Pineal Gland Calcification, Why You Need To Do “Breath Locks,” What Is An Energy Vortex & More

My name is Ben Greenfield and on this episode of the Ben Greenfield Life.

Podcast, really what it comes down to, whether it's individuals, couples, families or businesses, this is about internal attunement. So that then whether it's lovemaking or as a parent or in your business, in your personal professional life, you are attuned, you are aware, you are connected to whatever task comes next, whether that's business planning or date night, whether that is creative troubleshooting, you know, a challenge within the family or the finances or your health, more of you and more consciousness is available and accessible. That's exciting because now we're living on purpose and we're able to solve, troubleshoot and amplify in the direction that we want because we're all connected. And there's internal alignment.

Faith, family, fitness, health, performance, nutrition, longevity, ancestral living, biohacking, and a whole lot more. Welcome to the show.

Who doesn't want to start their day with superfoods? Superfoods that don't taste like crap. I mean really, you'd think that if you'd have put a bunch of vitamins and minerals and antioxidants and stuff, moringa, ashwagandha and chlorella and all these hyper green, alkalizing, detoxifying superfoods that support the blood and a healthy response to stress and help as an anti inflammatory and a hormone balancer to the body. That would all taste like drinking a nasty bitter salad. But the folks at Organifi have cracked the code on making drinking 11 different superfoods all at once an absolute culinary adventure. In a good way. Meaning that not only other products, 100% USDA certified organic jam packed with all the stuff you'd normally pay buka bucks for it, like a juicery. But it tastes amazing. I listed a few of the ingredients, but it also includes spirulina, beets, turmeric, mint, wheatgrass, lemon, coconut water. Incredible energy boost. It's like drinking, I don't know, probably a few dozen salads. That's my highly scientific analysis. Anyways, you get 20% off this stuff, you go to Organifi.com Ben. That's Organifi with an I.com Ben. Alright, so I'm a fan of putting a huge handful of blueberries in my morning smoothie. I'm a fan of eating pomegranates. Those are two things that I eat a lot of for my mitochondria. But what a lot of people don't realize is these compounds, they produce postbiotics. Postbiotics are something that your body makes during digestion. It's like you got prebiotics that metabolize stuff, then they make postbiotics. Well, there's one postbiotic that they've recently discovered. It's called Urolithin A. It's an anti aging postbiotic. It kind of like upgrades your body's cellular power grid, meaning it's amazing for your mitochondria. Now clinical studies have shown that 500 milligrams of the stuff alone significantly increases muscle strength and muscle endurance with no other change in lifestyle. So here's the deal. There's this company called Timeline. They figured out how to optimize the body's urolithin levels with three different products. They have a berry powder that you can mix in your breakfast yogurt or your daily smoothie. They have a protein powder which gives you all the muscle health benefits of whey protein added to the mitopure. Then they have softgels if you're on the run and you want a convenient grab and go choice. So, so basically they've figured out how to take all the stuff you get from blueberries, pomegranates, et cetera and just concentrate it in high amounts into a powder and give you 10% off. So you go to timelinenutrition.comBen that's timelinenutrition.com Ben and I highly recommend you start their starter pack that's got all three formats in it. That's a good one to start with. So check them out. Timelinenutrition.com Ben so let's talk nicotine, shall we? Everybody knows it's great for focus. I mean you don't have to get it from cigarettes, but it is actually a pretty potent nootropic. I mean it occurs naturally, not a plants, most obviously the tobacco plant, but you can get it without all the carcinogens and the way that you can get it and get it naturally from a company that makes natural products for people who want to use nicotine to relax or focus or unwind after a long day or boost the energy in the evening without keeping you up all night is this company called Lucy. They're a modern oral nicotine company and they make gum and lozenges and pouches that are super tasty for any adults who are looking for the best, most responsible way to consume their nicotine. And it's a new year, so why not start it out by switching to a new nicotine product you can actually feel good about. What you do is you go to Lucy Co, you can use promo code BEN20. I recommend their Pomegranate 2 or 4 milligram gum. That's the one I dig. I chew a couple pieces a day right now. It's amazing. Lucy Co and use promo code BEN20 at checkout. That's Lucy CO. Use code BEN20 at checkout. Warning. This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical, so be careful my friends. Lucy Co and use promo code BEN20. Be mindful, be careful, but enjoy that little high that nicotine can give you cause it's quite nice. Hey folks, what you are about to hear is an interview with my friend Anahata Ananda from Sedona. In the first part of this interview, you'll hear about her backstory and how she got into the unique form of breathwork and body alignment that she does down in Sedona, and a little bit more about this really cool event that her and I have partnered up on to put on for you March 10th through the 12th in Sedona. And I'll put all the details for that@bengreenfieldlife.com Shine got a little bit, I guess what I would describe as awkward towards the end as my own Christian beliefs kind of clash with some of the things that were originally planned for that event, like tarot card readings and some of the Reiki healing and the shamanic healing journeys and some of the things that, frankly, I thought could potentially be confusing to you too, or not really align with your own beliefs. And I realize I have a wide range of listeners from a wide variety of religious and spiritual backgrounds, but I also have to be authentic to my own beliefs. And so after we recorded this podcast, I talked with Anahata and we decided that as a part of this big event that we're doing, we're actually going to make a couple of shifts just to make this a little bit more in alignment with what I'm comfortable with. So tarot card readings were originally a planned part of this event, and I'm not really convinced that tarot card readings and divination are something that I want to be involved with. So instead we're replacing that with guided heart brain alignment sessions. You may have heard of heart rate variability training. You may have even heard of the Heartmath Institute, which is the place for research and practice of heart rate variability training. They're going to have all their neurofeedback training equipment there that shows how to use software and monitoring to pair heart wave and brainwave shifts with breathing and meditation. Basically, you're going to Learn how to achieve what's called heart brain coherence, which is an amazing ninja skill to have for life for managing your nervous system. So that's gonna be cool. The other thing that we are going to do is have a combination of what's called, well, it's called a cellular mind body reset session. So when you're at the event in the healing room space there at Shine, you're going to get to combine the Biomat headphones with hemisync binaural beats and aromatherapy for these deep rejuvenation sessions. And we are replacing the Reiki attunements with tachyon energy rods with that. Again, just to make it possibly a little bit less woo woo and esoteric, or whatever you want to call it, New Agey, but also a really fantastic experience for you. So we made those shifts after recording today's podcast, and I hope that makes those of you who are considering coming to this event, coming to the VIP dinner with me and my family afterwards, coming to Sedona to hike in between, a little bit more palatable and interesting. And so all of that's going to be@BenGreenfieldLife.com shine. It's coming up quick, March 10th through the 12th, so get in while they're getting as good as they say. And I hope to see you there. Anahata, I want to welcome you back to the show.

Oh, as always, Ben, just when we weave together, it just brings a smile to my face and warms my heart because we've had many journeys together. You've. You've come to Sedona many times, and each time there's more magic, there's more depth. And it's been so beautiful to watch your journey of transformation from when we first met, and the shift in your energy as you've been really showing up to do your inner work, to create more internal alignment and the willingness to go into shadow, to go into imbalances and make a course correction, humbly, graciously, courageously do the work. And that's one of the things that I really appreciate about you, that you go all in. And, you know, not everybody does that. You know, you historically have done that for sure with your fitness journey. And it's so beautiful to watch you integrate emotional health and wellness as well.

