In the heart of the agricultural revolution, a quiet yet powerful movement is reshaping the landscape of farming – regenerative agriculture. This movement is brilliantly depicted in the new documentary, “Common Ground,” a must-see follow-up to the hit “Kiss the Ground,” which touched over a billion people globally. The film shines a spotlight on the benefits of regenerative farming, inspiring audiences as it sells out theaters and ignites conversations about the way we cultivate our food. The seed has been planted in rich, healthy, microbe dense soil and it is flourishing.

The award-winning filmmakers behind “Common Ground,” Josh and Rebecca Tickell, crafted the film as a love letter to their children. Together with executive producer Nikki Reed they’ve drawn together an all-star cast, passionate about taking part and penning a promise with their own love letter. The film features appearances and narration by Laura Dern, Jason Momoa, Rosario Dawson, Donald Glover, Ian Somerhalder, and Woody Harrelson, all deeply connected to a subject that resonates profoundly with them.

Rebecca Tickell believes that we are all ready for the commitment to roll up our sleeves and take action. “Common Ground” is more than a film; it’s a movement we can all take part in and it’s picking up speed, giving us hope and solutions to a broken food system.

“I think what people need to ask themselves is what is the legacy that we want to leave? What is the world that we want to build together?” noted Josh Tickell. “With 10 billion acres of arable land, from a basic, fundamental acres-to-humans ratio, we can grow way more food than 10 billion humans can ever eat. That’s what we’re talking about globally.” Rebecca states with confidence, “feed your community and that will feed the world.”

Soil is life.

Soil is life. It’s sacred, and this film will show you just that. The visuals are undeniable. When you see side by side what a regenerative farm looks like, teaming with life and biodiversity, and the stark contrast when it’s not. “I mean, that stops you in your tracks,” remarked Nikki Reed, a new mom for the second time. The film shows a well-rounded perspective covering various aspects and voices, including all types of farmers, ranchers, scientists, and whistleblowers, each telling their personal stories and showcasing their expertise to paint a comprehensive picture, much like a biodiverse farm itself. For instance, did you know that 85% of farmers farm on small-scale farms of less than 500 acres? That’s why small farms can play a big role in healing the soil.

Regenerate: to give new life to, revive, especially in a better form or condition.

At a time when there is so much divide, “Common Ground” brings us together, as it masterfully explores how regenerative practices can restore and enhance the health of the soil, which in turn revitalizes ecosystems and creates biodiversity, while balancing the climate as it promotes resilience of agricultural systems in the face of extreme weather events.

Regenerative principles embrace a holistic approach: cover cropping, planned grazing management, no tilling, and no chemicals are some of the key techniques used to rebuild soil structure, retain water, and sequester carbon. When speaking with Rebecca, she mentions, “there’s this crazy myth going around that regenerative agriculture isn’t biodiverse. All you have to do is watch ‘Common Ground,’ look at the fields, and you see biodiversity unlike anything else.” Animals play a key role in land stewardship. For animal lovers and vegans, it doesn’t mean they have to be our food. They can be out there grazing the way nature intended and playing a large role in soil health, especially restoration.

“Nature is always self-organizing, self-healing, self-regulating,” says Gabe Brown, one of the heroes of regenerative farming in the film.

Josh asks you to consider, “if the food system works for you? Are you healthy? Do you feel good? Do you have any chronic conditions that could be food-related? Do you have chronic allergies that could be food-related? The reality is 60 to 70% of Americans have a chronic illness that’s food related.”

Do we really think about how our food is grown and gets to our plate? More of us are now, but the realization is chilling to know how we’ve been “tending to our gardens,” so to speak. Big agriculture is not working. Regenerative agriculture is.

Within one year of adopting regenerative practices, you can see positive benefits.

These principles have been used by indigenous people for generations, but they’ve been forgotten, unlearned and replaced by what’s considered conventional or industrial farming.

Nikki expresses, “That’s why ‘Common Ground’ is so important because there’s a desire to understand nature and biodiversity and understand the vital role that every single part of nature brings to the table that we have so easily and systemically destroyed. If we can make sure that we raise our children with an understanding of this, the conversations that are being had around the dinner table, the friends they’re with, or the level of compassion they experience, because they grow a tomato plant… My hope is that the takeaway from this film is that we have to learn compassion and connection and realize that there is no you or me, there is just we.”

Rebecca Tickell, Nikki Reed, and Josh Tickell

“We” can all get involved. In addition to the film, the Common Ground Project is the “100 Million Acres Initiative,” an invitation to farmers, ranchers, NGOs, for-profit companies, and individuals who would like to genuinely take on becoming regenerative. Visit the website to make your pledge.

Josh shares, “We’ve partnered with certification partners who will actually certify their acres. We’ll measure the carbon; we’ll make sure that the farmers are on track. They’ll measure the outcomes. They’ll help the farmer, they’ll give consulting. That way we know that these commitments are real.”

Nikki urges everyone by saying, “I think the most impactful thing people can do right now is request a theater. That is how we vote. We vote with our time, we vote with our energy, and what we care about. I think that those numbers really matter, especially when we’re talking about things like legislation. The best and easiest thing that we can do is continue to request theaters, so that other audiences have the opportunity to see this film in areas that they might not have otherwise.”

Josh and Rebecca have been fierce protectors of the environment, and their award-winning documentaries over the years reflect that. Rebecca comes from 12 generations of farmers in the Midwest, including her father. Josh grew up in Louisiana with an introduction to the pollution from oil refineries and watching people get sick, compelling him to look for environmental solutions.

Many documentary films raise awareness and leave you thinking, but not always with an attainable solution.

“Common Ground” encourages everyone far and wide to come together and leaves you with an action plan.

This is something that every human can champion.

1. Join the movement and share this movie with everyone on social media and beyond.
2. Download a free guide to growing food at the website and grow food everywhere.
3. Ask your representatives to make regenerative agriculture a priority.
4. Help convert 100 million acres to regenerative farming at 100millionacres.org, as an individual, a business, or a farmer.
5. Support regenerative farmers, products and look for their labels.

“Whether farming interests you or not, it does, however, affect you.” Rebecca states.

This film is a love letter – to our children, our families, our next generation, and the land that we currently steward for us and them. There are many love letters written in the film, and many ways we can expand on this. Nature is perfect, symbiotic, and forgiving. Mamma Earth is giving us the chance to do it right. The ending depends on us.

“To be just a small part of such meaningful change, that makes life worthwhile,” Gabe Brown shared. The film is dedicated to him.

Be sure to check the website https://commongroundfilm.org/ social channels (Instagram, Facebook, X, You Tube) to learn more and the schedule of theatres and screening dates/times nationwide.

Tiffany Paige

As an advocate for sustainable living for over a decade, “Green With Tiffany” has been my purpose, my platform, and now my podcast. Regenerative agriculture is a positive solution to so many challenges our environment faces. The film made me feel inspired and hopeful. Check out the Green With Tiffany Podcast and website: greenwithtiffany.com

www.greenwithtiffany.com

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Brilliant Disguise Shares How K.C. Tewari Influenced a Generation

Brilliant Disguise is a feature-length documentary that tells the life story of a humble Indian man, K.C. Tewari. K.C. Tewari was not a household name, but he helped influence the spiritual paths of multiple generations as well as the influx of Eastern spirituality in the West today.

The film gently unfolds as the viewer is shown the stories of Westerners who visited with K.C. Tewari in India in the 1970s. During the counter-culture revolution of that time, Ram Dass and other Westerners made their way to India and met a handful of exceptional beings who changed their lives forever. One of those was the famous Indian guru, Neem Karoli Baba. What many people don’t know is that before Neem Karoli Baba (Maharaji) left his body, he instructed K.C. Tewari to take care of those Western seekers.

The Power of Acceptance and Truth on the Spiritual Journey

Brilliant Disguise is a meditation as well as a roadmap of consciousness through the perspective of a unique man. Whether you believe in consciousness, the Divine, G-d or some other energetic source, once you see the film, your belief may expand or be validated. This is because of this moving story of K.C. Tewari, who exhibited a non-judgmental energy and acceptance that was remarkable to the Western seekers.

The story of this extraordinary man in the film is told through recounting personal experiences from a variety of noteworthy musicians, writers, and seekers of truth. These intimate accounts are interwoven with archival footage of K.C. and his family. Together, we bear witness to the story of an extraordinary person. When first met, Tewari may have appeared to be an ordinary family man and the headmaster of a school; but he was far from ordinary.

Personal Stories of An Extraordinary Teacher

Kirtan artist Jai Uttal described K.C. Tewari with his white head of hair, acting like an antenna channeling the unseen energy of devotion, his beak-like peaceful face, and warmth of heart. He exuded the vibration of truth. The devotees described him again and again as a conduit to the Divine embodiment of unconditional love that it is everywhere; readily available to anyone who believes.

If you are open to the belief that there is a benevolent force, the messages of proof are found throughout Brilliant Disguise. From the wind blowing the foliage behind Krishna Das and Raghu Markus as they recounted tales of Tewari as if on cue, invoking to the story of Radha explaining his ninja-like tendencies, blending into the woodwork and the unconditional loving support of a child who was ill.

If the stories weren’t enough, the film has actual footage of Tewari entering the transcendent state of consciousness known as samadhi. One way to consider samadhi is that it is like a spiritual coma.  In this state of samadhi, he spent time on another plane of existence. Through the film, we have the blessing to see how his centered, deeply devoted, concentrated energy and love of the Divine transcended his way of living and impacted everyone around him. In addition, Tewari understood and honored the power of women in the spiritual life. This is seen through his beloved wife, who was as much a saint as he was. K.C. Tewari was a “be here now” instructor of the most genuine kind.

Experience the Magic in Daily Life

I highly recommended this film to anyone who needs a dose of magic. For that’s what this film exudes – magic through stories from people who witnessed the extraordinary within the ordinary. Brilliant Disguise honors the profound love of K.C. Tewari, whose faith was so deep, who devoted his life service to others and now his vibration will live on forever. By the end of the film, you will have felt like you had a deep meditative experience with a sense of hope and a vibration of love.

Isn’t that what life is about, after all? Love, faith, mixed in with some magic.

See Brilliant Disguise in Theaters

Brilliant Disguise will be playing at select theaters, including the Laemmle Monica Film Center.

Join Director Raghu Markus and guests for a Q & A on Friday, September 30.

Rent or Buy Brilliant Disguise to Watch at Home

The film is available on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and on Vimeo On Demand.

You can visit ramdass.org/brilliantdisguise to learn more.

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/kctewari

Shelley Karpaty

Shelley Karpaty is a yogi living in the Bay Area where she brings her spirit into writing, recruiting and career coaching. Medium: medium.com/@skarpaty and Instagram @shelleykarpaty

www.medium.com/@skarpaty 

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With the global spread of the coronavirus pandemic, our life has forever changed. Inundated by the flood of information from media reports and social media posts, we find ourselves constantly living in fear that we may fall ill, lose our job, not be able to see our loved ones, or in the worst-case scenario, lose our own life. To help us overcome these anxious times, the film, The Cherry Bushido, presents us with 3 maxims for maintaining a solid, constructive, and positive attitude in this ever-changing world.

