By Mick LaSalle The San Francisco Chronicle

In 1932, the great comic director Ernst Lubitsch switched gears to make an agonizing anti-war drama, "Broken Lullaby, that did not impress audiences or critics and remains under-appreciated to this day.

"Frantz is a new film by Francois Ozon that takes the "Broken Lullaby story and tells it from a different angle. This new film is exceptional and one of Ozons best.

Talking about "Frantz and its connection to "Broken Lullaby is a bit awkward, in that the premise of "Broken Lullaby the essential thing that the audience knows from the first minutes is made into a mystery in "Frantz.

Both films are set about a year after World War I and involve a young Frenchman who travels to Germany, grief-stricken over the death of Frantz, a German soldier of his acquaintance. The difference is that, while Lubitsch told the story from the perspective of the Frenchman, Ozon focuses on Anna, Frantzs Germans fiancee, played brilliantly by newcomer Paula Beer.

Anna lives with the family of her fiancee, and its a house of grief in a small town that is also grieving, filled with heartsick women and old men all the young men are dead. Anna starts noticing that flowers are appearing on Frantzs grave, placed by the mysterious young man. Soon, she meets this man, Adrien (Pierre Niney) and she brings him to meet Frantzs parents. Like Frantz, Adrien was a music student and his stories about his friendship with Frantz in pre-war Paris bring some relief to the familys sorrow.

A sense of loss pervades "Frantz, one of tragedy that cant be undone, of lives changed forever, of pain that can never go away. The movie is shot in a glossy but unglamorous black and white, which only sometimes switches or melts into color, either for pre-war scenes or brief moments of hope. Ozon creates a beautiful stillness in "Frantz that makes us feel we are there in the midst of these lives, witnessing the purity of their sadness.

For those few who have seen "Broken Lullaby, and even for those who havent, its worth noting that Ozon takes the story of "Frantz months past the ending of the Lubitsch film. "Broken Lullaby was anti-war vehemently, stridently, almost hysterically. The recentness of World War I and the fear of World War II gave the original story a frantic immediacy. "Frantz is about something else. Its a meditation on the impact of tragedy and on the various ways different people are affected.

Paula Beer is only 22, but she has a gravity beyond her years, which is fundamental for playing Anna, who is practically widowed without having been married. Annas youth is her strength and we sense that somehow she will find something approximating happiness, even if she will never be able to return to her pre-war blitheness. Whats in question throughout the film is the form that this future life will take.

Ozon never forgets that these are individuals and not archetypes. With consummate subtlety, he introduces a question about the sexuality of one or more of the characters just the barest hint, but it adds an extra dimension. World War I was a horror that happened to all kinds of people, every one of them with a particular dream and vision of what life might be.

The title, incidentally, is a curious choice. In "Broken Lullaby, the dead soldiers name was Walter. Here hes Frantz, which sounds almost identical to the way youd pronounce "France in French. Thats a nice change that has some relevance to the course of the film.

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'Frantz': Anti-war drama becomes a meditation on loss - The Columbus Dispatch

Meditation app startup teaches users inner peace, projects $20 million in revenue for 2017 San Francisco Business Times In 2012, he co-founded a meditation app with Michael Acton Smith in San Francisco. The two, both British and both tech veterans, have been growing the app with plans to launch of ancillary products eventually. The company makes money using a freemium ...

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Meditation app startup teaches users inner peace, projects $20 million in revenue for 2017 - San Francisco Business Times

Even though its been around for thousands of years, meditation seems to be especially trendy these days. Its part of the mindfulness movement thats been gaining traction in the health and wellness world. And it makes sense that more and more people are actively seeking ways to manage their stress: A 2015 survey from the American Psychological Association found that overall stress levels have increased in Americans in recent years. These higher stress levels can affect mental and physical health in numerous ways: 39 percent of those surveyed reporting overeating or eating unhealthy foods in the last month due to stress, and 46 percent reported losing sleep over it.