Well, when I first met you, I think I limped into your office as an Ironman triathlete obsessed with exercise and fitness. And I think you met me kind of early on in my journey to realizing that that really wasn't the Tippy, top of the mountain. And so I've certainly learned a lot since then. But I remember after that first session with you, just going out into the hills behind your house and crying and sitting and asking myself a lot of tough questions. And so there's something about what you do that really opens people up in terms of how they view themselves and the experience that they have with your breath work. And so what I wanted to ask you, actually, from the get go, because I don't think I've ever really dug into on the podcast, at least your history. I mean, we've had epic barbecues at your house, and we've had breathwork sessions and we've talked a lot. But I want to learn a little bit more about your background and where you came from and how you kind of came to develop the unique flavor of practice that you do now.

For me, it was the dark night of the soul that catalyzed my awakening. Which is. Which is similar and common for a lot of people that are on the healing and awakening journey is that often it is a pain, it is a catalyst, it's a diagnosis, a divorce, a death, a trauma, where you got to do the work. And for me, it was, you know, around 2000, a little bit before that, where I was going through my dark night of the soul, I was going through a divorce, which I call a marital liberation.

What'd you call it? A marital liberation.

Liberation. You know, I had everything on paper, Ben. Beautiful home, more bathrooms than people in the house, you know, a big house. And twins like you. Twins. I have boy girl twins that at the time were two and a half. And I was not in the place my soul was meant to be. I had not done my inner healing work from traumas from childhood and young adulthood. And I wasn't in alignment. There was a lot of sedating, there was a lot of working, a lot of unconscious communication in my relationship, a lot of blame, a lot of acting out on both sides, and it just crumbled. And in that process, I had a choice. And I think what really happened is that having twins at that point, when we were really divorcing, when they were about three, it's like, look, if I don't get my shit together, it's going to flow downstream to my kids. Like, if I don't make a change, if I don't do the inner work, if I don't release this rage and resentment and the guilt and the sorrow about the loss that I'm experiencing right now, the pattern of unresolved issues from my family bloodline is going to get passed on. And I knew at a heart and soul level that it was going to stop with me. However, traditional therapies were not working. When I was going through counseling for our marriage, we were just getting at the tip of the iceberg and not at all dealing with the core issues and, like, way, way too much in the shallow end that it was so frustrating. We were just talking in circles and not getting anywhere. And I'm like, I cannot shift like this. This is not getting me anywhere. And so I sought out a shamanic healer.

Where were you living at the time? Were you in Sedona?

I was living in Southern California at the time. And a friend of mine recommended somebody in la, a shamanic healer in la. And I said, hey, I am desperate. I will try anything right now. And I was open to alternative things. I was into yoga and I was learning meditation. And so I was really on this journey of getting my health together. But I had it, and I had quit drinking, which was a really valuable choice. That was a real game changer for me. So that when I was going through the dark night, I didn't have substance to lean on. And so I felt the feelings instead of numbing them, which meant there was a lot of rage and sadness at the surface that then going into single parenting, I was like, look, I've got to release this for sure. And so when I went to my first, you know, shamanic healing journey with somebody in LA who's long since retired, this is, you know, this is 22 years ago, 23 years ago, the first emotion that came then was rage. And what he did is he created a safe space for me to access that emotion without guilt or shame or oppressing those feelings, because I was pissed, I was angry, I was hurt. But it wasn't just from the things that were happening in the marriage. It was from way before that. Childhood things, young adult things that had just been oppressed and didn't have a safe space to process. And after the rage moved, which I could consider to be more fiery emotions, then the grief came, which I consider to be more watery emotions. The sadness about the loss, the disappointments about how I wanted it to be, and the reality of the way it was. And so I found that shamanic healing was profoundly impactful in my journey. What I felt was missing when I went to my practitioner is that there was a lot of fire and not a lot of softness. So I also sought out other healers that could bring tenderness and gentleness for the watery Parts for the wounded, parts that could help heal. There's a very powerful process of the emotional release, the anger or the sadness. But there's another piece that is really holding that tender place of the wound so that it can heal.

When you say a shamanic healing journey, what is that exactly?

There's a lot of different forms of that. This one was getting on the table and this particular healer working with different cue questions and allowing my subconscious to bring forward the answers. So different questions. He was using energy clearing techniques, emotional release techniques in my belly and different parts of my body to really get at the cellular trauma that was held in the body. So triggering, he purposefully was going into places that would trigger the pain, the anger, the feelings in my body. And wow, I mean, he was so skillful. We could get to there very quickly. And so I released a lot of that in that. But I felt like what was missing was, hey, how can we go hold that inner child and be gentle now with that part of you that is wounded? And I think the next big piece is the integration piece, which is, well, what are you learning? What are you reestablishing? What are you reclaiming that was lost in that process? Is it your voice? Is it your sovereignty? Is it your intuition? Is it your authenticity? What was lost in that experience?

The trauma or the death, the divorce, the diagnosis? What created a fissure then? Because the release is just part of it. Then there's the tenderness of like, it's okay and that and the softness that allows the healing. It's kind of like a Mother Mary vibration. Then there's the fiery shamanic energy, like, ah, let's get it out. And then there's this, okay, let me hold tenderness for the sadness. And then there's another piece, okay, the integration. What are you reclaiming? What are you learning? What are you stepping into? What are you going to do differently? Where is there forgiveness? Where is there empowerment that can come from this? And that's, that's really where the activation happens. The release is just part of it. Because now when you amend the soil, a new seed can grow and wholeness is returned. Power, grace, intuition is returned. And from there, that's really the catalyst for expansion and growth. And that's that what I. That's why the work that I do, I call shamangelic because the shaman's not afraid to go into the shadow and stir it up. And you know, that with our work together, like, I'm not afraid to go into the darkness. I'm not afraid to be honest about it. I'm not afraid to face the fears. Whatever we meet there can be addressed with consciousness and with tenderness and with courage, and whatever's on the other side of that can also be met with compassion and forgiveness and grace. Then, all right, what are we going to do differently? What's going to change?

Yeah. So for you, in terms of change, like you went through this whole healing journey, when did you actually start to teach this stuff or become an instructor in this stuff? Was it right off the bat that you started spreading this to others or what did that look like?

First of all, I dove into my own healing. I went full force, not unlike yourself. It's like I was hitting that, you know, shamanic healing journeys, breathworks, ceremonies. I went full on in pulling towards me the books, the teachers, the content, the ceremonies that really started going after my whole body healing. I went into yoga, went to fasting and cleansing, neuro, linguistic programming, meditation, working with different shamans on the land, Peru and North America. And the truth is that whole situation catalyzed my soul path because I, I was like, I want to study this, I want to learn this, I don't want this just for myself. I was collecting so many tools from and different modalities and I started putting them together and then I started training in those modalities because it was a calling. And very quickly when I started training with different shamans and different spiritual teachers and master healers in emotional clearing, spiritual connection, meditation, yoga, all of these different things, it started to connect with me. It started to really deeply land and my healing gifts started to turn on. When I cleaned up my physical body, my emotional body, my mental body, my energy body and my spiritual body simultaneously, I was going after the cleansing of all of those things which is really clearing all of the chakras to come back into alignment. What happened when I did that is that I decalcified my pineal and my pituitary glands which are responsible for higher consciousness. And what happened in that space is clairvoyance, being able to see, clairaudience, being able to hear, claircognizance, being able to know and clairsentience, being able to feel, all kicked on for me simultaneously. So it wasn't just that I was training in these different modalities. I was having access to soul blueprint and consciousness that was able to come in and help guide those modalities in an intuitive, spiritually guided way. And so the my gifts turned back to on that had been dormant for decades. And so it was really fast tracked. And you know, that's when you do it all simultaneously, physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and energetic. It's really exciting. And that's how I roll. As I just went after it. And the change, the amplification, the acceleration happened really fast for me. And so I was learning all kinds of different things. And then I started my own healing practice where I was starting with what I call shamangelic healing journeys over 20 years ago and breath work. I was trained in different breathwork modalities. And so I started facilitating breathwork and private healing sessions and I opened up a full time practice and I've been doing it for, for over two decades now, guiding tens of thousands of people through this process.

