Its that time of year again, when the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) polls thousands of health and fitness professionals around the globe to peer into the crystal ball and identify the top fitness trends for the following year.

This is the 14th year for the ACSM survey, and many of the hot trends, such as HIIT and group training, for 2020 have been along for the ride since the beginning. Cyclists have been at the pointy end of fitness trends like HIIT training, wearable tech, and employing certified professionals since long before such surveys existed. But its worth noting that there are other consistent (and important) trends more cyclists would be wise to hop on.

So without further ado, here are the top 10 fitness trends for 2020 and what they mean for you.

[Want to fly up hills? Climb! gives you the workouts and mental strategies to conquer your nearest peak.]

Hiring a fitness professional debuted on the trend list at #6 last year, and holds its position in the top 10 for 2020. For cyclists, this means hiring a coachsomething I recommend all serious cyclists try at least once.

Ive been USA Cycling certified coach myself for about two decades and I still hire a coach to help me nail my goals. And I can say unequivocally, all of my best results are a direct result of working with and listening to some really great coaches.

Good coaches do more than just write training plansyou can download those online for a few bucks. Theyre a confidante, someone you can share your goals and insecurities with who will help you cut through the clutter and be the best bike rider you can be. They eliminate the guesswork and make you accountable for getting your training done.

And coming in at #9more coaching! Health and wellness coaching is different from cycling coaching in that its not focused on exercise performance, but rather helping you live a healthier life overall.

Wellness coaches can help you deal with stress, improve your mindset, find balance, and make healthy lifestyle changes (say, like riding more) stick.

Only you can say if you would benefit from a health and wellness coach (and its possible that a multi-faceted cycling coach could pull double duty here). But if you consistently struggle to make behavioral changes that would improve your emotional and physical well-being, it might be worth a try.

No surprise here. People are living longer and remaining active for many more years than past generations. And the more fit you stay into your later years, the more years youre likely to live. One study found that those with the highest levels of fitness at age 75 were more than twice as likely to live another 10 years or more compared to those with poorer fitness.

Because cycling is gentle on the joints, its easy to do for a very long time. But thats not to say that we dont face challenges with age. Science shows that metabolism changes, making it easier to gain weight and lose muscle, as we get older. Recovery takes longer, too. That means you need to keep up the intensity to maintain muscle and top-end fitness, and take proper care to bounce back from those efforts. So if youre in your 50s, 60s, 70s, or beyond, make sure the trainers and/or coaches you work with understand the nuances of working with someone your age.

Sarinya Pinngam / EyeEmGetty Images

Bodyweight training, which, just as it sounds, means using your own body to perform resistance training has been among the top trends since it hit the charts at #3 in 2013. And with good reason: You dont need a gym membership or special equipment to build strength, and you can get a good workout wherever you are.

Body weight training is particularly helpful for cyclists during prime riding season, when you may be reluctant to use precious riding time to go to the gym. Some push-ups, squats, and core moves can help keep you strong in the saddle without worrying about hitting the weights.

Exercise is Medicine (EIM) is a global health initiative that encourages primary care doctors and other health-care providers to include physical activity assessment as part of their care and to include exercise recommendations and referrals to fitness professionals as part of standard care.

A doctors note for a bike ride a day? Sounds like good medicine to us.

Andersen RossGetty Images

Its easy to be a little skeptical about personal training being the top trend (as it has been since the survey first published in 2006) on a list generated by fitness professionals. But personal training works, and it continues to evolve overtime to meet changing demands.

For cyclists, a few sessions with a personal trainer can help you feel comfortable and confident in your off-season strength training and in-season maintenance work. Today, mobile apps make personal training more effective and efficient than ever. You can meet with your trainer to do your assessments and cover the basics. Then, you can do the rest via fitness apps like True Coach that allow you to track progress, communicate with your trainer, and watch videos of exercises you cant remember when youre at the gym and your trainer isnt around.

Jacobs Stock Photography LtdGetty Images

Training with free weights like barbells, kettlebells, dumbbells, and medicine balls is a hot and growing trend right now, largely thanks to the rising popularity of functional and CrossFit style workouts and gyms.

