Exploring Human Potential

My beautiful daughter Ostara Rose was born on 21st April 2015, when a baby comes into the world strange things happen to you words can not describe, however one thing that can be expressed is the curiosity one has about the infinite potential and possibility that lies before this new life; that old song runs through my mind ‘when I was just a little girl I asked my mother what would I be?’ you know the song and go on have a sing to yourself 🙂

What will she be? what will my baby boy and daughter grow up to be? and maybe my parents asked the same questions? The answers as we all know will only be answered via the magical unfolding of time and through the course of my life I have been curious as to the unfolding of my own life.

I have never been shy to delve deep into the inner workings of life, I have explored most philosophical frameworks from east to west, I have dived into the sciences and even peaked into religious doctrination, each time I surfaced with a new nugget of information, another piece of my puzzle and each time I would return and know that collectively we have a lot of room for growth collectively because most people were and are not practicing living, they were specialising in various professions, but were missing the user manual for their own being!

It is a curious thing that we generally believe that we are evolving as a species, that we have progressed from the form of being of our ancestors, however we face many challenges that are the making of man and it turns out that evolution has three states! Progressive, stagnant and regressive and all three states can be present in the same species at the same moment of time.

This simply means we are progressing in some areas, regressing in others and staying the same in other areas of life, when I consider human potential I am interested in progression and within that progression I am interested in progressing our evolution in terms of connecting with ourselves, each other and nature, in becoming masters of our minds, bodies and souls, in self healing and collective healing through practices that require a deep conscious awareness of ones existence and existent nature as a whole. For me at least popping a pill is not progressive, but regressive it bypasses our innate ability to heal ourselves and misses the lessons and teachings we need to learn through the state of disease we may find ourselves in, pain is necessary for growth it is a form of internal communication and if you ignore its message you will only increase your suffering because it will come back.

I also feel we need to progress in our understanding of emotional well being and overall mental, physical, spiritual and physiological well being, through creating a plethora of stresses for the body and mind to endure we have regressed in almost all those areas of being and they fundamentally underline the quality and quantity of life that a person will live in this life time.

To explore human potential is to wipe your slate clean of what you think you know and begin to collect the information from within yourself, the answers truly are there, at first you do not trust yourself and that old friend doubt and his buddy fear will accompany you, but as you grow your understanding of you, you will find new friends such as love and compassion, it is only through love, compassion and passion that we can truly dive into the uncluttered depths of our potential, before we get to that state of being we are simply surviving or struggling, suffering our suffering.

It is simple to love; the moment I looked at Ostara and when I gaze upon Ulysses or swim in the sea, when I walk with Adele or climb a tree I find love, but its not easy to cultivate that love into an energy that unleashes your creative power on the world and the life you are currently living.

I struggle with this myself and have found myself experiencing one moment unreliable power and creativity and lightness of mind and body, but then next I come crashing down into the cauldrons of depression and negativity, however I have now cultivated tools that mean I bounce back quicker that I accept both as a necessary experience of my life and continue to truly recognise my passion, love and creative output in this life, with each obstacle and each blessing I know I am getting closer, but I do not want to wait to share what I practice for after I cross my metaphorical finish line I want to share it now whilst I am in the midst of my own obstacles and my own faith being tested, why?

Finally my weakness I must finally show is the simple answer. When you teach yoga and have been in the health and fitness industry for over a decade sometimes the pre-conception can be that you have it all figured out! Well the truth is you don’t and in reality you end up over complicating things and can be further away from health and well-being than the very people you are helping, however this is part of the journey, yes a hard and at times scary part of the journey, but integral none the less because as you remove the layers of the ego you get closer to love, true no holds bar love, a completely un-conditional love that gives you the strength to go further than you ever thought you could.

Is this easy? In my experience NO, there is a flow that is for sure and when you are aligned with your flow you will naturally discover your potential and purpose with what appears to be relative ease, I have had these moments, however life can sometimes knock you off your path, spin you around and hang you upside down, which can leave you feeling completely lost, it is at this point when you need to re-discover yourself and re-build who you are, then that word ‘easy’ does not feature, but love, unbelievable moments of joy and beauty await those who wade through the mirky waters.

