Food Table Celebration Delicious Party Meal Concept
One of the first questions I had for Carlos Castaneda was about food. He placed so much emphasis on wellbeing, on gathering one’s energy, and on being vital, that I was wondering what type of diet he followed.
“What shall I eat to stay vital?” I asked him during one of the many lunches we had together at that time. His answer was unexpected. “The question first is, what is eating you?” he said with a smile in his eyes.
What was eating me, at that time, were negative thinking patterns, heavy moods, fear and anger.
The awareness that question brought was a source of inspiration to me, and marked the beginning of a search into how to nourish my body and spirit. Through my apprenticeship with Castaneda, I realized how important food is. Every time he would see me tired or moody, he would ask me: “What did you eat?” Or “Have you had lunch yet?” or “Lets go and eat something.”
Food and the practice of movements were and are key components in my gathering enough energy to tackle deeper issues, heal, and revamp my energy.
Carlos Castaneda was super disciplined about food during my association with him. He took no stimulants of any kind—drank no alcohol and didn’t eat sugar, salt or bread. And even though he enjoyed eating outside, he would suggest that we cook our own food. Actually, he also worked closely only with those who cooked their own food.
I followed Castaneda’s suggestions 100%. My mood swings improved, I got stronger and slimmer and I felt more grounded. I learned to cook my food, and watch for moments when I would eat out of emotional compulsion.
In the last two years of his life, Castaneda shifted his diet and avoided eating meats and animal products. That further inspired me to continue to learn, research and study the effects of different foods and how they influence my emotions and my ability to be in my heart.
Spirituality, and our ability to feel connected to higher forces, is also related to what we eat.
For this reason, Miles and I created a series of Nutrition classes that we’ve named Feed Your Body + Soul. The class series feature guest professionals who specialize in topics such as spirituality, food and addiction and emotional eating, and it include cooking classes! We teach you what we learned with Castaneda and what we’ve learned through cooking and experience with food throughout the years.
I can hear those words coming out of my mouth as if I’d said them yesterday. It was actually in 1995 when I spoke those very words to my teacher Carlos Castaneda when he suggested taking “power naps.” He had watched me yawning in the middle of his lectures more than once. I couldn’t help it. I was in my twenties, studying hard in college, and I felt tired most of the day. I tried so hard to be “alert” during the lectures, only to be told by Castaneda, mockingly , that my eyes were coming out of my eyeballs. “Take a power nap before coming to class tonight,” he said to me as he waved me goodbye on afternoon, after we’d had lunch at Versailles, his favorite local Cuban restaurant.
The meal was light and healthy, and so didn’t dampen my overriding desire to continue to be an A student enough to get me to lay down. I went home and kept typing a paper I needed to turn in for my English 101 class at West LA College.
My cortisol levels were still high 45 minutes before class time when I decided to try the “power nap” recipe. I couldn’t face Castaneda in class if I hadn’t at least given it a try.
“Lay on your belly, face turned to the left, feet hanging out of bed. Breathe in and out,” he’d instructed me. Simple. Easy. “What the hell, I have nothing to loose,” I thought. Except that I fell deeply asleep. My roommate woke me up. “We need to leave now to get to class on time.”
As we drove towards Santa Monica Yoga studio where Castaneda taught his classes, I felt an ease in my body. I was still a bit drowsy, but at ease. It was on my belly for less than 20 minutes, and my whole physiology seemed transformed. I did still yawn in class that night, which elicited a big belly laugh from Castaneda. It took me a few more months of napping to fully rebalance my system.
Besides naps, I also practiced movement sequences and breathing techniques to aid to my wellbeing, focus and mental clarity. But that 20-minute power nap was the beginning of a series of life-changing experiences and processes that I continue to enjoy and practice today.
How to Nap
At Work:
I get it. You probably cannot take a nap at work. But you can cross your arms on your desk and rest your forehead your arms, while sitting during a break. Take a pause. Close your eyes. Breathe into your belly. You are alive. And you are Being.
At Home:
As indicated above, lay down on your belly. If you are pregnant or have a stiff neck, lay on your side, and place a hand on your belly. Breathe. Feel life coming through you. You are alive. And you take a pause to BE with your breath.
More Information and Support For sounder sleep in general, how hormones influence sleeping patterns and personalized tips for getting deep, rejuvenating rest, I invite you to schedule a consultation with me to address your issues in person.