World-class professional cyclists like Kate Courtney and Peter Sagan have put to rest any worries that weight training and cycling dont mix. Free weights recruit all your major and minor muscles, improve your balance and proprioception, and help build boneall things that will make you better on your bike.

Technically defined as more than five participants, group training is just that: a group of people led through a fitness routine by an instructor. The idea is to motivate people to move by making exercise fun and social.

Cyclists are all about that. In fact, we love group training so much we even have a special word for a pack of us: peloton, which not coincidentally is the name of one of the most popular group training workouts on the planet. If you tend to be a lone wolf on the bike, try a group ride for 2020. Youll be glad you did.

Thomas BarwickGetty Images

HIIT, which is a workout that involves short bursts of high intensity exercise followed by a short period of rest, has been a chart-topper since 2014, when it was the #1 trend of the year. HIIT doesnt just make you fit, but also boosts brain health, tames stress, improves body composition, and fends off a host of chronic diseases.

As a cyclist, you should absolutely be doing HIIT training. Even if you never sprint for a finish line in your life, HIIT training will help boost your endurance performance so every ride feels easier and you can hum along longer and stronger without hitting the wall.

Caiaimage/Richard JohnsonGetty Images

If you heard the news that Google is buying Fitbit for a cool $2.1 billion, it will come as no surprise that wearable technology is the #1 fitness trend for 2020. Wearable technology includes fitness trackers, smart watches, heart rate monitors, and GPS tracking devices. Its a $95 billion industry and shows no signs of slowing.

Cyclists, of course, are not new to any of this. Weve been routinely strapping on heart rate monitors since Kurt Cobain was singing about teen spirit and wont roll out of the parking lot without recording the ride. Were also early adopters to new cutting-edge wearable tech like the Whoop Strap, which dig further into our physiology to track heart rate variability, sleep, and recovery.

If youve never tried wearable tech, and well, Im not sure theres one of you out there, its well worth investing in at least a heart rate monitor, which not only can help you track your training progress, but also can alert you to underlying health issues before they cause trouble.

Excerpt from:
These Are the Top 10 Fitness Trends for 2020 - Bicycling

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Recent release Drawing Your Line: Setting Boundaries Step-by-Step from Covenant Books authors Dawn Koufakis-Basel and Alison W. Smith is an enriching tome that tackles guidelines on attaining boundaries and inspires a sense of respect and control for ones self and others.

Press Release updated: Nov 19, 2019 06:00 EST

HOUSTON, November 19, 2019 (Newswire.com) Dawn Koufakis-Basel is a motivational speaker, womens empowerment coach, and founder of Precipice Life Coaching. Alison W. Smith is a board-certified life coach and founder/CEO of A Teachers Best Friend, a professional life-coaching service for teachers. They have completed their new book, Drawing Your Line: Setting Boundaries Step-by-Step: a cyclopedic account on nurturing personal empowerment and esteem in setting boundaries to have balance in life.

Dawn and Alison write, Drawing Your Line: Setting Boundaries Step-by-Step is a manual for developing the self-respect and empowerment that ultimately allows for the setting of healthy boundaries in various arenas of life. This process involves learning to find, respect, and use your voice to take control of your life. Inspired by their work as life coaches working with women, the authors share their

Published by Covenant Books of Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, Dawn Koufakis-Basel and Alison W. Smiths new book is designed to engage individuals and instill trust, empathy, and thoughtfulness.

This book serves as an efficacious tool that maps ones growth in setting healthy limitations in life.

Readers can purchase Drawing Your Line: Setting Boundaries Step-by-Step at bookstores everywhere or online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble.

Covenant Books is an international Christian owned and operated publishing house based in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. Covenant Books specializes in all genres of work which appeal to the Christian market. For additional information or media inquiries, contact Covenant Books at 843-507-8373.

Source: Covenant Books

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Dawn Koufakis-Basel and Alison W. Smith's New Book 'Drawing Your Line: Setting Boundaries Step-by-Step' Guides Readers to Develop an Awareness of...

Are you interested in learning strategies to cope with the emotional issues of divorce? Come to our free workshop in Hingham!

About this Event:

The end of any relationship, particularly by divorce, brings about many changes and emotional reactions. Join us for an important workshop led by Susan Trotter, Ph.D. to discuss the common emotional issues associated with divorce and effective strategies to manage them.

