The Juice Pharm, at 12 S. 15th Ave. E., is believed to be Duluth's first vegan restaurant: No meat, no milk, no animal products. (They do use honey). Giselle Hernandez and Desiree Jenkins opened in late March with little fanfare no advertising, no grand opening. They've relied on foot traffic and social media to build a following, and so far that's been enough.

"We sold out of food yesterday," Jenkins said during a recent visit. All of the tacos, kaput, by the end of the day.

Hernandez moved to Duluth three years ago and said she found it to be a healthy city with a lot of outdoor sports enthusiasts, but she was surprised that there wasn't a juice bar or vegan restaurant. She had made the switch to a vegan diet years ago when her mother told her the ingredients of her beloved hot dogs. The self-described animal-lover didn't just cut out hot dogs she went on to study at the Natural Healing Institute of Naturopathy, Inc., in Encinitas, Calif., where she became a certified nutritionist.

She started out juicing for herself. Then her friends and friends of friends caught on. As she gained traction, she used Endion Station where she was a bartender as a pickup point for people ordering her juices and cleanses.

"I wanted to introduce Duluth to healthier options," Hernandez said.

From there she moved to the Red Herring Lounge, where she first added smoothies and acai bowls to her offerings, and sold them during off-bar hours.

Shortly before moving into her own space below Anytime Fitness, she began experimenting with plant-based small plates: avocado toast, tacos, samosas.

Much of what they make is inspired by Hernandez's mother Maria Olivares, whom they refer to as Mamacita. Since Hernandez went vegan, she's always offered an animal-free version of mole enchiladas or posole soup, which traditionally combines meat and hominy. These days, Mamacita has been helping out at the shop. During a recent visit, she peeled bananas and juiced carrots. Her original energy bars a variety of nuts bound by dates are sold at the front of the cafe and tagged as "casa made."

Among Juice Pharm's popular menu items are the street-style Mexicali tacos, made with ground walnuts in the style of slightly spicy chorizo, with lettuce, red onions and cilantro pesto. Juice-wise, it's gold tonic, which blends carrots, oranges, pineapples, green apples, lemon and turmeric. Somewhere in between is the acai bowl with berries and coconut milk, topped with bananas, more berries, granola and honey.

The traditional topping rail, used to keep handy frequently used foods, holds candied almonds, bacon-flavored coconut flakes, diced cilantro, sunflower seeds, peanuts, onions and pepitas. Another has maca, acai, chia, flax, cinnamon and vanilla protein powder.

Hernandez and Jenkins are still experimenting and said they think they will always have an ever-changing menu. They've recently learned to make their own seitan, a wheat-made meat substitute most similar to chicken. It's the signature protein in the Maui tacos.

They also sell a variety of nut butters.

The night before they opened, they said, they were in the cafe at 2 a.m. developing the "warrior," a smoothie made of cold-press coffee and peanut butter.

Jenkins isn't vegan. She's too into cheese, she said. But once, while experimenting with a version of French onion soup that included an almond-based cheese, she considered that it might be a possibility. Now her eyes get wide as the idea of a dairy-free cheese case takes root.

Juice Pharm has a sunny, comfortable vibe. There are a lot of plants and fruit and vegetable-themed wall-hangings. One cheeky piece of art is a painted portrait of a cow, pig and horse each with its head slightly cocked. There is a tiki fence between the dining room and the small, open kitchen where there are no canned or cartoned goods in sight.

The water is spiked with cucumber.

Passionate about travel, they want the cafe to feel like stepping into a vacation, Jenkins said, and the food to represent the places they've been.

What if they had a patio, with strings of mason jar-filled lights, she wondered recently.

"You can see the lake from here," Jenkins said.

The Juice Pharm

What: All-natural juices and cleans and vegan cafe

Where: 12 S. 15th Ave. E.

