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Diverse Aspects of Life — Lohas Way, 2008 (EN)

Tags press-archiveyogajayalohas-wayenglish

Publication: Lohas Way (Japanese wellness/lifestyle magazine; LOHAS = Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) Date: 2008 (exact issue not stated) Article type: Contributed essay series — written BY Patrick Oancia Section/Column heading: “DIVERSE ASPECTS OF LIFE: a few comments……” By: Patrick Oancia People named: Patrick Oancia (sole author and subject) Format: Three sub-sections, each with photos; appears to be a contributed feature or column installment

Three sections — full text

Section titled “Three sections — full text”

1. Creativity within Yoga

Section titled “1. Creativity within Yoga”

“Creativity is the vibrant heartbeat of life. I became much more aware of this fact when I first got into yoga and found that my yoga practice was mirroring my creative life experiences. Having had considerable prior exposure to musical stage performance and competitive sports, I had already learned that we can feed our creative side by taking chances. Taking risks stimulates our existence by expanding the envelop of life experiences in which we live. By always taking our challenges up to the next level and by continuously widening our knowledge base, we create a solid platform for growth.”

“Similarly, in yoga practice, progressive growth is most effectively achieved by being open to different experiences and by actively seeking out the unknown. Of course, we do always have the option of practicing yoga in the identically same way every day, becoming completely comfortable with the familiarity of that limited experience. However, while such endless repetition will bring some amount of progress, the core of yoga philosophy teaches us that the greatest comfort of all is to be comfortable with the unknown, the untried and the unexplored. As soon as we move away from doing only the predictable, we can easily escape the need for the psychological prop of predictability itself… We can then develop a more open outlook, a more adaptable thinking process, and a more flexible approach to life in general. All of this brings us ultimately to the conclusion that we must aspire to become ready for anything that life might bring us. Only then can we develop the character and confidence needed to do absolutely anything that we might want.”

“My love for life is therefore tailored to be so broad that it includes an embrace of the unpredictable, the unheard and the unseen. Because only by becoming at ease with these unknown variables can I ever truly appreciate the unbounded and undefined limitlessness of my own potential.”

2. Urban living: the city as a guide to nature

Section titled “2. Urban living: the city as a guide to nature”

“Having been born in Hong Kong and having lived in major urban centers for much of my life, I can honestly say that have always loved big cities. The fast pace of life, the diversity of the urban human mix, the tight concentration of physical and mental energies… all of these components come together in the metropolis. However, I must admit that over the years, I am starting to recognize that I have discovered an equal enthusiasm for nature, especially in its deepest manifestations.”

“People can sometimes feel overwhelmed or even entirely lost in a big city, despite the surrounding crowds of fellow human beings. A big city can be scary; you can get lost; and you can feel totally helpless. The surprising thing is that those very same feelings can be felt when alone in the depths of nature!”

“Being a big-city boy has led me to feel most at home in a man-made environment. Making any kind of a return to the very different organic surroundings that we find in nature invariably leads me to a re-discovery of my human intuition. Intuition can appear rather ambiguous to a city boy. But we do still have intuition as city people; we do sense danger; we do feel frustration and stress; and we can often make intuitive choices that closely anticipate the changing urban experience. Nature, on the other hand, invites us to use a similar process to become aware of the natural environment, plant life, wildlife, weather and all other factors at play under the laws of nature.”

“As paradoxical as it might seem, I am now experiencing a crossover of influences in which my knowledge of the city has become my personal map to navigating my way through the jungles and forests of nature. These days, a growing number of people who have lived in cities for their entire lives are picking up and moving out into nature, never to return to the city. I could even imagine doing the same thing myself, but upon deeper reflection I believe that I will always try to keep all of my doors open by maintaining a bond to both dynamics. Indeed, it is my love of changing dynamics in any environment that makes me feel that I am no longer aging and that I will always remain the curious boy of my youth, oblivious to any apparent contradictions with the scope of my life!“

3. Food and Balance

Section titled “3. Food and Balance”

“If asked about food, I would have to answer that I am coming closer and closer to reflecting the saying, ‘you are what you eat’. I love food. And I love it in many variations. But I do need to be quite careful in the way that I combine foods to avoid any trouble.”

“…it has been my experience that unless a change of diet is preceded by a change in psychological outlook, the effect of the change of diet will be limited. The way I feel has truly come to have a major influence on how food affects me. When I am fully energized, I can eat whatever is put in front of me and feel perfectly fine with that. On the other hand, if I am under excessive stress certain foods can start to act like a poison on my body.”

“The key to my relationship with food is to constantly try to raise my awareness to the point at which I can simply trust my intuition with respect to my daily food intake, letting it change in balance with the world and conditions around me.”