Given what a profound affect stress can have on wellbeing, its no wonder that people are looking for innovative ways to get that moment of zen. Meditation studios have recently popped up in some of the countrys big cities (theres Unplug Meditation in Los Angeles, MNDFL in New York City). But theres also a variety of helpful meditation smartphone apps on the market. You may already know about Headspace, which is one of the most-downloaded mindfulness apps. But here are five new or under-the-radar meditation apps worth a try. Because, in addition to relieving stress, meditating can also improve concentration and benefits digestion as well as cardiovascular and immune health.

Sway Cost: $2.99 While most apps in this space feature guided meditations, this brand new optionit launched in late Marchfocuses on your movement as way to help you achieve mindfulness. The app uses your phones gyroscope and accelerometer to measure your moves. In order for the app to work, you need to be moving in a slow, consistent motion (think swaying back and forth or walking slowly). Once you at youre at the proper pace, the app will soundtrack your moves with soothing music. If you get distracted or your movements are interrupted, the app interprets that as a lack of mindfulness and reminds you to refocus. According to the makers of this app, this interactive meditation is one of the newest ways to approach the practice.

Muse Cost: Free Another app that offers interactive feedback is Muse. And while the app is free, it does require you to use Muse: The Brain Sensing Headband ($249) in conjunction with the program. The sensor-equipped headband monitors your brain activity while you mediate with a soothing soundscape (such as a rainforest or beach sounds) playing in the app. If youre zoning out to beach sounds, for instance, the ocean waves get louder when you get distracted, and lower when youre back in a calm zone. The app tracks your sessions so you can see your improvements and set weekly goals in your practice.

Sattva Cost: Free (with in-app purchases) This app has been around for a couple of years, but its recent updates have given Sattva an improved experience. For Apple iPhone users, the app now works seamlessly with the Health app, using info on your heart rate and blood pressure (tracking these stats before and after each session). If youre obsessed with numbers and data, this is the mediation app for you. It features a timer to help you time and track your sessions, and stats like your longest session and longest streak are also stored in the program. And if youre the competitive type, you can compare your stats to your friends who also use Sattva.

Pause Cost: $1.99 Inspired by the principles of Tai Chi, the makers of this app help you achieve calmness by incorporating touch as well as sound. You move your fingertip along a small, colorful blob around the screen while soothing sounds flood your headphones. The act triggers the bodys rest and digest response, which helps you regain focus and release stress in a calm manner. If youre not a fan of guided meditations, this is a way to relax without the pressure of a voice leading (and possibly disrupting) you every step of the way.

Meditation Music Cost: Free If youre an experienced meditator, you might not need any gimmicks to help you stay mindful through your practice. Enter this Android app, which strictly provides music as the soundtrack to your session. The app features a variety of ambient sounds (from a soft piano playing to mystic temple music) that promise to help you relax. Simply choose your preferred music, set the in-app timer and just say ohm. A gong sound will gently ring to let you know your session is about to end. And if you consider cooking a meditative process, use this app as your kitchen timer and the background music as you make dinner.

Kevin Aeh is a New York City-based writer and editor. He has written for Time Out New York, Refinery29, New York Magazines Vulture blog, Furthermore from Equinox and more.

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5 Apps That Will Help You Master Meditation - Healthy Eats (blog)

Of course we all know about the pleasure of eating cakebut, as it turns out,we haven't been paying enough attention to the benefits of baking up our own creations.

Measuring, sieving, mixing and kneading... apparently all the efforts of preparationhave a much more profound effect on our mental health than simply popping out to the bakery.

(via Fox Searchlight)

Speaking to a series of psychologists, theHuffington Posthas suggested that baking can be just as good for our psychological well-being as meditation is for yogis.

And the reason behind the claim is simple.When we meditate, we allow ourselves a quiet moment ofreflection and focus which leads to stress relief; a process that can also be associated withbaking.

As associate professor of psychological and brain sciences at Boston UniversityDonna Pincus explains:

"Baking actually requires alot of full attention. You have to measure, focus physically on rolling out dough.

If youre focusing on smell and taste, on being present with what youre creating, that act of mindfulness in that present moment can also have a result in stress reduction."