You mentioned a couple of things as you were describing your history and how you came to practice the unique form of breathwork and healing that you do now. One was about the pineal gland. You mentioned that you decalcified your pineal gland. What's that mean? Exactly.

So one of the things when we are asleep, meaning that we're not activate, we're not fully activating our higher consciousness. So the pineal gland, which is associated with 6 the chakra, it gets calcified from diet.

It gets calcified from lack of use. And like a muscle that's not being used, it's like a pipe that just kind of begins to clog.

Yeah. And by the way, I've heard that fluoride is a huge issue too with calcification in the pineal gland. Like they've done studies. I think most of the studies were like radio rodent studies, but they've found that when they'll put animals on a fluoride free diet, that they see this regrowth of pineal gland cells and that in humans who consume a lot of fluoride and also a lot of chlorine, get exposed to a lot of chlorine. There seems to be an issue with things like melatonin production, this really powerful antioxidant and sleep enhancing molecule that the pineal gland is largely responsible for producing. That doesn't happen in the case of this calcification. And it's really interesting that it develops these calcium spots the same way as you can get a calcium scan score of your heart valves or your joints or breast tissue. In women, that's another problem. But it's really interesting that the diet plays such a key role in this pineal gland calcification. And you described how it's associated with the sixth chakra. So it can impact things like insight, your ability to meditate, your ability to focus. Like there's a lot that goes on when you don't care for that gland. I just don't think a lot of people are aware that you got to take care of it and aware that the huge role, the huge role that fluoride can play and chlorine secondarily in that calcification process.

Yeah. The pineal is connected to the crown and that is, are connected to divine consciousness, our 5D self. And so exactly like you said, with different substances, different pollutants, it can get calcified. If we're not meditating and using that channel, in other words, putting water through that pipe on a daily basis, then it also begins to calcify. If we're not detoxifying it with breath and with meditation and we're not getting blood flow to that area and literally calcified thoughts. That's why I say it's also the mental body, because we, when we're in this place where our glands, the pineal and the pituitary glands are being triggered by rage and trauma, we have a different chemical makeup in our brain which correlates to a different chemical makeup in our neural nervous system and our physical cellular body. It's all connected. And so when I was starting to cleanse the physical body with all kinds of different fasting, when I started to cleanse the emotional body with letting go of rage and anger and sadness and grief, then the energy starts to flow. When I started meditating and doing daily breath work, now I'm opening those channels that can connect to higher consciousness.

Yeah. The other one, by the way, in addition to meditation and breath work that I think could be really helpful for the pineal gland. Well, there's two things that I know of. One is a lot of these electrical modalities, like electrical medicine is kind of like a big up and coming modality that can be pretty effective. Like the old school rife frequencies that you see produced by some of these modern devices like a biocharger, or there's a company called Ammortal that has one called a catalyst. The electrical frequencies seem to do a really good job activating the pineal gland. Like I have a biocharger, for example. You can set it in pineal gland mode. And it apparently helps to, via electrical signals, decalcify the pineal gland. But then the other one is light. Like they've actually dissected pineal glands and found that they have photoreceptors on them that get activated by light. And so when light isn't getting reflected from the retina, particularly like the brilliance of sunlight. People wear a lot of sunglasses, they're indoors a lot. Maybe they've never really experimented with sun gazing or large amounts of natural light exposure during the day. Day. All of that seems to also impact the pineal gland. And of course, the big issue, besides being able to meditate and being able to almost focus in that state of meditation and produce important biochemicals like dimethyltryptamine, dmt, the other thing that can happen with the pineal gland calcification is a little bit of insomnia, like a lot of sleep deficits, and then migraines like both of those can be heavily related to pineal gland calcification.

This is all part of the healing journey, is stepping out of the calcification, the toxification that has happened from emotional as well as physical toxins and traumas. And if we're not clearing those out of the body over time, they stay. That's part of the journey is moving that out of the body emotionally and energetically with breathwork and other things, taking care of the physical body. Yes. Sun gazing, yes. Breath work, yes. Meditation, yes. Different breathing techniques that balance the left and right hemispheres of the brain. Yes to all of that. And what that does, it activates our higher self, our higher consciousness. When we're trapped in the emotional and energetic bodies of the trauma, that becomes a block that doesn't allow us to experience higher states of love, higher states of joy and vitality and vibrant health. And so that's why I chose this route instead of kind of more Western psychotherapy, is because I really wanted to get deep and emotionally energetically cleanse. And that's, that's where I'm so excited to go into those deeper places with people one on one or in group settings to say, hey, if you are ready to step into truth, if you are ready to feel the fullest capacity of love, if you are wanting to return back to wholeness and to embrace your soul's fullest potential, we've got to go in and do some cleanup. And most of us have some residue because we're, we're not trained in Western society to clean as we go, to forgive as we go, to grieve as we go, and to have a safe space for anger, rage or sadness to be processed. And I think this is one of the most powerful things that is happening now is that there is this openness and more of a common approach that is allowing and talking about emotional release and grief where before decades, not that long, ago, decades ago for sure. And in our parents generation for sure, that was shamed. And now there is this new opening that is saying, yes, process your feelings. Yes, look at your shadow. Yes, heal your trauma.