1. Live each day as if it were your last.

This is probably one of the most essential and powerful maxims introduced in the film, The Cherry Bushido. To live by this maxim, ask yourself the following questions when you wake each morning: “How should I live today if my life were to end tonight? What is it that I need to do? What is it that I will regret not having done?” In other words, create your own bucket list and write down all the things you would like to achieve before you die. Then as you live your day, keep asking yourself, “Am I making the right choices? Am I being true to myself? Am I really living the life I am supposed to live?”

If you knew you were going to die at the end of the day, you would probably finish your most important work, meet the people you really want to meet, and tell your family and friends how much you love them.

But many of us are deluded into thinking our life will last forever, and we put things off till the last minute or look away from truths that make us feel uncomfortable. We never know when our life will end. But if we live every day in a way that leaves us with no regrets, we will live a full and spiritually worthy life, no matter how long our physical form may last.

In the film, The Cherry Bushido, Satoshi Takayama puts this very nicely.

“As we have eternal life, what’s important is not whether we live or die, but what we accomplish in life.”

2. The way you think of yourself determines your future.

How often do we come to the realization that our thoughts can really change our life, future, world… in fact, everything?

If you think about it, almost everything that human beings have created sprang from a simple idea. So before getting yourself trapped in a box called “despair,” why not think of an idea that can change your life and your world for the better?

We human beings are essentially spiritual beings. We dwell in the physical body for a limited time, but after we accumulate experiences, knowledge, and wisdom here, we return to the spirit world. There, it is what we think that becomes who we are. What are the thoughts that are occupying your mind right now? Is it a selfish desire, frustration, discontent? Or is it generosity, selflessness, or understanding?

If you honestly and earnestly examine your thoughts, you will be able to find your true self and the future that your thoughts will lead you to.

Our everyday thoughts determine the course of our life, but in critical moments in life, it is our strong determination and belief that can open a new path. In the film The Cherry Bushido, when Japan is faced with threats of annihilation from its neighbor country, Shizuka offers a young patriot, Ryotaro, these inspiriting words: “Your courage can change your destiny. Your strong belief can open up a new path.” Heartened by Shizuka’s words, Ryotaro finds the courage to do his part to save their country.

Remember, too, that it is your intention that counts. If you truly believe that your cause is right and true, that it will bring happiness to the greatest number of people, and that it will change the world for the better, then all you need is to act with courage and wholehearted sincerity. Your thoughts will move the hearts of others, who will then want to help you accomplish your goals.

3. “To find courage, prepare for death. Only then, the path will open before you.”

In his renowned U.S. presidential inauguration speech, Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” To conquer fear, all we need to do is to face it squarely and fiercely.

What many of us fear the most is probably death. Even if we believe in the afterlife, it is difficult to overcome the fear of losing our life, friends, family, house, work—everything that comes with living. But it is when we want to protect ourselves that our fear grows. So, when you feel fear kicking in, trying to stop you from doing “the right thing,” ask yourself what it is that you’re trying to protect.

Just like Shizuka in the film, we are all here for a purpose, and everything that happens around us happens for a reason. What is presented to us is actually asking us to make a choice. Are you going to give in to fear that does not in fact really exist, or are you going to rise above your fear to open a new path?

Most of the time, you already know what the right decision is. You just need to take the courage to put it into action.

Finding Hope

As of February 1, 2022, more than 5.6 million deaths from COVID 19 have been reported worldwide, a devastating number that suggests a global state of emergency. As we struggle to overcome this crisis, it is my hope that the three maxims introduced in this article will help you find the courage and resolve to live your fullest life during these turbulent and uncertain times.

The Cherry Bushido will be released in limited theaters in North America this March.

The Cherry Bushido Coming to Playhouse 7 – Laemmle Pasadena March 25th

https://www.laemmle.com/theater/playhouse-7

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clltvQuVKDo&t=2s

Mia Tomikawa

Mia Tomikawa is a producer on “The Cherry Bushido,” a film from Japan about a young Kendo (Japanese swordsmanship) devotee and group of friends who unite to protect Japan from the threat of extinction by its neighboring country. She is also a consultant on The Divine Protector: Master Salt Begins.

Born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, Mia Tomikawa moved to the United States in her late teens and graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles with a BA in Communications Studies. She has a decade of experience in TV production in the US, overseeing all phases of video and film production, including casting, scheduling, and booking locations, as well as translation services.

In 2007, Ms. Tomikawa became Editor-in-Chief of IRH Press, a publishing arm of Happy Science, where she worked on the translation and publication of more than 30 titles. In 2018, she joined Happy Science’s media division to produce the award-winning film, The Real Exorcist. Happy Science is a global spiritual and religious movement founded by Ryuho Okawa. Its goal is to bring greater happiness and harmony to all people by integrating different religions and cultures.

mastersaltmovie.com%20

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The Magical World of Fantastic Fungi are Integral to our Ecosystem

How do we make the invisible visible? This challenge is the life work of cinematographer, photographer, director, and producer Louie Schwartzberg. Fifteen years ago, he embarked on the mission to turn his camera lens to the magical world of fungi. The result is the visually stunning and mind-expanding documentary film Fantastic Fungi. Through the use of his innovative use of high-end time-lapse cinematography, Schwartzberg has shown us a world that is right there before our eyes, but we would not otherwise see with our ordinary awareness.

The film Fantastic Fungi is a heart-opening experience. From its premiere in the fall of 2019, it has shown in sold-out theatrical screenings and sparked conversations worldwide. It has also brought attention to the underground world of mushrooms. The documentary was acknowledged with the rare distinction of being 100% Certified Fresh on the film review site Rotten Tomatoes. If you haven’t yet seen it, is currently available to rent or buy online….and it is streaming on Netflix. So you can even watch it on repeat. It is truly a marvel and viewing it is an experience that should not be missed. In the world today, when we need inspiration and solutions, we can find both in Fantastic Fungi.

Expanding on this global movement, Louie Schwartzberg and the team of creators of Fantastic Fungi have again traveled the world to assemble a community of expert speakers who can offer commentary on the fantastic world of fungi. They have created the Fantastic Fungi Global Summit.

Fantastic Fungi Global Summit

The three-day Fantastic Fungi Global Summit is free to watch October 15-17. This amazing weekend features a selection of world-renowned speakers, teachers, scientists, artists, and thought-leaders who offer unique perspectives on the magical mushroom movement in the world today. Speakers include: Michael Pollan, Dr. Deepak Chopra, Dr. Andrew Weil, Paul Stamets, Nat Kelly, Eugenia Bone, Jack Kornfield, Rick Bayless, Tony Boss, Dr. Mark Hyman, Robin Carhart-Harris, Reverend Michael Beckwith, Wade Davis, Dennis McKenna, Suzanne Simard, Merlin Sheldrake, and so many more.

The world of mushrooms is frequently described as a portal. The word “portal” is used so often in association with mushrooms for a variety of reasons. These include the ability of the psychedelic psilocybin to allow humans to move through portals of the mind and consciousness as well as how fungi are an integral part of the earth’s ecosystem. A portal of life and death, renewal and rejuvenation. Restoration and recovery. What is invisible for most of us is essential for our live on earth.

Fungi are Essential to Life on Earth

Fungi are involved in the beginning and the end of life, states Chef Eugenia Bone. Chef Bone is an expert featured in both the film Fantastic Fungi, and in the Fantastic Fungi Global Summit. She gives us some context into the immense world of fantastic fungi. “There are over 1.5 million species fo fungi, 20,000 of them produce mushrooms, of which there are an incredible diversity of shapes, sizes, and lifestyles.”

Chef Bone continues to describe fungi as the “digestive tracks of the forest” as they move nutrients through various ecological cycles. Fantastic Fungi Global Summit Speaker Tiokasin Ghosthorse describes the Earth as “the original gift economy.” A gift economy modulated by mushrooms. These are essential to the health of our ecosystem, collectively and individually. Famous mycologist Paul Stamets speaks to the essential nature of fungi in the realm of sustainability. “If we don’t get our act together and come in commonality with the organisms that sustain us today, not only will we destroy those organisms, but we will destroy ourselves.” How can we save ourselves, why are mushrooms having their day in the sun right now? It may be because as noted environmentalist and Fantastic Fungi Global Summit Speaker Paul Hawken says, “Everything else didn’t work.”

The Wisdom of the Forests

When we are searching for solutions for sustainability, planetary health, physical health, and mental heath, we might do well to be present for the wisdom of the forests and to open our hearts and minds to the existential mysteries, the dimensions of consciousness, the portals created by the network of mycelium, the threads that connect fungi. Author Michael Pollan says, “Once you start working with mushrooms, you get drawn in.” The same may be said for those of us learning more about this kingdom of flora that literally lives beneath our feet.

The world of fungi are a world of Earth-based wisdom and wellness. And the summit is an opportunity for us to experience this. As Schwartzberg says, these conversations, these scientific experiments, these awe-inspiring visuals can take the wisdom of fungi from below the ground to above the ground. Above ground, we can all experience the transformation and awakening that is necessary in these times.

Register for the Fantastic Fungi Global Summit.

Felicia M. Tomasko

Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.

www.blissnetwork.com

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Monica Gagliano in the film AWARE: Glimpses of Consciousness

What is Consciousness? Find out in the Documentary AWARE

The traditions of Yoga advocate for a deep inner contemplation of the nature of awareness. The documentary film AWARE: Glimpses of Consciousness is about that very exploration as told by six main characters: a brain researcher, a plant biologist, a Mayan healer, a Tibetan Buddhist monk, a philosopher, and a researcher in psychedelic experience at Johns Hopkins. Each has a different way of approaching this exploration, and the filmmakers allow each participant to speak for themselves. They do not take a didactic position but rather they address questions throughout the film such as What is consciousness? Who or what has it? How is it experienced and known? And, how can we even understand or define it, given that it appears to be so subjective?

Many religious and philosophical traditions, as well as the field of science, have attempted to explore and explain consciousness—but few filmmakers have attempted to tackle this topic. It is quite a task to create a film to represent something as ineffable as awareness, and yet the filmmakers, Eric Black and Frauke Sandig, managed to create a work of art that is highly compelling. The pacing of the film itself evokes in us a meditative awareness that draws us deeply in as we go on a visually stunning journey into the topic, where dialogue is interspersed with scenes of nature in which we can rest. The unhurried presentation allows us to relax and be immersed in the experience, respecting the audience’s ability to actually have an attention span. The cinematography is stunning, offering us abundant images and sounds of nature that evoke both peace and awe, accompanied by a rich and varied soundtrack that contributes to the contemplative mood.

Questioning our Assumptions

One of the appealing things about the documentary AWARE is that we are not asked to accept any one particular point of view, rather we are invited to listen, ponder, and perhaps question our own assumptions and beliefs about the world. During each interview, we get up close and personal with the characters, who each speak about consciousness from years of dedication with genuine humility. We can see and feel their tremendous sense of awe, wonder, and curiosity for their chosen field of study.