Last March 10-12, we held a workshop in Teotihuacan, one of the largest and oldest cities from Mesoamerican culture. We started our journey at the hotel located next to the archeological site, by practicing movement and breathing techniques to renew our bodies and release stress and exhaustion.
We refreshed our minds by setting clear intentions for the weekend. We then identified and acknowledged blocks and limiting ideas around the topic of money, questioned them, and updated them. In this way, we created space inside us for renew creative energies to flow and to manifest projects in our daily lives.
Early Saturday morning we walked in silence towards the pyramid of the Sun, the largest of the three pyramids in Teotihuacan, and the third largest pyramid in the World—It is 220×230 meters at the base, and 63 meters in height. This particular pyramid was built around 2,000 years ago, and more than 70,000 pieces of art have been discovered in that pyramid so far. All the time we walked in silence, we repeated our individual intentions to stay focus and open to receive teachings from the city of Teotihuacan.
My mantra filled me with joy and calm: “I am breathing in and out the divine fresh air of life, residing in radiant health and well being, and releasing and dissolving limiting patterns and interpretations, freeing myself fully for the highest good of all concerned.”
The night before rained and the air felt fresh and pure in our faces as we walked through the avenue of the death. I kept looking at the group participants faces bathed by the sun rays and radiating joy and vitality.
At the bottom of the Pyramid of the Sun and before climbing up, we called on our relationships with our grandfathers, our fathers, and the male lineage from our families to acknowledge and release anything that needed to be healed to clarify the male energy inside us.
One of the participants and Being Energy Teacher, Crisólogo from Michoacan, shared that he experienced the walk as though he was walking toward his death—a part of him that he needed to acknowledge and let go in order to move forward in his work. He was ready for his fears to die and found himself crying as he walked to the pyramid. When he got to the pyramid, he realized he was ready to take the next step to fully work as a healer and instructor of Being Energy.
It was such a moving experience to honoring our male energies, the “doing, manifesting, outwardly” energy that is alive within us. We honored that within ourselves there and then.
From there, we walked in silence to the Pyramid of the Moon, a pyramid smaller in form, but just as significant in meaning. Some have called it Tenan, which in Nahuatl, means “mother or protective stone.” The Pyramid of the Moon covers a structure older than the Pyramid of the Sun. The structure existed prior to 200 AD. It has a large plaza with several small buildings forming a cross. Inside, we acknowledged the mother inside each of us, the female inward nurturing energies. We meditated at the top of the pyramid facing south towards the Avenue of the Dead where we meditated on acceptance, and compassion for ourselves and the world.
We walked back to the hotel to further integrate the journey of experiencing the process at the Sun and Moon Pyramids, integrating both inward and outward the complimentary forces of masculine light and feminine darkness within us. We reflected on this during the whole Saturday afternoon. In between sessions, we rested by the hotel pool, enjoying their delicious Mexican cuisine.
On Sunday, we celebrated the union of our light and dark forces by meditating at the temple of Quetzcoatl, which represented a union of the darkness and light in the form of a serpent that develops wings so that it can fly.
We danced and moved in the light and dark as we incorporated all we learned from our journey to the Sun and Moon Pyramids, acknowledging both forces of energy through movement.
We closed the event on Sunday afternoon with some soul-gazing, gazing into each other’s eyes for Quetzalcoatl, for the nagual and we found it! It was a beautiful and moving way to complete the Journey in Teotihuacan and continue our journeys back at home filled with a sense of awe, gratitude and love. We cannot wait for you to join us in our next adventure in the sacred mountain in Switzerland!
How do we stand up for ourselves and others when we are cowering in fear?
Two days ago, we started a new cycle of our series of Path With Heart classes called “Overcoming Fear,” and we already started experiencing a warm wave of courage and love running through our bodies!
Nelson Mandela said, “May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears,” and that is what we are actively and daily practicing at Being Energy. May your intention for 2017 be based on your hopes and dreams. If you already wrote your intentions for this year, hold them high up and take steps towards their fulfillment. If you didn’t write your intention yet, then READ BELOW before writing them down:
Fear is the underlying force for procrastination and postponing dreams, not finishing projects, and having meaningful relationships. Our inner fears are being fed by the outside world.
In the world today we are getting more and more negative news—the political representation of our country now seems to want to imbue us with fear, keep us paralyzed and feeling powerless. So, what to do?
