pH - “p” who?? by Crazy Sexy Beth MD

Ok, Campers, here we go… really, this is one of the foundations upon which the Crazy Sexy Life is built. Because not only does what you put into your body influence your pH, but so do your thoughts and emotions. Which is why Kris’ blog “Marianne Monday” is such an important reminder that we must nurture all the components of the lifestyle – because absolutely everything we expose ourselves to impacts our internal environment, meaning our pH. We talk about this a lot, but what’s the big deal already?? Well, let’s see what we can learn.

pH is a measure of the hydrogen ion concentration, [H+] in solution. Neutral is 7.0. A pH lower than 7.0 is acidic, anything higher than 7.0 is basic or alkaline. The body ideally likes a slightly basic environment at a pH of 7.365. Our bodies are designed around the concept of homeostasis – that neutral, groovy set point where everything is a-okay. The body keeps things at this “zen” space by intricate interactions of charged molecules, balancing one another out for optimum function. Every bodily function, from breathing to pooping, is regulated this way. The body will wreck havoc trying to maintain or regain homeostasis – in this case, a pH of 7.365.

So what affects the pH of my body, you may ask?? Well, everything! Foods like meat, dairy, highly refined or processed products (you remember our chat on sugar, right?) all drive your pH down… recall our definition: a drop in pH means an increase in acidity. Negative emotions and stress result in hormonal cascades that indirectly raise acidity. Lack of exercise, depleted enzyme stores, and environmental stressors all have a deleterious impact as well. Throw in a few cocktails and any prescription medication you are on and we are talking acid cesspool.

Big deal? Why is acidity such a buzzkill for our bodies?? Well, in part, we saw a hint of the explanation from our friend Otto Warburg. His discoveries on the anaerobic metabolism of cancer cells (acidic environment) – which are increasingly the direction medical cancer research is headed in – gave us our first initial peek at the impact of pH.

Basically, healthy cells like a nice oxygen-rich environment. This allows the body to maintain that gorgeous, slightly alkaline pH of 7.365. Cell functions are not impaired in any way by compromises in structure, enzyme activity, mucus sludge, hormone function or toxin build up.

Now take that same environment and drop the pH below 7.0 – make it acidic. This alters the metabolic functioning of all cells. Remember the delicate balance we talked about, if you tip the scale even a little bit in one direction, the body will scramble to try to get back to its zen state of pH 7.365. And considering, in blood, it takes 20 times as much base to neutralize acid, we are talking an enormous amount of stress and chaos for the body. The focus shifts away from normal metabolic functions to trying to procure enough base to bind up acid. It is much easier for the body to maintain a proper pH than to restore it.

The body uses various minerals calcium, magnesium, potassium respectively to bind to acids to create a neutral substance that can be excreted. If your diet is not replenishing these mineral stores, the body starts mining them from other sources, like bone, muscle, and organ tissues. The body will steal these minerals from anywhere and everywhere it has to in order to balance the pH. Can you see where this is going?? LACK. DEFICIENCY. NOT ENOUGH.

Eventually, if YOU don’t break the cycle somewhere, your body won’t be able to keep up with the demand for substances to neutralize acid. If acid builds up too high, in order to survive, the body will start dumping acid out of the bloodstream into tissues. The cleaning system of the body, the lymphatic system, will then try to neutralize the acidity and dispose of the waste. Well, the lymph system’s mechanism for cleaning – oy vey! – is shuttling substances BACK into the blood circulation.

If your head is spinning, it’s because your body is going around this psycho killer carousel trying to regulate pH.

But what does all this really mean for you?? Well, when that delicate pH balance is tipped in the acidic direction, the wide-sweeping effects it has on metabolism may manifest in a variety of ways: infection, inflammation, constitutional symptoms, allergies etc. etc. etc. Not to mention the fact that bugs – bacteria, yeast, fungi – LOVE acidic environments. They thrive in the acid bath. An alkaline environment, on the other hand, is not so conducive for them to run amok. Are you aware that many common infections are caused by bugs that are part of our normal flora? What?? Yup, we carry them with us, some actually help us maintain that zen homeostasis. So if we aren’t “catching” these bugs from the outside, why do we get sick??

