6 Months in New York City

I had been living the past 6 months in Brooklyn NY.  Coming straight from the Amazon Jungle, there was a bit of an acclimation period.  I had never spent more than a few days in a city before this -and to say shock is labeling the intricate process of putting a highly sensitized instrument into an extremely stimulating environment and expecting it to remain balanced and functioning.

Coming to New York I knew I had to release many past ways of being and relating.  I had to attune my perception and ways of being to be in harmony with the ways of the people and energies of the city.  I noticed where I tried to hold on to my disciplines, there was a lot of stress, because it just wasn’t harmonious with everything else around me.

I had to learn to take my practice to a different level.  It was very much like being in a monastery.  You dont choose the flow – the schedule is placed in front of you, you flow with it, and all that comes up is your gift, it allows you to look at, and let go – loving all that comes.  It gave the opportunity to become more engaged in the world in a real way.  To serve, to jump in and participate, and to just be normal.

Consciousness didn’t leave, but the form of all that I called myself transformed – becoming more harmonious with New York City – but in my perception less harmonious with the sacred science I had been studying.

I learned to let go of most rituals and practices and focus upon constant service.  The form wasnt even what “I” wanted to do – or how “I” saw could most help people – but it was the karma yoga that was in front of me – and so I joyfully fulfilled it.

In the beginning I had plenty of energy to do this, but slowly my energy became less and less until the point where I was exhausted most of the time, and using my days off to rest the entire day in bed.

I let go of all that I had learned about balanced health – which also lead to feeling lack of self confidence in sharing with others.  Over time my solid discipline of self-care & balance faded.  Less rest, less water, less time outside, less simple foods, less movement, less detox….

The only aspect of my life that seemed to be improving was my relationship with Ixta.  We continued to grow closer, become more harmonious, work through challenges more gracefully, communicate more effectively, and enjoy balanced lifestyle together – amidst the craziness of New York City.  We are now engaged.

This was the ultimate practice zone.  If you can do it in New York City you can do it anywhere.  Its like a pressure cooker.  You must develop focus, strong will, discipline to follow through, and everything is at your fingertips.  A strong and clear prayer, and later that day / immediately it is answered.  But the winds are strong.  Everyone has something that they are going towards.  You cant take 5 steps without being offered countless sensory invitations / messages.  You must develop inner resolve and strength, and live from there.

After 6 months training here Ixta and I chose to leave New York City.  Within a couple of days of expressing our intention, the door opened for us to move forward – rather than wait another month – so we took it.

So here we are in Lansdale PA.  A whirlwind of change.  The day we arrived here Arnold was beginning a 30 day raw food challenge group – green smoothie and any raw meal each day for 30 days – and saying YES to the universe we began a month eating raw.

Already with just a few days I have had the best night sleep for as long as I can remember.  SO much peace… WOW.  I remembered intellectually what this was like, but my entire being really had been so disconnected from this.  Dreams have returned.  Much more presence.  This morning as I awoke I noticed the subtle feeling of my body rebuilding.  Its been too long with an overloaded nervous system, and go go go mentality.  Even in the name of service – why cant we walk in balance?

So here we are.  With a new resolve to share the journey each step of the way – the only difference between us and the average American is the remembering of a different way.  So step by step we are coming back into our ideals of vibrant health – with the freedom to devote our time and energy towards living / sharing them.

I can only express gratitude to everyone at the Golden Drum, Maestro Manuel Rufino, Jungle Cafe and all experience of living in New York City.  Ixta and I were just arriving at some sort of stability there, and certainly were at a crossroads – choosing to remain there or move on.  With constant processing of daily happenings, and very little time to be together or give energy towards expressing ourselves – Ixta and I chose to move on and focus upon establishing a foundation of joy for our family – within the vision of living our ideals.

We continue to be grateful for the tremendous opportunities that have opened up as we transition.

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What does the future look like?

More focus on sharing the way of Cultural Detox.  Offering personal work, website building, culinary arts, Trance Dances, Detox at the Spa, Sound Baths, Partner Workshops / Meditations, Weekend Retreats.

This December Ixta and I are heading to Floridia for the Kundalini Yoga Winter Solstice, and afterwards envision returning to Lansdale and continuing to establish our foundation.  We also hold the vision of returning to Peru and offering Cultural Detox Retreats some time in the future.

For now we are establishing our rhythm of togetherness upon this new stage of co-creation.