yoga girl

Whether your thing is Hatha, Raja, or Bikram...the benefits of practicing Yoga are amazing. So, I've been on my Yoga grind lately. And what are the results? Improved concentration, peace-of-mind, BALANCE, increased energy, and I am on the right track with right thoughts, right speech, and corrected diet. Yes, I still crave my strawberry Haagen Daz and cheese pizza every now and then, but there is much more soy, fresh fruits, tofu, curried vegetables, and couscous...not to mention much more Indian, thai, and Jamaican food in my diet because of Yoga.

While seated on full Lotus position or whether you're doing sun salutations, downward-facing dog, upward facing dog, or half-pigeon, you are forced to watch your mind. As thoughts erupt, and they will, still your mind. As thoughts recede, you enter into a thoughtless state.

So, why do I do yoga? By releasing the tension in the muscles and putting the whole body at rest, you revitalize your Nervous System and achieve inner peace, making you feel relaxed and refreshed. This relaxed feeling is carried over into all your activities and helps you conserve your energy and let go of all worries and fears.

Our physical body is meant to move and exercise. Proper Exercise is achieved through the Yoga Postures or Asana which systematically works on all parts of the body - stretches and tones the Muscles and Ligaments, enhances the flexibility of the spine and the joints, and improves Blood Circulation. The asanas are designed to regulate the physical and physiological functions of the body. Practicing these Yoga Poses makes your body relaxed, gives you more strength and energy, and rejuvenates the various systems of the body.

The Yoga Posture goes together with Proper Breathing. Each movement and stretch should be guided by your breath, making your movement and your breath coordinated and feel like one and the same. The execution of the Asana is beneficial to the body, and at the same time contributes to spiritual and Mental growth.

So, get yourself a yoga mat, find your nearest yoga studio, and get crackin'!!!

What I'm Listening to: Corinne Bailey Rae

Anyone who's been through a serious loss knows about the baffling part: After it's over, you are still you. You are you, plus the loss, plus the pain and confusion the loss causes. The process of healing isn't really a matter of "getting over it" -- taking it in is what's necessary, incorporating what's been felt and learned and figuring out how to be the person you've always been is what's different now.

"The Sea," Corinne Bailey Rae's sometimes hard to absorb but ultimately deeply rewarding second album, is about that process. Rae's husband, saxophonist Jason Rae, accidentally overdosed on methadone and alcohol in March 2008. Rae grieved for him by doing nothing for months, then returned to making music.

Though she's known for the kind of delicacy that's often dismissed as "lite" -- her 2006 self-titled debut was a careful exploration of the feminine psyche set within arrangements that melded Laurel Canyon folk with early-1970s boho soul -- Rae searches for the pinpricks and love sighs that intensify gentle emotions. On "The Sea," her carefulness complicates what might have been a blunt expression of pain.

The album begins with one of Rae's patented carefully plucked guitar chords and the line, "He's a real live wire." What a way to invoke a ghost. That first song, "Are You Here," captures the way that a dreaming mind can create its own happiness and how returning to reality is a landing with a thud. It's one of several songs that move in a circular fashion, like waves, like irresolvable emotion.

Several songs, including "Love's on Its Way" and "Diving for Hearts," unfold less neatly. They resist hooks and no one will dance to them. Tapping into elements of soul, jazz and even heavy rock, Rae stubbornly shapes these songs to conform to her wandering, insistent thoughts. They don't sound like what we're used to in pop right now; they're more like the mid-period work of Van Morrison and Nona Hendryx's songs for Labelle. Those artists formed their musical approaches within the soul idiom but demanded the freedom of voice and the chance to stretch in strange ways that rarely makes for hit singles.

Although Rae is famous for the more marketable charm of bouncy singles like the Grammy-nominated "Put Your Records On," she told interviewers that she hoped her next work would be more akin to the avant-pop of critical darling Joanna Newsom. It's cruel to say that her personal calamity might have bought her the chance to take that risk, but it does seem possible.

"The Sea" isn't a perfect album. The catchiest song, "Paris Nights / New York Mornings," sounds like an outtake from Rae's debut. "Paper Dolls" seems similarly out of place -- it's a rocker invoking Rae's post-punk youth that distracts from the thornier, more expansive songs around it.

Repeated listens might help integrate those sonic sore thumbs into the overall mood of "The Sea." Even without such closure, though, "The Sea" is a remarkable accomplishment. It's a step toward something -- Rae's inner peace, and her next artistic breakthrough -- that has its own considerable rewards.