Many who believe in the power of raw, green foods, the benefits of exercise, meditation and creativity, myself included, will tell you illness is because the internal environment was somehow disrupted. This disruption allowed an increased acidity, which creates a toxic shift in the behavior of these microorganisms. We don’t “catch” all illnesses (some, yes, of course). Through our lifestyle choices, we have the power to create or destroy an internal milieu that either keeps everyone coexisting beautifully or allows potential problem makers to prosper.

The gorgeous part of all this, we can affect change on that internal environment. We can, through our choices, allow our bodies to remain at that fantastic, zen, homeostatic set point of alkalinity, pH 7.365. It’s all about the Crazy Sexy Lifestyle, Baby! You can use pH strips to get an idea of your internal pH – urine is the closest idea of what is going on in your blood. Saliva is too variable. Remember, delicate balance, 7.365 is where it’s at! There are areas of the body that need a bit more acidity to function properly. However, unfortunately for us, disruption in our systems tends to veer towards the acidic side. It is very difficult to become too alkaline through nutrition. So guzzle your green juices, eat your veggies and don’t worry about going overboard.

I am willing to bet that as you start clearing out the stress, finding your daily spiritual practice, keep shakin’ that ass, start drinking green juice, 80% of your plate is green veggies, use whole food supplements… and track your pH, you will have all the proof in the nondairy nut-based pudding you need. You will likely correlate times of sickness or feeling poorly with your pH testing. Keep a journal, track it, and please, let us know the results!!!

Big, BASIC (alkaline) hugs,
B

Marianne Monday

Good morning lovely Lima beans!

Finally after so much travel I am back at my magical home in hippieville Woodstock! And although it's tempting to dive in and catch up on all the work I have to do, I once again awaken to the fact that the most important work is on the inside - between my right and left ears, to be exact...

I was reminded of this AH HA after spending this past Saturday with my amazing friend and spiritual teacher Marianne Williamson. Her new book, "The Age of Miracles: Embracing The New Midlife" was the subject of her lecture, and although I learned a lot about how I would like to age, it was so relevant to my life NOW. Of all the powerful words that fell from her God-touched tongue, the most dynamic tool for my own RIGHT-NOW growth came in the form of a straight forward question: Do you have a DAILY spiritual practice? "Uhhh, wellll, sometimes-ish, but you see lately it's been tough! I mean, there's the travel, work, emails, and juicing takes time..." SHUT UP KRIS (I said this - she didn't). The truthful answer is a whopping NO.

I've been to Marianne's lectures before, I've read her books, she's even pressed me on this question in person at tea or over dinner. And every time I Shuck and Jive and then walk away making new promises to myself that work for a little while, but then never really take root. Why? Is it too ouchy to commit? Do I think I'm all that and a bag of pita chips and don't need it? OR am I too dang lazy!?!? Do you have a DAILY spiritual practice? Deep sigh.....

When I break it down it's simple. All my suffering comes from the fact that my primary relationship - which is my relationship to the divine - is off. When this relationship is solid there is no illusion of separation. There is no struggle no matter what the struggle is. My mind determines my reality. I change it in order to salvage it, and therefore my thoughts are clear. How good does it feel to sit in meditation and empty your head, even for just a few moments? How about journaling, exercise, reading spiritual scripture, praying, or listening to uplifting lectures on CD? These daily practices are as important, if not more important, than any other commitment in our lives.

One of the many remarkable things about Marianne is that no matter what question comes at her, she is able to break it down and bring it back to God. At the heart of the answer lies our own commitment to the path. Ego driven selfishness, poor-me victimization, spinning wheels, bitterness, loneliness, rage, etc. - when these negative feelings are allowed to metastasize, they eventually mutiny, take over your ship, and you find yourself no longer the captain of your destiny.

Makes perfect sense to me. So how do I make sure I don't negotiate away the time it takes to string together the pearls on the spiritual necklace? Just do it. As Jon Kabat Zinn says, "get your ass on the pillow!"