Bon Voyage

Big Love to you all.

Matt

Turmeric, Lemon & Ginger Elexir

over the years I have attempted many concoctions aimed at restoring, healing and improving vitality, this current effort is far and away one of my most successful attempts yet and the beauty of it is? It is in most people’s budget, you could leave out the Camu Camu Berry and it would be in everyone’s budget, you can use any blender really as you sieve the ingredients at each step, coconut oil can be replaced with olive oil or if you fancy upgrading add oil of oregano, either way it’s awesome.

To increase its awesomeness value rating I want to share this, I am currently going through one of my yearly episodes of gout (ouch does not really cover it), now I do not mean to get into the debate of healing gout alternatively and am in no way suggesting that this elixir on its own has healed me this time round, but it has had a dramatic effect on the rate of healing, reduction in inflammation, swelling and overall state of wellbeing. In that regards this concoction is awesome.

Equipment:

• Pan to heat tea
• High speed blender
• Sieve 
• Bowl/jug

Ingredients:

• 1/2 – Organic un-waxed Lemon (appreciate this is more expensive, however you will be using the skin in this Elexir.
• 1 tbsp of Camu Camu Berry Powder – a high vitamin C sour tasting fruit from Peru, again highly priced, however one bag will last a long period of time and I can attest to its potency as a medicinal aid.
• Inch or two of Ginger Root
• Inch or two of fresh Turmeric Root (you could use powder, but the root is cheap and more powerful).
• 1 tbsp of honey (in an ideal world you would go for the highest quality, however even myself settled for a cheaper variety).
• Handful of Grapes (does not matter which variety you use)
• 1/4 tsp of coconut oil
• 1 tbsp of Flax Seed

Method:

In your high speed blender add about one cups worth of filtered or any water you have available, next add the turmeric and ginger; blend these two together, place your pan on the stove and put the sieve on top and once you have finished blending pour the turmeric and ginger through the sieve and into the pan add your coconut oil at this point, put on a low heat and heat till boiling (be careful as they will froth up and explode over the side of your pan, don’t ask how I know this 😀). 

Whilst the turmeric and ginger are heating clean your sieve and place over your jug or bowl. Fill up your blender again with roughly a cup of water then add the lemon (skin and all), grapes and flax seed; blend till smooth. Pour liquid through your sieve into your bowl/jug, discard the waste in the sieve and clean your blender.

Your Turmeric and ginger should be nicely heated at this point, pour into your blender and add the lemon mixture. Now add the Camu Camu berry and honey, blend all the ingredients together and viola you have yourself a little power house of healing awesomeness.

To you all in great health

Matt

The Yoga Health Coach

Raw Easter Egg Success

I had to post this as I was a very happy camper on easter sunday and so was my little family when we dived into our raw easter eggs and they tasted rawsome. Heres the recipe: 50g – Cacao Butter 50g- Cacao Liquor 2 tbsp – Coconut Oil 2 tbsp – Maple Syrup 1 tsp – Vanilla Extract 1 pinch – sea salt the alchemy: melt the cacao butter, liquor and coconut oil in a Bain Marie. When they have nearly melted add the other ingredients and then stir until an even smooth texture has been achieved. Pour the liquid into the egg moulds at this point you can add gogi berries, hemp seeds, buckwheaties or any other sprinkle to add flavour and texture to your eggs. Pop them in the fridge and a couple of hours later viola. one tip when the mixture is still liquid taste to see if you need to add any other flavouring such as more salt or sweetener, or you may want to add a spice. Its at that point you can make the flavour your own. Enjoy Matt The Yoga Health Coach.

Infinity Movement Arts

After many years exploring yoga, martial art movements and Qi Gong I have decided to integrate the practices, take them outside into nature’s back garden and be curious about the potential for healing, growth and movement that they offer!

I was amazed at how I felt as I stood before the sea and begun my practice, the energy was intense and the emotion was raw, to take these practices outside has filled me with vitality and a deeper connection with myself and nature and now I hope to share this journey with you all.

Hope you enjoy and if you want to learn more about the practice get in-touch.

Matt

The Yoga Health Coach