This is what we did in class last Sunday:
1-We turned on the light on fear
2-We reminded ourselves of our Warriorship Training
3-We identified top common fears to us all
4- We differentiated between inspiring and paralyzing fears
5- And we courageously stood up, breathed deeply and took an action towards overcoming fear!
We encourage you to do the same!
We are standing up with all, embracing all feelings and facing the oncoming time!
“For a warrior, the world is weird because it is stupendous, awesome, mysterious, unfathomable. A warrior must assume responsibility for being here, in this marvelous world, in this marvelous time.” ~ Carlos Castaneda
This is a marvelous time. You have the opportunity to act from intent and create your dreams.
The following ritual is one that Castaneda gave to us many years ago, and it is something that we do at the end of each year without fail. We share it with you now to help you unfold a magical year ahead. It is a ceremony that starts during the last days of December, and finishes when the clock strikes midnight on January 1st. Why not give it a try and see what happens?
We hope that the benefits ripple out through your life, your relationships, your community and the world.
The steps are these:
Clear out the old before the New Year. On December 29 and 30, and even throughout the day on December 31, clear up some space in your home. Remove clutter, donate clothing that you aren’t using anymore, clean out and organize cabinets and drawers, and vacuum your floors; clean your windows and water your plants—all with a feeling of openness and readiness. The aim is to clean your home physically and energetically. There are four essential ways to do this:
Throw things away that are not needed or that are not bringing you joy
Give things away, letting those things bring something to someone while freeing you of any associated history with the objects
Dust off, wipe and wash your home, or at least a selected part of it, such as your bedroom or desk area
Rearrange things; change the placement of furniture, artwork and/or other objects to revitalize the energy flow of your space(s)
On December 31, before midnight, attend to your desk or writing space. Organize bills and papers, and clear space so that you can comfortably sit to write a list of dreams and projects for the New Year.
Next, take a pen or pencil and piece of paper, and get ready to make a list.
Mentally review what dreams and projects you were able to accomplish in 2016. What things stood out? What new relationships have you established? What came to a close? What new things have you learned, or insights have you gained with respect to your:
Health
Emotions
Thoughts
Family and community
Larger global community of planet Earth
Now list all of these on a piece of paper labeled 2016. The idea is to review and distill what 2016 brought to you, and write it down so that you can be consciously aware of these experiences going into the New Year. Notice as you write if new insights or ideas come to you.
Take a second piece of paper to start a new list. Name the list 2017, and write down what you want to accomplish or see unfold in this New Year. It might help to think of the categories of:
Personal development: What new things do I want to learn, what do I want to accept about myself, what do I want to heal in myself?
Family and friends: What relationships do I want to commit to, what relationships do I need to let go of, what relationships do I need to heal?
Work: Am I loving what I do? What can I change in 2017 to thrive?
Health: How do I plann to take better care of myself in 2017, what specific actions will I take to restore my energy?
My legacy and contribution to the larger world: What ONE action can I do to help others in need?
Take a pause. You’ve cleared space, reviewed the year that’s passing and set forth dreams and goals for the year ahead. Now that you have your lists, take a little break to attend to any responsibilities or other commitments.
At around 11:30 p.m., return to your writing space (it’s almost midnight!) Sit in silence for a moment and put your attention on the things on your 2017 list—those things that you want to see unfold in the New Year. You may even want to write an outline of what you would like to do, or draw a picture of yourself getting the job of your dreams, etc. Sit with it as long as you like, making sure you feel connected with it all, with your personal life path, and with the Universe by the time the clock strikes midnight.
At midnight, on this first moment of the New Year, let the wave of your dreams wash over you.
Carlos Castaneda would tell us that, at midnight, the light of the Spirit or Universe comes and “watches us”—a force descends upon us, and this is a very powerful moment to be present and aware—to feel it and become acquainted with it.
As we set our collective intentions, we hold best wishes for you all—for your joy and growth; for your freedom; for your daring, for your creation of new, inspiring projects; and for your kindness to all those around you. We celebrate together your becoming!
May our light and love radiate out to our friends, families, communities, and to the whole world.
“Aerin, can I be honest with you?” – a participant of our recent seminar approached me in a break a couple of hours after our workshop had started. “I have lots of judgments right now. I am judging everyone here and I am also judging the workshop. I am sorry, I just want to be honest with you.”
