Alan shares his deep and profound insight of life and consciousness with regard to awareness. This explanation of consciousness of seems quite bizarre and could be difficult to understand. Watts details this perception of ‘doing’ in a way which most are able to understand if only in theory. Stating for us; the act of being ‘alert’ is only an awareness of that which we are doing. It does not so much have anything to do with the actual act of us ‘doing’ it. In fact, he outlines ways which it could actually hinder our performance. So, an ‘alert’ state creates stress and tension hindering performance; an ‘aware’ state is relaxed and improves performance. After all we aren’t meant to ‘do’ anything, simply meant to ‘be’; We’re Human ‘Be’ings.

Fred McFeely Rogers ( March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003 ) was an American educator most widely known for creating and hosting Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood (1968–2001). Rogers created the television show as a result of his displeasure with the way television addressed children at the time. In 1968 he began a broadcasting career which would last three decades and become an icon of American entertainment and education, a symbol for compassion and morality.

The greatest gift you ever give is your honest self.

I don’t think anyone can grow unless he’s loved exactly as he is now, appreciated for what he is rather than what he will be.

Did you know? Mister Rogers seems to have been almost exactly the same off-screen as he was onscreen. As an ordained Presbyterian minister, and a man of tremendous faith, Mister Rogers preached tolerance first. Whenever he was asked to castigate non-Christians or gays for their differing beliefs, he would instead face them and say, with sincerity, “God loves you just the way you are.” Often this provoked ire from fundamentalists. Read the full text here

There are three ways to ultimate success: The first way is to be kind. The second way is to be kind. The third way is to be kind.

Did you Know? Most people have heard of Koko, the Stanford-educated gorilla who could speak about 1000 words in American Sign Language, and understand about 2000 in English. What most people don’t know, however, is that Koko was an avid Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood fan. As Esquire reported, when Fred Rogers took a trip out to meet Koko for his show, not only did she immediately wrap her arms around him and embrace him, she did what she’d always seen him do onscreen: she proceeded to take his shoes off! Read the full text here

Knowing that we can be loved exactly as we are gives us all the best opportunity for growing into the healthiest of people.

Did you know? According to a TV Guide profile, Fred Rogers drove a plain old Impala for years. One day, however, the car was stolen from the street near the TV station. When Rogers filed a police report, the story was picked up by every newspaper, radio and media outlet around town. Amazingly, within 48 hours the car was left in the exact spot where it was taken from, with an apology on the dashboard. It read, “If we’d known it was yours, we never would have taken it.” Full text here

The world needs a sense of worth, and it will achieve it only by its people feeling that they are worthwhile.

 

I’m proud of you for the times you came in second, or third, or fourth, but what you did was the best you have ever done.

 

Peace means far more than the opposite of war.

 

The connections we make in the course of a life – maybe that’s what heaven is.

Did you Know? Mister Rogers was known as one of the toughest interviews because he’d often befriend reporters, asking them tons of questions, taking pictures of them, compiling an album for them at the end of their time together, and calling them after to check in on them and hear about their families. He wasn’t concerned with himself, and genuinely loved hearing the life stories of others. Amazingly, it wasn’t just with reporters. Once, on a fancy trip up to a PBS exec’s house, he heard the limo driver was going to wait outside for 2 hours, so he insisted the driver come in and join them (which flustered the host). On the way back, Rogers sat up front, and when he learned that they were passing the driver’s home on the way, he asked if they could stop in to meet his family. According to the driver, it was one of the best nights of his life—the house supposedly lit up when Rogers arrived, and he played jazz piano and bantered with them late into the night. Further, like with the reporters, Rogers sent him notes and kept in touch with the driver for the rest of his life. Full text here

Discovering the truth about ourselves is a lifetime’s work, but it’s worth the effort.

Did you Know? In covering Rogers’ daily routine (waking up at 5; praying for a few hours for all of his friends and family; studying; writing, making calls and reaching out to every fan who took the time to write him; going for a morning swim; getting on a scale; then really starting his day), writer Tom Junod explained that Mr. Rogers weighed in at exactly 143 pounds every day for the last 30 years of his life. He didn’t smoke, didn’t drink, didn’t eat the flesh of any animals, and was extremely disciplined in his daily routine. And while I’m not sure if any of that was because he’d mostly grown up a chubby, single child, Junod points out that Rogers found beauty in the number 143. According to the piece, Rogers came “to see that number as a gift… because, as he says, “the number 143 means ‘I love you.’ It takes one letter to say ‘I’ and four letters to say ‘love’ and three letters to say ‘you.’ One hundred and forty-three.” Full text here

Love and trust, in the space between what’s said and what’s heard in our life, can make all the difference in the world.

