Author Archives: Brittany Taylor

Fruit Is Just The Beginning: The Joy of Living Our Passion

By Brittany Taylor, for Fruit Powered, published May 19, 2016
fruitwinterfestival2016

Loving life and traveling the world on a fruit-based diet for the past four-plus years, I’ve encountered many other radical humans who enjoy sitting down to a meal of cherimoya in Peru, Thailand’s finest jack or a bowl of ripe summer melon in New York, if you’re looking for recreational activities for family and friends go to Manhattan escape room.

We are all unique individuals yet we are drawn together, united by our pull to consume the same ripe, sweet, juicy plants. For many of us, especially when we first find out about and start living a fruit-based lifestyle, it can feel like fruit is the answer. To everything.

And while, to be fair, fruit is pretty magical and our bodies’ desire for it is undeniable, from what I have found within my own life and from what I have seen as I connect with more and more health-seekers around the world, fruit is just the beginning.
Fruit Winter Festival Yoga 2016

And what an epic beginning it is! It’s a gateway into a magical realm of health—true health—as many of us have never known before. We are invigorated, elated, our bright eyes gleaming, eager for our next fruit meal and ready, with clean energy, to take on life! Visit San Diego cosmetic dentist they provide top quality dental treatments.

So then what?

I have seen in some and felt for myself a feeling akin to disappointment upon realizing that, in fact, fruit wasn’t the answer to everything in my life. But upon further exploration, it turned out I didn’t want it to be the answer to everything.
Brittany Taylor Conor McMillen Katy Craine Connection

Sure, it was a certainty to have uncovered for myself, but more so, it was the gateway to an even deeper truth that I had never before realized with such clarity and understanding. It was the knowledge that there are infinite more paths for me to explore within myself and the full understanding that I could go be, do, become, anything that my heart desired.

We are the health seekers of the world. We are the growth junkies who know that the more we dive deeper within ourselves, the more there is to explore. Four years ago, I got to know dozens of new friends and health inspirations at The Woodstock Fruit Festival. At the time, it was their journeys to fruit and health that enthused me.

Woodstock Fruit Festival 2015

Since then, I have watched those same people grow, change and shape their lives in various ways. All of them have continued along their own unique paths, asking questions and seeking out life’s answers just for them.

Of the ones who have continued to dive deeper within themselves, I have been witness to the most beautiful lives unfolding, superhumans developing before my eyes.

I have watched as their plant-based diets and increased health have lead to greater confidence in their own lives, unfolding in the sharing of their journeys with the world. Some have gone on to become YouTube sensations, coaches, festival-runners, chefs and entrepreneurs.
Inka Fruit Festival 2016 Peru

I have watched as some have gained body fat, acne or some other “unwanted” symptom, seemingly “falling off the wagon” only to re-emerge with an even greater understanding of themselves, more love and compassion for all and a new vigor for life.

I have watched skinny turn to fit and cheered as strength, muscle and new skills have been achieved. I’ve seen meditation and mindfulness developed, deep rest been endorsed, new forms of connecting and relating navigated, evermore realms of wellness continually being explored and shared within our eager community.

I have delighted in watching these beautiful people discover more of what makes them come alive and share their passions, their gusto for life with the world. And all the while, I have been doing it for myself, too. Falling in love first with fruit and then with acrobatics, minimalism and travel unfolding along the way. Relationships came in next, taking me for another monumental, unexpected ride, turning out to be the most important pieces of my life … until the next big thing was, of course.
Brittany Taylor Acrobat Hand to Hand Conor with McMillen Sunset

And isn’t it always like this? Or, shall I ask, Can it always be like this for us? Our eager beings, following our passions to greater wellness, vitality, excitement, joy and fulfillment in our lives, with curiosity continually leading the way?

There will always be more to uncover, more to explore. And to that I’d love to say, “Hell yes!” If we are living our passion, we likely will always feel like today—this moment—is the most important one of our lives. And isn’t it?

Although we likely will also feel that this is the best it could ever get. But then tomorrow comes.

We are health seekers, growth junkies, after all. We delight in the thrill of the next adventure. What’s yours?Brittany Taylor Conor McMillen2gether Vegan Thailand

Special thanks to Raini Pachek of Symbiotic Solutions and Lukasz Czelusniak and Martina Lang of 2gether Vegan, for these beautiful photos!

