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Saturday, July 17, 2010
Can Yoga Help During Pregnancy?
Pregnancy is an opportunity for a woman to discover her strength and flexibility. The experience of a natural birth can be challenging. But yoga and meditation have found to have positive effects on the birth process, helping the mommy-to-be deal well with stress, pain and exhaustion. The two together also have the ability to produce a higher quality of conception, a healthier maternal environment for pregnancy and a less painful birthing experience.
Regular practice of asanas in yoga, along with some simple cardiovascular exercises such as walking can:
*Boost energy, stamina and endurance
* Reduce physical and emotional tension and stress
*Transform anxiety and stress into beneficial energy
* Enhance confidence
* Improve posture, stability and balance
* Reduce the risk and need of medical intervention during delivery
* Have a positive impact on the development and growth of the foetus
* Assist in bringing into the world a child less-inhibited by stress and potential illness
* Get you back into shape quicker post-delivery
Yoga can help facilitate a gentle and uncomplicated delivery and make the whole experience a more joyful one.
Yoga has five vital tools for pregnancy. If followed with the help of an instructor, yoga can work wonders on your body during the nine months. Many yoga centres offer pre-natal and post-natal yoga classes.
Regular practice of asanas in yoga, along with some simple cardiovascular exercises such as walking can:
*Boost energy, stamina and endurance
* Reduce physical and emotional tension and stress
*Transform anxiety and stress into beneficial energy
* Enhance confidence
* Improve posture, stability and balance
* Reduce the risk and need of medical intervention during delivery
* Have a positive impact on the development and growth of the foetus
* Assist in bringing into the world a child less-inhibited by stress and potential illness
* Get you back into shape quicker post-delivery
Yoga can help facilitate a gentle and uncomplicated delivery and make the whole experience a more joyful one.
Yoga has five vital tools for pregnancy. If followed with the help of an instructor, yoga can work wonders on your body during the nine months. Many yoga centres offer pre-natal and post-natal yoga classes.
Source: Deccan Hearld
Friday, July 16, 2010
Buddhist Meditation Boosts Concentration Skills
Study Shows Meditation Sharpens Attention and Improves Focus
People who learn how to meditate using Buddhist techniques not only may find a bit of peace in life, but also can improve their attention and focus a new study shows.
Psychologist Katherine A. MacLean, PhD, and other researchers, signed up 30 people with an average age of 49 to go on a three-month meditation retreat in Colorado. Another 30 people in a comparison group went on a similar retreat.
The participants studied meditation techniques, such as concentrating on breathing, with Buddhist scholar and co-researcher B. Alan Wallace, PhD, of the Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies.
All participants were aficionados of meditation and had been on retreats before, but this time they were taught how to concentrate and asked to complete various tests. Also, volunteers attended group sessions twice daily and engaged in individual meditative practice for about six hours.
At three points during the retreat, the volunteers took a 30-minute computer test, during which they watched the screen as lines of various lengths flashed randomly in front of them. Most lines were the same length, but sometimes a shorter one would appear. (MORE)
People who learn how to meditate using Buddhist techniques not only may find a bit of peace in life, but also can improve their attention and focus a new study shows.
Psychologist Katherine A. MacLean, PhD, and other researchers, signed up 30 people with an average age of 49 to go on a three-month meditation retreat in Colorado. Another 30 people in a comparison group went on a similar retreat.
The participants studied meditation techniques, such as concentrating on breathing, with Buddhist scholar and co-researcher B. Alan Wallace, PhD, of the Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies.
All participants were aficionados of meditation and had been on retreats before, but this time they were taught how to concentrate and asked to complete various tests. Also, volunteers attended group sessions twice daily and engaged in individual meditative practice for about six hours.
At three points during the retreat, the volunteers took a 30-minute computer test, during which they watched the screen as lines of various lengths flashed randomly in front of them. Most lines were the same length, but sometimes a shorter one would appear. (MORE)
Source: WebMD
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Alexandra Ferguson Cushions
For the man cave...
Carrying on from the bold love statement yesterday, here are some cushions that also shares the love and welcomes you home each day from Alexandra Ferguson.
Made from recycled felt and applique letters, there is a statement for everyone, including boys who need to call their mums...
Check out the etsy shop here.
Photographs via Alexandra Ferguson.
Which potatoes should you use to make chips?