I don't think it's any secret, especially for those of you who have read my cookbook, that I guzzle extra virgin olive oil. I use it in like everything. Not only is it a myth that you're not supposed to cook with olive oil, because extra virgin olive oil actually has a bunch of flavanols and polyphenols in it that allow it to be pretty heat stable even for things like sauteing, baking, broiling, etc. But the health benefits of this stuff, I mean as far as like lowering risk of heart disease, helping prevent type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancer, high blood pressure on Alzheimer's disease, obesity, I mean it's basically zero carb, low carb ketogenic, friendly to a paleo lifestyle, a cornerstone of the longevity enhancing Mediterranean diet. And as any chef will tell you, that's where the flavor's at. And a really good extra virgin olive oil has amazing flavor. The problem with the ones that you buy at the grocery store is they're not fresh right. After six months, the. The polyphenols and antioxidants and olive oil start to degrade. And if you actually look at the bottle label at the grocery store of the olive oil that you're probably buying right now, it's older than six months, it's in plastic, it's not in like that dark glass container. And if they're already older than six months at the time that you buy them, that means they've sat in storage, then in shipping, then in a warehouse, then on store shelves, even years growing stale and rancid before you even put the them in your cart. And then a lot of them have extra bad oils added to them, particularly canola oil. So I go straight to the source and get not only the world's most delicious artisanal olive oil, but real fresh, the real stuff, extra virgin olive oil. I get it from this company called the Fresh Pressed Olive Oil Club. I've been a member for I think almost 10 years now. I get three new bottles sent to me every quarter. They're hunted down by this guy who's been on my podcast twice, TJ Robinson, the olive oil hunter, who also does vinegars now, by the way, that are amazing. I have a podcast coming out about that, if it's not already out. You're going to hear it pretty soon. But this stuff is the best olive oil I've ever used in my life. Guilt free. It's real, it's not cut with other stuff, it's not rancid. And it even comes with this cool like little booklet where you could read about the farm, where it was harvested, who grew it, what it tastes like, tasting notes, recipes used to it in. Better yet, they're going to give us all a bottle for a buck. One bottle, this olive oil for a dollar so you can taste the difference for yourself. Here is where you go for all this. Get fresh38.com that's like the number 38 get fresh38.com and that's everything you need to get this extra virgin olive oil for yourself. It's one of the funnest clubs ever. So check it out. Extra virgin olive oil. It's real artisanal stuff, straight from olive oil. Hunter TJ Robinson, my friend, one of the best guys out there in the olive oil industry. Getfresh38.com all right, let's talk about the one supplement that I think is one of the most powerful supplements, flies under the radar, that is good for building lean muscle, enhancing athletic recovery, naturally boosting energy, backed by over 20 years of clinical research. And this stuff is something I discovered when I was racing Ironman triathlon. And it just turns out that it is basically the building blocks of life. And I'm not kidding, it's actually essential amino acids, all the ones your body needs because your body is 50% amino acids. And the building blocks that amino acids give you, they're absolutely fundamental not only for fitness but for recovery, for satiating your appetite. Helps me to sleep better. It allows me to go for really long periods of time without eating oodles of calories. It's like the Swiss army knife of supplementation. It's called Aminos Kion Aminos K I O N. You go to getkion.com ben to get this stuff at 20% off of monthly delivery and 10% off of a one time purchase. Fantastic flavors. I personally like the berry, the watermelon and the mango flavor. Those would be the top three to try in my opinion. And you just put it in water. I mean I dump the powder straight into my mouth pre workout and it's like a shot in the butt to go out and crush a workout. But it's great for a whole lot of stuff besides just a shot in the butt. So check them out. Getkion.com Ben getk I-O-N.com Ben to get my fundamental supplement for fitness, Kion Aminos. I've worked to achieve many things in life, but my greatest yet, most humbling work, I think, has been with my role as a father. Parenting is blissful. It's brutal. It's far beyond anything I ever could have anticipated. My sons are now teenagers and the people around us who engage with them often ask if I could write a book on raising children and education and legacy and discipline and all this stuff that goes into raising a good child, a good human. Now, I didn't feel that qualified to write a parenting guide, so I gathered a team of parenting superstars, dozens of my friends, entrepreneurs, authors, neurologists, psychologists, family coaches, a whole lot more. I got all their best tools, techniques, perspectives, habits, on again, everything from education to discipline to travel to rites of passage and beyond. And I put it all in one massive book that's like the guide to parenting. So it's now available, it's@boundlessparentingbook.com and that's where you can pre order your copy today. So BoundlessParentingBook.com it has been an absolute adventure putting this thing together. I think you're gonna love it. The one other thing that comes to mind when you talk especially about breath and the pineal gland is that you know how in many forms of breath work, you will do like that giant inhale where you squeeze everything, like the pelvis all the way up to the fist, the arms, the shoulders, the neck, the jaw, and kind of shoot all the energy up the top of the head. That type of pressure on the pineal gland I think can introduce. And this is all hypothetical, but I feel like there's this increase in blood flow that occurs to that area. Whether you want to call it the pineal gland or the third eye chakra or whatever, that's really beneficial for a lot of people. I think a lot of people don't get that deep inhale on a regular basis, especially people who don't do breath work that often. But I think it's almost stimulating to the pineal gland. And it's something. For example, my family gathers for meditation about 7, 7:30 each morning. And we will typically listen to or read a devotional. We'll pray, we'll read some scripture, we'll breathe for a little while together. But we always finish with this one big, huge, giant breath. Up, up, up, up, up to the top of the head. We hold it, we squeeze it, and then we let go with this audible vocal tone. And sometimes we aren't doing a lot of Breath work, besides just that final deep breath in. But it just feels like it changes the approach to the day in terms of just your focus, your mental stability, your resistance to stress. And I mean, it's only like maybe 20 seconds that that inhale is held up to the top of the head. But even something as simple as that, you know, if you have a breath work practice really focusing on that process, on the inhale, squeezing everything up to the top of the head. That seems to help out quite a bit with some of that pineal gland activity.

Yeah. I found in studying different breathing techniques that the yogic path that this is called kumbaka, which is a breath hold. And I also learned it from my shamanic teacher as well with breathwork. And when we talk about breathwork, it's a big category because we have more the yogic breathing that can be nadi shodhana, which is balancing the left and right hemispheres of the brain. When your alternate nostril breathing, that's different then shamanic breathwork, which is really diaphragmatic, deep, powerful, inhales and exhales to accentuate and potentiate the oxygen flow to the brain so that it can access that subconscious beliefs, subconscious trauma, which then triggers the body to find that in where it's held physically. And also if it's facilitated in a safe container, then permission and freedom to access what emotion or energy is held or expression, whether the voice was oppressed. And that's more of like holotropic or diaphragmatic. Shamanic breathwork journeys a little bit different than calming the mind for meditation, which is really taking you more into the parasympathetic. I've learned with the breathlock that you're talking about. I use it in two different places. One, I found it really valuable and do this in the morning with my meditation is I do a lot of quick fire breaths before meditation.

You know, which is called breath of fire or Kapalabhati in India. And this is fast diaphragmatic breathing. And then.

Inhale and a hold and you're absolutely holding in your perineum or your root, the pelvic floor, your throat and your solar plexus, your belly, your diaphragm. And what that does absolutely is it shoots it up to the top of the crown and it hyper oxygenates there. What that does is it absolutely clears the mind. It makes it so much easier for me to go into a deeper meditation when I do that kumbhaka, that breath hold for exactly like you said, maybe it's 10 seconds, 20 seconds. And then when you slowly exhale, your mind is in a different state. And I found deeper meditation happens there. But I also use it in breath work when I'm doing journeys. For the shamangelic breathwork journey, we're doing a lot of deep inhales and exhales to really get the oxygen ratio to shift, to unlock that unconscious memory and belief systems, emotional and energy that's blocked and hidden from sight. And then at different times during that, I will guide a breath lock that has a deep inhale and exhale, a deep inhale and exhale. And on the third one, it's held a deep inhale and hold. And what that's doing, it's absolutely blasting that pituitary for the sixth chakra and the pineal for the seventh. And it absolutely opens up those channels. Now for truth, divinity, peace, healing, love, whatever is needed to bring wholeness back to the body. That's where a whole other level of healing is happening, I found, is when you clear out the emotional density, then after a while in the breathwork journey, go to that breathlock. Now we're getting into the higher states of consciousness. But if we go right to that first, we've missed the opportunity to clear those lower emotional dense energy centers. So I think it's very vital to do the deep emotional release first, like clear the pipes and then open with a breathlock to allow in wholeness, truth, intuition, grace, healing, love, peace, whatever's needed to bring one back to wholeness again.

