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Empowering doctoral students and other universities University Affairs – University Affairs

Posted: June 24, 2022 at 1:50 am


Western Universitys Own Your Future program reflects a partnership between units across the institution.

Many doctoral students end up in careers outside tenure-stream academia. Consequently, universities are placing more and more emphasis on broad skills development for their PhD students to equip them for a variety of careers. But it can be challenging and resource-intensive to construct doctoral-level programming that is both effective and works across all disciplines.

Western Universitys Own Your Future program seeks to help change that with a doctoral professional development program that is in-depth, comprehensive and can be replicated and shared beyond the institution.

The program has two main components: skills identification and skills building.

With the former, students complete the programs Power Skills Assessment tool, in which they self-assess their skills in six competency areas: communication and relationship building; leadership; thriving; teaching and learning; intercultural and social fluency; and career engagement. Based on this self-assessment, students receive a report that identifies their current strengths, growth areas, and areas requiring experience. The student report also directs students to workshop opportunities to build their strengths.

When it comes to skills building, PhD students have access to approximately 80 workshops, each tied to at least one skill. For example, students can use understanding of comic design to increase their skill in communicating ideas broadly, or complete anti-oppression training to strengthen their ability to work and engage with others effectively. Many of the skills training workshops provide students with training that will benefit their immediate research needs as well as their future career skills needs, such as time management and project management.

Lorraine Davies, associate vice-provost in the school of graduate and postdoctoral studies at Western, is the Own Your Future academic lead. She is also the primary investigator for an assessment of the program funded by the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO). As part of the HEQCO Skills Consortium, Dr. Davies and her team will consider three key questions:

In the evaluation project, which is still ongoing, Dr. Davies and her team had students complete mock job interviews with a team of career evaluators, including an employer, and the Power Skills Assessment at the start of the study. After completing three workshops, the students again completed mock job interviews and the Power Skills Assessment. Dr. Davies and her team will compare the pre- and post-training data, among other data, to assess the program. (See the project description on page 18 of the HEQCO Skills Consortium Interim Report for fuller details.)

The goal of this evaluation project is not simply program improvement, but also the creation of evidence-informed resources that can be adopted and adapted by other institutions. As Dr. Davies told me, We are committed to sharing our work with others, and to learning from best practices at other universities. To this end, Own Your Future has a creative commons license, and Dr. Davies team intends to share the results nationally.

There are a number of things about the Own Your Future program that catch my attention. The first is that the program reflects a partnership between units across the university, including (but not limited to) the careers and experience department and the school of graduate and postdoctoral studies. My own research on best practices in graduate professional development suggests that these collaborative models are more effective than other approaches.

Second, I am pleased to see the explicit ties between the student self-assessments and the workshop offerings (through the student report), and the explicit identification of career skills in the workshops. As I have discussed, explicit instruction is an evidence-based teaching practice that can advance skills training effectiveness.

And finally, I am impressed by the desire of Westerns school of graduate and postdoctoral studies to share resources to benefit doctoral students across Canada. While universities can be highly competitive, there is a more collaborative spirit in the graduate professional development space, as demonstrated by the work of the Graduate and Postdoctoral Development Network. Given the importance of doctoral professional development, Westerns school of graduate and postdoctoral studies willingness to share its work is admirable.

I will watch the evolution of Westerns Own Your Future program with interest and encourage you to check it out for yourself.

Is your university doing innovative things regarding student skills training and professional development? If so, I would love to hear about it. I also welcome opportunities to speak with universities about skills training. Please connect with me at loleen.berdahl@usask.ca using the subject line The Skills Agenda.

I look forward to hearing from you. Until next time, stay well, my colleagues.

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Empowering doctoral students and other universities University Affairs - University Affairs

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June 24th, 2022 at 1:50 am

Wearables, edibles and monetising dreams: What is the future of sleep? – SmartCompany

Posted: at 1:50 am


Sleep is a mystery we dont definitively know what it is, why we do it, and why we need so much of it.

To spend 8 hours a day incapacitated, for every day of our lives, there has to be something important going on! But there isnt exactly consensus scientists still debate whether it cleans the brain; although they can agree that if you dont get enough, youll go insane.

The potential size of the sleep market is as big as it can get we all need sleep on a daily basis. The sleep economy is made up of the products, services, devices, and applications that help you fall asleep, stay asleep, and manage your sleep. The industry has seen a flood of investment activity in recent years and as wearables proliferate and enable our desire to monitor and optimise our bodily functions interest and investment will intensify.

We can all attest that lack of sleep makes it harder to concentrate, increases grumpiness and stress, impairs memory and judgement, and lowers motivation to do things that are good for us, like exercise. It can also lead to poor decision making and increase desire for sugary foods.

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On top of that, sleep is essential for cell repair, memory formation, emotional regulation, and hormonal balance. A good nights sleep ensures the right amounts of hormones are released at the right times. Every organ in our body needs sleep, and accidents increase when were sleep deprived.

Theres more to sleep than rest and recovery. During the day, we only access 10% of our brains. In dreams, we get to explore tangential connections, identify unconsidered patterns, regulate emotions, and shape memories. As we sift through the days events and decide which memories to keep and which to discord, sleep has the power to shape the stories we tell ourselves and hence, who we are. This critical, autobiographical process happens by incorporating new data into our memory bank and identifying patterns and connections between them.

Despite its importance, our society has a large problem with sleep. Our permanent connection to our digital devices has disrupted our circadian rhythms and sleep patterns, with debilitating consequences. In Australia, 50% of adults suffer from at least one chronic problem with sleep be that trouble falling or staying asleep, or waking up before you want to. 10% of Australian adults have insomnia. This costs us dearly. People who receive less than 6 hours of sleep per night have a 13% higher mortality rate.

In healthy sleep, we oscillate between REM and non-REM phases of sleep.

In healthy sleep, we yo-yo between REM and non-REM stages of sleep. This cycle repeats every 90 minutes and consists of about 5-6 cycles. Sometimes we skip a stage, or it gets disrupted. For sleep to work its magic, all stages need to happen.

As venture capital investors, we always ask why now?

Since sleep has been a constant for the entire history of humanity, why do we believe we are on the precipice of an inflection point, thatll unleash a wave of innovation in this industry?Here are some macro trends that we think will play a role in driving an evolution in the way we sleep.

Where running on three hours of sleep may have once been glamorous in certain circles, as a society we are waking up to the importance of sleep as an input into health and wellbeing. Our chronic lack of sleep is being recognised as a global health crisis the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has even classified it as endemic. More people are recognising that a bad nights sleep is just as damaging if not more as a night of heavy drinking or guzzling down an unhealthy meal.

Moreover, not only are sleep deficits unhealthy, theyre downright dangerous. As proof, each year at daylight savings (an event which disrupts peoples sleep), the number of car crashes goes up by 6% in the following week.

Companies are are taking notice: Calm, Headspace, and Insight Timer have invested heavily in their Sleep Series, recognising how much the world needs to be lulled to sleep by the sonorous voices of Stephen Fry or Matthew McConaughey.

Theres a range of products to optimise sleep, from lower tech smart mattresses and pillows, weighted blankets, temperature controlled bedrooms, blackout blinds to higher tech dreamscape music, light projectors, and noise modulation. Quite remarkably, theres no leading consumer brand for sleep owning and bundling this tech!

Edible products that can help people fall asleep are gaining in popularity. Active ingredients can be found in gummies, cookies, teas, or even ice-cream. Some popular edibles include melatonin a naturally occurring hormone that induces a feeling of sleepiness. As it turns out, blue-light exposure reduces the natural production of melatonin one of the reasons that looking at screens right before bed can make it harder to fall asleep.

Another popular active ingredient is CBD a cannabinoid. In some parts of the world, its gaining popularity as a natural sleep remedy, as it curtails the production of cortisol the stress hormone.

Sleep trackers capture data, providing insights about sleep and suggestions on how to improve your sleep. They come in all shapes and sizes, like WHOOP around your wrist, the Oura ring, the Beddr forehead wearable, the Dreem headband, and the 10 Minds Motion Pillow.

The Dreem headband uses a technique called polysomnography (PSG) to track sleep stages.

Sleep tracking devices are about 95% accurate in measuring whether youre asleep, but only 60% accurate in measuring sleep quality or stage. It primarily relies on lagging indicators such as heart rate, movement, and noise. A more accurate method would be to measure leading indicators, such as eye movement and ESG, however most people are reluctant to wear headbands to bed simply to get more accurate measurements of their sleep. As Apple and Googles Fitbit accelerate innovation in wearables, were watching with interest the innovations rolled out for tracking sleep.

So youve gotten a baseline picture of your sleep, and you want to improve it. Its time to find a sleep coach! Human and AI-powered sleep coaches can help you determine how much sleep you actually need, optimise your bedtime routine, and serve as your accountability buddy to cement a healthy sleep routine.

Not only is poor sleep a lagging indicator of poor health or illness, poor sleep can also increase the risk of disease or even death. Sleep deficiency is correlated with chronic conditions such as heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and depression. Furthermore illness often disrupts sleep, fuelling a vicious cycle of degeneration. For example, getting less than seven hours of sleep makes diabetes harder to manage as both insulin resistance and hunger increases the next day.

Sleep monitoring is increasingly being used as a diagnostic tool. For example, disruption to sleep cycles can indicate early stages of Alzheimers disease. Monitoring sleep not only enables early diagnosis, it can track the progression of degenerative conditions. In addition, diagnosing and treating mild to moderate cases of obstructive sleep apnea can help prevent the development of cancers, while detecting changes to respiratory rates can catch COVID-19 early.

Dreams offer a glimpse into the subconscious mind a place of wisdom and power. Human civilisations have been interested in programming dreams for thousands of years. In ancient Egypt, people slept in sacred beds at the Serapeum of Saqqara in hope of receiving divine messages. In ancient Greece, the sick would go to sleep temples or spiritual hospitals to channel the gods healing powers. Today, dream incubation is a part of spiritual practices like dream yoga.

The Serapeum of Saqqara.

Artists knew that dreams can enhance creativity. The connections that are formed while we dream can offer a new perspective when we wake up. The artist Salvador Dali had a creative process called slumber with a key. He would sit in a chair holding a heavy key over a plate and meditate on a problem as he dozed off. When he fell asleep, his hand with relax, and drop the key on the plate, waking him up, often with a fresh perspective.

Slumbering with a key.

Recently, practices called dream intelligence have sprung up to harness dreams to promote learning and growth. These techniques use dreams to embed positive habits or bolster the learning of new skills, like languages. Content we review right before bedtime affect our hypnagogic dreams visceral dreams that occur just after we fall asleep. This means what we see, hear, or smell right before we sleep can be programmed to influence our dreams, and in doing so, our thoughts and behaviours.