Experts Featured in the Documentary AWARE

The interviews start with Christof Koch, president and chief scientist of the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle. Koch begins by telling us about a transformative psychedelic experience he had years ago, which in part fuels his research into how the brain produces subjective feelings. He states that his own personal goal “is to understand how consciousness fits into the universe, how it fits in with the laws of physics and biology that have been so successful in describing everything else.” And yet, he questions how this “grey goo” (the brain) produces feelings of love, for example, and suggests that consciousness might actually be a fundamental feature of the universe.

Matthieu Ricard and Mingyur Rinpoche

Moving to Nepal, we are introduced to Matthieu Ricard, a Buddhist monk who formerly worked in science, who tells us that he is engaged similarly in the “rigorous pursuit of knowledge” through studying consciousness from the inside, where, he says, we can discover through meditation a “self-illuminating nondual awareness, maximal clarity, a limpidity of the mind.” We see Ricard spinning the dharma wheels in the streets of Kathmandu, chanting with other Tibetan monks, meditating on the beach, and in a playful dialogue with his teacher, Mingyur Rinpoche.

Next we meet plant scientist Monica Gagliano, a researcher at Southern Cross University in Australia in the relatively new field of bioacoustics. At one point, filmed wandering through a forest, she says that under the ground the trees are connected and communicate with each other. She explains that trees and plants detect sounds from their environment and produce their own sounds. For her, plant behavior points to the question whether of plants are sentient and conscious, her experiments suggesting subjectivity and learning in plants.

We next meet Josefa Kirvin Kulix, a Mayan healer and therapist from Chiapas, Mexico. As we watch her gathering the medical plants that she grows herself and uses in her practice, she describes an indigenous viewpoint in which the individual is an integral part of the natural world, not separate from it. She speaks with a stillness and warmth that is affecting and calming, as she describes her connection with plants, animals, and rocks: “I am woven of the same substance.”

Richard Boothby and Mary Cosimano studying effects of psilocybin in consciousness.

Roland R. Griffiths, interviewed in his laboratory at Johns Hopkins Center on Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, is one of the pioneers in psilocybin research. He reports on the experiences of participants with carefully measured doses and skilled guides. He says that in his research, he’s noticed that “these experiences looked like the experiences that have been reported over the ages by mystics and religious figures. There’s a sense of unity of all people and things, a sense that everything is interconnected, and it’s accompanied by a deep reverence for that experience.” He describes how psilocybin and meditation have some neurological similarities in what’s observed in the brain. For example, they both decrease the default mode network (mind-wandering) and increase interconnectivity of other parts of the brain, leading to an open-mindedness and freedom from habitual responses, which, he says, “has huge implications for healing.”

We also hear an intimate report from Loyola philosophy professor Richard Boothby about his life-changing psychedelic experience as part of a research study. He describes very movingly his sense of connection to his son, who had died by suicide, in a way that was profoundly healing for him.

Recognizing our Interdependence

We walk away with from this journey feeling inspired and perhaps a little humbled. Despite their different approaches, each of the individuals featured in the documentary AWARE seems to be pointing to an expansive, timeless experience that we might call our essential nature, in which we recognize ourselves to be interconnected with all of life. In this distracted and challenging world, the pursuit of heightened awareness of our interdependence is perhaps more important than ever. The willingness to address the challenges that are facing humanity today requires us as a species to reflect upon these questions and perhaps to realize that we’re truly all in this together.

November 10: A Day of Consciousness

Join us on November 10 for a Day of Consciousness with a panel discussion moderated by Jack Kornfield.

Kelly Birch

Kelly Birch, MS, LPC, has been a contemplative practitioner for many years, studying and practicing in the yoga and Buddhist traditions. She is currently a licensed professional counselor in private practice, an IAYT-certified yoga therapist, and a mindfulness teacher. Kelly co-edited a contributed book, Yoga and Mental Health (Handspring, 2018); was editor of Yoga Therapy Today from 2010 to 2017; and was founding editor of the Journal of Yoga Service. She teaches online undergraduate classes at Endicott College, MA, including Health Psychology and Yoga: Theory, Culture, and Practice.??With a BA in biology, Kelly worked in scientific research in the San Francisco Bay Area for several years, including molecular epidemiology and biotech lab research. Kelly now lives and works in Ashland, Oregon.

With a BA in biology, Kelly worked in scientific research in the San Francisco Bay Area for several years, including molecular epidemiology and biotech lab research. Kelly now lives and works in Ashland, Oregon.

RogueValleyTherapy.com

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Our perspective of the world is shaped by the eyes we see through and our view of the space around us and how we move through it. Filmmaker Elizabeth Lo accomplishes something provocative in Stray. She truly shows us the world through the perspective and eyes of a group of stray dogs living in Istanbul, Turkey.

Turkey has a powerfully unique relationship with their canine citizens, as it is illegal to euthanize or capture stray dogs. As Lo says, “Every free-roaming dog today is an emblem of resistance—living manifestations of compassion in the face of tolerance.”

The filming of Stray began with an act of the exploration of compassion and the personal. Lo describes a meaningful relationship with her childhood dog and her grief when he died. This initiated a query into the bonds we have with animals.

The Documentary Film Stray Shares Dog’s Soulful Lives

While literally filming at the dogs’ eye levels, Lo helps us develop meaningful relationships with the soulful protagonists of Stray. The story we watch is their story. Watching Zeytin, the main character, brought me to tears often just by seeing into her expressive eyes and her purposeful way of moving through the world.

To see a dog as a character in themselves, moving with their sense of self-agency, while also interacting with the people and places in Istanbul. We see a glimpse of the world and of humanity that we seldom see ourselves. Lo offers us a perspective on the complicated nature of our humanity through back alley views of overheard conversations and everyday street life. She doesn’t concern herself with packaging a preconceived view or heavily edited of the world, but to reveal truths.

If you love dogs, this is a must-see film. If you want to see the our planet through a completely different view, Lo’s film is a quiet yet powerful experience of mindful attention and awareness of lives often overlooked. We see the value of life in all of its expressions. Watch this not while you are multi-tasking.  Allow yourself to be immersed in a view of the world you may never see again in the same way.

Elizabeth Lo is a filmmaker to watch. She has a masterful ability to communicate compassion and other complexities through the subtlety of a story well-told.

Watch Stray with LA YOGA

I had the opportunity, along with Seane Corn, to interview Elizabeth Lo, and to talk to her about the making of Stray.

If you sign up for our screening of Stray, you’ll have the opportunity to watch our interview as well. LA YOGA’s screening of Stray is available for registration by March 21. Hope you can join us! Register for LA YOGA’s screening of Stray!

Felicia M. Tomasko

Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.

www.blissnetwork.com

The post Stray: Showing Compassion through a Dog’s Eyes appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Infinite Potential Filmmaker Paul Howard talks about Lessons from Physics & Philosophy

“We aren’t just things in space. We are places of transformation.”

Artist Sir Antony Gormley offers this reflection about an hour into the powerful documentary Infinite Potential. Filmmaker Paul Howard takes on a seemingly daunting task in this film. Infinite Potential examines the very nature of our reality, through the life and teachings of physicist and philosopher David Bohm.

While most schoolchildren have heard of Einstein, few of us may already be aware of the lifework of this extraordinary thinker, whose influences, personal relationships, teachers, colleagues, and students included not only Einstein, but notably J. Krishnamurti and H.H. the Dalai Lama.

This extraordinary film currently available through digital release is one of the many gifts of meaningful media of our present era.

Personally, I’ve watched Infinite Potential multiple times. According to my conversation with Paul Howard, I’m not the only one. And I plan to watch it again. With each viewing, I see something new. With each viewing, I have a greater appreciation for the nature of reality, in the realms both seen and unseen. A greater appreciation for the lessons of physics beyond the basics that I may have learned in school. And I have a much greater appreciation of the interconnectedness of our universal consciousness. Thanks to David Bohm as shared by Paul Howard.

I recently spoke to Howard, a filmmaking professional who has dedicated years of his life to a project that gives all of us a new appreciation of the true depth of our interconnectedness….personally and planetary.

LAYOGA: Tell me more about what it is like now that the film is released.

Paul Howard: It’s amazing all the new connections that have sort of come out of this film and the people who’ve come back for second and third viewings.

I can relate to that. I found that I definitely connected to the ideas in the film that describe our interconnectedness.

Paul Howard: To me the quantum potential is consciousness itself. It’s the informing action of consciousness that allows our physical universe to be. The first book of the Old Testament is Genesis and it’s all about the creation of the world. Well, the quantum potential is Genesis. It is actually informing everything that your sensory perception and your inner being is connected to.

The profound discoveries of David Bohm give rise to this idea of interconnectedness because in the quantum domain particles are able to communicate with one another, no matter how far apart they are. I think it’s very important to realize that when you get into the quantum world, our normal sensory perceptions of relative space and linear time break down.

You have no time in the quantum domain and you have no space. In other words, the distance between objects becomes entirely irrelevant.

In our everyday world of three dimensional space and time, we have to interpret our world through our sensory perceptions. But in the quantum domain, you have these particles that can mysteriously communicate with one another, no matter how far apart they are.

So a particle at one end of the universe can communicate with another particle. When you really think about these things, you realize, that we are all profoundly interconnected. Since we’re all made up of particles, we’re all interconnected.

I mean, it would seem logical than that we should be taking better care of one another and we should be more interested in nature and the environment and this household that we occupy called Planet Earth.

If your actions are incoherent or confused, you’re creating more confusion. You’re doing more damage to our interconnectivity.

Whereas, as we become more attuned to our inner sense of being, true presence, and entering that timeless domain—we become more conscious and more coherent.

Our alignment is producing more coherence and alignment in the world. As we begin to transform, we have the potential to transform others.

The world is a very fragmented place these days. And there’s a lot of confusion and incoherence out there. And the more people that come to realize that we are interconnected, I think that it can help them create a sense of positivity and coherence around them that impacts others and allows for transformation.

I often refer to it as this kind of network of mutuality. Whatever affects me directly affects us all indirectly. Interconnectivity is at the basis of all of that.

These are the big ideas that come out of Bohm’s quantum potential. Consciousness and interconnectivity. So there are two very big ideas.

I just want to commend you, because you have done such a beautiful job in the film. I’m impressed by your facility to explain this in a way that’s very understandable. That was something I noticed in the film— a film about a physicist who many of us have never heard of before. And you explain to these ideas people who aren’t not physicists themselves. How was that journey for you to translate those ideas?

Paul Howard: It’s a very interesting question. In hindsight, it’s lovely to hear people say that to me but it took a long time to get people interested in these ideas.

And then because of the global pandemic, we aren’t currently in theaters, festivals, seminars, or conferences or whatever. So we had to rethink how to distribute. Using the digital fields which connect us is something that I think Bohm would have been interested in doing since he was interested in interconnectedness.

