Issue 30
fAce the current TRAVEL
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CULTURE
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MUSIC
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SPORTS & FITNESS
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HEALTH
Exploring the Tonal Depth of Mother Nature
An Evocative Look Through the Lens of Michael Kagerer Super Resilience
Expert Mentor Dr. Scott Mills with
Bridging Worlds With Rising Appalachia
Opting Outside
Forest Bathing, Touring Ibiza + Embark on a Kilimanjaro Climb & Safari
Fuel for an inspired life.
Discover the Eco “Farm to Bedroom” Concept that’s Improving Health & Environment
fAce the current
Editorial
Issue 30
Mission Driven Brands Featured in this Issue
Connect With Us... @facethecurrent www.facethecurrent.com ADVERTISEMENT AND SPONSOR INQUIRIES
partnerships@facethecurrent.com www.facethecurrent.com/advertise/ Sasha Frate, Founder & Editor in Chief sasha@facethecurrent.com
N O M A D I C R E S O RTS
All Rights Reserved DISCLAIMER The information provided in this magazine is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider.
Cover Image Credits: • Front cover: Michael Kagerer • Back cover: Rising Appalachia by Hemmie Lindholm
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Opinions and other statements expressed by the kind souls sharing their viewpoint, users and third parties are theirs alone, not opinions of Face the Current. Content created by third parties is the sole responsibility of the third parties and its accuracy and completeness are not endorsed or guaranteed. Face the Current Website and third parties may provide links to web pages, web sites, and various resources or locations on the web. Face the Current has no control over the information you access via such links, does not endorse that information, and shall not be responsible for it or for the consequences of your use of that information.
All products and services featured are selected by our editors. Face the Current may receive compensation for some links to products and services in this magazine.
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FtC TEAM
Sasha Frate Founder & Editor-in-Chief Sasha is a perspective seeker, adventurer, and explorer. She received her Master’s Degree in Liberal Arts and continues to study a variety of subjects within and outside of the academic setting. Sasha brings her personal moonshot approach to life to FtC, aiming to provide an experience for our global community where we inspire one another to stay curious, never stop exploring, and to live with purpose and to our potential.
sasha@facethecurrent.com
Ainsley Schoppel
Co-Editor-in-Chief Ainsley is a classical pianist, former figure skater, and loves summers at the lake in northern Ontario. She holds an honors BA in Psychology and Arts & Business, and also earned a graduate degree in Hospitality and Business Management while working at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. After working in Toronto on published women-focused research, she moved outside the city to raise her family. While home with her son, she indulges her love of the written word with freelance editing.
ainsley@facethecurrent.com
Chris Assaad is a Canadian singer-songwriter who left a promising career in law to follow his heart and passion for music. His fire for music was ignited shortly after he began exploring his love of singing when he was forced to overcome a rapidly progressing hearing loss condition. Two miraculous surgeries later, Chris was given the gift of perfectly restored hearing and a second chance, cementing his path of a life dedicated to his artistry. Since then, Chris has been sharing his eclectic blend of soulful roots music, heart-opening songs and stories across the globe and actively using his voice to inspire others to follow their innermost calling.
chris@facethecurrent.com
Sema Garay Executive Designer Sema is the graphic designer behind the development of the image and magazine of Face the Current. He has developed a multitude of projects, including his previous job leading the Creative Department of BG Life Magazine, in Marbella, Spain. Sema graduated with a Masters Degree in Architecture at ETSA of Sevilla and is proficient in a wide range of design software. He is passionate about all kinds of artistic expressions, and when not active behind the scenes of Face the Current design, you’re likely to find him playing music for Beach Grooves Global Radio or local venues along the Costa del Sol.
sema@facethecurrent.com 4
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Victoria Wagner Marketing Director
Victoria (Tory) is a marketing professional who thrives on helping companies get where they need to go. Tory uses her love of storytelling, and obsession with organizing, to help small businesses and nonprofits grow, so they can focus on impacting their communities. Tory graduated with a degree in Marketing from Washington State University and currently lives in Portland, Oregon. When not on the job, she can be found with her nose in a book, baking bread, and going on big adventures with her little dog, Piglet.
victoria@facethecurrent.com
Issue 30 CONTRIBUTORS We are a growing team of Up-Standers whose intention is to create positive change in the world through networking, connecting, supporting, and developing our global thought-community at both an individual and a collective level. We are passionate about building our crew of experts and industry leaders to deliver cutting-edge information that is created “by our global community, for our global community.” This issue’s FtC team and contributing crew are based in the U.S, Spain, and Canada.
Scarlet Baker
is armed with degrees in journalism and creative writing from the University of Iowa, and a freelance blogger specializing in exercise— specifically yoga—technology, and SEO. She is on a mission to improve blog visibility by curating engaging content in her captivating articles. A writer by day and reader by night, Scarlet is constantly looking for exciting writing projects to share with her audiences. www.yoganowchicago.com
Dr. Jim Bentz, D.PSc. DC
is a Chiropractor, Speaker, Health Coach & Educator, Trainer & the US Leading Practitioner in Neurological Integration System (NIS), a method of restoring communication between the brain and body based on the principle that the brain monitors every cell in the body. He has been in clinical Chiropractic practice since 1985, and has been using NIS as his primary modality since 1997. NIS is a system that incorporates ancient eastern medicine practices with current neuroscience and promotes self- healing through detection and correction of signaling disruption in the nervous system. https://nisusaseminars.com www.facebook.com/drjimbentz
Renato Guerrero
born in Chile, is a spiritual leader passionate about life, travel and mysteries. He is the owner of the conscious tourism company Ruta Ancestral - Spirit of Adventure and creator of the conscious community Terra Mother. Today Renato supports the empowerment of the human being, self-recognition and the recovery of self-mastery in his classes, circles, talks and initiation trips. Renato is also a multidisciplinary therapist, coach, spiritual leader, musician, researcher, retreat manager and practitioner of shamanism. www.instagram.com/rutaancestral
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issue 30 CONTENT
32 Super Resilience with Expert Mentor Dr. Scott Mills
Worlds With 48 Bridging Rising Appalachia
travel 8.Exploring the Tonal Depth of Mother Nature’s Backdrops: An Evocative Look Through the Lens of Michael Kagerer 16.Living with the Land: Redefining Sustainable Travel with the Earth-Friendly Structures of Nomadic Resorts 22.Ibiza:Magic, Wellness, Beauty, and Ancestors on the White Island
culture 22 Ibiza:
Magic, Wellness, Beauty, and Ancestors on the White Island 6
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32.Engaging in Super Resilience to Maximize Personal Potential: Finding Success and Happiness with Expert Mentor, Dr. SCOTT MILLS
music
48.Bridging Worlds with Rising Appalachia
FtC Issue 30
58 Eat, Sleep, Shinrin Yoku The Healing Power of Forest Bathing
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Kilimanjaro Climb and Safari with Mountain Madness
54.Rising Up to the Paper Moon with Singer-Songwriter Joy Downer
sports & fitness
58.Eat, Sleep, Shinrin Yoku The Healing Power of Forest Bathing 64.Kilimanjaro Climb and Safari with Mountain Madness 70.Benefits of Ashtanga Yoga
health
74. Avocado Green Mattress: Improving Personal and Planetary Health in One Fell Snooze
74 Avocado Green
80.The Importance of Our Microbiome on Immune Response to Viruses: Could They Actually Make Us Healthier?
Improving Personal and Planetary Health in One Fell Snooze 7 www.facethecurrent.com
Mattress:
FtC travel
Exploring the Tonal Depth of Mother Nature’s Backdrops: An Evocative Look Through the Lens of Michael Kagerer
By Sasha Frate Born in Munich, Michael Kagerer is a self-described adventure addict. While he’s currently working toward his bachelor’s in business management, Kagerer’s true calling is photography. After a six-month New Zealand road trip that saw him sleeping in his car, Kagerer realized that capturing his adventures in photographs was not only fun, it yielded some stunning results, too. While he doesn’t specialize in a particular subject matter, most of Kagerer’s work is in landscapes, particularly forests, as they encapsulate his love of ranging green tones. Commissioned by clients like Mercedes Benz, Canada Goose, Huawei, Chopard, Jack Wolfskin, and Mega Gear, Kagerer’s ability to capture an object in the moody and evocative tones of the natural world is clearly a desired commodity. After all, Mother Nature is the best canvas for any artist’s brush—or camera.
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Sasha Frate: When narrowing the focus on the micro elements of nature contrasted with the macro components of stunning landscapes, how do you see this perspective in terms of the various symbiotic relationships of all living things on this planet? Michael Kagerer: Many photographers seek the big image with high mountains, endless oceans, or never- ending forest scenes. Those things are pretty, of course, but many photographers forget that they already missed so much on their journey toward those locations. I always hold myself back from rushing forward to those famous spots and instead focus myself more on my surroundings. That’s why you can find a lot of macro plants on my profile. Every planned trip with planned locations and images leads to many more unplanned moments and captures on the path towards my final travel destination. And those finds are the special ones! www.facethecurrent.com
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SF: What is one of your memorable “found moments” on your adventures and encounters with wildlife? MK: When I started with photography, I wasn’t well equipped for wildlife photography. I had to improve and bring a lot patience, for instance, to get close enough to a deer to get a good picture (even without a very expensive professional lens!). After a couple of days, I finally managed to get into position next to a deer not far from my hometown. My lens didn’t even have automatic focus and I only had a few moments to get the shot into focus. I guess it was a lot of luck, but I did it! Many of my newer animal pictures were taken in wildlife parks as the animals there are not that shy and it’s much easier to practice getting goodquality animal pictures. My favorite moment was probably when I hiked
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up to a hut in the Mount Cook valley in New Zealand. I was suddenly hit by a snowstorm and when I searched for a spot to hide and take a rest, some Kea birds joined me! Those were super majestic, and I could feel their free spirit! (Even though they probably just wanted to steal my last pieces of bread.) You don’t often see those guys, and I always wanted to see them, so this was quite special. SF: You’ve described one of your favorite shots on salt flats as sparking the imagination of our future and what it would be like to have a photographer collective called “spaceroamers” who would “be able to explore random planets spontaneously with friends in the holidays.” How do you see this notion of “nothing is impossible”, and how do you imagine our future in unique and incredible ways?
Why is it valuable for people to envision the possibility of change at any level? MK: Yes, I’ve always found myself getting stuck into thinking of the future of our world. I then project different scenarios I see now on future developments. I really imagined people exploring different planets in no time just for some cool pictures; almost like going for an afternoon walk to the next lake. This sounds super weird, but what if you told our grandmas back in their youths that people would someday share travel pictures on social media, we’d all have smartphones in our pockets, and that it is indeed possible for many young people to travel the world while still going to school? Nothing is impossible. We all should really think about that and try more new things. No risk—no fun.
adventures, and photography work, how might you describe your observation of nature, the planet, and perhaps also humanity as being resilient? MK: People change with every generation. Everyone is following various trends of his own generation. Nature isn’t: nature always repeats the same processes over the months. This doesn’t mean that it doesn’t
change—I love to see my favorite spots at different times of the year. Sometimes those places can feel like completely different ones in winter than they did in summer. It’s interesting how every generation enjoys this change in a different way. I’m trying to simply enjoy the views like my grandparents did and not just take the picture for socials and then leave the place.
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People change with every generation. Everyone is following various trends of his own generation. Nature isn’t: nature always repeats the same processes over the months. This doesn’t mean that it doesn’t change—I love to see my favorite spots at different times of the year. Sometimes those places can feel like completely different ones in winter than they did in summer. It’s interesting how every generation enjoys this change in a different way.
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SF: Jamais Cascio once said, “Resilience is all about being able to overcome the unexpected. Sustainability is about survival.The goal of resilience is to thrive.” You work with and capture intimate nature scenes, adding rich tones to your images that really convey the lush, wild, and peaceful elements of nature. Throughout your travels,
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SF: When you say, “less is more” and “the creative process depends on your mindset”, why do you believe this and how would you describe this type of mindset? MK: I really like minimal scenarios, which draw the attention to one single element. I’m also a very organized person and I don’t like having a mess in my room. If there
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is too much around me, I can’t focus. There are many inspiring photographers who are almost perfect in minimalism, and I really look up to those people. My creative process starts when I put my hands on my camera and focus on that single leaf with that single raindrop almost falling down from it. If there is anything in the background taking away the focus of my object, I don’t feel comfortable with it. The creativity
continues on my desk where I change those pictures to more minimal ones. I do this when I was not able to get the perfect separation of single objects in my pictures. For instance, I captured a picture of a bridge with some forests around it. Using my editing software, I brought the bridge to the middle and made the forests around it as clean as possible to ensure the attention is always on the bridge.
SF: How would you describe the feeling of experiencing “Bambi in real life” compared to our often-disconnected experience with nature “from a distance”? MK: Some moments that I witnessed were almost straight from a fantasy book! It’s special to get thrown into such a scenario by nature, and it’s so much better than watching a movie or reading a book. Unfortunately, those perfect moments are super rare.
You’ve had a lot of encounters with wild cats in the forests of Europe. In which countries/ places have you had these experiences, and can you share how you manage to so often encounter and capture these stealthy and elusive creatures? MK: Those are not truly wild—most of those lynxes were photographed in wildlife parks in Bavaria or the Czech Republic.
MK: All I can say is do some of the great walks in New Zealand!
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SF: Most of your journeys have “social distancing” built into them: visiting remote locations, wandering among mountain peaks and forest lands, and experiencing hidden gems you discover along the way. Can you share some of your top places for travel that are off the beaten path and more likely to have creature encounters than human encounters?
Some moments that I witnessed were almost straight from a fantasy book! It’s special to get thrown into such a scenario by nature, and it’s so much better than watching a movie or reading a book.
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SF: Dark and moody tones are conveyed in your photographic scenes. Why do you prefer this approach/style? MK: Yes, I always preferred dark and moody scenes. As a child, I loved the night and unique weather like storms or the morning fog, simply because it’s not there every day—it’s special to me. SF: What places have evoked the greatest sense of freedom for you when you’ve spent time there? MK: Definitely New Zealand. I can’t name a specific spot but the whole trip there was one big adventure full of freedom. Living in a car means waking up wherever you like and being able to drive everywhere whenever you like to.