Photography

Section titled “Photography”
  • Page 1 (headshot): Patrick — shaved head, tattooed arms, thoughtful expression; close portrait; same visual era as E17 (2008)
  • Page 1 (class photo): Patrick standing, teaching a class; students seated in forward fold on mats; studio interior; hands-off observation posture
  • Page 2 (outdoor handstand): Patrick in a handstand on what appears to be a beach or natural outdoor setting; hills/green vegetation in background; striking action image
  • Page 3 (hands-on adjustment): Patrick adjusting a student in a studio; blue tank top, grey trousers; hands-on instruction

Key details

Section titled “Key details”

CRITICAL — Biographical: born in Hong Kong

Section titled “CRITICAL — Biographical: born in Hong Kong”

“Having been born in Hong Kong” — first and only mention of Hong Kong birth in the press archive. Reconciled with prior articles:

  • E19 (self-authored, July 2005): “Originally from Montreal” — primary identity statement
  • E12 (journalist-written, June 2005): “a Spanish Canadian” — likely refers to heritage and nationality
  • E24 (self-authored, 2008): “born in Hong Kong” — confirms birthplace

Reconciliation: Patrick was born in Hong Kong (likely expat family context) but considers himself from Montreal (where he grew up). “Spanish Canadian” refers to heritage/nationality, not birthplace. All three are consistent if read as: born in Hong Kong, raised in Montreal, Canadian nationality, Spanish heritage.

Musical stage performance and competitive sports — explicitly named

Section titled “Musical stage performance and competitive sports — explicitly named”

“Having had considerable prior exposure to musical stage performance and competitive sports” — this is the clearest statement in the archive of the two prior disciplines that shaped Patrick’s approach to yoga. E19 (2005) named “music production, performance, composition and DJ-ing”; E24 adds “competitive sports” as equally formative. This directly underpins the cross-disciplinary Baseworks premise.

”Comfortable with the unknown” as yoga’s core teaching

Section titled “”Comfortable with the unknown” as yoga’s core teaching”

The framing in section 1 — that the deepest yoga teaching is becoming comfortable with the unknown, untried, and unexplored — is a direct precursor to the Baseworks emphasis on adaptability and non-predictability. The yoga practice is described as a training for life engagement, not as an end in itself.

”Psychological prop of predictability”

Section titled “”Psychological prop of predictability””

“we can easily escape the need for the psychological prop of predictability itself”

The phrase “psychological prop” is unusual and precise — predictability is described as a crutch, not a goal. This is consistent with the self-regulation and adaptability language across E17, E18, and E21.

Food-psychology relationship

Section titled “Food-psychology relationship”

The food section articulates a principle that appears nowhere else in the archive: psychological state precedes dietary effect. “Unless a change of diet is preceded by a change in psychological outlook…” — this is applied awareness framing: the inner state is the primary variable; the outer (diet) is secondary.

”LOHAS” publication context

Section titled “”LOHAS” publication context”

Lohas Way is a Japanese wellness/lifestyle magazine focused on sustainable, conscious living. The audience is Japanese readers interested in wellness as a lifestyle (not just fitness). The English version of this article (E24) may be a translated/adapted version of a Japanese original, or may have been written in English for an English-language section. A Japanese-language version exists in the NAS (either U03 or a Japanese-coded file).

Relevance notes

Section titled “Relevance notes”
  • This is Patrick at his most philosophical in the press archive — the three sections together cover yoga philosophy, self-knowledge, biographical context, and embodied awareness
  • “Comfortable with the unknown” as yoga’s deepest teaching maps precisely onto what Baseworks asks practitioners to do: stay present with what is, rather than defaulting to predictable patterns
  • The “city as a guide to nature” essay demonstrates the cross-domain transfer principle: what you learn in one context (urban navigation) applies in another (nature). This is structurally identical to what Baseworks proposes: what you develop in practice applies in life
  • The food-psychology section applies the same principle to diet: inner state governs outer experience
  • “Limitlessness of my own potential” — the language here is more aspirational than Patrick uses in later Baseworks materials, but the underlying premise (practice removes limits on potential) is the same
  • The outdoor handstand photo (page 2) is one of the most striking in the archive — demonstrates practice in a nature context, consistent with the essay’s theme

Press page relevance

Section titled “Press page relevance”
  • patrick · method-philosophy · baseworks-overlap · press-page-lineage
  • Tier 2 (strong supporting): Patrick as author/contributor; richest philosophical content in the archive for a contributed piece; “comfortable with the unknown,” cross-domain transfer, psychological-over-physical framing — all directly relevant to Baseworks positioning; striking photography
  • The contributed essay format is similar to E14/E15 (Outdoor Japan columns) and E19 (Namaskar scene piece) — Patrick as a recognized yoga writer for regional wellness publications
  • The Hong Kong birth detail is archived here as the sole source; verify with Patrick before using in public copy

Connections

Section titled “Connections”

Full Text & Translation

Section titled “Full Text & Translation”

Article written in English by Patrick Oancia. Published in Lohas Way magazine, 2008. No translation required — full original text transcribed below. Text is fully legible at 150 DPI.

