The new place I’ve landed is a private downstairs “suite” in the home of a couple in Asheville. In addition to the quiet neighborhood and wooded lot, my stay here comes with an additional unexpected bonus. My new landlords and house-sharers are filmmakers and have nearly completed their project, American Yogi (click here to view the trailer!).
It was a real treat when, a few weeks ago, they invited me to a private screening in their home, conveniently, just upstairs. All I knew about their film was it had a spiritual focus and was about India – both which sounded good to me. So I joined them in their living room surrounded by a few of their friends and happily took in the film.
The film was a real treat! It was a light-hearted, fun and unfolding story of the spiritual journey of my upstairs neighbor, Steven Newmark, and highlights the presence, power and teachings of Indian Guru, Maharaj-ji.
So far on my spiritual journey, I feel like I’ve just dabbled my toe into the spiritual teachings of India. Just recently I watched the documentary telling the story of Krishna Das called One Track Heart. Some of you may know Krishna Das is an internationally known kirtan artist (a beautiful and inspirational style of call and response chanting).
A big part of the Krishna Das story was his relationship to his Guru, Maharaj-ji. Honestly, I still feel a little new to the whole “Indian Guru” thing, but I was earnestly touched by Krishna Das’ relationship with him, his complete unbridled experience of unconditional love, and his magnificent healing experience in the face of many deep troubles and sorrows.
So, when watching American Yogi and being “reintroduced” to Maharaj-ji, in some ways it felt a bit like seeing an old friend. In its simplest form, this film was a reminder to me that I don’t have to take all the hassles and worries of this life so seriously or hold on so tightly.
This spiritual tale is filled with mystical experiences, unexpected diversions, and enlightening stories all folded within the uncommon journey of a pretty regular guy. It is intertwined within the stories of Ram Dass, author of Be Here Now, and features the music of Krishna Das and Jai Uttal. And there’s even a little love story!
“A deeply inspired film! About what the Western mind calls fiction–and the East calls reality.” — Shankar Mohan, Director of the International Film Festival of India
Are you curious? Well, American Yogi will soon be accessible out in the world. But first they need to handle a few final housekeeping requirements to prepare the film for professional release. Would you like to be a part of it?
American Yogi has just launched an Indigogo Campaign to raise funds for these final steps. Here are a few ways you can participate:
Get a copy of American Yogi for Yourself! Visit is.gd/americanyogithemovie to view the trailer and learn how to get a downloaded copy of the film for yourself!
Please include the link: is.gd/americanyogithemovie and if you like you can also use this groovy graphic (right click, save image as)
Share American Yogi with your community, friends and connections. Anyway you like! Email, Facebook, Twitter…we’d love your help in spreading the word of American Yogi!
Through my travels I’ve learned first hand – it’s amazing what can be accomplished when we take the leap to support each other in our creative endeavors. Thanks for reading and your support of American Yogi!
This journey of mine has been about many things. It’s been about new experiences and explorations, travel and adventure, and it’s also been about health and well-being. For over ten years now I have been peeling back the layers of health and well-being and working on getting to the root of what helps me feel better. While traveling it’s been particularly important to feel my best in the midst of new challenges and foreign territory. So I’ve learned to pay close attention.
I’ve learned that what I put in my body really makes a big difference in how I feel. I’ve learned to take a closer look, read the labels, question what is in my food – and pay attention to the impact what I eat has on my mood and body. Enter Citric Acid.
Citric acid doesn’t sound too bad and may not get our attention if we see it in a food item’s ingredient list. I had always assumed it was “harmless” and of an “innocent nature” but one day I decided to take a closer look. Surely it comes from lemons or something like that?… While citric acid is naturally found in citrus fruits, most modern-day citric acid comes from a chemical process involving… MOLD.
According to the website ethicalfoods.com and many other sites as well, “American food chemist, James Currie, discovered a process for making citric acid from mold in 1917. Pfizer started to produce citric acid from molds in 1919.” The mold used is Aspergillus niger, a common black mold. This far less expensive process is commonplace and typically what you will find when you read “citric acid” in your favorite food ingredients.
The website newhope.com tells us “more than 1.6 million tons of citric acid are produced annually in the United States, with roughly two-thirds used in foods and beverages and the rest used in detergents, pharmaceuticals and supplements.”
Mold?… is that something you want in your body? This new information made sense to me. All too often I would eat something with healthy ingredients except for citric acid and found after eating it that I just didn’t feel right.