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SF: From a local’s perspective and native of Germany, what are some of your favorite spots, and what do you love about them? MK: I do recommend visiting lake Königssee. Take the boat toward lake Obersee and walk around this second lake: it’s a super special place. (Unfortunately, there are many tourists on those boats!) An alternative is lake Eibsee, which is also quite beautiful!
ymore info: www.michaelkagerer.com IG: @michaelkagerer
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FtC travel
Living with the Land Redefining Sustainable Travel with the
Earth-Friendly Structures of Nomadic Resorts By Ainsley Schoppel Nomadic Resorts is an interdisciplinary design and project development company servicing the hospitality industry with unique, sustainable, and beautiful structures. With offices in the Netherlands, Mauritius, and South Africa, Nomadic Resorts uses a holistic approach to create sustainable resort and residential projects that organically fit into their natural surroundings. For Nomadic, all design should serve as a bridge to connect nature, culture, and people, and in striving to change the way resorts, camps, and lodges are designed, built, and operated, Nomadic Resorts has proven that research, extensive experimentation, and the testing of new methods, materials, and technologies is critical to achieving design and functionality. In being this thorough, Nomadic Resorts is able to offer clients optimized structural solutions that use both state-of-the-art technology and knowledge from local vernacular architecture.
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Particularly specializing in sustainable architecture, Nomadic Resorts uses contemporary bamboo construction, treetop living concepts, tensile membrane design and engineering, regenerative landscape design, permaculture, and lowcarbon engineering strategies to develop new experiential hospitality typologies. Nomadic Resorts derives its inspiration from the natural environment and strives to create designs that celebrate biodiversity, complement the inherent features of
building sites, and respect the natural forms in Mother Nature. Considered to be one of the earliest nomadic housing structures, tents have improved quite slowly throughout the ages: the essential construction methodology has remained relatively stable for thousands of years. “In ancient times, tents required multiple rigid structural elements (locally sourced timber poles, bamboo, or bones), and were covered by animal skins or various rudimentary woven
fabrics. The fur from animal hides— commonly camel hair or seal skin— provided a high level of insulation during the winter months. The interiors of these tents were ripe with a distinct ‘feral’ smell, and the air quality in colder climates was often smoky from warming fires,” noted Louis Thompson, Chief Executive Officer of Nomadic Resorts. “In truth, these types of structures wouldn’t meet the level of comfort expected by a new generation of ‘woke’ ecotourists.” www.facethecurrent.com
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In our next tent model, we are delighted to announce that we will be making extensive use of reclaimed shoreline plastics for the fabrics, insulation, soft furnishings, bedding, fixed furniture, and even the floor.
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To address this, Nomadic Resorts developed modular tensile structures using the most advanced fabrics available and ensured that it could be accurately engineered to withstand extreme weather conditions while providing efficient thermal comfort that would last a similar length of time as a conventional building. By working closely with a network of specialists in various green building and sustainable design fields including waterscape ecologists, renewable energy technicians, treetop canopy walkway and treehouse specialists, bamboo builders, aquaponics experts, permaculture designers,
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tree surgeons, spa consultants, and structural engineers, Nomadic Resorts has been able to draw on a vast range of expertise to overcome technical construction obstacles. “The biggest challenge we face is identifying fabrics that combine high performance with a sustainable life cycle analysis,” stated Louis Thompson, founder of Nomadic Resorts. “Having noticed the distinct lack of innovation in tented accommodations over the last ten thousand years, we concluded that there may be an opportunity to leverage new developments in fabric engineering
to create nature-inspired, modular structures that are better suited to the expectations of a more ‘coddled’ society,” says Thompson. Unfortunately for the planet, some of the most readily available materials worldwide are plastic waste, so Nomadic Resorts endeavoured to see if they could find a way to harvest a pollutant and transform it into a sustainable asset. “In our next tent model, we are delighted to announce that we will be making extensive use of reclaimed shoreline plastics for the fabrics, insulation, soft furnishings, bedding, fixed furniture, and even the floor,” states Olav Bruin,
Creative Director. “It will in fact be the first tent, that we know of, made predominately from ocean waste plastic.” In looking into the future of component production, Nomadic Resorts is innovatively hopeful that it will someday be possible to harness silkworms to create tent fabrics, or even robotically fabricate structural members from the molecular components found in tree branches and insect exoskeletons.
storage systems to create zerocarbon camps with the capability to function off-grid. “Over the years we have witnessed decreases in the cost of renewables and are now confident that membrane integrated photovoltaics and smart fabric technology will soon be a reality,” revealed Neil Hendrikz, the company’s COO who has extensive experience in developing lodges in remote locations
Another area which in which Nomadic resorts has invested research resources is in identifying modular renewable energy solutions combined with sustainable energy
Since 2011, Nomadic Resorts has designed, engineered, fabricated, and installed a family of tented products—The Looper, The Urchin, and The Seedpod—at lodges and
resorts for various luxury hotel groups. Nomadic Resorts has showcased their beautiful, practical, and Earth-conscious structures at a variety of luxury resorts, retreats, and camps in all corners of the world, including for Resplendent Ceylon, Six Senses Resorts and Spas, Soneva Group, Banyan Tree, &Beyond, Wilderness Safaris, African Bush Camps, and Tri Lanka. By redefining the notion of “tented accommodation”, Nomadic Resorts has reduced the physical footprint of their developments and provided a similar level of “luxury” as many of the traditional resorts. www.facethecurrent.com
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Maybe the future of glamping could become an inquiry into our relationship with the planet and a unique opportunity to explore ways to reduce the weight of Mankind on the earth, It will in fact be the first tent, that we know of, made predominately from ocean waste plastic.
The tourism industry is currently in a state of flux and adaptation, and it is increasingly clear that the hospitality sector is in need of a radical shift to face a changing commercial landscape that is learning to function in a low-touch economy. Rather than be seen as an obstacle, this could be a moment for the industry to reconsider the traditional travel modus operandi and adopt bold new strategies to develop and operate resorts in an entirely new way. “Maybe the future of glamping could become an inquiry into our relationship with the planet and a unique opportunity to explore ways to reduce the weight of Mankind on the earth,� Thompson suggested. Whatever the future of travel may bring, Nomadic Resorts will be waiting with open doors to usher travellers into the comfort and natural modular beauty of its one-of-a-kind Earth-conscious accommodations.
ymore info: www.nomadicresorts.com www.facethecurrent.com
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FtC travel
Ibiza
Magic, Wellness, Beauty, and Ancestors on the White Island By Renato Guerrero Ibiza. What comes to mind when you hear this name? It is usually synonymous with beaches and parties since the island has a diverse offering of bars, clubs, restaurants, and spaces for daytime and nighttime entertainment. Of course, that is but one face of Ibiza since it is also known for its sustainability and ecological spirit. To learn more about the magic of Ibiza, we must start with its history.
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ANCESTRAL IBIZA Ibiza, in Balearic Catalan Eivissa, is located in the Mediterranean Sea and together with the islands of Mallorca, Menorca, and Formentera forms the archipelago and autonomous community of the Spanish Balearic Islands. It has an extension of 572 square kilometers and an approximate population of 144,659 inhabitants. It is said that Ibiza was already inhabited some 5000 years ago, with archaeological sites proving that the island was occupied as early as 2000 to 1600 BC. The native Talayotic culture has strong nautical roots, and it is possible to date the traditions of the island’s cultures. In the middle of the seventh century BC, the urbanization of the city of Ibiza began. Northern Ibiza became known as Dalt Vila, which was named a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1999. For the Phoenicians, the island was sacred and they named it accordingly: Isla de Bes (Bes is Phoenician for divinity). It could be said that the inhabitants of Ibiza are the heirs of love and peace. It is not surprising that to this day, offerings are made to the goddess Tanit—the Mother goddess and goddess of fertility—in La Cueva de Es Culleram. Ibiza was also an important marine commercial land. The extensive occupation of the island grew its production and wealth until it was recognized by Roman historians for its wool, figs, wines, and salt. Because of its thriving economy, Ibiza was once the target of pirates. Today, it is possible to find remains of defensive fortifications used to deter such plundering, such as the towers and walls of Dalt Vila: the upper city. ACTIVITIES Ibiza has continued to maintain a reputation as being a place of mystical potential and a halo of spirituality. During the sixties and seventies, Ibiza was a hub for the hippie culture. Also, at that time, many young people from the USA and Europe felt the call of their hearts and traveled by the thousands to experience the island. Thus began a tourism boom and the establishment of trendy local cultural experiences. www.facethecurrent.com
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boasts world-class hotels and Airbnb options as well as upscale restaurants. There are so many places to visit in Ibiza including four UNESCO World Heritage sites: Dalt Vila, Posidonia oceánica, Sa Caleta archaeological site, and Puig des Molins Necropolis. DALT VILA: HISTORIC CENTER OF IBIZA Walking the streets of Ibiza is like a unique time-traveling experience where contemporary life meets the beauty of the past. The historical area of the city, also known as Dalt Vila, is a fortification that dates from the sixteenth century and was built by Felipe II to protect the city from relentless pirate and Ottoman attacks. In 1999 it was named a World Heritage Site for being one of the best-preserved fortified bastions in the world. Here you will also find the Cathedral of the Virgen de las Nieves and stunning viewpoints where you can see the coast and the surrounding landscapes. Take a stroll through endless alleys with traditional white houses, shops, terraces, and restaurants.
Ibizan fashion (Ibicencas fashion) is an adlib approach to style and was born in the seventies. It is a mixture of the typical dress of the island’s peasants and regional costumes and is influenced by hippie style. Ibiza Fashion Week was established in 1971 and has gained international recognition. Pure white straw hats, esparto grass shoes, shawls, silk and linen fabrics—these island staples have become inspirations for world-
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class designers. Ibiza also offers popular artisan products including flaon, orelletes, and herbal liqueur. The variety of Ibizan wines available is also a delectable delight. If you’re looking for these local products as well as local crafts and fashion, be sure to visit the vibrant Es Caná and Las Dalias markets. Today Ibiza is an island that offers a variety of options to all visitors and
POSIDONIA OCEANICA: DIVING AND KAYAKING Explore the largest and longest living organism in the world! Posidonia oceanica is a marine plant endemic to the Mediterranean and is not found in any other sea in the world. The seabed of the islands of Ibiza and Formentera are home to the largest living organism in the world— extensive meadows of Posidonia oceanica eight kilometers long and over 100,000 years old. This underwater forest, which stretches from Es Freus (Formentera) to Ses Salines beach (Ibiza), is the habitat of numerous species. It is also responsible for the clarity and turquoise color of the waters of Ibiza and Formentera, making them one of the best places in the Mediterranean to dive.
SA CALETA: ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE Sa Caleta was an old Phoenician town, located near the beach of es Bol Nou, and today it is surrounded by a containment fence and a museum project in progress with no end date. Access is not possible, though photos can be taken from outside. PUIG DES MOLINS: NECROPOLIS What an incredible place! There were numerous large necropolises in the Mediterranean, but many have been lost over the years due to urbanization. The Puig des Molin necropolis is the best preserved and offers an historical glimpse into life on the island. (If you’re looking for other necropolises to visit, check out Ses Païsses de Cala d’Hort! It is between Cala D´hort and Cala
Vedella, and it was a Punic-Roman settlement with two buildings and two necropolises.) Beaches (Calas) If you’re looking for the magic of secret beaches, be sure to visit Es Pujolets and its two small beaches. They are visible from Cala Tarida beach, one of the most popular beaches in Ibiza. For a bit of a jaunt, check out Es Portitxol in the north—it’s one of the best-kept virgin coves on the island! You must park your car near the Isla Blanca urban core and then walk for thirty minutes until you reach the area where the asphalt ends. The path runs through beautiful pine forests and offers wonderful coastline views. When you reach the stone beach, you’ll see traditional fishermen’s huts on the shore. The water actually
looks like a small circular lake with turquoise blue water and it is perfect for diving or snorkeling. (On the return journey, stop in Sant Miquel and visit its famous church—it’s one of the most beautiful in Ibiza!) Cala Tarida, Cala Xarraca can be a base camp to explore the small coves in the surroundings areas such as the wonderful S’Illot des Renclí, about four kilometers from Xarraca. Part sand and part stone, you can also reach the beautiful Es Canaret bay from this beach, which is an ideal spot for diving and boat-anchoring. In the southwest of the island, Cala Llentrisca is another jewel. Encased and hidden between two hills with abundant vegetation, it’s nestled behind fishermen’s huts. Put on your diving goggles and simply enjoy a paradise landscape!
