Hippiecritical: New Age Trends, Alternative Health and Hippie Lifestyles
By Oz, host @ hippiecritical.org
Sign up to get weekly coverage of new age trends here: Hippiecritical.org/newsletter
Learn about what once was counterculture and is now becoming common culture, including...
Yoga, meditation, sound baths, cults, reiki, healing crystals, float tanks, tarot, chakras, breathwork, tantra, Burning Man, and yes - alternative medicine and drugs of all kinds
Hippiecritical: New Age Trends, Alternative Health and Hippie LifestylesMar 19, 2020
Kombucha's Weird Name (New Age Trends Edition 8)
In this week's edition, I cover the weird origins of Kombucha and tie-dye clothing, "ethnic blankets" (like serapes), a new type of yoga called RAGE yoga and magical salamanders called axolotls.
You can also read this blog article at: hippiecritical.org/edition-8
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Mushrooms Are Magical: New Age Trends Edition 7
In this week's edition, I dive deep into the world of mushrooms. Did you know mushrooms are a superfood that now command a $50 billion industry? And that's not even including the psychedelic kind. Oz gets edumacated on the basics of shrooms, and highlights some ridiculous facts about fungi.
Read the visual essay here: hippiecritical.org/edition-7
To get your weekly dose of weird, sign up for my newsletter at: Hippiecritical.org/newsletter
Deepest thanks to Kayla Gignac. Check out her art on Instagram: @kaylove.creations
You have a limited amount of "weirdness" points to spend (New Age Trends Edition #6)
In this week's edition, I cover: Weird points, Birthdays, Sage, Wellness and Church of Satan.
You can also read this blog article at: hippiecritical.org/edition-6
To get your weekly dose of weird, sign up for my newsletter at: Hippiecritical.org/newsletter
Does your brain release this psychedelic when you die? (New Age Trends Ed. #5)
In this week's edition, I cover: DMT, the Third Eye, Facebook Crackdown, Weird EMF Products and my favorite meditation.
You can also read this blog article at: hippiecritical.org/edition-5
To get your weekly dose of weird, sign up for my newsletter at: Hippiecritical.org/newsletter
Can you live off of just sunlight and air? (New Age Newsletter Ed. #4)
In this week's edition, I cover: Sungazing, Sunning your butthole, Breatharians, Earthing and Orbit toys.
You can also read this blog article at: hippiecritical.org/edition-4
To get your weekly dose of weird, sign up for my newsletter at: Hippiecritical.org/newsletter
Episode editing and art by Kayla Gignac, IG @creative.kale
How do you like your water, raw or well-treated? (New Age Newsletter Edition #3)
In this week's edition, I cover: Raw Water, Erowid, New Age Statistics, Legal Psychedelics and Stardust.
You can also read this blog article at: hippiecritical.org/edition-3
To get your weekly dose of weird, sign up for my newsletter at: Hippiecritical.org/newsletter
Episode editing and art by Kayla Gignac, IG @creative.kale
Origin of "Snake Oil Salesmen" - New Age Newsletter Edition #2
Welcome to The Hippiecritical, your weekly dose of weird. This is a roundup of interesting gems from the world of the weird, new age and esoteric.
Sign up for my newsletters at: Hippiecritical.org/newsletter
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This week, I cover: LSD, Snake Oil, Flu Shot Skeptics, Peace Sign Origins, and place called Heligan.
You can also read this blog article at: hippiecritical.org/edition-2
Episode editing and art by Kayla Gignac, IG @creative.kale
New Age Newsletter Edition 1: Ecstatic Dance, Bikram Yoga and Astrology
Welcome to The Hippiecritical, your weekly dose of weird. This is a roundup of interesting gems from the world of the weird, new age and esoteric.
Sign up for my newsletters at: Hippiecritical.org/newsletter
- - - - -
This week, I cover: a new guide to Ecstatic Dance, the Bikram yoga scandal and why one woman quit astrology.
You can also read this blog article at: hippiecritical.org/edition-1
Episode editing and art by Kayla Gignac, IG @creative.kale
Can you stand 10 days of silent meditation?
Before talking to Elize Todd, I've never met anyone who's attended a 10 day silent meditation retreat. So many surprises and delights in Elize's colorful storytelling of her first silent Vipassana meditation retreat in Burma.
We dive into what is silent meditation, the specific benefits of vipassana meditation, and recommendations for those looking to experience a very different type of meditation.
Resources mentioned...
Satya Narayan ("SN") Goenka, who helped popularize Vipassana meditation through centers around the world. More background on him here in a post-humous write up. He died at age 90 in 2013.
Here's a Youtube video playlist of Goenka speaking after each of the 10 days of silent meditation.
Oz recommends first timers to try guided meditation. He uses Headspace. He also loves poetic, produced meditations like Learning to Surrender by Sarah Blondin.
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You can find Elize's work as a UX Designer, Educator and Career Coach at elizeuxmakeovers.com and her Youtube channel at: youtube.com/user/weezytodd/.
Benefits of Barefoot Movement with Shoe Entrepreneur, Mountain Chang
This episode is packed with interesting nuggets about the benefits and misconceptions about barefoot movement and barefoot shoes. I chat with Mountain Chang, a CPA turned founder of the barefoot shoe company, Carets. Carets makes classy high end dress shoes - think Allen Edmonds - but with barefoot features like a zero drop design and wider toe box.