In one experiment, researchers exposed participants to certain kinds of content right before they fell asleep, and documented how it impacted their dreams:

Perhaps unsurprisingly, there are people trying to monetise the power of hacking dreams, with marketers experimenting with how to reach people through their dreams.

Early experiments present participants with stimulus right before they fall asleep. In small study, 18 people watched a video that showed Coors Light beer cans interspersed with with nature images, set to synth beats. The participants then fell asleep to the same soundtrack. A whopping 30% of participants claimed to have dreamt about Coors beers. In our dreams, we are defenseless prey for marketeers. The daytime savvy weve built to tune out the relentless bombardment of advertising material goes out the window, as were unable to scrutinise whats marketing and whats our subconscious telling us something important.

Marketers seem determined to break down the last bastion of our privacy. The American Marketing Association (NY) found that 77% of marketers surveyed would. like to experiment with DreamTech.

Theres some brands that have already staked tall claims to their ability to influence our dreams. Burger Kings nightmare burger, which was rolled out for Halloween, is said to be clinically proven to induce nightmares, making it 3.5x more likely that someone has a nightmare after eating one.

Someone in my dream turned into the burger, said one study participant. The burger then transformed into the figure of a snake.

Definitely doesnt look like it would go down a dream

We believe the convergence of these trends will drive the creation of companies that reimagine how we approach sleep.

This article was first published by AfterWork Reading.

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Wearables, edibles and monetising dreams: What is the future of sleep? - SmartCompany

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June 24th, 2022 at 1:50 am

RHR: Medicinal Mushrooms and Their Unique Health Benefits, with Dr. Christopher Hobbs – Chris Kresser

Posted: at 1:50 am


In this episode, we discuss:

Show notes:

Hey, everybody, Chris Kresser here. Welcome to another episode of Revolution Health Radio. This week, Im really excited to welcome Dr. Christopher Hobbs as my guest. Dr. Hobbs is a fourth-generation, internationally renowned herbalist and mycologist, and he earned his PhD at UC Berkeley with research and publication in evolutionary biology, biogeography, phylogenetics, plant chemistry, and ethnobotany. Hes now on the faculty at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

I first encountered Dr. Hobbs many years ago when I was studying Chinese medicine in the Bay Area, and I attended a talk that he gave on the medicinal use of culinary and edible mushrooms, and on psilocybin. Hes been one of the foremost experts on the health benefits of mushrooms for several decades. Hes been foraging for mushrooms, cultivating mushrooms, and using mushrooms to make medicine since the late 1970s. He has almost 50 years of experience in this field, and, as I mentioned, he comes from a family of herbalists and traditional medicine practitioners. So this is in his blood. He is a true expert and [has] a wealth of knowledge on this really exciting topic of mushrooms and how we can use mushrooms to improve our health.

We talk about Dr. Hobbs history as a mycologist. We talk about the nutritional and health benefits of mushrooms, particularly their role as prebiotics and the impact that they can have on our gut microbiota. We talk about beta-glucan, a special type of soluble fiber that is present in mushrooms, and the research on the immunomodulatory effects of beta-glucan. We talk about the phenolic compounds and terpenes that are present in mushrooms. You may have heard of terpenes in recent discussions of the benefits of medical cannabis, and also in essential oils. These are quite powerful compounds that are being studied in a variety of different contexts, and they have some exciting potential health benefits. We talk about how to get started with foraging for mushrooms and [how to] do that in a safe way, and many other topics.

This was one of my favorite podcast conversations because Im so fascinated personally with the health benefits of mushrooms, and Dr. Hobbs is one of the best people in the world to talk [with] about this subject. So I hope you enjoy the show. Lets dive in.

Chris Kresser: Dr. Hobbs, its a pleasure to have you on the show. Ive really been looking forward to this.

Dr. Hobbs: Thank you. Glad to be here.

Chris Kresser: All right. Lets just dive right in. We both share [a] common background in Chinese medicine, and, of course, mushrooms have a long history of use in Chinese medicine, perhaps mentioned in the oldest medical textbook, and in many other traditional forms of medicine, as well. What got you interested in mushrooms in the first place?

Dr. Hobbs: My dad was a professor of botany, and his dad was a professor of botany. So Im a third-generation botany person. But they didnt dabble in fungi too much. Then, because I liked being in the woods a lot, naturally, youre going to eventually start stumbling over the mushrooms and wonder, What are these strange creatures? Then in 1977, I saw a notice for the first or second mushroom conference that Paul Stamets did on Orcas Island. This was in [1977]. And I just decided to go on a whim. A couple of friends of mine were going. They invited me, so I said, Okay, why not? I went, and Dr. Guzman was there, the worlds leading researcher on psilocybin, and Dr. Smith, who wrote all the old field guides in the [1950s], [1960s], and [1970s], [and was a well-known] university professor, and a number of other really hot mushroom identifiers and researchers and hunters. We had a great time. It was really one of the best conferences I ever [attended]. That really got me going like a rocket ship, and I wanted to know more. From then on, I took off on mushrooms, and my interest never flagged, year after year after year.

Chris Kresser: At that point, initially, were you mostly interested in them for their health uses? Or just as a third-generation botanist or an avid nature enthusiast or all of the above?

Dr. Hobbs: All of the above. Ive always had this central question in my mind since I was very young. And that is, Why do some people get sick and some people stay healthy? What causes that? Even as a young child, I was interested in that. I think probably why is that something came through my grandmother. My grandmother was a community herbalist and my great-grandmother [was a] community herbalist, on my moms side. It skipped [my mom]. She was a concert pianist and artist. But definitely, my grandmothers notes and notebooks. She was a community herbalist in Pasadena, California, and had an herb garden and went down into Chinatown in [Los Angeles] on the red line and studied Chinese medicine. And this is back in the [early] [19]20s.

I never met her because she died before I was born, but my mom told me about her and used to tell me a lot of stories about her. I have a spiritual connection with her because Ive always been really keen on music and piano, and she studied in Paris. So [my grandmother has] been my connection with my ancestors. Bringing that lifelong interest in health and disease to nature got me interested in herbalism, and then, eventually, in 1986 [or] something like that, I came up with the idea [that], Well, mushrooms must be healing, too. At that point, I hadnt studied Chinese medicine, so I started looking in the world literature. I was an avid researcher at the University of California, Santa Cruz, because I lived in Santa Cruz at the time for many years. Id always go into the science library, and Id be trying to dig out stuff, and I found out mushrooms do have healing properties and they are used in other cultures.

I did some research and I came out with my first little pamphlet, Medicinal Mushrooms, in about 1988 or something like that. Then the second edition [in] 1995, and now my new edition, which is [from] 2021. So I put it together, and I have to benefit my ancestors, really.

Chris Kresser: It sounds like you have quite a lineage of ancestors in [the] plant medicine world whove inspired you and motivated you to continue this work. You mentioned the health benefits of mushrooms, and thats something Im particularly interested in, as well, although fungi are so amazing in so many different ways. I know Paul Stamets has written a lot about their potential for supporting the environment, and even cleaning up toxic waste, and so many other properties. But in this episode, Id love to dive into the health benefits a little further since a lot of our listeners are interested in that.

Ive read your book [and] I loved it. I actually saw you speak in the Bay Area many years ago, when I was studying Chinese medicine. This is more than 20 years ago now, I think, or 15 years ago. Ive been fascinated with the healing benefits of mushrooms since I was a student in Chinese medicine, and even a bit before that. From your perspective, from a 30,000-foot view, what do mushrooms have to offer from a health perspective? Why should people be eating or consuming mushrooms in other ways in the modern world?

Dr. Hobbs: After teaching workshops and writing about it for so many years, Ive simplified it down to what I consider the most crucial and helpful parts of the medicine that mushrooms are offering. Certainly, I can name them pretty easily and quickly. Number one, just getting to know our forests better. Theres a long tradition of going out in the forest and hunting mushrooms and learning about them, as a family, for instance, in many, many cultures throughout the world. Thats a big deal to go out on a weekend and spend the day hunting mushrooms, find some porcini, and the kids get all excited. I certainly took my son out. Forest therapy is a real thing. The trees are exuding so much terpenes and phenolics out there. When were in the forest, we get the serenity [and] the beauty of the sound of the wind in the trees. All of that is so healing. But theyre also pumping out all these chemicals, which are relaxing and calming us. These terpenes have a lot of calming properties on the nervous system.

So were getting that medicine from the forest. Then, its so important for us to make a connection with the natural world in the forest because so many [people] live in cities and dont understand what were losing when the forests are being cut down and burned. I think thats number one because we all know very well that the health of the planet and our environment and our community is going to directly affect our health. We have to look at a wider scale of how vital it is to maintain and support the natural processes and web of our world and not pollute so much. We have to look at how were polluting this world.

Chris Kresser: Id love to linger on that a little bit because I think its such an important point, especially now in the modern world as we get more and more connected to digital devices, and people are spending more and more time on those devices and feeling less and less connected to the natural world. Yet as you pointed out, thats really built into our DNA. We evolved in a natural environment, and we dont really know what the long-term implications are of a life that is spent completely divorced from the natural world, as many people are today. I come across studies almost every week about the impact that being in the wilderness or spending a lot of time in green space has on our health and well-being. Its profound. Its not a small effect. Im sure youve heard of Richard Louvs work. Nature deficit disorder is a term now that I think is legitimate, and theres a lot of evidence to back it up. I think a lot of people are suffering from that.

Dr. Hobbs: Very much so. I go backpacking myself to the wilderness every year, and I know what youre saying. Just getting out in the wilderness, away from everything. I was recently in West Virginia and, boy, its mile after mile after mile of gorgeous, green, leafy forest, and a few meadows here and there. I was staying at a cabin that was way, way up high, and you could see for miles and miles, and there was no sign of habitation anywhere. The sound at night was dead quiet and dark, and the stars were out. It was really quite refreshing and healing. So I know what youre saying. Nature is so important. So, just the fact that mushrooms are out there in the forest and theyre an integral part of the forest. The forest couldnt really exist without them.

When you say forest, thats a system. Its not just a bunch of trees planted in a plantation or something. A forest [has] so many parts to it. [There are] the insects and beetles, which interact with the trees, and the plants and other organisms that feed on and use the carbon that fungi break down when the tree recycles and dies, and also takes the sick and weak ones out. Fungi are an integral part of what we call the forest. So thats probably number one, I would thinkhow important the natural world is. Like you [said], we have to understand [and] protect our forests. These are our legacy. So many creatures on planet Earth depend on the forest being healthy. Thats our responsibility.