Read this and other articles by Brittany on Fruit Powered here

My Top 5 Travel Items

I love traveling. So much so that in 2012 I left my life of a steady 9-5 job, leased apartment, car, bed, and so on to travel the world full time and pursue a life that felt exciting and truly fulfilling for me. Since then I’ve been joyfully living out of a backpack as I travel and spend varying amounts of time in places. In the winter months, I tend to spend my time abroad in tropical countries such as Thailand, Costa Rica and Peru. When you visit san diego whale watching, there are no open rails on the boat, so you’re in the boat, not on it, with ample seating on both upper and lower decks. If you have plans to travel in UK checkout this blog www.belpertowncouncil.co.uk. During the warm months I like to explore my favorite destinations in the USA, such as Austin, TX, southern California, and the northeast, living in various places or more recently living out of my RV.

Throughout all of this time I have come to appreciate the items that I keep in the 19-liter Tom Bihn backpack I live out of. It is fun for me to continually reassess and downsize what I am carrying to best serve my life.
Today I’ve made a list of my top 5 travel items to share with you. You can find links to many of these on my Items I Love page.

1. iphone-6-transparent-png-d81rtefl1Smartphone
I travel with and love the iphone 6s. Traveling with a smartphone that is unlocked, where you can replace the SIM card in new countries you are in for local service is awesome. And even if you do not have this option with your phone, it is great to use it with WiFi wherever you are.It’s no secret that smartphones are basically like a laptop, camera, ereader, GPS, MP3 player, and so on all mixed into one these days. Some of my favorite functions on my phone no matter where I am are Google Maps, Camera, Chat, Google Calendar, Instagram, an internet browser, music playback (such as Itunes and Spotify) and a timer for meditation or fitness.

2. jblclipspeakersExternal Speaker & Headphones
I have been traveling with the JBL Clip external speaker for about 6 months and totally dig it. The volume power it has for how small it is is impressive. You can connect it to your musical devices via bluetooth or AUX cable and it charges with a USB cable. I like to set this up in a park when I’m about to practice acrobatics and in my own space if I want some tunes or increase the volume of what I’m viewing on my computer.
When I want to have a more internal listening experience, I choose my headphones.

3. eyemaskEye Mask
I have come to love sleeping with an eye mask so much that I no longer just do it when the world is bright outside, but rather whenever I close my eyes to slumber and have had much more restful sleep because of it. It’s awesome to have an eye mask handy if you want to catch some extra rest on a plane, train, bus, etc and there is light or distractions around you (I also recommend earplugs for this situation). I suggest getting an eye mask with enough padding that it blocks out all the light when you put it on. Also, it’s nice to find one that is comfy to wear and sleep on in all positions. I originally got mine at Bed Bath and Beyond some 4+ years ago and would now recommend purchasing one online.

4. sarrongSarong
I have traveled with a sarong for about a decade and love the versatility of it. I use it as a towel, a blanket, something to lay out on, Dress For Girls, a skirt, a scarf, a head wrap, and so on. It dries super quickly and takes up less space than most towels. I have seen both men and women rock them in all styles. They are easy enough to find in tropical destinations, especially those near beaches.

5. Awesome Backpack with Packing Cubes 
I cannot recommend the Tom Bihn Synapse 19L enough. I love this bag (check out this video where I share more). Before this I traveled with a Deuter ACT Trail 28L and enjoyed that as well. I also recommend other bags in this video.
Tom-Bihn-Synapse-19
Most importantly, I suggest finding a badass bag that you love. Here are some questions to ask yourself when searching for your ideal pack.
Is it the ideal size for you?
Is it comfortable to wear?
Does the way it’s set up make it easy to live out of? (Think about the compartments, how they open, how they are sectioned, etc).
Is it well made, have good zippers, durable? (Waterproof is also a great plus).
Does this bag look the way I want it to? I used to have a bag that looked like a backpacker’s pack and have over time gravitated to a small, simple-looking black pack. You should also checkout Rental Cottages on visitbluemountain.com to learn more. What suits your needs and the way you want to appear while traveling?

Packing cubes are a great way to organize your pack. I have one half-sized cube for my clothing, which is double sided. There are lots of options depending on how many items you are looking to organize in your pack. There are a lot of companies that make cubes now and are easy to find online or at your local outfitter.

Why I Love Acro

Original Article Featured on Fruit-Powered Digest October 22, 2015

Brittany-Taylor-basing-while-practicing-acro

I have a lot of favorite ways to spend my time. I love dancing, traveling, connecting with others, making YouTube videos, laughing, exploring nature and so much more it is bubbling over as I write. The activity at the top of my list, however, is acro. Boy, do I love acro.