Whether you are just contemplating divorce, already divorced, or are going through the process, this class will help you feel more empowered, make more positive (and less costly) decisions in the process, and achieve greater peace of mind through it all.

This event is intended to be partly informational, partly social, and totally empowering ... in a welcoming and interactive setting. It will include a chance to socialize with other attendees and speak one-on-one with Susan as well as the other professionals.

At this event, there will also be Mediator and Attorney David Kellem, Realtor Lisa Axios, and Mortgage Consultant Kathleen Caddell to answer any legal, real estate or mortgage related questions you may have.

There is NO COST to attend, but space is limited, so RSVP to reserve your spot. Please change your RSVP right away if your plans change so that someone on the waiting list can attend.

Complimentary refreshments will be provided.

About the Speaker:

Susan Trotter is a Life Coach, with a focus on dating and relationships. She has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, and has been a therapist for over 20 years. Susan has a special interest in working with clients who are divorced or in the process of divorce. As a mother who has been through the divorce process herself, Susan has a deep appreciation of the complexities involved in divorce. Her extensive background in psychology, therapy and coaching, combined with her personal experience, gives her a unique perspective in helping people to achieve greater joy, satisfaction and success in their relationships and all areas of their lives.

This event is part of our Hingham Monthly Workshop Series. Every fourth Thursday evening of the month, a speaker will share their knowledge of a specific area of divorce. (Note that there will be no monthly workshop in December).

There is no charge for attendance. Advance registration is required at tinyurl.com/DivorceCopingNov2019.

If you would like to register for this event with us directly, instead of via Eventbrite, please contact Deanna at 508-744-6014 or Team@VestaDivorce.com.

To find out more about this and other informative and social events hosted by Vesta, go to our website at VestaDivorce.com. Or like us at Facebook.com/VestaDivorce.

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Nov 21 | Coping with the Emotional Aspects of Divorce | Hingham, MA - Patch.com

The highly controversial industry of pick-up artists is actually booming right now

Dating coaches are nothing new. Here to help people find their perfect match, theyve been the topic of much discussion (remember Hitch?). Today, with the numerous dating apps available to everyone, the dating coach industry seems like it should be a thing of the past, but instead it is thriving, and with it its sleazier counterpart, the pick-up artist industry, is boomingcurrently estimated at $100 million.

The idea of trying to fix all of your dating problems through the help of a love guru is somewhat reminiscent of holistic health careits an industry entirely unregulated, meaning that just about anyone can become a coach, with no requirements of particular qualifications or education. Of course, that is not to label all coaches as unequipped, but the lack of regulation makes it difficult to distinguish the good ones from the bad, like real bad.

Johnny Cassell is a London-based dating coach and pick-up artist (PUA) charges his clients a minimum of 597 for his Impactful Connection Workshop, or a 7-day intensive workshop starting at 6,000. Cassell has a waiting list for personal mentorship, priced even higher than the rest of his services, where he teaches men how to master the art of attracting the women [they] truly want.

Cassells tactics have been widely criticised as he teaches his male clients how to approach and seduce the women of their dreams by flirting with strangers they meet in a public spacesomething many may see as street harassment. Cassell also teaches his clients the technique of screening, which has been dubbed the art of seducing (or manipulating) a woman into having sex with you.

While Cassell claims that his main aim is to help men work on their confidence and social anxieties linked with approaching women, it is uncertain whether he undergoes any particular training of consent or basic respect with his clientele. In fact, I myself was in contact with Cassell up until I sent my questions forward to him and his publicist, asking for his opinion on the criticism his industry receives for being sexist and exploitative. Needless to say, I did not get a response following that. My guess is that he probably doesnt care too much, but I decided to give Cassell the benefit of the doubt and interpret his silence as a busy schedule.

Negging is something that was initially introduced by pick-up artist Erik von Markovic, which is defined as the act of neither complimenting nor insulting the woman in order to try to lower her self-confidence and get her to become more vulnerable to the mans advances. Unsurprisingly, this is a tactic that many PUAs disguised as dating coaches teach their clients, and it is manipulative, exploitative and misogynistic.

