Center: Tanglewood Wellness Center. Costa Rica.
http://tanglewoodwellnesscenter.com 

Robert Morse N.D. Detox Specialist. USA.
https://www.youtube.com/user/robertmorsend

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Detox-Miracle-Sourcebook-Complete-Regeneration/dp/189077233X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1424786746&sr=8-2&keywords=robert+morse 

Transformational Power of Fasting: Stephen Buehner.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Transformational-Power-Fasting-Spiritual-Rejuvenation-ebook/dp/B00770DLJS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1424786813&sr=8-3&keywords=fasting 

Andreas Moritz: The Amazing Liver and Gallbladder Flush.
http://www.ener-chi.com/books/the-amazing-liver-gallbladder-flush/ 

Water Fasting Video

This is a video I made after 9 days of the 21 day water fast recently completed in Costa Rica.

I have not edited it because I wanted to show the speed I was working at, pretty slow!

In it I address the spiritual aspect of fasting, of course the physical as well, and I hope I give some insight into the effect of fasting.

Remember, this is after 9 days, which in retrospect seems like nothing, but at the time seemed like a lifetime!!

So please be patient with the video and allow the silence and stillness when I sink into it. I think you might get something from it. 

Enjoy!

21 day Water Fast completed !
And what a journey is was. It had its ups and downs, and to be honest the most difficult time has been since breaking the fast and refeeding. It has now been two weeks since we finished and we are nowhere near full strength, but slowly slowly we are building muscle and getting more energy.

I have been pretty weak.

It was tough at times I must say. And then at other times it was divine. Such an opportunity to stop all activity, all food, all internet, all idle chat, does not arrive very often, so I seized the moment and bathed in the absence of everything, and touched God a couple of times, touched some residual pain that quickly shifted, and experienced a small awareness of what it must be like to starve or be starved in a concentration camp. I just can't begin to say how much I feel for all those who suffer such a fate.

Anyway I want to invite you to read the article I have written for the 'Running Conscious' website. I am a regular contributor to this online mag run by a good friend Julia Chi Taylor and I think the article reads very well.

Here is the link, and if you like it, please share it!!

http://www.runningconscious.com/article.php?article=0&section=2&category=2

Water Fasting blog and videos

Some of you know, most of you don't, but we (Amoda and myself) are going for a 21 day water fast in Costa Rica starting January 10th 2015.
It stands to be quite an experience and we are both building up to it.

It is now Dec 17th. We are in California and have both had some issues to deal with while being here, and the stress from moving all the time, money concerns (its VERY EXPENSIVE HERE) and the ups and downs of life on the road take their toll on energy resources, kidney and adrenals.
I have been working with an acupuncturist on my Kidney Yin, and Amoda has been working on balancing her Yang every which is depleted.
The reason Im saying this is because taking issues of imbalance and weakness into water fasting, although its considered a healing modality, can be contra indicated. The body needs its power, its immune strength, to deal with the change of fuelling, and depleted resources can cause more depletion. So we are building up reserves while we are here so we can make the best of things.
Of course this is only my personal intuitive opinion.
But our acupuncturist also feels this way.
So it's good to enter the water fast from as strong a place as possible. This is not always possible, as most people water fast to heal chronic issues. So many of these issues are going to relate to the immune system and imbalance of organ function, hormone dysfunction and major toxicity that just facing it all is the only way.

I will be very keen to find out how other people get on and what challenges they face. Amoda and I have done many very deep detoxification processes in the past and feel we know the terrain. It can be arduous. Emotions come up for healing. Our beliefs are challenged. Fear rises, anger rises. All these things have to be met consciously and let go of for healing to happen. But many people want it simply to be a mechanical physical experience and get frightened and angry when their stuff comes up.

We do 21 days with no food. It sounds like a lot, but many people do longer, sometimes even 40 days. It's sure going to be a ride.

And I want to take you along with me. So I'm going to blog and make some videos on the way.
Stay tuned and I will share with you some intimate moments and reflections on the process. I am particularly interested in the spiritual dimension. When you take away the means of survival and one of the ultimate distractions and emotional addictions, there is a lot of emptiness and a great opportunity to stare into the abyss of nothingness. I believe you can get closer to God through water fasting. I will let you know!!

Meanwhile if you are interested this book is an excellent read about all aspects of water fasting.