In our little CSL community we constantly chat about cleansing our bodies in order to boost our immunity and live our best lives, no matter what the circumstance. Marianne reminds us that we must also detox our distorted belief systems in order to truly experience happiness. Topical solutions just won't do, our problems are systemic. She says that we can't cover our darkness with pink paint and call it light! Many of the mistakes made in my life have come from moving too fast. The speed by which my turbine cranks comes from a deep fear of quiet, and ultimately, inadequacy. UGH!!!!!

When stuff is uncomfortable it is so much easier to keep it at arms length, and yet our arms get so frickin' tired. Arms length makes it more difficult. The Course in Miracles says that we find the rest we seek not from sleeping, but from waking. OH YEAH! Isn't that what we're trying to do with our diets? Wake up to the health and abundance available in every bite? Same thing with the meal that is our spiritual path.

As I continue to define the CSL Lifestyle for myself (I start writing "Crazy Sexy Life" the book in October), I am reminded that it is a spiritual diet first and foremost. It is a path of compassion and of service. Each of us transitions to health from a different starting point. We must have patience with ourselves, but we can't let that be an excuse for not doing our best. Again, the more clear you are spiritually, the more you'll trust your instincts. Nothing good comes easy; it takes work. Although diet is the seat of the chair, the four legs are equally important. Mind, body, spirit, and the more I think about it, the fourth leg is the DAILY PRACTICE. When any of these pillars are wobbly we feel unsettled, insecure, and off balance. I am grateful to wonderful teachers like Marianne who are dedicated to helping us remember this.

Off to take a walk and pray.

Peace and hallelujah!
kris

A new angel in Heaven....

It is with great sadness that I say good-bye to the woman who helped me make peace with my own journey with cancer, Oni Faida Lampley. She was a sage, a teacher, a veteran of overcoming hardship and a deeply spiritual truth teller.

On April 28th, our gorgeous, dynamic, charming, brilliant, powerful warrior Oni left her body and became our angel. She was surrounded by love and light, friends and family, music, and prayer as she went peacefully and gracefully into the light.

For those of you who have seen Crazy Sexy Cancer, Oni is the brilliant (and hilarious) playwright we profiled towards the end of the film. I spent many nights watching her interviews in the hopes that her wisdom would take seed and help me to heal. Well, it did. Oni is responsible for some of my greatest personal breakthroughs. There is nothing to be thankful to cancer for and yet there are so many blessings, a paradox that I am still unraveling. If it wasn’t for my diagnosis I would never have met such a remarkable woman. So in the end, thank you cancer for bringing Oni into my life. Her creativity and passion reminded me that the only way to save my spirit was to nurture my artist and tell my story. Watching her tour de force made me pray for half the talent pouring from her heart and pen.

Oni's greatest wish was that her two brilliant and beautiful boys, Oluwadamilola and Adebayo would be able to go to college and bloom in their own ways.

If you are in a position to make a contribution to the boys' Scholarship Fund, your donation will help them pursue their dreams. No amount is too small. With the combined force of our incredible community we can give them an amazing running start as they carry on the legacy of Oni Faida Lampley.

http://theonifund.com

Our New York Posse Meet-up = Totally HOT success!

Hi cherished tomatoes!

The posse gathering was down right magical. We met, ate DIVINE raw chow, hugged, shared massive knowledge, chatted about where we're going in the future with our wonderful company, introduced our AMAZING and ever growing team (Beth Villandry, Director of Development and Corinne Bowen Program and Development Manager - look out, these revolution mamas are going to ROCK YOUR WORLD). We gave away awesome prezzies (thank you sexy Sarma for the fantstic Pure Food & Wine goodie bag, and deep bow to the angel folks at Nutiva, E3 Live, Gnosis Chocolate and Vanessa Barg, Get Fresh Magazine and of course Breville - we gave away a juicer! Yeah, alkalinity!) Oh, oh, oh, we also passed out our new bracelets "Crazy Sexy Life - Make Juice Not War! Sooo cool, soooo fun and available for all very soon. Gotta spread the message and the love-ola. Jumping the cyber barrier was so surreal! New faces and long time pals from the old blog days all showed (Hi Sandra Joseph!) Also, a big SPECIAL thanks to Amy & Michelle (our new york team leaders) for making this day happen. Amy's invites, and awesome graphic magic survey was the creative glue that propelled us to a new level. THANK YOU!