We're talking about breathwork a little bit, and I would love to take a little bit of a deeper dive into what you do during your breath work sessions. But before we do, I should also note that in addition to that practice that I do with the family, where it's pretty simple, we just have that one breath in and a breath out. My sons and I have been using a few different apps, particularly one called Othership, to do breath work on a regular basis. For a few reasons, I think it's really good for a young human to just look, learn how to control their physiology with their breath. I've said this before on podcasts. I think it should be a core part of any young human's curriculum to learn how to use their breath to up regulate or down regulate their nervous system. But we're also preparing for this fun father, son free diving spearfishing trip in April. And I know that that's also going to be important in terms of them being comfortable with things like oxygen, hunger and blowing off CO2 and having longer retention times, etc, and so on a few days of the week, I'm taking them through anywhere from 20 to 45 minute breathwork sessions, usually in the sauna for a little bit of extra heat stimulus. But then what I also do in the mornings pretty early. And this has been like a new practice of mine, but I wanted to share it just while we're on the topic of breathwork is I'll put on a really nice channel. Typically I'll use Spotify. Like there's one I like called Soaking Worship. And so I'll put on the Soaking worship channel and then I do about one to two minutes of box breathing. And then after I've done those one to two minutes of box breathing, I'll start into three to four rounds of like that more intense, you know, almost like Wim Hof esque breath work where it's fully in, letting go, fully in, letting go, fully in, letting go. Typically for 30 to 40 breaths, you know, you kind of get to that point where the fingertips get a little tingly from the onset of nitric oxide and blood blowing off the CO2. And then I'll take one deep, deep, deep, deep, deep breath in and then exhale everything and hold it and just sit in the silence. And during that exhale hold, I'll pray, I'll listen to the voice of God, I'll meditate, I'll dwell on things like my plans for the day, et cetera. And then I finish with this giant inhale and I'll hold that as long as possible and sometimes that's as long as like over a minute. And then go back into my normal breathing and, and I do that three times. And this has become like a daily morning practice for me. And then I finish with my own personal prayer time. And there's something about breathwork that just shifts you into prayer that's just this seamless transition that's super special. And so for me it's this really cool practice where I've got the Soaking Worship channel, I've got the box breathing starting and then I go into the Wim Hof and then I finish with a prayer. And that means that during that practice I'm getting three of those intense long breath locks. And so it's a great morning practice. I just wanted to share with folks while we're on the topic of breathwork, kind of a little bit of a rabbit hole. I haven't been to your new shine facility. Now it's been completed, right? So I've done all my breath Work at your home office where you have this basement that's got all of your healing tools and your instruments and the mats that people lay on and everything, which I'm assuming you've recreated something like that at the new Shine facility down there. But I would love for you to walk people through what the actual breathwork session with you looks like as far as the different instruments that you're using and the different tools and the different tactics, because it's really unique. And I've never walked out of an experience with you without feeling kind of like I do after my home breathwork sessions. But probably times at least like three or four in terms of the openness and the new thoughts and the new ideas and a lot of the stuff people look for in breathwork. So walk me through what's going on during a typical breathwork session with you.

Yes. Shine has everything the sanctuary space there facilitating in that the sanctuary is incredible. There are 14 foot golden wings in a spiral of the flower and the seed of life sacred geometry on the wall. There's angels, ascended masters, spiritual guides, inhabiting, protecting and guiding that space. There's crystals not only displayed but built into the walls. It's a high frequency venue to facilitate transformation, healing and spiritual awakening. And I'm so excited to have everybody there when you come in March. And what's exciting about when you come in March is that you're going to be teaching and demonstrating and guiding the whole group through these kinds of breathing techniques that you're talking about so that people can experience it real time. So I'm super excited about that. What is unique about what I call shamangelic breathwork, first of all, there's multiple things that you've experienced with me and that other people experience when they have a journey like this is safety, integrity and trust. The container that is held by the facilitator and the venue is imperative so that the individual feels held, seen, is safe and can trust the process that they are being guided by the facilitator for the highest good and that they can be safe in their vulnerability, that they can go into those shadow spaces that they've never shared with anybody, or that there hasn't been able to be the environment that allows for deep healing or deep release. And so I think that that starts from the very beginning and is building that rapport with somebody and permission to feel the feels without judgment, without oppression, permission to express rage and anger or sadness without any repercussions. And the skill I feel what it would differentiates what I facilitate Is that there is a very deep presence with each individual. It's not just putting on a great playlist and shaking a rattle. That's not it. That's lovely. However, the real transformation happens when you have the ability to move into somebody's energy field without losing your own and be in complete presence with reading the energy field of what is needed. Do they need a hand to be held? Do they need a whisper that says you're safe here? Do they need a hand on the shoulder or an emotional clearing technique that is catalyzing the release of a trauma, an emotion or an oppression somehow? And the ability to read that doesn't come easy or natural to everybody. And it takes skill and practice. And some people have gifts but are not trusting them. Some people are making a playlist but do not know how to move seamlessly with integrity, with presence and with a range that can meet somebody and catalyze rage and help it to move out and also know how to move into the softer field. That's more Mother Mary. That is what they need right now is just to be held in a little child's pose in a way in which they've never felt held before. And that takes a lot of skill and ability to read it. When somebody's going through their process and their journey and know how to catalyze a deeper experience. And that takes. That's the one on one work. And being able to go into shadow and also as masterfully into the light and into the heart and to know what will need to be tailored for a deeper experience for the person that's receiving.

Yeah. And you say rage. I think sometimes it can also just be like pent up emotions, angst, a lot of extra energy that you just kind of breathe off. Yeah. Stress, basically. Where do the instruments that you use come in? Tell me a little bit about that.

The main instrument is the facilitator. The clearer I am, the clearer the facilitator is then the instrument that is used. The touch, the words, the rattle, the drum is an extension of that, first of all, because it isn't the drum, it isn't the rattle, it isn't the tuning fork that is doing the healing. It is the intention and the pure frequency of the person that is utilizing that. So when I do my training, and I've been training people on these modalities for over a decade, is to really keep fine tuning the individual instruments so that I'm coming from love and presence first of all, so that I know what instrument, whether it's my voice or touch or a drum or a tuning fork will potentiate the journey deeper. So that's first and foremost is tuning the individual instruments so that there is divine guidance to know what tool to use when we're in that shamanic release. I love the rattle. I love the drum because those are more primal sounds. So those are great for shooing out heaviness, stress, anxiety, resentment. Those are really beautiful for clearing. Along with what I use is a clearing mist that I've made that has palo santo and lemongrass.

Yeah. Remember, that smells really nice.