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Not far away, Atlantis “La Pedrera de Cala D’Hort” may be a difficult beach to access, but it is one of the most breathtaking. After a steep descent you’ll find large slabs of polished rock on the shoreline that have formed small natural pools of totally crystalline waters. Atlantis is an ancient quarry that time, hippies, and intriguing local legends have turned into a mythical place. There are small altars, carved figures, and Buddhas or gods of the Hindu cosmogony painted on the walls. Cala Saladeta is a small stone and sand beach that is a little sister to the popular Cala Salada. It is located in the west near Santa Agnés de Corona, and you can swim from Cala
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Salada and along a path between the rocks. If you’re looking for the best views on the island, look no further than La Cala de S’Aigua Blanca! It is traditionally a nudist beach, but dressed visitors are also welcome. (This beach is also famous for clay baths that many people apply as a natural toner.) The Cueva de la Luz is more than just a secret beach, it’s actually a crater at the bottom of a rocky path surrounded by cliffs and crystalclear waters. Only suitable for brave adventurers, you can jump right down to the crater (there are ropes to help descend as well).You can also walk or boat in from the sea, and then dive
under the aquatic gallery to emerge in the center of the cavity; quite an experience! CAVES The island has many cavities and holes of different sizes throughout its landscape, especially on the coastline, that are perfect for use as a parapet in the sun. Some have also been used as houses by hippies and pirates. However, if you are interested in learning more about the underground world of Ibiza, here are the most notable caves to visit: Cova de Es Culleram is located 150 meters above the sea in Sant Vicent de sa Cala and houses the largest sanctuary on the island. Thousands of
people visit to worship the goddess Tanit; a tradition from ancient times that is still being upheld. This is the largest discovered sanctuary in the Mediterranean dedicated to this goddess, and it has three areas: an exterior section where sacrifices were carried out, a central portion where the goddess was located, and a final deep area where the ashes of the consecrations were deposited. On some northern cliffs near San Miguel is Can Marçà. It is open all year and dates back more than 100,000 years. Originated by telluric faults, its entrance is located next to a vista with beautiful views of the sea, and it also has a pleasant bar with a terrace.Visitors can take a
forty-minute tour through waterfalls, streams, small lakes, and stalactite and stalagmite formations to end the visit with a small sound and light show. During the summer months, there are guided tours every half hour in various languages that will allow you to get to know this ancient smuggler’s refuge in more depth. Given its particular location, it is also highly recommended that you take a walk on the nearby cliffs. Sa cova de sa punta des forn is an inclined cave located in Sant Vicent, near the Cova Des Culleram. It is known as the cave of women because female rituals have been performed there for decades, especially on full moon nights. The views are
spectacular and the sunrise from this point of the island is a gift! With a little luck you may also see some dolphins or the spirals in the sea that paint the currents. Both are often visible at this point and are steeped in legend. Cova de sa figuera borda is a cave located near Cala Comte in the Consell de Sant Antoni. With its beauty and uniqueness, it’s no wonder it was the location for pirate hideouts and eternal raves. The sound multiplies, the breeze plays between the hollows of the mountain, whistling and caressing the skin, and the reddish tones of light are reflected in the water and on the rock walls. www.facethecurrent.com
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The mythical Covas des Vedrà are usually visited by people who seek to find a spiritual and different experience. It is likely you will find an empty cave waiting to be inhabited. Even if it is only for one night, you will not regret doing so. It is said that whomever sleeps one night in the caves in front of Es Vedrà experiences an extraordinary vitality, an emotional rebirth, renewed clarity, and an increase in sense and strength. No matter where you’re visiting, watching a majestic Ibizan sunset is like witnessing something out of a fairy dream. It’s an experience that can take you on a romantic journey beyond the horizon. The five best locations for sunset viewing are Cala d’Hort, Es Vedrà Viewpoints, Es Savinar Tower, Cova des Mirador, and Cala Llentrisca. LOCAL CUISINE Like the vast majority of Mediterranean gastronomy, Ibizan food is characterized by its multiple flavors, fragrances, textures, and colors, and it delivers fantasies to the senses. Ibiza has a wonderful selection of local products including organic honey, olive oil, wines, and almonds. When visiting a local restaurant, partake in some island fare to truly experience Ibizan culture. Typical of the island are Sofrit pagès (lamb, chicken, or both), Arròs de matances, Sobrasada eivissenca and Butifarró, Borrida de ratjada (sea ray), Tonyina al´eivissenca (tuna), and Bullit de Peix. In addition, there are El Cuinat, Coca de Pebrera (pepper coca), El Flaò (cheesecake), Les Orelletes, Els Bunyols, and La Greixonera. To drink, try Las Hierbas Ibicencas and any local wine. The local wine called Vi pagés in Catalan is not bottled and is the most traditional drink on the island. In the central town of San Mateo, the annual wine harvest is given to neighbors and strangers, and a popular festive treat is Nadal sauce which is made from local almonds.
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THE FOLLOWING ARE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HEALTHY AND DELICIOUS RESTAURANTS ON THE ISLAND: Number 74 l’atelier offers organic and Ibizan products for healthy Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Eastern recipes. Wild Beets Ibiza is a beautiful restaurant whose dishes are not only delicious, but they’re also true works of visual art. Aiyanna Ibiza serves healthy breakfast and lunch offerings in a beautiful and modern restaurant facing the sea. Eat is Life Ibiza has a different menu every day so that you know the benefits of healthy and diverse food, and they also offer delivery. Musset Saint Gertrude is a must for lovers of healthy cuisine. They offer vegetarian and vegan dishes, as well as an extensive salad menu. Babylon Beach Ibiza has its own garden from which they extract raw ingredients to prepare organic dishes. Finally, Little Ibiza Figueretas is a charming restaurant with sea views that highlights recipes with an Asian influence. WINE TOURISM The adventure begins in the area of Sant Mateu d´Aubarca where the most wine is produced. Begin your tour with the wineries of Sa Cova and Can Maymó. Sa Cova is a gastronomic adventure reserved for lovers of good wine. It has individual or group tastings and is one of the most recognized vineyards on the island. Can Maymó showcases the traditional flavors of the grapes from the Ibizan countryside. This vineyard has commercialized the wine grown from the red and stony earth of Sant Mateu, and it has been crowned as one of the best wines to blend native and foreign grapes. Following San Antoni de Portmany are two additional highly recommended wineries: Can Rich de Buscastell and Totem Wines. Can Rich de Buscastell offers sumptuous wines, authentic virgin olive oil, and various Ibizan herbs (local liquor). Promoters of organic farming, they have obtained a fantastic result with their conscious farming practices. Totem Wines is famous for its Ibizkus, and produces red, rosé, and white wines of exquisite flavor with locally grown grapes. Eleven years old, this vineyard has positioned itself on numerous occasions to be a leader in sales. www.facethecurrent.com
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Finally, Balearic Islands wine is climbing the ranks as one of the best in Spain thanks to the efforts of Ibizan winegrowers, so stop by for a visit and tasting if you’re nearby!
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MYSTERIES OF IBIZA The island of Ibiza has always been wrapped in a certain halo of mysticism and spirituality. Thanks to the mixture of cultures
that have populated its lands, a miscellany of traditions and knowledge has been curated, and many representations, myths, and legends still exist to this day. The islet of Es Vedra is of great relevance and is a characteristic symbol of the island—no tour should be without it! The Es Vedra islet is considered to be an energetic point on the planet and is comparable to the magnitude of large and well-known structures such as the Egyptian pyramids, the Stonehenge megaliths, and the Teotihuacan pyramid in Mexico. Father Francesco Palau is known for his long spiritual retreats on the islet, and it is said that he had contact with beings of high vibration. Father Palau wrote: “The sea was at peace, the air very soft, the sky somewhat covered by a few clouds, the moon in the crescent room...And I saw a shadow coming in front of me...The figure was white as the moonlight...The instant I arrived the heavens opened, and in the radiant light of the sun I saw who it was in front of me. The mountain was filled with the glory of God.” Some
visitors have experienced similar encounters and have seen marine beings such as sirens—lights that others attribute to the presence of extraterrestrial underwater bases. Ibiza also has mysteries that intertwine with the female figure of the Goddess Tanit; an important part of Carthaginian mythology as she was the divinity of the island. It should be noted that many cultures have representations of the goddess
Tanit. For the Phoenicians, it was Astarte; the Sumerians knew her as Inanna; the Akkadians, Assyrians, and Babylonians as Ishtar; and the Israelites as Astarot. Whatever its origin, Tanit’s representation was always love, life, beauty, fertility, death, rebirth, and—until today—offerings were made in her name. The island’s mysteries are many and exciting and clearly are a great gateway for researchers of
extraordinary phenomena. Ibiza is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful, charismatic, and mysterious islands on the planet. It’s a unique destination that you cannot miss, so start planning your next adventure!
ymore info: IG: @rutaancestral
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FtC culture
Engaging in Super Resilience to Maximize Personal Potential:
Finding Success and Happiness with Expert Mentor, Dr. SCOTT MILLS
By Sasha Frate Photography of Dr. Scott Mills by Myron Hensel What if you could be free from the hidden traps that keep you stuck at the edge of your next evolution? What if the key to unlocking your most successful life has been hidden in your head all along? Scott Mills, Ph.D. has been studying and teaching the ways in which humans really work for over twenty-five years, and he uses the findings to help his clients discover their paths to freedom. Specializing in the functionality of the evolved brain, enduring business
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strategies, and the unleashing of creativity to achieve success, Dr. Mills shares his expertise across a breadth of applications to help his clients achieve financial and personal fulfillment and success. In part one of his two-part interview, Face the Current shared a deep discussion with Dr. Scott that revealed insights into super resilience, the Human Evolution System, the expansion of our personal capacity, the concept of a “full body yes�, and the importance of living as an embodied being.
Sasha Frate: You really have a unique area of expertise and background to be able to step forward now and apply it and align with everything that’s going on—it’s really valuable for people to have these tools that you’re providing. I’d love to talk about your approach to the concept of resilience.You said that you apply more of a Buddhist philosophy, and you’ve described super resilience as, “Being able to trust life, to ask for what you want, when you need it, to receive fully, and to give without expectation.” Can you explain this further and the way in which your definition of resilience differs from that of the mainstream? Dr. Scott Mills: I love this question. I’ve been doing this work for years with my private clients, and when
COVID-19 came along, it felt important to get this concept of resilience to more people. Let me first say that this is in the frame of what I call the Human Evolution System, which is a Buddhist Taoist perspective. (For years I studied multiple spiritual traditions along with psychology. I have a PhD in religion and psychology, and I’ve been studying mythology since the fifth grade and looking at the ways in which people make meaning for themselves.) So, how do we make meaning for ourselves and how do we relate to the world? Buddhism and Taoism have been particularly influential to me. Taoism isn’t as well known in the Western world, but it’s a naturebased philosophy that looks at how we move with the way that life moves. I think it really helps make sense of Buddhism, which I feel is
often misinterpreted in the US in terms of engaging with life. So Taoism is a little bit more concrete but has also been heavily influenced by mystic traditions all over the world. (Part of what I love about being alive right now is an accessibility to information that was never available before now. The capacity to jump online and get a book from China or India or Ethiopia that’s written by a local author—we just couldn’t do that before. And, even if it’s in a language that we don’t speak, we now have tools to instantly translate it— pretty amazing.) I’ve combined those influences together to create what I’ve called the Human Evolution System, which really attempts to flip personal development on its head. I just felt like traditional methods didn’t work. Because I had a lot of my own stuff www.facethecurrent.com
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to work out, I spent a lot of time reading self-help and psychology books. I would do the exercises in the books and try to figure it out, but I would just not see anything moving. I even tried therapy when I was in my early twenties and I think therapists are amazing, but again, I didn’t find success. I started listening to Buddhist teachers who were saying things like: “You have the Buddha nature within you.” Even some Christian mystics would say: “You have Christ consciousness within you.” (Matthew Fox is a good example of this work!)
What if I held the belief first and foremost that I wasn’t broken; that I was actually just an okay human being? What if I acknowledged that I was trying to 34
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figure out this crazy world we’re living in while making sense of the puritanical work ethic that we’ve inherited in the Western world that says, “I’m somehow broken. I must fix myself to be right with God.” We really have inherited that and that’s what so much of Western self-help is built on.
been working on understanding how you embrace the wholeness, both of yourself and the person sitting across from you. It changes the whole dynamic of relationships. If you sit down with your partner and you go, “I wonder what’s wrong with them,” you’re going to find it, you’re going to be irritated with them, So, I wondered what would and you’re probably going to happen if I just connected into this disintegrate your relationship. place in myself that knows what it is to be whole. That started to However, if you look across the table, even if things aren’t change everything in the way that I thought about personal perfect, and you say, “Wow, what development. For years now I’ve did I fall in love with? Where’s the
beauty in this person? Where’s the strength? Where’s the resilience?” If I can look at them in that way, all of a sudden, the relationship has somewhere to go and I can build on it. I looked at this concept of embracing wholeness, and then I said, “Okay, but people are still in pain—what is that about?” That’s about what I call “unraveling distortions”, because if we’re not truly broken, there’s nothing to fix. If we play with this notion that we are like a ball of light—like we’re energy—we’re just beautiful wholeness; there’s
nothing we can do to light that can damage it, but we can hide it. I often think about it as if somebody has taken yarn and wrapped it around this ball of light: hiding the light is not a fast or sudden thing. I think it happens little by little starting when you’re a child. Especially my women friends who get told, “Be quiet, be a nice little girl.” We’re seeing so much of this with Black Lives Matters right now; all of the ways in which people of color have been told to, “Sit down, be quiet, be good, don’t raise your voice.” My African American women friends are told: “Don’t be an angry black woman.” SF: Even things that parents might say, or their attributes
that we just attach onto ourselves: “My dad’s like this so I’m like this.” SM: Our parents so often were saying those things to help us be safe, so I don’t put any blame on them. I assume the parents were doing the best they could with what they had. They had their own limitations and they gave us all that they had and sometimes that wasn’t enough. I just hold that frame so that we can be gentle with our parents as well. But what I notice is if we just start unraveling some of those ways that the light has been hidden, it becomes a lot easier. Even just the concept of knowing you could just unravel these—there’s a liberation in that. People start to go, “Wow, this feels good. I’m not a horrible piece of thing that somebody stepped on in the street.” I can be redeemed.
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The last piece of this is expanding our capacity. This is the place where we open up to what’s possible and learn new skills. It’s a fairly easy approach, but also different in terms of the way most of us do our selfwork. It cracks me up because when I work with people, they come to me to do private work and they expect me to say what everybody before had said. Instead, I tell them that I give people assignments to stop working on themselves for thirty days, and it just literally blows people’s minds. They’re like, “What? But then I won’t be getting all this horribleness out of me!” I tell them that there is no horribleness in them. I’d been teaching with Mindvalley and I shared with one of their community groups that I was going to be teaching a class on super resilience. One
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excited man said, “Super resilience equals grit plus determination!” I said, “Oh, that’s beautiful, but that’s not anything of what I do.” Most of us grew up thinking that resilience was the capacity to survive. For me, that’s a pretty limited hope in life, just to hope to make it through. We have got to ask for more than that! I looked at super resilience and said, “Most people think that resilience is about whether or not they can survive on their own. Can I make it through?” That’s a really paltry existence for me and I personally want more, and I want more for my friends and my family and everyone else! I asked myself what it is that we’re really doing, and I think we’re collectively evolving. I talk a lot about
moving beyond personal development and into collective evolution, where we’re able to not only look at what’s going on for ourselves, but also to understand what’s going on for the people around us. People sometimes get upset with me in personal development when I talk about politics, and I respond, “I’m not talking about politics. I’m talking about people.” If somebody is in pain, if my heart touches their heart, then I need to address that. If I ignore that, it’s not so beautiful. If we’re in a collective evolution and we want to move forward and we want to feel better and we want to create space for other people, what does that look like? It came back to this Human Evolution System, which is mostly based on the cycle of breath.
Most people think that resilience is about whether or not they can survive on their own. Can I make it through?” I talk a lot about moving beyond personal development and into collective evolution, where we’re able to not only look at what’s going on for ourselves, but also to understand what’s going on for the people around us.
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COVID-19 has made people aware that an alarm has been going off in their lives for a while, and they’ve been hitting the snooze button. The virus made us realize that there’s something bigger for us and we want to be doing things that are important to us. If we’re listening to ourselves, we know we’re meant for more than what we’ve been living. That’s trusting life.