Oh, guess who else graced us? Philip of lovingraw.com and Giveittomeraw.com. If you haven't read his story, run don't walk. Philip just finished his 100 day juice fast/feast on Friday and will be blogging for us later this week. WOW WOW WOW! Ps. The Raw Chocolate Rave on Friday was delish. Thanks Dhrumil (the dynamo founder of Giveittomeraw and Welikeitraw), you are the ultimate conduit, maker of change, and spiritual playah!

Needless to say, the New York flagship posse is a bright, bright gem so naturally we're already planning our next event. Can you say yoga studio anyone? Besides these wonderful meet-ups, team CSL is planning a host of other programs to grace your life with vibrance, knowledge and spiritual health. Keep your peepers peeled. More details to come soon.

It's so exciting to be back in New York for a week. Tonight I will be MC-ing the Sarcoma Foundation of America's annual gala fundraiser and on Thursday I will be the Keynote speaker at the Harvard Club for the Dana Farber gala. I'm honored beyond belief!

Hope and pray that you all have a wonderful GREEN day.

If you're in town for the next meet up, please come! I can't wait to squeeze you like a lemon. :) xox :) xoxo!

Peace and JOY HOLY JOY,
Kris

Friend to animals, friend to me & our first CanSer chap - Dan Paul!

Happy May!

Let's dance about yesterday's MAJOR advancement for our furry friends! Check it out:

"The prestigious Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production just concluded its 2.5-year study of American animal agriculture with unanimous findings from its 15 members. The panel concluded that factory farms pose unacceptable risks to public health, the environment and animal welfare. It also issued a series of recommendations, including a phase-out of battery cages, gestation crates, veal crates, foie gras, and tail-docking of dairy cows, along with inclusion of poultry under the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act."

So what does all this have to do with my wonderful pal Dan? Take it away compassion rock star, activist extraordinaire and one heck of a dynamic CanSer chap...

"As an ex-control freak and a new-found believer in the “things happen for a reason” school of thought, it seems absolutely fitting that my fiancé Katie and I happened to meet Kris and Brian while vacationing in Costa Rica.

Quickly let me catch you all up to speed: we were all staying in the same yoga/nature retreat, so when we initially met we all spent the first few days engaging in basic small talk and abbreviated biographies. Then, after a few days, I became interested in finding out more about Brian’s film background, as in an earlier life I had been a film major in San Francisco. This is when they dropped their bombshell and Katie and I found out exactly how Brian and Kris met- and exactly the type of project that the two of them had worked on together. More simply put, this is when I learned all about “Crazy Sexy Cancer.” Although it’s never pleasant to learn of someone’s struggle with cancer, my shock of our shared experience came upon me in an odd sense of relief, the relief of finding others who fully understand my struggle- my own bombshell, that I constantly feel the need to hide until the optimal moment for bombardment: I too am a cancer survivor.

Four years ago, while I was living in New York City, working for the New York Yankees, in what I considered at that time to be “my dream job,” I began to feel sick. I was 24 years old at the time, and up until that point I had been totally healthy (well, healthy as far as sickness, but to be honest, my lifestyle was not necessarily the healthiest example out there). The symptoms included physical things like headaches, fatigue and night-sweats, while also having crazy psychological changes like depression and as WebMd puts it “feeling of doom.” But through it all, I figured that I was just tired and maybe I had been going out and partying a little bit too often. Never in a million years did I expect anything was really the matter with me.

And then I started to get constipated. I mean really constipated. I would go two or three weeks without any major bowel movement. I began relying heavily on laxatives to get even a semblance of relief. Finally, it became so unbearable that I had to actually go and see a doctor. I had been to Africa a few months before the heavy constipation had really started so I kept rationalizing the problem to be a result of some acquired parasite or form of bacteria. It turns out that the reason why I was unable go to the bathroom was because my spleen had enlarged about five times its normal size. And the reason why it was five times its normal size was because it was being flooded with white blood cells that it was rather unsuccessfully trying to filter out. I had about 100 times the amount of white blood cells that I should have had, in addition to severe anemia. This answered the headaches and fatigue, but why was I anemic? The answer, the doctors told me, is that I have leukemia.