I have to admit I have given up citric acid begrudgingly at times – looking through the ingredient list in a favorite healthy treat finding quality ingredients only to be bombarded at the end with the final ingredient… citric acid. It’s used as a preservative so it’s common place in even healthy prepared selections.
Why avoid citric acid? If you struggle with any health issues – pain, discomfort, disease or mood and anxiety concerns – what you eat is always a good place to start to feel better. I have learned that paying attention to how I feel after I eat something is a big indicator for what works for me and what does not. So aside from the fact that it just doesn’t seem like a good idea to eat something derived from black mold, pay attention to how you feel next time after you eat something with citric acid.
With so many food products containing mold derived citric acid, how do you avoid it? Well the simplest thing is to prepare your own healthy foods and snacks. But I get it, sometimes we just want to grab something and go! When that’s the case your best option is to check out healthy local brands with a shorter shelf life, fresher ingredients and more likely to be prepared without preservatives.
The next time you are shopping for your favorite food items, take a look at the ingredients and when you see “citric acid” don’t think – “ah, lemons” think…”mold.”
Wow, it’s been quite a week here in Chiang Mai. Earlier this week we had an unexpected “Chiang Mai version” of winter. The temperature dropped down to about 50 F. This was quite a shock to the system after months of temperatures in the 80s and 90s. I heard it was even recording-breaking cold! We had a few days of good “bundling-up”, some cold (and one wet) morning rides to work, and one day you could even see your breath (the kids at school of course loved this!). I even broke out a short down winter coat and my wool long underwear from Germany! “What’s all the fuss? That’s not that cold!” you might think? It seems at least part of it is the tropical humid weather makes the cold even colder, an icy cold that shoots straight through you. Also, buildings here have no insulation and no heat. Plus, your body is used to (at least somewhat on my part) hot weather! For a few days, there were many empty seats in classrooms and students bundled in fleece blankets and fuzzy animal hats. As much as I complain about the heat, I am glad to have things back to “normal” today with pleasant blue skies and a comfortable 81 degrees.
Things are a bit crazy at work lately. In part because we are preparing for the annual NP Fair, put on by the Native English Program at my school. For the teachers this has us creating booths for the fair as well as preparing students for song and dance performance extravaganza. As the end of the years is winding in, it is inevitable that teachers are a bit exhausted (I personally am…) and students are… well, let’s just say… less interested in paying attention and listening. But like it or not, here it all comes and the crazy dance continues of life and teaching in Chiang Mai.
This weekend I treated myself to a Thai Cooking Class. It was something I was hesitant to do with all of my food sensitivities. More and more it is challenging for me to eat here… but I thought perhaps if I cooked the food I could at least control what goes into it and learn a bit more about Thai food and culture.
I chose the Thai Farm Cooking School in part because they use organic ingredients they grow at their farm and also because of their popularity and high rating. Plus you they pick you up, take you to their farm out of the city – always nice to have a little break from Chiang Mai and some new scenery for the day. You cook I think… six different dishes… and get a selection to choose from.
Overall, it was a great day! The other folks in the class were all really personable and it was fun to spend some time and talk with an assortment of people with their own travel experiences and stories to tell. And I learned a lot about Thai Food! I was able to make most of the foods with some adjustments. With these adjustments (mostly no adding anything that included sugar), some dishes tasted okay… and some in earnest were completely flat. This class helped me to get clear that most Thai dishes simply rely on the MANY sugary sauces for their good taste. A bit of a bummer for me, but also an eye-opener to the extent of the high sugar content of the food here.
One of the highlights of the day was making our own curry paste. We each had our own impressive mortar bowl and pestle. We added the curry ingredients and pounded away for a considerable amount of time until our paste looked like “peanut butter” as we were told. This was the basis for the curry we made later, a dish that still tasted pretty good even though I left out all of the sugary sauces used to complete the dish.
Overall they did a great job of being patient with me and adapting to my food needs and requests. I would recommend them for someone with food sensitivities as they seem pretty adept to it. However, the inevitable truth is that many of the dishes just don’t taste that great when you have to leave out some of the main ingredients…
That said, I now know what many of the “foreign” veggies are that I see in the supermarket and also know what they are used for – which is great!! And I feel more informed about some basic Thai food and dishes.