What if the way I want it to be in relationship to life was to simply be able to trust life and to be able to know that things are going to work out? I’m not saying stop paying your bills and everything will be fine, and life will just carry you along. What I mean is there’s a capacity in me to trust myself and my own inner guidance and my own connection to life that lets me know what so many people around the world are telling me right now: there’s something important for me to be up to and it’s often not what I’m doing. COVID-19 has made people aware that an alarm has been going off in their lives for a while, and they’ve
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In thinking about breath, if we don’t receive breath and are only breathing into the top cavity of our chests, then we can only metabolize so much. We then don’t want to release very much because we’re so afraid to give what little we have.
been hitting the snooze button. They’ve been saying things like, “Well I’m not happy right now, but I’ll be happy next week,” or, “I’ll be engaged in the world next month.” We keep hitting the snooze button! COVID-19 was a global wake-up call in some sense, and a painful, painful one at that. (I keep hoping it finishes its work soon!) The virus made us realize that there’s something bigger for us and we want to be doing things that are important to us. If we’re listening to ourselves, we know we’re meant for more than what we’ve been living. That’s trusting life. We need to simply trust that we’re not here just to pay bills until we die, which has been the consumeristic system we live in. And, to be clear, I’m not against things or buying things, but I’m an advocate for balance so that we’re not over-creating. We should not be gathering all this stuff as a way to hide from pain.
What is required for us to trust life? I need to be able to ask for what I need, when I need it. So many of us have no idea how to do this, particularly in the frame of traditional resilience, because I’m not supposed to have any needs! That’s the basic assumption. If I need anything, I can figure it out myself, so I would never need to ask anybody else. What we’ve needed so much right now is connection and support. So many of us are tired. What if I recognized that my body just needs to move, and what if I needed some connection and I could say to my friend, “I’m just really feeling lonely in this moment. Could we take a walk together?” We need connection; we need movement. It doesn’t cost any money and it creates a space for us to connect. So, the first step is just to notice what you need. SF: I like that concept of hitting the snooze button, and I also www.facethecurrent.com
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see us covering up and stopping our connection. We’re so used to not listening to our intuition because of outside forces or just plugging along and staying in that projectile linear path.This global situation has allowed us to pause what is typically just driving us forward and covering up our intuition, and it’s allowing that space and that time to connect and tune-in a little bit more.That voice is starting to come out for a lot of people, but the reaction can often be, “What do I do with this now?” SM: One of the things I’ve been teaching people for a while is “full body yes”. It’s a very simple concept, but most of us are not even close to engaged in what I would think of as a full body yes. We have our conscious intelligence, which can
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only hold about five to nine pieces of information at a time. When we ask kids what they want in life, we ask them what they want to be when they grow up and how they want to make money. I’m much more interested in the experience of life you want have, and the way we can craft what you do around that. I think of our conscious intelligence as five to nine parking spaces, and right now in the midst of COVID-19, it’s fascinating to me that at least three of those spaces are occupied by the virus in some sense; in some worry. The more we’re stressed and worried, the less our conscious attention we have available. On top of it all, we’re trying to figure out things with all the patterns that have shifted. So, instead of going to the office, now we’re at home, there are kids running around, we’re trying to homeschool
them, and we’re trying to assess if they’re okay! There is so much fear right now for kids, and I think if we deny our own fear, it’s easy to deny the fear of our children. We all have conscious intelligence, but we also have this beautiful thing called intuitive intelligence. This is all the data that our system has been collecting our whole lives, and we know the unconscious mind can process so much more than the conscious intelligence. When we just go with the logic of our head—which is overstrained most of the time— and we’re trying to make a decision, even if we write it on paper and do pluses and minuses, we often make the wrong decision because we’re not listening to ourselves. The plus and the minus might be our mom’s opinion or our dad’s opinion or our culture’s opinion, and so I have
people just identify the pros and cons for themselves. Our bodies will tell us because they’re a great barometer for whether we’re going in the right direction. Stop listening to your head and decide what feels right. SF: Yes, instead of trying to rationalize it. SM: I love that you can sometimes get a “yes” that is so obvious. Of course I need to move my body and go for a run right now! This is where my whole being needs to be. I need comfort, I need to breathe the air, and I need the smell of the trees. There are lots of human elements that we forget like our need to be in nature. Other times you’ll get a “no” when you don’t want to do a certain task because you’re tired and need a rest. And sometimes you’ll get a maybe. When this happens, I always pose the question: “What would
have to happen for the answer to be a ‘yes’?” I have discovered more things just stepping into a larger body of information that you can access. But it’s not to denigrate the head—I’m not somebody who says just lead with your heart and ignore the rest. You can check back in with your head because it’s just a way to gather more information. It’s a simple process that opens people up to connecting into what they really want; into what their hearts are longing for. Part of this Western puritanical ethic is that we can’t be trusted. The notion is that I can’t trust myself because somehow I’m broken, but if we hold onto the idea that we’re whole and we actually lean towards the good of humanity when we listen to ourselves, we realize that what’s good for me is usually good for the rest of humanity,
and we can trust our own inner guidance system. If your guidance system is encouraging you to do something bad, it means that you’re out of alignment with life. It doesn’t mean those are your true desires, it just means you’re unhappy; it’s a way to express it. SF: You’ve got this incredible eight-week course called Evolutionary Prime:The Path to Living in Super Resilience. Can you explain how you are working to retrain one’s brain and what someone might expect to get out of taking the course? SM: This course was not something I planned to teach; it actually came out of people asking me to teach my coaching methods and to explain the tools that I use. I wanted to co-create this experience for them, so I spoke with these healers and coaches and I www.facethecurrent.com
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noticed that they were all looking for tools to fix broken people. However, that’s not how I work.You have to sit with somebody in their wholeness and work to build strength in them and see the strength in them. If you got out of bed this morning, you were braver than you think, because showing up for life is hard.Yes, it can be joyful and it can be lovely, but at the end of the day, it’s hard. We have pain, we have suffering, we have loss, but we also have extraordinary experiences. For instance, I know all of the work that goes into being a parent; all of the ways that you have to show up when you don’t want to show up, the ways that you’re tired, but you keep pushing yourself on behalf of the people you love. So, I know there is resilience in you that already exists, but if I’m choosing to look at you as broken, we’re in trouble. I listened to that and realized that before I can teach people what I do, I have to teach people how I live, and that’s actually how Super Resilience was born. The first piece of Super Resilience is being in a place of safety. At a baseline, we need to hang out with each other in safety. I taught this to clients and healers, but I actually feel like this is something we can do for each other, whether it’s a parent for a child, a partner for another partner, or even between colleagues at work. If we’re able to connect our own safety and run out of our parasympathetic nervous system so that we’re not always looking for danger, all of a sudden the relationship shifts. How do we get our brain just to calm down enough so that we can be present to life and all its possibilities? The Buddhists have slower ways of accomplishing this as compared to some of the neuroscience approaches that we use now. We need to teach our brain new patterns so that it doesn’t have to keep going down the same paths. There are eight components in the Super Resilience course that are states for super resilience, such as safety and support. Acknowledging support is huge! Most of us have no idea that we’re supported all day long, every day of our lives—there are no self-made people. Carl Sagan said, “If you’d like to bake an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe.” This has been one of my guiding principles for years. If we just notice that we’re not alone in life, part of us relaxes. After we relax into our body and our being, we find our baseline. From there we can expand out a little bit to notice things such as our energy. So many of us are running around feeling completely exhausted all of the time and we don’t even notice it. Super Resilience is simply eight states that chain
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together to allow us to have more of an experience of resourcefulness, connection, capacity, and possibility where we can be calmer and realize that we’re not in this alone.
have to flow with the process of deeply trusting life and flowing to the greatest opportunity, strength, and grounded way of living?
SF:There’s so much that I love about your Super Resilience course. One concept that really stands out is this contrast in nature of humanity either fighting or flowing when the world or life feels out of control. We’re currently seeing a lot of this fighting response to global situations: people are becoming stirred up, frustrated, angered, resistant, rebellious, and fearful. Without giving away too much of the course, can you shed more light on this ability that we
SM: My students tease me because I probably say, “Be gentle with yourself” more than any human on the planet. This is really the place I start because we are so hard on ourselves. We’re harder on ourselves than other people, and yet we wonder why life is so hard. Well, it’s because you’re beating up on yourself all the time. The first thing I want people to know in the midst of what’s going on is we’re living through unprecedented times—we’re literally in a trauma bath.You cannot escape. We are so interconnected, and this
is part of what this virus has been showing us. My breath touches your breath and it can move around the planet. In the midst of this, of course there’s fear, because we don’t even know what this enemy looks like. We can’t see it; we don’t know how to stop it. We’re hoping our scientists are able to determine that, and they’re working very hard. Ultimately, we have little control. To cope with this, we all have a default place that we go to, one that we learned as a survival mechanism as kids. For some of us, that’s fight, while it’s fear for others. When we are faced with fear, we just freeze like a frightened animal. (Almost like an animal that can’t see and hopes nobody sees it.) So, what are you going to do? Some of the response may be misdirected fight www.facethecurrent.com
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reaction. For instance, people know their response to fear is to fight, but because they can’t see an enemy to fight, they fight things like wearing a face mask instead (even though every piece of science says wearing a face mask is going to help). SF: I think that the situation has also caused people to feel even more in conflict and frustrated and angered—at least in the United States—and now we’ve got this added element of separatism and disparity and protesting. SM: I was recently at a conference in Las Vegas, and I ended up sitting across the table from a couple.
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They were nice, normal-looking people—whatever that means— but I didn’t feel unsafe with them. We started a conversation and the woman said to me, “We’re probably on opposite sides of the fence.” I thought that was a fascinating way to start a conversation because she was assuming that we had different political perspectives. (She was actually right.) But I said to her, “Look, I’ve traveled all over the world. I have worked with people in every corner that you can imagine, and here’s what I notice: No matter who I talk to or who I’m with, there’s some really similar things that we all want. We all want to be healthy, we all want our kids to be healthy, we all want to be
happy, and we all want to feel good in our lives.” All of these are very simple things and I don’t find them to be very different among humans. So, I said to her, “If I’m finding that more of us are the same than we are different—that you and I are so similar—except maybe in two percent of how we’re relating to the world, I would rather dismantle fences and see if we can just be together.” That was a new approach for me because I’ve lived on opposite sides of the fence and I realized this was uncomfortable and painful. By the end of that weekend, she said, “I feel like you’re a soul brother. I’m so glad to have met you.” This is part of what’s important right now: we
need to realize that we are not on opposite sides of the fence—we’re one collective. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, “We’re part of the inextricable web of life.” This is part of what we’re seeing right now! If your breath affects my breath, we are intimately connected in ways that we have tried to pretend we’re not. We need to connect and ignore the noise. A lot of this cultural dissension is actually flamed by people who want to control us, and I find that to be fascinating. Who are the people who want to aggravate you or poke at wounds so they can motivate something to happen in you that maybe otherwise wouldn’t have? In my time, I used to be able to
sit with people in my family who were Republicans and Democrats, and nobody shouted, nobody left the table, nobody felt like we were betraying a country; we just had differences of opinion. There’s a fabulous book by Frank Brown called One Nation Under God and it’s about this culture-war that we’re in. He fascinatingly said that up until the late seventies, we were actually getting closer and closer together. We were actually finding more and more similarities! It’s basic human compassion. But, because there was so much connection, it became harder to control people. (I don’t say this as a conspiracy theory; you can actually follow the history of this
fairly closely.) SF:Yes, I’ve actually done a lot of research on it during my master’s degree.You can follow a lot of events throughout history that contribute to exactly what you just described. Disparity truly helps the powers that be maintain control. SM: If we were all standing together right now and saying, “We believe that every person—every child— deserves to be healthy.” We can together ask the question, “How do we make that happen?” And we can just sit at a table (six feet apart), or we meet via Zoom, and we just hold the humanity of each other. It’s just www.facethecurrent.com
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the ability to be in your body and connect deeply to its wisdom. Again, I see this as very challenging for people, particularly right now, when the world around us is just pulling us off center on a daily basis. How do you advise people to become an embodied being; to connect with and be in one’s body? And, what is the wisdom that you speak of in this case? SM: Many years ago, I had the opportunity to study with the Aikido Master Wendy Palmer, for her book Conscious Embodiment. Wendy was working with a group of us and she said something to me that I will never forget, and it’s something I’ve carried with me ever since. She said, “Life is always out of balance.” For instance, when you’re walking, you’re literally out of balance; your body weight moves, then you catch yourself, then your body weight moves, and then you catch yourself. She said that the art of mastery is not about never being out of balance, it’s about noticing that we’re always going in and out of balance and being to be able to find that center—that balancepoint quicker—more readily through our lives.
such a different world to live in. I invite people into these types of conversations because I made this commitment to myself to try to consistently see the similarities in people. Now, that doesn’t mean I’m going to ignore the things that I deem to be destructive, but at least I can see the commonalities and
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see the wholeness of people, and try to understand where their fear is playing out. SF: Speaking of being challenged by the disruption of outside noise, let’s talk about what it means to become an embodied being, which you described as
For me, the body is one of the best places to quickly find that center point because our thoughts can be challenging. We have all had thoughts that go something like this: “I just had a bad review at work, which means I may get fired, which means I may never have another job again, because if I have that on my record,
nobody will ever want to hire me. Which means that I will end up under a bridge, shaking a tin cup with a dancing monkey, trying to get people to help me.” Our brains just do this thing called “catastrophizing” where we rehearse all the bad things that happened in the past and then project out in time. One of the things we can do is actually come right back to the body to get into the present moment because our body is always in the present moment. Even if we’re just thinking, we might activate the chemicals for anxiety by thinking of the future, or sadness by thinking of
the past or a trauma we’ve had. But our bodies are literally in this present moment, so acknowledge that. Feel your feet on the floor, feel your butt in the chair, feel your breath going in and out—it’s very easy to remember we are bodies. In Super Resilience, when we remember we’re bodies, we can start to connect to the experience of the body. This might be tension, tiredness, sadness, etc. This is all just the way we experience life, so I don’t actually think there are negative or positive emotions, but on the desirable side
are feelings like ecstasy and delight. We might feel the pleasant breeze on our cheek or the sun on our face, and we can celebrate that. When we’re living in our heads, we’re just thinking, imagining the future, and reliving the past. We rarely get to see what’s going on in the right now. To do this, start by noticing the present.You can do simple things like set a timer to notice what you’re feeling in your body every hour and a half.You can do a very simple scan from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet. Ask yourself:
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When I talk about body wisdom, it’s this notion that your body—your whole system—is able to access more information. So, as you drop into your whole body and you just allow information to arise, that’s the wisdom of the body. The body will tell you. Our emotions show up in the body, so we’re listening to the way in which our whole being responds to the things we want.