When he uttered that word, honestly, all I could think of was that it was some kind of bald-headed kid’s disease. I didn’t have any idea exactly what it was. So when I asked naively to put it in layman’s terms, that’s when he let me know plainly that leukemia is cancer. And in turn, that’s when the whole world collapsed to a tiny speck about the size of a pin-hole.

Fortunately, the type of leukemia that I was diagnosed with: chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is the kind of leukemia you wanted to get if you ever were actually crazy enough to want to get leukemia. Without going too much in-depth, getting CML before you turn 66 is an extremely rare occurrence, and less than 10% of all reported cases of CML are from patients under 25 years old. Regardless, I think as we’ve seen with Kris, and probably many of your own experiences, when it comes to cancer, or survival for that matter, the last thing you ever want to do is lean on statistics. The reason why odds are never 100% either in favor or against a particular outcome is that there are always exceptions to nearly everything: sometimes you are a positive exception and sometimes you are not. So I took it on myself (and family and friends) to beat this, but in order to do so, I had to recalibrate a life that was kinda spinning out of control.

The next year was filled with doctors and hospitals and blood tests and giant needles digging into my hip bone, extracting marrow, and chemotherapy and pain and loneliness and exhaustion. It’s the details of the story that are far too massive to sum up in this blog. But on that note, this is why I think all of us can find inspiration and strength from Kris and Brian’s film. It is virtually the story that we have all gone through but rarely are able to observe from an outside perspective. However after a successful bone-marrow transplant (actually stem cells from my brother, Dave) and another year living a basically hermetically sealed existence, I was free to carry on as before. At least that was the intended plan. But after that re-awakening, something in me had changed. I had gone through so much- the highs and lows, the pain and the relief, and through it I had come out differently on the other side.

I could no longer just assimilate back into the same life as before. I now understood suffering, I felt what it was like to be totally vulnerable and without any control over my own fate. To me, nothing seemed stupider than to ignore all of this insight and escape back into the fairytale world of peanuts and cracker jacks- where life is separated into spring training and fall classics. During my recovery, Katie and I adopted a golden retriever named Sam from the local Humane Society. What now seems like a totally lopsided exchange for a warm bed and dry food, in return he offered a salve for my heart. He became instrumental in my recovery, as I was on medical imposed exile for the first few years of recovery. I have always liked animals, but it wasn’t until really getting to know Sam that I understood what that really means.

A little over a year ago, I had a dream in that Sam was standing in a kill chute at a slaughterhouse. He couldn’t know that on the other side of the swinging doors his body would be sliced and diced and turned into hamburger, but regardless, he desperately wanted to escape, and was powerless to do so. His eyes were screaming to be heard but he made no sound. It chilled me all the way down to my newly replaced bone-marrow because in some ways I could fully relate to that feeling. When my body was literally in the process of killing me, when I had no idea that I was weeks away from massive heart failure or stroke from the massive buildup of blood cells, my body was silently screaming at me to “get the hell out of here!”

That’s when I connected it all to a quote by the Nobel Prize winning philosopher Albert Schweitzer: “Think occasionally of the suffering from which you spare yourself the sight.” I began to think of such tiny little connections such as: If I punch Sam, it will hurt him, if I kiss Sam, it will feel good to him. Then I thought of all the times as a kid when I had heard that “a pig is smarter than a dog.” Well, to me Sam was pretty amazingly smart. Sure, he isn’t solving advanced calculus equations or writing a dissertation on Gertrude Stein, but he is aware of himself, like me, and my struggle to survive cancer at all costs is identical to his interest in self-preservation. Even more importantly, however, is that he has the ability to suffer just as I do.

That is when the light bulb went off. The feeling that I had awakened after all these years, is compassion. In my estimation, this is an emotion that everyone is born with, but more often than not, for any number of reasons, this instinct is shamed, ignored, and eventually forgotten. We live in a society where the number one priority is to take care of your own best interests. But now that I had received a new lease on life, I wanted to do it totally different. I had the unique opportunity to start over, and at the foundation of this rebirth is compassion.