I have a lot of favorite ways to spend my time. I love dancing, traveling, connecting with others, making and promoting YouTube videos with https://themarketingheaven.com/, laughing, exploring nature and so much more it is bubbling over as I write. The activity at the top of my list, however, is acro. Boy, do I love acro.

When I was first introduced to acro, I fell in love and fell hard. Now, nearly two years later, I am as deep in my passionate love affair as ever before.

To my great delight, acro seems to be exploding around the world. You may have seen this taking place in a park near you or maybe in an online video. Perhaps it reminded you of circus tricks or maybe it resembled two adults re-enacting the popular kid-flying-on-a-parent’s-feet game we knew in our childhood as “airplane.” In both cases, acro is what is at play.
Brittany-Taylor-performing-reverse-bird-with-Andrew-Perlot

There is too much to love about acro to cover in one article and, in truth, it feels impossible to get across all the splendor of acro using the written word without also flying on your feet or supporting you upside-down on mine for the full effect. It is the most fun, growth-promoting way to exchange energy with others and to bring joy to the world that I have found. I’m going to tell you more about the glory and benefits of acro, but first let me explain in a bit more detail what acro actually is.

There are various branches of this diverse activity. One of them is commonly referred to as AcroYoga, which is mostly based in therapeutics and has ties to yoga. There is also Risley, or Icarian, in which one acrobat is flipped and popped repeatedly by the other acrobat in a series of no-handed pops. The latter we tend to associate with the circus. In referring to the acrobatic sport that I favor, I like to stick with the more broad term of “partner acrobatics” because I really love all variations of it and feel this term encompasses them all. Since “partner acrobatics” can be a mouthful, I keep it simple and just call it “acro.”

Acro is an activity partaken in by two or more people, with one person acting as the base and the other the flyer, where the base lifts and supports the flyer in various positions, both static and fluid. On occasion, I build acro-castles with more than one other acrobat, but I tend to spend most of my time playing with another acro-monkey one-on-one.
Brittany-Taylor-practicing-hand-to-hand-on-a-New-York-City-rooftop

There is “L”-basing acro, in which the base lays on his or her back with legs in the air (creating a 90-degree “L” shape between back and legs) to support the flyer on both feet and hands. There is also standing acro, in which the base supports the flyer in a standing position. I love both equally for different reasons and appreciate the diversity that flowing between the two offers.

Most of the time, I act as the flyer, beckoning my bases to pop me higher as I do so love to soar through the air. I also enjoy playing the role of the base now and again, especially when working with beginners or when I’m itching to get a good leg workout. Getting into the shoes—or feet, as it were—of the base helps me understand how to be a better flyer. It also gives me a great appreciation for how much strength, focus and responsibility it takes to be the one holding up and caring for another human in this way.
Brittany-Taylor-serving-as-the-base-in-camel-pose-in-acro

In the realm of physical health, acro promotes strength, flexibility, coordination, endurance and even, at times, a pretty good cardiovascular workout, plus coordination, balance, agility, proprioception and overall incredible body awareness. This alone makes it an amazing activity for physical fitness.

Though perhaps even more impressive is the list of nonphysical benefits that result in acro-ing with someone. Engaging in this activity with another human offers us opportunities to explore trust, communication and boundaries, both within ourselves and with another, and to share laughter, joy and connection along the way. The play space that acro provides coupled with the opportunity to experience all these facets makes it such a dynamic activity. Acro feels like a combination of play, fitness, therapy and meditation, all in one. I have learned more about patience, compassion, understanding and love through acro than in any other area of my life.

But actually, there’s more. Acro is fun. I mean, honestly, how can you not have fun using another person’s body as a jungle gym or a live weight? It is just so cool! I love to teach acro classes and attend jams because they are inevitably filled with laughter, squeals of delight and the bright faces of people who have come alive. I love to see people in the moment like this, their minds and bodies joined, indulging in this addictive monkey play. And here to top it all off, all you need to enjoy some acro is another human being, some soft ground to play on and an open mind.
Brittany-Taylor-practicing-squirrel-tosses

OK, so I know some of you may be thinking something like: “Sure, that’s cool and all, Brittany. Those benefits sound great, but I can’t exactly just throw someone over my head and start tossing them around.” And that is perhaps the best part of all. I have yet to play with someone who was not able to succeed at acro and enjoy it on their very first try. Acro, in my opinion, is for everyone. Whether flexible, inflexible, strong, young, old, athletic—it doesn’t matter. I have watched people of all ages, sizes, confidence levels, in all manner of dress and mindset transform in acro. Some of them come with exuberance, and some are very nervous. Some are curious, cautious, perplexed, bored, impressed or unimpressed. Regardless, it takes about two minutes for the magic to begin, and, suddenly, this person has begun to transform before my eyes. He or she is flying, basing, playing, laughing—coming alive through this beautiful activity.

