Paraguay’s true soul isn't found in a postcard, but in a shared ritual. If you want to see a living culture of presence, connection, and slow nourishment, skip to minute 30 of this video. There, you'll witness Tereré being prepared and enjoyed—far more than a cold herbal tea. It’s a meditative, social practice of sharing, sipping, and being together. A beautiful reminder that some of life's deepest traditions are simple, communal, and profoundly grounding. 👉 Watch the ritual here (start around 30:00): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFU1IKkJky8 A question for you: What's a simple daily ritual in your life or culture that fosters this kind of mindful connection?

When you hear “Qi Gong,” what comes to mind? Gentle movements? Flowing forms? Energy cultivation? Yes — and also, *it’s so much more.* Inspired by a thoughtful question from @Andrea Petrucci Fiori , I want to invite us to look deeper. Qi Gong isn’t just physical exercise — it is an internal art rooted in awareness, breath, and subtle energy. It’s about: - 🌿 Cultivating Qi (life force) — learning to sense, move, and harmonize energy within. - 🧠 Quieting the mind — shifting from mental chatter to mindful presence. - ❤️ Balancing emotion — releasing what no longer serves, inviting calm and clarity. - 🌍 Connecting with nature — aligning your inner rhythm with the seasons and cycles around you. The movement is just the gateway — the visible part of a much deeper practice. You can sit in stillness, breathe with intention, or simply visualize energy flowing — and still be deeply engaged in Qi Gong. So whether you move or meditate, practice daily or just feel called to explore… This is an invitation to see Qi Gong as a holistic practice for body, mind, and spirit — not just a physical routine. 💭 Where do you feel Qi Gong lives for you — beyond the movement? Share your experience, curiosity, or questions below. Let’s breathe into this together. #QiGong #EnergyPractice #MindBodySpirit #InternalArts #MindfulMovement

Inspired by Mike’s thoughtful post on why healthy eating can feel hard — and the powerful reminder that it's not willpower, but biology, environment, and habit loops at play — I’ve been reflecting on how lasting change grows best when supported by our surroundings and communities. One of the most hopeful models we can look to comes from Blue Zones — regions of the world where people live longer, healthier lives not through strict self-control, but through lifestyles and environments that naturally nurture well-being. Here are a few Blue Zone principles that feel deeply relevant to our food journey — and to building communities where health is a shared practice, not a personal struggle: #### 🍇 Food as Connection, Not Just Consumption In Blue Zones, meals are often shared, seasonal, and slow. Eating is a social ritual, not a rushed transaction. This simple shift — from eating alone to eating together — changes how we relate to food, helps regulate portions, and turns nourishment into an act of belonging. #### 🌿 Movement Woven into Daily Life People in these communities don’t “work out.” They garden, walk, knead, chop, and climb as part of daily life. Movement is embedded in their environment — which beautifully aligns with Mike’s note on *sunlight + movement* as natural dopamine regulators. #### 🤝 Belonging Over Willpower Healthy choices become effortless when they’re the community norm. In Blue Zones, social circles naturally encourage eating plants, staying active, and resting well. We don't have to resist temptation alone when our surroundings support our well-being. #### 🌱 Living with Purpose (*Ikigai* or *Plan de Vida*) Having a clear sense of purpose is strongly linked to resilience and healthier habits. When we eat to fuel what matters to us — whether it’s caring for family, contributing to community, or tending the land — food shifts from being a source of guilt to a source of strength. --- So what if “breaking free” isn’t just about retraining our cravings, but about restructuring our days, our spaces, and our connections to make the healthy choice the easy, joyful, and shared choice?

Recently, Nils asked in another space: *Homegym or fitness studio — which would you choose?* It’s a great question, and it got us thinking: What if movement is less about *places* and more about *how we live*? For our community, it’s not just about equipment or spaces — it’s about movement woven into daily life, as natural as breathing. 🌿 The Third Way: Movement as a Way of Living We think of gardeners feeling the soil with every dig, of bike couriers whose pulse beats with the rhythm of the city, of people on construction sites, in the woods, in care work — whose strength grows *through* doing, in wind, weather, and with purpose. Here, movement isn’t something we schedule — it’s where we feel fully ourselves while staying connected to the world. It costs nothing, gives us fresh air, often even a livelihood — and it carries meaning: connection to nature, sustainability, community. 🏡 And you? - Where do you find movement in your everyday — not as a chore, but as part of your life’s flow? - Do you blend strength with gardening, forest walks with meditation, daily commutes with conscious breath? - Do you have something like a “nature homegym”? Let’s share stories — of movement that doesn’t separate, but connects: body, mind, earth. Whether in a quiet homegym, a fitness studio, or right in the garden, on the bike, working under an open sky. Being in flow — not just working out. We’re excited to hear your perspective. 🌱💪 --- *Inspired by @Nils Kurzeder’ question — thanks for the food for thought!*

A big thank you to @Mike Gagnon for sharing this powerful and eye-opening interview with Chef Sean Sherman (Oglala Lakota) on The Daily Show. https://www.skool.com/nature-inspired-living-2560/native-american-food-and-culture-recovery In just 13 minutes, Chef Sherman takes us on a journey that is about so much more than food — it's about identity, cultural revival, and living in harmony with the land. Here’s what deeply moved me: 🍃 He doesn’t just cook — he reclaims. His restaurant Owamni uses zero European colonial ingredients—no dairy, wheat, or sugar—focusing entirely on indigenous foods that honor the earth and ancestral wisdom. 🌎 He calls Indigenous knowledge the "blueprint for sustainability" — something our nature-inspired community deeply understands. This is about thousands of years of plant wisdom, not just trends. 🕊️ He reframes Thanksgiving not as a myth to celebrate, but as an invitation to learn the real history of the land we live on and support Native communities. This conversation is a profound reminder that the most sustainable way forward is often a return to rooted wisdom. 📺 Watch the full interview here: Sean Sherman - "Turtle Island" & Fighting Native American Erasure With Food | The Daily Show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2ypQ5V5fUI @everyone: Let’s discuss: What part of his philosophy resonates most with you? How does this change the way you think about "local" and "sustainable" food? Grateful for conversations that reconnect us with what truly matters. 🙏🌿 #IndigenousWisdom #SustainableFood #CulturalRevival #NatureInspiredLiving