In fact, I don’t know what made my heart smile more, when Brian told me that Kris is a cancer survivor or when he told me Kris was a vegan. I have been vegan now for a year and it has been the most rewarding decision that I have ever made. Every single morning, I wake up and my heart feels joyous, I know that I am truly living my ethics. In addition, about 4 months ago I was hired by the Humane Society of the United States, and now work full-time in spreading the message of compassion.

I’m sure by now, most of you have read or seen footage from the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co. in Chino, California. For those that have no idea what I’m talking about, you can visit www.humanesociety.org and on the homepage there are links to both the story and the undercover video that a Humane Society undercover investigator shot over a few weeks at the slaughter facility.

What is most shocking, is that the HSUS randomly selected this facility with no prior knowledge or information on their treatment of cattle. Hallmark/Westland isn’t particularly egregious, nor is it particularly negligent. The sickening reality, is that with almost total certainty, whichever of the thousands upon thousands of CAFOs (factory farms), feedlots or slaughter facilities, that currently operate throughout the United States of America and are governed by the USDA, the resulting footage would look nearly identical.

To me, what makes it worse, is that these particular cows did not get to spend the first 18 months of their fated existence on pasture land- free to essentially be a cow, like most cattle raised for beef, before being shipped off to the high-density feedlot to be fattened up on an unnatural diet of corn. No, these are dairy cattle- animals that are impregnated against their will, only to have their babies taken away from them within days of birth, and re-impregnated again and again.

You see, cows are mammals, like us, and mammals can only produce milk after gestation. When I fist discovered this, I was a bit shocked: cows don’t magically make milk- milk is made for their own babies, and if they aren’t new mothers than they don’t lactate.

Not to get too off topic, but let’s focus on their babies for a sec- the females are taken to ’replenish’ the herd, while nearly every single male calf or veal calf (roughly half) are taken from their mothers, days from birth, tied up inside a tiny box- so small they can not even turn around or lay down comfortably, and fed an iron deficient diet for the few awful weeks that they will exist on this planet.

Now back to the mother- after a constant cycle of birthing and milking (about 5 times the amount a calf would naturally nurse), these cows are considered “spent” and no longer serve as cost-effective milk-producing machines. Their bodies and hormones are so cached from giving and giving and giving that there becomes only one more possible way to exploit these beleaguered animals for more money: send them to slaughter.

And this is where Hallmark/Westland comes in to play. How do you get a thousand pound animal, broken and ruined, to walk willingly down a kill chute? I know myself, as a cancer survivor who was exposed to massive doses of Cytoxin and Busulfan, whose bone marrow was completely destroyed by this poison, and spent weeks without any trace of an immune system, that I would not just give up and walk down the kill chute to my death. And why should we believe that these cows are any different?

The commercial egg industry is no better, often times even worse. Female laying hens are locked tiny wire cages in darkened sheds, stacked one on top of another by the thousands. Each hen is given less than 67 sq. inches or about 2/3 a sheet of paper to live their entire, wretched lives. And about 5 to 8 birds are crammed inside every cage. The “unlucky” birds on the bottom of the cage stacks are defecated on for their entire lives as well. If there is a wane in productivity, these birds are “force molted” or starved for a week of two, until their body is tricked into laying more eggs. The toll is so great on their bodies, as so much calcium is lost that they often break their legs and wings from the cramped, wire cages.

Like veal calves, the “unproductive” male chicks have a similarly brutal fate. They are sorted out and then either left to suffocate, stacked several thousands deep in trash dumpsters or for a quick disposal, they are fed into a wood-chipper while fully conscious.

I understand that this is all very gruesome, shocking, and extremely graphic, but unfortunately this is the outcome of our food procurement system that has so far been completely tolerant of institutionalized cruelty. Slowly things are beginning to change, the citizens of Florida, Arizona, have passed successful ballot initiatives to ban gestation crates on pregnant sows and confinement crates for veal calves. Oregon and now Colorado have passed successful legislative bans on the same practices, without even relying on citizen-led initiatives. And California residents have currently gathered enough signatures to add to the November elections legislation to address gestation crates, veal crates, and battery cages for egg-laying hens (for the first time in US history). And now, with all the attention the USDA has faced from the Chino slaughterhouse, there may be even more legislation written in favor of farm animals.