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Am I breathing? Do my shoulders feel open? Do they feel tight? Then, ask about the wisdom of the body including our emotions and our physicality. If you’re sitting with a big decision you need to make, start by tuning out other people. Listen to yourself as you breathe, and imagine the different scenarios. Feel when your body is tense and when it’s relaxed. There’s just such an ease in doing this. People think it’s so complicated and difficult to be in our bodies, but it’s not; it’s hard to be present to our current reality. SF:Yes, absolutely. So, what’s the wisdom that is being connected with?
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SM: When I talk about body wisdom, it’s this notion that your body—your whole system—is able to access more information. So, as you drop into your whole body and you just allow information to arise, that’s the wisdom of the body. The body will tell you. Our emotions show up in the body, so we’re listening to the way in which our whole being responds to the things we want. SF: Right, so it’s really this inner knowing. We typically think that wisdom comes from our mind and our ability to think and create these ideas. SM: Yes, when we live only in our
head, it’s very easy to pretend that our actions don’t have physically embodied consequences on other people. SF: Because they’re not connected to this sense of compassion and empathy. SM: Because we’re not connected to any of our experiences. It’s as if we’re watching ourselves live in a movie screen: whatever happens just happens. But, as soon as we step into our body and we feel physically embodied, then all of those other bodies around us become more real, too.
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We’re not connected to any of our experiences. It’s as if we’re watching ourselves live in a movie screen: whatever happens just happens. But, as soon as we step into our body and we feel physically embodied, then all of those other bodies around us become more real, too.
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This is one of the reasons why we have a hard time staying in our bodies, especially those of us who live in the city. If I’m fully embodied, it’s very hard to walk down a street, past homeless people whose bodies have no place to rest. When I’m in the fullness of my being, it’s very hard for me not to recognize other people in pain. This is one of the reasons I think we exit ourselves, because in so many places, it’s hard to know what to do about external circumstances. It just feels so overwhelming, so we’ll just exit the system because it has no answers (as we see it). SF: It’s that feeling of hopelessness, and nobody wants
to connect with that feeling. You want to feel that there is hope; that there are answers and solutions. It is really easy to disconnect and disengage or cover up that feeling. SM: When we do step into our bodies, we realize there are actually more solutions than we ever imagined. Going back to the homelessness issue, it becomes a corporate embodied responsibility that we take care of other human beings, especially when we understand that we are in this inextricable level of life—that that person on the street is deeply connected to us.
When we’re in our bodies, we also connect to the body of the planet. Again, it’s not that hard to pick up trash on the street; it’s not that hard to plant trees. When we’ve looked at a problem and said, “Oh, this is impossible,” it just is because we haven’t had the will or the imagination or even the presence to do something different. Stay tuned for Part Two of this exciting interview in the next issue of Face the Current!
ymore info: www.scottwmills.com www.facethecurrent.com
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FtC music
Bridging Worlds with Rising Appalachia By Chris Assaad During these times of great planetary change and uncertainty, the many ways in which humanity is divided are becoming undeniable and the need for unity, harmony, and synergistic co-creation are evermore apparent. As we collectively lean deeper into this significant moment in history and look for a path forward, an ancient, timeless modality for catalyzing evolution and supporting healing is being rediscovered and renewed. As outdated societal norms, systems, and structures are crumbling—and those in positions of power, once entrusted to lead, are being more highly scrutinized—a new wave of rebel leadership is emerging to support the movement towards a more lifeaffirming, equitable, inclusive, and sustainable future. Enter sisters Leah and Chloe Smith, founders and co-creators of the folk roots band, Rising Appalachia. Both are fierce music medicine women, mystics, singer-songwriters, multi-instrumentalists, word-weavers, dedicated activists, and wayshowers. Each forms one half of the heart-trust of a multi-faceted collaborative endeavor that encompasses a wide range of passions and expressions, and that extends in reach well beyond their impressive independent success as artists. Born of a gentle beginning, fueled by passion and resilience, organically-grown out of a strong blood bond and deep family roots, Rising Appalachia has evolved into a force of nature that encompasses a potent blend of changemaking artistry and relentless real world activism. Bridgers of worlds old and new, visible and invisible, the band has gathered a global family of allies through the unifying force of music, sacred song, and a common cause.
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Photo Credit: Syd Woodward for Come to Life
In this FtC Conscious Artist Feature, we caught up with Chloe Smith of Rising Appalachia and got a deeper insight into the band’s inspiration and personal take on all things music, art, activism, and the current state of affairs in the world. Chloe openly shares about the ways in which this time of “great pause” has informed Rising Appalachia’s direction forward and vision for what’s to come, and the essential ways in which music and art can contribute to the collective process of change and healing that are unfolding. Chloe also sheds some light on the coming to fruition of a lifelong dream collaboration with their “all-time favorite righteous musician/activist/hero/ babe”, Ani DiFranco, who is a featured guest on “Speak Out”—a fiery, anthemic protest song and call-to-action from the new album. The feature also includes a question from our readers and some sage advice for anyone looking to use their voice and express more fully. In the spirited, thought-stirring, artful responses shared, we get a true taste of the creativity, medicine, and experiential wisdom that infuse Rising Appalachia’s music, message, and mission.
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It’s amazing, really, how a seed of an idea or a dream comes to fruition. Sometimes, it’s instant like lightning. Sometimes, it’s a slow wave coming in from way offshore. Either way, in my opinion, prayers and ideas are heard and received and come out when they are ready.
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On their most recently released full-length album, Leylines, Rising Appalachia reveal the fruits of a well-worn path of world travel, adventure, and experience. Their seventh album, the first to be birthed with a producer and to be recorded outside of the South, was captured mostly live and stunningly displays the ripening of Leah and Chloe’s many crafts well-honed on their journey since answering the calling to join creative forces nearly two decades ago. On Leylines, Rising Appalachia seamlessly weave their individual and shared gifts for storytelling, wisdom-filled wordplay and sonic spellbinding, beautifully blending elements of their southern roots and upbringing with the flavours and textures of a global tapestry of influences. The resulting work of art is a rich, deep, cohesive and soulfilling offering that is the perfect companion to those seeking a soundtrack to aid in connecting the dots, both within and without, amidst these times of uncertainty. Indeed, Leylines is much needed medicine for the massive waves of change and kindling for the fires of transformation that are burning strong at this moment in time.
Photo Credit: Syd Woodward for Come to Life www.facethecurrent.com
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New eyes, new vibrancy, and a new focus. This song (“Resilient”) is for everyone, but we dedicate it right now to our black brothers and sisters who are STILL working for equal rights and protection. May they be resilient, safe, protected, joyous, honored, and spared from the violence of the system. May we all take action in the turning of the tides.
Photo Credit: Hemmie Lindholm
Chris Assaad: We are living in a time of immense change, deep collective healing, and rapid transformation. What role do you feel music and art have to play in the process of releasing the old ways that no longer serve humanity and creating a new world? Chloe Smith: Music and art, the way I see it, is a twofold offering. Well it’s a million-fold offering, but I’ll highlight two that feel most prevalent for me. One is a call-to-action, using the beauty and potency of art to inspire movement, deep thinking, and change. Across the globe we have witnessed this power, from the music
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that kept people going in the Civil Rights Movement to the Irish ballads that told the stories of The Troubles. The other offering of music and art is as a breath away from reality, using the vibration of creativity to transcend the times into something brighter, bigger, universal, untouchable. An escape, perhaps. A salve or balm, like a prayer or meditation. We can feel this in the place of levity we reach when dancing, or the trance-like state of repetitive beats or chanting, or even the sense of renewal we get when blasting our favorite song and singing it loud and proud in the car on a road trip. Both of these avenues of collective healing and transformation are real,
important, and interchangeable. CA:Throughout your career, you have shown a fierce dedication to a path of our collective evolution, both with your music and your activism. How has the unfolding of the last few months impacted you personally and as an artist? Has it inspired any new visions of how you wish to contribute or altered the direction of your compass as you look ahead? CS: Indeed, we have always used the stage as a way to gather more than just our own voices…sharing the mic with local nonprofits, speakers,
indigenous leaders, and thinkers within the communities we tour through. Since Covid, everything has changed for so many of us. We have really taken this moment to quiet down, to look inwards, and recalibrate our visions for our art and our personal lives. After pushing our craft to the maximum extent throughout the past five years and living quite extroverted lives, this “great pause” has forced Rising Appalachia to internalize and distill. To catch up with ourselves and our families and our health. To go back in order to go forward. We have been speaking to the fast-paced, unmindful demands of the music industry for years, trying to slow down our tours and carbon offset our travel and take long pauses in between trips to distill what we learned. Although we are not able to perform for a while, we ARE able to strategize and write music and look at our business structure and reach out to folks to build partnerships with. That is the benefit of the times. We have more space and ample time to look closely at both ourselves and our work as artists. Some of that work is vocal and public, and much of it is private and intricate. In the future, we imagine smaller gatherings will be the route to share our work in person. Community centers and smaller listening rooms. Outdoor festivals and farm-to-table dinners and art throw downs. Some of our favorite shows in years past have been small, intentional, landbased gatherings. We look forward to weaving and building those in
the future, with a focus on local community resilience. CA: What are some of the causes that really light a fire in you and that are close to your heart at the moment? CS: Right now, it’s the injustices of race and class and patriarchy. We are collectively witnessing how systematic racism and oppression is built into the very fabric of our
country. This is not a surprise to most of us who have been working on justice initiatives for many years, however the immediacy of action and attention has shifted. I believe art has and will continue to play crucial roles in the rebuilding of communities post Covid and post police reformation and post climate crisis. We need to vote, organize, strategize, reform, educate, meditate, and get our country on a track of healing. It’s a ton of work, but the time is ripe. CA: Who are some of your heroes in life, art, and activism?
Photo Credit: Syd Woodward for Come to Life
CS: Carlton Turner from a nonprofit we are a part of called Alternate Roots. Jane Fonda. Our friends, Climbing Poetree. Winona LaDuke and Lyla June Johnson. Bob Marley and Playing For Change. Our mentor, Paul. Rosemary Gladstar. Xiuhtezcatl. All the youth climate activists, known and unknown. Benazir Bhutto. Bisa Butler, the incredible visual artist. Saul Williams. Aja Black. AOC. Our friend Mark Brand who is a chef and feeds homeless folk. The Obamas. Joanna Macy and Joan Halifax. The Dali Lama. Honestly, this list could go on for fourteen pages. There are so many good people, past and present, who work hard for the breath of the earth and the rights of the people. Let us not forget that and spend too much time paying attention to the ones who misstep. All these voices should be heard and wellknown. CA:You recently released a remix of the song “Resilient” by your long time band member David Brown.You’ve so poignantly described the album version as “a song of resistance and empowerment to that which subdues or moves focus from the center. Resilient is for anyone who needs a reminder of the meaning of that word. Resilient: able to recoil or spring back into shape after bending, stretching, or being compressed. Written to affirm the feminine, affirm the leylines of the sacred, affirm the raucous power of a collective roar into the face of the restrictors and oppressors of the world.” Has this song and its message taken on new meaning www.facethecurrent.com
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sisters, with family by your side and all around you? CS: Of course and absolutely. Leah and I are blood sisters, life partners, and creative cohorts. That is an incredible thing, something we try not to take for granted. It makes the road less lonely as well as keeps the ego humbled in a profession that serves the ego first. We balance and shift our weight between one another and that keeps Rising Appalachia a growing, ever evolving, family-led project. CA: Have either of you ever flirted with the idea of exploring your own artistry outside of Rising Appalachia with a solo project or other collaborations?
to you in light of the current times? CS: I wouldn’t say new meaning, as it’s just as potent to its original message now as when it first released. But I would say new eyes, new vibrancy, and a new focus. This song (“Resilient”) is for everyone, but we dedicate it right now to our black brothers and sisters who are STILL working for equal rights and protection. May they be resilient, safe, protected, joyous, honored, and spared from the violence of the system. May we all take action in the turning of the tides. CA: When you look back at the road you’ve traveled from Rising Appalachia’s humble beginnings busking and playing at farms to now having a global family that has gathered around your music and message, what would you say have been some of the most challenging aspects of the journey? CS: Above and beyond, the most
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challenging part of the journey was the toll that constant travel takes on the body, mind, and soul. We LOVE our work and LOVE sharing music in beautiful spaces, even LOVE to travel and experience the diversity of the world, however the sleeplessness and heavy lifting of touring is not slight. We were growing tired of being in new towns every night, taking all the trains and planes and bus drives, leaving our gardens and partners and families at home. We are looking now for a more meaningful and impactful way to weave our music into global communities. We will re-emerge with our Slow Music Movement. Residencies. Teaching song workshops for a week that culminate in a big community concert. Collaborations with conscious brands. Political work. Permaculture work. Educational work. CA: Has it helped you to persevere and made it just a little sweeter to be co-creating, singing and harmonizing, growing and evolving, and building a thriving career as
CS: Yes! And now more than ever. We are lucky to have countless artists all over the place that we collaborate with and are building with. The entire band, aside from myself, have solo projects that they tend to and water. I focus more these days on writing, some of which ends up in Rising Appalachia and most of which ends up elsewhere. I look forward to stretching that muscle more and more in the years to come. CA: Can you tell us about the journey of a song and your songwriting process as a duo? How have you managed to both weave your creativity, your ideas, and your voices into one creation, one sound, and such a cohesive body of work? CS: Well, they are each unique, like having different children with different things they want to do in this world. Some we “catch” from the ethers. Some we craft from the bottom-up like clay pots. Some are a collaborative throw down from all six band members in a jam session. Some are a nugget of a personal story whispered into the hole of the guitar.
That is what is fun about being an artist: you learn to allow each piece to be what it wants to be… lending your efforts but also somehow getting out of the way. It’s a delicate dance; a beautiful tango.
Sometimes, it’s instant like lightning. Sometimes, it’s a slow wave coming in from way offshore. Either way, in my opinion, prayers and ideas are heard and received and come out when they are ready.
CA: What was it like to collaborate with Ani DiFranco on “Speak Out”? Can you share the story of how that collaboration came about?