So MasterChef favourite Aaron failed to make the cut for the final 6 – his downfall – the wrong potatoes.
I’m gonna be honest and say that I have no idea about different types of potatoes – I always generally assume a potato is a potato and there isn’t that much different between the different types. I’ve also never tried to make chips...
So a quick rundown on potatoes:
Russet potatoes – these are starchy potatoes with low moisture content, making them perfect for chips (sorry Aaron), baked and jacket potatoes. They produce a beautiful fluffy texture when cooked, so they’re perfect for mash. Look for them by their brw
Chat potatoes – these little cocktail potatoes are small and waxy in their texture. This makes them ideal for boiling, steaming and serving in salads as they hold their moisture and have a lovely potato flavour that is not too dry.
Larger sized white potatoes can also be used for boiling and have a similar high moisture content.
Desiree potatoes - these medium starch potatoes have a pale pink skin and are great for roasting and mashing.
The problem is that it seems if you go to Coles or Woolie’s in Australia, you seem to be limited in your potato selection with your choice of tubers being “brushed” “washed” or cocktails. The cocktail potatoes are the chat potatoes above, while potatoes generally tend to be Nadine potatoes, which like the chats, are of a higher moisture content. If you can find them, desiree potatoes will probably be your most likely candidate for higher starch content.
Meditation An Effective Way To Enhance Concentration--Study
A new study suggests that the practice of meditation not only helps dissolves tensions, repressions, and anxieties but is also the ultimate solution to increase creativity and gain a clear state of mind.
According to researchers, meditation is a terrific technique for improving concentration and building mental fortitude, focus, and will power.
Lead author of the study, Katherine MacLean from the University of California Davis, was inspired by Buddhist monks who spend years training in meditation.
She stated, "You wonder if the mental skills, the calmness, the peace that they express, if those things are a result of their very intensive training or if they were just very special people to begin with.” (MORE)
According to researchers, meditation is a terrific technique for improving concentration and building mental fortitude, focus, and will power.
Lead author of the study, Katherine MacLean from the University of California Davis, was inspired by Buddhist monks who spend years training in meditation.
She stated, "You wonder if the mental skills, the calmness, the peace that they express, if those things are a result of their very intensive training or if they were just very special people to begin with.” (MORE)
Source: The Med Guru
Grand Master Hsing Yun
Hsing Yun (Traditional Chinese : 星雲大師; Hanyu Pinyin: Xīngyún Dàshī) (born July 22, 1927) is a well-known Buddhist monk, as well as an important figure in modern reformation of Mahayana Buddhism in Taiwan and China.
Hsing Yun is the founder of the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist order and the affiliated Buddha's Light International Association, one of the largest international Buddhist organizations in the world and one of the few Mainland teachers still teaching abroad today.
Hsing Yun is a forty-eighth generation lineage holder of the Linji Chan (Rinzai Zen) school through Master Zhi Kai, his teacher. He served as the first, second and third term director and abbot of the order before resigning his position in 1985.
Hsing Yun is known for his "Humanistic Buddhism" philosophy employed by the Fo Guang Shan order, which utilizes Buddhism to fit the needs of a modern world. He is credited by Buddhist scholars as one of the forefront leaders in modern reformation of Buddhism by opening monasteries, universities and schools around the world, as well as engaging in religious dialogue amongst other Buddhist sects and religious faiths.
In Taiwan, Hsing Yun is also notable for his activity in politics, particularly pro-China views and government legislation, and is often criticized for his views by those in favor of Taiwanese independence, political pundits and conservative Buddhists and religious figures. He was a figure of interest during the 1996 United States finance scandal involving then-U.S. Vice President Al Gore and a visit to Hsi Lai Temple, the U.S. branch of Hsing Yun's organization.
Early life
Hsing Yun was born on July 22, 1927 in Jiangsu province in China under the name Li Guoshen (李國深). He was the third of four children, with an older brother, an older sister, and a younger brother. His father left home to do business and was never heard from again. When his mother, who was a faithful Buddhist herself, was desperately searching for her husband, he went to Nanjing. By chance, he came across a monk at Qixia Monastery. The host monastic asked young Li if he wanted to become a monastic, to which Li immediately answered "yes". At that time during Li's childhood, a civil war was ensuing and living conditions were harsh, which may have been a cursor for Li's tonsure at a young age. The host monastic requested that Li could be tonsured under Zhi Kai, the abbot of the monastery, therefore, Zhi Kai would be his master. At the age of twelve, young Li was tonsured. He was ordained under two dharma names, one to be used publicly and another for lineage purposes; Jinjue (今覺, to be enlightened today), and Wuche (悟徹, realization of enlightenment).