But even more importantly, this doesn’t have to be decided by rules or regulations. By the very act of reducing a living, feeling, sentient being into a mere unit of production- whether it be as an egg-laying machine, a flesh-giving machine, or a milk-producing machine- these beings are forced to endure suffering and desolation that none of us could even begin to comprehend. Instead, we can pull from Albert Schweitzer and take a moment to reflect and relate to their suffering. Suffering that is more different in degree than in kind to what we as cancer survivors have faced.

As Kris has shown you, through her neighbors at Woodstock Animal Sanctuary, if given a chance these animals such as Olivia want to live. They want to live because that is what life does. When all was said and done, this is exactly the same primal source that I utilized when I was knee-deep in my own struggle.

I hope that one day the world can go from A to Z, and Z is a place that institutionalized cruelties are a thing of the past, I do, however, realize that it is a huge step to just get to B. And that alone gives me cause and purpose to wake up and take action. Because I know that with all my effort, and the effort of like-minded survivors, the world can’t possibly be worse off, and we just might reach our goal."

Peace & Freedom for all,
Dan

Fear of Flying, Anyone?!

Happy Monday Fearless Warriors!!

As many of you know Miss Kris, Dr Beth and yours truly recently conducted our first Crazy Sexy Boot Camp at The Crossings in Austin TX. It was truly transformative. The emotional focus of the weekend was on overcoming fear and manifesting the future. Of course there was an array other helpful info, powerful exercises, yoga, healing circles, nutrition, Reiki, creative writing, massage and warm healing amethyst mats, to name a few. In keeping with this theme we had a whole afternoon to experience the “fear transcending” power of the trapeze with our fine leader and Ringling Brothers alumni, Peter Gold and his amazingly fit and talented (and HOT) team. They inspired us to fly higher than we thought we could…well actually higher than I EVER thought I could because up until Saturday April 19, 2008 I had an excruciating fear of heights in open spaces. This brings me to the topic at hand: Fear. Why do we have it? How can we harness it? How do we learn from it and NOT let it be drive the truck?!

Fear is a normal human emotion that was an important tool for survival centuries ago. But since it is unlikely that a lion will eat us these days, why is fear still so prevalent in our lives? Yes it can be a scary world. Yes facing health, wealth and life challenges is also scary. But how we react to these things can be a choice whether you know it or not. The real deal is that fear begins in our mind. We learn to be fearful from parents and caregivers. How did your family of origin handle fear? Were they catastraphizers? You will catch a cold and die if you go out with wet hair!!! Look at what you are doing to your mother, you will give her a heart attack etc. Think of how your family reaction to fear influences your reaction to fear now. Marianne Williamson states, ”Love is what we are born with. Fear is what we learned here.” Did your parents teach you to fear taking risks? What was in their problem solving tool belt? Were they reactors? Deniers? Talkers? Were you parentified and expected to come up with solutions and fix problems before you were actually capably of doing so successfully? All of these factors contributed to how well you manage your fear today.

Once you have really thought about the culture of fear in your childhood home, you can start to unravel the mystery. Ask yourself the above questions and journal about your answers. Ask yourself how safe you felt and how safe you were in your home. Meditate on these memories and experiences and allow yourself to really feel them. Understanding your own internal make up of fear is the beginning of taking away it’s power to dictate action in your life. When you find yourself in a situation that is kicking up fear remember fear is a FEELING not a FACT. You must acknowledge your fear in order to control it. When we run away from our fears they become amplified in our mind. The reality is usually never as bad as the fear fantasy. Do not allow yourself to focus on the worst-case scenario thus giving it the power of your emotions. This is manifesting…backwards. If fear is what you hold in your mind most and longest it becomes a wish or a prayer, even if that is not your intention. Use the power of positive manifesting and creative visualization to calm your mind and fears. Use positive self-talk, journaling and meditating to wrangle what scares you most. Create a deliberate conscious reaction to fear inducing thoughts and situations. Rather than going down the “What If” highway respond with mental images and feelings of what you actually WANT to happen not what you dread. Also remember fear has much to teach us about our selves…figure out what that jewel is before you kick fear to the curb.