It does, and it's wonderful. Those scents specifically are great in the shadow realms when you're clearing out density. And so those are used and woven individually. And like when. When I've done breathwork for you and Angelo, as an example, with two people side by side, both of you are having different journeys. I might use the rattle on you. And then as I'm holding space with somebody else, then I get. It's a complete blank slate. What do they need? And then what tool would be best right now when we're working in more. The tender spaces in the heart, when we're doing heart healing. I love the tuning fork right on the heart. I love the scent of rose, which is more feminine and sweet and gentle. And that bring. And the touch is soft. The sound might be a little angelic chime, something soft and tender that really allows that, like sweet reset. Totally different. And that might happen 10 seconds apart. Moving from one person's energy field, which might be the rattle and the drum, to release density and then shifting over to honoring somebody's tears. And the tone of voice would completely change, Ben, because now we're in this place of, okay, sweetie, it's okay. Let it out. You're safe here. And so then the instrument would be the voice or the touch or how one is holding. And sometimes, like you were saying, the tingling at the bottom of your fingers, when there's that hyper oxygenating, it might be very visceral. It might be very cellular, that the density that might be held might be creating cramping in the body. It might be a pain in the neck. And so sometimes peace and calming, the essential oil and different touch helps people release stress and anxiety and fear, which is different than rage or grief. It's a tension that is like, where could you soften? And so that might be essential oils that help people relax and get out of angst. So the tools, it's nice. And what I teach is, hey, let's have this range of tools from a. Of Essential oils, voice touch, emotional clearing, drums, rattles, crystal balls, gongs. That can all potentiate a different experience if you are skilled at reading what somebody needs in a given moment.

Right, right, yeah. And you mentioned Angelo and I, by the way, just so people know, Angelo is my co founder and CEO at the supplements company Kion. And we actually went down hiking and doing a bunch of business meetings down in Sedona. But as a part of that, we dropped in to see Anahata and did this full like 90 minute intense breathwork session with her. And I'm sure you remember this Anahata. We were like screaming at the top of our lungs at certain points. We were sharing these amazing ideas we had for the company throughout. We just had the creative portals ripped wide open. And actually if you look at the current Kion logo on the bottles, all these energy swoops and this idea of taking your next step in life and the idea of weaving energy signatures, energetic signatures onto each bottle and onto the website, all of that stems from the creativity that we generated. I remember after our breathwork session with you, we went on a three hour hike the next morning just talking about all the ideas we had during the session. And so it seems to just be this really cool, cool way to tap into creative portals in a way that honestly I think a lot of people rely on drugs to do. Like they'll go to Ayahuasca or smoke some DMT or maybe use some psilocybin or whatever. But we did all this drug free, substance free, just using the breath and it was a really cool experience. I actually wanted to ask you, do you do much of that type of work with companies or corporations or businesses who want to bring their teams in for breathwork with you? Have you ever thought about doing something like that?

Absolutely. And first of all, I really want to acknowledge that on your business strategy session that you chose not to just be in a conference room in a Hilton in Phoenix, but you chose to be on the land. You chose to do shamanic clearing work, you chose to clear out your vessel and do that with your business partner so that that way together you could be more open to allow creative energy to come through. That's what's the real, the real benefit. I think the real pearl is when you come out of the breathwork not just having released the energy, but then through that process of alignment and connecting to divine creative inspiration, divine intuition, like all of these things, visions, ideas, the truth about something, perspective, change, that is a treasure chest of gold right there of like, oh wow, this is the way I should go. And I remember when you came, when you guys came out of that. Well, in the journey, I'm laughing because in the journey there was yelling and screaming, there was laughter, there was singing, there was crying, and all within an hour. That's the beauty of this and the connection that happened with the both of you after that. So I love working with groups, with families. In fact, we're going to do this with your whole family when you come in March.

Yeah, I'm looking forward to bringing my sons and my wife through the live experience, so to speak. And that actually leads me to, to another question. My wife and I, we've actually been using some of these breathwork sessions in this app called Othership. They're like couples sessions. They're about a half hour and we use them perhaps a little bit of TMI for some listeners, but we basically use them for foreplay on a night where we really just want to drop in before sex and connect really deeply. We'll play this 30 minute session. Usually you're lying beside each other in bed. Sometimes, sometimes you're like sitting with your legs intertwined, eyes locked almost. She'll breathe out into my mouth, I'll breathe out into her mouth. And then in other times during the session, we're lying side by side on the bed holding hands and we're both doing the inhale, lock holds and the exhales. And as you would guess, by the time we finish 30 minutes of that, we're extremely ready to go on to the next phase of lovemaking. But this idea of couples breath work is actually really cool. I mean, like, it's right up there with like our quarterly planning retreats and our date nights. As far as something that really brings us close together. Have you ever done much with, with couples in that space also?

Yeah. So one of the things that you're talking about is like tantric breathing practices.

Yeah, yeah, I guess that's what you'd call it is like a tantric breathing practice.

It's exactly what it is. And so those are different ways to weave inhale and exhale and synchronize your breathing. And this is really what it comes down to, whether it's individuals, couples, families or businesses. This is about internal attunement. So that then whether it's lovemaking or as a parent or in your business, in your personal professional life, you are attuned, you are aware, you are connected to what, whatever task comes next, whether that's business planning or date night, whether that is creative troubleshooting a challenge within the family or the finances or your health, more of you and more consciousness is available and accessible. That's exciting because now we're living on purpose and we're able to solve, troubleshoot and amplify in the direction that we want because we're all connected and there's internal alignment. And so you're absolutely right about tantric practices and breathing practices being able to bring people into alignment. To answer your question about doing that with corporate, you know, with different companies, Aubrey is one of those that the company culture is, yeah, let's work on our shit and be the best versions of ourselves.

You mean Aubrey Marcus from Onnit?

Aubrey Marcus, yeah, from Onnit. And so he would fly me out to Austin to work with his whole C suite because that's the company culture, is to, hey, do your inner work so the best version of you can show up so that, that way they can be amplified in running the business upon it. He would have his teams come out here to the ranch in Austin and he would send different employees out here to do that kind of work and different sub teams would come out and do that kind of work because that's the company culture. Not every company has that culture. And what I said earlier about it being a safe space, sometimes if you're the CEO or the cfo, it doesn't feel like a safe space to be processing emotional trauma or be talking about your feelings with your accounting supervisor or your director of human resources. So it depends on the company culture. And in those situations, what I recommend is, is the one on one sessions so that there is still a privacy and a safety that says, listen, this isn't a safe space for me to address this. And with family dynamics, same thing is sometimes a young adult is not the right, they're not at the right age necessarily to be processing a parent's sexual trauma. And so that's important to look at what is the intention here. And if there is an issue where somebody needs deeper private, because breathwork, shamangelic breathwork has the potential to really go deep. And not everybody in that collective container can hold space for that process. That's what the facilitator does and learning and listening to what's the appropriate environment here. And when the deeper issues are uncovered, then one on one integration is really valuable. So that, that way it's processed in an appropriate environment.

Yeah, yeah, that makes sense. I want to talk a little bit about this thing that's going on at Shine in March. I'm going to come down and give a big presentation on breathwork and on a lot of other stuff like biohacking, air, light, water, electricity. We're going to do a big Q and A. We even have kind of this intimate VIP dinner gathering with me that night where me and my family are going to actually prepare a bunch of recipes from the Boundless Cookbook and serve them to people. My sister who lives down in Sedona, she's going to be there doing live music and we have this five course dinner that we're putting together for people at our Airbnb down there in Sedona. But during the day leading up to that point, we are doing the this whole event at your place. There's a few things going on. One is a sound activation journey. What exactly is that?

So we've got a whole weekend planned. What we're doing Ben and I'm so excited to weave all of this together. It's this wellness, biohacking body and beyond ultimate experience for people to first of all come to Sedona. Who's the frequency is healing the vortexes. Here are the space holders for accelerated healing and awakening. So we're in the right space. Sedona, that's her mission to hold that kind of space. Shine a beautiful venue for this to happen. And then you're gonna dial in in the morning all of the this offering which is live in person. There's limited tickets live in person on the 11th, which is Saturday, March 11th. And then I'm going to be offering breathwork in the afternoon. So that's a sweet combo for people. Plus we've created an alliance with cryotherapy, which is just a couple doors down.