Pick-up artists are the people who do thisnot dating coaches. Dating coaches are teaching people how to get into loving relationships, dating coach and relationship expert James Preece tells Screen Shot. The main drive behind Preeces work is to help people who are frustrated with dating, understand why that is; how to stop from going for the wrong people and how to start approaching love, intimacy and relationships in a healthy manner. As we all know, dating can be really difficultit is a challenging social interaction, and it is great that some people can find comfort and aid through working with a coach. But, just like searching for love, finding the perfect dating coach might be another perilous task.

Hayley Quinn is a London-based, female dating coach whose company guides people of all genders and sexualities, and teaches the importance of self-worth, confidence and the building of healthy relationships. She explains that, Its not just the dating coach industrylife coaching too, it is so heavily dominated by men and there needs to be more female voices.

The problem is that a vast majority of the population has been raised and taught to approach intimacy and relationships through a set of traditional expectations: that love is exclusively monogamous, usually heteronormative and must conform to outdated conventional gender roles (which explains why there are so many male dating coaches dictating the narrative).

Yes, dating coaches and pick-up artists have been around for a long time, but while our society is slowly progressing, as well as our relationships with it, the dating industry only seems to be regressing. New gens promote diversity, inclusivity and open communication, especially when it comes to relationships. So, if the dating coach industry wants to stay around, changes and new approaches must be made, because it will only be able to survive if its tactics undergo necessary adjustments.

The highly controversial industry of pick-up artists is actually booming right now

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The highly controversial industry of pick-up artists is actually booming right now - Screen Shot

AN international break can be the ideal chance to unwind briefly during an intense Premier League campaign.

Cherries players were given a few days off to reflect and recharge following defeat at Newcastle United last time out, before returning to work ahead of Saturdays crunch clash with Wolves at Vitality Stadium (3pm).

For centre-back Steve Cook, he used the opportunity to return to his roots in East Sussex to watch hometown team Hastings, where he holds a role as academy ambassador, beat Phoenix Sports 3-1 in Isthmian League South East. And the recent break in fixtures has also undoubtedly given Cook the opportunity to tackle another of his passions Football Manager.

The Sports Interactive and SEGA classic released its 2020 edition of the addictive game this week, but FM fan Cook began playing earlier this month having downloaded the pre-release version.

The 28-year-old, who has made steps towards his real-life coaching badges with his UEFA B licence, says he has considered the possibility of becoming a manager in the future.

He told the clubs website: Whether I want to be a coach, manager or scout, I dont know. I just want to have everything there so Im ready if the opportunity arises.

Hopefully Ive got six, seven, eight years left in the game. If Im still here (at Cherries), hopefully they would offer me a job!

But for now, Cook can try his hand in the virtual world. He began his quest for FM 2020 glory by snapping up one of his own Cherries team-mates in a battle to avoid League One relegation.

Quizzed on how his Football Manager 2020 career had begun, Cook told the Daily Echo: Alright. I started as Bolton.

I fancied a change. I brought Jack Simpson in, so hopefully he can do a little bit for me.

I was Villa last time and then ended up Real Madrid manager so, you know.

Asked if he had signed himself on the game, Cook added: No, Im not good enough!

I think Im a hard player to get out of Bournemouth, so I left myself to see what I can do in my Football Manager career.

Cook says a few more players in the Cherries squad are also invested in the game, but he admits he did have to bring a halt to his time spent on Football Manager 2019.

I stopped playing because it kind of took over my life a bit, he said.

Ive come out now and given it a bit of a go and its enjoyable. Its always nice, it takes my mind off this (real) sort of football.

Cook joked: I might have to get back to my family soon. They werent happy when I moved to Bolton!

Keen gamer Cook is not restricted to Football Manager, posting a photo on his Instagram earlier this season of a smashed console controller following a disappointing session of another popular title.

Yeah, Ive shelved FIFA for now, he smiled. Ive had to stop playing FIFA. Ive moved onto Call of Duty, so I can take my aggression out on that!

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Steve Cook on the quest for Football Manager 2020 glory, after signing one of his AFC Bournemouth team-mates! - Bournemouth Echo

By Osho

When you go to sleep tonight and every night following tonight, before going to sleep put off the light, sit on your bed, close your eyes and exhale deeply through the mouth with the sound O Ooooo. Go on exhaling with the sound O, as deeply as possible. Your stomach goes in, the air moves out, and you go on creating the sound O.