 

You rarely have time for everything you want in this life, so you need to make choices. And hopefully your choices can come from a deep sense of who you are.

 

Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.

Mr. Rogers defends PBS infront of U.S. Senate

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1sDHdBO9No

‘The Garden of your mind’ Mr. Rogers Neighborhood Remix

More information on Fred Rogers:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Rogers
• http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/5943

Sri Swami Satchidananda – There’s No Negativity; just knowing or not knowing when to learn

Alan Watts discusses the teachings and philosophy of buddhism. Many of these teachings have todo with attachment to reality and suffering. He illustrates an understanding which outlines how our “grip” on our experience is squeezing the life out of it. Our attachment and belief in this life as permanent is setting us up for a big disappointment and a lot of suffering along the way.

Whilst living close to Chithurst Buddhist Monastery in Sussex, Dr. Thomas Daffern was asked to explain what Tantra is and gave this impromptu exposition of his understanding of the subject based on many years studying and practising esoteric philosophy. It should be of interest to all those who are interested in spirituality, philosophy, Buddhism, Tantra, Paganism, Druidry and the search for universal wisdom. For further information about Dr. Daffern’s work, see www.educationaid.net

If you can’t tell the difference between string theory and a  black hole in your sky, it would be beneficial to get up to speed quickly.

This short video staring Michio Kaku is an amazing overview of where we are in thinking with theoretical physics. Exploring various landmarks of theoretical physics, Michio covers years of progressive discoveries to give an accurate view of where we are today and illuminates possible areas of exploration for the future.

Excerpt from YouTube:
Michio Kaku, Henry Semat Professor of Theoretical Physics at CUNY
What if we could find one single equation that explains every force in the universe? Dr. Michio Kaku explores how physicists may shrink the science of the Big Bang into an equation as small as Einstein’s “e=mc^2.” Thanks to advances in string theory, physics may allow us to escape the heat death of the universe, explore the multiverse, and unlock the secrets of existence. While firing up our imaginations about the future, Kaku also presents a succinct history of physics and makes a compelling case for why physics is the key to pretty much everything.

“I can’t stop thinking”. These seem to be the words most commonly ascribed to the experience of beginners of a seated meditation practice. The first attempts can prove to be a superbly frustrating experience for many. For those beginning a practice, this frustration is often a reason to quit altogether.

What you won’t realize as a beginner to meditation is that the frustration one experiences in the first few attempts is a reason for meditation in itself. Like so many other things in life, your challenge becomes your purpose. However, these words are – at this point – a mere re-assurance. The practice is what will make perfection. So, practice is what one must do.

Things to observe in meditation

In the silence and solitude of meditation, thoughts become amplified. A seated meditation practice is purposed to help the practitioner slowly withdraw from outside distraction. Distractions are the experience of outside stimulation. Light, noise, touch, temperature and extrasensory energy are forces we use in a waking consciousness to construct our reality. Through practice we acknowledge and withdraw from these senses until all that is left is our awareness. With no distraction our thoughts become the only items in which to centre our awareness.

A flood of thoughts

In this state of consciousness – this place of inward perception – our thoughts can be overwhelming. With no outward distraction thoughts seem to come flooding through. An endless river of ideas and thoughts and concerns will pass over without any way of slowing them. For some, this will be the first time ever considering your inner thoughts.

The frustration felt with this experience may be due to a desire to become - emotionally - attached to each idea. As each thought is experienced as incomplete – i.e. a partial idea, partial memory or concern – there is an urge to attach oneself to the idea in order to explore and solve it. With so many thoughts, this will be like throwing an open bag of m&m’s into the air and sorting them by colour before they hit the ground.

Where do all these thoughts come from?

Perseverance pays off and the dedicated practitioner will come to a realization about their inner psyche which may not have occurred before. The flood of thoughts which first proved so frustrating and distracting are not a product of meditation. These ideas have always been. In normal waking life the stream of thought which flows through our consciousness is rarely considered. They are in fact the terrain and atmosphere of ones inner world. They are constant and constantly flowing – just as observed in meditation – at every moment.

With the speed of modern life, distractions of every form keep us in a perpetual state of stress from constant outside stimuli. Entertainment, technology, light pollution, harmful food and negative influences have formed a formidable force against the exploration of ones psyche. Our thoughts, as it is experienced through meditation, reside just below the level of regular consciousness. Our inner thought process affects our perception and experience of the world. Without observation these affects go unnoticed acting upon us invisibly. Change your thoughts and you can change the world.

How are your thoughts affecting you?

