Inspired by the healing powers of the nature, we've recorded this short sound meditation video with Veronika on a shore of the Pacific ocean. We hope that you will enjoy watching it and the soothing sound of the sea waves together with the music of the singing crystal bowls and beautiful visuals will help to bring the peaceful and relaxing spirit of the nature into your lives, restoring your vital energies and health.



Please try to relax, breathing slowly and deeply into your abdomen when watching this video. Try to feel the fresh ocean breeze on your skin and the cool, sparkly water touching your feet.

If approached mindfully and with open awareness, modeling and model photography in general can be a very spiritually developing experience for the model and the photographer alike.



The photographer creates the original intent of the idea, the model helps to grow and nourish it. And through open communication and exchange of energies, both the model and the photographer work through their boundaries and limitations in order to meet each other at the magical place where the concept can come to life.

When we are born, we are pure and whole. We don't know the right from wrong, we don't have judgements of the self and the others, we don't have desires, apart from immediate needs, we don't have expectations. We eat when hungry, sleep when tired, cry when hurt and dress when cold. We live in the present without dwelling on the past or worrying about our future. We accept everything the life brings us, pains, pleasures, joy and suffering without discrimination. We don't identify ourselves with any fixed image or idea of a good boy or a girl. We are aware of everything that’s happening around us and we play spontaneously. Every day, every situation is new and exciting. The possibilities are open and the world is full of mystery, good and bad surprises and unexpected discoveries.

As we grow older, all the conditioning and judgements imposed by others start sinking in and separate us into fragmented beings with a twin mind. We learn to avoid that which potentially brings us pain, discomfort or any form of suffering, either from the environment, from others or from within ourselves. We become afraid of the unknown hidden around every corner of our inner and outer world. We learn to pursue only that which was confirmed by ourselves or others as safe, painless and pleasurable. Our life turns into a mundane routine of repetitive actions, thoughts and expectations continuously shrinking into more and more limited frame.

As busy human beings, always working towards our goals and reaching for success, we generally have little awareness of our body's energy system and our energetic and spiritual health. It might have never occurred to us that when we see another person, either in life, in a photograph or an artwork, the areas that attract or disturb us the most are usually the areas where we ourselves need the most attention, love and acceptance in our body.

When looked through the lens of fear, violence, desire or judgement, a photograph like this might trigger various negative emotions and prejudices associated with objectification, torment, suppression etc. When looked with an open mind and compassion, love and trust, we might see a person who acknowledges her pain and suffering, she brings her awareness to where it hurts the most, she is fully in the present moment, she feels the suffocating pressure imposed by our own judgements and conditioning, by our compliance with the societal norms and by our disconnection from the body and its need for love, care and attention. She trusts that it's not the loving partner that created that inner suffering, but he is the one to bring her awareness to it with gentle touch and loving look and he is here to help her liberate herself from that shame and the fear of suffering and bring her awareness back into her body and into the present moment.

Regardless of the shy look on the innocent young woman's face, she is able to accept and reveal her beautiful, given by the nature body being bound by the ropes of judgement, shame, unacceptance of sexuality, censorship and public opinions. The intricate pattern of the red shibari rope emphasizes her gentle curves, bringing awareness to delicate areas of her body and creating a psychological contrast between the softness of her skin and the tightness of the rope. She is willingly sharing her beauty, fragility and shame with everyone able to see her earnestness, humility and purity without judgments and preconceptions. She is fully in the moment and everyone who sees the image experiences that moment of awe and silence, when all the habitual conditioned thinking stops for a second, before the mind catches up and replaces the present moment with a set of judgments and prefabricated views.

Even though it might appear as suffering, she knows that when the suffering is accepted, it ends. When the ropes are removed, she'll enjoy the tranquility of freedom and will delight in her own inner strength, tolerance, self acceptance and willpower. After that fleeting moment, her life and the lives of those who see, will go back to 'normal' repetitive daily routine, chores, work, social life, which inevitably makes us suppress our inner selves and place innumerable restrictions on our self expression. Unwilling to accept suffering in being judged or unaccepted, we carry our own nature deep within, carefully hidden from the looks of others and from our own minds, creating a dark impenetrable shadow that will never see the light of acceptance.

So which is the suffering, the former or the latter? Both? Neither?

We are starting to add TCM inspired illustrations of organs, their related meridians and acupuncture points to our archive. More images are coming soon.

