I watched the doco Yoga Inc. last night and found it to be pretty fascinating. The amount of money being thrown at yoga is enough to throw anyone into a back bend (no joke, I dropped way too much money on some yoga clothes just last month). Watch out WalMart… Yoga Inc. is comin for ya.
Thanks to Wendy Rahn, founder of Survivors’ Training, for telling us about the doco (BTW, be sure to check out the Survivors’ Training website– it’s an amazing organization that aims to empower cancer survivors).
Nick: ”When I’m twisting myself into a pretzel in the yoga studio, I’m thinking, ‘What the hell is the connection between this and enlightenment?’”
Norman Allen: ”Nothin. Absolutely nothin.”
Check out these clips:
I found these clips really fascinating and liberating. They both reminded me of something I’ve been thinking about lately…
I think we are too often told that practices like yoga SHOULD do this or that for our lives. We’re told how to act, where we should go and what we should achieve through these practices with a universal explanation. Thankfully, we are all so amazingly different that universal explanations don’t work.
It probably took me a good 3 years of practicing to finally realize that it was ok for me to just BE ME during yoga. I didn’t need to attain some level of heightened awareness, I didn’t need to eat only raw foods to fit in, I didn’t need to speak in life metaphors referencing botanicals or metaphysical elements… I realized that there wasn’t a “right” way or reason to practice yoga. We can all practice for different reasons and get wonderful benefits. And we can also not practice yoga and receive those same benefits from other healthy activities.
Your thoughts? And if you’ve found benefits through other types of practices, please share
The last decade of January 7′s have not been so hot for me. But this January 7 was really different. Today’s date marks the 10 year anniversary of my dad’s death. It was a long road for me to move past his death and finally discover happiness in my life. But, all that screwing around, silly mistakes, self-destruction and the like have brought so many amazing learning opportunities to my life. I’m really thankful for the struggles and sour times, because the happiness is so much sweeter for it.
I’m thankful for the wisdom I now have to approach struggle differently. I’m thankful that it no longer consumes me, identifies me or enslaves me. I’m thankful that happiness is something that I can now experience and that I can share at any moment. It’s a choice for me, not always easy, but still a choice. And that’s what I want to do in this life; Be Happy and Give Happy.
It was quite fitting then, that a friend told me today about “Rethinking Happiness.” Rethinking Happiness is one of three episodes in a PBS special called Our Emotional Lives. This episode explores the experiences of happiness. It’s a bit long, but worth it. The other episodes are “Facing Our Fears” and “Family, Friends & Lovers.” My weekend plans include watching the other two episodes. Let me know how they are if you’ve already watched them
BTW, If you don’t want to watch the whole Happiness episode, at least watch the last 30 or 40 minutes (which I think is the best).
Most of all, let’s all gossip a lot about happiness this weekend. Chat about it at the water cooler, signal it to the treadmill runner at the gym and even send it to that A-hole who just cut you off on an already icy highway (he/she really needs it too).
Ugh. I’m so sick of fast food chains creating their own diet plans.
Move over Subway diet, get out the way McDiet, Taco Bell’s “Drive-Thru Diet” is here to spout some nonsensical, exaggerated weight loss B.S.:
Don’t get me wrong, I love a good burrito. But, when a company comes out saying that their choices are “healthy” and buys off a dietitian to help sell it, then they better live up to their claims.
Consider the ingredients in the beans:
Pinto Beans, Partially Hydrogenated Soy Bean Oil (With TBHQ And Citric Acid Added To Protect Flavor) , Salt.
The trans fats are bad enough. But TBHQ? Here’s what Michael Pollan writes about TBHQ in his book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma (he’s discussing TBHQ as used in McDonald’s chicken nuggets):
Perhaps the most alarming ingredient in a Chicken McNugget is tertiary butylhydroquinone, or TBHQ, an antioxidant derived from petroleum that is either sprayed directly on the nugget or the inside of the box it comes in to “help preserve freshness.” According to A Consumer’s Dictionary of Food Additives, TBHQ is a form of butane (i.e., lighter fluid) the FDA allows processors to use sparingly in our food. It can comprise no more than 0.02 percent of the oil in a nugget. Which is probably just as well, considering that ingesting a single gram of TBHQ can cause “nausea, vomiting, ringing in the ears, delirium, a sense of suffocation and collapse.” Ingesting five grams of TBHQ can kill.
Unfortunately, TBHQ isn’t just in the beans. According to Taco Bell’s ingredient list, it’s also in these foods: Cinnamon Twists, Caramel Apple Empanada, Flat Bread, Nacho Chips, Red Strips, Seasoned Rice, Chalupa Shell, Pizza Shell, Taco Shell, Taco Salad and the Tostada Shells.