Today at the JJs Organic Market, one of the regular weekly markets here in Chiang Mai, I ran into an American woman who has lived in Chiang Mai for ten years and also happens to be an organic growing expert. One of my concerns here in Chiang Mai is that you don’t REALLY know what is organic and what isn’t – even at an “organic” market. It was such a relief to chat with her a bit about finding organic food in Chiang Mai. One of the challenges here, as she pointed out, is that it’s hard to really get the truth about things. Someone may say something has no pesticides but you can’t count on the fact that they are telling the truth… which makes it difficult to eat healthy. She pointed me towards some growers at the market she worked with personally who she could confirm are organic growers. She also gave me some simple tips like if the veggies look kind of “bad” that is a good sign that they are grown organically. Bug bites, for example, she suggests are a good sign when looking for organic food.
She also warned that many street markets use harsh pesticides including formaldehyde! I do my best to stay away from traditionally grown veggies here as I know harsh pesticides are used… but had no idea about the formaldehyde! And so the adventure of healthy eating on the international landscape continues!
I have just a little sunny day weekend left and look forward to a Thai Massage later today as the weekend sneaks away and a new workweek soon begins.
I can feel it. It’s a whole new year. It may be 2016 to many of us, but here in Thailand the year is 2559 (that’s in Buddha years). It’s hard to believe that it’s January as I sit comfortably warm in my apartment with the golden sun and shiny blue sky making its regular appearance. Yes, it’s the best time of year to be in Chiang Mai. The cool mornings do a world of good to cool off bodies and buildings before the still steady heat of the afternoon makes its arrival. This time of year is called “cold season.” I am surprised at the temperature range that happens now from day to day… lately morning lows are about 13 degrees C (mid-50s F) and afternoon highs nearing 30C/86F. Because this is a tropical climate, the humidity shoots the damp cold right through you. I understand now why the markets have been selling gloves, scarves and winter coats… it’s for those chilly morning scooter rides. You won’t get frostbite here but in the mornings it does feel… cold…ish… in it’s own kind of way.
It feels like it’s been a busy time for me lately. The holiday break passed by quickly. It was a good time of personal exploration as well as some healthy R&R and sightseeing around Chiang Mai.
School has started back up again in full swing filled with the final quarter lessons and the standard assortment of extra activities. Upon returning to school reality hit me like a brick wall, now fully realizing that this school year is slipping away in just a few short months (along with my Thai Visa…). As I plan to depart at the end of the school year, I am now more diligently focused on tending to what might be next.
I have also been focused intently on handling quite a variety of health-related issues. I have felt a “push” lately to pay deeper attention to some new and long-term health issues and kick it up a notch. I am learning more day to day about tending to the details important for me in truly sowing a life of good health. It isn’t always easy doing this in a foreign country – with different practices, customs and expectations. It can take some extra effort and patience but I am finding that with a little creativity and some persistence, I can care for my health using natural methods at a high standard.
Recently I made a move away from grains and have been eating grain-free. The good news of this exploration is it has invited more vegetables into my life. Veggies for breakfast, veggies for lunch, veggies for dinner. The truth is, without gluten, sugar and grains… veggies are just about the best thing going. I have enjoyed integrating more vegetables as both a source of protein and carbohydrates. It’s an adjustment but it’s been fun expanding my veggie regiment and trying some new things… new recipes, trips to the Sunday Organic Market at JJs…
Of course I love food, so it is truly one of my favorite past-times having healthy, simple food that works for me. I am often collecting new healthy recipes on pinterest. If this strikes your fancy, you can check it out here. Just today I tried a new simple combination inspired by the BLT… it’s a lettuce wrap with organic tempeh (from the local farmers market,wrapped in banana leaves), tomato, avacado, and quinoa. I fried up the tempeh in a little organic coconut oil, assembled the goodies and topped it off with a simple sauce I made from yogurt, a dab of organic salsa and a squirt of lime. Not a bad easy treat for a lazy Saturday afternoon lunch.
How about your New Year? How is life unfolding? Any great discoveries or healthy adventures to share? It’s always great to hear from you!
Salaries for a Consultant - Computer Programming at IBM in Mounds View, MN vary between $61,050 and $73,650 with an average of $66,840. The top 25% make a salary of at least $67,813. The median salary is $65,666. Attached is a detailed distribution of the salaries.
The average salary for a Consultant - Computer Programming at IBM in Mounds View, MN increased by an average of 3% year over year between 2012 and 2015.