Meditation helps us become aware of our innermost thought patterns. From regular practice any individual can learn to slowly withdraw from the experience of their outside world. By reducing the attention and focus we place on outside stimuli one is able to re-centre their consciousness and observe the mechanics of their inner psyche. This is often overwhelming in that the individual is introduced to a new world of sense and experience, “the inner world”. Becoming familiar with ones mental ‘lay of the land’ is a first step in the journey of meditation practice.

The more man meditates upon good thoughts, the better will be his world and the world at large. – Confucius

Here is some information the help you start meditating today:

• Simple meditation – Getting started with your practice
• Beginner tips to meditation
• More articles on meditation

What is a kettlebell?

The kettlebell is a cast-iron weight resembling a connonball with a handle on it used as exercise and physical training equipment in swinging kinetic movements for strength and cardiovascular conditioning. The Kettlebell (or Girya) has origins in Russia as far back as the 1700′s. It is still in used by the Societ army for physical strength and conditioning.

How do you use a kettlebell?

Unlike traditional static weightlifting, kettlebells are used in a fluid swinging movements in interconnected sets of movements. There are less resting periods between sets of moves and combinations of moves can be used in succession for ‘super-sets’. This repetitive kinetic action and dynamic arrangement of exercises uses the whole body in order to develop total fitness instead of bulking targeted large muscle groups.

Kettlebell moves and routines can vary in complexity and duration. The basic kettlebell moves are a cornerstone to building more complex ones. The introductory kettlebell routine focuses on several moves which resemble labour activities including: lifting, shovelling, griping and heaving. These help develop strength in real world scenarios and work all areas including core muscle groups, legs, lower-back, arms and hand strength. Muscles are also utilized in a fashion with reflect real world activities and create ballistic strength with the cardiovascular strength and stamina to match.

What are the benefits of kettlebell exercise?

Kettlebells are great for fitness because they develop the body as it was meant to be used, in synchronicity. Using and exercising the body as a whole, as opposed to isolating muscle groups or exclusively building cardiovascular and stamina, ensures your muscles will be aligned to your bodies stamina.

The kinetic nature of a kettlebell routine also helps develop a wider range of strength and flexibility. The power from each movement exists throughout the entire movement. This is in contrast to traditional static weightlifting where the strength from each movement exists in a narrow band of flexibility.

What are basic kettlebell routines?

Below is video with excellent examples of kettle bell routines. These can be used in sets, with breaks in between. As one becomes more proficient, the real power of a kettlebell routine is performing varying sets in sequence to create a ‘super-set’. Practice of the basic moves practices the foundational experience required in order to perform more dynamic and varied kettlebell ‘super-sets’.

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson claims the title “scientist” above all other “ists.” And yet, he says he is “constantly claimed by atheists.” So where does he stand? “Neil deGrasse, widely claimed by atheists, is actually an agnostic.”

McKenna relays his thoughts on the concept of culture. Albeit a somewhat abstract train of thought, relaying the personal perspective of and admitted cultural outsider on culture as a whole. However he does provide some insight into what many of us have felt at some point or another. “Culture”, as McKenna has said before is a set of accepted neurosis in any given society. Terence is as it could be seen only observing and commenting on the negative attributes and effects of the culturally acceptable behaviors. The many positive effects of having a set of standard behaviours for massive groups of people is largely ignored in this sermon.

His words do however raise ones awareness of the fact that culture CAN be questioned. The simple fact and observation that all your peers act and behave and believe in a certain way or a certain thing doesn’t write the law that every individual must also act in this way. Often this only becomes strikingly clear when you travel to a distant land and ‘culture clash’ sets in. A different set of humans, just as you are, behaving in a different manner. This, after the initial shock and astonishment of a guttural and emotional aversion (of varying amplitude), allows one the opportunity to think, why is it that I act as I do?

With regard to culture, one must take the good with the bad and find their own way. To do this in a way which makes things better as a whole is (y)our purpose.

A beautiful summation of existential dilema as seen by Alan Watts. How we define ourselves is everything. Do you define yourself as a victim of the world or as the world.

About Alan Watts

Absolutely profound presentations and readings from Alan Watts are enlightening as they are. This video, ‘Why not now?’ offers something a little more tangible in the way of usable knowledge. Alan speaks for over an hour on the philosophy and discipline of a mediation practice. Who better to gain insight from than the Zen master himself, Alan Watts?

Search Terms:

• How do I meditate?
• How to meditate
• Beginners guide to meditation

Scillia Elworthy speaks on the subject of fighting with non-violence (ahimsa). Interestingly the talk also involves the subject of fear, individual and cultural as well as meditation as a solution to violence.