So much so, in fact, that there's even a whole branch of healing dedicated to culinary art therapy, the effects of which can be significant. As theHuffington Postreminds us,John Whaite, the winner of the 2012 edition of The Great British Baking Show,claims that baking helped him overcome depression.

But it's not just the idea of focusing on the here and now that makes the activity so therapeutic. In hard times, food can serve as a form of communication and supportwhile the idea of making something yourself gives you a sense of achievement. As Pincus explains:

"Baking for others can increase a feeling of wellbeing, contribute to stress relief and make you feel like youve done something good for the world, which perhaps increases your meaning in life and connection with other people."

As creating a tangible productyou know will give others pleasure is always going to be a positive experience, baking can also be a way of practicingaltruism. As culinary art therapist Susan Whitbourne notes:

"I think offering food to somebody else is just as much a comfort to the person receiving as the person whos serving and offering."

So there you have it, now you don't have to wait until somebody's birthday for an excuse to whip upthat chocolate cake. Happy baking!

Read More ->In Photos: Here's All The Food You Can Eat At Coachella

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Apparently Baking Cakes Is As Good For Your Mental Health As Meditation - Konbini US

At the end of a dark earthen trail in the Peruvian Amazon stands a round structure with a thatched roof that appears to glow from within.

In the Temple of the Way of Light, as it is known, indigenous healers called Onanya teach visitors about the therapeutic uses of ayahuasca, a hallucinogenic brew that's been used by locals for thousands of years.

Across the Atlantic, researchers in an ornate blue-tiled hospital in Barcelona, Spain are studying ayahuasca's physical effects on the brain.

The teams in those two disparate locations approach the study of the psychedelic drug very differently, but researchers at each one are coming to similar conclusions about the way ayahuasca affects the mind.

Among volunteers who take ayahuasca for studies, scientists have documented a rise in certain key traits that mirror those of experienced meditators. These changes include increases in openness, optimism, and a particularly powerful ability known as decentering.

Amanda Feilding, the founder and director of the UK-based nonprofit Beckley Foundation, collaborates with scientists around the world to understand how psychedelic drugs affect the brain.

Feilding describes decentering as "the ability to objectively observe one's thoughts and feelings without associating them with identity".

Decentering might sound esoteric, but it's one of the key aims of mindful meditation and is also a goal of successful depression treatments in some cases.

In volunteers who've taken ayahuasca as part of Beckley's research, decentering has been linked with higher scores on questionnaires designed to measure well-being and happiness and lower scores on measurements of depressive or anxious thoughts and symptoms of grief.

"It's interesting because even though our research out of Peru is based on surveys, while in Barcelona it's based on more traditional scientific research, our results out of both places are showing an increase in these traits," Feilding says.

"It seems patients are finally able to liberate themselves from the emotional pain they have long been suffering from. To calmly observe one's thoughts and feelings in an objective way in order to become less judgemental and more self-accepting."

Since the findings out of Peru are based on surveys, they can't prove that ayahuasca caused the reduction in symptoms of depression and grief - only that there's a connection between the two.

But in Spain, as part of a collaboration between Beckley and Sant Pau hospital, neurologist Jordi Riba is looking at the brain activity in depressed volunteers who are given ayahuasca.

His findings indicate that in addition to people simply reporting that they feel more decentered and less depressed after taking ayahuasca, there is a corresponding neurological change in their brain activity.

One small study of 17 depressed volunteers who took ayahuasca saw a decrease in activity in areas of the brain that tend to be overactive in conditions like depression and anxiety.

And a new study of regular ayahuasca users suggests a physical shrinking in these parts of the brain, though that work has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.

These findings are bolstered by other research on the potential therapeutic effects of psychedelics. Studies out of New York University and Johns Hopkins suggest that the psychedelic drug psilocybin - the ingredient in magic mushrooms -elicits similar effects among depressed people.

"With the psilocybin, you get an appreciation - it's out of time - of well-being, of simply being alive and a witness to life and to everything and to the mystery itself," Clark Martin, a patient who participated in one of the Johns Hopkins trials, previously told Business Insider of his experience.