Online: juice-pharm.com/mn

Hours: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays; 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays

Note: The Juice Pharm will be closed April 20-22

See the article here:

Juicing up: Duluth's Juice Pharm offers big selection of vegan drinks, food - Duluth News Tribune

I was invited to try the float tank by Lexi Matthews at FM Integrative Health in Fargo, home to the first float tank in North Dakota only open to the public since early April. Sensory deprivation tanks have been around since the '50s but have seen a resurgence in popularity over the past year or so. Proponents say spending up to an hour floating in an enclosed chamber of salt water devoid of light and sound helps relieve anxiety, stress, insomnia and chronic pain.

"It just gives you a chance to calm down and relax, which is not something we take time for anymore," says Matthews. "By just stopping, it forces the body to shift from being super energetic to rest and digest which is the other side of your nervous system."

We walked from the lobby into the small room holding the float tank and I was immediately surprised by how big the tank was; it was more like the size of a small car than the coffin-like tank I saw in my only other point of reference on float tanks an episode of "The Simpsons." (Important online research.) In the episode, Lisa tried a float tank and got into a meditative state that caused her to hallucinate that she turned into her cat, a tree and Cokie Roberts.

Matthews didn't say anything about Cokie Roberts, but told me, "It's a totally new experience unless you've floated in the Dead Sea." (I have not done that as it would require me to be seen in my bathing suit.)

Matthews said before getting in the tank which is filled with 10 inches of water and 800 pounds of Epsom salt I first had to get clean: remove my makeup and take a shower. This step ensures the tank stays as free from oils as possible. There is also a filter which runs for a half-hour in between clients.

As I stepped in the water, it felt lukewarm close to my own body temperature. I shut the door and laid back in the darkened tank. I was struck by how easily I floated. The high salt content of the water created extra buoyancy. (I guess I would have known that if I had taken that vacation to float in the Dead Sea.) The tank was not completely dark as a small blue light shown from the bottom.

Unlike some tanks, FM Integrative Health pipes relaxing music into the chamber so as I floated I listened to the music and drifted away, or rather tried to drift away.

My thoughts: "Oh, that's lovely violin music...so peaceful. Shoot, Laura (my daughter) needs a new viola. I meant to call the violin store today. I wonder if they're open until 6 p.m. when I get off work. If I'm late getting home, what will I make for dinner? What's in the freezer?"

STOP!

Time to float.

I closed my eyes and concentrated on not concentrating. It helped that I didn't feel claustrophobic like I thought I would. The top of the tank was a couple of feet above my head and I noticed as little sparkles of light peeked through it looked like a constellation of stars. (Maybe this new age woo woo stuff is how it started for Lisa Simpson).

I floated for a few minutes with the music and light, but I chose to turn both off to completely deprive the senses. After a couple of minutes, I felt myself drift further. I gently stretched my neck back and forth, but mostly I just laid there in the quiet darkness. I wouldn't say it was the psychedelic experience some users report, but I found it incredibly relaxing and peaceful and hard to get out of the tank when my session was over.

When it was over, I showered to get the salt off my body. I got a little salt in my ears and eyes, but that was a minor inconvenience compared to how soft my skin felt. Better yet, I still felt relaxed a couple of hours later the kind of relaxed you feel stretched out on the deck on a warm summer day enjoying a cocktail. I didn't turn into a cat, a tree or Cokie Roberts, but I'd consider it a win, and no one had to see me in my bathing suit.

If you'd like to see my experience in the float tank check out our video at Inforum.com.

For more information:

FM Integrative Health

3441 45th St. S. Fargo

(701) 364-9915

Float sessions costs:

45 minutes for $50

60 minutes for $60

See more here:

What it's really like to float in a sensory deprivation tank | INFORUM - INFORUM

Bumming, butt stuff, dookie love. Whatever you call it, anal sex is on the up. While it doesnt float everyones boat, a growing number of men and women (a combined 78 per cent according to The National Survey of Family Growth in 2016) have tried it at least once.

Aside from being the ultimate form of birth control, some women can also experience orgasm through anal penetration and equally for guys, the butt is home to the prostate (or male g-spot). If ever there was a reason to give anal sex a go surely this is it, so here are the cold ass facts for doing it right.