Liver disharmony is one of the most common health problem in a modern society, that's why we are adding this image to our library first. While we are at it, let us mention the symptoms, lifestyle and diet suggestions related to liver and gallbladder imbalances as the symptoms are important to recognize and the proper lifestyle and diet might help you alleviating the root of the problem.

Mental, emotional and spiritual:
Indecisiveness, inability or fear of making decisions, rash decision making, attacks of anger, suppressed anger, frustration, resentment, anger rising after having a spicy, hot or fatty meal, moodiness, irritability, shouting in anger, frequent mood swings, depression, procrastination, timidity, shyness, lack of creativity, inspiration and motivation.

Physical (might not be present in early stages):
Inability to digest fats, dry or red skin, red face and eyes, acne, eczema, psoriasis, red cheeks after eating a hot, spicy or fatty food, bitter taste in the mouth, insomnia, disturbed sleep or violent dreams, hypochondriac distention or pain, nausea, dizziness, vomiting, epigastric pain, low appetite, dry or teary eyes, blurry vision, menstrual problems, cramps, dark clotted menstrual blood, breast distention or lumps, paint along the sides of the body, sides of the legs or head, reddish, purple or abnormal color on one or both sides of the tongue.

Diet:
Liver likes: slightly sour foods in moderate quantities, lightly pungent, sour and sweet foods might help to alleviate symptoms. Whole grains (except wheat), lightly cooked or steamed vegetables, small amount of fruit, sprouted greens and raw vegetables. Avoid big quantities of raw food. Lightly pungent spices: marjoram, basil, mint, rosemary, dill etc. Preferable oils are virgin olive oil, cold pressed flax oil and coconut oil. Seaweed, spirulina, chlorophyll-rich foods. Black sesame seeds.

Avoid: alcohol, smoking, overeating, rich, heavy, fatty, greasy, oily foods, deep fried foods, dairy and cheese, red meats, sugar and artificial sweeteners, coffee, sugary and stimulating drinks, wheat products or whole wheat, peanuts and nut butters, polyunsaturated or refined oils, refined grains, too hot or too cold foods and drinks in general, spicy foods, especially cayenne and other hot peppers, cinnamon and nutmeg, microwaved food, artificial/synthetic additives and medications.

Reduce: eggs, dairy and meats, eat nuts and seeds only in small quantities and lightly roasted (almonds and pumpkin seeds are a better choice), reduce baked, grilled, fried and roasted foods, reduce strong pungent foods, eat moderately pungent foods (ginger, onion, garlic) in small quantities.

Lifestyle:
Reduce stress, ambitions and desires. Add light, non-straining, non-sweating exercise, Qi Gong, Yoga, dance, walk etc. Eat in small quantities without filling up completely, no more than 2-3 times a day at regular times without snaking in between, chew thoroughly and without distractions, screens, work, talk, reading etc. Rest for half an hour after a meal, don't go back to work right away. Go to bed earlier.

These are just general symptoms and recommendations related to Liver and Gallbladder diseases, which don't take the exact disharmony or a possible complexity of multiple organ or energy channel imbalances, and should not be taken as a medical advice. Consider getting a proper diagnosis and treatment advice from a reputable TCM practitioner if you have some of the symptoms mentioned above.

More medical illustrations in our archive:

Nudity in photography for me is deeply conceptual and symbolical. It's the shedding of mental constructs, social norms, personal insecurities and numerous layers of the acquired human conditioning. As taking the clothes off from our physical bodies, we are exposing the deeper, truer layers of ourselves to the external world, removing the social masks of conditioning from our infinitely complex multidimensional nature.

There is no right or wrong in the core of ourselves. All those acquired values imposed on us by the society, fade away, while the true meaning of our lives and the calling of the spirit start to surface. There is no shame in exposing our weaknesses and vulnerabilities stashed away from others and deeply hidden from ourselves. Exposing them to ourselves and accepting them in our deepest core is the only way to heal and strengthen our beings suppressed by shame and unacceptance. After all, I see life as a workshop or even a battleground for the development of our souls. I wouldn't for anything just let this magical existence to pass by in routine unconscious behavior, delusion and indulgence.

The creative magic happens when the photographer's and the model's intent is aligned with this purpose of being true to yourself and being fully present in the moment, connected to each other and connected to the external world, and the viewer is open to seeing the depth and the subtleties reflected in the image in full presence and without judgement. As a photographer, I am on an infinite journey of refining my skills and the messages I am trying to deliver through my work. This is a life-long journey of self-expression through passion and inspiration.