Chris Kresser: Yes, agreed.

Dr. Hobbs: There are a number of parts to fungi as medicine. Number two, you could say that they have chemicals in them, [that] they have active constituents if we ingest them. Thats one typical way of looking at what were getting out of mushroomsthe active constituents. It turns out that theres something even more fundamentally important than that, [which] is mushrooms as what I call food medicine. This is a very important concept that we have to talk about more [and] we have to teach about more, is that food is medicine. We eat so much food every day. If someone said, I want to be healthier, or if they have a lot of chronic illnesses, they might say, I want to be healthy. Im not healthy; I feel sick. Whats the one thing I can do to be healthier? Well, the one thing you can do is redefine what medicine is. Medicine is not pills. Its not chemicals. Medicine is so much more than that. In this case, the medicine is the totality of the fungi. Of course, in the forest, thats part of the medicine that we discussed first. But secondly, medicine is the food that we can eat. We eat so much food every day. We could start incorporating more mushrooms into our diet and less animal products. Because animal products, as far as creating protein and nutrition, vitamins, minerals, and so forth, [are] so inefficient. [They take] so much land. And of course, theres the emissions. Theres the methane gas that comes out of cows and other livestock. Theres the chemicals, the feeds, and so forth. Its not the most healthful way for our planet or our bodies.

Because were consuming so much food every day, we want to make that food count. I think its important to keep a journal and say, How much of the food that Im eating are low-nutrient, high-calorie foods? Study after study shows that if we can lower our calories and keep our calories in a narrow band, then were going to live longer. Thats probably the single most powerful way that we can extend our lives and have less illness.

Chris Kresser: Yeah, about 60 percent of the calories that the average American consumes come from ultra-processed and refined foods that are, like you said, devoid of nutrients and full of lots of ingredients that we dont want to put in our bodies.

When you think of mushrooms and their nutritional value and medicinal value, there [are] several things to consider. Theres the mineral content, which as you pointed out in your book; many mushrooms are really high in minerals and other essential compounds [and] nutrients. Then there are the phenolic compounds, terpenes, [which] you mentioned earlier in the context of the forest discussion, [and] which I want to come back to and discuss in more detail because, thanks to cannabis and essential oils being more common, people are starting to become aware of terpenes and their medicinal effects. Then there are things like the beta-glucan[s], [which are] the soluble fibers that are present in mushrooms [and] are being intensively studied for a whole range of beneficial effects, particularly around activation of the immune system. Id love to dive into those kinds of components of mushrooms, and if theres anything I missed in terms of general categories of the benefits of mushrooms.

Dr. Hobbs: Well, as far as number one, environment and forests. Number two, food medicine. And if you were to take the most important part of that, [it] is fiber. You mentioned terpenes and phenolics, and those are small molecular weight compounds. But mushrooms have an abundance of cell walls because both fruiting bodies and mycelium are made up of these strings of cells, which have a pretty thick and tough coating, the cell wall of the fungi. The cell wall is composed of proteins and chitin, which is a very hard polymer. Thirdly, its composed of beta-glucan. And a few other things, but those are the three main polymers. Glucan is simply a glucose polymer. Its a long string of glucose molecules, which are one of the main sugars. So, beta-glucans are important, yes. Thats one of the most important parts of the medicinal qualities of mushrooms. But the chitin in the cell wall is also very, very important. My point being that all mushroom cell walls are full of soluble and insoluble fiber, which form an incredible prebiotic. So when we eat more mushrooms, were probably getting the best prebiotics available out there. Theres more soluble and insoluble fiber in mushrooms than any vegetable. Turkey tail, for instance, is up to 60 percent beta-glucans [and] around 90 percent soluble and insoluble fiber. There is no other food out there that has that much usable, prebiotic fiber.

Chris Kresser: Not even close, no.

Dr. Hobbs: Not even close. There [have] been some new studies Ive been talking about lately, which Im so excited about. We see more and more studies investigating our microbiome and how it plays a role in our health, digestion, [and] nutrition, by tweaking and activating and regulating our immune response body-wide. Its so crucial to many parts of our bodys health and function. But recently, theyve shown that it can actually affect our mood and cognition, and thats when it starts getting really interesting. It turns out that theres a new study that shows that when people ate a lot of mushroom prebiotic fiber in their diet, they had much higher microbiome diversity. And many of the new studies show that species diversity in our microbiome is the number one factor as to how were going to get health benefits from our microbiome.

Chris Kresser: Thats such an important point. I had Dr. Justin Sonnenburg from Stanford on the show a couple of years ago. Hes a microbiologist [and] studies the microbiome, and most of the show was talking about the importance of microbial diversity and eating a broad range of different types of what he calls microbiota-accessible carbohydrates, which is a fancy way of talking about fiber that can be fermented by gut bacteria versus some fibers, which cant be fermented and still play other important roles, but are not as useful in terms of promoting bacterial diversity.

Dr. Hobbs: Exactly. Thats why fungal fiber is so good because its not digestible in our upper [gastrointestinal] tract.A lot of it ends up getting down into our lower tract where the microbes can work on it. One quick sidebar on that, if youre a big oats fan like I am, [is that] oats contain beta-glucan, too. Oats are one of the [healthiest] foods out there. Heres a couple of facts. First of all, all oats are pre-cooked. If you buy oatmeal, or you buy oat groats, or steel cut oats, and then pour some almond milk on it and let it soak and soften up and then put fruit on it and eat it, and [you think] youre getting raw oats, youre not getting raw oats. [They] are already cooked. There are raw oats available out there, oat groats. If you take those pre-cooked oats, and then cook them again by making oat porridge or a bowl of oatmeal, all those complex fibers are getting broken down, and then theyre highly absorbable in our upper [gastrointestinal] tract. Youre not getting nearly the full benefit of the oats if youre going to buy pre-cooked oats or if youre going to double cook your oats. Thats just a quick sidebar there.

Chris Kresser: I think the fiber question is one that has gotten, like you said, a lot more attention recently. Ive been talking about it for years and even telling patients [that] when youre choosing what food to eat, you need to think about how its going to nourish you, and also how its going to nourish your gut microbiota. Because there are certain foods that are much more important in terms of nourishing us that were actually able to digest and absorb. And then there are other foods that we dont actually digest and absorb those carbohydrates. But that doesnt mean theyre not tremendously valuable. The bacteria and other microbes are digesting and absorbing those complex polysaccharides, and theyre turning those into compounds like short-chain fatty acids and other molecules that, as you pointed out, can lead to changes systemically throughout the body, the gutbrain axis, and the relationship between the gut and the brain. Theres even a lot of research now that suggests that depression and anxiety could be primarily gut disorders. That inflammation that originates in the gut suppresses activity in the frontal cortex and ends up causing all the telltale symptoms of depression. So its a pretty exciting time that we get to better understand all this stuff and to have these fungi that we can use to modulate our health in a really powerful way.

Dr. Hobbs: And theres so much availability out there. Thats the other thing.

Medicinal mushrooms have become a hot topic, with claims that they can do everything from boost our defense against viruses and other pathogens, to protect us against cancer, support healthy brain function, and improve our response to stress. Hear expert Dr. Christopher Hobbs discuss all the ways we can benefit from mushrooms, in this episode of Revolution Health Radio. #chriskresser #medicinalmushrooms

Chris Kresser: Lets talk a little bit about the beta-glucans. You go into tremendous detail on this in your book, which I really appreciate because Im a geek and I like to learn about this kind of stuff. It sounds like, from my research and from reading your book, that one of the primary actions that [beta-glucans are] being studied for is as an immunomodulator. They activate innate immune cells like macrophages, dendritic cells, granulocytes, [and] natural killer cells, and they can trigger the effector cells like CD4+ and CD8+ and patrol the blood, sense potential pathogens, and prime our immune system for a more effective response. I think over the past couple of years, [it] has become really obvious why thats important for all of us.

Dr. Hobbs: Thats absolutely right. As you mentioned, the beta-glucans, and to a minor degree, the chitin, is one of the main things you think of when you think [about] the therapeutics of medicinal mushrooms, is immunomodulation, anti-cancer, antibacterial, [and] anti-infective actions of medicinal mushroom[s]. Thats probably one of the first things you think of when you really think [about] the nuts and bolts [of] biological activity. But the other really big piece of that is that this has been so widely studied throughout the world. There are literally thousands and thousands of research papers on the action of the beta-glucans in at least 50 species of fungi all over the world, especially in Japan [and] China, but [in] other places, as well. There is incredibly deep scientific literature and body of research on the medicinal effects of beta-glucans and how [they affect] our immune system. All the ins and outs of it, how deep you want to go down to the level of T cells and B cells and so forth, as you mentioned. Its pretty exciting. Dont forget that yeast also is a mushroom, and there are some studies showing that yeast supplementation can also activate that immune response.

The other big advantage of beta-glucans, or other biological activity groups, is anti-inflammatory. For instance, [in] lions mane and chaga, their beta-glucans have been studied for easing gut inflammation like gastritis, gastric ulcer, [and] things like that. Thats been well-studied. Those two species are widely used in Russia and China for easing stomach distress. Thats probably the number one thing that lions mane is used for in China is stomach distress and [gastrointestinal] distress because of its powerful, soothing, and anti-inflammatory effects.

Chris Kresser: Right. So weve got mushrooms, [and] theyre a great source of some essential nutrients. I think the highest sources [are] turkey tail and reishi.

Dr. Hobbs: Sixty percent in turkey tail and about 55 percent in reishi.

Chris Kresser: I know that there are, of course, other sources of beta-glucan in the diet, but none that are that high as a percentage of the weight of that food that Im aware of.

Dr. Hobbs: Well, not fungal beta-glucan. All fungus has fungal beta-glucan. These are highly branched and impossible for us to digest in the upper digestive tract. Grains have beta-glucans, as well, but they arent highly branched; theyre more linear. And they dont have the immunomodulating and anti-inflammatory effects that fungal beta-glucans do.

Chris Kresser: They act more [like] the typical soluble fiber acts. They have some benefit for the gut flora, but not as potent in terms of their immunomodulatory effects.

Dr. Hobbs: No, but they do have some anti-inflammatory effects.

Chris Kresser: You also mentioned another component, which are phenolic compounds and terpenes. Tell us a little bit about the action of those compounds in mushrooms. And are they found in all mushrooms in similar amounts? Are there some mushrooms that are higher in those compounds than others?

