Archive for the ‘Health’ Category
15/08/2020
Before lock-down, here on the South Island of New Zealand, we were quite busy renting out our accommodation to AirBnB guests from all over the world. We enjoyed meeting people from Italy to the US, from China to India. Since lock-down, we’ve been getting
bookings from individuals and families here in New Zealand, who want a “digital detox”, or to reset their perspective on life. There’s a huge demand for going within, and reconnecting with one’s self, with others and with nature. Humbly, I think we do that well here at Mountain Spirit. We’ve been at it for a while and are excited to share our space and experience. Amanda offers wonderful and centering YinYoga classes. Randall offers re-connection through “solo’s”, sailing and other experiential activities. Randall worked with Outward Bound for many years, then a mountain guide in South America for Alpine Ascents International, leading climbers up peaks in Peru, Argentina and Ecuador and has landed in New Zealand. Amanda has studied yoga most of her life, and spent some months in India practicing and learning. She most recently has been training under Sarah Powers. Come join 
us if you’re so inclined to dive into your inner world. We’re at mtnspirit.nz
Tags:AirBnB, Argentina, Ecuador, Going Within, India, Meditation, Mountain Spirit, Mountain Spirit, New Zealand, off the grid, Outward Bound, Peru, Retreats, Sailing, Sarah Powers, South Island, Spiritual Training, training, Wanaka, Yin Yoga, Yoga
Posted in Boating/Water, Children and Nature, Experiential Education, Focus on MSI People, Health, Holistic Living, Inner Work, MSI News, New Zealand, Power of Place, Spiritual, Sustainable Living/Communities, Sustainable Travel, Traveling | Leave a Comment »
09/08/2020
Sweet chestnuts are part of the bounty at Mountain Spirit during lockdown. North America saw a blight that eliminated the sweet chestnut tree from the whole continent, although through the American Chestnut Foundation, a blight resistant tree is growing. A friend of mine, John Herrington, was the executive director for a them, and I learned a little through his efforts in the early stages some years ago. Congratulations go to the foundation for doing a great job in the states. I look forward to learning more about their success in bringing the tree back.
So we feel extra grateful for these little roasters on the wood stove during the cold evenings.
Sweet chestnuts don’t keep very long, and we’re still experimenting on ways to preserve them over the winter months. Ground up into a flour, it’s great for baking, and of course, roasted on a stovetop or wood stove, they’re the best. IMAGE: Courtesy of Jessica, who helped us while woofing during lockdown.
@purenewzealand #newzealand #wanaka #lovewanaka #mountainspirit
Tags:American Chestnut foundation, chestnuts, John Herrington, Mountain Spirit, New Zealand, Wanaka
Posted in Health, Lockdown/Slowdown Series, New Zealand | Leave a Comment »
06/08/2020
Rosehips and Hawthorne berries dry in the autumn sun. Pick before a frost and dry the rosehips berries, then use a food processor to break them up to make a tea very high in vitamin C. You have to watch out when picking rosehips as they have little stickers on them that can stick you! Use gloves and pick as many as you can. When making the tea, just steep and filter after grinding, then add a bit of honey.
#purenewzealand #newzealand #wanaka #lovewanak #mountainspirit
Tags:#lovewanaka, Hawea, how to make rosehip tea, Mountain Spirit, Natural sources of vitamin C, New Zealand, rosehips, Wanaka
Posted in Health, Holistic Living, Lockdown/Slowdown Series, New Zealand, Sustainable Living/Communities | Leave a Comment »
24/05/2020
Lots, and lots of apples. We have 111 fruit and nut trees, most of which are apple. Conner and Jess helped us with this year’s harvest.
We then made apple sauce, butter, apple cider vinegar and maybe we’ll get at some apple crumble before we’re all done. Later you’ll see our trial and errors at making an apple press and the final results! Yum.#purenewzealand #lakewanakanz #wanaka #lovewanak
#mountainspirt #applecider #mountainspirit
Tags:apples, cider, Farming, Mountain Spirit, New Zealand, off the grid, Wanaka
Posted in Health, Holistic Living, Lockdown/Slowdown Series, MSI News, New Zealand, Your Food Supply | Leave a Comment »
24/05/2020
This wonderful statement by Sony Renee Taylor has been circulating around lately, and it’s surely a wake up call –
“We will not go back to normal. Normal never was. Our pre-corona existence was not normal other than we normalized greed, inequity, exhaustion, depletion, extraction, disconnection, confusion, rage, hoarding, hate and lack. We should not long to return, my friends. We are being given the opportunity to stitch a new garment. One that fits all of humanity and nature.”
You can find out more at the Facebook page Over Grow the System
And from Brenna Quinlan on her Facebook page….
The first step towards creating something is imagining it. We imagine the smell of fresh bread as we tend our sourdough starter. We imagine the taste of ripe tomatoes as we plant out our seedlings. When we lay down the first stone, we imagine laughter and stories from future meals shared in our new home. The ability to create, in our minds, a possible future, is what gives that possibility a chance of being realised.
