Here’s the thing. As most of us get older we start to get desperate for something that will stave off what, at this point, is still imminent. Namely, our demise. But friends, I’m here to tell you, I have found the SECRET!!!! Yes, that’s right! I and I alone have the true secret to eternal youth. What I have found is nothing less than a map to Ponce de Leon’s legendary Fountain of Youth. Actually, there is no real secret to youth. I mean, not really. Most of us know this stuff more or less already. Don’t we? But, marketers and merchandisers would prefer you not know.
What I have found useful and have practiced in my own life to achieve youth and vibrant living I’m happy to share with you. Perhaps you haven’t been exposed to the ideas I’ll discuss enough to actually start using them. My hope is that, maybe, this just might be the encouragement that pushes you into a new and healthier practice of living.
It comes in five parts or practices. I call them practices instead of rules or laws because both of the later words suck in my opinion. Law or rule according to whom??? But hey, I have authority issues so don’t mind me. Use whatever word turns you on. Sincerely though, I like the word ‘practice’ because, at the end of the day, we’re not likely to get it all right all of the time. So, we are practicing right? This practice, as it turns out, makes up the bulk of what we call life. Even sports star and musicians – even the highest paid among them – have to practice. “Use it or lose it,” as they say.
Firstly, it’s important to know that the waters of this fountain of youth run green not blue. See the picture? I could cleverly steer you on to some formula or super green concentrate which I most certainly use myself when the other is not a practical option, but the truth is NOTHING will do you as good as the real thing. I mean real, fresh, ideally organic, fruits and vegetables. If I’m going to promote a product of any kind here it is going to be a kick ass juicer like ones of these I’ve listed, because used religiously will bring you the kind of health benefits thousands of hospital ridden folks only wish they had.
The thing is, supplement companies have a vested interest in you giving them money. Go figure, right? They count on you being typical humans wanting everything quick and easy. But if you want the Fountain of Youth, just like Ponce de Leon, you have got to work for it. By work, I mean follow these five practices. Number one on the list happens to be: buy fresh fruits and vegetable and juice them in a juicer that extracts as many nutrients as possible from whatever you throw down it’s gullet. Get it?
Fountain of Youth: Practice 1 - Juice it all baby!
Mean Green juice recipes courtesy of Joe Cross from the Documentary, which I highly recommend watching, “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead” Here’s the trailer.
Mean Green 1
6 Kale Leaves
1 Cucumber
4 Celery Stalks
2 Green Apples
1/2 Lemon
1 piece of ginger
Mean Green 2
handful spinach
3 stalks of kale
2 golden delicious apples
small handful parsley
1 lemon
1 cucumber
Mean Green 3
2 stalks celery
1/2 cucumber
1/2 apple
1/2 lemon
small piece ginger
1/2 green chard leaf
bunch cilantro
5 kale leaves
handful spinach
Mean Green 4
1/2 pear
1/2 green apple
handful spinach
handful parsley
2 celery stalks
1/2 cucumber
small piece ginger
slice of papaya
NOTES FOR MAKING JUICE
- peel or slice off lemon rind leaving some of the white pith
- to juice small leaves such as parsley and cilantro, roll them up into a ball to compact the leaves
- wash all vegetables and fruits before making juice
- buy organic if possible
If you are in bad shape try replacing just one meal a day with this glorious green brew for starters and cut out the junk food. That doesn’t mean just fast food either. That means grocery store processed food of any kind. Stick with organic meats and a good portion of veggies for your main meals. Good long grain rices are good too but shy away from breads for awhile to see how you feel.
If you’re really ready to rock your body, try a ten day fast on juice alone. Totally doable. Others and I have done it on less and lived to tell the tale. Of course, I have to give the disclaimer. I am not a doctor and if you aren’t either and you have serious health issues of ANY kind, you should get yourself checked out before you go messing around with your body’s systems.
If the super green juices mentioned above scare you a bit right outta the gate try this nifty little piece of software (hit the click here below) that will help you with super delish juice recipes at the click of a button.
Fountain of Youth: Practice 2…
In the words of songstress Macy Grey you gotta
“Get up, get out and do something”.
