Just in case we didn't know, scientists have proof now that listening to music that inspires us has wellness benefits. It will be redundant to post that article, but just click on the cool Nina's picture to listen to science in action.
Nina Simone's Feeling Good.
http://youtu.be/AMpZ0TGjbWE I actually didn't see this commercial during the Super Bowl, I must have been too busy watching Miss BEY during the Half Time Show. But when I saw the commercial in a blog about the power of religious language, it stopped me on my cyber-tracks. Where do we place value in our society? Who do we identify with success and who are our idols? Bravo, Mr. Paul Harvey, bravo, to the photographers, and bravo to the producers and creators of this TV Commercial.
Here are the words:
And on the eighth day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, "I need a caretaker." So God made a farmer.
God said, "I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, milk cows, work all day in the field, milk cows again, eat supper, then go to town and stay past midnight at a meeting of the school board." So God made a farmer.
God said, "I need somebody willing to sit up all night with a newborn colt and watch it die, then dry his eyes and say,'Maybe next year,' I need somebody who can shape an ax handle from an ash tree, shoe a horse with hunk of car tire, who can make a harness out hay wire, feed sacks and shoe scraps. Who, during planting time and harvest season will finish his 40-hour week by Tuesday noon and then, paining from tractor back, put in another 72 hours." So God made the farmer.
God said, "I need somebody strong enough to clear trees and heave bales, yet gentle enough to yean lambs and wean pigs and tend the pink-comb pullets, who will stop his mower for an hour to splint the leg of a meadowlark."
It had to be somebody who'd plow deep and straight and not cut corners. Somebody to seed, weed, feed, breed, and brake, and disk, and plow, and plant, and tie the fleece and strain the milk, . Somebody who'd bale a family together with the soft, strong bonds of sharing, who would laugh, and then sigh and then reply with smiling eyes when his son says that he wants to spend his life doing what Dad does. "So God made a farmer."
In all my studies of anatomy, philosophy, design and yoga there is the common thread of observing nature's pulsation. This idea of contraction and expansion permeates our surroundings, our bodies, our minds and spirits. When we are able to tab, connect, ride, touch or pulsate with the overarching pulsation of God, then we experience an authentic life that moves us closer to the sweetest experience of life itself. I found this poem by Rumi, which evokes beautifully what all great teachers are trying to cultivate in us.
Birdwings by Rumi (translated by Coleman Barks)
Your grief for what you’ve lost lifts a mirror up to where you’re bravely working.
Expecting the worst, you look, and instead, here’s the joyful face you’ve been wanting to see.
Your hand opens and closes and opens and closes. if it were always a fist or always stretched open, you would be paralyzed.
Your deepest presence is in every small contracting and expanding, The two as beautifully balanced and coordinated as birdwings.
My heart felt condolences to all the families and the victims of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. Our hearts are broken.
Not that long ago, I was listening to On Being's radio show about the mindfulness of anger, the talk was offered by Buddhist Master, Thich Hhat Hanh and in times like this when our own thoughts can't possible offer an explanation, we must turn to the wiser ones, the stronger ones, knowing that in our hearts those qualities abide too.
I found light in this passage from the Buddhist master, I hope you do too. It is particularly poignant:
"…there is a seed of anger in every one of us. There are many kinds of seeds that lie deep in our consciousness, a seed of anger, a seed of violence, a seed of fear, a seed of jealousy, a seed of full despair, a seed of miscommunication, a seed of hate. They're all there and, when they sleep, we are okay. But if someone come and water these seeds, they will manifest into energy and they will make us suffer. We also have wholesome seeds in us, namely the seeds of understanding, of awakening, of compassion, of nonviolence, of nondiscrimination, a seed of joy and forgiveness. They are also there.