In 1941, Jinjue was fully ordained and went on to formal monastic training at Qixia Vinaya School and transferred to Chiao-Shan Buddhist College in 1945. One day, when Jinjue was still a student at Jiao-Shan Buddhist College, he happened to stumble onto the word "Nebula" in the dictionary, read as Xīngyún in Chinese. Jinjue admired the infiniteness and boundlessness of these nebulas and wished that he could shed light on darkness and be as free and unbound as clouds and stars. Out of necessity and for safety issues, when Jinjue needed a new identification card after China's victory over Japan, he gave himself the dharma name of Hsing Yun (spelled in Wade Giles pinyin).
He left the college at the age of twenty to become a principal at an elementary school in Yixing, a small town not far from Nanjing, where he learned about administration and interpersonal coordination skills. As mainland China was enmeshed in civil war, he left his home in 1949 to head for Taiwan. He began to propagate Dharma around the age of 31 to 40 at Ilan, thus beginning his writing career. In 1949, Hsing Yun wrote his first book, "Singing in Silence", the first stepping stone in his writing career. In later years, he founded several Buddhist publications, was promoted as editor-in-chief for many Buddhist periodicals and newsletters for various temples, wrote articles for major Taiwanese newsletters, and composed scripts for radio broadcast stations. In 1955, he published one of the first hardback biographies of the Buddha.
Achievements
In the 1950s, Hsing Yun taught numerous classes, built many schools for children, recorded the first Buddhist hymns, and was promoted as an executive in many Buddhist associations. In 1957, Hsing Yun established a Buddhist cultural center in which a variety of Buddhist books are published with training tools such as audio and visual aids. In 1959, Hsing Yun also supported the Tibetan movement against communist suppression, and organized the first float parade in celebration of Wesak in Taiwan.
Hsing Yun was one of eight venerables who proposed the semiannual World Buddhist Forum in China in 2004, a suggestion that won support from Buddhist circles in countries like Japan and the Republic of Korea.
Interreligious Exchange
Roman Catholic Church
In 1997, Hsing Yun was invited to a Cross-century Religious Dialogue with Pope John Paul II. Under the invitation of the Roman Catholic Church at the Vatican, Hsing Yun met with the Pope to promote inter-religious exchange between the two parties and to pray for world peace. On June 21, 2006, Hsing Yun met John Paul II's successor, Pope Benedict XVI, in a general audience at St. Peter's Basilica. During the meeting, Benedict XVI expressed his best regards for the Taiwanese and said he will pray for them. The Pope also expressed the hope of meeting the Taiwanese people.
Involvement in Politics
Hsing Yun has openly involved himself with Taiwanese and Chinese politics, and is a prominent supporter of the One China policy. For example, in 2009 Hsing Yun exclaimed that there are "no Taiwanese" and that "all Taiwanese are Chinese" during the second World Buddhist Forum. He has also encouraged reconciliation between China and the Dalai Lama.
Source : Wikipedia
Hsing Yun is the founder of the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist order and the affiliated Buddha's Light International Association, one of the largest international Buddhist organizations in the world and one of the few Mainland teachers still teaching abroad today.
Hsing Yun is a forty-eighth generation lineage holder of the Linji Chan (Rinzai Zen) school through Master Zhi Kai, his teacher. He served as the first, second and third term director and abbot of the order before resigning his position in 1985.
Hsing Yun is known for his "Humanistic Buddhism" philosophy employed by the Fo Guang Shan order, which utilizes Buddhism to fit the needs of a modern world. He is credited by Buddhist scholars as one of the forefront leaders in modern reformation of Buddhism by opening monasteries, universities and schools around the world, as well as engaging in religious dialogue amongst other Buddhist sects and religious faiths.
In Taiwan, Hsing Yun is also notable for his activity in politics, particularly pro-China views and government legislation, and is often criticized for his views by those in favor of Taiwanese independence, political pundits and conservative Buddhists and religious figures. He was a figure of interest during the 1996 United States finance scandal involving then-U.S. Vice President Al Gore and a visit to Hsi Lai Temple, the U.S. branch of Hsing Yun's organization.