Dr. Hobbs: First of all, the beta-glucans, by the way, are in various levels in each species. Not every species is going to have the same amount of beta-glucans. We mentioned that. But all edible mushrooms like shiitake, porcini, chanterelle, all those that you might find in the woods, all have a significant amount of beta-glucan. Wild mushrooms have [beta-glucans], and ones that you would buy in the store have beta-glucans. They are irregular, but theres still a significant amount of beta-glucans in all fungi. Whereas, with terpenes, thats a completely different category of compounds. Those have a wide variety of biological effects. To a lesser degree, theyre found as monoterpenes, which are C10 compounds. Those are smaller terpene molecules, which are volatile often and have an aroma. So some mushrooms have a volatile terpene kind of smell, and those can have a sedative effect on the nervous system.

Then you get the diterpenes, and those are C20, a 20-carbon molecule, so those are bigger. Those are not typically volatile. Those are best characterized by the diterpenes hericenone and erinacine in lions mane. Those compounds are at a pretty high concentrationabout 5 percent to dry weight basis, and those compounds are pretty exclusively found in the genus Hericium, which are the lions mane. Those have been shown to have mood modulating effects. There have been a couple of clinical trials showing that it can help people [ease] anxiety or depression. Its not a drug, remember. If theyre eaten regularly, then its going to have a much stronger effect.

Chris Kresser: I had a patient with essential tremor syndrome who we [tried] a lot of different [treatments on] and got some help and benefit from various interventions. But the thing that almost completely stopped the tremor was lions mane. Its been studied for nerve [regeneration] and neuroregenerative effects, as well.

Dr. Hobbs: It has, yes. And there is some really good research. Its been shown that a number of mushrooms, including lions mane, [which] is probably the best studied, have neurogenic properties. However, thats all laboratory research, remember. There are no clinical trials to support that. However, a lot of people are picking up on that and trying it, so thats really good. Because its a food, its a very safe medicine to use. Its a food medicine. So definitely, we can experiment with that. If you do have nerve damage or nerve injury, or nerve inflammation, its very much worth a try as a supplement or a powder.

Chris Kresser: Absolutely, [theres] no real downside there. You mentioned monoterpenes, diterpenes, that are primarily found in lions mane, and then there are countless triterpenes, right, in reishi?

Dr. Hobbs: Countless triterpenes. Triterpenes are more widespread in mushrooms than ergosterol, which is the precursor for vitamin D. Its found in all mushrooms, [and] its part of the cell wall that adds fluidity. Its a lipid type substance. When you get a compound that big, it turns out that its not water-soluble anymore. Its more of a lipophilic compound. Theres a massive variety of triterpenes found in the glycoside form, which the mushroom might attach a sugar to so that it can more freely move around the water-based environment inside the fungi. Also the same in plants, those are called glycosides. Or it could be just as the aglycone, a plain triterpene. These compounds definitely have been incredibly well-studied in reishi. This is one of the main active components of reishi mushrooms.

There are a vast, vast amount of different ones in there. There are a number of different species that can be used for reishi-like mushrooms. Each species might have a different mixture of triterpenes. Thats why its interesting to try different ones and see how they work. Triterpenes are very well-known as anti-inflammatories, but also immune modulators. They do add to immune modulation of the beta-glucan. Definitely very strong, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antinociceptive, [and] pain relieving.

Chris Kresser: Right. Blood sugar, metabolic effects.

Dr. Hobbs: Blood sugar regulation, liver support, hepatoprotective. Those are only some of the many. If you read a list of all the different biological activities that have been shown with reishi triterpenes, its a long, long list.

Chris Kresser: Ill quote from one passage from your book. Its anti-cancer, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, liver protective, anti-obesity, blood sugar regulating, and antimicrobial effects, to name a few. It almost sounds too good to be true, right? Its just a remarkable spectrum of activity.

Dr. Hobbs: It is, and thats why its [been] used for such a wide variety of ailments in China for over 2,000 years.

Chris Kresser: I want to go back to something you said about the antioxidant properties because I wasnt aware of this. I learned when I read your book that the antioxidant potential of mushrooms is much higher than in the most commonly eaten fruits and vegetables that people typically think of as having a high antioxidant value. That was news to me. I knew mushrooms had a lot of beneficial properties, but I didnt think of them as really potent antioxidants until I learned that from your book.

Dr. Hobbs: Right. Thats one of the many facets of reishi. Quite a few other species have triterpenes, too. A lot of the conks, like boletus and, for instance, zhu ling. Zhu ling has a lot of triterpenes in it. Chaga has some. Probably most mushroom species have some triterpenes in them. Turkey tail definitely has triterpenes.

Chris Kresser: This has been fascinating [and] so helpful to really understand all the different medicinal effects that mushrooms can have. Its also particularly fascinating to understand how those effects can differ across different mushrooms. Eating a number of different species of mushrooms will give you different benefits. Some mushrooms are much higher in beta-glucan. Others might be higher in certain types of terpenes or specific terpenes that are going to give you a particular benefit that youre looking for.

Dr. Hobbs: And cordyceps have amines, which can affect our nervous system.

Chris Kresser: So cordyceps, lets talk a little bit about that because I find its such a fascinating organism. Tell people what cordyceps is, to begin with, because thats the fun part. And then we can talk a little bit about the unique health benefits of cordyceps.

Dr. Hobbs: Cordyceps, in its original form, is attached to an insect. There are two main species that we should quickly discuss. The first one is Cordyceps sinensis.

Cordyceps sinensis is composed of a moth caterpillar that lives in the Tibetan Highland underground for three years. When the larva hatches, it feeds on roots underground, and then after three years, some of them become infected with cordyceps, [and] some dont. Cordyceps [are] in the soil, and many other organisms are in the soil, too. So some of them are infected by Cordyceps sinensis, which seems to be like the caribou and the wolf, [in] that the Cordyceps sinensis job is to take out and basically digest the ones that it somehow senses are not very fit for the population. It infects them in the soil, invades them, and then before it kills the larvae, it changes its neurochemistry so that the caterpillar moves up toward the surface and orients itself just below the surface. Then the fruiting body projects out of the top of the head of the moth caterpillar. So if thats not freaky enough for you.

Chris Kresser: Yeah. I would sometimes explain this to patients, and theyre like, Theres no way Im going to take that. But then once [I explained] the benefits, I got some to come around. Its always fascinating to talk about that. Cordyceps, of course, in Chinese medicine and other systems of traditional medicine, has a long history of use as a tonic for sexual health and vitality, well-being, energy levels, and its used in some traditional cultures for athletic performance and recovery. I think there [is] even [a] limited amount of modern research that supports that use, as well. It seems to me [that out] of a lot of the mushroom species that we talked about, cordyceps has some unique benefits in that regard. It seems to be particularly targeted in that direction.

Dr. Hobbs: Perhaps because of the amines that are found in there, perhaps because of terpenes in there that contribute, and, of course, the beta-glucans. Then the other species is Cordyceps militaris. This is the one that you should buy. You should not buy Cordyceps sinensis because there really are no authentic Cordyceps sinensis outside of going to Chinatown [and] buying the caterpillars with the fruiting bodies coming out of their heads for hundreds of dollars. So just go ahead and focus on Cordyceps militaris. They have many of the same benefits as Cordyceps sinensis. Ive tested them myself in the laboratory for authenticity with DNA, and the products that Ive tested have been pretty authentic. They are Cordyceps militaris. Thats the way to go.

Chris Kresser: And if someones taking a mushroom supplement or something like that, its going to be Cordyceps militaris and not Cordyceps sinensis.

Dr. Hobbs: Right. It took us a while to get that all straightened out in the industry, but now, I think its pretty settled.

Chris Kresser: Id love to finish by asking you for some tips for someone who wants to get started with mushroom foraging and doing it in a safe way. How can they learn more about that? Id love to talk a little bit about your book as a resource. For those who are interested, like you said, [its] a great way to get out into the forest and collect your own food and get a little bit more intimate with that whole process. How can folks get started with this?

Dr. Hobbs: Well, get my book, for one thing.

Chris Kresser: Well put a link to it in the show notes. Its Christopher Hobbs, Medicinal Mushrooms: The Essential Guide, for those of you who are listening.

Dr. Hobbs: Also, check into my website because I have a lot of stuff on there, medicinal mushroom-wise. [Its] http://www.ChristopherHobbs.com. Easy to remember.

Chris Kresser: Your book has fantastic information about the benefits of mushrooms, [their] history, and also information about how to prepare mushrooms. How to eat them, how to make tinctures [and] extracts, which mushrooms are better to cook and eat because they have a better flavor, [and] which mushrooms tend to be very bitter or chewy, [where] you might want to make them into an extract or something else.

Dr. Hobbs: How to grow them, of course.

Chris Kresser: How to grow them. Yeah.

Dr. Hobbs: How to identify toxic ones, though you should get a good field guide, as well. Mine isnt an absolute, end of the line [identification] book.

Chris Kresser: Thats what I was going to ask. I know a lot of people are nervous about that, and rightfully so. I think a substantial percentage of calls that go into poison hotlines are from mushrooms. There is some risk.

Dr. Hobbs: The book I recommend first and foremost is a field guide, David Aroras All That the Rain Promises and More. That is a fantastic book. Theres nothing better. [Its] easy to put in your pocket. Hes got decades and decades of experience. He shows you the toxic lookalikes, [and] he really [goes] into depth on the edibles. He doesnt touch on medicinals too much, but he will give you some really good basic information. And then other than that, Id say, look for a local field guide. It makes it easier to identify. Dont try to get the Mushrooms of the United States. Youre better off getting Mushrooms of the Northwest United States or Northeast, or wherever you are. Try to find your regional mushroom guide, which has pictures. And also, join a mushroom society or club. We have so many [here] in California, and there are more popping up all the time. Join a local mushroom club or society if you can. Go on some forays. There are usually some really seasoned mushroom hunters out there, and [they] can identify your collections. There should also be mushroom fairs. We have a number of mushroom gatherings and fairs where you can bring your mushrooms in and have them identified. Or look for local walks, even with one individual thats well-seasoned. Get some direct, hands-on stuff going on with someone who really knows what theyre doing. Thats important.

Chris Kresser: Thats really, really helpful. For the last question Im going to ask you, if you had to pick only three mushrooms, what would be your top three for medicinal value?

Dr. Hobbs: Well, thats easy. One, two, three. Reishi, turkey tail, and psilocybin.

Chris Kresser: Yeah, well have to do another show on psilocybin because Im also very interested in that and the psychospiritual, emotional, and even physical benefits of psilocybin. How about for eating? Top three culinary mushrooms.