What we see, what we hear, what we eat, always water the seed of violence, the seed of despair, the seed of hate in us and in our children. That is why it's very urgent to do something collectively in order to change the situation. Not only educators, but parents, legislators, artists, have to come together in order to discuss the strategy that can help bring the kind of safe environment to us and to our children where we shall be protected from the negative watering of the seeds in us. The practice of transformation and healing could not be effective without this practice of seeking or creating a sane environment. When someone is sick, you have to bring him to a place where he or she can be treated and to heal.
If the human person is affected by the poison of violence and anger and despair, if you want to help heal him or her, you have to bring him or her out of the situation where she continues to ingest the poisons of violence. This is very simple. This is very clear and this is not only the job of educators. Everyone has to participate to the work of creating safe environments for us and for our children."
Perhaps it's the chilly winter days that are approaching or perhaps it's the impending beginning of a new season of Downton Abbey ; the truth is that tea season is upon us. The bitterness and sweetness, perhaps it is its resemblance to the essence of life that make tea such a pleasurable experience. So here is some basic information I found helpful in my own tea journey.
All “true” tea comes from the same plant, called the Camellia sinensis. Any leaf, root, fruit or flower that comes from a different plant is considered an herbal tea. For example, chamomile flowers and peppermint leaves are considered herbal teas because they do not come from the traditional tea plant. It is important to distinguish between real tea and herbal tea since the flavor, health benefits and nutritional characteristics vary from plant to plant.
THOUSANDS OF TEAS, DIVIDED INTO 4 CATEGORIES There are thousands of different kinds of teas, each with their own individual appearance, taste and aroma. To make sense of all the variations, “true teas” (those made from the tea plant, or Camellia sinensis, versus herbal teas which come from other plants) can be categorized into 4 major categories: white, green, oolong and black. Generally, these categories refer to how much a tea is oxidized. The more oxidized the blacker the tea. See table below.
Once you know the basics, brewing the perfect cup of tea is easy! If you can boil water, you can make tea. Fine tuning the flavor is essentially a game of manuvering and adjusting 3 elements: water temperature, steep time and amount of tea used.
With just a little practice, preparing a great tasting cup of tea is easy and will quickly become second nature. The right brewing equipment can also further simplify the process.
Bring fresh, cold water to a rolling boil. Always start with the freshest, purest source of water available as this will heavily impact tea's flavor ... it is the main ingredient, after all!
Add tealeaves to a teapot, fill-your-own teabag or infuser basket. Use 1 teaspoon – 3 teaspoons (1 tablespoon) per cup (8 oz) of water depending upon desired strength. Adjust to taste.
Pour boiling water directly over black, oolong and herbal tea. Allow water to cool slightly before brewing green tea, white tea or yerba maté. Cover.
Infuse (steep) leaves for 2-5 minutes; 3.5 minutes is a good standard steep time that works well for most teas. Do not oversteep or tea may become bitter. If you prefer strong tea, do not over steep; simply use more leaves.
Remove tea sachet, bag or infuser from water or strain leaves.
To remove mineral deposits, boil equal parts white vinegar and water inside kettle. Remove from heat. Let sit several hours; rinse. Hand wash the pot's exterior with a gentle pot-scrubber sponge. Let tap water run for a few moments before adding it to the pot.
Now brew yourself a delicious cup of tea. Enjoy!
We may tend to attribute ego-driven behaviors to Nature (i.e., wrath), but I know that Nature is Love, because God is Love. And Love has no Ego. As we prepare to gather for Thanksgiving, I want to share this beautiful prayer that was written a century ago, but its connection with Grace and Gratitude is permanent and as relevant today as it will a hundred years from now. Happy Thanksgiving.
Prayer for Nature by Walter Rauschenbusch (1861–1918)
O God, we thank you for this universe, our home; and for its vastness and richness, the exuberance of life which fills it and of which we are part. We praise you for the vault of heaven and for the winds, pregnant with blessings, for the clouds which navigate and for the constellations, there so high. We praise you for the oceans and for the fresh streams, for the endless mountains, the trees, the grass under our feet. We praise you for our senses, to be able to see the moving splendour, to hear the songs of lovers, to smell the beautiful fragrance of the spring flowers.