--Ann Powers

“As we heal ourselves, we truly heal everything within our lives” -Queen Afua

Planet 51

Planet Fiddy-One!

My son and I saw Planet 51 over the weekend and I just could not wait for the movie to be over. It wasn't horrible but it was bland and boring and just took too long to get to the point. I didn't fall in love with any of the characters - like I did with Shrek, Wall E, Monsters v Aliens. Keeping in mind that this is a kids' movie - even my son (7) was not impressed.

We have no idea why it’s called Planet 51, or why the pleasantly blobby green humanoid aliens wear no trousers -- jackets and ties or T-shirts for the males, and of course the ladies wear skirts (and have feet shaped like high heels, like Barbie!). We have no idea how cultural convergence allows them to speak English -- except for the proper names, which all sound like “Vernkot” and “Glipforg” -- or to be having their 1950s, complete with malt shops and alien invasion movies, just as a human from Earth arrives among them to terrorize them.

It’s not supposed to matter, I suppose. It’s just a kids movie, we’re meant to understand. And it doesn’t matter, I guess. Because Planet 51 isn’t really interested in saying much to its audience, whoever that audience turns out to be. As usual with movies like this, much of what makes it as mildly amusing as it is will go right over kids’ heads, like the Singin’ in the Rain reference. And much of what might have made it appealing to true devotees of science fiction and cinema, like how it’s a pastiche of 1950s B-movies, is lost when its parodying of the paranoia and xenophobia of those films is so relentlessly trite and obvious; like the similar Alien Trespass, from earlier this year, we see again that it’s not enough to point and laugh at the silly old movies with their now blatant subtexts -- we already got that, thanks very much.


Planet 51 isn’t terrible, just bland and predictable as a story, though at least the humor that’s tacked onto it is gentle and unassuming, with only a scant few jokes about the presumed anal violation the alien idiot flyboy Right Stuff astronaut will inflict upon the natives. And there are real delights to be had. Though it’s rarely enough to keep me happy, here I’m not at all uncomfortable calling this “eye candy,” and meaning it in a positive way. The trio of first-time directors -- Jorge Blanco, Javier Abad, and Marcos Martinez -- along with their teams of designers and animators have whipped up a charming-to-look-at world, an alien Hill Valley that is all round edges and hovering cars, and have invented two of the most delightful only-coulda-been-animated characters ever, in a dog that’s like a cuddly little Giger Alien and in that rock-loving Rover, who also behaves like a dog though it looks like Wall-E. And when these two critters get togther, it’s the most adorable puppyish fun you can get without, you know, actual puppies.

for my sweetie

baby let's make our fears and inhibitions bungee jump off the cliff of our touch...make them crumble down China-Wall style...i want to color your days in rainbow, white, black EVERYTHING. let me color in your lines and adorn you with this cancerian compassion. i have an appetite for you and i'm ready to scrape the plate. even my future is ready to holler at your present so it can bring you up to speed. i can't ever erase thoughts of you. thoughts of you are practically embedded under the epidermis of my every desire. this is the size of love.

What I'm Reading

Your personal mission statement: A Roadmap to Happiness

You’ve heard about how mapping your dreams, goal-setting and visualization can transform your life. You’re ready to pursue greater happiness and abundance. But what if you’re not sure how?

Many of us have trouble improving our lives because we don’t know what we want. When we were kids, we knew we wanted to be a fireman, a doctor or a ballerina. As adults, however, we find ourselves lacking direction.

We may want to trade our dead-end job for a fulfilling career, but falter when it comes to figuring out what kind of work we would enjoy. We may long for a satisfying relationship but find ourselves unable to picture the kind of person we’d like to be with, much less how to find them. For some people, nearly every aspect of life—from work to play—is marked by confusion and apathy.

How did this conundrum occur?

THE LOST ART Of DREAMING

When we can’t figure out what we want, it is a sign that somewhere along the way, we stopped dreaming. There are any number of dream-killers: hard times, disillusionment and the ill-effects of counter-mentoring (discouraging messages delivered by loved ones, teachers and other people who are supposed to serve as role models).

We begin to think in the negative. We can’t afford to get what we want. We don’t deserve to get what we want. Things are going well, but look out; the other shoe always drops and we end up disappointed. We develop personal mantras like these that discourage us from shooting for the stars.

This kind of pessimistic self-talk is depressing and even downright dangerous, says author and motivational speaker Tony Robbins: “Beliefs have the power to create and the power to destroy. Human beings have the awesome ability to take any experience of their lives and create a meaning that disempowers them or one that can literally save their lives.”