Excerpt from Youtube:
How do you deal with a bully without becoming a thug? In this wise and soulful talk, peace activist Scilla Elworthy maps out the skills we need — as nations and individuals — to fight extreme force without using force in return. To answer the question of why and how non-violence works, she evokes historical heroes — Aung San Suu Kyi, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela — and the personal philosophies that powered their peaceful protests. (Filmed at TEDxExeter.) http://www.ted.com/

Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes. – Carl Jung

Work is not always required. There is such a thing as sacred idleness. – George MacDonald

Reading makes a full man, meditation a profound man, discourse a clear man. – Benjamin Franklin

To understand the immeasurable, the mind must be extraordinarily quiet, still. – Jiddu Krishnamurti

We live, in fact, in a world starved for solitude, silence, and private: and therefore starved for meditation and true friendship. – C.S. Lewis

Meditation… dissolves the mind. It erases itself. Throws the ego out on its big brittle ass. – Tom Robbins

It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart. – Mahatma Gandhi

The more man meditates upon good thoughts, the better will be his world and the world at large. – Confucius

Meditation is the dissolution of thoughts in eternal awareness or pure consciousness without objectification, knowing without thinking, merging finitude in infinity. – Swami Sivananda

Meditation brings wisdom; lack of mediation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what hold you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom. – Buddha

Meditation is listening to the Divine within. – Edgar Cayce

Meditation is the discovery that the point of life is always arrived at in the immediate moment. – Alan Watts

voem has come a long way since it’s inception a short time ago. The site voemhealth.com had originated as an online portal or curated content focusing on all aspects of a healthy lifestyle. It has been the goal of voem since it’s inception to contribute to a global awakening of consciousness. We hope to do this by creating a resource and hub for the dissemination of information which could incite new ideas in the minds of the voem audience.

We continue to evolve with everyone and try to create new ways to harbour ideas and connections among our audience to catalyze positive change. As part of this effort we have recently created major change in our site by integrating a community gateway in the form of discussion groups and forums. We hope that this resource will serve to connect our audience in ways which have not been possible before. We hope that everyone enjoys and makes use of this new feature. Signup for discussion, commenting and connections, register here.

This short video from BigThink and Christopher Ryan is a quick synopsis of his research findings of Monogamy and long term relationships. His understanding and explanation on this subject matter is quite excellent (especially in his longer 55Min presentation here). Ryan explains the structure and makeup of relationships among our ancient and not so ancient ancestors. Illuminating the reason(s) why we are compelled instinctually to seek a variety of sexual partners. This of course has been the cause of many marital and relationship problems. Acknowledging this urge (not to necessarily act upon it) is a step towards living more fulfilling lives and healthier relationships.

Interested in this topic? See a full presentation on the subject: Christopher Ryan presentation on “If You Want Fidelity, Get a Dog” [55Min]

Excerpt from Youtube:
Christopher Ryan argues that we are hardwired to crave novelty, which leads to infidelity in marriages. Ryan says the way that culture responds to this “natural behavior” causes more problems than it solves. In other words, sex isn’t such a big deal, so why do we let it get in the way of all the other important things? The point of marriage is to grow old with someone and develop a sense of trust. Therefore, Ryan argues we need to take a “harm reduction approach” over an “absolutist approach.” That means that marriage needs to adapt to the realities of human nature.

Alan Watts, Western Philosopher schooled in Eastern Buddhist practices discusses and illustrates his perspective of god. He dissects the common perspective and conception of god as the idolizing of a thing. This thought, he insists in a clinging or attachment to the idea based entirely in fear. Fear that there is no god and so one has to define it in rigid terms to ensure it will always be where you left it. The realization that our attachment to the concept as ‘a thing’ is the first step in a respectful destruction of the idol. Instead we can realize that without fear based attachment our love and faith can define the higher power in broader terms. The source of all creation is all creation and we are it and it is all of us. So in this way you don’t have to pray to a god or worship a god, your life is a worship your every breath is the source.

A short film about the reawakening of the Boddhisattva in the aftermath of the Japanese nuclear disaster. Help this film: Fundraising page on IndieGogo.

Making of the Film:

The film project Reactor – A Short Film has a new goal set on it’s fundraising page via indiegogo.

Links:

• Help this film: Fundraising page on IndieGogo
• About the co-producer Ian MacKenzie

Excerpt from Youtube:
What does it mean to be in the moment? What does it mean to be mindful? Yogi and Buddhist teacher Michael Stone breaks down the oft used term and shows how it relates to being mindful about what’s really going on.

Learn more about Michael Stone
http://www.centreofgravity.org/m_stone/

Excerpt from Aljazeera:
With 1% of Americans controlling 40% of the country’s wealth, we examine the gap between the rich and the rest.