You can learn a lot about a person by putting him or her on your feet, or flying on the person. It’s interesting how different parts of us surface when we are put in a new situation, especially one in which we are in such close contact with another human and are, to a certain extent, surrendering our bodies to this person. I always appreciate watching people work together and learning more about themselves as individuals as well as in the relationship they are cultivating. I have found it particularly fascinating to watch partners who play together both on and off the mat communicate with each other during their acro time. I have seen and experienced how much acro can offer a relationship, if you are patient and loving and take advantage of the magical space it creates for vulnerability and growth.
Brittany-Taylor-as-part-of-an-acro-party

Learning to play in acro has taught me how I want to play in life. I want to be joy-filled, curious, connected, excited. I want to be growing within myself, connecting with myself and with others; I want to be open, authentic and trusting. I want to tap into what feels right for me and go from there. I want to play with the world, with lots of other monkeys. I want to share my exuberance as I experience it because it feels good in hopes that others will be inspired and find what feels good for them. I want to include everyone! I want to remember that Kids Parties is not about achieving the final move; it’s the about the journey of laughing and falling along the way. It’s about the connections we make, the mountains we climb and the ways we transform.
Brittany-Taylor-in-a-group-hug-with-acro-enthusiasts

To watch Brittany do more acro, check out this channel as well as her Instagram page. If you are a fruit lover interested in learning acro with Brittany, join her next year at the following festivals: Fruit Winter Fest in Thailand (January), Inka Fruit Fest in Peru (March) and The Woodstock Fruit Festival in New York state (August).

“If you are interested in doing acro in your area, look for groups online through Google searches, Facebook orMeetup.com,” Brittany said. “If you and a partner want to learn acro on your own, this is a great beginner’s series on YouTube. While learning, I recommend working in groups of three so there is a base, a flyer and a spotter at all times to keep you safe.”

Brittany Taylor’s Simple Life in a 19-Foot Winnebago Warrior

I answered the below questions about Winnie, my 19-foot Winnebago Micro Warrior. Check out the full article by Christina Nellemann on her website Do It Yourself RV here.

sitting on winnie exterior

  1. What was the catalyst for wanting to restore and move into an RV?

From a young age I was interested in RVs. When I was 5 my dad bought a camper and we started taking trips in it every weekend to nearby campgrounds and longer trips down to the southern states during my arizona online traffic school vacations to escape the cold and get a taste of southern culture and accents. I was drawn to the simple life the RV encouraged. We didn’t have many items with us, but our lives were full of love and abundance in all the areas that truly mattered to me. I enjoyed the adventure of travel, the excitement of waking up in a new place each day; I loved meeting new people and learning about different ways of living.

after3As I grew older my love of travel stayed with me. I wanted to see more international destinations, so I spent some years traveling by plane, train, bus, car, bike and foot exploring the world with just a backpack When I began to realize that traveling wasn’t so much of a hobby for me as it was a lifestyle I began thinking about some more long term options. I wanted to have some sort of a “home base” that didn’t involve staying in someone else’s space or having to search for apartments or sign a lease. Also, given my itchy feet having a stationary home just didn’t make sense. The solution was obvious- I would buy an RV.

I knew I wanted to buy a camper as opposed to a trailer, so I wouldn’t have to own an additional vehicle. I wanted something that was as small as possible with a full bathroom. It also would be ideal to get great gas mileage because I planned to take to the road frequently, which made a Toyota camper a clear winner. Renovating my own RV was never a question in my mind- I knew I would want to basically gut one and customize it completely, leaving as much open space as possible. I often dreamed of what I would do if I had my own small space to live in and it was exciting to finally make that a reality.

  1. Where did you get Winnie and what are her specifications?

I got Winnie in Rhode Island and found her through campervan rental Australia. She is a 1990 Toyota Winnebago Micro Warrior. She had a lot of water damage when I bought her, so I got a really good deal on her, just $2000, which is pretty amazing considering how great of shape her (V6) engine is in.