When we visualize our desires as blocked before we even reach for them, we begin to settle. The problem with settling for something—our job, the car we drive, the people we associate with, our level of education, our state of health and mind—is that we end up missing the mark. Because we are not living our dreams, optimum happiness is far away.

A NEW START

Guess what? You can reclaim and revitalize your dreams.

It’s hard to know what you want if you don’t know who you are. That’s why writing a personal mission statement is arguably the best way to start dreaming.

A personal mission statement is a succinct declaration of how you want to live your life. It encompasses the following: your values, which, to put it simply, are what matters to you; your endeavors, or what you plan to do to fulfill your primary concerns; and your purpose, the needs you fill through your efforts.

The best mission statements are usually short and sweet; one to three sentences or a paragraph at the most should suffice. They are not too general (“I want to work hard at whatever I do.”) Despite their brevity, honing a mission statement may take a bit of time. You want to ensure that your personal mission truly reflects your core values so that you can use it as a roadmap, one that will not lead you astray.

Here is an example of a mission statement:

“My mission is to make a positive impact in people’s lives, primarily young people, by imparting what I have learned. I strive to help people see the best in themselves while maintaining honesty, warmth and understanding.”

If you wrote this statement, it indicates that you might be interested in teaching or counseling. If you outlined these values, you will feel uncomfortable when obscuring the truth or behaving in a discouraging manner, whether in your personal or professional life.

A personal mission statement can encompass your entire life and worldview. Or, you may wish to write personal mission statements for any number of the important areas in your life: career, family, health, spirituality, relationships, finances, personal development, lifestyle, etc.

Here’s an example of a mission statement in the area of health and fitness, cited on the Time Thoughts website:

“To be healthy, fit and energetic so that I can enjoy life to the fullest and have the energy to pursue all my goals. I will do this by exercising regularly, following a nutritious diet and eliminating negative habits that are impacting my health.”

It is important to avoid crippling perfectionism when writing your mission statement. Don’t be afraid of getting it wrong because you can always adjust it as needed. Anthony Robbins emphasizes the importance of “getting out there” and not waiting for it to be just right. The important thing is that your personal mission statement, and your life, be just right for you just now.

“Live life fully while you’re here. Experience everything. Take care of yourself and your friends,” he urges. “Have fun, be crazy, be weird. Go out and screw up! You’re going to anyway, so you might as well enjoy the process . . . You don’t have to be perfect; just be an excellent example of being human.”

There are few acts as transformative as defining how we want to live, notes Tony Robbins. “Three years ago I sat down and designed my ideal day and my ideal environment,” he said at the start of his career as a motivator. “I’m living both right now.”

FAMOUS MISSIONS

People who have achieved wealth, fame and influence have a clear idea of how they want to live and what they wish to achieve. Get online and browse through some quotes by your heroes. You’ll find their personal missions shine through their words.

Walt Disney once said, “Animation offers a medium of story telling and visual entertainment which can bring pleasure and information to people of all ages everywhere in the world.”

As you can see through his words and his works, Disney’s personal mission was to cultivate happiness and education through entertainment:

Mahatma Gandhi had a far-reaching “Resolution” that kept him on his revolutionary path.

“Let the first act of every morning,” he vowed, “be to make the following resolve for the day:

I shall not fear anyone on Earth.

I shall fear only God.

I shall not bear ill-will toward anyone.

I shall not submit to injustice from anyone.

I shall conquer untruth by truth.

And in resisting untruth, I shall put up with all suffering.”

We may not all aspire to such lofty goals, but we all wish to be happy. Another great thinker, the transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson, penned a wonderful mission statement that is a delightful definition of a life well-lived:

“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children . . . to leave the world a better place . . . to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”

What is your idea of a life well-lived? Sit down and write it out. It may be the first time you have pondered it. You can ask yourself a number of questions while brainstorming. The following are just a few questions that might prompt you to remember what you love to do.

SIX IMPORTANT QUESTIONS
What do you do for fun? Chances are that among your hobbies and favorite pastimes, there are clues as to your personal mission statement. If you are passionate about karaoke, you may wish to pursue music or entertainment in some capacity. If you love heading out on the road whenever you get a chance, you may wish to look for a job that includes a lot of travel.

Who are your greatest heroes? It is likely that you share and wish to further cultivate similar values to your role models. You may even wish to pursue similar endeavors. Fore example, if your heroes are John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., you may be interested in a leadership role as a politician or a community activist. Anthony Robbins encourages this kind of modeling. As he says, “If you want to be successful, find someone who has achieved the results you want and copy what they do and you’ll achieve the same results.”