Dealing with the subconscious agenda.

Today was a profound day for me. I learned something very valuable about myself.

I was doing a podcast with the wonderful Julia Chi Taylor for her Running Conscious website.We had tried this interview once before but I had experienced some kind of blockage of breathing in my throat that made me very uncomfortable and I had to stop.
I was wondering whether I would experience this sensation again as it seemed linked to a emotional/mental issue. It was so physical, and it caused such a profound anxiety and self consciousness that it demanded attention. I have had this experience before but only around music performance, never around speaking, and I have done many interviews and public talks.

So  today was going to be interesting. Well it started well and the subject opened up.
But then it started again! I found it hard to swallow and got hot under the collar, Julia sensed my difficulty and kindly kept talking, and we both thought (we discussed afterwards) that I was going to have to stop. Very odd. Anyway I didn't stop, I stayed with it and persisted. I was damned if I was going to be beaten by some neurotic insecurity.
And the podcast was pretty good, we achieved what we wanted and I communicated the information and inspiration I wanted.

But I looked into it afterwards and really got deeper into what on earth was happening here, and this is what I came to.
The 'throttling' sensation I felt was not bad, but good. I have such information and depth of experience to share with people that when the opportunity presents itself to me, as it has with Julia's Running Conscious project, The energy all wants to release at once. It revealed to me that I have a burning desire to be heard and to be seen, and that even though it may hurt a little, I HAVE TO PERSIST.

I am an expressive, and I am a sensitive. And I am very creative. I carry wounds, although many people might not see them. As a singer and guitar player, I have been on stage many times, and have done loads of public talks about health and well being, so I'm used to it all on some level.
But the subject I am talking about now matters to me SO MUCH that I am passionate and sensitive about it. It really means something to me.And it is important to me to be real.

The reason I'm sharing this is to show that our subconscious is always alert and always up to something, and the deeper and more authentic we become the more we have to clear whatever stands in the way of our expression.
Expressing ourselves matters deeply.
Failure to express ourselves or suppression of this most basic of functions, can result in all manner of issues, both emotional and physical, so it is up to us to dig into the buried 'stuff', heal it and keep growing.
My understanding is that, far from being obstructions and problems, these things are our guides and helpers, showing us where we need to grow and evolve.
So I am grateful to this experience. Will it happen again? It may well do, but fearing it only creates it, so not fearing it leaves it alone to return or not, these things are so deep and subtle they cannot be forced.
Amazing soul intelligence.

Thanks for reading!

http://www.runningconscious.com/ 

What is the body and why care?

Recently I did the second podcast interview with Julia Chi Taylor of  'Running Conscious'
I decided that, in order to set the scene for subsequent discussions about health, consciousness, exercise, healing illness and emotional rebalancing, it is vital to ask some important questions about our common perception and understanding about what the body is.
And the more you probe this question, the more mysterious it becomes.
You see, the majority of people take it for granted that they are the body, the body is a form of transport and it responds predictably to certain stimuli.
The common assumptions about the body are exactly what I was questioning.
It is, I have to say, one of my favourite areas of study. I have found that the further down the rabbit hole of investigation I go the less clear it really is. At first glance the body seems obvious. What you see is what you get, its a very clever lump of matter that responds predictably to certain things.
But then you ask what its actually made of?
And then you ask, 'well if it's so predictable how does the placebo effect work?'
How is it that certain terminal illness can heal and miraculously disappear with no treatment other than a change of beliefs?

And why does it matter? This is very important because the more flexible we can be about the body, in fact the whole of our lives, the greater the possibility that change can happen. And when that involves recovering and repairing the physical body believing and knowing that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE brings energy, hope and enthusiasm to the process. We need these to transform.
How can we change anything if, deep down, we don't believe its possible? It all comes down to what we believe. And the more we look at the body the more we see it is intrinsically linked to what we really believe. And by believe I don't mean on the superficial level, I mean what we believe deep inside at our core, the very truths we take for granted. It becomes a very profound discussion the deeper you go.
The bottom line is don't take it for granted. Ask the question 'Is it true? Is it true that my body can't heal?' If there is the slightest doubt then it is possible.

These, and other questions, are what we, rather excitedly, talk about in this podcast.

Have a listen! http://www.runningconscious.com/media.php