CA: A question on behalf of our community selected from submissions from our readers: “What daily practices would you recommend to boost confidence and for people wanting to express their voices and themselves more fully?”
CS: It was about fifteen years in the making. We are huge fans and would leave her love notes and presents at her shows, which she likely never received. Then slowly as we emerged as folk musicians, our circles got smaller and smaller and we had some shared friends. Then we met at our hometown music festival and said hello and she asked us to sing harmony on stage with her. Then we asked if she might sing on our record. It’s amazing, really, how a seed of an idea or a dream comes to fruition.
CS: Sing! Sing in the shower. Sing along with your favorite artists. Start a singing group.Try writing a song, even if it turns out terrible. Flex the muscle that is your voice. Find freedom in opening that part of your body.The sooner the better. Join a songwriting class, even if it terrifies you. CA: If you could send a direct text message to everyone on the
planet, what would it say? CS: Ha! Great question. Dear Michelle Obama: help us. CA: Who are you currently listening to and loving? Any hidden gems that you would like to shine a light on? CS: The impeccable Ibeyi sisters. Lots of Django Rheinhart and Robert Glasper. 4 Tet and Dirtwire. Nils Frahm and The Sudan Archives. The Tufted Titmouses’ and Cardinals that live right outside my window and offer me birdsong every morning. Tara Brach and her immensely helpful meditation podcasts. Beautiful Chorus. The Ganapati meditation. Toumani Diabate, Arouna Diarra, and Tinariwen.
ymore info: www.risingappalachia.com
www.facethecurrent.com Photo Credit: Hemmie Lindholm
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FtC music
Rising Up to the Paper Moon with
Singer-Songwriter Joy Downer By Ainsley Schoppel One of ten children raised in Jamul, California, Joy (Bishop) Downer grew up surrounded by music. Her mother often played the piano and listened to musical soundtracks while her father, a drummer in high
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school, loved to play Beatles songs and listened to classic rock and roll, and country tunes. “We lived in a pink house with blue carpet, perched on the top of a hill with fruit trees and horses, lots of dirt to ride bikes, and a trampoline to get hurt on constantly,” she recalled. Many people in Joy’s community played instruments and sang, and she credits those childhood years with her ingrained love of music.
Photo Credit: John Knipp
In grade school, Joy found ways to intertwine classroom learning with her affinity for and connection to music. She discovered that song writing could be used as a tool to help her learn and recall new topics. “It seemed to be the only way I could retain information,” Joy stated. She even used music and lyrical expression to help make sense of her own feelings. “I would also write about my feelings of depression,” she revealed. “Though I didn’t know what depression was at the time, and with no one to open up to about what I was feeling, music was my only form of therapy.” She continued to write into high school, with her lyrics
and storytelling thematically leaning toward romance. Joy shared one of these early compositions with her then boyfriend who suggested that she try to sell her song to a “real singer” like Britney Spears. (In the following years, this irritating advice became something that Joy was happy to have ignored.) During her senior year of high school, Joy was homeschooled to allow for more time to be devoted to her burgeoning modeling career. As she focussed more of her time on this path, she traveled the world as a model for eight years, working and living in Australia, London, Los
Angeles, and finally New York City. While living in New York in 2008, Joy decided to venture out to San Diego to visit her brother, Jon Bishop, a DJ on the forefront of the Southern California techno scene and a member of the band Crash Encore. Joy met Jon at Capricorn Studios where he was recording with his band, and upon entering, she saw her future husband for the first time. “Inside the live room playing some really beautiful guitar sat Jeffery, my brother’s new best friend,” she recounted. The band played her a new song they’d been working on and Joy immediately heard a melody www.facethecurrent.com
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that intrigued her. Jon and Jeffery encouraged her to record the track, and so it serendipitously happened that Joy marked her first ever studio recording. Joy hadn’t returned to New York City for very long when Jon and Jeffery requested her return to San Diego to further collaborate on the album. The decision to return and dive further into that album became a turning point in Joy’s life, both personally and professionally. When Joy realized she needed to remain in California for the next chapter of her life, Jon suggested she stay with Jeffery. “The joke here
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is that I moved in and never moved out,” Joy mused. The two connected romantically and moved to Los Angeles so Joy could reignite her modeling career while the couple worked on their music in parallel. However, Los Angeles’ high cost of living proved a challenge, and the couple found themselves working multiple jobs just to survive. As a result, their music shifted to the back burner for the next six years. That all changed five years ago. “In 2015 I said, ‘Screw it! I’m quitting all my jobs and spending six months working on music,’” she said, “and I did just that.” Out of that focussed
musical period came Joy’s debut solo EP, Radio Dreamer which she recorded with producer Rob Kolar in 2017. When Rob started touring with his own band, Joy decided to instead work on her debut LP Paper Moon at home with Jeffery. “We’ve had the opportunity to really strengthen and home in on our musical capabilities,” said Joy of working with her husband. Doubling-down on her familial connection to music, Joy felt it was important to include her family members on the album. “I sampled voicemails from both my mom and dad, had my mom play piano, had my brother Jon sing and play guitar at the end, and my sister Jaime played some
Photo Credit: Lilly Keys
harmonium,” she explained. “There’s even a song I started writing at age seventeen that I didn’t ‘sell to a real singer like Britney Spears’ which is the opening track song, ‘A Song You’d Never Want to Hear’.” After three years of writing and recording in her home studio in Los Angeles, Joy Downer released Paper Moon on June fifth and it is a sweeping album displaying ranging inspirations from Broadway musicals to disco and punk rock. Selfdescribed as Alternative Dream Pop, Paper Moon highlights a seamless blend of Joy’s addictive vocal melodies, synths, drum machines,
and guitars in a stunning collection of nine songs. Through the first weekend of the album’s release, Joy donated all proceeds to Black Lives Matter LA, and she continues to reach fans through Refinery29, BBC Radio, FLOOD, UPROXX, The Line of Best Fit, Blackbook, Popular, Apple Music, and Spotify. Joy’s music has been featured as the theme song for the Netflix original Series Spinning Out, and she was also recruited by renowned production duo Superhuman to cover “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” in a Honda television commercial. For Joy, each song in her catalog
captures her current mindset and feelings, and song writing continues to provide her with her own form of restorative therapy. “I wrote most of my songs in a stream-ofconsciousness way,” she explained, “so if I’m asked what they mean, I’m often still trying to figure that out myself. So, I would say, whatever it means to you, that’s what it means.”
ymore info: IG: @joydowner YouTube: Joy Downer Twitter: @joyydowner www.facethecurrent.com
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FtC sports
Eat, Sleep, Shinrin Yoku The Healing Power of Forest Bathing Written by: Eric Bennett for Coalatree Photos by: Eric Bennett While we have been stuck in our houses for the last month—and will be for the foreseeable future—everything that we had taken for granted has become very apparent. We all miss going out with friends, dining in restaurants, perusing through stores and malls, going to the movies, playing at the park, and hitting the gym. As is the unfortunate case, it’s not until things are taken away from us that their value becomes clear. We are now finally getting a chance to see how much time and energy we wasted prior to lockdown, when the world was our oyster and we were free to go anywhere and do anything we pleased.
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For those of us that were fortunate enough to keep our jobs or to have some savings to fall back on, we are mostly suffering from severe boredom. In the grand scheme of life this isn’t such a bad thing, but we have had to find ways to entertain ourselves while we are relegated indoors without our normal workload. But despite all that, what we probably miss the most is being able to go outside and explore nature beyond our backyards. We can feel the call of the great outdoors and its undisturbed, pristine nature far away from the buzzing, flashing, bright, noisy, and busy cities.
In the late seventies, Japan was hit hard with a wave of depression among the working class. Japanese were committing suicide and succumbing to what they named Karoshi—death from overwork—as they could not handle the intense stress and demands of their jobs. This forced the government to begin investing in rigorous research in order to find solutions to this epidemic. They tried various therapies, medications, and experiments to help people reduce stress so they would live longer, healthier, happier lives, despite their intense work environments.
One of the most obvious ways to prevent people from dying of overwork was to instate regulations to reduce the amount of hours citizens were required to work, including the amount of overtime they were allowed to undertake. However, in a world like today, where economy is everything and the grind never really stops, these regulations could only help so much. So, scientists and psychologists began looking for solutions in other places, outside of our cities, where one could feel the uncovered earth beneath their feet and contemplate the world in solitude and silence. www.facethecurrent.com
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Over the last few decades in Japan and other countries all over the globe, countless studies have been conducted to find out how spending time in nature affects the human psyche and physiology, and how much of it still cannot be replaced or replicated by our seemingly advanced and stateof-the-art technology. Korea—which has had similar problems within its working class—has also been at the forefront of these studies. In both countries, they have found such profound and promising results that physicians have gone as far as prescribing nature to patients instead of medication and creating programs and retreats for people to spend time in nature to recover from stress and depression. (This is currently underway in the U.S. as well). It was so successful that they came up with a new, widely used term for this practice: shinrin yoku—forest bathing. Now more than ever, we are very aware that Japan and Korea aren’t the only countries in the world that have to worry about stress and depression from overwork, overexposure to indoor environments, and a lack of outside leisure time to recharge. And, while it may not be as severe in other places, it is safe to say that
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solutions to these issues would greatly benefit all of us around the world. By using an array of different tools and monitors to track heart rate, blood pressure, and neural activity,
scientists have actually been able to measure the different ways that forest bathing affects our physiology. For example, they’ve discovered that just smelling the aroma of pine needles alone effectively reduces
blood pressure, boosts our immune system, and slows down heartrate, all of which reduces stress. Even diffusing pine oil in your home, such as cypress or any kind of fir tree, will replicate these positive effects. But the positive effects of spending time in nature go even further than that. It’s really the only place in which all of our senses can be engaged as we smell our surroundings (the wet earth after rain; decaying leaves; aromatic plants and flowers; crisp, fresh air), hear all of the marvelous sounds (the songs of birds, a babbling brook, cracking branches,
chirping insects, distant avalanches, the exceptional silence), taste the damp air, fresh water, or whatever snacks we have on hand, touch delicate mosses, soft soil, or hard rocks beneath our feet, and see and admire our surroundings as we enjoy the unrivaled scenery without interruption. Studies have shown that these singular experiences lower cortisol levels (a chemical that causes stress and inflammation in our bodies), heart rate, blood pressure, and sympathetic nervous activity (the most primitive parts of our brains,
where our fight or flight responses are triggered). Our minds and bodies both calm down and relax in synchrony as we fully take in our surroundings. By engaging all of our senses, our brains release balanced amounts of dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins: the quartet of chemicals responsible for our happiness. This causes us to “regain equanimity, cognitive clarity, empathy, and hope” (The Nature Fix). And, forest bathing doesn’t strictly apply to simply being in the forest; deserts, mountains, and coastal landscapes also promise us positive results.
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Opposite studies have also been conducted to prove the damage and negative effects that spending too much time in cities, offices, and indoors has on us. When shown pictures of nature, test subjects relaxed; their heart rate and blood pressure dropped and they felt more at ease. When test subjects from another group were shown densely populated cities and tall buildings, it triggered their fight or flight response and cortisol levels raised. Their blood pressure and heartrate also increased in the same manner when they were shown disturbing images of violence and tragedy. Afterwards, when they were shown pictures of nature, their responses subsided, and the adrenaline faded away.
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Studies have also been conducted in hospitals with recovering patients. A group of patients recuperating from the same procedure was divided, and half were put into rooms with windows with a pleasant view while the others were placed in rooms without windows. The patients recovering near a window recovered quicker and were more optimistic, while the patients without an outside view lingered significantly longer in their recovery and were more fatalistic and depressed. Afterwards, they did the same study with new patients, but instead of windows, photographs of nature were hung in half the subjects’ rooms. These results were also more positive for those that were surrounded by pictures of
calming trees and puffy clouds, than for those whose four white walls were barren. It’s become common knowledge that sunlight is also good for us, as studies have shown that a greater number of inhabitants of cloudier places with less sunlight suffer from anxiety and depression. It’s been proven that vitamin D improves our mood and mental health, as well as our immune systems. Sunlight also helps our brains to manage levels of melatonin which makes us more alert during the day and helps us to fall asleep and get a good rest at night. The best place to soak up the sun is in the company of wild nature! Spending time in nature is
undoubtedly good for us; this isn’t surprising, especially for those of us that already have outdoor habits, enjoy camping, and find excitement in the outdoors. And, both its physiological and spiritual benefits extend far beyond what has been shared here. Even still, it is encouraging that these statisticss are materializing in our modern world and the results can be shared in convincing data. Now more than ever, we are learning to appreciate nature. It’s important for your health to get outside each day, feel some sunlight on your skin, breathe fresh air, calm down, and engage all of your senses. What is even more important, however, is to work together to
protect and preserve the little wilderness we still have left. Science and medicine is proving its importance, the extent to which we really depend on it, and the reality that it is impossible to find a substitute or replacement. We are not the only lifeforms that depend on nature, of course, as we share this planet with billions of other living, breathing, feeling, sentient beings. These creatures are now facing habitat displacement and possible extinction at unprecedented rates (150-200 species of plants, insects, birds, and mammals go extinct every day). There is immense value in keeping undisturbed nature intact and enjoying its inherent gifts. We need
to soak it all in while we can, while also working hard to preserve the practice of shinrin yoku for the next generation.
ymore info: www.coalatree.com If you would like to know more about this topic, check out The Nature Fix by Florence Williams, The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben, and The Story of More by Hope Jahren. Eric is a full-time wilderness advocate who portrays the beauty and value of nature through his artwork. His gallery of nature photographs can be seen here, along with additional articles about nature, photography, and life:
www.bennettfilm.com www.facethecurrent.com
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FtC sports
Kilimanjaro Climb and Safari
with Mountain Madness Use Face the Current’s promotional code “mountain” for $500 off to join Mountain Madness on a once in a lifetime climb of Kilimanjaro! This code is also valid for $100 off domestic climbs and $200 off all other international climbs. Valid through June 30, 2021. On this trekking ascent—one of the Seven Summits—you’ll be happily surprised at the quality of the experience every step of the way. Mountain Madness’ less-traveled route requires no technical experience and, as a result of their extended itinerary and logistical strategy honed over thirty-five years, their success and satisfaction rates are consistently high. In fact, more than ninety percent of all Mountain Madness clients successfully summit Kilimanjaro! To accomplish this, you need only be in great physical shape and have the desire to stand atop the “roof of Africa”. Coupled with Mountain Madness’ private camps and game-viewing safaris, you’re sure to have a memorable African adventure.