Here’s the reality: most (like 98%) of the food at Taco Bell is just not healthy. Sure, have it every once in a while if that’s what you choose. Or, every day if you like. Just don’t buy into the lame marketing B.S. that comes from these companies. I think it’s important to remember that quality and healthiness of food is more than just an assessment on calories or fat grams.
Grrrr. Sorry, that was quite the rant. I just get so amped up when companies throw ethics out the window to make a quick buck. Breathing… Breathing… Ok, more importantly, for those who have made some nutrition-related resolutions or goals for 2010, I wish you lots of confidence, balance, enjoyment, self-care and success. And if you would like to share those resolutions here, please do! Sometimes it helps to put them down in writing…
I’ve been exploring this question for many years now. And the more I explore the more questions I have. Nonetheless, the exploration has been healing in and of itself.
Here’s a fascinating debate that I came across a few years ago whenI was working on a project. Thomas Szasz, M.D., Jeffrey Schaler, M.D., Ron Leifer, M.D., Donald Klein, M.D., Frederick Goodwin, M.D. and Peter Kramer, M.D. debate the question, “Is depression a disease?” Their insights are really fascinating.
On a somewhat related note, Carl Jung’s The Red Book has recently been published. A professor of mine had a copy of the book to show me. It’s unreal. It’s full of these intense, captivating pictures that beg to be stared at and studied. I’m dreaming about buying a copy and pouring over it (right now I need to save up $ for next semester’s books. Blurgh.). See the video below for more. And be sure to read the NYTs article on the book. The article is long, but worth the time– at the very least, check out the graphics of the book on the left side of the online article (on the first page).
These are the three things on my mind right now. I know, random. But, they’re kind of connected…
Last week was finals week for me. Ugh. The dreaded week always gets the best of me. One day last week, I actually had malt balls for breakfast. Yup, malt balls. And quite a few of them.
This evening was a bit different. I took some much needed silent time to just sit and be still. After some solitude, I enjoyed a square of extra dark chocolate that had bits of orange peel hidden within (a personal fave of mine). It was divine. I sat with the chocolate for a while and thought about last week. I realized that I likely missed a lot of wonderful moments last week because I was too wrapped up in the stress of my own little world. Seriously, I didn’t even take time to enjoy my malt ball breakfast.
This evening I was able to reconnect with the help of a great yoga class. It was actually this feeling of connection that attracted me to yoga nearly eight years ago (during a finals week). So, a recent article in the Star Tribune about bringing yoga into schools really got my attention. But what was even more interesting were the comments in response to the article. The main complaint was that “yoga is a religion” and it was wrong to push it in our schools.
I’m curious… what do you think? Is yoga a religious practice that should not be offered in schools?
Then I came across this interesting story about a practice called Dahn Yoga. The practice has been labeled a cult by some and a saving grace by others. Apparently, the founder of this practice should have been on a few episodes of MTV cribs. Some former Dahn practitioners believe much of the money from the organization goes to fund the founder’s extravagant lifestyle. Nonetheless, some people still see this practice (and its founder) as a path to enlightenment.
What do you think? Can spiritual transformation be assisted through the guidance of someone (or a system) who does not have pure intentions?
So these are my random musings of the day and week. Now that my life is a little less chaotic, I look forward to posting more on WG and reconnecting with my web family
This is a pretty good list of not-so-healthy foods:
Canned tomatoes, Corn-fed beef, Microwave popcorn, Conventional potatoes, Farmed salmon, Milk produced with artificial hormones and Conventional apples. Read the full article explaining why these foods have been called out and how you can make healthier choices.
I’m supposed to be writing a paper… thankfully, it’s my last for the semester. But instead of being productive, I’m laughing hysterically (and all by myself) to vegetables and other foodstuffs explain the importance of organics while dressed as Star Wars characters. And yes, they definitely have lightsabers.
Twenty-five years ago today, a leak at the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal, India released about 75,000 pounds of Methyl isocyanate (MIC) into the surrounding neighborhoods. The toxic leak killed more than 3,800 people instantly and an estimated 20,000 in the months and years since. Read more about the disaster here. And a more recent article here.
We must have learned a lesson from this right??
Bayer bought the Union Carbide Corp in 2001. And even today, Bayer CropScience is believed to have a quarter-million-pound stockpile of MIC at their West Virginia plant. Bayer has recently pledged to reduce their stockpile, but seriously, 20,000+ deaths and 25 years later? Sorry, but you suck Bayer.
MIC is still used today to produce herbicides and insecticides that get sprayed on our crops. However, it looks like the pesticide Carbofuran (which contains MIC) will soon be banned by the EPA. The EPA writes, “Exposure to the pesticide carbofuran resulting from existing legal uses is unsafe– unsafe for the general population, and particularly unsafe for infants and children.”