Give us, we pray you, a heart that is open to all this joy and all this beauty, and free our souls of the blindness that comes from preoccupation with the things of life, and of the shadows of passions, to the point that we no longer see nor hear, not even when the bush at the roadside is afire with the glory of God. Give us a broader sense of communion with all living things, our sisters, to whom you gave this world as a home along with us.
We remember with shame that in the past we took advantage of our greater power and used it with unlimited cruelty, so much so that the voice of the earth, which should have arisen to you as a song was turned into a moan of suffering.
May we learn that living things do not live just for us, that they live for themselves and for you, and that they love the sweetness of life as much as we do, and serve you, in their place, better than we do in ours. When our end arrives and we can no longer make use of this world, and when we have to give way to others, may we leave nothing destroyed by our ambition or deformed by our ignorance, but may we pass along our common heritage more beautiful and more sweet, without having removed from it any of its fertility and joy, and so may our bodies return in peace to the womb of the great mother who nourished us and our spirits enjoy perfect life in you.
As we walk in our Yoga Practice inevitable we'll encounter the path of Meditation and even though I believe that no one can teach you meditation; I do believe that there are tools that can help you find it and that there are great teachers that can guide you with these tools.Deepak Defines Meditation – Everyone thinks that the purpose of meditation is to handle stress, to tune out, to get away from it all. While that's partially true, the real purpose of meditation is actually to tune in, not to get away from it all, but to get in touch with it all. Not to just de-stress, but to find that peace within, the peace that spiritual traditions talk about that passes all understanding. So, meditation is a way to get in the space between your thoughts. You have a thought here, a thought here, and there's little space between every thought.
According to wisdom traditions, this space between the thought is the window, is the corridor, is the vortex to the infinite mind – the mystery that some people call the spirit or God. We don't have to use those terms, but it's your core consciousness. And the more we learn about this space between thoughts, we find certain things to be true of it:
In meditation, we get into this space so we find ourselves infinite possibilities, infinite correlation, infinite creativity, infinite imagination, and infinite power of intention. That's what meditation is really about."
Getting ready for the cooking season - aka Holiday Season- makes me a serious snacker. The anticipation of tasting a new recipe or eating my favorite ones makes me real hungry. I know I will be eating a big meal, so I try not to eat too much before a dinner party. This can result in either feeling frustrated (celery sticks are not exciting, I don't care what Dr. Oz says) or feeling guilty (once a bag of chip is open, it will be eaten; Oprah is right!). So I'm always trying to improve the quality of my snacks so they are pack with nutrition and are exciting to eat and, easy and fun to prepare. So I am presenting one of my favorite snack.
Almond butter is high in protein and easy to make. I know you can buy almond butter already made, but preparing it while cooking a dish, somehow makes me feel more satisfy (it's about the labor, not the fruit of it). Serving it with fruits, veggies or rice crackers proves to be a delicious and satisfying.
This is what you need...
1 cup of almonds, a pinch of salt and a food processor.
This is what you do...
Place almonds and pinch of salt in a food processor and turn on low. Almonds will turn from solid, to course meal; be patient and keep processing until the oils break down and almonds transform into a smooth, creamy butter. You will end up with about 3/4 cup.
During the stormy transition from Summer into Fall, I can feel a bit uprooted. Whenever this feeling of being disconnected from the present arrives, I try to stay focus on what is happening inside. Yoga and meditation are a perfect way to stay rooted. And as an aid to help me stay connected, I use Frankincense Essential Oil.
Frankincense is a tree resin (i.e., Boswellia tree) that has been used and valued since ancient times for its medicinal, cosmetic, aromatic and spiritual applications. I hear wise men tend to offer it as gift, and who am I to argue with wise men.