Early life
Hsing Yun was born on July 22, 1927 in Jiangsu province in China under the name Li Guoshen (李國深). He was the third of four children, with an older brother, an older sister, and a younger brother. His father left home to do business and was never heard from again. When his mother, who was a faithful Buddhist herself, was desperately searching for her husband, he went to Nanjing. By chance, he came across a monk at Qixia Monastery. The host monastic asked young Li if he wanted to become a monastic, to which Li immediately answered "yes". At that time during Li's childhood, a civil war was ensuing and living conditions were harsh, which may have been a cursor for Li's tonsure at a young age. The host monastic requested that Li could be tonsured under Zhi Kai, the abbot of the monastery, therefore, Zhi Kai would be his master. At the age of twelve, young Li was tonsured. He was ordained under two dharma names, one to be used publicly and another for lineage purposes; Jinjue (今覺, to be enlightened today), and Wuche (悟徹, realization of enlightenment).
In 1941, Jinjue was fully ordained and went on to formal monastic training at Qixia Vinaya School and transferred to Chiao-Shan Buddhist College in 1945. One day, when Jinjue was still a student at Jiao-Shan Buddhist College, he happened to stumble onto the word "Nebula" in the dictionary, read as Xīngyún in Chinese. Jinjue admired the infiniteness and boundlessness of these nebulas and wished that he could shed light on darkness and be as free and unbound as clouds and stars. Out of necessity and for safety issues, when Jinjue needed a new identification card after China's victory over Japan, he gave himself the dharma name of Hsing Yun (spelled in Wade Giles pinyin).
He left the college at the age of twenty to become a principal at an elementary school in Yixing, a small town not far from Nanjing, where he learned about administration and interpersonal coordination skills. As mainland China was enmeshed in civil war, he left his home in 1949 to head for Taiwan. He began to propagate Dharma around the age of 31 to 40 at Ilan, thus beginning his writing career. In 1949, Hsing Yun wrote his first book, "Singing in Silence", the first stepping stone in his writing career. In later years, he founded several Buddhist publications, was promoted as editor-in-chief for many Buddhist periodicals and newsletters for various temples, wrote articles for major Taiwanese newsletters, and composed scripts for radio broadcast stations. In 1955, he published one of the first hardback biographies of the Buddha.
Achievements
In the 1950s, Hsing Yun taught numerous classes, built many schools for children, recorded the first Buddhist hymns, and was promoted as an executive in many Buddhist associations. In 1957, Hsing Yun established a Buddhist cultural center in which a variety of Buddhist books are published with training tools such as audio and visual aids. In 1959, Hsing Yun also supported the Tibetan movement against communist suppression, and organized the first float parade in celebration of Wesak in Taiwan.
Hsing Yun was one of eight venerables who proposed the semiannual World Buddhist Forum in China in 2004, a suggestion that won support from Buddhist circles in countries like Japan and the Republic of Korea.
Interreligious Exchange
Roman Catholic Church
In 1997, Hsing Yun was invited to a Cross-century Religious Dialogue with Pope John Paul II. Under the invitation of the Roman Catholic Church at the Vatican, Hsing Yun met with the Pope to promote inter-religious exchange between the two parties and to pray for world peace. On June 21, 2006, Hsing Yun met John Paul II's successor, Pope Benedict XVI, in a general audience at St. Peter's Basilica. During the meeting, Benedict XVI expressed his best regards for the Taiwanese and said he will pray for them. The Pope also expressed the hope of meeting the Taiwanese people.
Involvement in Politics
Hsing Yun has openly involved himself with Taiwanese and Chinese politics, and is a prominent supporter of the One China policy. For example, in 2009 Hsing Yun exclaimed that there are "no Taiwanese" and that "all Taiwanese are Chinese" during the second World Buddhist Forum. He has also encouraged reconciliation between China and the Dalai Lama.
Source : Wikipedia
tom hare . . .
" the tree of wisdom"built by visual artist
for the Royal Horticultural Society
and their chelsea flower show garden.
folk could write messages on leaves
that were then attached to the tree,
encouraging life into the garden.
encouraging life into the garden.
toms blog
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Door Love
Photographs via Domestic Architecture.
Last Week II
Ein Strandoutfit von letzter Woche,
sehr relaxt alles.
top, pants, bikini: h&m. shoes: primark.