But to answer your question, it was a terrifying moment when somebody said yes to investing in this film, because I had to find a way of expressing these ideas in a way that they could relate to the ordinary person.

I’m a filmmaker, but I’m not a physicist. By the way, I never heard about Bohm growing up. It was only fairly recently when I began to embrace his ideas. I was initially attracted to the philosophical side of these ideas of emergence.

And I always had an intuitive sense that there was another dimension of reality, out of which our everyday world emerged from.

But when I learned a little bit more about the physics. I could see that Bohm’s philosophical ideas were emerging from the physics.

There is a lot of literature out there about distilling our true potential inside of ourselves and getting a sense of meaning and purpose in life.

But what is beautiful about Bohm is that he gives you a beautiful philosophy of life and living but it’s rooted in physics. It emerges from this underlying reality which is the quantum world. So the philosophy is completely consistent with the physics. Bohm gives us a very elegant explanation of creation and our place within it. And, a beautiful philosophy of living.

As I learned more, I naturally wanted to interview people who were close to Bohm because I think that gives the film an organic quality. The work that Bohm did in physics has huge I refer to Bohm has spiritual implications. And in hindsight,

I’m thankful that I wasn’t a physicist myself because I was able to bring a kind of childlike questioning to the physicists. There were some of them that I had to go back and interview twice and three times because when I brought their interviews into the edit suite. I said, “Look, I’m not getting this and if I don’t get it, the ordinary person isn’t going to get it.” I had to do a slow decoding of all of this information to make it accessible to people. That was one of the big challenges.

Another big challenge was visualizing the concepts. I looked to nature to get this sense of unfolding. So there’s lots of clouds and waves breaking and beautiful images of nature that are carefully placed over what people are saying. It gives us a sense of the infinite quality in nature.

Then there were the other ideas of relative space and time breaking down at the quantum level. There’s a lot of abstraction here; the imagery create that sense like the outer space image, looking back to Earth, and the mystery of space. I decided to open the film with beautiful shots of the night sky and the so-called vast emptiness of space.

In the experience watching the film, I felt that you fulfilled on the cinematic quality of visually expressing these ideas. It is a bit of a transmission of the ideas themselves.

Paul Howard: I think that when you lock into something that really moves you as an artist, a filmmaker, or a writer and if you bring sincerity to that, it’s like the universe works with you.

We were so blessed and so lucky with the people we worked with on this film. We’re doing the project a great service and this echoes you see because one of Bohm’s great ideas is that the entire universe is contained in each and every part of the universe.

It’s not so much the parts that make the whole, it’s the whole that is contained in each and every part. The whole universe is contained in each and every part of it. And all of time is contained in each and every passing moment. These are such great, wonderful ideas.

That great sense of the mystery of looking at things in a different kind of way is what I wanted to express in the film.

How do you feel that this fits into your body of work as a filmmaker?

Paul Howard: I think that this this project was kind of waiting for me, even though I didn’t know about it.

When I was very young, and I’d go to the cinema, I always got completely lost in that reality up on the screen. I found it a strange feeling when the lights came on to shuffle out onto the street and go out into your real world.

I had this notion, of wondering if the reality that I’m now experiencing as I’ve come out of the cinema, could this be a kind of a movie? My friends would be amused because I would spin around at lightning speed to see if there was some projector behind me that was projecting this world. I

was also intrigued by the Biblical references like Jesus talking about how the Kingdom of Heaven is within you or the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. It spoke to me of another dimension of reality.

When I started to read about David Bohm, I saw how Bohm was just so full of all of these ideas. He brought together the science with this beautiful idea of consciousness itself. And consciousness that is always in motion. It’s never static or compete. It’s just a continuous process of unfolding and unfolding.

Another point about Bohm is that he doesn’t believe in the theory of everything. That science is suddenly going to wake up with all the answers.

Bohm’s idea is that when you get one answer, it’s going to raise another thousand questions. When you answer those thousand questions, you’ve got a million questions.

So he believed that there is an infinite quality in nature and continuous ongoing process. To me, he gives an absolutely elegant explanation of everything.

What is your hope for people watching the film?

Paul Howard: I hope that somehow, at the at the basic level, that people can just realize that we are one. That we recognize that we are part of an essential interconnectivity. This gives rise to the notion of our interdependence. If we respect our essential interconnectedness, then it’s just logical that we should be taking better care of one another and the planet and nature.

Watch Infinite Potential Online July 30

Join LA YOGA and Conscious Good for a FREE screening of Infinite Potential followed by a panel discussion on Thursday, July 30.

Meet one of the 20th century’s most brilliant physicists who Einstein called his “spiritual son” and the Dalai Lama, his “science guru.” Infinite Potential explores the revolutionary theories of David Bohm, a maverick physicist and explorer of consciousness who turned to Eastern wisdom to advance a theory about the interconnectedness of the universe and our place within it.

The Fetzer Memorial Trust is proud to present this mystical and scientific journey into the nature of life and reality featuring a special live stream event, The Heart & Science of Interconnectedness, a panel of science and spirituality experts discuss the film Infinite Potential: The Life and Ideas of David Bohm, 5 pm PST/8 pm EST on July 30th.  Paul Panelists include Director and Producer, Paul Howard, Deb Rozman, President and CEO of HeartMath Inc. Mikey Siegel, Founder of Consciousness Hacking, Jud Brewer, Addiction Psychiatrist, Neuroscientist and Author and moderated by Trina Wyatt, Founder, and CEO of Conscious Good.

You can watch the film for FREE  and RSVP for the event here!

Felicia M. Tomasko

Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.

www.blissnetwork.com

The post Infinite Potential: A Film About Our Interconnectedness appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Film as Activism in Understanding Mental Health

Reducing the Stigma around Conversations about Suicide

Jared Padalecki Advocates for Mental Health in I Chose Life

Jared Padalecki is an advocate for mental health who is featured in the film I Chose Life.

Sharing Personal Stories and Changing the Conversation around Mental Health

How to Watch I Chose Life: Stories of Suicide & Survival

Betsy Chasse

Betsy Chasse is an award winning filmmaker (What The Bleep Do We Know?!, Song of the New Earth, Pregnant In America) and best selling author (Tipping Sacred Cows, It Came Out of My Vagina, Now What?! – A book on Conscious Parenting) You can learn more about her at www.betsychasse.net

betsychasse.net

The post I Chose Life: Stories of Suicide & Survival appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

James Sebastiano and Mark Waters are Chasing the Present

The sound of traffic on a busy street. A contemplative and questioning voiceover from James Sebastiano reflecting on his history of drug use and abuse, his movement to vegetarianism and building successful businesses and his lifelong struggle with anxiety. James is the protagonist of this feature-length documentary Chasing the Present. His is a relatable struggle and quest. A yearning for ease, for meaning, for clarity, for happiness, for peace, for bliss. Throughout Chasing the Present, we follow James as he travels around the world and into his own stillness. He is looking for the path to presence and to mental health and wellness in the present moment.

Some of James’ quest takes place through conversation, some of it through practice, some of it through action, some of it through reflection. His insight into his own mental health is one that mirrors our own. It is a fitting line of inquiry for Mental Health Awareness Month….and for the rest of all of our lives.

Join LA YOGA for a Virtual Screening of Chasing the Present on May 21.

Chasing the Present is beautifully filmed and thoughtfully directed by Mark Waters. It criss-crosses the world with James’ visits to locations including the banks of the River Ganga in Rishikesh, India, and the Peruvian jungles. We also travel with him to Indonesia, Nepal, the Netherlands, the UK, and the US. It is framed by conversations James has with his father while sharing a meal in a diner. This sets up the conundrum James explains early on in the film, one that has meaning for all of us. “It’s not so hard to go to India for a month and practice and feel good. Then you have to go home and explain it to your dad, your mom, your friends. It’s challenging.”

Chasing the Present to Find Mental Health

After all, what can make the largest impact is our daily integration of our ability to surrender in the present, to fully know that we are our consciousness, and to experience the real happiness and peace that is possible. This is what James discovers on the yoga mat, the meditation cushion, in the plant spirit medicine journey, with teachers, and in conversations.

James’ many conversations with a wide range of noteworthy teachers and leaders is one of the gems of his journey. He is generous in his vulnerability and he and Mark Waters allow us to eavesdrop on the wisdom gathered in sessions that include Russell Brand, Alex Grey, Rupert Spira, Joseph Goldstein, and more.

We fade out back to that conversation between James and his dad, sitting in a diner, talking about the importance of presence. Taking the chase into daily life, moment by moment, day by day.

Watch the Film and Enjoy a Lively Discussion!

On Thursday, May 21 at 7pm.

Join us for a virtual screening of the film.

The screening will be followed by a Q & A and discussion with James Sebastiano, film Producer Adam Schomer, and LA YOGA editor in chief Felicia Tomasko. Topics will include the film, mental health, yogic practices, and more.

Buy Tickets for the Virtual Chasing the Present Screening. Only $8 for the ticket for screening and discussion.

Felicia M. Tomasko

Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.

www.blissnetwork.com

The post Lessons for Mental Health in the Film Chasing the Present appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Darrell Hammond Doing Stand Up Comedy: from the film Cracked Up

Cracked Up Now Streaming on Netflix

In September 2019, Santa Monica’s second street was lined with classic rocks stars, counterculture icons, environmental warriors, music industry hit-makers, best-selling authors, trauma therapists, yoga teachers, and more. The colorful crowd lined up to get into the Laemmle Theater, to see their friend Michelle Esrick, for the premiere of Cracked Up.

Michelle could have a been a film star of the gilded era. Her voluminous red hair, porcelain skin and starlet-smile is picturesque even by Hollywood standards. Yet, she chose a more impactful poise. Of the role of documentary director. Her debut film: The Wavy Gravy Movie: Saint Misbehavin’ (2009) was an ecstatic exploration of Woodstock MC, cosmic clown and humanitarian, Wavy Gravy. A kaleidoscope of art, music and joy – the film brought a smile to all who viewed it, even The New York Times critics.

The film that premiered in Santa Monica last September, was the portrait of another kind of clown; comedian Darrel Hammond. Hammond has held several records on Saturday Night Live, including longest running cast member, and most played character. His impersonation of President Clinton ran more then 87 times over 14 seasons. It’s the kind of TV gold that inspired kids across America, to move to major cities to study and perform with groups like Uptight Citizens Brigade or The Groundlings.

However, in Cracked Up we see another side of Hammond, the one who was a victim of childhood trauma, whose brain adapted to his circumstances by creating a life outside the material-realm reality. We learn the term “mental injury” and hear from experts such The Body Keeps the Score author, Dr Bessel van der Kolk. We are offered an intimate invitation to a fragile first-person account that could only be told by someone as brave as Hammond and by someone as safe as Esrick.

During the theatrical and educational releases of Cracked Up, countless viewers contacted the filmmakers stating how much the movie helped them get in touch with their own trauma, and ultimately gave them permission to heal. Esrick remarks, “Two people have written to me that they decided not to commit suicide after seeing it. Mostly people tell me that the film makes them realize that they were not born broken.”