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Kilimanjaro is the most popular of the seven summits and it is so satisfying to hike a more isolated route in this beautiful mountain landscape without having to share the space with scores of other trekkers on the infamous ‘Coca-Cola route’.
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The Lomosho-Shira Plateau-Western Breach is the best non-technical route on the mountain and was pioneered by Mountain Madness founders Wes Krause and Scott Fischer in 1984. Remote and scenic, this trail and passes through five unique environmental zones from the tropical mountain forests of the lower slopes to the alpine scree of the summit.
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The Lomosho-Shira PlateauWestern Breach is the best nontechnical route on the mountain and was pioneered by Mountain Madness founders Wes Krause and Scott Fischer in 1984. Remote and scenic, this trail and passes through five unique environmental zones from the tropical mountain forests of the lower slopes to the alpine scree of the summit. (Krause eventually moved to Tanzania and has been overseeing Mountain Madness operations on Kilimanjaro since founding the route.) Krause continues to play a key role in the certification and training of Mountain Madness guides and continues to provide outstanding service.
Kilimanjaro is the most popular of the seven summits and it is so satisfying to hike a more isolated route in this beautiful mountain landscape without having to share the space with scores of other trekkers on the infamous “Coca-Cola route”. Your journey will follow an eight-day itinerary on the mountain, which allows for appropriate acclimatization and time to enjoy the expedition experience. The bonus is summit day, which is only a one- to two-hour hike from high camp in the crater. Along the way you’ll appreciate fine mountain dining and comfortable camps. Porters carry your equipment, set up camp, assure your comfort
Photo Credit: David Bates
and provide great companionship on the journey. Mountain Madness also utilizes a private toilet tent for each group to minimize the unsanitary conditions found with the commonly shared public toilets on the mountain. Mountain Madness’ Tanzanian guides are key to this fantastic experience. In addition to being trained Wilderness First Responders (U.S. guide standard for first-aid training), these highly seasoned guides have incredible mountain experience, are multilingual and expert in natural history, environmental conservation, and wildlife. Moreover, their sheer joy of being on the mountain is palpable. They truly love what they do! www.facethecurrent.com
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With Mountain Madness it’s also about the food. Good food. You’ll not just be eating delicious meals; you’ll be having a dining experience. Sitting at a table. In a dining tent. On a volcano. This is not just about getting enough calories to carry you to the summit, it’s about enjoying those calories! The quality and variety of the food is exceptional. All dietary concerns can and will be addressed.
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Photo Credit: David Bates
An overnight stay at Crater Camp before reaching the summit is a Mountain Madness tradition.You’ll wake up to a nice cup of hot tea brought to your tent after a good night’s sleep, with only a short hike to the summit remaining. Remember, while you’re in your sleeping bag, other climbers are leaving their lower campsites at midnight and slogging up the scree slope through the cold and darkness. The short distance to the summit from Crater Camp allows you to get a jump on other climbers, so you can enjoy the sunrise in solitude.
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With Mountain Madness it’s also about the food. Good food.You’ll not just be eating delicious meals; you’ll be having a dining experience. Sitting at a table. In a dining tent. On a volcano. This is not just about getting enough calories to carry you to the summit, it’s about enjoying those calories! The quality and variety of the food is exceptional. All dietary concerns can and will be addressed. If you choose to continue with a safari adventure after your climb, you’ll enjoy private camps far away from the busy lodges. Mountain Madness is one of the few companies
allowed to have private luxury safari camps in protected areas. They take great pride in these accommodations. Each A-frame styled canvas tent is equipped with two hand-carved wooden beds with comfortable mattress, a dresser and nightstand, and a front porch with a canopy and lounging chairs for relaxation. Only available to those in your group, they avoid the hustle and bustle of lodge-based safaris. By day you’ll have the opportunity to experience the beautiful landscape and wildlife of Tanzania with highly knowledgeable Tanzanian driver/guides. In the
Photo Credit: David Bates
evening, you’ll enjoy exquisite food and relax with a glass of wine as you listen to the wild sounds of Africa under a star-studded sky. Mountain Madness travels in customized Land Cruisers that ensure everyone has a spectacular view of the landscape and wildlife while riding in comfort. You’ll encounter the diverse aquatic ecosystems in Lake Manyara, and the opportunity to see rhinoceros, zebra, elephants, lions, and wildebeests in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and in Serengeti National Park. In addition to your game viewing you’ll have a wonderful visit in the
small village of long time Mountain Madness’ Maasai friend Olé Dorop and his family. Your trip of a lifetime is only possible because of the experience, hard work and knowledge of the amazing Tanzanian staff. Mountain Madness offers rare career level work with commensurate wages, modern equipment and continuing education. During the low season in the spring and fall, they provide training programs in first aid, high altitude physiology, mountain rescue to their mountain leaders and additional
courses to their cooks, drivers, and porters. Mountain Madness feels it’s important to make available opportunities for personal growth and career advancement. Mountain Madness has also joined forces with the Himalayan Explorer’s Connection (HEC) Porter Project. This project has developed guidelines for the proper treatment of porters, ensuring porters have appropriate gear, food, shelter, water, and access to medical care, among many other things. The HEC Porter Project also educates tourists on porter treatment and encourages the reporting of abuse. www.facethecurrent.com
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Over twenty porters a day attend the classes that are offered free of charge through the HEC Porter Project. Mountain Madness is proud to be involved with such an important program. As an environmentally conscious adventurer, you’ll most likely be concerned about the environmental impact of your journey. The fragile tropical alpine environment of Kilimanjaro receives up to 27,000 visitors per year and hauling trash off the mountain is costly as it requires the hiring of additional porters. Instead of incurring that extra expense, many expedition companies
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Photo Credit: David Bates
simply leave their trash behind. Now the Tanzanian National Park Service requires all climbing operators to haul away their own trash, and to guarantee compliance, the Park Service weighs the trash when a trip leaves the exit gates of the mountain. Also, until recently, many cooks and porters collected their cooking fuel from the mountain forest because their cut-rate operators would not purchase stoves and kerosene or hire the porters required to carry them. In 1999, to help end the plunder of the mountain’s forests, all companies were required to provide kerosenefueled stoves on climbs. Mountain Madness not only complies with local
regulations, they have been hauling trash off the mountain and providing porters with kerosene stoves since they started trips to Kilimanjaro in 1984. Diversity makes the world a better place. Mountain Madness has put a lot of thought and effort into creating meaningful cultural interactions that are a valuable experience and positive for everyone. We have long relationships, spanning decades with indigenous groups that provide a genuine window into the daily lives of the people of Tanzania. Meals are shared, songs are sung, dances are danced, and stories are told.
Photo Credit: David Bates
Mountain Madness also hires local guides from the village areas they visit which is an important source of income for the villagers. Because many Mountain Madness visitors are interested in contributing to the welfare of Tanzania, they have identified and developed some important projects to which clients can contribute and visit. All of these projects are grass roots and ongoing, and their current project supports a rural village school with over 600 students near the city of Arusha. Mountain Madness has delivered school supplies, books, laptops, and sports gear, and has an ongoing commitment to support this small school. Kilimanjaro. Respect the Earth, treasure the climb, and make your summit dreams a reality with Mountain Madness. What are you waiting for? Use promo code “mountain� and book your trip today!
ymore info: www.mountainmadness.com Photo Credit: Mountain Madness Collection www.facethecurrent.com
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Benefits of Ashtanga Yoga By Scarlet Baker The benefits of Ashtanga Yoga are significant to the mind, body, and spirit. When it comes to incorporating an allencompassing exercise into your life, Ashtanga offers benefits to all aspects, both in and outside of the studio or classroom. Ashtanga Yoga is a traditional method of yoga with its roots going back thousands of years. It was internationally popularized in the twentieth century by yoga teacher K. Pattabhi Jois. Its longstanding relevance in the world of yoga has proved its ability to connect us with a world far beyond our own while still offering applicable modern uses.
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IMPORTANCE OF ASHTANGA YOGA By incorporating a substantial list of challenging postures with a strong flow of breathing and a deep focus on meditation, you can build positive influences into all aspects of your life. The traditional practice of Ashtanga Yoga is a daily ritual and this makes it more than just a yoga class—it’s truly a lifestyle. With such an emphasis on consistent practice you will quickly notice improvements. Soon those challenging poses will become second nature and your body will build up the physical and mental strength needed to practice each day. PHYSICAL BENEFITS OF ASHTANGA YOGA Ashtanga postures can offer great physical benefits by engaging all areas of your body. Improving flexibility and building muscle are just the start: by incorporating a strong breathing flow into your practice, you are also improving cardiovascular strength and lowering your blood pressure. An Ashtanga course can be demanding. While this might be intimidating at first, it can be highly rewarding once you familiarize yourself with the routine. Building muscle will probably be the first benefit you notice from Ashtanga Yoga, as many of the asana feature challenging positions utilizing arm strength to maintain balance. These poses put an emphasis on your upper body strength as well as your core, as they must be engaged when holding these positions. Improved flexibility is another wonderful benefit. By putting your body into these strenuous positions, you are also pushing your body to stretch in new ways.Yoga pushes the body’s flexibility, but Ashtanga is particularly challenging. With each class offering a physically demanding www.facethecurrent.com
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session at least a few times a week, you will notice your flexibility improve in a matter of weeks. If you are someone who has always felt their flexibility was lacking, Ashtanga Yoga might be the most efficient and healthy way to achieve improvements. Breathing plays a central role in yoga—it is the connector between the physical and mental actions being performed in a session. Having a consistent breathing flow gives you a centering point when it comes to meditation, but it also fuels your body with the oxygen needed to perform each posture. During a session, your lungs are constantly working to provide a consistent breathing flow, and this is what makes yoga such a great cardiovascular exercise. By developing a strong breathing technique, you are training your body to efficiently pump blood to all extremities. This has many health benefits such as improving
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your heart’s function, strengthening blood vessels, and lowering blood pressure. These are critical elements of our health that we might not consider unless our doctor has already addressed them as needing improvement. Incorporating yoga into your everyday life is a great way to preemptively improve and maintatin your health. MENTAL BENEFITS OF ASHTANGA YOGA It might not be as easy to notice improvements with your mental strength, but this is another fantastic benefit of Ashtanga Yoga. Once you have learned the sequence of postures utilized in your Ashtanga class and have determined how your body feels in each pose, you can start to focus on the mental aspects of the practice. This is when you truly start to look inward and reap the mental
benefits. As you set out to begin an Ashtanga Yoga class, know that you will require mental fortitude. The patience, attention, and determination developed in the classroom will help you improve your Ashtanga practice, but they can also help improve aspects of your everyday life. Meditation is the act of stilling the mind. By removing yourself from the external forces present around you, you can focus on yourself. Through meditations you can build many great mental skills, from managing stress and anxiety to developing decision-making capabilities. The way in which we typically rush through our busy lives does not allow for dedicated time to reflect and focus on ourselves. Ashtanga Yoga is a great place for you to incorporate some time for reflection into your life; a place where reflection is not only allowed but encouraged.
Stress and anxiety are forces that influence our lives more than we realize. If you let stress and anxiety overcome your life, they can have a lasting influence on your mental and physical health. Whether they inhibit your ability to operate within your own life or they negatively reflect on those around you, the relationship we have with stress and anxiety is something we should spend more time understanding. Meditation in Ashtanga is wonderful for reinforcing those reflective skills that can be wielded in other areas of life. While in the classroom, you won’t be challenged with any immediate problems other than achieving each posture. Take this time to practice building mental patience and
understanding what you need to do to achieve the goal before you. This way, when you are outside of class and are challenged with a difficult situation, you can apply those same mental skills and navigate them with composure. Being able to minimize stress and anxiety can help clear your mind of negative influences, making way for constructive thought processes. This is when you can develop positive skills like focus, creativity, and improved decision-making. By removing external distractions, you are free to focus on accomplishing the challenge at hand. Whether it’s completing a project, coming up with new ideas, or making a difficult decision, Ashtanga can be the physical
practice that helps improve mental aspects of life as well. (And, we can all find uses for a more efficient mental state in our personal and professional lives!) Whatever your reason for undertaking an Ashtanga Yoga practice, you will most assuredly achieve physical improvements and mental growth. By strengthening the body and mind, you may also find a deeper spiritual connection to that which you hold in life’s golden light. Namaste.
ymore info: www.yoganowchicago.com www.facethecurrent.com
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FtC health
Avocado Green Mattress: Improving Personal
and Planetary Health in One Fell Snooze By Ainsley Schoppel Photography: Avocado Green Mattress Sleep. Babies do it intermittently, teenagers do it a lot, and the rest of us take what we can get in our busy lives. In fact, the average person sleeps for eight hours a day, which means that we all spend one third of our lives asleep. Let that sink in. We spend one third of our lives sleeping in our beds. Our mattresses are supposed to support us, comfort us, and leave us feeling restored after a night’s rest. Just like the contents of a nourishing meal, the components of our mattresses should support our health. But, on what are we sleeping exactly?
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Traditional mattresses release minute amounts of gaseous chemicals known as volatile organic compounds or VOCs. These mainly emit from the polyurethane in the mattress, but they have also been found to come from chemicals used in mattress flame retardants as well as plastic components. VOCs have negative health impacts including eye, nose, and throat irritation, headaches, and even organ damage. On the extreme end, some VOCs such as formaldehyde and acetaldehyde have been associated with an increased risk of cancer.
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Traditional mattresses release minute amounts of gaseous chemicals known as volatile organic compounds or VOCs. These mainly emit from the polyurethane in the mattress, but they have also been found to come from chemicals used in mattress flame retardants as well as plastic components.VOCs have negative health impacts including eye, nose, and throat irritation, headaches, and even organ damage. On the extreme end, some VOCs such as formaldehyde and acetaldehyde have been associated with an increased risk of cancer. This all sounds more than a little worrisome, but rest easy knowing Avocado Green Mattress has a comfortable solution.