Yeah, that's like that biohacking facility next door.

Yeah. Which is perfect because as part of the ticket price you'll get to experience experience some of their modalities. Cryotherapy or the compression pants or the red light therapy. So we've included that in the ticket price. Different options to go and experience things there. Superfoods, we've got superfood gifts and, you know, organic juices coming your way like. And those that are wanting the VIP experience will come and get book signing, the boundless book sign signed and photo ops. And then we'll do breathwork in the.

Afternoon and a drinking cacao ceremony. You can't skip the chocolate part.

Yeah. Oh, for sure. Then the VIP dinner at night that your whole family is creating. What we've done to make it an expanded weekend for those that come in before is that on the 10th there's going to be a group sound healing. That's with John and Jade, that's didgeridoo, crystal bowls, gongs, drums, flutes, two master sound healers. So that's going to be a sound journey on Friday night. Plus we have practitioner rooms that are going to be offering Reiki and astrology and card readings the day before so you can come in and get a taste of shine and get some one on one support or come to the sound healing the night before. You're teeing off Saturday with this epic two and a half hour immersion where you get to experience all of these things so that the Saturday your talk, Ben will be available in person in Sedona, limited tickets and also available live stream.

Yeah, and Sedona is an interesting place to do it because this concept of a vortex, I think some people think that's a little bit woo or esoteric, but I mean, there actually are what are called ley lines, L, E, Y lines, and that's where the earth's natural electromagnetic field seems more concentrated. Like you've, of course, I know you've heard of this Anahata, but a lot of people may also be familiar with grounding or earthing. And I've done several podcasts on grounding or earthing and how the earth emits this natural healing frequency that can do things like shut down inflammation or improve joint pain, or improve sleep sleep or realign the circadian rhythms. And I mean, there's places like everything from Stonehenge to some spots in Spain and Glastonbury, England, where the earth actually emits what seems to be a higher frequency of the magnetic field. And so if you go outside barefoot in Sedona, if you use grounding or earthing mats there, even if you're standing indoors in a room that has a concrete flooring, you actually exhort a lot of that energy as you. And it's really interesting. Like meditation seems different, breathwork seems different, a lot of spiritual experiences seem a little bit different. And there are certain things we don't really understand when it comes to the branch of physics concerned with our universe. But this idea of electromagnetic energy produced by the planet being more highly concentrated in some areas is just absolutely fascinating to me. And I, I can't explain all of it scientifically. All I know is like when I take off my shoes and go outside barefoot in Sedona, you feel this way, different energy than you do anywhere else. And I know that as part of this experience we're going to have the opportunity for people to join virtually or via like a video live stream. And there's some different packages available like you mentioned. But man, if you're listening and you have wanted to go to Sedona to experience this, or maybe you're already in the area and just want to come and do something cool, it's definitely kind of a once in a lifetime experience to be in Sedona. And I would recommend anybody that come tack on a couple extra days to hike the trails there because it's one of the best hiking spots, in my opinion, in the country. We took our sons there on a big hiking trip last year.

I've got a couple hidden treasures to show you, Ben. And yes, on that Sunday morning, I'm taking a group, those that are signing up for that. For a Sunday morning vortex hike. We will absolutely go to a hidden treasure. We will absolutely take off our shoes and do a sacred grounding ceremony. The vortex is here. Vortex is like an, an intersection like of ley lines. There's also high concentrations of minerals, crystals in the soil, not woo woo, but legit crystal quartz in the soil, which is a conductor and an amplifier. Plus all of the minerals from the volcanic activity are also accelerators or potentiators. So it's kind of like turns the dial up. So the energy here measurably, scientifically different. And we're going to leverage that for sure.

Yeah. That might be one of the reasons too, is not just the slightly higher electromagnetic signal or at least a higher frequency than 7.8 Hz, which is kind of like that natural healing frequency frequency known as the Schumann resonance that the earth puts out, but it might also be some of the actual geological formations in the soil there, or the crystals that you mentioned, which are pretty highly dense in the earth in Sedona, that are acting as better conductive agents. In the same way that I wear Earth runner sandals that have copper plugs in the bottom of them to allow me to be earthed or grounded, even if I'm not barefoot. You could imagine that if the ground had a bunch of copper plugs in it, naturally you would be able to ground or earth a little bit more efficiently. So I love that you're doing some stuff outside as well. I have a lot of listeners and I know people are going to ask. And so this is important for me to point out, I think, and maybe kind of awkward to bring up, but I have a lot of listeners who are Christians who might not want to do tarot readings or may not want to do some of the things that might be painted as a Little, little bit more New Agey when it comes to Sedona activities. If people want to opt out of those type of things, if it doesn't really align with their belief patterns, this is one of those things where you get to choose your own adventure, right?

There's the opportunity to come just for your lecture on Saturday. There's the opportunity to enjoy this dream team partnership where you've got the lecture and the workshop in the morning and then I guide the breath work work, the shamangelic breath work in the afternoon. And so there's the option to pair those together. The sound healing is non denominational. I mean this is sound frequencies being able to move through the body.

Oh yeah, that's the music of the spheres, by the way. Like I'm a big believer that like God is, is the creator and created the universe using sound. And the earth and the entire universe is specifically designed to conduct sounds and our bodies are tuned as a receiver for sound. So I don't really consider sound healing or aromatherapy or breath work or a lot of the other things that we're talking about, even connecting with the natural frequencies of the earth to be anything that would rub people of a different denomination the wrong way. But again, I want to emphasize that if you want to go and say tarot card readings and up your alley, that's not something that you have to include as part of the experience.

In connecting with the vision and the mission of Shine, it was very clear that this is for everyone. Everyone just starting out. Everyone from different walks of life, different processes, different beliefs that SHINE is, welcomes people where they are and embraces and can tailor what it is that you need for your journey right now. And sometimes it's just the one on one session. If it's, look, hey, I'm not into astrology or card readings or anything like that. No big deal. Sometimes it's just a deep relaxation session that is aromatherapy, hemi sync sound going through headphones on an amethyst crystal biomat in our healing womb space where you just get to have a journey where your physical and emotional and body can just reset. It's like a cellular reset. There's no spirit guides involved. There's just presence so that you can get into that parasympathetic relaxed state to allow your mind and body to heal itself and rebalance itself. And so those will also be available.

I sometimes catch some flack for this, you know, because there is this ancient kind of like practice of Gnosticism that teaches that there's some hidden source of knowledge and hidden secret to be able to connect with God. And thus if you're using grounding or earthing or crystals or aromatherapy or heat or cold or breathwork or anything else, that you're somehow crossing the line into some sort of New age practice that completely contradicts say like a Christian practice or a connection to God. But for me personally, even though I don't think any of that stuff is necessary, necessary, like I mentioned, when I do my prayer and devotions in the morning, like our family meditations, we burn incense and we do breath work, my own personal devotion and prayer practice, I'm using essential oils. Usually I'm sitting on some kind of a PEMF or crystal mat or outdoors I am doing the breath work, like you mentioned, I'm typically playing some sort of sound frequency or using some kind of a sound healing tool. And I actually think that people who practice Christianity like myself shouldn't necessarily shun a lot of these tools that I think can deepen. They aren't necessary for, but I think they can deepen a spiritual experience. I think that sometimes though it gets painted as full on New Age, like don't go near it or touch it, when in fact I think that a lot of these tools, Christians in particular could benefit from like, you know, this is something that, that I've discovered at least in my own practice.