David Nutt, director of the neuropsychopharmacology unit at Imperial College London, has been working with Feilding, and says the brains of people with depression or addiction get locked into patterns of thinking driven by the brain's control centre.

"Psychedelics disrupt that process so people can escape," he says.

This article was originally published by Business Insider.

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Meditation and the psychedelic drug ayahuasca seem to change the ... - ScienceAlert

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Mock rescue excercise on Saskatoon Traffic Bridge 650 CKOM News Talk Radio Graham Commuter Partners will hold a rescue training drill Wednesday morning at the construction site for the new Traffic Bridge. A mannequin will be rescued from the Traffic Bridge Wednesday morning to test recovery tools and the steps of a rescue.

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Mock rescue excercise on Saskatoon Traffic Bridge - 650 CKOM News Talk Radio

Growing up at the Mangrove Yoga Ashram has left one woman with permanent mental scars. Picture: Supplied

GROWING up at the notorious Mangrove Yoga Ashram, then known as Satyananda Ashram, Sandra* was a victim of physical and mental abuse.

Last year, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse found there were no policies to protect children at the ashram on the NSW central coast after hearing evidence of horrific child sexual abuse.

While Sandra did not experience sexual abuse, the treatment she endured while living there in the 1970s and 1980s has stayed with her forever.

This is her story.

I did not receive the nurturing that is needed as a child so that I could grow up to be a normal functioning person.

I did not have parents with me who loved me and guided me and whispered words of encouragement.

I was not brought up in a house nor a home, with nurturing parents and normal schooling, choosing to leave all of that behind and partake in an alternative lifestyle it was thrust upon me.

Instead, my upbringing broke me. I might even go so far as to say that it fragmented me.

I went to live in the Ashram at the tender age of four in the 1970s.

It was set among a beautiful backdrop in a valley in Mangrove Mountain, on the banks of the Hawkesbury River.

It appeared idyllic to my mother who was so keen to break free of mainstream societys old paradigms and forge a new way of living. One that appeared to hold no religion (they said they were non-denominational yet they initiated their disciples into becoming Sannyasins, a Hindu belief). It was based on yoga, karma and organic food.

It promised the road to enlightenment and thanks partly to the Beatles, people were swallowing that up with their lentils in the 60s and 70s.

Growing up in a yoga ashram should have been idyllic. Picture: SuppliedSource:Supplied

One of the main rules of the Ashram was renunciation. To become enlightened you must let go of all that you were attached to in the material world- renounce your ego shave your head and all wear orange clothes renounce your attachment to your previous life and family change your name and become initiated with a spiritual name (All names started with Swami and ended with Saraswati with a unique name in the middle.)

Renounce your family: This included the parents and children that were living in the Ashram, not just the ones that hadnt joined the Ashram/cult.

Who tells children they are not to love their own parents but are to worship the guru only? A paedophile who is breaking and grooming children, thats who.

Ashram kids lived together in huts, away from the adults.Source:Supplied

Although I had a mother, she was unavailable to me from a very young age, (perfect practice for grooming.) Instead, I was brought up among the melee that was the Ashram Kids living in huts together or dorms, away from the adults.

We were punished for the smallest things and yet, not reprimanded for things that we should have been.

We had our heads flushed down the public toilets if we didnt brush our teeth (we had on average 100 people staying there at any given time with a row of toilets that everyone used and a row of showers with no privacy screen between them, much like a prison.) It was other kids that were ordered to do this to the un-brushed offenders, creating some form of hierarchy between the kids.

Kids were encouraged to deliver punishment to other children.Source:Supplied

We would be beaten with a stick for talking on the hour-long bus ride from school and publicly beaten and shamed for small things such as saying something negative about our Gurus yet we were encouraged to be brats towards the adults in the Ashram thus creating an effective divide between the children and the adults. All effective grooming practices.

You darent get sick as to get sick would result in being put in sick bay. Sick bay was a cement and brick room that was always cold and damp, no matter what time of year it was. It was away from everyone else and you werent allowed to leave unless you were to go to the toilet.