Dr. Hobbs: Porcini is definitely number one. Beyond that, I love chanterelles. I love candy caps. There are so many good edibles out there. Im in love with shiitake. So those are my handfulporcini, shiitake, and chanterelles. I love oysters, too. There are probably 10 really well-known edibles. And thats another class, just talking about the 10 top edibles and how to prepare them and how to find them and so forth.

Chris Kresser: Well, I definitely would love to have you come back and talk about psilocybin on another show. And I think the audience would love that, too.

Dr. Hobbs: Can I mention my upcoming class series?

Chris Kresser: Please do. We have a lot of listeners in California and the Bay Area.

Dr. Hobbs: Im really, really delighted to be doing a seven-week medicinal mushroom course. A to Z, everything you would like to know, in depth, [with] PowerPoints, and a big Q&A period at the end. Thats one of the biggest benefits of doing it live. And its not in person; its live on Zoom. We did it last year, [and] it was totally incredible, so I hope you can join us. Its through the BotanicWise Network. Its going to be in late June and July. And then I wanted to mention that Im doing a seven-part psilocybin course that is going to be everything you ever wanted to know about psilocybin, including how it works in the body, the clinical trials, how to become a guide, how to work with a guide, how to find them, how to grow them, and [how to] dry them. Everything you would want to know. How to microdose, all that is going to be covered in my seven-week course with the Shift Network. So look for that in August and September.

Chris Kresser: Fantastic. And are these on your website, as well?

Dr. Hobbs: They will be on my social media, so follow me, especially on Facebook and Instagram. Im posting on Instagram quite a bit. Dr. Christopher Hobbs.

Chris Kresser: And again, I highly recommend Christophers book. Christopher Hobbs, Medicinal Mushrooms: The Essential Guide. Ive read it twice, and its a phenomenal resource for all things mushrooms, from understanding their medicinal value to understanding how to cook and prepare them and make medicine out of them.

Christopher, its been a fascinating conversation. Im so grateful for your time. Youre a wealth of knowledge on this topic, and [I] look forward to having you back to talk about psilocybin in the future.

Dr. Hobbs: Thanks, Chris. Much appreciate the invitation and your good questions and interaction. That was a lot of fun. I appreciate it and hope to be back another time.

Chris Kresser: Look forward to it. Okay, everybody. Thanks for listening. Keep sending your questions to ChrisKresser.com/podcastquestion.

This episode of Revolution Health Radio is sponsored by Kettle & Fire and Paleovalley.

As a member of our community, Kettle & Fire has a very special offer for you. Go to KettleandFire.com/Kresser and use the code KRESSER at checkout to save 20% on your entire order.

Paleovalley is also offering our listeners an exclusive offer. Head over to Paleovalley.com/Chris and use the code KRESSER15 to get 15% off your order.

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June 24th, 2022 at 1:50 am

Be the master of your mind! From voice control to behavioural patterns, Raj Yoga makes you the king of you – Economic Times

Posted: at 1:50 am


The term yoga has acquired a very reductive meaning in popular culture. It is often referred to as a form of exercise that renders flexibility, and Instagram influencers who know how to twist their bodies in impossible knots have somehow become the supreme authority of what yoga can do. Sometimes, apart from its physical aspect, they throw in a discussion about mental health and meditation and participate in the wokism that seems to have overtaken our lives.

However, in truth, yoga the ultimate union of mind and body has a far more complex, and erudite explanation. In its evolution of 5,000 years, we have come to know several forms of yoga. While Hatha Yoga (which mostly comprises asanas) is the most popular one, it is also the most rudimentary type of yoga. Other types of yoga, that move beyond physical practice include Iyenger yoga, Kundalini yoga, Bikram yoga etc. Another form of yoga that is easy to practice, and can be incorporated in our daily lives is called Ashtanga Yoga or Raj Yoga.If you are hearing about this form of yoga for the first time, worry not, you arent alone.

ET Panache Digital spoke to Himalayan Siddha, Akshar Founder, Akshar Yoga Research and Development Centre to understand the basis tenets of Raj Yoga and how we can make it a part of our lives. Here are a few excerpts from the interview.

Himalayan Siddha, Akshar, Founder, Akshar Yoga Research and Development Centre

Through this yoga, you learn to manage your emotions better which means you can make yourself happy at any given point of time, feed yourself whenever you feel hungry and live your life according to your own desire. Raj Yoga focuses on the development of all three important aspects of your life which is physical, mental, and spiritual growth. You will begin to notice an immediate change in the physical aspect when you start this practice because Raj Yoga demands discipline out of you. You will have to rise along with the sun in the morning and do your practice. Raj Yoga is a science based holistic solution.In Raj Yoga, even the utensils that you use have to be planned with much thought as any and all metals are not allowed and only silver, gold, clay and even certain leaves are used as containers for food. There are specific reasons as to why each material is beneficial for you for example using banana leaves is considered to be a very good habit as it energizes your food and enriches it. Walking is an integral part of Raj Yoga as the practice encourages you to walk regularly as a form of exercise for the mind, body and soul. Raj Yoga will also train you on the correct tone of voice to use and how this can have an impact on your communication with others.

Tratak is beneficial for the eyes and this helps your vision become better and how standing positions in Raj Yoga will strengthen your body and help to eliminate problems like sciatica. It also helps to shape the mind and make you able to prioritise better. When the mind is better organised you will be able to discern for yourself the activities and people that will support you in your growth and where you should put your attention.

How is Raj Yoga different from Hatha Yoga?Hatha Yoga is an ancient system that focuses on the science of Kriyas known as shatkarma. As this form of Yoga involves the body to be forced to achieve its asanas, pranayamas or the cleansing rituals, the practitioners referred to it as the form of yoga that requires force.

Hatha Yoga Pradipika is a book that most Hatha Yoga practitioner of the modern world have read through. This book was first written by Swatmaram, disciple of Guru Gorakshnath. The 'Hatha Yoga Pradipika' is a compilation of Hatha Yoga as taught by Guru Gorakshanth and his guru, Maharishi Matsyendranath. This book describes the means and ways in the form of Asanas, Pranayams , Mudras , Bandhas , Shatkarmas to become a Hatha Yogi. Hatha yoga is a spiritual practice which means that it is about detachment from the material world and attachment to the higher planes. While practicing Hatha Yoga, we will disconnect from society and remove ourselves to more secluded locations like the mountains etc.

Raj Yoga as the name suggests is the king of yogas. In this form of yoga Lord Krishna is a central figure and plays a very important role. This is because lord Krishna demonstrated the power of yoga showing how when one practices yoga he can live his life king size and evolve himself for the greater good. In Raj Yoga we can learn about the way in which to overcome lifes challenges and still be able to emerge triumphant. Raj Yoga focuses on development of the brain and attention is given to behaviour, life skills and how you lead this life. There is no room for error in Raj Yoga because it teachers you perfection. You must learn from the mistakes of others and from society in order to bring perfection into everything that you do.

The eight limbs discussed in Ashtanga yoga are Yama, Niyama, Asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and Samadhi. All of these 8 limbs need to be worked on simultaneously and not sequentially.

The eight limbs discussed in Ashtanga yoga are Yama, Niyama, Asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and Samadhi. All of these 8 limbs need to be worked on simultaneously and not sequentially.

Yama includes Ahimsa, Satya, Asteya (non-covetousness), Aparigraha, Brahmacharya (celibacy).

Niyama involves Saucha, Santosha, Ishwarapranidhana, Tapasya and Swadhyaya.

Raj Yoga focuses on meditation and how you can master this for your growth and development. It brings attention to perfection in every task that you undertake. Raj Yoga highlights on learning all aspects of human development.

Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha are the four main tenets that Raj Yoga focuses on. In order to become a master of these four areas, learning begins from a very early age where a child is trained in communication, body language, behaviour and in every possible way to prosper and achieve success in this life. All the training is done in the most organic and natural way without any sort of artificial enhancements. The approach is a purely holistic one. Yoga teaches you to be your most authentic self because this is what brings holistic growth and victory.

Can Raj Yoga be followed by those who have corporate jobs? In Raj Yoga the primary requirement for anybody is to keep yourself as clean as possible. It is absolutely possible for corporate professionals to adapt to the practice of Raj Yoga as this was made for us to live life better. But most of us have become very material oriented which means that we do not put heart and soul into what we are doing and mostly do things without any purpose. For example a person who is focused on earning his livelihood is satisfied when he is well fed and clothed and does not care beyond his own needs. This is called being materialistic and Raj Yoga goes to higher levels of existence.

In the corporate world Raj Yoga principles can be applied 100% because it is not a question of you versus anybody else but it is a competition only between you and your own self. Rather than filling yourself with negative emotions like envy, jealousy, anger, greed and unhealthy competition when looking at other peoples achievement Raj Yoga tells you to focus on your own skill building. How can you develop your own skills in order to reach a greater level of success without bringing down anybody else or envying another persons success? -- Raj Yogas focus is on you reaching your highest and truest potential through your own hard work and merit.

When the mind is better organised you will be able to discern for yourself the activities and people that will support you in your growth and where you should put your attention.

To practice this you must form a thought and then put your entire focus on this thought while you do your tratak meditation. Along with this another visualisation meditation technique known as Brahmand Dhyan is used which is the visualizing of the entire universe or cosmos. This will help you envision the vastness of the universe and in turn believe in your own limitless potential.

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Be the master of your mind! From voice control to behavioural patterns, Raj Yoga makes you the king of you - Economic Times

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June 24th, 2022 at 1:50 am

5 Ways To Keep Your Pets Safe During This Hot Twin Falls Summer – kezj.com

Posted: at 1:50 am


We tend to get out and about more during the summer than during the colder months. There is so much going on and I don't blame anyone for wanting to spend that outdoor time with their pets. If you have pets that go with you everywhere, make sure you keep these things in mind this summer.

Dog left alone in locked car. Abandoned animal concept.

This is something that happens every single year. People will bring their dog with them to the grocery store, leave the dog inside their vehicle on a 90-degree day without the air conditioner on and cause major damage, or even death, to their pet. If you want to bring your pet, make sure you have the air conditioner on, the car on, and the doors locked, and keep them cool. Or, you could leave them home in the air-conditioned house.

516461357

That plastic dog houses that kind of look like crates are actually more like ovens. You definitely can't use that alone as their shade. That plastic holds in the heat and if your dog or cat is sitting in it as its only reprieve, it can be super dangerous

PC Ryker Wager

Don't walk them on asphalt or concrete because it can definitely burn their feet. If it is too hot for your hand or barefoot, it is too hot for theirs. You can always get them little booties or shoes. They make those.

Julia Toner / poodle mix

Make sure they have plenty of water, especially if they are outside dogs. You want to make sure that they always have access. Change it often, check it often. I feel like these are all no-brainers, but they still need to be said.