If all we imagine is business as usual, then that is the world we will create. But if we draw on our curiosity and creativity, we can hold in our minds something much greater than the world we are in. And once that happens, we can begin to act. Find out more about Brennan here.
Tags:art, Brenna Quinlin, Holistic Living, permacultureillustrator
Posted in Environment, Health, Holistic Living, Lockdown/Slowdown Series, Quotes, Spiritual, Sustainable Living/Communities, This Just In Department | Leave a Comment »
24/05/2020
All of our images in this series will be in mostly chronological order, except for this one, which tells the story of how we all fared by the wind-down of phase 3 into phase 2.
Our lockdown bubble was my wife Amanda, our son Dexter, and our two “Woofrs” (willing workers on organic farms) who we took in the day before lockdown here in New Zealand.
We lucked out with Conner and Jess, professional farmers from Maryland, who rode out the uncertain times with us. This shot was taken the morning the left for another Woofing position. They worked hard on many projects here at Mountain Spirit. One of which was the design of the apple press pictured here. More on how that came together soon!
On another note, I’ve got a bit of background in photojournalism and newspaper writing (United Press International, local papers etc), so I hope to provide you with some useful and entertaining posts going forward. Amanda will also be posting. I think you’ll enjoy her perspective.
So that’s the lockdown crew.
#purenewzealand #wanaka #lovewanaka #lockdown #mountainspirit
Tags:lockdown, Mountain Spirit, New Zealand, slowdown, Wanaka
Posted in Health, Holistic Living, Inspirational People, Lockdown/Slowdown Series, New Zealand | Leave a Comment »
24/05/2020
Let me catch you up on Mountain Spirit New Zealand during these “interesting” times. The first post, was first published on our Instagram feed in March 29th 2020. I thought I’d include it below as a starting point.
May 25, 2020
As New Zealand comes out of lockdown from “Level 3” to “Level 2”, things are still pretty quiet in Wanaka. The kids are back in school which frees me up a bit to post what we couldn’t during lockdown. I thought we’d share what we did here at Mountain Spirit in the following posts. Maybe it will give you some ideas, good for thought, or just some entertainment. Let us know what you think as well.
March 29th 2020
As New Zealand went into lock-down (Stage 4) a few days ago, we had a beautiful sunset to signal our weeks of isolation here in the Wanaka. Although we are home bound, there’s lots of activities and jobs to do. We’ll fill you in as we tick along during this pandemic. We send you well wishes during this time.
Tags:#lakewanaka, #newzealand, Coping, Covid-19, Holistic Living, How to, inspiration, lockdown, Mountain Spirit, Off Grid, slowdown, Wanaka
Posted in Health, Holistic Living, Lockdown/Slowdown Series, Sustainable Living/Communities | Leave a Comment »
17/11/2019
Editor’s note: We host a weekly Sunday meditation here at Mountain Spirit New Zealand near Wanaka. Yesterday, it was my turn to host, and I re-introduced the simple three items of incense, flowers and a candle. The flowers especially are a great reminder to be grateful. I used to use the simple three items during my meditations after a family loss some years ago, and although I use them off and on, now I’ll make it a more regular thing. Its funny how simple things can bring you back on track even during the toughest of times. It’s all about gratitude. If you’ve not seen it, check out What the Bleep! movie which also served, and still does, as a good reminder to be grateful for what we do have. It’s along the same lines at the article below – showing, through science what the Eastern Mystics have known all along. Randall Richards
Neuroscience Reveals: Gratitude Literally Rewires Your Brain to be Happier
by DailyHealthPost, 2019
When you say “thank you”, do you really mean it or is it just politeness to which you give little attention? Neuroscientists have found that if you really feel it when you say it, you’ll be happier and healthier. The regular practice of expressing gratitude is not a New Age fad; it’s a facet of the human condition that reaps true benefits to those who mean it.
Psychologists Dr. Robert Emmons of the University of California at Davis and Dr. Michael McCullough of the University of Miami published a study in 2015 that looked at the physical outcomes of practicing gratitude. Read more…
Tags:#gratitude, attitude improvment, brain rewired, Health, Meditation, mindfullness, Mountain Spirit, Neuroscience study, Wanaka
Posted in Film/DVD, Health, Inner Work | Leave a Comment »
17/11/2019
Amanda Richards, Summit of Mt. Roy, Wanaka, New Zealand
By Alanna Ketler of Collective Evolution
While it may seem obvious that a good hike through a forest or up a mountain can cleanse your mind, body, and soul, science is now discovering that hiking can actually change your brain… for the better!
Hiking in Nature Can Stop Negative, Obsessive Thoughts
Aside from the almost instant feeling of calm and contentment that accompanies time outdoors, hiking in nature can reduce rumination. Many of us often find ourselves consumed by negative thoughts, which takes us out of the enjoyment of the moment at best and leads us down a path to depression and anxiety at worst. But a recent study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that spending time in nature decreases these obsessive, negative thoughts by a significant margin. Read more….
Tags:#lakewanaka, #lovewanaka, Amanda Richards, Brain study, Health, Hiking, Mountain Spirit, New Zealand
Posted in Health, Holistic Living, Mountain People, MSI News, New Zealand | Leave a Comment »
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