Jeff, one of the company’s founders, was searching for an affordable non-toxic mattress and came up empty-handed. During his thorough research, he discovered frustrating greenwashing and a disturbing lack of transparency that is still a massive problem in the industry today. Since he couldn’t find what he was looking for, he set out to make it instead. Founded in 2016 by four friends with only $40,000 in Hoboken, New Jersey, Avocado Mattress was born and became an industry-shifting idea that remains private to this day. Last year, Avocado became the first mattress company to become Climate Neutral Certified, and this year they officially became carbon negative and a certified B
Corporation. By partnering with Bonneville Environmental Foundation, Avocado pays to remove carbon from the atmosphere and prevents greenhouse gases from landing there in the first place by financing forest conservation and clean energy initiatives. Avocado Green Mattress also boasts the highest rated mattresses by Consumer Reports for 2018, 2019, and 2020, proving that they can manufacture organic and natural mattresses and sleep products while maintaining environmentally conscious, ethical, and sustainable business practices across their entire supply chain. Demonstrating that “farm-to-table” doesn’t only apply to the food production and restaurant industries, www.facethecurrent.com
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Avocado is also showing the world that mattresses can be manufactured in a farm-to-bedroom manner. To start, Avocado raises 180,000 sheep that freely wander throughout 40,000 hectares that are companymanaged in the Himachal Pradesh region of northern India. This sustainably harvested wool is used in Avocado’s Green Mattresses, Luxury Crib Mattresses, Organic Crib Mattresses, and toppers. It is soft, breathable, and one of the world’s best thermoregulating natural fibers. From the fields, the wool travels to Avocado’s co-owned GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) organic certified wool factory along the white-water Sutlej River in Rampur. This facility is a vital enterprise
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in the community and employs many women who were victims of domestic violence. Their jobs within the wool factory help to bolster their independence and provide them with a safe and reliable source of income. It’s here that the raw wool is naturally cleaned, carded, and combed, and the resulting product is some of the highest quality organic wool in the world. In addition to wool, another key component of Avocado mattresses is latex. The best and most comfortable mattresses in the world are made with organic, 100% natural latex rubber. No other material is comparable in terms of comfort, resiliency, elasticity, breathability, motion isolating capabilities, durability
and longevity, support, and even biodegradability. Latex truly provides a support layer with incomparable comfort. Two thousand miles south of Avocado’s wool factory lies the lush and diverse region of Kochi. Avocado co-owns the Avocado Organic Latex processing facility and manages more than 4,000 acres of FSC and USDA certified organic latex farms. The FSC certification ensures that ten governing principles and fifty-seven criteria for sustainable use, conservation, restoration, and respect for all are adhered to. Within these plantations, rubber trees (Hevea Brasiliensis) can be found in rows by the thousands, and farmers harvest pure rubber
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Demonstrating that “farm-to-table” doesn’t only apply to the food production and restaurant industries, Avocado is also showing the world that mattresses can be manufactured in a farm-tobedroom manner. To start, Avocado raises 180,000 sheep that freely wander throughout 40,000 hectares that are companymanaged in the Himachal Pradesh region of northern India. This sustainably harvested wool is used in Avocado’s Green Mattresses, Luxury Crib Mattresses, Organic Crib Mattresses, and toppers. It is soft, breathable, and one of the world’s best thermoregulating natural fibers.
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sap that will later be used to make the latex foam cores in Avocado mattresses and toppers. Once this 100% GOLS (Global Organic Latex Standard) organic latex is collected, it is then sent to Avocado’s jointly owned processing facility in Kerala. By eliminating the middlemen in this supply chain, Avocado is able to skirt costly markup scenarios and provide transparency and traceability to its customers. When the latex sap arrives at the processing facility, it is then whipped into a froth, poured
into molds, covered, and steam baked. The end result is a clean and environmentally friendly material that is durable, safe, and supportive. Although organic latex may look the same as natural, blended, or synthetic latex, it is not. Only organic latex is truly safe for farmers, for their families, for you, and for the planet. Currently, no other mattress brands follow this approach of sourcing and processing organic, ethical, sustainable, and responsible
components that are grown and harvested without persistent pesticides and herbicides. Once the wool, latex, and organic cotton arrive at Avocado’s factory in Los Angeles, they are cut and handsewn into a selection of products before passing a stringent quality control inspection to ensure the most premium of end products. It is only then that Avocado’s mattresses and toppers are shipped to customers, completing the farm, www.facethecurrent.com
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to factory, to home journey. It’s a journey of which Avocado is proud and one with which its customers can rest easy—and comfortably. “Going green” has become somewhat of a ubiquitous term, loosely claimed and held aloft by companies to attract conscious consumers to their products or services. But what does it actually mean to “go green” in the world of mattresses? Why does it matter so much? Well, the answer is unsurprisingly multidimensional. Did you know that according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air can be five times more polluted than outdoor air? Multiple studies have shown that chemically treated materials commonly used in our manufacturing and building processes negatively impact human health. Through off-gassing, abrasion, leaching, and oxidation, these materials release toxic chemicals into our home and work environments that contaminate our air, water, food supplies, and surrounding natural environment. Since we spend an average of ninety percent of our time indoors working, learning, playing, and sleeping, this should be concerning. And, since mattresses are large items that often appear in more than one room in the home, swapping traditional mattresses for organic options is an easy way to clear the air and decrease health risks. Avocado Green Mattress contains no toxic flame retardants of any kind. That means there are no toxic chemicals, no rayon, no fiberglass fibers, and no boric acid or other hidden chemical treatments. This has earned them the Made Safe Non-Toxic certification, which makes Avocado one of only three mattress brands in the entire world to meet this safety standard. Also, the layers of an Avocado mattress are not glued together, they are tufted together by hand using long steel tufting needles, cotton straps, and rosettes. Because of this method of securing the layers, Avocado does not use any solventbased or water-based chemical adhesives. (Don’t be fooled by brands touting their water-based adhesives—they off-gas just like solvent-based adhesives!) Speaking of chemicals, Avocado does not use any polyester because it does not stretch, absorb sweat, or breathe, and it’s treated with thousands of toxic chemicals during production.
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As a result of their stringent dedication to organic manufacturing, Avocado has been Greenguard Gold certified which means their products have been scientifically tested to meet the most rigorous emission standards for chemical exposure and pollutants. Few mattresses and pillows on the market today qualify for this standard. So, Avocado mattresses are clearly the greener and healthier option in terms of sleep and general health, but can green also be comfortable? The resounding answer is,YES! Using an ergonomic innerspring support system made up of 1,414 individually wrapped springs made from recycled steel, Avocado mattresses contour to the curves of each body and provide spinal alignment and relief at all pressure-points. Proven through
independent lab tests, Avocado mattresses were found to lose only one percent of their height after ten years of hard usage! Perhaps most impressively, Avocado mattresses will biodegrade at the end of their lives and the steel springs can be recycled, which means you won’t find Avocado mattresses piling up in landfills for generations to come. And, with a twenty-five-year warranty which includes the ability to return your mattress for the full replacement value plus shipping expenses within the first ten years, there is nothing holding you back from making a change and trying the green-sleeping life for yourself. (Their sleep trial lasts a full year, so if you’re not happy with your mattress within that time, Avocado will fully refund your purchase and arrange for donation or recycling of your mattress.)
If you want to ensure your entire sleep environment is healthy, safe, and beautiful, Avocado also offers pillows and protectors, mattress pads, crib pads, sheets, throws, face masks, bed frames, dressers, and end tables. For Avocado Green Mattress, it’s about more than a healthy green sleep—it’s about a healthy green planet. After all, we may be tucked into our own beds, but we’re all sleeping under the same great night sky. Sweet (and green) dreams!
ymore info: www.avocadogreenmattress.com IG: @avocadomattress FB: @avocadomattress www.facethecurrent.com
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The Importance of Our Microbiome on
Immune Response to Viruses Could They Actually Make Us Healthier? By Dr. Jim Bentz The wave of fear in reaction to Covid-19 has disrupted all of our lives in so many ways, and the question we should be asking ourselves is whether or not our collective reaction to this virus is justified. To evaluate this, I’m going to discuss the facts about the microbial world of viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi, and
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the ways in which our microbiome can have a huge effect on the strength of our immune system and overall health. Viruses are the smallest known biological particle (the tiniest are only twenty nanometers in diameter). However, they are not biological organisms so they are not classified in any kingdom of
living things. They do not have any organelles and they cannot respire or perform metabolic functions, and they can’t reproduce on their own. This means viruses are not living organisms. So, what are they? A virus is basically a packet of information in the form of DNA or RNA—the building blocks of genes and life.
Scientists studying genes and proteins found that viruses are ancient, but they were not the first form of life. In fact, research suggests viruses and bacteria share a common ancestor: a fully functioning, self-replicating cell that lived around 3.4 billion years ago, shortly after life first emerged on the planet. From this cell, bacteria have evolved in the direction of increasing complexity, while viruses have gradually shed unneeded genes until they were no longer able to reproduce on their own. Today, it’s tempting to think of viruses as mere pests. But, “They
are not agents of destruction,” says Gustavo Caetano-Anolles of the University of Illinois. “Life on Earth would look very different without our viral co-inhabitants.” James Shapiro, a University of Chicago microbiologist notes that “we wouldn’t be here without them”. For example, researchers speculate that more than 100 million years ago a viral infection in a primitive mammal uploaded a gene that helped the placenta evolve. Syncytin is a protein that viruses use to fuse cells together in order to hop from one host cell to the next. In mammals, it fuses
placenta cells with the uterus and allows the fetus to draw nutrients from its mother. Humans co-evolved over millions of years with viruses, and current science tells us that they provide critical updates to our system in much the same way that our cell phones update on a regular basis to improve function. It’s interesting to note that when the human genetic code was mapped in 2003, researchers found that nine percent of our genetic material was from RNA or retroviruses: the same type of virus as Covid-19.
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Today, it’s tempting to think of viruses as mere pests. But, “They are not agents of destruction,” says Gustavo CaetanoAnolles of the University of Illinois. “Life on Earth would look very different without our viral coinhabitants.” James Shapiro, a University of Chicago microbiologist notes that “we wouldn’t be here without them”. For example, researchers speculate that more than 100 million years ago a viral infection in a primitive mammal uploaded a gene that helped the placenta evolve.
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For a more in depth discussion of viruses and the ways in which they affect human biology, I recommend watching Dr. Zach Bush’s presentation on The Microbiome Movement. Dr. Bush is a triple board certified M.D., and provides deep insight as to the truth about viruses, as well as the world of microbes including bacteria, parasites, and fungi, and the ways in which they play a vital role in our health as part of our microbiome. Our microbiome is the totality of all the viruses, bacteria, parasites,
and fungi living not only in our gut, but on our skin, in our mouth, nose, sinuses, and yes, even in our brain. The importance of the microbiome to our health is now indisputable, and researchers are finding new insights into the connection between our health and these microbes almost daily. Not only is the health of our microbiome directly related to our immune health, but it’s also critical to our digestive, brain, and skin health. A healthy microbiome contains many different viruses
called bacteriophages, which keep pathogenic bacteria in check. Our microbiome makes many important vitamins for us, and it impacts our energy by exchanging information with our mitochondria, the powerhouses of our cells. There is continual swapping of genetic information between our microbiome, our mitochondria and our genes. (For more on the importance of mitochondria and our health, see my article “The Secret to Health, Wellness and Aging”.)
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Humans co-evolved over millions of years with viruses, and current science tells us that they provide critical updates to our system in much the same way that our cell phones update on a regular basis to improve function. It’s interesting to note that when the human genetic code was mapped in 2003, researchers found that nine percent of our genetic material was from RNA or retroviruses: the same type of virus as Covid-19.
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All scientific evidence points to how important viruses, bacteria, and fungi are to our health. They keep our systems up to date with what is happening in the external environment. If viruses and microbes are so crucial to our health, I’m sure you’re wondering why they can also make us sick and even kill us. This question goes back to the condition of our microbiome. The health of our microbiome plays a significant role in the ability of our immune
system to appropriately respond to viruses and other microbes. In the few remaining hunter-gatherer cultures on Earth, researchers have found a very diverse microbiome averaging over 30,000 different species. In many developed societies, microbiome species number 10,000 or less. There appears to be a direct correlation between the number and types of species in our microbiome and our overall health.
Our microbiomes have been decimated by the overuse of antibiotics not just from overprescription, but more importantly from the use of antibiotics in our food production. Animals are fed huge amounts of antibiotics because they accelerate growth, and also because they’re necessary to maintain health in overcrowded factory farms. Food crops worldwide are also sprayed with millions of tons of glyphosate (Round-Up), which is a potent
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Our microbiome is the totality of all the viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi living not only in our gut, but on our skin, in our mouth, nose, sinuses, and yes, even in our brain. The importance of the microbiome to our health is now indisputable, and researchers are finding new insights into the connection between our health and these microbes almost daily. Not only is the health of our microbiome directly related to our immune health, but it’s also critical to our digestive, brain, and skin health.
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Our microbiomes have been decimated by the overuse of antibiotics not just from overprescription, but more importantly from the use of antibiotics in our food production. Animals are fed huge amounts of antibiotics because they accelerate growth, and also because they’re necessary to maintain health in overcrowded factory farms. Food crops worldwide are also sprayed with millions of tons of glyphosate (Round-Up), which is a potent herbicide and antibiotic. Over-consumption of processed foods also has a huge negative impact on our microbiome.
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herbicide and antibiotic. Overconsumption of processed foods also has a huge negative impact on our microbiome. These facts directly correlate with the outcomes we are seeing in the current pandemic. The highest death tolls are among those populations with compromised health from smoking, obesity, and diabetes, namely the aged and immune compromised. Dr. Bush has shown a direct correlation between death rates and those parts of the world with the heaviest glyphosate use. Several
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medical experts have made the point that the virus itself isn’t what’s killing people, but rather the overreaction of the immune system (called a cytokine storm) is to blame. Fundamentally, if you are unhealthy you are not able to properly update the information from the virus and mount an appropriate immune response. To optimize our health, we should be focusing on our microbiome health in addition to distancing and proper hygiene practices. Here’s what you can do:
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Eat organic whole foods, especially high fiber root vegetables like carrots, radishes, and sweet potatoes
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Eat more fermented foods such as homemade sauerkraut (Bubbie’s is my favorite) and kimchi
Avoid factory raised chicken, pork, and beef. (See this resource guide for better choices.) Use Dr. Bush’s Ion-Biome daily to promote gut health.
While people’s fear of viruses is understandable, I believe it’s important to acknowledge and understand the positive role they can have on our overall health as well. Perhaps we can even replace fear with a healthy respect for viruses as we appreciate the way in which they interact with our microbiome. My hope is that this understanding will empower you to take more control over your health.
ymore info: www.facebook.com/drjimbentz www.fidalgoislandhealthcenter.com www.facethecurrent.com
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