What do you like to read and learn about? Go sleuthing, checking out your bookshelves, your DVD collection, the TV programs you record and your magazine rack. If you have a passion for cookbooks and the cooking channel, you might want to look into culinary school or catering as an option. If your favorite show is “CSI” and your booklist is a who’s who of true crime writers, you may be interested in forensics or criminology.

What do you have a knack for? Perhaps you have a talent for art that you haven’t actively pursued in years, limiting your efforts to doodles while talking on the phone. Maybe you aced a number of psychology classes in college, or you are skilled at car repair. You may be able to gain fulfillment by getting back to the things you are naturally skilled in, or taking them to a new level.

What are your values? Make a list of adjectives—fairness, compassion, intelligence, adventurousness, etc.—and see which ones fit your priorities. What causes get you fired up? These may well be an indication of your values, not to mention areas in which you may want to work or volunteer. Perhaps you’re an animal activist at heart or a champion of literacy. Corresponding values might be compassion and education, respectively. Your values define who you are. Take the time to name them.

If you were to design a university course, or deliver a speech to a large number of people, what would your topic be? What would your message be? This is a question that can help reveal your areas of knowledge and interest. When people come to you for help now, what are they looking for? What are your areas of expertise and wisdom.

In creating a personal mission statement, it is important to inventory your greatest gifts, talents and passions. In doing so, you will open the door to possibility and a more abundant future.

Writing a personal mission statement is just one way to get in touch with your deepest dreams and values.

For more on how to dream-brainstorm, look for my upcoming article, Dreams: Brainstorming the possibilities.

The following information should help you get started on writing your personal mission statement.

Ready, set, dream!

the occupation of Haiti

this is the color and shape of ethnic cleansing...

this is what happens when scientists

play with gadgets that have the power to

move tectonic plates underground

this is what the texture of population control feels like...

this is what the stench of dead bodies

rotting in the streets of Port-Au-Prince smells like...

yes, inhale the stench and stink of piss, shit, and blood,

sweat, hunger, and fear...

yes this is what it smells like

this is the size, height, and length

of weapons of mass destruction...

this is what can happen when a defenseless

country spilling over with downtrodden black faces

is steeped in poverty...and although Haiti is not

an earthquake prone region...no one questions

when the earth dismantles a palace 6 weeks away from national elections...

this is the color and shape of ethnic cleansing

this is what occupation looks like in 2010

while people toss their good, hard-earned money into the coffers of

an organization dedicated to systematic ethnic cleansing and population control tactics

no one raises a brow...

no one questions how $7M can be donated to this

poverty-ravished land, yet the people

remain with no options other than to loot,

kill, steal, and destroy in order to survive...

this is what occupation looks like

Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher. — Oprah

This is not just on my Coffee Table this month, but it is totally uplifting my life for 2010!

Think BIG and Kick Ass in Business and Life: TRUMPISMS

Unlike his previous "nuts and bolts" treatises aimed at a business audience, this book is full of Trump's insights and personal stories. Many Americans who want to get ahead in life, whether high-octane entrepreneurial empire builders or career-minded go-getters, will read this book in order to incorporate the "Trump magic" into their business and personal lives.

And in this book he pulls no punches, telling all his most fascinating stories and sharing his rare battle-tested insights! Advice is organized around 10 distinctive motivational themes that can teach anyone to Kick Ass. These strategies are based on Donald's teachings at The Learning Annex Real Estate and Wealth Expo.

DO YOU! Always Relevant...

The reason for the recommendation of this book for you is not just because it can help you succeed in life, but because of Russell’s higher message. Russell is a vegan and practices yoga every day. So that means not only is he making money in a big way, but he is also improving the world at the same time.

But who cares? Think about it. He went from zero to $340 million, and then wrote a book about how he did it! Is he smarter than you or I? Did he have more resources when he started? Was he well-connected, before he became famous? The answer to all of these questions is no. The only difference is desire, commitment and strategy.

Another reason that this book is wonderful is that his style is just plain fun. Nobody likes to read a book, and then be bored and wish that they had not started reading it. Through funny stories and first-hand experience Russell both entertained and educated me.

Question for the day: if there was one piece of information, one strategy or one idea that you were looking for to improve life, what would it be?

What I'm Reading

"Don't sweat the small stuff...and it's all small stuff."

Ask yourself: Is there any way I can become even more loving than I am? Can I fill my heart with more loving kindness? Can you, despite the fact that there are less than perfect people in our world, think loving thoughts about yourself and about others? Spread that love around as far as your mind will allow!