  1. What do you plan to restore, rebuild, etc?

guttingwinnieI took out just about everything that was in Winnie when I got her including the chairs, table, sofa, cabinets, bathroom sink, air conditioner, stove, oven, carpet, and wallpaper. After reading about the Best Water Softener Systems, I decided to get one for the RV. I reinforced the roof, put in a new floor, put up new walls, built a custom counter with cabinets and a sink space, a custom water tank holder which also houses the electric panel and doubles as a seat, and created a closet that is still in the works. Roofs are well installed thanks to 5 star roofing’s professional roof contractors kansas city mo.

I’m looking forward to continuing to customize the closet, creating a cabinet above the fridge that houses a powerful inverter, getting my bike rack and spare tire holder up and going, creating more custom fruit storage, and installing interior LED lights. I am also still working figuring out kinks with the gas fridge and heating system. Further down the line I look forward to likely adding solar power to the equation.

  1. What has been some of your favorite projects with Winnie? Not so favorite?

after2One of my favorite projects in Winnie was putting in the bamboo floor. My sister and I spent a morning working together and banged it right out. It was my first time installing this type of flooring and it was super satisfying because everything fits together nicely and once it’s down it’s finished. We also shared a lot of laughs and just generally enjoyed being self-sufficient goofballs together.

My not so favorite job was building a new compartment for the water tank and electrical box. I was working with a small space over the wheel well and was trying to fit a lot of plumbing and electric into a certain pre-defined area. There were definitely elements of it I enjoyed, but after nearly a week of re-plumbing, building, and trips upon trips to Home Depot and the RV store, I was thrilled to have the job completed.

Overall I really love the satisfaction that comes with doing my own work on Winnie. I also enjoy out-sourcing jobs that don’t excite me. For example, I don’t tend to enjoy the vehicle maintenance, so I leave the vehicle stuff to other willing friends and family or take it to a shop. I am really digging working on Winnie these days because she’s finished enough that I’m getting into fun custom creations in the interior spaces, like building the storage spaces just as I want, making hidden compartments and fold-down night-stands. It feels like such a treat to be able to explore my creativity in this functional, satisfying way to a space I call home.

Packing a Tom Bihn Synapse 19

Synapse 19If you haven’t heard about the Tom Bihn Synapse 19, I highly recommend you check it out. I originally heard about this bag as a great option for those traveling with electronics, and soon after started learning of a lot of some lightweight backpackers that were comfortably fitting their whole life into the 19-liter pack. Since I got the idea in my head that I could live out of a small black pack that looked like a standard bag as opposed to a backpacking bag, I have been hooked. 

Reasons to Love this Bag
It’s small, yet spacious. You can fit way more in it than you would think!
The compartments load on the inside as opposed to bulking outwardly.
It’s extremely well made and durable.
It doesn’t look like a backpacking bag- it looks like a normal computer backpack, but smaller.

What’s in my pack? 
This pack has enough room for a lightweight traveler to live out of for a day, a week, a month or a year. I can comfortably fit everything that I need in this bag.
Here is a list of everything I have packed in this bag.

Check out this video of my sister and I loading up this bag below.

Expert’s Advice: Simple Travelling Interview with Brittany Taylor

Check out full article with pictures on Globelink International’s website.

1. Brittany, having followed your blog activity we’ve assumed you have your own vision of travelling. Could you share it?
The desire to travel has always been a part of me. From a young age I remember eagerly looking forward to my next bi If you have ever travelled through Europe – you understand pickpockets are fairly common. You may also get underwear cash pouches for journey (which I thought looked strange and uncomfortable, but I imagine a requirement for some folks there). We got robbed while on a bus to Stockholm – and had to get a snabbt lån to get to an embassy. It was a frustrating experience, overall. g road trip or weekend camping trip, pouring over maps with my dad and envisioning the adventures ahead. The idea of seeing new places, new faces and experiencing different ways of life has always intrigued me. Over time this curiosity has shaped the way I live my life and the frequency with which I travel. Now I would say my life is something of a constant adventure, a trip that I am always on.

