Asking for what we need can be really hard if we have a core belief that we do not deserve to have these needs met. And so, asking for what we need, even if it seems small, is a very simple practice that, when tended to, lets us gradually become more comfortable with our own needs and our right to meet them.

Most of us have grown up in a world where we are constantly urged to fill the lack within and around us by seeking more of everything.

Trust is a human experience that is both simultaneously given and earned at the same time. You cannot gather the evidence that builds trust without first creating the opportunity for it to happen. And so, when we hide on the side of doubt, constantly questioning ourselves, we are effectively not giving ourselves the opportunity to rebuild the trust that got lost somewhere along the line.

Love is the thing that connects us to everything. It is the pure life force that sustains us. It has the power to liberate and lift us into our fullest potential. Feeling love and living in love is feeling and living Unity. Thus, love is the balm to our hearts when it comes to our inner relationship with ourselves.

Without clear boundaries, we may easily find ourselves in situations where we are giving too much away, draining ourselves, finding ourselves the recipient of negative or heavy energy, and generally spreading ourselves too thin. We may find ourselves doing things out of a feeling of obligation, a desire to help that is not being well directed. When we fail to set boundaries and hold people accountable, we feel used and mistreated and may attack who someone is, rather than their behaviour. This equally applies to ourselves.

Learning to sync our female hormonal cycle with our work and life schedule is the ultimate bio-hack to harness energy and productivity. Following our cycle in this way means there's a time for all things—intense productivity, planning and goal setting, play, adventure, rest, and reflection. Instead of pushing against our body all the time, we work with her.

When creating your own ceremonies for yourself, bring a general understanding of the structure of a ceremony, and a plan for the ritual, but at the same time leave yourself open for the magic of serendipity to come through. Act on intuition and pay attention to everything that happens before, during and afterwards. Evoke emotion within you by writing, feeling, remembering, visioning, so you know you are tapping into the body of energy that you want to transmute.

Lately I - along with much of the rest of the world it seems - have been especially tuned into the vibration of fear. For vibration is indeed what it is - like a radio, we find channels in which to rest and to some degree it is our choice to allow it into our reality.

‘So how have the travels been?’ I ask. She looks at me and her bright eyes get glossy, but she keeps smiling. I know that look.

Space-holding is a vital part of living consciously and creating compassionate community, and, when done well, truly has transformational power. As conscious beings, we are "creating space" everywhere we go, casting our invisible circles like fairy rings around us to support journeys of self-inquiry and understanding. Knowing the ins and outs of holding space is something that comes with time and lots of applied awareness, but while it may be a journey, there are some basic ground rules that unfortunately are often overlooked.

In the beginning, there was energy, an infinite field of uniformly shimmering potential.  Over it and through it hung intention, the creator.   Pure consciousness itself. 

Why aren’t there more men in our circles? Yes, that’s right, I said it. I’m diving right into the controversial topic of the huge and very evident gap in the presence of the sexes in the world of yoga, healing and self-discovery. After 15 years in spiritual communities of various kinds, I cannot escape the inescapable. I am constantly surrounded by women.

Do you ever find it difficult to get dressed, apply for a job, ask that hottie out on a date, or speak your truth? How often have you come up with a perfect idea, followed it through to a certain extent and then abandoned it in favor of something more within your comfort zone? And what about those moments when you feel yourself overwhelmed with a “vulnerability hangover” - the closing down sometimes experienced after revealing too much of ourselves?

The wind swirls through the room.  Dirt and old skin cells combine with human hair and cat fur, creating drifts and tangles that rush around in the air flows, collecting more of its kind in a puffy mass light enough to float away.  I watch idly as nature orders herself, as substance attracts substance, and wonder how big this ball of fluff would grow if left to itself.

I lie here, struggling against the need to stay still but wincing at the discomfort that wriggling brings me. This is the third day of looking up at the bars of the bunk bed above. The parallel lines form a perfect cage. I try to erase the 'g' and write 'v' instead, welcoming the safe presence of the cave of darkness around me, trying as hard as I can to embrace my situation.

Continuing the exploration of the permaculture design principle “Integrate rather than segregate, here at Kula we’re asking ourselves the question; “What is causing segregation within the conscious community?”

Where I live, the Mayan prophecy of 2012 is taken as scripture. I say scripture, because essentially it is religious in basis, and like religion, few people duck the blind belief to check the true facts. To some extent, I count myself as one of them. However, my education being based in science, I cannot help but question its real significance in the greater picture.

Fundamentally, it seems to me that analysis and observation and language, and in fact the mind itself, can only go so far in helping us to understand our place in this existence.  And so when we talk about the responsible delivery of information, or when we use the word 'fact', or 'reality', I think we might arrive at some difficulties purely because I do not think of these things as givens. 

Whether you are a In Central America, the crusty dormitory has become a subculture of its own. Travelers brag about their off-the-path destinations, but even the most seasoned will always break up their journey with a stopover at one of these havens, to drain the free wifi and cook noodles alongside other English-speakers.

I tell Dan that even if he doesn't leave tomorrow, I will. Three weeks inside the vortex of Hostelito Inn, Guadalajara, whilst enjoyable, is enough. I am well aware that I could stay here for months.