The film Cracked Up, its website, and accompanying materials offers resources for clinicians and survivors alike. Screenings, webinars, and more have begun a long-overdue global conversation on an experience far too many share.

Esrick states, “Trauma is largely diagnosed in our society. Darrell was misdiagnosed 40 times over 30 years. We have a system that is treating the symptoms. If we don’t process our trauma with a qualified trauma expert, we will stay sick and get sicker. We are treating the smoke and not the fire.”

Cracked Up filmmaker Michelle Esrick

Cracked Up is now available for streaming on Netflix increasing its viewership to the public, and eliciting an overwhelming response. Esrick reflects, “Healing ourselves is healing the world. We are not separate from one another. If the coronavirus is teaching us anything it is teaching us that we affect each other. We are all in this together.”

Cracked Up features the original song “Hide the Hurt” by Diane Warren, sung by Macy Grey.  Watch the film on Netflix now.  For more information about the film as well as educational screening licenses and other resources, visit: Crackedupmovie.com. Michelle Esrick can be found at: http://rippleeffectfilms.rmainweb.com

Amy V Dewhurst

To Check Out Amy’s Work Go To; Sense + Color, You Can Reach Her At IG:  Amy_V_Dewhurst  + AmyVDewhurst@SenseAndColor.co #PutYourGoodWhereItWillDoTheMost

www.senseandcolor.co

The post Cracked Up adds to Global Conversations of Mental Health appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Officer White Meditating 2: Officer Eric White of the Emeryville, California Police Department, meditates as part of a mindfulness program instituted by Chief Jennifer Tejada in order to help officers process trauma and increase positive outcomes with the public.

The Mainstreaming of Mindfulness

The coronavirus has affected all of us in ways we never imagined. Many of us face overwhelming emotions and thoughts and in need of tools as we navigate into the unknown future. There seems to be no better time to develop or deepen mindfulness practices. The Mindfulness Movement, a documentary by Director Rob Beemer and Executive Producers Deepak Chopra and Jewel, explores the spread of mindfulness from its roots in the Buddhist tradition and into the mainstream world as a secular contemplative practice.

Producers Deepak Rob Leigh Poonacha: A behind the scenes photo of (from left to right) Producer/Director Rob Beemer, and Executive Producers Leigh Koechner, Deepak Chopra and Poonacha Machaiah.

Busting the Myths of Mindfulness

Although mindfulness is becoming more well-known around the world, there are still misconceptions about the nature of practice and its practical value. The film clears out myths and provides an immense amount of information regarding the practice and its benefits. These include mindfulness’ scientifically-proven ability to rewire and restructure the brain, reduce stress, restore balance, and improve sleep as well as its ability to strengthen our resiliency.

etna mindfulness class: Aetna employees meditate during a class in the Mindfulness Center at Aetna’s corporate office in Hartford, Connecticut.

Alongside the research, it becomes clear that mindfulness works as the film tracks its application with specific groups, including the Mindfulness Warrior Project, an organization guiding veterans with PTSD. Following the development of the movement over the past decades, The film interweaves the personal journeys of four individuals. These are: Dan Harris, co-anchor of ABC’s Nightline and the weekend editions of Good Morning America; Sharon Salzberg, a pioneer of mindfulness in the West and co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society; singer-songwriter Jewel; and George Mumford, a leading mindfulness teacher who taught NBA legends Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O’Neal.

Jewel with foundation teens: Jewel works with the co-founder of the Inspiring Children Foundation, Ryan Wolfington (who is a Co-Executive Producer of the film) as they lead at-risk teens in Las Vegas through the mindfulness-based Jewel Never Broken program.

The Transformation of Mindfulness

Their stories showcase the power of mindfulness to transform. And the film continues to show the movement’s spread in all areas of life – from schools, prisons, police forces, and workplaces. We also see how mindfulness has infiltrated daily life and our smartphones with apps and technology products. The viewer is also invited to participate in two short mindfulness practices with leading teachers and experience the potential it has to offer first-hand.

At a time in which we consume so much information and content that can be overwhelming and ignite fear, The Mindfulness Movement is a refreshing antidote. The film’s message that mindfulness is a practice that everybody can do is an important one. The diverse group of people featured in the film offer a convincing set of benefits to convince those who may be still reluctant to try meditation. Although seasoned practitioners might find the information here familiar, the film can inspire all of us to share the practice of mindfulness with others in order to contribute to positive social change.

Watch and Share The Mindfulness Movement

The Mindfulness Movement is available online for rent or purchase beginning on April 10: themindfulnessmovement.com

Keren Eshed

Keren Eshed is an LA-based Yoga teacher, student, and a Yoga therapist in training who is passionate about sharing the gift of Yoga. IG @keren.eshed

The post The Mindfulness Movement is a Documentary that Offers Solutions appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

“Dancing is a spiritual exercise in a physical form” – Merce Cunningham

Merce Cunningham was considered one of the most influential and innovative modern dance choreographers. His work broke through the boundaries of classical dance and art. The documentary film Cunningham, by Alla Kovgan, invites the viewer to be mesmerized by watching a selection of Merce’s signature work spanning from the 1940s to the 1970s.

Choreography, Process, and Philosophy with Merce Cunningham

I know very little about dance and yet from the first moment, I could not take my eyes off the screen, observing every movement, following the unfolding spaces and taking in every sound. The film blends Merce’s original footage alongside new recreations of his most famous choreographies. The two are interwoven together to create a timeless feeling. Merce is known for creating chance principles, like coin flipping to determine movement sequences, and incorporating them into his choreography, thus allowing circumstances and the present moment into his work. These created a unique combination of movements and presented the dance world with something fresh and new.

Merce’s approach and philosophy to life are set forth through his own words as well as quotes from members of his dance company and collaborators. Some of Merce’s thoughtfully chosen words capture the essence of his perspective on dance, relationships, and life. “I don’t describe it, I do it” and “It isn’t about the money…it is about making something,” convey his emphasis on the doing itself rather than the future results. His words resonated within me while I was taken into a mesmerizing journey through movement, space, and sound.

The Visual Experience of Pioneering Choreography

The use of 3D technology fits beautifully with the narrative and captures Merce’s pioneering choreography. This is a visual experience in which the viewer is surrounded by constant movement and change. For me, the peak of the experience was the recreation of the choreography RainForest, which incorporates artwork by Andy Warhol. Shiny silver pillows float freely in the air, dancers in nude color partly torn leotards and tights performing unconventional movements, and electronic nature sounds – all create a surreal experience. Each element is stunning on its own and brought together they blend into a unique visual experience.

Merce saw dance as a spiritual practice and the film portrays that fully and completely. I was left inspired to enable randomness into my life and practice the most challenging practice – focus on the doing while letting go of the attachment to future results.

Learn More about the Documentary Film Cunningham

Learn more about the film at: cunninghamfilm.com

Keren Eshed

Keren Eshed is an LA-based Yoga teacher, student, and a Yoga therapist in training who is passionate about sharing the gift of Yoga. IG @keren.eshed

The post In the Documentary Film Cunningham, a Choreographer’s Spiritual Practice is on Screen appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

The documentary film One Child Nation tells a personal story, yet also sounds a universal warning. It recounts a very recent (in our lifetime), modern tale of how a dictatorial country can set policy that, even though inhumane, is obeyed by the masses. Those same people also suffer the consequences.

What the policy was, when

The subject of the documentary is the Chinese One-Child Policy, a birth planning program launched in 1979. That policy was written into China’s constitution in 1982. Recently, after 35 years, the country expanded to a Two-Child Policy despite declaring that “the one-child policy has made the country more powerful, the people more prosperous and the world more peaceful.”

The filmmakers of One Child Nation (including director and producers Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang) were all born in China under this program, and they uncover how Chinese officials convinced/coerced families in small villages to give up their reproductive rights. Nanfu Wang, a 32-year-old first-time mother now living in the US, goes on camera to ask relatives, neighbors, family planning officials, doctors, and human traffickers how this restrictive policy was possibly enforced.

Dramatic stories

Throughout the policy era, propaganda touting either the beauty of having just one child or conversely the punishments for more than one child (fines, losing your home, and your child) were blended into background of life in China. It eerily alternated between threats and beautiful art, both styles reflected in billboards, textbooks, opera, folk dance, theatrical performances, children songs, and TV ads. Nanfu even unquestioningly participated in such folk dances as she was growing up. Although this propaganda was omnipresent, nonetheless, second children and unwanted daughters were still conceived. Tens of thousands, if not more, sterilizations and abortions were performed — often by force.

Nanfu interviews one elderly midwife who had performed sterilizations and abortions in accordance with the policy, executing these orders for 27 years. Today, out of guilt, she only treats infertility with the hope of creating a new life to reverse each of the 50,000 killings she performed.

Chinese culture has a strong preference for male offspring. Since no ultrasounds were used during the period to determine the sex, baby girls were born and abandoned to die. Nanfu’s own mother, whose name means “bringing brother soon,” helped her own younger brother discard his baby daughter in basket with $20 with the hopes that someone would take her. The family checked on the little infant, but she died in the market days later. Nanfu’s mother recalls this story quite matter-of-factly, although Nanfu’s uncle tears up, remarking how his daughter would be 27 or 28 now.

Consequences

Footage from 2002 shows the government recognizing family planning officials with pompous awards and reporting on state TV that the One-Child Policy had “prevented 338 million births.” And, the policy went on for another 13 years. The general consensus of the villagers in the film was that the program was good for the country.

China began allowing overseas adoptions in 1992, with at least 130,000 babies adopted overseas during the policy. That opportunity led to nationwide fraud and corruption, with many “overquota children” being kidnapped and sold to orphanages. Many of the adopted girls were not orphans at all. Nanfu follows the efforts of an American family trying to identify the Chinese families of their adopted daughters, as well as setting up a nonprofit to help other families in the same situation.

Resignation

The midwife that was interviewed rationalized that when she aborted full-term living fetuses, “I had to put national interest above my personal feelings.” Watching the film, it is all too hard to comprehend. Nanfu comments on the irony of growing up in China where abortions were forced and then moving to the US where abortions are restricted. “Both are taking away woman’s control of their own bodies.”

A specific story is a warning tale for a controlling government

The One-Child Policy resulted in too few young people to care for the elderly. Since 2015, China’s new policy has been “two children is just right.” All evidence of the old policy is being erased, replaced by Two-Child Policy messaging. If the memory of the recent past fades, the only thing left will be today’s propaganda, and no lessons will be learned. That’s why we need films like One Child Nation, so the past is not forgotten.

This restrained and subtle film won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize for Documentary. One Child Nation is available to stream on Amazon.

Karen Henry

Karen Henry is an Associate Editor at LA YOGA who volunteers in a variety of capacities for nonprofit organizations and artists around Los Angeles. She practices yoga as a counterbalance to her daily impact sports and is a mother of four grown children who also practice yoga . Now, she’s working on teaching yoga and joy of life to the grandkids!

The post One Child Nation Film Review appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Imelda Marcos in Manila and Ilocos Norte in a still from The Kingmaker. Photo by Lauren Greenfield.