Last weekend in Austin, we experienced so many participants, just THROWIN’ DOWN with their fear. It was exhilarating to witness and share. My own smack down happened while climbing up the ladder to the trapeze landing. I had not told anyone about my fear as it was ego-dystonic for me. This means it did not fit my image of myself as an ass kicking warrior Goddess therefore I was ashamed of it. The Herculean strength it took to keep climbing was mind blowing. I am normally quite counter phobic-purposely doing things I fear so they do not own me, but fear of heights is a phobia and I truly do not know the origin (and trust me 20 years of therapy later I have really looked ☺). It feels organic and visceral when I am in the throws but now I realize that my mind is stronger than my fear. As soon as I hopped off the landing and was sailing through the air with the greatest of ease, the fear vanished. I remain amazed and ridiculously proud. I feel reinvigorated around the challenges I am facing in my life. I know when I leap the net will appear. It is not about being fearless; it is about letting fear propel you towards your goal instead of stopping you in your tracks. And as Kris so kindly reminded me I have until early July to be ready to do it again at our next boot camp at The Omega Institute… yep can’t wait…did I mention it gets easier with time and repetition?

So I will leave you with some quotes about fear that I find useful.

“When you’re falling, DIVE”-Joseph Campbell

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.”-Ambrose Redmoon

“Fear cannot be banished, but it can be calm and without panic; and it can be mitigated by reason and evaluation.”-Vannevar Bush

“I have lived a long life and had many troubles, many of which never happened.”
-Mark Twain

“He who fears he will suffer already suffers because of his fear.”-Montaigne

So hold tight and as Kris said this weekend, ”Ride the dragon!!” You will be amazed at your self discovery when you acknowledge and face your fears on purpose. I would love to hear all about it.

Love Love Love
Your Crazy Sexy LIFE COACH
Terri

Our first workshop was a total success!

Glorious Monday!

Sitting in a little cafe in New York City sipping tea and feeling waves of emotions and joy for the success of our first ever Crazy Sexy Cancer Bootcamp workshop at The Crossings. Since I only have a few moments to blog I'll just give ya a stream of memories...

Happy, nervous, scared, excited people arriving and introducing themselves in a sacred circle. Making green juice for everyone and serving E3 Live. Nutrition class with lots of open minds, massive amounts of information (next time we'll make it a 2 day affair) and GREAT questions - oh, and a show and tell enema bag! He he he....Raffling off a juicer to one lucky (and very happy) warrior goddess. Pool, spa, massages, facials, lovely food, beautiful surroundings, friendships blossoming....

Unbelievable rituals, altar, candles, sharing, giggling, crying, reiki, burning fears and hugging tight.

Creative writing, journal tickling, excavating the hero and meeting the best friend that is you - huge leaps!

Beth's class and the deep wisdom that streams and flows out when the doctor becomes the patient. Brilliant, one of the highlights of the weekend. Look for our program born from her monumental talk.

TRAPEZE, TRAPEZE, TRAPEZE!!! Seeing my Austin family fly made me finally get it. I turned to Beth and Terri and said for the first time in all the years that I have been creating the Crazy Sexy world I am really proud of me. I too learned big transformative stuff - OWN IT GIRL.

Trance dance - whoa, blind folded...

Manifesting made clear, real, and practical by our AMAZING Terri. Wow. I felt so lucky to be in the class when my other two facilitators taught. I learned so much.

Closing ceremony...Ahhh, we buried all our beautiful intentions in the ground. The seeds that will become our Oaks, strong, solid, tangible oaks, are working their magic right now, in this very moment. What comfort.

Prayers, hugs, more tears (I think we drained their kleenex supply).

Good bye - but just for now.

I hope to see you all at The Omega Institute this July, independence day actually!! We'll be working on MASSIVE liberation in honor of the holiday.

More soon....Off to work on grants for all the magic we want to bring to YOU.

Peace and total inspiration,
Kris

PS. This pix of me and Beth making juice for everyone was the only shot I had on my camera. Luckily everyone snapped many. I'll post an entire album in the next day or so.

PSS. Debbie sent us wheatgrass to get us through and keep us charged. What a Crazy Sexy Generous Friend! THANK YOU MAYOR DEBBIE. We love you......