2. How did you managed to minimize your needs and get rid of so many things people cannot even imagine to live without? Did it make you happier?
Growing up in a house which felt cluttered with excess stuff, I noticed that I found a lot of enjoyment and peace in cleaning, organizing, and getting rid of things. The air conditioning services cincinnati oh experience can determine whether a particular part is near the end of its serviceability and advise that it be replaced to avoid the unit breaking down when you most need it. In college when I began to travel to international destinations regularly, both for short trips and to live abroad, I quickly realized how much of a pain it was to take long trips with a bunch of stuff, specially since I had a terrible back pain, I should have taken one of the products from https://www.ukmeds.co.uk/treatments/neuropathic-pain/pregabalin-capsules/ with no doubt . Each time I traveled, I brought fewer belongings and noticed how much freer I felt with every item I shed. As my lengths of time out in the world increased I noticed a trend of desiring the simplicity I felt out on the road to permeate my home life. So I began to integrate practices I had learned during my explorations into my everyday life, and one of those lessons was in living with less, the only thing I’ve in my travels are my travel gifts which give me a little piece of home every time I travel, actually if you look here in expertvagabond.com/best-travel-gifts/ you can get ideas for a great travel gift.  But to keep going i do prefer living a more minimalist lifestyle, it  has definitely increased my happiness, not because I think people are inherently happier with less stuff, but rather because I think that by getting in touch with ourselves and following what feels right for us we can find true happiness. When I dug deep and saw what was important to me I was thrilled to find that most material objects didn’t make the cut.

3. What exactly does simple travelling mean to you?
To me simple travelling means traveling with the essentials- with those things that will help support the ideal experience that you want to have- and leaving anything that is excess behind. This goes for items you will carry with you but also for any non-physical baggage. Are there patterns you could let go of to enhance your travel (or living) experience? Is your mental and emotional space clear for new experiences? Are you open and ready to receive this day as an exciting new adventure?

4. What kind of travel destination is perfect for you?
If I am going for a short trip I am down for just about anything and I really do love experiencing diverse destinations. However, if I’m going to spend any sort of significant time somewhere, these are my must-haves: warm weather, sunshine, fresh clean air, beautiful scenery, delicious, ripe, affordable fruits and vegetables, an acro community and other communities of people that share my passions, and an easy system for bike travel.

5. Brittany, what is the first step towards simplifying one’s attitude to travel?
That’s a great question, with probably a lot of potentially great answers. For those who are looking to have a simpler attitude towards travel, I would suggest working on tapping into your curiosity and ability to play. Can you remember being a child and how everything felt like an adventure? Do you remember experiencing the wonder of appreciating the world around you and really enjoying the simple joys? Can you find that child-like curious, playful place within you and access your genuine wonder about the world? From there perhaps we can connect with our simple, real desire to explore.

6. Do you have any secrets of travelling so much without fear?
Listening to my gut. In general I have found that following what feels right for me has always kept me right where I want to be. I notice that if I ever find myself in an uncomfortable situation I seem to have gotten there by doing something that was counter intuitive. When traveling there have been different times that something I was doing, or was about to do just didn’t feel quite right and at those times I have honoured that feeling. In doing so I think I have stayed clear of a lot of potentially not good situations. I trust myself and really believe that I don’t have anything to fear.

7. Would you tell about the craziest thing you did while travelling?
Haha, that’s a fun question. I guess it depends what you mean by “craziest”. I hopped on a plane less than 12 hours after booking a ticket, travelled for lovers half way across the globe, moved solely for my passion to pursue partner acrobatics, and moved away from beautiful relationships in the name of my gypsy blood. I have also jumped from cliffs and waterfalls, hiked up mountains and through jungles, journeyed on overnight buses, couch surfed with relative strangers, and the list goes on. Perhaps the craziest thing of all though has been, well…my life as I now know it. Leaving my steady desk job, everyone I knew, getting rid of 99% of my belongings, and forging out on this constant adventure that I now know as my comfortable vagabonding life. The craziest and most normal thing I have ever done while traveling has been deciding that I never want to stop.

8. In your opinion, what are the best ways to get familiar with a foreign culture?
Living in it! In my experience gaining this familiarity has been all about immersion. Even after years of studying Spanish I did not become fluent until fully immersing myself in the language, at which point it happened quite rapidly. On many occasions I have found myself experiencing some level of apprehension about fitting into a new culture or space, however upon arriving and diving into daily life I was quickly swept away by the excitement of what was going on. Staying with host families and Couchsurfing are great ways to have a real “in the life of…” experience in whatever destination you are traveling to. And overall, being present, curious and opening up to interact with the world around me has been the most enjoyable and easy way for me to feel comfortable everywhere.