Remember, I am not saying Aum, I am saying simply O. It will become Aum automatically. You need not make it; then it is false. You simply create the sound O. When it becomes more harmonious and you are enjoying it, suddenly you will become aware it has become Aum. But dont force it to become Aum, then it is false. When it becomes spontaneously Aum, then, it is something vibrating from within. And this sound Aum is the deepest sound, the most harmonious, the most basic.

When it happens and you enjoy and you flow in its music, your whole body and your brain relax. With the sound Aum, you will go on relaxing and your sleep will have a different quality, altogether. When you have exhaled completely and you feel that now no more exhalation is possible, the whole breath has gone out, stop for a single moment. Dont inhale, dont exhale just stop. In that stop you are in the ocean.

Just remain so for a single moment and just look at what is happening. Be aware where you are: witness the whole situation that is there in that single stopped moment. Time is no more there, because time moves with breaths; breathing is the process of time. Because you breathe you feel time moving. When you dont breathe, you are just like a dead man. Time has stopped, there is no process anywhere; everything has stoppedas if the whole existence has stopped with you. In that stopping, you can become aware of the deepest source of your being and energy. So for a single moment, stop. Then inhale through the nose, but dont make any effort to inhale.

Remember, make all the effort to exhale, but dont make any effort to inhale; just let the body inhale. You simply relax your hold and let the body take the inhalation. You dont do anything. That too is beautiful and works wonders. You will feel a deep silence surrounding you, because then you know your effort is not needed for life. Life breathes itself. It moves by itself of its own cause. It is a river; you unnecessarily go on pushing it. You will see that the body is taking the inhalation. Your effort is not needed, your ego is not needed you are not needed. When the body has taken a full inhalation, stop for a single moment again. Again watch.

These two moments are totally different. When you have exhaled completely and stopped, that stopping is just like death. When you have inhaled totally and then stopped, that stopping is the climax of life. Remember, inhalation is equivalent to life, exhalation equivalent to death. Thats why the first thing a child does when born is to inhale, and the last thing the same child will do when old, dying, will be to exhale. On this earth, the first thing you did while entering life was inhalation, and the last thing you will do will be exhalation. (Vedanta: Seven steps to Samadhi, Osho Times International. Courtesy Osho International Foundation. http://www.osho.com)

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

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Just exhale with the sound, Oooooo! - Economic Times

Theyre still the Mount Douglas Rams.

Thats the message St. Thomas coach Steve De Lazzari is hammering into his unbeaten Knights (7-0) as the Eastern Conference regular-season champions from Burnaby get set to face the Western Conference fourth-place Rams (4-3) of Victoria in the Subway Bowl triple-A high school football provincial quarterfinals.

The game goes Saturday at B.C. Place Stadium.

They always seem to elevate their level of play at this time of year, De Lazzari said of the Rams, who have won five B.C. titles in the past eight seasons, including last year, when they crushed the Knights 43-21 in this same quarterfinal round.

Weve seen it from them before. Theyll be third or fourth in their conference and then theyll just start taking care of opponent after opponent in the playoffs.

You cant just look at this season when you talk about them. Were looking at their history. Theyre obviously doing something right over there.

The Rams were second in the Western Conference regular season last year. After dispatching STM, they would beat the Vancouver College Fighting Irish 31-28 in the semifinals and then bounce the New Westminster Hyacks 48-24 in the championship game with a team that featured 12 seniors and star quarterback Gideone Kremler.

Hunter Swift, whos in Grade 10, has taken over the passing chores this season. Mt. Douglas dropped a 33-21 decision to New Westminster and a 35-14 game to Vancouver College to begin the regular season, but theyve won five of six games since, including a 42-12 decision over North Deltas Seaquam Seahawks in last weeks opening round of playoffs.

STM had a bye last week thanks to their first-place finish.

Peter Primeau rushed for 117 yards on 17 carries and scored three touchdowns for Mt. Douglas against Seaquam.

In the regular season, Swift passed for 826 yards and completed 50 per cent (53 of 106) of his attempts. He threw eight touchdown passes and five interceptions.