Emotionally, I find the aroma to be grounding, calming and relaxing without being sedating. The aroma is woody, earthy and also has a slightly spicy attitude to it. The country of origin and variety of tree used to obtain the resin from which the essential oil is derived plays an important role in the quality of the Frankincense essential oil. My favorite brand is from Young Living, you can also find in health-food stores, make sure to get therapeutic grade. I enjoy diffusing frankincense oil while meditating or while practicing restorative yoga poses.
Additional use
Frankincense is great for your skin, it promotes the regeneration of skin and healthy cells ( there are technical paper written on this, but I am giving you my anecdotal testimonial!) It is an excellent choice for preventing or reducing wrinkles when used topically and it helps fade scars from acne and surgery. It also relieves itching skin. Just apply a drops of frankincense to the affected area and that is it. If you have sensitive skin, you can dilute a drop of frankincense in a carrier oil. Don't hesitate to contact me with questions or personal testimonial.
Visiting the abundance of farmer stands is one of my favorite Summer rites. And nothing complements an splendid summer day as a salad containing all those delectable vegetable finds. I think it's rather silly to give recipes for a green/vegetable salad; so instead I am presenting my favorite summer salad dressing by itself, which can complement your favorite veggies. The lemon/lime combo in this dressing is so evocative, I promise you will absolutely love it. This is also so simple and healthy that you won't have to worry about adding extra fat/calories to your summer diet. Learn this dressing recipe and you forever will have the power to transform any salad into a Summer Delight - all year around!
What you need: Juice from 1 lemon (zest is optional), Juice from 1 lime , 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt, 1/4 teaspoon of grounded white pepper
What you do: Whisk all ingredients together in a large bowl and let it stand for five minutes (neither shake nor mix with a fork; I'm telling you whisk!). That is it; combine with your favorite salad ingredients. Enjoy.
I
had been working for several month on creating a sequence for anyone that can't never find a time to be alone, except maybe in the bathroom... I was so serious about this that I had totally missed the joke. Thank goodness I found this funny article in Yoga Dork.
Toilet Yoga? Top 3 Movements for Relief.
we’ve come up with our own Top Toilet Yoga Movements for Relief!* Read at your leisure.
1. The Classic: Chair pose, aka Hover-asana, aka Utka-don’t you sit down that’s nasty-asana. Doubly great for firing up the legs after sitting for long periods of time, and avoiding butt cheek contact with icktastic facilities. Fierce.
2. Intermediate: Puppy Dog Fire Hydrant. Place hands on counter or sink and walk feet back under hips. Work up to fire hydrant by lifting leg back into Warrior 3 or opening up the raised leg to Half Moon. Can also be done in bathroom stall for ultimate privacy if you’re lucky to be somewhere with one-seaters like Starbucks. Beware other cranky toilet yogis waiting to practice.
3. Toilet Yoga Guru: Twisted Triko-stall-asana. One foot by the commode, the other diagonally placed. Walk hands up sides and door of stall and twist out your Triangle. Especially good for relief from hangovers, irritating co-workers and afternoon lull.
Warning: Deep breathing and inversions work wonders, but we advise avoiding headers at the head!
*yogis must wash hands before returning to work.
——
One of my sweet students sent me an article from the Boston Globe titled Free yourself by letting go of the clutter in your home, office, and finances, the article is about balancing your finances and it points to a book written by Gail Blanke- “Throw Out Fifty Things: Clear the Clutter, Find Your Life."
I am sure the book explains why "fifty" is the magic number, but I haven't read the book. I do love the idea to start with a random number. Engineering school taught me to analyze numbers and patterns, but it also taught me to trust numbers that don't quite make sense because at the end of the day you are looking for results (my Catholic upbringing just reinforced this methodology). I've counseled hundreds of folks in how to organize a space and the most difficult part of the process is editing one's belongings. I know it is very difficult, I struggle myself with parting from items I've attached myself out of nostalgia or out of fear. So this is an experiment on how to free oneself of material things that aren't serving one's life anymore and I know for a fact that the process can become a metaphor to embrace the present and face one's fears.