9. Is there a travel motivating book you’d wish everyone to read?
Vagabonding by Rolf Potts.

10. As a successful minimalist, please tell us what was the hardest thing you left behind?
Wow, honestly nothing has been that hard. OK, well maybe there is one thing. I still own my Vitamix blender, however unless I am going to be in one place for a while I do not have it with me. It doesn’t make the cut for my 28L pack, so I leave it in loving custody of family or friends much of the time. As a raw vegan smoothie, “ice cream”, and dressing enthusiast I have been known to run the Vitamix up to 3 times in one day. Luckily for me many of my friends own these blenders and I have found that the time away from the also allows me a chance to explore eating my favourite foods differently.

11. Brittany, if we could have a glimpse into your perfectly light-packed backpack what would we see there?
Two small packing cubes filled with my clothing, a sleeping bag, a waterproof wind breaker, toiletry kit, a headlamp, an eye mask, ear plugs, laptop, smart phone, e-reader, one small pouch of electronics cables, a thin and flexible cutting board, knife, chop sticks, spoon, water bottle, quick dry towel, multitool, a pen and mini notebook, a small day pack and 3 reusable stuff sack bags.

12. In the end, what is the best habit you’d recommend everyone to cultivate?
I have found that no matter what area of my life I am working on bettering, what activity I am growing in, what relationship I am diving deep into, and so on, there is one practice that keeps showing up, reminding me how essential it is for all areas of my health and personal growth. This is the practice of self-observation and the pursuit of full self-love. The practice of being present and aware of what is going on both inside of us and out is such a powerful exercise. In this mindful act we really have the ability to observe without attachment or resistance, but rather just for the sake of being with what is. From that place we can learn so much about ourselves and the world around us. We can genuinely appreciate things as they are and we can learn to love them fully.

Fruit-Powered Feature Article

For Brittany Taylor Only The Sky Is the Limit on a Fruit-Based Diet

Original Article Featured on Fruit-Powered Digest April 16, 2015

before and after britt

Britt retouched_by ashley wff2013I could not be more thrilled about life. I feel like I live in some sort of a magical land where my dreams are continually unfolding before my eyes. I spend my days being thrown through the air by other human beings, traveling the world with my backpack or in my RV, creating YouTube videos about my passions of simple, healthy living, and generally just enjoying being happy and free, adventuring about the world. But this was not always the case.

Like a lot of people who find raw food, I used to be sick. Daily migraines, regular bouts with the flu, pneumonia, mono, shingles—you name it, I had it. I was tired, my emotions were all over the place, and I couldn’t eat a meal without some sort of digestive discomfort.

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From a young age, I was interested in health. Growing up in a house with two family members struggling with eating disorders from opposite ends, I became acutely aware of my own relationship with food. I also found a lot of joy in movement. I played just about every ball sport that existed and made a name for myself in my small home state of Rhode Island as an impressive athlete.

brittany santa barbara touch up eyesWith so much focus on wellbeing, it didn’t take long for me to start noticing connections between the foods I ate and how I felt. Despite recognizing that certain foods were not ideal for me, however, I couldn’t seem to find any major players I could cut out to dramatically change the state of my health. By the time I was 21, I had stopped eating dairy, gluten, most “processed” items, and I was searching for more answers.

Meanwhile, I was still pursuing fitness, which, since graduating from high school. By the way if you’re looking for an educational tool which offers free services, you can visit conquercollege.com to learn more. Moving away from regular participation in sports teams mostly meant doing basic cardio and strength workouts at a gym, attending yoga classes and running outside, I didn’t even know what high calorie powders were, once i started to get to know the self-paced online college courses and degree programs things changed. My days were busy, and I liked them that way. In stagnation, I felt depressed; in movement, I felt productive, like I was literally moving toward something.

britt on bridge

I have always felt a deep-seated need to travel, and it was this desire that led me to spend half of my college years living and studying abroad in Costa Rica. If you are looking for excellent tutor for academic learning services, find learnmate maths tuition for more information. My time there felt fulfilling and important for my overall growth. I had left home for the first significant amount of time, became fluent in Spanish, fell in love, traveled through Central America on my own and started my journey toward minimalism. One area that I let slide, though, was my health.