Mangrove Yoga Ashram.Source:Facebook

You would have your meals brought to you if you were even allowed to eat, as fasting was believed to help you get over whatever it was that you were sick from.

We had to get up at 5am to practice hours of meditation and yoga before school.

There were times when only the females had to bath in the creek instead of having hot showers like the men. It was below zero, there was frost on the grass and the water was so cold that it felt like it burnt your skin.

Life on the ashram was far from peaceful. Picture: SuppliedSource:Supplied

I remember crying and shaking and saying I dont want to do this and being told that I had to, just get in. According to the guru, women needed to be toughened up which I now realise meant women are harder to break.

How did I cope with all of this? I didnt.

I started to use drugs at the age of 14 and was in a self-induced coma for three days when I was 16. I have changed my name four times in my life. I cant stick to one profession. I cant really stick to anything.

I went from one abusive relationship to another. I find it hard to have long and strong connections with people. I have two children who have been my driving force to become a better person but I unfortunately had a child to a physically abusive paedophile.

No, I didnt know that he was a paedophile and as soon as I found out, I moved myself and my children away and have remained in hiding ever since. I would never want my children to suffer the way that I did.

I have tried so hard to try and make a normal and functional life for them. Sometimes when I cant get out of bed I wish that I was a better parent.

I wish that I could hold down a steady job, that I had some amazing talent that could lift us out of this hole of poverty that goes along with the inability to fit in with society, to form proper relationships, to hold down a steady job. But I dont, all I have is fragments of myself that I try to pick up.

Kids at ashram were punished brutally for small offences. Picture: SuppliedSource:Supplied

I can only describe that its like living with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) for a lifetime. I tell people that it is like being punched in the face. Thats the initial trauma. It knocks you down. Then you shake it off, you get therapy, you think you have dealt with it. And then, out of the blue, something triggers it again and this time, its like being coward punched from the right side.

It knocks you down again, you shake it off, you are seeing it from a completely different angle this time. You think you have dealt with it. This keeps going, each time there is a trigger, it blind sides you from a different angle.

Each time you have to process it all again, just when you think you have dealt with it, it comes at you from yet another angle. It doesnt matter if you have gotten to a positive place with it, it comes back and knocks you over so you have to try and get yourself back up again.

This makes for hard living. Its not easy to maintain anything when this is happening throughout your life.

* Name has been changed

If you or someone you know is in need of crisis or suicide prevention support, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit http://www.lifeline.org.au/gethelp

The Royal Commission into Institutional Response to Child Sexual Abuse has released a number of accounts of people who say they were abused or raped. On August 23 2016, nine videos were posted on the RC's YouTube page, featuring stories and comments read out by actors. They go into detail of the harrowing experiences of victims who came forward during the RC's investigation. Credit: YouTube/Royal Commission into Institutional Response to Child Sexual Abuse

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Growing up at the Mangrove Yoga Ashram has left one woman with permanent mental scars. Picture: Supplied - NEWS.com.au

AHMEDABAD: The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi (CWMG) running into 97 volumes and published between 1958 and 1994 is an exhaustive series of letters, articles, and speeches written or made by Gandhiji during his lifetime. These volumes present Gandhiji's view of the world and himself, but rarely has there been an effort to delve into Bapu's times, his legacy, for which one needs to read the CWMG with letters written to Gandhiji.

For the first time, a team of researchers have dared to look into Bapu's inbox and have compiled the first volume, "Letters to Gandhi' consisting of 312 letters (1890 to 1900) that were written to Bapu while he was corresponding with a staggering range of public figures in South Africa. There is a total of 8,500 rare letters unread by scholarsthat were written to Gandhiji and were preserved by Bapu during his lifetime.

Some very important letters that find mention in this volume are for instance about the role played by a police official of Durban, R C Alexander, and his wife who had saved Gandhi's life from a mob in 1897.

The ambitious project of transcribing these letters into 20 volumes will take a decade, according to Sabarmati Ashram director Tridip Suhrud.

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First volume of letters to Bapu published by Ashram - Times of India

A committee of women legislators from both the houses of Maharashtra legislature has found many shortcomings in the security at `ashram' (residential) schools for tribal girls.