•••
Reduce Stress By Changing How You Think
"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be," Abraham Lincoln once famously said. And now it turns out that his statement was more than just a folksy quip. New research in neuroscience and psychology shows that we may be more in control of our emotions and anxiety levels than we think. And for the more than 75% of Americans who suffer from stress-related conditions, according to the American Psychiatric Association, these findings may give them new help for managing stress. Stress comes from the way we think and react to outside stimulus, so people with anxious tendencies will react in a more fearful way than their calmer counterparts. "The reaction to stress
li comes from a part of the brain in the prefrontal cortex that is primitive--it's a fight or flight reaction, " says Don Goewy, author of Mystic Cool, a self-help book about stress management. Your brain can't tell the difference between real and perceived danger, so stress levels jump when an individual faces a real physical threat or a perceived threat, such as being called into a supervisor's office.
10 Tips For Stress-Free Living (MORE)
li comes from a part of the brain in the prefrontal cortex that is primitive--it's a fight or flight reaction, " says Don Goewy, author of Mystic Cool, a self-help book about stress management. Your brain can't tell the difference between real and perceived danger, so stress levels jump when an individual faces a real physical threat or a perceived threat, such as being called into a supervisor's office.
10 Tips For Stress-Free Living (MORE)
Source: Hindustantimes.com
Blog Inspiration - Bloesem
Home of Isis Sturtewagen, Belgium.
Home of Emma Reddington, Canada.
Here is a new blog that I have come across. It is called Bloesem (Blossom) and it is by Irene from Kuala Lumpur.
She has a great regular feature called 'Lets Get Personal' and it is personal house tours of designers from all over the world. There are great photos and fun Q&A's.
There is even a Bloesem Kids blog too. Check it out.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Something Hurt? Meditate On It
An entire industry seems to have been built around helping women distract themselves from the pain of childbirth.
Yet, new research finds, that the pain of childbirth—as well as the pain of headaches and stomachaches and everything else—might become even more bearable by doing the opposite—focusing on the pain instead.
Researchers at the University of Manchester in the UK used lasers to inflict pain on a group of study subjects and asked them to rate the unpleasantness of the pain. (Note to self: do not look into a career as a study subject.) Everyone in the group should have experienced the same level of pain, but this was not the case. People who meditated regularly reported the pain as less uncomfortable than people who did not.
And their brain response to the pain was different, too. People who did not meditate regularly anticipated the pain before it took place. They mentally braced for it, which made the brain’s pain response more intense. The meditators did not do this. They relaxed into it instead.
I’ve experienced this meditation effect first hand, as I seem to be a pain magnet. I have irritable bowel syndrome, a condition that triggers extreme stomach aches. I also tend to get migraines. (MORE)
Yet, new research finds, that the pain of childbirth—as well as the pain of headaches and stomachaches and everything else—might become even more bearable by doing the opposite—focusing on the pain instead.
Researchers at the University of Manchester in the UK used lasers to inflict pain on a group of study subjects and asked them to rate the unpleasantness of the pain. (Note to self: do not look into a career as a study subject.) Everyone in the group should have experienced the same level of pain, but this was not the case. People who meditated regularly reported the pain as less uncomfortable than people who did not.
And their brain response to the pain was different, too. People who did not meditate regularly anticipated the pain before it took place. They mentally braced for it, which made the brain’s pain response more intense. The meditators did not do this. They relaxed into it instead.
I’ve experienced this meditation effect first hand, as I seem to be a pain magnet. I have irritable bowel syndrome, a condition that triggers extreme stomach aches. I also tend to get migraines. (MORE)
Source: The Morning Call
Der Jumpsuit
Soviel steht fest, wir werden uns uuuunglaublich
gesund ernähren ;) Als ich dann an diesem
Jumpsuit vorbeilief und auch noch ein
rotes Sale-Schildchen dran hing, konnte ich
einfach nicht widerstehen. Ich finde ihn toll!
jumpsuit: tk maxx. necklace: mum's. bracelet: holidays.sunglasses: H&M
•••
Photographer - Peter Peryer
Bookcover of Peryer's book
Trinity
Barn
Neenish Tarts
One of the photographs is by Peter Peryer. I definitely like the peaceful and minimal photographs from his vast portfolio.
Photographs via Peter Peryer.
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