Growing From the
Inside Out

Ah, sweet summertime here in Tuscany. The long warm days have arrived to bless us again. We've been picking armfuls of cherries from our 50 acres, while the olive flowers on our 150 trees grow into olives. This year we'll likely press 100 liters of oil — a record!

Years ago, we made a decision — we love cities, though not for living.

It was time to find a place in the woods where people could come together in community, learn how to grow our own food, breathe clean air, and where clean soil and copious amounts of groundwater are the norm.

One month after we bought the property that would become ASHA — the Alchemy School of Healing Arts — COVID came. We were so deeply grateful we'd followed our gut, taken the leap, and chosen to live close to nature.

What a blessing. Truly. Not always easy for us city people, though the learning is so worth it.

What's your plan if things get (even more) crazy again?

In 2001, I was living in New York City, 20 blocks from Ground Zero. I watched the second tower fall from my rooftop. It took years before those of us who lived there stopped jumping at every loud bang on the street. In the 60s, Anthony grew up in London during the height of the IRA bombings in the city.

The turbulence of our times is nothing new. And the good news? We get to choose how we live — especially when we stop letting external narratives run the show, and start making choices from the inside out.

How beautiful it is to grow ourselves. To learn to hear a deeper, wiser voice within. To breathe, live more naturally, and question the narratives that might otherwise keep us chronically dysregulated.

I'm so grateful the broken tape that can get stuck on play in my mind isn't the only option.

What do you really want? How do you choose to live?

The difference between feeling at peace with life, or feeling fundamentally unsettled at our core, may come down to one thing: how willing we are to listen inward and act upon our gut — rather than outsourcing our knowing to seriously dysregulated politicians, and the like.

We believe these times are a catalyst. To do what we truly believe in. To question what's actually true. To invest in ourselves, each other, and our communities — in our own regulation — and take cues from those who choose to regulate themselves, rather than those who only spread more chaos. No thanks.

When trust meets uncertainty from a place of gut knowing, simplicity wins over complexity. We let go. We do what is truly alive inside us. And alchemy happens — deep, natural, regenerative transformation.

That's what we're all about at Alchemy of Breath and ASHA. Taking the hard stuff, embracing it, breathing with it, learning from it, and growing. Every mistake, every hardship, every perceived limitation, every unkind thought about ourselves or others — is an opportunity to make a fresh choice, instead of being pulled back into the same old loops.

It means living on the edge of our own growth. Yes, it's uncomfortable — most of the time. It would be far easier to hide. But most of us know where hiding leads.

If you're new here, welcome. And if you've been with us through our 14-year journey of Alchemy of Breath — you know what we're about. Personal transformation. Skills for upgrading your livelihood. Tools for navigating The Big Changes of Our Times. All through the breath as foundation.

Not the automatic breathing we take for granted until it's gone, but conscious, intentional breathing in specific patterns. Not just to get high on our own supply, but to discover our own depth, our own capabilities, and maybe even catch a glimpse of God — or your version of it.