Hunter has steadily improved each week, and is an awesome young man, Mt. Douglas coach Mark Townsend explained via text.

We really did not know what to expect this season but the kids are competing hard and improving, he added. Although facing this very talented STM team is an extremely difficult task, and beating them would be a big upset, our kids are excited to have the opportunity.

Townsend was quick to praise an STM defence led by defensive end Kaishaun Carter and a rushing game featuring running back Nick Osho, who has run for 1,525 yards and 12 touchdowns this season.

St. Thomass ground game was supposed to also feature Marc Abboud this year, but he suffered a broken leg in an Aug. 30 preseason game in Hawaii. De Lazzari hinted earlier that Abboud might be back for the playoffs but says chances are hes not going to play on Saturday.

TRIPLE A QUARTERFINALS

Saturday, B.C. Place Stadium

Noon: New Westminster vs. Lord Tweedsmuir

2:30 p.m.: Kelowna vs. Vancouver College

5 p.m.: Mt. Douglas vs. St. Thomas More

7:30 p.m.: Notre Dame vs. South Delta

DOUBLE A

Friday

3 p.m.: Robert Bateman at Ballenas (Merle Logan)

6 p.m.: Windsor at Vernon (Greater Vernon Athletic)

Saturday

9:30 a.m.: Clarence Fulton at Langley (B.C. Place Stadium)

7:30 p.m.: Holy Cross at G.W. Graham (Exhibition Stadium

sewen@postmedia.com

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Steve Ewen: Unbeaten Knights warned to fear the Rams in high school football playoffs - The Province

The journalNaturerecently published a study about combining meditation with psychedelics to reduce depression and anxiety, proving what the pro-psychedelic camp has long maintained: combining mediation with psychedelics can help restore peoples will to live. The study followed 39 expert Buddhist meditation practitioners on a five-day silent meditation retreat (the kind that are uber-trendy among Silicon Valley elites). However, the retreats for this study were considerably groovier than most, because on the fourth day at approximately 10:30 a.m., half of the participants received strong doses of psilocybin mushrooms. The other half received placebos. Neither researchers nor participants knew who got which, though we suspect it was probably pretty obvious after a couple of hours.

The results shocked researchers. Those who ate the magic mushrooms reported more meaningful experiences on the retreat. Half ranked it as one of the top 10 most meaningful experiences of their life. The meditators who received placebos reported it as only the most meaningful experience in the last month, and even then, only 37 percent ranked it that high. The psychonauts also experienced more intense meditation sessions, with many of the positive impacts still in effect four months later. Most exciting, the mushrooms not only enhanced the quality of meditation, but meditation helped prevent bad trips. If youre looking to lose or find yourself, hallucinogens might be the right tool for the job.

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Meditation and Magic Mushrooms Can Restore Peoples Will to Live, Study Shows - Mandatory

Emily Desbiens, who died in June 2018, was honored with a memorial garden Sept. 8, 2019. Joshua Jongsma, Staff Writer, @jongsmjo

BERGENFIELD Irthu Pillai sawsomething in her life that she wantedto remedy.

"I saw everyone going to school and going to work facing stress every day," with no readily available solution, Pillai said.

So the Bergenfield High School freshman decided to create a meditation garden at Cooper's Pond.

"I thought if there was a meditation garden there would be someplace public where people could be in peace and at one with nature," she said.

The garden is in a section of the park overlooking a flowing stream where people come to fish. It was unveiled last month during a small ceremony.

There are severalrocks, a pebble surface, flowering plantsanda seedling that will grow into a shade tree.

Bergenfield High School student Irthu Pillai has created a meditation garden near Cooper's Pond in Bergenfield.(Photo: Irthu Pillai)

Pillai, a Girl Scout in Bergenfield,started working on the garden in late June as part of a required project to earn a Girl Scout Silver Award.

She said that early on, she went to the mayor and council to seek approval of her project. Then she met with Phil Neville, who heads the Department of Public Works, who advised her on how to design and create the garden.

New supermarket: Spring 2020 opening projected forLidl's Bergenfield location

Managing stress for students:How North Jersey schools are making a difference

While Pillai did a good deal of work on the garden, she credits the assistance of everyone who helped get this project done, including her parents supporting her idea, local businesses that donated items for the garden, and DPW workers and others who helped her put it together.