Greed. International Real Estate. Presidency. Abuse of Power. Family Legacy. Stylish Fashion.

Does any of this sound familiar? The family name I’m referencing is Marcos, not Trump. The country is the Philippines, not the USA. The notorious first lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos ran an authoritarian kleptocracy along with her husband Ferdinand Marcos for 20 years. They were ousted and exiled by an uprising in 1986. Imelda is still alive today, unrepentant, and back influencing Philippine politics at her current age of 90. And she is planting the seeds for a future Marcos ruling family. Alarm bells should be ringing.

Lauren Greenfield’s documentary The Kingmaker is a deceptive portrayal of the elderly Imelda, as she relates her life story in interviews. The filmmaker contrasts Imelda’s recounting of her life as savior and victim with video, photographic, and newsprint evidence which frequently contradict Imelda’s account. You can expect to be blown away by the societal portent of this movie if you’re familiar with Lauren’s previous body of work. Her decades-long interest in photographing excessive examples of wealth and consumerism has resulted in documentary films, TV shows, and books — most notably the award-winning docs The Queen of Versailles, Generation Wealth, and Thin.

Who is Imelda Marcos? Her public profile is of a beauty queen, an elegant and mega wealthy first lady of international renown, a notorious shoe hoarder, and a shamed wife of a disposed dictator who was run out of his own country. Although democratically elected, the Marcos carried themselves as King and Queen, eventually imposing violent martial law on their county and absconding with the nation’s wealth. They sheltered a purported $10 billion, embezzled from their country and invested in numerous Manhattan high rises, original masterpiece works of art, and at least 170 bank accounts. At the same time, the beautiful and fashionable Imelda paraded around the globe, meeting with all of the top world leaders.

The first half of the film lets Imelda tell her well-rehearsed version of her public-facing profile through on-camera interviews. Although in her late 80s at the time, Imelda may have slowed down, but her deviousness shines through. Her adamant self-glorifying, self-sacrificing version of her legacy is repeatedly debunked. The film even uses the interview space in her home as film verite, allowing Imelda’s presentation of herself surrounded by priceless works of art to leave room for interpretation without comment.

The Kingmaker is full of visual evidence of the Marcos’ excess spending and abuse of wealth. One dramatic example is a safari park she and President Marcos created by importing 104 African animals to the island of Calauit, evicting the population to make room for the animals. In the decades since the fall of the Marcos regime, the animals have survived on this neglected island and have suffered terrible physical manifestations from generations of inbreeding (such as giraffes with weak necks).

Since the Marcos’ exile in 1986, the democratic government has only been successful in repatriating a billion or so dollars from the couple’s widespread investments. Imelda pleads innocent of any knowledge of her hidden riches, portraying herself as a victim and sacrificing mother to her nation. “I want to be mother of not only the Philippines, but of the world. No one can stop me,” she says pursing her lips. She proudly hands out single bills of cash to street beggars and hospitalized children without any sense of irony.

Imelda Marcos in a still from The Kingmaker. Photo by Lauren Greenfield.

Yet, Imelda is an enduring fox. The second half of The Kingmaker covers Imelda’s return from exile and her ability to mount a surprising political comeback. Despite her troubled past, Imelda has been able to get herself, her son, daughter, and extended family elected into political positions in the Philippines. It appears she also financed the sudden rise of strongman Rodrigo Duterte to president in 2016, with the expectation that he will soon anoint her son Bongbong as the Vice President (by arresting the current VP). The Marcos family may rule again with a second act. If you learn anything from The Kingmaker, it is to stay tuned.

The Kingmaker opens theatrically on November 8.

Karen Henry

Karen Henry is an Associate Editor at LA YOGA who volunteers in a variety of capacities for nonprofit organizations and artists around Los Angeles. She practices yoga as a counterbalance to her daily impact sports and is a mother of four grown children who also practice yoga . Now, she’s working on teaching yoga and joy of life to the grandkids!

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Documentarian Matthew Diretta turned his camera to the streets in Disco’d

Living in Los Angeles, it’s easy to look away when passing a homeless person. Which is what happens every time I leave my home near Venice. The scope of the problem, the reality of the harshness, the causes, the solutions are all so daunting. It seems easiest just to avert our attention. We may want to feign ignorance, but 60,000 people are navigating life on the streets of Los Angeles on any given day.

First-time director Matthew Siretta did just the opposite of look away. After using his camera to capture street after street lined by blue tents, Matthew got unflinchingly up close to see and listen to a dozen denizens of the Skid Row and Hollywood encampments. The result is the intimate documentary Disco’d, a visceral portrayal of downtrodden life on the streets. In this film, you can envision urban tent life without suffering the smells, the highs, the pains, the danger, the cold, the drug deals, or the daily search for the human necessities of water, food, and a place to relieve waste.

According to the Urban Dictionary, “To be disco’d is to be discombobulated to the upmost capacity. To be completely thrown off, having no idea what the hell is going on around.” The men in the film frequently get disco’d, as they matter-of-factly state. They lose track of their possessions. The contents of their tents get strewn about the street. They get scammed in drug deals “trickery.” Most of this confusion appears from being too stoned on whatever they smoke or inject. In one lamentable scene, the elderly stooped Lou talks of hope for a new liver as he smokes a bowl of heroin or crack.

Grandmotherly Julie is the most relatable. A jovial yet hardened and raspy-voiced poet, she lucidly reads from her notebook, “Feelings of melancholy, some kind of voodoo the streets, each place a haven to sleep or not to sleep.” When Julie is gifted a hundred dollars by a stranger during the holidays, she goes to a drugstore to buy cleaning products, a wreath, and a battery-operated lighted Christmas tree to brighten up her tent, as well as a knife to protect herself. People want to help her. But Julie’s experience of both moving into miserable subsidized housing and her subsequent decision to move back to the streets are equally frustrating to witness.

Most of the film is shot in the dead of night, creating focused personal connections with the subjects. Looming over their lives are posted LA Sanitation notices that warn of an upcoming city sweep of the sidewalks to dispose of all loose possessions and disinfect the streets. The film ends with the sweep. The residents must take all of their belongings off the block for this time period, as clawed sanitation trucks scoop up anything left behind. You dread how much work this entails and realize how hard it is to do so in their otherly, disoriented, disco’d world. Right on our very streets.

Disco’d is screening at the Downtown Independent beginning on November 8.

Karen Henry

Karen Henry is an Associate Editor at LA YOGA who volunteers in a variety of capacities for nonprofit organizations and artists around Los Angeles. She practices yoga as a counterbalance to her daily impact sports and is a mother of four grown children who also practice yoga . Now, she’s working on teaching yoga and joy of life to the grandkids!

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How our Minds Can Collectively Shift the Course of Humanity

The documentary The Portal explores the power of meditation and the positive outcomes that emerge from committing to a mindfulness practice, such as inner stillness and interconnectivity between individuals and all living beings. The film offers up the possibility that mass meditation carries the potential to shift humanity and our planet into the next stage of our evolutionary development.

Human stories come to life through the inner minds and experiences of six characters. Their experiences are flawlessly interwoven with behavioral science and the theories of futurists and philosophers.

Each character shares a highly compelling life story and circumstance; each uses meditation to regain a love for and appreciation of life and themselves. The result is powerful and honest. The film evokes unwavering compassion and interest for our characters accompanied by potent commentary on the effects of meditation on the individual and the collective.

One of the film’s prominent thinkers, Robotics Engineer Mikey Siegal, relates his thoughts on interconnectivity in the modern age. “We are living in a very unique time because almost every crisis on the planet is a human-generated one. Natural disasters may be amplified by global warming and climate change, but the problem that we’re facing is a human problem.”

Siegal follows with a dynamic resolution, “By definition, if there is a human problem, then humans have the power to change it, and in doing so, the power to shift the course of humanity.”

As a cinematic expression, The Portal employs a hybrid documentary technique, making use of animation, archival footage and cinematic re-enactments alongside interviews and stock footage to highlight the narrative.

Filmed in the USA, Canada, Australia and a Syrian refugee camp in Jordan, The Portal blends human experience with scientific research into Love and Empathy. Well-paced, beautifully shot and edited, it effortless weaves philosophical contemplations on the evolutionary capacity of humankind throughout.

See The Portal

The Portal opens in Laemmle Santa Monica on Friday November 1 and will be showing in theaters across the U.S.

Staff Writer Lakshmi

The post The Portal, a Documentary on Meditation and the Power of the Human Mind appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

In a time when people are increasingly feeling disconnected and discontent with the present and future of our species. Fantastic Fungi shines a much-needed light on hope. This is a story about reconnecting with one of our oldest allies: The fungi kingdom. The friendship between fungi and humanity is a long-standing bond.

Mushrooms hold many of the keys to solving the big issues we face today. And the feature-length doc by filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg is a timely movie.

When you When you first hear that this is a movie about mushrooms, you might be tempted to ask, “Oh, you mean magic mushrooms?”

The truth is that all mushrooms are magic, with more than 1.5 million varieties and counting. Fantastic Fungi pays homage to role mushrooms have played in our history and the potential roles they play in our future. Fungi stabilizes carbon, enables communication of plants in ecosystems, can slow aging, replace conventional pesticides, and be useful in strengthening the immune system and addressing disease. Fantastic Fungi is an educational film that is also entertaining—enlightening those whose views of a mushroom were limited to varieties found on the dinner table, as a psychoactive journey aide, or a poisonous mushroom to be feared.

Fantastic Fungi takes the viewer on a journey with noted fungal researcher and advocate Paul Staments and colleagues to understand the roles mushrooms play in the cycle of existence. Louie Schwartzberg’s cinematography is unsurprisingly stunning; showcasing the natural beauty that awaits us in the forest if we choose to enter.

Fantastic Fungi on Netflix

Fantastic Fungi is a film that the world should watch so we can understand that these forest treasures need to be revered, protected, and studied.  The film is currently showing on Netflix. Learn more at: fantasticfungi.com

Attend the Fantastic Fungi Global Summit

Register here for the Fantastic Fungi Global Summit with experts from around the world.

Julian Mitchell

Julian Mitchell is CEO and Co-founder of mushroom biotechnology company Life Cykel

www.lifecykel.com

The post The Documentary Film Fantastic Fungi Shows All Mushrooms are Magic appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

It might as well be reaching the summit of Everest, that’s how far-fetched running a marathon is for Brittany at the beginning of Brittany Runs a Marathon. At 27, she is lost in her dingy Queens lifestyle, with a part-time job she won’t take seriously, regular partying, and generally self-destructive behavior. Who hasn’t felt lost at the beginning of adulthood?

Running for Transformation in Brittany Runs a Marathon

This heartfelt dramedy depicts Brittany’s personal journey and is written by first-time director Paul Downs Colaizzo, who comes from a theater background. The story was inspired by his best friend Brittany’s personal struggles. The resulting film, Brittany Runs a Marathon, is inspirational yet modest — like Brittany herself. She is a relatable underdog, a misfit of a young woman who finds transformation after hitting a personal rock bottom. The character is portrayed with verisimilitude by actor Jillian Bell, an Emmy-nominated SNL writer with a long resume of supporting TV and movie roles. Garnering a lot of positive street buzz, this Sundance Film Festival entry sold during the festival earlier this year for a whopping $14 million to Amazon Studios.