I took a deep breath and smiled. I looked at her eyes—I liked her immediately. I wanted to tell her that we all judged all the time and that she was going to feel better after practicing the recapitulation exercise that we were about to do, but I stopped myself. I was avoiding the issue. Instead, with curiosity I said “tell me about it. What is the content of your judgments?”
“I think what we are doing is superficial and that it lacks depth. And I also think that what people are sharing is also superficial,” she said.
I looked at her bright large honey eyes. I thought she was smart and beautiful. There are so many beautiful people in Argentina. Buenos Aires has the largest amount of psychotherapists per capita in the world, and the same goes for theaters and cafes. There is an emphasis in philosophy and in the arts that exhudes from the streets. I love walking and meeting people everywhere. She reminded me of the best of Argentina.
The themes presented at the workshop were about how we handle money, sex, and old age. We were exploring cultural and family beliefs passed on through generations that hinder our ability to handle money with impeccability. Some of the participants shared their struggles with money and their ability to give and receive in vulnerability and openness. Mostly, for us women, how to produce our own money has been a struggle for hundreds of years.
“You may consider that the superficiality that you judge in others, you may also judge in yourself. What other judgments do you have about you, that are not allowing you to be fully present and engaged today?” I asked her in a loving voice.
She paused and looked at my eyes. “I don’t know. I cannot stop it,” she replied. “I don’t know if I want to come back tomorrow.” She added.
“It is ok, whatever you decide to do is ok” I told her. “The important point here is your relationship with yourself, not what I do or what others do. How are you taking care of yourself as you become aware of these ingrained patterns that are emerging. How are you loving yourself?”
The next day she came back. Phew!, I was glad—and she opened up, like a flower. She shared with the group she was mistakenly seeing as light and superficial. She said that she learned we can be deep and handle deep issues with lightness. Her smile illuminated the room. I thanked her for her honesty in the first place, and for sharing her learning process.
This is exactly what happens at our workshops—participants learn what they need to learn, they figure out in their own time, with their own uniqueness. We support individuals to find out their own resources and abilities, and we love each one of them as they do their process.
The workshop in Buenos Aires was powerful beyond measure. Participants came from Buenos Aires, from many other provinces and even from Chile and Mexico.
We identified, acknowledged and released judgments and fears about money, sex and old age. We sat down in silence. We held hands and prayed together. We did lots of energy passes. We sang, and we danced together.
Miles and I are moved and grateful for such unique experience. The commitment of participants to work their issues and free themselves from misinterpretations and the depth of their sharing touched our hearts deeply.
Below, please find some of their feedback after the workshop.
We look forward to seeing you in Teotihuacan in March 10-12, 2017.
May you have a peaceful and heartfelt Holiday Season, surrounded by your loved ones,
Aerin Alexander
“Thank you very much for your presence and for what you provided us in this Workshop. I loved the movements of the morning and the recapitulation in the afternoon, was very productive, we made a good team the 3 of us we participated and we drew very powerful conclusions. Also the movements to strengthen the pelvic floor and the awareness about our energetic nature, was a much appreciated info.
Love and thanks,”
Maria del Carmen
“The seminar is just settling in me and it is difficult to explain in words because the real pearls are physical understandings, the physical sensation of what a belief is and how simple it is to disarm it and the great gift was the after: Innocence that Leave it alone, wow.
I emphasize the love, the love that you transmit, the care, the elixir of Miles and the oil of Aerin whenever I use them I imagine them preparing them. All beautifully and all carefully handled.
I learned to stop sitting on my lower back and sacrum and instead to sit on my sit bones! What a difference! I loved the tennis ball to open the fascia at the sole of the feet and the gentle jumps on the heels to lift up the energy! And the wonderful pelvic exercises and dancing passes.
Hugs from Guanajuato”
Margarita
“The Gathering Energy series, gained depth when you explained details I had never noticed online. Miles and Aerín executed it with their own variations and it was very rich and interesting. The stretching exercises with my legs rejuvenate me!
The stalking exercises done in three parts were plunging us into our memories and thoughts. Talking to our beliefs was shocking to me and my fellow students.” Pablo.
“I stayed with so much freshness in the body that I set out to practice every day, and I just have a partner at work who also practices. We are getting together every day to make passes … even if it’s 20minutes !