"The fact that people would take time out of their day, without having anything to gain, to help me out, someone they don't know personally, was amazing," Pillai observed.

Since it opened, she has seen some people use the garden, and she hopes whenever it is warm, they will find it to be a useful resource in their lives.

One person who has checked out the garden is Mayor Norman Schmelz.

"I thought it was a beautiful idea. It's actually very relaxing. If you just sit there and close your eyes, you can lose yourself," Schmelz said.

RicardoKaulessaris a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community,please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email:kaulessar@northjersey.comTwitter:@ricardokaul

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Bergen teen creates meditation garden for the stressed-out - NorthJersey.com

Working with crystals is meant to intensify your intentions (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

2019 has been the year of wellness. We now realise that health is so much more than simply going to the gym a few times every week we take a much more holistic approach.

That means looking at our health in terms of the whole package; from our physical fitness, to our diet, stress levels and state of mind.

So what are going to be the big holistic trends next year? Will we still be obsessed with all things mindfulness? What about our love-affair with meditation?

We asked the specialist Claire Taylor from at health advisory brand Civilized Health to reveal what the popular wellness activities are likely to be in 2020.

Celebrities such as Adele, Katy Perry, Victoria Beckham and Miranda Kerr have all spoken of their love of crystal healing.

Their rise in popularity is confirmed as the term crystal healing has seen a 263 per cent uplift in worldwide Google searches within the last year.

The popularity of crystals is soaring. People who work with crystals believe that the stones hold a line of frequency that emit vibrations. Working with specific crystals will see that your body realigns in order to match the vibrations of the crystal.

Working with crystals that match your personal goals (for instance career, love or wealth) will intensify your intention and ensure that your intention evolves into a reality.

If crystal healing is something that you would like to adopt into your everyday routine, I recommend carving out some time in order to establish what your goals are in each area of your life.

Then, commit to researching which crystals align with your intentions for instance, Rose Quartz can encourage peace and healing whereas Citrine emits wealth and prosperity.

Carry the crystal along with your intention and use it as a tool to focus and realign your energy.

I predict that 2020 will also see a rise in people working with the earths moon cycles and aligning their crystal work with these phases.

I am, personally, a huge advocate for acupressure mats and general interest in the product is growing.

Acupressure mat UK has received a 294 per cent rise in Google searches in the last year alone.

The acupressure mat is essentially a sheet that holds tiny plastic spikes that replicate the needles used within the practice of acupuncture.

The mats can erase tension and ignite a deep sense of relaxation. They are especially popular with those who experience aches and pains in their back and the ever-growing situation of tech neck.

Laying on the mat for a short time can provide the same remedies as acupuncture, without the use of needles. I strongly recommend wearing clothing when using the mat for the first few times as it can be painful.

Initially, lay on the mat for a total of five minutes at a time. Once this becomes less painful, increase the time spent on the mat until you reach a maximum of 30 minutes.

Do not be afraid to use the mat multiple times throughout the day instead of in one block.

The past year has seen an undeniable rise in mindfulness and breathing apps alike.

Many of us live in a fast-paced environment where we are striving for success in our perspective fields whist attempting to achieve the somewhat allusive work life balance. It is therefore no surprise that meditation has seen a 136 per cent rise in Google searches.

Many believe that practicing meditation means that you have to dedicate endless hours to sitting in a room in silence. This couldnt be further from the truth. The beauty of meditation is that it can be practiced anytime, anywhere.

Meditation reduces cortisol levels in the brain, which lowers stress levels and anxiety. Migraine sufferers also report that meditation eases and, in some instances, prevents symptoms.

Meditation requires participants to focus on breathing and focus. The mind is likely to wander. Instead of aiming to prevent this, notice where your thoughts go and retrieve focus back to your centre.

With practice, your mind will wander less and less.

We are often so focused on getting through the day that we rarely stop in order to reflect on how we feel. Practicing meditation in short spurts throughout the day presents the opportunity to asses how you feel and disperse of negative energy and improve concentration.

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Crystals and meditation: The hottest holistic trends for 2020 - Metro.co.uk