(I don't receive a commission for this: you can use the coupon code 2019hippiecritical for $30 off if you shop at Carets.)
In this episode, we talk about...
- The interesting origins of barefoot movement
- Benefits of barefoot movement and why barefoot shoes exist
- Why the "standard" approach to shoe design - cushioning, heels, space - is not designed for the human foot to have full range of motion. (Explains why higher heels are especially bad for the foot - not just for women.)
- Common misconceptions of barefoot running, such as blisters and places to run
Other resources mentioned:
- Book that started the barefoot running craze: Born to Run
- POSE method of running: Youtube video and Pose Method Website
- Other barefoot shoe brands mentioned: Vivobarefoot, Lems, Softstar
- Ninja shoes ("Jika-tabi") and why they're often used by Japanese construction workers
- Upright Health Youtube Channel
- Mark's Daily Apple - popular and super informative health blog
- Join Carets Mailing List
- Check out Carets' interview (blog post) with Dr Emily Splichal, creator of Naboso Insoles.
- The Motor Quotient ("MQ")
- Carets donates 1% of profits to Heifer International, a nonprofit that provides "livestock and training in sustainable agricultural and business practices to create the most opportunity for...communities.
If you enjoyed this episode, hit the subscribe button and sign up for the mailing list on Hippiecritical.org.
Credits:
Intro music: "Good Tone" by Nordgroove from Fugue
Outro music: "Sincerely" by Kevin Macleod
Tantra is Not Just Sex - Interview with Liv Pavlov, Tantra Coach
What is tantra, anyway? Is it just a fancy way of saying slow, meditative sex, or is it something much deeper?
We answer these questions and more with Liv Pavlov, a sex, intimacy and tantra coach. In this episode, learn...
- The origins of tantra
- What a tantra session looks like with a tantra sex coach
- Beginner recommendations for trying out tantra practices
Tantra Resources:
- Liv Pavlov's tantra coach website
- Tantra definition on Wikipedia, which explains tantra meaning "loom, weave, system." The connotation of it being a practice or religious ritualism is a colonial-era European invention.
- International School of Temple Arts (ISTA), Wikipedia entry
- Guardian article: New York might legalize sex work
- Book recommendation (Oz): Urban Tantra: Sacred Sex for the 21st Century (2nd Edition)
Intro music: "Good Tone" by Nordgroove from Fugue
Outro music: "Sincerely" by Kevin Macleod
Sound Healing for Beginners with Cassie Jaravata
Cassie Jaravata is a registered nurse, blossoming sound healer, and the force behind The Naturalistic Nurse.
In this episode we discuss...
- What is sound healing?
- The experience of a sound bath
- Does sound or vibrations actually "heal?"
- Cassie's experience healing from eczema, with the help of sound
- How much does it cost to attend a sound bath?
Resources mentioned:
- The 7 Secrets of Sound Healing Revised Edition by Jonathan Goldman - sound healing book for beginnres recommended by Cassie
- Masaru Emoto - Japanese author who wrote The Hidden Messages in Water. He hypothesized that the molecular structure of water can react to positive and negative intention.
- Jamie Bechtold - Los Angeles Based sound healer and teacher
Products mentioned:
- Remo Ocean Drum - Standard, 22"
- Children's Ocean Drum, 10''
- Tibetan Singing Bowl
- Quartz Singing Bowls - Set of 7 (Chakra Tuned)
- Sound Healing Chimes - Koshi Terra, Set of 4
Looking into these products, they can add up to be hundreds or thousands of dollars in investment - not unlike how musicians can spend quite a sum on their instruments.
First timers can experience a sound bath, like the ones offered by Cassie, for a fraction of that price.
Or, as Oz mentioned, catch a sound bath for free at a transformational festival like Love Long Beach or Lightning in a Bottle. Or go super cheapo by playing with sound using a portable bluetooth speaker.
Thanks for listening y'all!
Dig what we're doing? Check out Hippiecritical.org and subscribe to our newsletter for updates on updates and new releases of hippie magick dust.
Love,
Oz
What is Reiki? Chat with Reiki Master and Skeptic, Julia Albain
Oz asks Julia Albain, Reiki Master, all sorts of newbie questions about reiki, including...
- What is reiki and what exactly goes on in a reiki session? How much does reiki cost?
- What is energy healing and what does energy "work" entail?
- What, exactly is an aura? Energy field?
- Reiki's therapeutic effects (placebo or otherwise)
This conversation was so refreshing because Julia's both a Reiki master and yet, lives in the space between curiosity and skepticism about reiki.
Check out JuliaAlbain.com for more info about her energy work and reiki sessions.
Transcript at: Hippiecritical.org
Music credits:
- Intro music: "Good Tone" by Nordgroove from Fugue
- Outro music: "Sincerely" by Kevin Macleod
[TRAILER] The Story Behind Hippiecritical's Name
Oz monologues about the inspiration for Hippiecritical, which includes...
- Two reasons for the podcast name
- How looking into "hippie" topics made him think of hippies in a different way
- The possibility of this podcast to spread curiosity, open-mindedness and community
Music credits:
- Intro music: "Good Tone" by Nordgroove from Fugue
- Outro music: "Sincerely" by Kevin Macleod