The film begins with a snore, setting the tone for presenting uncomfortable personal and body issues. Brittany is not committed to her theater lobby job — she is underemployed and has a generally lackluster approach to life. When trying to score Adderall from a doctor, she is painfully informed that she is obese. This left hook throws Brittany for a loop. As her life seems to fall apart, a sympathetic neighbor knocks on the door. The neighbor Catherine (Michaela Watkins), a divorced artist, is not unfamiliar to pain. An avid runner, she suggests Brittany join her running group.

The Camaraderie of Running in Converses

After resisting for quite a while, Brittany eventually convinces herself to go for a run. In a realistic scene, she puts on two bras and ratty Converse shoes and has to encourage herself to just get to the end of the block. This minor effort exhausts Brittany, yet becomes her first Mount Everest. Eventually she does join her neighbor’s running group, where Brittany meets another novice runner who becomes her motivating sidekick. During runs, Catherine slows down to accompany the slower runners and enjoy their goofy company. We, too, are distracted by the wack-pack camaraderie and don’t even recognize how fit the runners are becoming.

Running the NYC Marathon

After all the fits and starts, it takes Brittany a couple of years to win a lottery space for the New York City Marathon. When it finally happens, you feel like a co-participant since Brittany’s running scenes were shot during the actual live event. During this period, she also grows in her personal life. She stops partying, pulls away from her toxic roommate, and slowly builds self-respect. Comedic turns come from her relationship with man-child Jern, played by Utkarsh Ambudkar (The Mindy Project). The quirky couple has a low-simmer friendship that sweetly and awkwardly develops into something more. Brittany is also supported by her older, paternalistic brother-in-law played by comedian Lil Rel Howery. His character is one we don’t often see onscreen: a sympathetic father substitute.

Director/writer Paul Downs Colaizzo poignantly captures a female millennial voice and point-of-view. “My concept for the film was to take a stock character from big American comedies – the ‘hot mess,’ the ‘fat sidekick’ —and turn the camera squarely in her direction. What’s her human story? What does she struggle with? And how is her story everyone’s story?” He accomplishes this as Brittany Runs a Marathon makes you consider the personal marathon that you can conquer.

See Brittany Runs a Marathon

Brittany Runs a Marathon Opens in Theaters on August 23. #RunBrittanyRun Visit the website for more details: www.brittanyrunsamarathon.movie

Karen Henry

Karen Henry is an Associate Editor at LA YOGA who volunteers in a variety of capacities for nonprofit organizations and artists around Los Angeles. She practices yoga as a counterbalance to her daily impact sports and is a mother of four grown children who also practice yoga . Now, she’s working on teaching yoga and joy of life to the grandkids!

The post Brittany Runs a Marathon appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

A film exploring enlightenment with humor and self-acceptance

Becoming Nobody is a feature-length documentary that dives into American spiritual teacher Ram Dass’ quintessential wisdom through authenticity, humor, and pure humanness. This film is a collaboration between director Jamie Catto, producer Raghu Markus (who is also the Director of Love Serve Remember Foundation), and Google Empathy Labs. The viewer is given access to perspectives that can change their life through the story of Ram Dass’ own evolution from “somebody” into “nobody.”

Being “somebody” can be analogous to wearing a suit that doesn’t quite fit, that is a bit tight and naggingly uncomfortable. But we wear it nonetheless. When Ram Dass was “somebody” he achieved the expected societal accomplishments: impressive college degrees, a high-profile job, status symbol cars, and more. Then he took that first psilocybin trip, which started the process of the diminishment of ego. Becoming Nobody is about taking off the suit in order to discover and transform to our true selves. When we strive for authenticity, others will feel safe to do so as well.

Maintaining an Attitude of Openness

The lessons shared in Becoming Nobody do not suggest that we must become completely ‘nobody’ or abandon our human-ness. Rather it is a process that includes remaining open and curious, and developing the Witness that observes the drama. Part of this process is to remain open and curious and to witness yourself in your drama. We all wear different masks for the dramas of life. As we learn to strip away the masks, we find our hearts and minds becoming open to every part of the play of life. For Ram Dass, practicing and maintaining an attitude of openness to it all remains an essential element of the lesson for us in shedding our masks and becoming ‘nobody.’

Powerful Conversations in Becoming Nobody

One of the most striking moments in Becoming Nobody takes place during a conversation between Ram Dass and Jamie Catto. While Jamie shares his struggles with his own masks, Ram Dass’ soft blue eyes see right into Jamie. We are immediately drawn into that intimate connection. This beautiful exchange visually illustrates how seeing beyond the masks can unite us. It takes us outside of the self-centered “me” and into the communal “we.”

Jamie Catto and Ram Dass

Our Journey of Becoming Nobody

Ram Dass’ timeless teachings offer welcome shifts in perspective that cultivate curiosity and desire for this path to discovery. With loving humor, compassion and kindness, Ram Dass guides us away from our self-judging minds to show where our ego is hiding us from our deeper, truer selves. Ultimately, we are encouraged to explore our own journey from ‘somebody’ to ‘nobody.’

See the Film Becoming Nobody

Becoming Nobody opens on September 6. Look for it in theaters in NYC, LA, and San Francisco. Learn more at: becomingnobody.com

For more information about Ram Dass’ teachings: https://www.ramdass.org

Shelley Karpaty

Shelley Karpaty is a yogi living in the Bay Area where she brings her spirit into writing, recruiting and career coaching. Medium: medium.com/@skarpaty and Instagram @shelleykarpaty

www.medium.com/@skarpaty 

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Honeyland offers no explanations, a story simply just unfolds. This documentary begins with a woman’s pilgrimage in an arid high desert mountains supported by unusual harmonic music. Is this modern day or an ancient time period? It is a doc, so it must be recent. And, where in the world are we? It turns out that we are following an isolated Balkan villager who collects honeycombs from her secret beehives tucked in mountainous rock and hidden in the walls of stone ruins. With her bare hands, she pulls juicy honeycombs out of the cacophonous hives. But she only ever takes half of the honey at any time.

Hatidze tenderly takes bees and honey back home, chanting and releasing the bees on the way to her mud-and-stone hut in an abandoned village. Caring for her ailing deaf mother, Hatidze is clearly loving and generous, yet sadly she appears as abandoned as the ruins she lives amongst. Her teeth are terribly misshapen, she longs for a husband, her aging mother has no health care, and their diet seems very limited –relying heavily on honeycomb.

This quietude of Hatidze’s foothill village, populated by this one industrious beekeeper and her bedridden mother, is punctuated when a nomadic family moves into the ruins next door. They show up with six children and a herd of cattle. You watch this inexperienced family attempt to cattle farm and harvest honey like Hatidze. They shortly learn what happens if you don’t respect Hatidze’s survival rule for the bees of taking only half of the honey; instead, they retrieve most of it from their bee racks. The family’s attempt to rush to market ends up killing many cows and most of the bees. They inadvertently create devastating results, and before winter, the family packs up and is gone. Only Hatidze is left to weather the harsh winter season.

The stoic beauty of Honeyland is filled with wonderful contrasts. Bright, wide daylight landscapes contrast with golden ambient candlelit or stove-lit interior closeups. The intimate family life moments are not easily forgotten. Hatidze’s primitive and isolated lifestyle among ruins with no running water or electricity is contrasted by incidental reminders of nearby modern life: a bus ride to the bustling city to sell honey, airplanes flying overhead, a cell phone video taken at the local festival. And, strikingly, Hatidze’s stoic respect for the bees is contrasted with the family’s vulgar and frenetic attempts at farming.

Directors Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov explain, “Hatidze’s story is a microcosm for a wider idea of how closely intertwined nature and humanity are, and how much we stand to lose if we ignore this fundamental connection.” They became interested in Hatidze’s story after noticing her secret bee holes during an environmental video shoot in their native country of Macedonia. Not understanding the ancient Turkish vernacular of the two villager families, they edited the entire film before a translation was done, thereby creating a very visual story.

Award-Winning Sundance Doc

With such stunning cinematography, it is hard to believe this film is a true story. No wonder Honeyland garnered three awards at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival: Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema Docs, the Cinematography Award for World Cinema Docs, and the Special Jury Prize for Impact & Change.

Honeyland Opens in Theaters

Opens in theaters July 26. Playing in LA at the Laemmle Royal. Learn more at: honeyland.earth

Karen Henry

Karen Henry is an Associate Editor at LA YOGA who volunteers in a variety of capacities for nonprofit organizations and artists around Los Angeles. She practices yoga as a counterbalance to her daily impact sports and is a mother of four grown children who also practice yoga . Now, she’s working on teaching yoga and joy of life to the grandkids!

The post The award-winning documentary Honeyland shares insight into our relationship with nature appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Documentary Film Free Trip to Egypt’s producer and creator Tarek Mounib talks Transformation

Free Trip to Egypt Producer Tarek Mounib

Producer Tarek Mounib had what some people might consider an unusual dream or mission—to bring a group of Americans concerned about what they perceive as an Islamic threat—to meet actual Muslims in Egypt. The resulting adventure was captured on film for the documentary A Free Trip to Egypt. LA YOGA caught up with Producer Tarek Mounib to ask him some intriguing questions about the making of the doc and what experiences may not have been captured on film.

 

LA YOGA: What is your professional background? How much experience do you have with coordinating travel—and with documentary filmmaking?

Tarek: I own various companies, so people sometimes call me an entrepreneur. I have two software companies, one health center, and a couple other minor things. I didn’t have much experience with travel coordination, but one of my companies is a software offshoring company. We have European and American customers, and the software is developed in Egypt. I did, on multiple occasions, travel with European and American managers and brought them to Cairo. I showed them the company, but also showed them around Cairo. That gave me the confidence that I could bring people to Egypt; and I felt safe and comfortable doing that.

This is my first documentary film. The project inspired me–and I just had to do it. I think the skillset that I did bring is the same as with my previous projects and companies. I think I have developed the skillset where I can identify and attract top talent and good people, then bring them together for a common goal. That’s what really helped me in making this film.

LA YOGA: How did you find the Cairo hosts and how did you go about matching them with visitors?

Tarek: The whole process of finding the Cairo hosts was completely different than what we did for finding the Americans. When we were looking for Americans, we basically approached anybody and everybody, and we were fine with taking random people who were concerned and giving them this experience. On the other hand, with the Cairo hosts, we wanted to find people whom we could really trust, because the host had a very important responsibility–which was taking care of the Americans. This was a responsibility I took very seriously.

I only considered hosts that I personally knew, or if someone I personally knew, also knew them, so I could really be sure somebody I trusted could vouch for them. That’s why I was comfortable with all the hosts.