Close Up Of An Adult Female An Adult Male Nymph And Larva Tick Is Shown June 15 2001

Make sure you double and triple-check your pets for ticks and bug bites. This is especially true after a camping trip or lake trip. Bug bites can mostly be harmless, but ticks can cause Lyme disease and fleas can be problematic.

Does your loyal pup's breed make the list? Read on to see if you'll be bragging to the neighbors about your dog's intellectual prowess the next time you take your fur baby out for a walk. Don't worry: Even if your dog's breed doesn't land on the list, that doesn't mean he's not a good boy--some traits simply can't be measured.

LOOK: 30 fascinating facts about sleep in the animal kingdom

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June 24th, 2022 at 1:50 am

‘Elvis’ Is Not Just A Celebration Of The King’s Career, But Black Music As Well Says Director Baz Luhrmann – Geek Culture

Posted: at 1:50 am


There is no denying the long-lasting legacy of the King of Rock & Roll. Elvis Aaron Presley might have died 45 years ago at the tender age of 42, but the legendary musician lives on, from his music, movies and iconic dance moves that have made the entertainer one of the most impersonated musicians in the world, from the stage, in churches in Las Vegas, in movies and on TV, Halloween and everything in between. With his unique voice, strong magnetic personality, larger-than-life stage persona and genre-defining music, making a biopic of Elvis the Pelvis would have been relatively easy, but the cast and crew knew they didnt want to simply recap the long list of achievements made by the celebrated performer, and be done with it.

So rather than focusing heavily on the singers childhood before he cut his first single, the film chooses to also feature the strong African-American rhythm and blues music that was present but routinely ignored or downplayed during that time, and how the rich genre slowly shaped the younger singer as he was growing up in Memphis, Tennessee. Elvis attempts to bring light to that in his grand, glamorous biopic that not only charts the singers career and his relationship with manager Colonel Tom Parker, but also the Black pioneers who inspired him.

The fact that we do not have Elvis without Black music, and giving credit where credit is due, said actor Austin Butler, who plays Elvis in the film, at a press conference that Geek Culture attended. The narrative has been told in so many different ways, and Im just so proud of the fact that we get to be a part of this film. Sister Rosetta [Tharpe] was inventing rock and roll in the 40s.

To which, musician Yola, who plays Tharpe in the film, added, Sister Rosetta Tharpe was the safe place. She was very outwardly queer in the 40s thats kind of dangerous so she had to be a safe place. She discovered Little Richard, she invented rock and roll, and she also discovered people.

She was being the elder. Growing up with her was more about this sense of home that [Tharpe] had to create for people so when they come to Club Handy, they reconnect with the spirit of rock and roll, finished Yola.

While the media then was focused more on the performer rather than the inspiration, Elvis himself never avoided the association, and was open about his debt to Black music from the very beginning of his career, to a point where his reputation suffered due to the perceived influence his music had on the moral well-being of his white listeners. In a 1957 interview, Elvis said, [Black musicians] been singing it and playing it just like Im doin now, man, for more years than I knowThey played it like that in their shanties and in their juke joints and nobody paid it no mind til I goosed it up.

And there was no way that director Baz Luhrmann was simply going to gloss over the subject matter or pay it a cursory regard in his biopic. Elvis not only meaningfully explores the singers upbringing in a largely Black neighbourhood in segregated America, but it also showed how this experience defined him as an artist. Viewers will see young Elvis mesmerised by gospel music as a child and as an adult, audiences will see him sneaking off to Beale Street in Memphis to hang out with noted musicians BB King, Little Richard and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. These relationships that Elvis had are an integral part of who he is, and Luhrmann wanted it front and centre in his film on the King.

Well, there are just things you cant tell the story without. You cant do America in the 50s, 60s and 70s, and you cant do someone who is about music, without dealing with Black artists and music. Thats the journey that Elvis went on, his relationship to all these characters, said Luhrmann.

If theres a big debate out there about that, have we grown? Have we? Has it been an evolution? Along the way, you experience this very personal intimate journey of this guy called Elvis and this guy called Colonel Tom Parker. I have people come and go like, Yeah, okay, that was in, but where are we now? Are we going backwards?.

Whilst BB King, Little Richard and Sister Rosetta Tharpe were all important, the friendship and mentorship between King and Elvis were the most heavily fleshed out in Elvis. The film saw Elvis frequently attend Kings shows and even depicted a scene of the iconic image that saw Elvis and King arm in arm.

To prepare himself for the role of the famed BB King, Kelvin Harrison Jr. worked closely with Butler to develop the on-screen friendship between the two music greats. Harrison Jr. also conducted a lot of research and self-reflected on what it meant to be a Black musician at the time, when the music being played was not just country, but was rhythm and blues and pop music too. It was for everybody but heard by nobody due to the segregation up until Elvis came along. Harrison Jr. frequently wondered how BB made music, sold his music, and what type of advice he could give to young Elvis.

I feel like my job was to come in and kind of just be the brother, you know? Austin and I met before the movie, we went to dinner and figured out how do we talk about art? How do we talk about craft? What are we insecure about? What are we scared of? What does it feel like for you to step into this role? What does it feel like for me to come in and step into this role? And I think thats the relationship that BB and all of us are sharing at that moment, shared Harrison Jr.

What does this mean to us in this time? What does it mean for me as a black actor? BB to be a Black musician that only has been able to feel the real audience in Memphis at that time to get a tour bus for the first time. Understanding just the time, and just like looking at the research and figuring out what was BBs politics and value systems around developing who he was as an artist and his business? How does he develop his business? And how can [he] share that advice with him (Elvis) while also encouraging him to be the artist that he wants to be?

Butler had a similar method of preparation too but took additional training to really capture Elvis essence and characteristics. The actor had a movement coach, a dialect coach, a singing coach and a karate instructor. After all, portraying an iconic person is never easy. Butler also felt immense pressure and feared failing Elvis, his legacy, the singers surviving family, as well as the legion of Elvis fans around the world.

So how long does one prepare to be the King? Well, the 30-year-old actor, who had small roles in Disney shows before, felt such a huge sense of responsibility and fear that the preparation process took two years.

I had those two years where I really didnt do anything else but just obsess. I just tried to be as meticulous as possible, but at the end of the day, its all about finding his humanity, because what I was most fascinated by was stripping away the icon, stripping away the caricatures or the Halloween costume of Elvis and getting down to who was he in an empty room by himself at the end of the day? How did he wake up in the morning? You know, what was his inner life? questioned Butler.

And hes an incredibly sensitive, spiritual man so it was just finding how he evolved over the years. That was sort of my process.

Butler listened to numerous recordings of the star and took notice of how his voice changed over the years. He would then mimic Elvis evolution in everything he did so that his performance wont come off as simply a caricature that plenty have seen before.

I was struck by how his voice changes over the years. You listen to an interview in 54 or 55, 56 and then another one in 62, he sounds totally different. And then you hear him in 72 and he sounds different from that. And then 77, he sounds different. You got all these different voices so I would spend a day sort of living in one of them. I think because there have been so many caricatures of him that for me, I really doubled down on making it feel like this was my life, that that Im seeing from inside of him, and not falling into any of these traps because its really hard not to because we all have this idea of what he sounds like, explained Butler.

Perhaps, out of his entire experience of preparing and then moving on to play Elvis himself, Butlers most life-changing moment was recording gospel music that was later used in the films scene where little Elvis snuck into a gospel tent.

In fact, it was that particular moment where Butler felt like Elvis himself, that he had channelled the same little Elvis who heard gospel music for the first time and became completely engulfed by the melody of voices and movement around him.

I think there were about 30 of the most incredible gospel singers Ive ever heard in my life. And I remember the first person starting to sing, and I got chills. And then as the voices came together, tears came out of my eyes, said Butler.

And then everybodys stomping their feet, and suddenly I start feeling. Im standing they let me stand in the centre and Im stomping my feet, and I felt that moment that little Elvis had.

I was just, raptured.

Elvis takes the screen on 23 June 2022.

Dont judge a book by its cover, for behind all this makeup, is a geek just like you. To simply put it, superheroes, Star Wars, Harry Potter and all things gore and creepy makes this girly girl swoon.

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'Elvis' Is Not Just A Celebration Of The King's Career, But Black Music As Well Says Director Baz Luhrmann - Geek Culture

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June 24th, 2022 at 1:50 am

Why Are the Weirdest People Online Obsessed With Organ Meats? – VICE

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A Greek butcher shop selling offal. Photo via Getty Images.

There are many curious things about Evie Magazine, which brands itself as a conservative alternative to mainstream womens magazines. There are, of course, its many weird and wrong claims about COVID vaccines and COVID more generally, which seem aimed at laundering a certain brand of disease denialism to a young, female audience. The magazine also trots out a variety of other essays about feminism (bad), classical femininity (good), and so on. But amidst its many odd little wares, nothing is weirder, or more amusing, than Evies obsession with meatmore specifically, with organ meats. And, as it turns out, the organ meat lifestyleconsuming liver, kidneys, intestines, hearts, testicles, and other edible animal organsis a passion thats now uniting the anti-vaccine world, Joe Rogans audience, the so-called alt-right, conservative outlets like Evie, and, overall, a new and presumably somewhat constipated brand of meatfluencer.

Evie has run many articles extolling the virtues of meat and denouncing vegan alternatives. Nearly all of them link back to a 2021 blog about incorporating offal like hearts and liver into ones diet. The insistent meat takes, and promotion of organ meat specifically, also dovetail with Evies larger project: rejecting whatever smacks of liberalismBeyond Burgers, acknowledging the existence of trans peopleand embracing a traditional or classic lifestyle, in this case the classic lifestyle of a gout-addled medieval king.

As with many things Evie does, its also the result of a strange effect in which much larger cultural forces trickle down. The carnivore dietor, more specifically, an organ meat-centric onehas proved to be a meeting place for a variety of extremely online and highly bizarre people, all intent on showing you how to live, and many promoting one regressive worldview or another in the process.

As VICE wrote in 2017, the paleo dietmeat-heavy, but with nuts and some vegetableshad begun to emerge then as the preferred diet of right- and libertarian-leaning public figures like billionaire vampire Peter Thiel. Soon after, Mikhaila Peterson, the daughter of clinical psychologist and extremely odd manosphere personality Jordan Peterson, began promoting the so-called Lion Diet, which is far more extreme, consisting solely of ruminant meat, salt, and water. (Eating a gazelle would be fine, but an apple would not.) Both Peterson and Fuller have claimed that this diet cured them of many autoimmune issues; objective assessments of the diet tend to point out that its both nutritionally unbalanced and profoundly unsustainable. (The family has made other extreme medical claims: In 2020, Jordan Peterson also spent eight days in a medically-induced coma, an unorthodox detox treatment for what Peterson and his daughter said was an addiction to benzodiazepines. Experts that VICE interviewed at the time questioned some of the details of Mikhailas claims about the care hed received in Canada prior to going to Russia and said such an extreme method of weaning off an addictive medication is rarely used, to reduce the likelihood of relapse.)