“
I’m not a big set-aside-gym-time kinda guy. It’s not my thing, but if it’s yours then you don’t need my help in that department. I personally find, though, that it’s better to find a hobby that is physical in nature that you truly enjoy. For me it’s hiking, kayaking, swimming, yoga, and other miscellaneous outdoor activities. For you it may be running, skiing, marathon love-making sessions, pig tossing or some such thing. Hey, “different strokes” as they say. Right? Ok, so I made up that last one. I really don’t recommend tossing little piggies. Seriously, though, I endeavor to practice my personal outdoor activities as much as possible mostly because I just enjoy them and I try to make one or many of them rituals that my body can rely on for activity and exercise. It is a natural process of internally motivated interest. This is what you want to cultivate with your own being. NOT focusing on things you think you SHOULD do, but really doing that which is TRUE for you in the deepest sense. Of course, you will discover these things faster if you have clarity of mind and this I think is where the juicing can help, along with meditation and other mind/body activities. Be aware that the “should” pattern usually ends in unhappiness and discontentment. So you SHOULD avoid it! A little joke there.
Fountain of Youth: Practice 3
Your mind is a terrible thing!
I mean when it’s out of control, of course. A person’s mental state is as important as diet and exercise to their longevity. But you know this, don’t you? I mean, just look at how fast being president can gray and wither you up. Stress is a killer and some jobs are filled with it. If you have one of these kinds of jobs, you’ll have to determine whether you have the capacity within you to either change your stress perceptions regarding your work or whether you need to change careers.
It’s tough but not impossible. In the meantime, you can practice the ancient but effective art of meditation. I’ll go deeper into the various practices of meditations in another article but know that this practice is quite literally a life saver for millions of people since the practice began. Of course, I can only account for the handful of people that I know personally whose lives have been positively transformed by the practice, including my own! But I’m sure you know of some too, don’t you? If not, you will soon enough.
Fountain of Youth: Practice 4
Love and forgive!
You can start with yourself on this one. Our ideas of God have saddled us with an enormous amount of guilt and shame for centuries and this often leads us to thoughts of being unlovable and unworthy. Furthering the problem, we think we have done so many “bad” things in our lives, some of us even think we are unforgivable. Listen to me closely now. Everything is forgivable! Wow! I feel your resistance to it already. But guess what? The only persons who suffers by you not forgiving is you! So, forgiveness is not about the other. It is about you! This is especially true if you are the one that needs to forgive yourself.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Forgiving someone is not the same as letting them f@#k you again and again like some fool. It is simply a realization of a particular story you have in your head that is at best, grossly lacking in perspective anyway, and letting that story go or redefining it to make it a win somehow for yourself. I’m not trying to minimize here either. Some things are hard to forgive. I get it! But this act is not about someone else. It is for your benefit and this is why it is a must for anyone on a path of growth and healing.
As for love, well this is a whole topic unto itself obviously. I mean, look at how many books are written on the subject. One I was introduced to as a young child was by Dr Leo Buscaglia. He seemed not only to write and speak of it well, he actually seemed to live it bigger than most of us are comfortable with.
This guy seemed to be full of the kind of love that everyone wanted a piece of. Why? Because it required nothing in return. It wasn’t love to get. It was an outpouring of inner abundance. And this, my friends, is the love of which I write to you now. You have to tap into your own source of this love and once you do, you will find the pouring of it back into the world as natural as drinking water. But, this goes back to the deeper practices of meditation that I will speak of later. In the meantime here is more on my take on love.
Fountain of Youth: Practice 5
Creative Expression
I would be remiss as an artist if I didn’t include this one. I mean, come on! Look at Steven Tyler or Mick Jagger. Sure, they aren’t the prettiest examples I agree, but they have an undeniable youthful vitality that comes from having that creative spirit many artists have. Creative expression is not some special thing reserved for the few. It is another practice that, if given consistent attention, you too will reap major benefits from.
Part of this process is about finding ways to express yourself fully and there are many ways in which this can take place. Some use sexuality. Some use music as a catharsis. Some dance, fight, paint, sing, scream, act, and write, and so on. Any one of these and more are possible for you as well. Doing things that are uncomfortable, new to you, or outside your convert zone develops you as a whole person. It keeps your mind, body, and spirit fresh, alert, and alive. This is what Tantra is all about-developing the whole being, and the effect physically is simply natures response to change and it’s billions of years in the making. (Explore What is Tantra? for more)
So there you go. The road map to the Fountain of Youth. Go forth, drink green, play and have fun, create, experience, and be sexy. Remember, this is a community so please comment and share your own experiences regarding your personal Fountain of Youth.
~Namaste
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