The other factor we were considered was diversity. We tried to reflect the diversity of Egypt in the hosts, especially the diversity of interpretations of Islam. I think Egypt is one of the countries that is diverse in terms of its interpretation of Islam.

You have people who are really secular, people who are really religious, and a variety of colors and shades in between. I was quite happy with the degree of diversity we managed to achieve with the hosts.

Pairing them up with the Americans was fun. It brought up for me the curiosity of a child: What would happen if you put this person with that person? I was curious whether the human connection would really give the magic to make people see beyond their differences.

For example, when Ellen was saying one of her worst fears was Muslim men, I thought to myself, “What would happen if we paired her up with an Egyptian Muslim revolutionary?”  I was curious what would happen there. Or when Jason and Jenna are talking about spreading the love of Jesus into the Middle East and baptizing Muslims, I thought, “What would happen if we paired them up with an Orthodox Muslim family? The man with the beard, and the woman covering her face. How would that unfold? Could they get along? Again, would the hearts connect and see beyond these differences? I was curious what would happen with all these pairings.

LA YOGA: How did you find the director, Ingrid? How was your working relationship?

Tarek: When I started the project, the first thing was trying to identify the people I was going to work with. And I tried to find really talented people. I started talking to film production companies here in Switzerland where I live. I found a lot of good companies, very professional, and I was happy with what I found. But I still didn’t feel that I found the right person. When I was going through that process, a friend of mine, who’s also a friend of Ingrid’s said, “You have to talk to Ingrid.” I said, “Okay, I’ll do that.”

Ingrid was in San Francisco at the time. I FaceTimed with her and her husband at the time Forest, who also came on board as a producer. He actually wrote the music for the film as well. He did an amazing job. Within the first five minutes I knew Ingrid and Forest were the right people for this film. They just got the soul of the project. They knew what it was all about.

And then as I studied Ingrid’s work and I spoke to her deeper, I realized that her whole goal and the whole reason why she’s a director is because she’s a storyteller, in the sense that she wants to showcase people’s humanity. She wants to bring out the true person on camera. That was exactly my goal. It really matched.

The working relationship was great. It was difficult at times because we both felt complete ownership of the project. it was important to me that the people on the team felt as much ownership as I did, but because of that there were different visions that we would argue about and different scenes we wanted to include. We managed to work it out.

What was really beautiful in the end was we were all happy with the resulting film. That made me feel good about the difficult process. We’re still very good friends. I think we must have done something right.

LA YOGA: How did you go about raising funding?

Tarek: I personally funded all of this through my companies since I was in a fortunate place where I didn’t have to look for external funding. I’m hoping maybe some of the money will go back to the companies, but we’ll see.

LA YOGA: What was the easiest part of this endeavor? And what was the most challenging?

Tarek: I don’t know if it was the easiest part, but the part I felt most grateful for was the talented people who joined. In addition to Ingrid and Forest, we were lucky with the people that just happened to be available. I had reached out to Kurt Engfehr, who was the co-producer and editor of Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 9/11. We had a good discussion. This was before we even started filming, when I was just embarking on the project. He liked the idea. He thought it was cool, but you could tell he was also a bit skeptical about it actually working.

He recommended Pierre Haberer, who is also a topnotch editor with a wealth of experience and an editor for the Academy Award nominated film The Square. Pierre came onboard early and did an amazing job. Kurt was really excited and came onboard after we came back from Egypt and I told him that we actually did everything we said we were going to do (the five parallel camera crews and that we had footage).

Kurt and Pierre took over the editing. And then along with Ingrid and the others, we had a really amazing talented bunch of crew and filmmakers. And in Egypt, we had some amazing people who just happened to come onboard. It was really nice to see it being so fluid, having people jumping on with so much excitement.

There were different challenges in each phase of the project. In the beginning, the challenging part was actually finding Americans who would want to go to Egypt. I was surprised; I thought we’d have hundreds of people wanting to come, but it wasn’t that easy.

Sure, there were those that were concerned about their safety, but the biggest challenge was people who were worried about how they would be portrayed on camera. We would have some interesting people, but in the end, they would pull out just because they didn’t want risk looking bad. That was quite challenging.

Then there was the challenge of the trip as a whole: all the logistics of the parallel camera crews, the activities, and the coordinating. Sometimes we had 50, 60 people that we had to coordinate in the streets of Cairo.

After that, we had 250 hours of film footage that we wanted to get down to an hour and a half. That was another other set of challenges. Then, when we finished the film, who are we going to show it to? We were lucky enough to get into 500 theaters across the United States. That was exciting!

Now we have the challenge of filling those 500 theaters with 80,000 people. Each phase brings a new challenge.

LA YOGA: Were there any surprises or revelations not captured on camera?

Tarek: I think some of the details of the relationships between us weren’t completely captured on camera. But, I think the main essence was.

For example, when I visited Jason in Kentucky after the Egypt trip a few months later just to see how he was doing and how the trip affected him, there was a point in time where he just didn’t trust me all of a sudden. He didn’t want me filming in the church, and he didn’t really want to speak to me. Then, he was accusing me of things. I was really taken aback. It felt uncomfortable and we even had a bit of an argument.

I took him aside and asked, “What’s happening here?” I went out with him and Brian completely off camera, without crew or anybody, and got to the bottom of it. He opened up. I opened up. We connected. We built this new foundation of trust and became really close friends. It was a magical evening. At the end of the evening, we were walking in the streets of Louisville in the middle of the night, and this homeless person comes up to Jason. Jason’s kind with the guy and connects with him. I saw another side to Jason that I wasn’t able to see before that.

There are a few connections that weren’t completely captured, but I think the essence of what we all went through, and the magic that we all experienced was definitely captured in the end.

Free Trip to Egypt

Read LA YOGA‘s review of Free Trip to Egypt.

See Free Trip to Egypt in theaters.

Karen Henry

Karen Henry is an Associate Editor at LA YOGA who volunteers in a variety of capacities for nonprofit organizations and artists around Los Angeles. She practices yoga as a counterbalance to her daily impact sports and is a mother of four grown children who also practice yoga . Now, she’s working on teaching yoga and joy of life to the grandkids!

The post What it Takes to Plan a Free Trip to Egypt appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Free Trip to Egypt Showcases a Path to Tolerance through Travel

The premise is intriguing. Invite a random selection of Americans who support the Muslim ban to an all-expenses-paid trip to Egypt. We all have heard that personal interactions will lessen the fear of strangers, and the documentary Free Trip to Egypt sets out to test this concept.

Karen Henry

Karen Henry is an Associate Editor at LA YOGA who volunteers in a variety of capacities for nonprofit organizations and artists around Los Angeles. She practices yoga as a counterbalance to her daily impact sports and is a mother of four grown children who also practice yoga . Now, she’s working on teaching yoga and joy of life to the grandkids!

The post Lessons from a Free Trip to Egypt appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Meg Harper and Davalois Fearon in If the Dancer Dances (Monument Releasing)

Exploring Artistic Investigation in If the Dancer Dances

The heart of dance – just as is with all tumultuous and symphonic forms of artistic expression – is a pas de deux between love and conflict. No better reflection of such coupling exists than the documentary, If the Dancer Dances.

The film is directed by Maia Wechsler and curated by former Merce Cunningham dancer, Lise Friedman. As this duo captures the intimate and electric world of one choreographer’s aim to re-stage Merce Cunningham’s work on a company other than Cunningham’s own, we see the memories of Merce’s dancers. Through them, we see Merce himself. As his dancers etch Cunningham choreography onto new bodies, the transmission of idea begins, and exposed is the true nature of dance history. Neither lived in museum nor textbook. Dance exists – purely and most profoundly – when it is lived in and breathed by the bloodline of dance. Through this transmission, Cunningham’s work can and ever will live beyond the Merce’s own final bow.

Stephen Petronio, director and choreographer known for his movement with no punctuation, embarked upon the task of setting Merce Cunningham’s piece, RainForest, on his titular company. Cunningham, as Petronio remarks, was, “the bedrock of artistic investigation in the dance world.” After Merce passed and when Petronio’s own mentor, Trisha Brown, got sick, Petronio said, “the adult world as I know it cracked,” and he questioned how to keep their work alive. Petronio’s answer was, “to continue.”

Thus, Stephen paired former Cunningham dancers with his own Stephen Petronio Dance Company dancers to set Cunningham’s abstract and Andy Warhol-infused work, RainForest. Few tasks could have been taller for Petronio and his company members as Cunningham technique is a far pendulum swing from Petronio’s quintessential kinetic movement. Cunningham choreography is known for pure, un-stylized movement without intention and yet intentionally rebellious against dancing in tandem with music. This paired with Petronio-trained dancers sounds like madness. Or magic. As former Cunningham dancer, Gus Solomon’s Jr. states, “the very fast-ness and very slow-ness approach impossibility. And that is exciting.”

If the Dancer Dances, Everything is There

We see the technical prowess of Petronio’s dancers at odds with that of what Cunningham’s work requires. As Petronio company member and RainForest dancer, Nick Sciscione, states, “I’m afraid it’s going to be wrong. It’s gonna always be wrong.” Yet, if there is a wrong 99% of the time, a dancer will stay until the brutal end for the 1% yes. Through their tribulations with translating such work, we see Petronio’s dancers learn to initiate differently, to bend their abilities and move from different origins. We see them reach for the branch unknown and dance with the electricity of impossibility.

For the Stephen Petronio Company to premier Merce Cunningham’s work, RainForest, at the Joyce Theater in New York City was a gamble. And yet, whether reckless or responsible, as Merce himself had said, “if the dancer dances, everything is there.” The struggle, the attempt, the mess, the symphony, and the glory, it is all within the bloodline of bodies in love, in conflict, and forever in process. To spend one’s life perfecting a fleeting moment is the way, and, as Cunningham dancer, Meg Harper remarks, “the real beauty of the transmission takes place after we’ve left.”

Marja Lankinen

Marja Lankinen is a poet, prospective scholar, and former professional dancer (Beyonce, Oprah, The Billboard Awards). Recently, she graduated from Harvard University with an ALM degree in the field of English and is currently an independent researcher and freelance writer. Marja has been a staff writer at LA YOGA Magazine since 2017.

www.yogafordancers.com

The post The Artistic Transmission of Dance Comes Alive in If the Dancer Dances appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Have you ever dreamed of leaving the city and living off the land, growing your own crops and gathering your own eggs? John and Molly Chester had that fantasy when they lived in a Santa Monica apartment that boasted only a porch garden. Then they actually purchased a 200 acre orchard called Apricot Lane Farms. The acres are located in Moorpark, in Ventura County, a community of approximately 35,000 people one hour north of Santa Monica.

Karen Henry

Karen Henry is an Associate Editor at LA YOGA who volunteers in a variety of capacities for nonprofit organizations and artists around Los Angeles. She practices yoga as a counterbalance to her daily impact sports and is a mother of four grown children who also practice yoga . Now, she’s working on teaching yoga and joy of life to the grandkids!

The post The Biggest Little Farm Documents the Inspiring Growth of Apricot Lane Farms appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.