The carnivore diet, which is now in vogue online, goes a step further than paleo and is more complicated than the lion diet, often cutting out most food groups besides meat, fruit, and honey. It is, as Dazed Digital recently pointed out, still awash in far-right associations, equating meat with both traditional masculinity and red-pilling, although there are any number of female carnivore diet influencers.

The Carnivore Diet is the red pill that wakes you up to reality, wrote one meatfluencer on Twitter, who goes by Carnivore Aurelius. It's hard at first. Your eyes have been closed for so long, so the light is blinding. But it exposes you to the fact that society is structured around lies. It all starts with diet. This movement is unstoppable. More recently, he celebrated, Everybody is waking up to seed oils, birth control and tap water poisoning them. Grand global awakening happening right now. Beautiful to watch. (Seed oilswhich include nearly all vegetable oilsare another recent target of the extremely online.)

There are a variety of carnivore diet influencers on Instagram and TikTok, all insistently energetic, very red, and constantly in the gym or doing something strenuous in the great outdoors; their feeds are a wash of red plates, bulging muscles, and proclamations about the distant time they last ate a vegetable. One is the Liver King, aka Brian Johnson, an intensely muscled man from Texas who dines on a variety of raw liver, testicles, and an incredibly specific brand of hype, declaring himself CEO OF THE ANCESTRAL LIFESTYLE. (As he told Buzzfeed, speaking in the exuberant third person, You know what Liver King says? Start with liver, get some really good sleep, move like Liver King, eat like Liver King, shield like Liver King. Live like the ancestral man, and youll have the hormone profile thats double or triple of the manicured modern man.)

Perhaps no one in the meat space is more influential than Paul Saladino, the self-proclaimed Carnivore MD. (Saladinos credentials are that he is, his Facebook bio says, Trained in medicine at the University of Arizona and the University of Washington. Board-certified as a Physician Nutrition Specialist and in psychiatry. Licensure records in California, where Saladino lives, though, show that his license to practice is currently listed as delinquent for a failure to pay fees, and that no practice is permitted, according to the California state medical board.)

On his extremely active TikTok and Instagram pages both banned once, accordin to Saladino he makes a variety of claimsfor instance, that spinach and beans are essentially toxic, that hygiene products like soap and toothpaste and shampoo are unnecessary, and above all, that organ meats are crucial. They include everything your body needs to thrive: vitamins, minerals, peptides, proteins, and growth factors, proclaims the website for Saladinos supplement company, Heart and Soil. Thats why our ancestors were strong, virile, and vital! Thats how they thrived generation after generation in the worlds harshest environments. Should you not be able to access beef heart, for instance, on a daily basis, the company sells bottles of encapsulated organ meat-based supplement products, ranging from $28 to $52 a bottle.

Two notable things happened in Saladinos world in the past few years: First, he went on Joe Rogan, back in 2020, rocketing him to a new level of audience and fame. (Rogan himself went on a carnivore diet soon after, prompting a round of explosive diarrhea, as he detailed on a subsequent episode of the show, elaborating, with regular diarrhea I would compare it to a fire you see coming a block or two away and you have the time to make an escape, whereas this carnivore diet is like out of nowhere the fire is coming through the cracks, your doorknob is red hot, and all hope is lost. Just like our ancestors, presumably, shortly before many of them died of dysentery.)

As the pandemic has progressed, Saladino has also used his new, Rogan-inspired reach to become increasingly dismissive of the efficacy of vaccines. Hes not explicitly anti-vaccine, tweeting in August 2021 that they may help avoid some severe Covid complications, for instance. But hes repeatedly suggested, too, that metabolic health is more important in preventing severe COVID outcomes, and claimed that natural immunity is better than the kind created by vaccines. (The claim that natural immunity is superior to vaccination is a common anti-vaccine talking point.) In other words, of course, that a hunk of liver, or a supplement in a bottle, will do more to fight Covid, a claim many health cranks have made throughout the pandemic, in one form or another.

Unsurprisingly, the carnivore diet has also become the purview of the body-hacking crowd, seeking to optimize themselves by engaging in extreme diets. One of the best known is Dave Asprey, the inventor of Bulletproof Coffee, who was ushered into the diet by Saladino. Asprey has become more overtly anti-vaccine, declaring on Facebook, Show me an mRNA vaccine that will stop cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or cancer, with a clean safety record, and I am all in. Willing to wait until then! Hes also approvingly shared posts from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s anti-vax organization Childrens Health Defense, in particular a post praising fringe medical group Americas Frontline Doctorin all a sort of pseudoscience turducken.

Above all, the insistently carnivorous and very online crowd exists both to eat meat and to create buzz and attention for themselves by posting about it (which explains why former Hills star and mid-2000s tabloid staple Heidi Montag, another Saladino devotee, was recently seen out and about munching on a raw bison heart in a sandwich bag for the paparazzi, which she claimed to be eating for fertility).

The meat world is broad and full of self-styled iconoclasts, and their commitment to intense and common sense-bending diets is as strong as their commitment to broadcasting every move they make, every morsel they eat, and every resulting bowel movement online.

Today, then, the anti-vaxxers, the Instagram doctors, the podcasters, and the anti-feminists find themselves at a long table, urging each other to swallow the toughest morsels, the weirdest cuts. Their commitment to not wasting edible food is admirable, and, as a metaphor, well, the whole thing couldnt be more fitting.

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Why Are the Weirdest People Online Obsessed With Organ Meats? - VICE

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June 24th, 2022 at 1:49 am

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Dull ‘Lightyear’ Is Another Victim Of Bored, Woke Filmmakers – The Federalist

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Even with the titanic marketing force of Disney and buzz (no pun intended) around featuring a lesbian couple kissing, Lightyear proved to be a flop. Although it was expected to top the charts and bring in $70 million in its first weekend (a modest goal, all things considered), the movie made $51 million, second behind the newest Jurassic Park installment. For context, Top Gun: Maverick made more than $100 million in its opening weekend.

While its fair to see this as yet another instance of the truism, go woke, go broke, its worth asking why Disney keeps doing this. They have a whole slew of perfectly profitable franchises to tap, and they can churn out blockbusters from any of them without breaking a sweat. Why do they feel the need to shoehorn a scene of lesbians kissing that no asked for? Why did they double-down against their own audience?

Probably the first and foremost reason that Disney executives do this is because they can. They believe they have a monopoly over young audiences and can start treating them like a captive audience. Daniel Greenfield makes a convincing case in Frontpage Mag that this is exactly what Disney is thinking: Disney may have started out feeding the imaginations of children, but now its business model is acquiring intellectual properties with active fandoms and milking the adult fans for every cent. Rest assured, Disney will keep issuing more sequels and spinoffs ad nauseam, knowing full well that their cult-like fandoms will continue to watch them.

When entertaining people becomes secondary, its only natural to propagate a message. These days, that message is diversity, inclusion, and equity (DIE, as Jordan Peterson puts it), which has become the standard in all popular entertainment. For example, it was clear Frozen II would make a lot of money just because it was Frozen II, so its creators decided to turn the movie into a convoluted propaganda piece that spoke on the environment, the treatment of indigenous people, and female empowerment. No one seemed to mind that the movie was terrible, and theres little doubt that Disney will make another sequel when the time is right.

However, what really seems to lie at the heart of this decision to promote lesbianism in a kids movie is something much more profound and personal than anyone cares to admit. Disney filmmakers and most of the creative class in Hollywood have become boring. They arent all that interesting, and nothing really interests them. Action, drama, romance, and all the magic of moviemaking doesnt excite them anymore.

Rather, like bored teenagers addicted to TikTok, Disney executives are more interested in identity politics and social justice, and they believe that everyone else is interested in this too. Sure, people may watch the new show about Obi-wan Kenobi because they know and love the character, but whats really going to hook them is the black female antagonist because shes (wait for it) black and female. And, if they dont like her, theyre haters and Disney will delight in taking a quixotic stand against these anonymous bigots.

Wokeness has become a vicious cycle for privileged creators: success makes them bored, so they go woke, but this bores them again, so they double-down on their wokeness, which soon becomes boring, etc. This cycle is then reinforced by social media, which affirms these peoples narcissism and casts their dissatisfied fans as ignorant bigots.

Seen from a healthy distance, this phenomenon of bored filmmakers injecting wokeness in Lightyear makes little sense. How can anyone be bored by a story about a space ranger fighting for his friends on a distant planet? Why would they feel the need to spice this up with wokeness? Was depicting acts of valor against space aliens not enough?

And yet, this is how a woke person sees the world. Discussing a theologians bold (and nonsensical) claim that Jesus was actually a transgender person, Catholic writer Michael Warren Davis notes how narrow this view is: The Bible is the most profound and influential book in the whole history of the world. It contains the philosophy of Jesus Christ, the most important philosopher and mystic in world history Now, imagine if all you could find in those pages was a parable for transvestic fetishism. What a boring little place your head must be.

For most people, this is the real problem with the woke agenda: its boring and predictable. Perhaps a few people were outraged when they heard of the lesbian kiss in Lightyear, but the majority people likely rolled their eyes and muttered, Oh okay. Ill pass then.

Not surprisingly, these peoples suspicions were confirmed. The movie was indeed dull: the characters were flat, the story was dumb, and the themes resonate more with adults suffering from a midlife crisis than with actual kids. Clearly, the creators of the movie were more worried about indulging themselves and crafting woke propaganda than in entertaining audiences. Its the work of bored people putting out a boring product for an increasingly bored audience thats burned out on the wokeness.

Hopefully, filmmakers at Disney can learn from this mistake and break the cycle. The world is so much more than peoples skin color and sexual orientation, and the possibilities for storytelling are endless. These people need to get over their boredom, stop obsessing over diversity and representation, and return to making fun movies that transcend all that and really go to infinity and beyond. Itd be a win-win: Fans would be happy, filmmakers would find purpose again, and the modern entertainment in general would be slightly less mediocre.

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Dull 'Lightyear' Is Another Victim Of Bored, Woke Filmmakers - The Federalist

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June 24th, 2022 at 1:49 am

Posted in Jordan Peterson

How Roddy Ricch Is Impacting The Tech Landscape – Forbes

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A photo of Roddy Ricch in the desert.