The richest one per cent of Americans earn nearly a quarter of the country’s income and control an astonishing 40 per cent of its wealth.

Inequality in the US is more extreme than it has been in almost a century – and the gap between the super-rich and the poor and middle class people has widened drastically over the last 30 years…

Links:

• Aljazeera – Faultlines : The Top 1%
• Aljazeera – Faultlines homepage

Alan discusses the experience of coming into life as a human being. This examination and direction in thought examines natural and cultural conditioning we experience as our environment to experience ourselves as separate from all other things. He puts forth some thoughts which allude to ways in which we may be able to escape the paradigm of ego consciousness.

Excerpt from TED Talk:
Jamie Oliver is transforming the way we feed ourselves, and our children. Jamie Oliver has been drawn to the kitchen since he was a child working in his father’s pub-restaurant. He showed not only a precocious culinary talent but also a passion for creating (and talking about) fresh, honest, delicious food. In the past decade, the shaggy-haired “Naked Chef” of late-’90s BBC2 has built a worldwide media conglomerate of TV shows, books, cookware and magazines, all based on a formula of simple, unpretentious food that invites everyone to get busy in the kitchen. And as much as his cooking is generous, so is his business model — his Fifteen Foundation, for instance, trains young chefs from challenged backgrounds to run four of his restaurants.
Now, Oliver is using his fame and charm to bring attention to the changes that Brits and Americans need to make in their lifestyles and diet. Campaigns such as Jamie’s School Dinner, Ministry of Food and Food Revolution USA combine Olivers culinary tools, cookbooks and television, with serious activism and community organizing — to create change on both the individual and governmental level.

Join Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution:http://www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns/jamies-food-revolution/petition

The astrophysicist wants to shift the focus from avoiding death to living a full life.

Excerpt from Youtube:
Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson believes in the power of science — so much so that he gets hate mail for it. From children. As director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History, Tyson made the controversial decision to remove references to Pluto as the ninth planet in the museum’s exhibits. To the chagrin of fifth graders everywhere, My Very Excellent Mother would no longer be Serving Up Nine Pizzas. “When you conduct science, it is the natural world that is the ultimate decider in what is true and what is not,” he says.

Links:

• bigthink.com

Excerpt from Youtube:
Created to inspire by Michael Marantz: http://www.michaelmarantz.comhttp://www.twitter.com/michaelmarantz The future excites me so much, that is why I made this video. We need to be inspired by the immense possibilities of the future and work extremely hard to achieve them. We can do it, we just have to commit. Help inspire others by sharing this video and tagging any interesting content on twitter with #TheFutureIsOurs. Produced by Already Alive http://www.alreadyalive.com Text from the Launchgram Manifesto:http://www.launchgram.com/manifesto Music by Michael Marantz: http://www.soundcloud.com/michaelmarantz/the-future-is-ours Thank you so much to the amazing vimeo community who supported this piece and allowed me to use their footage.
Special footage credits:
Variable - http://www.wearevariable.com
Infinity List - http://www.infinitylist.com
Patrick Lawler - http://www.vimeo.com/patricklawler

CREDITS FOR FOUND FOOTAGE AND SPEECHES (in order of apperance)

• “Abundance is our Future” TED talk by Peter Diamandis
• “Hawaii’s Clouds” by Michael Marantz
• “Slow it Down” by Sacha Powell
• President Ronald Reagan – Address on the Challenger Disaster
• “Earth” by Michael König
• “Solar Roadways”
• “Solar Powered EV Parking”
• Planetory Resources Video
• Neil DeGrasse Tyson address Congress
• “Holi” by Variable
• Jason Silva at the Economist Ideas Conference 2012
• Honda “Asimo”
• “Look at Me” by Patrick Lawler
• “462 in the Speed Demon”
• 2005 Stanford Commencement Address by Steve Jobs
• “Experience Human Flight” by InfinityList
• “Experience Zero Gravity” by InfinityList
• “Lost in Tokyo” by Mark Bramley
• “29 year old hearing for the first time”
• “Building something Big in Lousville” by GE
• Daniel Pink on the surprising science of motivation
• Stephen Hawking: Asking big questions about the universe
• Self Driving Car Test by Google
• Apollo Saturn V Launch by Spacecraft Films
• Space X Launch of Falcon 9
• Dragon Capsule with ISS
• “Dublin’s People” by Phillip Bloom

Permission to use footage received when possible. I was not paid to create this video, I did this out of my passion to create and inspire. If your footage was used in this film and you were not contacted, please reach out to me with any concerns or extra credit requests.