JULY GREETINGS

This month’s ONEBODYMIND newsletter brings news of summer retreating at Esalen in Big Sur, the link between autism and pediatric vaccines laced with mercury, and how to release the emotional posture of fear in the psoas muscle. I hope the summer solstice found you all well and vibrant.

DEBATE OVER MERCURY-LACED VACCINATIONS & AUTISM HEATS UP
Last month the family that founded the mega-charity foundation Autism Speaks split angrily during a heated public argument over the role of mercury in infant vaccinations. Katie Wright, mother of an autistic son, took a public position on the debate, saying that synthetic mercury preservatives in pediatric vaccines caused the autism of her talkative toddler who turned unresponsive and out-of-control, and who only improved with non-conventional alternative remedies, including heavy metal chelation. Autism is a neurological disorder that affects one out of every 150 children in the U.S. Her father, Bob Wright, former chairman of NBC/Universal, continues to stand behind millions of dollars of research funding exploring the genetic hypothesis. Katie Wright is publicly critical of Autism Speaks’ research agenda, demanding “Show me the evidence that they’re actively researching vaccines.” Katie Wright and her son Christian, appear in the heart-wrenching documentary “Autism Every Day” (The New York Times, June 18, 2007, A1).

YOGA THERAPY TEACHER TRAINING REVIEW
I just returned from Hala Khouri and Julian Walker’s Urban Yogi Contemporary Teacher Training in Mindbody Yoga at Esalen in Big Sur. The duo brought a broad base of knowledge about somatic-releasing, the anatomy of hi-charge points, breathwork and meditation techniques to a group of 30 yoga teachers, somatic therapists, and bodyworkers. The experience was enlightening and the teachings were palpable; I walked away with a repertoire of techniques that I could immediately apply to my practice in somatic therapy and mindbody education. Esalen, with its decades-old tradition of mindbody teachers, rolling gardens, and hot baths was the perfect backdrop for diving deep into the workings of embodied consciousness.

This was teaching at its best: intellect and bodily experience merged seamlessly into a week of worthy inquiry into the Field of human trauma, healing and growth. Bodyworkers in the Institute for Psycho Structural Balancing community will find this teacher training, to be taught once a year, an excellent resource for continuing ed.

DISSOCATION FROM INTRO TO MEDITATION COMMUNITY
For those of you whom I referred to the IntroToMeditation community, please be informed that I am no longer associated with that group. Based on my personal experience, I have come to the conclusion that the leadership of the organization differ vastly from my own values in regard to money and the treatment of women. The recent announcement by that group to sell the “Mastery of the Siddhis” proffering a siddhi as “a rare human power” for $1,000 per class over 6 classes is a case in point. I will only say on this issue that Patanjali in The Yoga Sutras warns that there is no greater obstacle to enlightenment than getting caught up in siddhi powers. Let it be known that 3 of the women who used to be in the inner circle of the IntroToMeditation community, including myself, have left and joined Deepak Chopra’s meditation teacher training at the Chopra Center in Carlsbad. See my article, co-authored with Stacia Dyess, “Be Your Own Guru” published on Yogafinder.com.

Jai Guru Deva!