Well, you know, frankincense and myrrh were the most precious gifts given to the king to bring into the divine, you know, to be brought by the kings.

Yeah, big, big part of ancient Jewish worship as well.

Exactly. And so I think it's valuable to be open and discerning is to be open minded because one of the benefits that I think that has helped me in my spiritual journey is to be able to come home back to Christ, Mother Mary, God, to come back home to those as guides, as teachers, and to be open to hear different practices, different concepts so that I can be open minded to lots of different things and yet discerning if that feels too far or it doesn't feel right or it doesn't feel true to me, giving complete authority to myself to be in alignment with what my beliefs and comfort level is today. And that has brought me to learn from many different traditions and spiritual cultures. And it all comes down to love. That's the one thing all spiritual practices have in common, is love. And I think that that's what Shine is founded on, is that it's a sanctuary for you to find love, feel love, emanate love, Create forgiveness within your heart for yourself and for others and to emanate that frequency of love. That's a non denominational truth that we are holding this space for, to meet anyone in their process, wherever they are in the journey and how we can support that love frequency raising. And that's why that rose essential oil is so valuable, because it is that essential oil that we associate most with compassion and the unconditional love of, say, Mother Mary and Frankincense, that unconditional love from Christ consciousness. Those two oils I use a lot in my healing practice and others because they can help us access the frequency that those guides, those spiritual masters and teachers embody in the physical form, scent, sound, prayer, song has been a part of all spiritual traditions to help us access those higher states of consciousness. And so I'm right with you and I appreciate you bringing that up so that people that are listening know that we got you and we're welcome and we're excited to have this wonderful journey with everybody at China. And if they can't come that particular weekend, maybe they want to come to Sedona at a different time. Well, they can come and visit Shine at another time or tune in virtually. And we've got all of these wonderful things that we've packaged together for the weekend. Superfoods from Earth Echo and organic juices and smoothies from Local Juicery and the cryotherapy sessions.

I love that place, by the way. Local Juicery is amazing. My heart heart leapt for joy when I saw they were going to be part of it. So, yeah, I agree. I mean, I'm probably not on the same, or I shouldn't say I'm probably not. I'm not on the same page as you are when it comes to my truth. I don't trust myself enough to have my truth. That's probably why the Christian faith appeals to me so much. I believe in absolute morality and that there's one truth. And so I use the Bible as my own handbook. And so I filter everything through that verse versus generating my own truth. And just because this is my podcast and I got to get up on my soapbox, I believe that sometimes the idea of having your own truth can lead to a flaky morality where people could eventually say, well, I believe that doing X, Y and z horrific atrocity is right, because that's my truth versus having some sense of absolute morality. I'm reading actually a great series on the Top Torah right now by Dennis Prager that just goes into the origin of the Ten Commandments and how it lends itself to societal stability and this idea that truth is not fluid, it's basically a consistible, unavoidable reality like gravity is, that simply exists as one truth from on high and from God. I guess what I'm getting at is that if you are one of my many, many Christian followers and you want to come to this event or be a part of it, I'm perfectly okay with you coming in with your truth and having that be your truth, because that is God's truth. I just want to make sure that I clarify that to my listeners because I know people are going to ask me about this stuff and so I can't not say it. But that being said, I know that we're running short on time and I haven't even mentioned how people can get into or be a part of this event. So here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to put all the show notes as well as all the previous podcasts that I've done with anahata@bengreenfieldlife.com Shine so if you go to BenGreenfieldLife.com Shine I'll have all the details about the event. I'll have the previous podcast that I've done with the Anahata links to a lot of her stuff. You can go surf the page. You can see the different options for attending everything from a very basic taking part in a virtual video conference to go in there in Sedona and be in boots on the ground with cacao celebrations and the VIP dinner gathering and the breathwork healing ceremonies and a lot more. So it should be a super cool event. And again, it's March 10th through the 12th, so it's coming up pretty soon. I would say. If you're listening to this podcast at the time that it comes out, then I would get on it and go check out the show notes@bengreenfieldlife.com Shine in the meantime, Anahata, it's been another fascinating discussion with you covering everything from pineal gland decalcification to energy vortices. So thanks so much for coming on the show again and sharing your wisdom.

It's my pleasure and I'm excited to have yet another beautiful journey with you here in Sedona. This time adding the whole family. I got to meet the boys last time and I'm super excited to get on the land again, have another breathwork session. Have a wonderful weekend and thank you so much for doing the work that you do with such authenticity, such integrity and such tenacity. Beautiful to watch your journey evolve and you grow as a man, as a leader, as a teacher, as a father and as a partner. And so grateful to be walking this planet with you and for the work that you do and how many people that you help with all the ways that you do. So thank you.

You give me a big head now. All right, well folks, I think that's a wrap. So until next time. I'm Ben Greenfield along with Anahata Ananda from Sedona, signing out from BenGreenfieldLife.com have an amazing week and I hope to see you at this SHINE event in Sedona in March. I'll talk to you later. Just imagine a hotel surrounded by nature, vineyards and gardens. This forest classified as a historical garden in a very special country at a hotel located in the oldest demarcated wine region in the world. Imagine this place has a state of the Art Spa, 2,200 square meters, 10 treatment rooms, an indoor pool with underwater sound and chromotherapy. Imagine a kitchen team that brings to the table not just delicious food at this place, but values, environmental sustainability and wellness and local sensitivity and global sensibility. Imagine being able to be bathed in luxury and being able to be local, to buy local and to eat local, not caged off as some fancy tourists, but as a part of the community and part of the tarar of the region. Well, that's exactly what you experience in Portugal at their Six Senses Luxury Retreat. And I'm going to be there for a special event that you can read up on@BenGreenfieldLife.com SixSenses it's called the Boundless Retreat. And at BenGreenfieldLife.com SixSensenses you can see everything we're doing every day starts with a healthy farmhouse breakfast morning movement session with me. You get access to three different 60 minute spa treatments that you can choose from throughout the day. Indoor pool and vitality suites, meditation, sound healing, an alchemy bar with kokedama and yogurts and pickles and sprouts, workshops, retreat meals, all made from locally sourced organic produce, Q&As and sing along sessions with me. This is going to be an amazing, remarkable once in a lifetime experience. You get four nights full board accommodation in a deluxe room there at the facility. And this thing, as you can imagine, is going to fill up fast. It's in Portugal at the Six Senses Retreat in Portugal. Again, all the details are@BenGreenfieldLife.com SixSenses and the dates are February 27th through March 3rd, 2023 February 27th through March 3, 2023 I hope to see you there.

More than ever these days, people like you and me need a fresh, entertaining, well informed, and often outside the box approach to discovering the health and happiness and hope that we all crave. So I hope I've been able to do that for you on this episode today. And if you liked it, or if you love what I'm up to, then please leave me a review on your preferred podcast listening channel, wherever that might be, and just find the Ben Greenfield Life episode. Say something nice. Thanks so much. Means a lot.