As an unscientific experiment,I will throw out fifty items. Yes, I will become the subject of this experiment as I downsize my already pocket-size belongings in hope that the process will help you cope with the editing process of simplifying your life into a richer and healthier one. If it doesn't do that, at least I hope it brings a smile to your day.
I am going to start with my Office Space.
So where do I start? I need to get rid of 50 things, so I guess as any good editor I am gonna look at every item in my office and ask how is this item contributing to my work?
I think the key here is the active verb, contributing as supposed to contributed. Many times I hold on to the stories in my head of how wonderful a book was, how nice a workshop was , and how one day I will use that stationary again. Embracing who I am today means honoring those items that helped me move forward. I need to trust that I don't need "the story" that the item evokes and let it go from that place of confidence where I am.
- 28 Books: this was a tough one since these books were not just books I read, these are books that moved me. I love stories and if I find a good story like in the many novels I've collected through my adulthood I feel that parting with the book will not let me hold on to the story. This isn't true, these stories will be with me as long as I can recall the connection I had with them. Public libraries and electronic books are my friend, if I decided to reconnect with any of my favorite books, I know where to find them. 20 books were donated to the Dobbs Ferry Library. I also have carried with me textbooks since graduating from college. I sold most of them right after graduations but I kept a handful after school thinking that I may need them, I never did, but they represented hundreds of dollars and the fear of being wasteful made me hold on to them. Truth is that no only I never use these books and no one can use them neither. I can't sell them or donate them, no one wants them. So holding onto hundred of dollars that can't serve me or anyone else IS wasteful. 8 Textbooks were tossed (yes, no alternative, I even consulted with theater prop shops).
- 1 Box of envelops, these 81/2 " x 11" white3 envelops have been with me since college too. I used them to send resumes to potential employees. I don't send mass mailing anymore and PDF electronic files is the standard. Recycled them.
- 1 Day Runner Day Planner; I have been using my iCalendar for two years now, very successfully. The repeat/end by date function is a huge help and the fact that I can syncronize with my mobile devise is awesome. Why do I keep this day planner? I spend a lot of time and money creating my personalized day planner, but it is not useful anymore. Recycled.
- 2 Decks of playing cards. Last time I used playing cards I was in Vegas, and casinos make playing cards super available. Tossed.
- 1 Desktop lamp which has been broken for two years. I thought I could find a small repair shop to help me with this, but I didn't find one or made any effort. Tossed.
- 2 boxes of postcards collected in coffee shops. I had the great idea of forwarding these post cards to friends as I thought of them in my often thinking afternoons in coffee shops. Texting has become then new postcards. Recycled.
- 8 pens/markers that do not work properly. I accumulate so many pens and markers that it becomes hard to keep track of which ones are working. 60 seconds of testing, but I know I can pick up a writing devise with total confidence of success.
- 4 File Folders. These folders contained finished projects with relevant information, which could come handy for me or my clients. I scanned all the documents, store the electronic copy my DropBox account and shred paper files. I have feared that the information will be stolen or lost in the cloud network, but it could have been stolen and lost in my house or through all the e-mails I have sent. I surrender to technology...it is indeed a good thing.
- 5 Yoga DVD. These were some of my first yoga teachers. Rodney & Shiva were there to help me build my yoga practice, they are still in my practice, but I haven't use these DVD's in years. I can honor their teaching by just donating these to the library.
- 1 Mouse pad. I haven't use it in three years...bye bye, my friend.
Who am I? I am space. I am efficient. I am open to new experiences. The whole experiment was very difficult to start, but once you start the process, it is relatively simple. A great side-effect: You will find your mind more open and more willing to let go of thoughts that are not serving you.
Drop me a line if you find this helpful.
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Take a long, slow breath in through your nose, first filling your lower lungs, then your upper lungs. Hold your breath to the count of three. Exhale slowly through the nose, while you relax the muscles in your face, jaw, shoulders, and stomach.