Social media has been a mixed bag since it came on the scene; it has been a force for immense good and a home for some of the most harmful interactions.

Process exposure refers to social media activities where influencers and users consistently reveal the creative process behind their successes and outcomes to their audience.

Social media has frequently been used by millions of influencers and celebrities as a way to show off the good life and flaunt their successes. While celebrities flaunted their Grammys and Oscars, their followers were usually left with an insatiable hunger for the same results without understanding the process behind it.

This gross lack of process exposure has tainted the legacy of the biggest social media platforms and made them a purveyor of insecurities rather than a powerful tool for education and inspiration. However, a lot of positive change has gone unnoticed.

Since 2011, when YouTube introduced its live streaming function, Live video has exploded on the scene and become the favorite content consumed by most social media users. Statistics show that people spend three times longer watching a live social video than a prerecorded one.

The unintentional effect of this shift towards live video has been a drastic increase in process exposure. Going live as opposed to creating videos has dramatically increased the ability of content creators, influencers, and celebrities to bring their viewers along through every step of the journey. It has become the reality TV of social media.

Grammy Award-winning, and Forbes 30 Under 30, artist, Roddy Ricch, has not just observed this shift towards live video; he has also observed the craving among the average social media user for more process-inclined content in general.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 26: Roddy Ricch (R) and guest attend the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards ... [+] at Staples Center on January 26, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

After making his mark in the music industry with his multiple awards ranging from the Grammys, BET, and the American Music Awards, amongst others, Ricch decided to venture into the tech space and build his brand portfolio. Ricchs search for the next big tech disruptor has led him to the team at Roll, a new digital platform that promises a new and unique connection experience between celebrities and their followers.

Ricch explained why he instantly saw the potential in the Roll project; "Being invited to be part of the creative process of developing the Roll app, was a big eureka moment for me, because it put in action, what I have been feeling for so long; people are tired of watching the outcome of all our hard work on social media, they want to see all the steps that led us there. This is the only way people can leave educated and inspired.

There have been far too many aspiring artist who thought they could just jump, pick up a mic, and start rapping because they were inspired by one of my songs, they didn't know the process behind the outcome. That's what Roll is showing".

The digital platform is designed to allow artists, creators and celebrities to share an inside look at their personal lives as well as the process of creating content and music with their fans and followers. With Roll, users can access the insights of making an album, from the late nights to the early mornings, building beats, laying verses, and the music video shoot. Roll's vision speaks to the larger benefits of process exposure.

Ricch is adamant that process-oriented content is the future of social media content. According to Ricch, process exposure will turn followers into leaders by providing direction, education, and inspiration.

Direction

Today's youth are heavily inspired by social media creators, celebrities, and influencers, sometimes more than other influences. However, loving a person or art does not automatically translate to possessing the ability to replicate the person's art or results. As process exposure becomes mainstream, young people will likely make more informed decisions after being exposed to the processes behind what they admire.

Education

From academics like Jordan Peterson to athletes like LeBron James, today's social media users are exposed to a wide gamut of solid influences.As process-inclined videos and content continue to explode, users can gain more step-by-step education in many areas of interest.

CAMBRIDGE, CAMBRIDGESHIRE - NOVEMBER 02: Jordan Peterson addresses students at The Cambridge Union ... [+] on November 02, 2018 in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire. (Photo by Chris Williamson/Getty Images)

The number of Americans choosing to go to college is steadily declining; perhaps process-inclined content can become a source of quality informal education.

Inspiration

Ricch stated, the most significant impact of the Roll app is its inspirational value. In his words, "It is one thing to know if you should do it, it is another thing to know how to do it, but inspiration is the most powerful part of what we are doing. Exposing an audience to both the highs and the lows of process inspires them to know that the best of men are just men at best and that if anyone can do it, certainly they can too."

It may be impossible to lower the internet's amount of unprofitable content being released, but the gradual push for more process exposure does hold some promise. Perhaps, social media might finally fulfill its true potential.

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How Roddy Ricch Is Impacting The Tech Landscape - Forbes

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June 24th, 2022 at 1:49 am

Posted in Jordan Peterson

How Having a Gay Father Showed Me the Lies of Progressive Catholicism – Crisis Magazine

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Mom, why did you and Dad get divorced? I asked for the hundredth time. I was accustomed to hearing her respond, We just couldnt live together anymore. But this time she did not say that. We were on the way to the laundromat, and I can remember exactly where we were when she answered.

Because your dad is gay.

Oh, I know that, I lied, trying to cover my shock. I didnt know that. I was 9.

I didnt know that.

Although my parents had raised me with a Christian worldview and I knew the Bible well, my world began to shift radically after my father explained why he was sleeping with men. Before long, both my dads apartment and our visits began to change. A calendar of mostly nude men appeared in the bathroom, along with some revealing art. It was very uncomfortable to visit, but I tried not to let it bother me.

On the weekends when I visited, Dad and I would head to Castro Street in San Francisco. It was a colorful place, and I quickly found that I had to be careful where I looked, lest I would see more than I bargained for. I learned my way around the neighborhood, knowing which were the gay bars and which were the lesbian bars. I even attended the gay Olympics to cheer on a family member.

I was hip. I was open-minded. I was enlightened.

But I was also torn. When someone in authority, especially someone who is trusted, tells a child something is true, that child will believe them. In fact, that child may build his or her worldview on that foundation. I did. This is why Pride parades, drag queen story hour, and teaching gender as a social construct are so insidious.

Out of loyalty to my father, I would never have shared my instinctive doubts about his lifestyle, but I distinctly remember being unsettled by it. And yet I shrugged off my feelings and ignored my discomfort so that I could be a supportive daughter. As I got older, I became a good social justice warrior at my school. I learned to put condoms on bananas and the importance of safe sex, regardless of whom your partner happened to be. I certainly wouldnt judge.

My dad died of AIDS when I was 17, on the morning of my senior prom. I watched him suffer his last months without a partner, and I listened to him voice his regrets.

Shortly before my mom remarried, she and I became Catholic. But at our ultra-liberal California parish, there was very little accurate catechesis on what the Catholic Church taught on these issues. However, I certainly embraced what I heard the Church taught on sexuality: open-mindedness, tolerance, acceptance. I was desperate for a way to explain away what the Bible said so clearly, and the progressive wing of the Catholic Church was eager to help me.

My Jesuit university did a fantastic job of not just excusing but celebrating the behavior of my by-then deceased father by wholeheartedly embracing and validating the homosexual lifestyle. In my Theology of Marriage class, rather than have a heterosexual couple speak, the instructor had a gay couple come to talk about the sacredness of their marriage. At the time, I said I was so glad that the Church was changing their backward views on homosexuality; however, deep inside, such an idea left me unsettled.

This illusion of the changing Church continues today. In his recent essay at Outreach, Fr. James Martin, S.J., explains why Pride and the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus are not just compatible but complementary. He argues that Our Lord loves everyone, which is certainly true. But his slippery case that Pride Month is something Catholics should celebrate is filled with implied approval for homosexual relationships. First, he says, Imagine a young LGBTQ person who is not in any sort of sexual relationship but simply wants to be accepted.Where is the sin?Second, it ignores the fact that all of us are sinful. Who among us has not sinned?

Of course, a chaste person who struggles with same-sex attraction is not sinning. But then Fr. Martin pivots to the argument that we are all sinners. Well, yes. But we are also supposed to try to stop sinning. This sort of you-hate-chaste-LGBTQ-individuals gives way to we-are-all-sinners, and then the reader is able to fill in the blank as he is inclined: but God loves me anyway; or, so the Church is wrong; or maybe, so we should never judge the actions of anyone else.

This type of article is exactly the type of evidence I clung to in my progressive, liberal days when I was trying to justify not just the homosexuality around me but my own sinful choices. While Fr. Martin is correct that we are called to love everyone, sometimes the most loving thing we can do is call others out of mortal sin.

After I had my own children, I was befriended by several traditionally-minded Catholic women who took the time to educate me on the Churchs teaching on homosexuality. What made them so effective was that they shared the truth in the context of our larger relationship. Even though our family did not homeschool, these homeschooling moms welcomed me. We had monthly dinners out and occasional stump the priest nights when we could ask questions and discuss the Faith freely. It was through these encounters that we were able to discuss and debate, but only after we shared our favorite recipes and lamented the sleepless nights up with our babies, and before we arranged the next park day for our kids to play together.

These sometimes-heated discussions on homosexuality did not define our friendship. They were just one facet of our relationship, and these women cared about me even when I was a relativist. That we could move on to other topics on which we shared common viewpoints gave me the space to reflect on their words and let down my guard. What I said as we argued was often no longer what I thought to be true. Sometimes, even as I believed what they were telling me, I felt I had to make every argument to the contrary.

Through the influence of my friends and by the grace of God, our family began to conform ourselves to the teaching of the Church. But without their courageous truth-telling, I wonder if I would have changed.

On Rod Drehers blog, he recently described the experience of a progressive artist he called Jane. One night, in the throes of depression, and in the clutches of transgenderism, she happened to click on a Jordan Peterson video that was in her social media feed. She was shocked to find that she agreed with everything Peterson said. His lone voice amidst the sea of insanity into which she had been swept, just like the courageous voices of my friends, gave her permission to pull herself out. She gave up her art career because she realized that the wokeness it required was not worth it.

Hearing the truth mattered to Jane, and it mattered to me. For those who are in the position of teaching others the truth on homosexuality, marriage, or transgender ideology, please do speak up. Share the beauty of the truth fearlessly because yours may be the only sane voice that your friends and family hear. Know that people may be angry. They might feel attacked. They could be defensive. But in a world where the schools, media, corporations, and even many within the Church (such as Fr. Martin), are teaching half-truths or outright lies, how will anyone find the truth if we do not show them? The fruits of wisdom and counsel are often unseen, but that does not mean that the seed of truth you sow will not grow.

Eventually, I was able to accept that the people who told me the truth and who defended the actual teachings of the Church were the people who cared about me. They were the ones who loved me and who wanted me to know of the plan God has for human sexuality. I did not always react with grace to their correction, and there were many arguments and disagreements, but my friendsmy real friendsalways patiently met my arguments with the truth, delivered compassionately. They neither backed down nor did they ostracize me when I was in the throes of my ignorance. They spoke the truth in charity and, over time, softened my hardened heart.

[Photo Credit: Shutterstock]

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How Having a Gay Father Showed Me the Lies of Progressive Catholicism - Crisis Magazine

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June 24th, 2022 at 1:49 am

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