Chemical companies get away with use of chemicals such as these because there is little data on long-term exposure or cancer risk. Unfortunately, for those of us who end up ingesting or soaking up these chemicals, a LACK of data doesn’t confirm safety– Bhopal is evidence of that.
The new chocolate drinks from Caribou Coffee are flavored with all-natural Guittard chocolate– and lots of it. I’m loving the focus on all-natural, but are these drinks really any healthier than the previous ones?
Let’s consider the popular mocha: Some milk, espresso, all-natural chocolate… maybe some whip cream… oh, and chocolate pieces sprinkled over the whip… and of course, 2 chocolate covered espresso beans gently placed on the lip of the cup. Hmmm… uh-oh.
Here’s the damage:
A small size dark chocolate mocha from Caribou has 410 calories, 33 grams of fat and 26 grams of sugar. Hold the whip and swap to skim milk and you’ve got 280 calories, 19 grams of fat and 25 grams of sugar left in the cup. I’m definitely not into counting calories. It takes too much time and makes me compulsive. But, when it’s possible to burn through about 20% of your recommended caloric intake on one small mocha, then calories become an issue. Caribou’s previously lab-created mocha actually had less fat and calories, but came with some nasty chemicals. So, I’m not sure I can choose a “healthiest” winner here…
Certainly, the calories can be justified every now and again, but this is not a great choice for a daily beverage. Some easy swaps from a high-calorie coffee beverage to something healthier can result in some real weight loss and other health benefits. Here’s what I do:
At the coffee shop, I go for a hot tea (the cinnamint tea at Caribou is really yummy) and then for a sweet fix, coffee shops will usually have a small-size treat. Caribou has some decent dark chocolate covered graham crackers or single caramels to savor. A soy latte is also on my list (but the $ is crazy, so I usually stick with the cheaper tea). The soy milk at the coffee shop is likely already sweetened, so no need to add a shot of syrup. If you need more sweet in it, add a bit of honey, cinnamon and/or nutmeg.
Experiment with new types of teas at home. Spend a bit more to get a good-quality one– the flavors will be much more pronounced. I’m a big fan of TeaSource (you can order online and have your tea shipped).
And here’s the best beverage for a chocolate fix:
Dagoba Drinking Chocolate (unsweetened) makes THE best hot chocolate (or mocha). I just take a heaping tablespoon (or 2) and mix it with a cup of almond/hemp milk (or whatever milk you’re digging at the moment) and just a little maple syrup or agave. Ahhhmazing.
If you have a yummy warm-weather beverage, please share :)
After my H1N1 post yesterday, I came across two great discussions about the potentially inflated statistics for H1N1 and on the safety of the H1N1 vaccine. Surprisingly good stuff by CBS:
Six of us were hanging out with our H1N1 buddy the same night she went to urgent care to get the diagnosis. We were all digging our hands into a bowl of pretzels, sitting close, giving hugs, playing board games… all sorts of dirty-germ-spreading things.
Hubby was hanging out at the H1N1 party as well. That means double our chances of getting sick. Additionally, it’s the end of the semester, so I’ll be a bit more crazy than usual (which also results in driving the hubby more crazy). Thus, it’s definitely time for some immune-boosting measures and some extra prophylactic pig flu duties.
We’re making sure we get enough sleep, taking the usual public health measures, popping our multi-vitamins, adding an extra boost of Vit C and Zinc, ingesting lots of ginger and garlic, drinking some teas and we’ve added this:
The above is a product from New Chapter, called “Immunity take care,” which is really just an elderberry extract (sambucus nigra). The stuff isn’t cheap– I got a bottle of 30 lozenges, which is a one month supply for $30. I buy this brand because of its potency and similarity to the full herbal chemistry of elderberry as it is found in nature.
Elderberry has been used for thousands of years to boost the immune system and there’s a lot of research to support its use today. The most interesting study is a recent one that put elderberry flavonoids up against H1N1. Amazingly, elderberry held its own. The authors of the study claim that the elderberry flavonoids compare to the anti-influenza activities of Tamiflu. (I’ll leave the Tamiflu discussion alone for the time being…)
The study was funded by HerbalScience Singapore, a life sciences company that also has a relationship with New Chapter. The authors are also affiliated with HerbalScience. Even so, the research is pretty interesting. And at the very least, it suggests that more research on elderberry and H1N1 is needed.
So, for the next 2 weeks, hubs and I are pumping the elderberry (and the rest of our anti-flu goodies) and we are NOT getting sick. Not getting sick. Not getting sick. (Adding positive affirmations as well.)
If you have any other immune-boosting practices, please share them in the comments below!
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