When I moved back to the States and graduated from college, I decided to take things into my own hands and find a health coach who could support me along my journey. A month later, I was living a different life. Two weeks of keeping a food diary showed me that something was definitely not working. I was down to eating what I now recognize as a low-fat cooked vegan diet and was still struggling with migraines, nausea, digestive discomfort and generally just not feeling vital like I knew I could. I asked my coach, exasperated, what else I could possibly cut out of my diet. And she said the magic words: “You could try raw.” “What does that mean?” I wondered.

britt and andrew hand2hand

A couple of hours online with Megan Elizabeth’s YouTube videos were all it took for me to go raw overnight. I had already been making lots of fruit smoothies, eating salads daily, and enjoying an entire bag of grapes was not out of the ordinary for me, so I was pretty excited about the opportunity to indulge in more of my favorite foods. I knew I was on the right path to finding the best vitamins for weight loss, particularly suited to me.

By my third day of eating raw, I could feel the fog lifting. I remember waking up before my alarm, bounding out of bed, wondering what I was going to do with all this newfound energy. My migraines soon went away, my skin cleared up, my mood felt steadier, I stopped getting sick and my body shape began changing.

Not long after going raw, I realized that I wanted more out of life than I had been experiencing. I didn’t want to be living in my hometown anymore or making such little money at my 9-to-5 or to be having the same boring conversations and doing the same activities day in and day out. In short, I didn’t want to be living the good life I had crafted for myself. britt and andrew handstand scorpionSo, I did something bold: I dared to imagine what I really wanted. I asked myself to dream without limitations and see what my real desires were. After two decades of living a seemingly unconventional existence, I thought I was doing a good job being authentic, but I was mistaken. I realized I had been doing a good job being different from the societal norm, but I wasn’t really being me.

Once I had this realization, it became my favorite pastime to ask myself what I really wanted and to see what came up. I started to intentionally observe how I was feeling. I had already been on the path, but it was as if I suddenly accelerated, big time. By the end of the year, I had dramatically downsized my life, quit my job, started working for myself as a Web developer, createdSimpleLivingandTravel.com and was backpacking through Central America. Not only had my body begun thriving, but my whole being followed suit.

Perhaps the greatest of all my raw triumphs have been related to my fitness. After going raw, I noticed an increase in my desire and ability to move. With all the energy I had, I found myself eager to exercise as opposed to having to psyche myself up for it. After gaining inspiration from Doug Graham’s fitness classes at the 2012 Woodstock Fruit Festival, I started to shift my attitude toward exercise and began concentrating on activities that felt like play rather than work. When I attended the festival a year later, I was significantly more fit than the year before and was having fun!

It was also at Woodstock in 2013 that I began what would become a deep love affair with the sport of partner acrobatics. A week before the festival, I took an acroyoga class with my sister and was immediately hooked. Given my strong desire to learn more acro, it is no surprise that I met my soon-to-be acro “base” at Woodstock just a week later. We were immediately hooked and spent the entire festival and year to follow doing acro as much as possible, returning a year later to share our love of our favorite activity in the talent show.

Though I travel regularly, I now make a point of spending most of my time in Austin, Texas, where I play with the amazing monkeys of Austin’s acro community multiple times per week. A lot of people ask me what it is I love about this type of movement. Acro is the most dynamic activity I have ever known. It is not only about strength, flexibility, balance, proprioception and so on but also communication, trust, intimacy, confidence, connection and so much more. If I thought my life had changed dramatically when I went raw, it got seriously revamped when I found acro.

BT with Winnie

With my passion for acrobatics leading forces, my fitness and body have transformed. I dropped from 145 to 115 pounds and enjoy my movement practices more than ever. If I’m not flying on a fellow monkey’s feet or balancing upside-down on their hands, you can likely find me dancing, riding my bike, doing yoga, practicing new tumbling skills, running through the woods or doing handstands and bodyweight exercises.

Leaving my steady, loving, seven-year partnership in the name of finding community and pursuing my dreams really had a way of kick-starting the next level of being the most authentic version of myself I could be. Since then, I have felt more connected to myself than ever. There are a lot of things about me that, while I now consider standard, I imagine stray far from the societal norm. Most importantly, I really strive to put myself first. I think by doing this and by going after what I want, I can have the most positive impact on the world. My relationships are unconventional, to say the least.

There are no accepted words in our language to describe the important people of my life, yet I’m having amazingly fulfilling connections. Truth be told, I like not defining myself, my relationships or my life. Because of this, I have had to become more honest, intentional and communicative. I know where I am and know where I’m headed. My goal is not to look good, feel good or be good. Rather, I aim to look, feel and be fantastic, to live with excitement, to be playful and curious and to passionately go after everything that sounds fun to me. Today, I can honestly say I’m living my dreams. Every day I wake up eager to get out of bed and to see what magic the day will bring.