Full Text (English Original)

Section titled “Full Text (English Original)”

DIVERSE ASPECTS OF LIFE: a few comments…

By PATRICK OANCIA

Creativity within Yoga

Creativity is the vibrant heartbeat of life. I became much more aware of this fact when I first got into yoga and found that my yoga practice was mirroring my creative life experiences. Having had considerable prior exposure to musical stage performance and competitive sports, I had already learned that we can feed our creative side by taking chances. Taking risks stimulates our existence by expanding the envelope of life experiences in which we live. By always taking our challenges up to the next level and by continuously widening our knowledge base, we create a solid platform for growth.

Similarly, in yoga practice, progressive growth is most effectively achieved by being open to different experiences and by actively seeking out the unknown. Of course, we do always have the option of practicing yoga in the identically same routine every day, becoming completely comfortable with the familiarity of that limited experience. However, while such endless repetition will bring some amount of progress, the core of yoga philosophy teaches us that the greatest comfort of all is to be comfortable with the unknown, the untried and the unexplored. As soon as we move away from the predictable, we can easily escape the need for the psychological prop of predictability itself — We can then develop a more open outlook, a more adaptable thinking process, and a more flexible approach to life in general. All of this brings us ultimately to the conclusion that we must aspire to become ready for anything that life might bring us. Only then can we develop the character and confidence needed to do absolutely anything that we might want.

My love for life is therefore tailored to be so broad that it includes an embrace of the unpredictable, the unheard and the unseen. Because my being at ease with these unknown variables can I ever truly appreciate the unbounded and undefined limitlessness of my own potential.

Urban living: the city as a guide to nature

Having been born in Hong Kong and having lived in major urban centers for much of my life, I can honestly say that have always loved big cities. The fast pace of life, the diversity of the urban human mix, the tight concentration of physical and mental energies — all of these components come together in the city. However, I do not admit that over the years, I am starting to recognize that all life has an equal enthusiasm for nature, especially in its deepest manifestations.

People can sometimes feel overwhelmed or even entirely lost in a big city, despite the surrounding crowds of fellow human beings. A big city can be scary: you can get lost; and you can feel totally helpless. The surprising thing is that those very same feelings can be felt when alone in the depths of nature!

Being a big-city boy has led me to feel most at home in a man-made environment. Making any kind of a return to the very different organic surroundings that we find in nature invariably leads to a re-discovery of my human intuition. Intuition can appear insignificant in our daily routines, but we still have intuition as city people; we do sense danger; we do feel frustration and stress; and we can often make intuitive choices that closely anticipate the changing urban experience. Nature, on the other hand, invites us to use a similar process to become aware of the constantly changing dynamics of animals, plant life, wildlife, weather and all other factors at play under the laws of nature.

As paradoxical as it might seem, I am now experiencing a crossover of influences in which my knowledge of the city has become my personal map to navigating my way through the jungles and forests of nature. These days, a growing number of people who have lived their entire lives and are now picking up and moving out into nature, never to return to the city. I could even imagine doing the same thing myself, but upon deeper reflection I believe that I will always try to keep the door open in both directions. I have found that the diversity of being adaptable to constantly changing dynamics in any environment that makes me feel that I am no longer aging and that I will always remain the curious boy of my youth, oblivious to any apparent contradictions with the scope of my life!

Food and Balance

If asked about food, I would have to answer that I am coming closer and closer to reflecting the saying, ‘you are what you eat’. I love food. And I love it in many variations. But I do need to be quite careful in the way that I combine foods to avoid any trouble.

For a example, a person might be overweight, chronically sleepy, or over-excitable — and they might try to change their situation by changing their diet. However, it has been my experience that unless a change of diet is preceded by a change in psychological outlook, the effect of the change of diet will be limited. The way I feel has truly come to have a major influence on how food affects me. When I am fully energized, I can eat whatever is put in front of me and feel perfectly fine with the meal. On the other hand, if I am under excessive stress certain foods can start to act like a poison on my body.

I have also come to realize that climate also has an important effect on my appreciation of food. After a few years of practicing yoga, I started to experiment with raw food. I soon realized that if the weather was warm, I felt eating food raw; but when it got colder, a raw diet became a recipe for illness. My constitution demands warm cooked food in a cold climate, but a predominantly raw diet suits me best in the heat of summer.

Knowing these tendencies within my relationship with food helps me to seek and maintain a balance that lets me do whatever I want, whenever I can. The key to my relationship with food is to constantly try to raise my awareness to the point at which I can simply trust my intuition with respect to my daily food intake, letting it change in balance with the world and conditions around me.