Also, in some places authorities were seen to be trying to suppress reporting of incidents of sexual exploitation, it said in the report, submitted today.

Even the food served to the girls was found to be of sub-standard quality.

The 13-member committee said in its report, submitted today, that in some schools, washrooms or toilets are far away from the dormitory, and were unguarded.

Rs 5,000 given to victims of sexual atrocities by the Tribal Welfare Department was too meagre an amount, and it needs to be increased to Rs 50,000, the committee said.

District consultative committees set up under joint chairmanship of district collectors didn't visit the ashram schools regularly, it said.

Cases of sexual exploitation and other atrocities should be tried in fast-track courts, it said.

Most of the ashram schools are located outside the villages and do not have proper access roads; in some schools the boundary wall is incomplete or broken, it found.

The committee of women legislators was set up in December 2015 following alleged sexual exploitation of two tribal girls at a school at Pandhurna in Wardha district.

The report was tabled by Minister of State for Women and Child Development Vidya Thakur in both the houses today.

The committee recommended that CCTV cameras should be installed in ashram schools, and armed women security guards should be deployed wherever possible.

It recommended amendment of rules so that guilty or negligent officials can be dismissed immediately.

There should be `Honorary Guardians' whom the girl students can approach if they have any problem, it said.

There should also be a toll-free helpline where the girls can lodge complaints anonymously, and local police should visit the schools regularly during night patrolling, it recommended.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

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Loopholes found in security at ashram schools for tribal girls - Daily News & Analysis

When Vinod Khanna announced his retirement from Bollywood in 1975, the entire Bollywood fraternity and fans went in a complete state of shock.

The actor, who was born in Peshawar, called it quits to glitz and glamour to join the ashram of Osho in Rajneeshpuram.

People called him the sexy sanyasi but the actor didnt feel offended at all. He said that he had always been a seeker.

In the film industry, I had money, glamour, fame but wondered a" now what?, said the actor.

Initially, he used to visit Oshos ashram in Pune every weekend and even started diverting shooting schedules to Pune.Then, in 1975, he finally left for Rajneeshpuram in America and joined Osho to live a simple life away from the limelight.

In the ashram, he was given the name Swami Vinod Bharti, which he wore it with pride.

The actor spent four years with Osho and did everyday chores such as gardening, cleaning toilets and washing dishes.

Khanna said that while he was at Rajneeshpuram, he was in touch with his family over the phone. But those were terrible times for his sons. People used to tell them said tumhara baap apne guru ke saath bhaag gaya.

He said that reports of what he had done never bothered him until they started bothering those he loved. His wife Gitanjali and he settled for divorce. He had nothing when he returned to India.

After Vinod Khanna left Oshos ashram and returned to Bollywood, he said that returning to the movies was the easy part. And, that he had to return due to financial shortage.

He said that it was very difficult to leave his guru in America, whom he was very attached to. He said that Osho had asked him to run the Puna ashram, but he refused. He wanted to return to his work, his family and his friends.

During the 1970s when Khanna left for Oshos ashram, Amitabh Bachahn emerged as a superstar with his two blockbusters Sholay and Deewar in 1975. Many believe that if Vinod Khanna wouldnt have left Bollywood, he might have been a much bigger star that Big B is today. Analysts say that Khanna was the only actor who could compete with Big Bs calibre that time.

However, Vinod Khanna smiled off such assumptions and said that he didnt regret his decision to stay away from Bollywood for some time. The four years he spent with Osho in America were just wonderful and peaceful, claimed the actor.

After Khanna returned, he married Kavita and was a part of many successful films of Bollywood. Khanna won Lok Sabha elections from the ticket of Gurdaspur and has been a minister in the centre as well.

At the moment, the legendary actor Vinod Khanna, who left a great impact on us with films such as The Burning Train, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar and Qurbani, is not keeping well. He has been hospitalized in Mumbai due to severe dehydration.

We wish him a speedy recovery.

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When Vinod Khanna opted for a life away from limelight - India TV