Everyone likes surprises and everyone like sex. So it makes sense to combine the two, right? Wrong. Anatomical and, erm, logistical issues aside (well get to those in a minute) issues, just sticking it in is a surefire way to put any partner off anal sex for life.

Talk about it beforehand; it may be something new to the other person or something they have wanted to ask you. Make sure you are both in agreement that its something you want to try, and its not one person doing it to please the other.

Preparation is key to a pain (and mess) free anal experience. There is no way to beat around the back door with this one chowing down on heavy Mexican food or hot drinks that might encourage bowel movements beforehand might not be the best idea.

Of course, there can be some collateral damage that comes with the territory, but the risk can be minimised by doing the business before doing the business, being freshly showered and even using an anal douche for extra precaution.

Theres a fine line between attempting and enjoying anal sex, and along with preparation, setting the mood is one of the major factors in determining this.

Opt for a slow and sensual approach, with the aim building adequate relaxation and arousal, as opposed to a quick wham bam, and it should feel good for both. Turn off your phones, light some candles and put some relaxing music on.

The ins and outs of anal sex arent limited to, well, the ins and outs. Foreplay is a major part of the act and can help warm up the butt for bigger things to come.

A body massage can be a great way to get a partner into a relaxed state. Explore are the perineum (i.e. the gooch) before working down to the anus. You may also want to try some anal lingus (rimming) before moving on exploring further with a lubed up finger or sex toys.

Lube. Lots of lube. Like, lube on you, lube on them. And go slow. This part takes time and patience. You may need to build up to full penetration over a couple of sessions, and at first it can help to keep to positions that allow shallow penetration.

Missionary can be a good starter as the thighs and bum cheeks act as a buffer. Allowing whoever is on top to control the depth and go at their own pace.

Despite any horror stories you may have heard, the risk to return ratio of anal sex is a positive one when done right. The final, and arguably most important, thing to remember is communication and feedback. After lube, that is.

Communication isnt just about what is said; its also about reading the physiology of each others bodies and how they respond to different movements and positions, the sounds they make and the faces they pull. If that O-face is more of an Oww-face, its probably worth trying to switch things up.

Read more here:

The Beginner's Guide To Anal Sex - FashionBeans

The Courier-Post 7:09 p.m. ET April 18, 2017

Hope aboard the Cape May trolley to check out Exit Zero events.(Photo: Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts)

Seeking some fun adventures? Visit South Jersey has these six suggestions for springtime fun:

1. Exit Zero Jazz Festival:April 21, 22, & 23, all day at multiple venues throughout Cape May.

This multi-venue festival offers three full days of live performances staged in the Schmidtchen Theater, the Cape May Convention Hall and in the clubs of Cape May. There will be a wide array of jazz and other genres of music performed throughout the weekend. The festival will feature great musical artists such as Maceo Parker, the Ray Charles Orchestra, Robert Glasper Experiment, NeTTWork Trio, Charnette Moffett, the Freddie Hendrix 4tet, gypsy jazz violinist Daisy Castro and many more.Visit South Jersey is a sponsor of the festival. Visit http://www.exit0jazzfest.com/

A vendor sells produce at the Westmont Farmers Market.(Photo: File photo)

2. 9th Annual Go Green Event:Saturday, April 22, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.,MacArthur Boulevard and Crystal Lake Avenue, Haddon Township.

With over 33 vendors, this event marks the unofficial kickoff to the Westmont Farmers Market. Come sample their delicious food and enjoy the abundance of activities! Pick up plants for your garden, learn about the importance of pollinators and meet Pollination Stations friendly owl, meet local environmental organizations, touch a few creepy crawlers with the Bug Lady, and hang out with a few reptiles while learning about wildlife habitat with Rizzos Reptiles. There will also be a bike auction at noon, the opportunity to drop off your e-waste for recycling, papers for shredding, household stuff for Goodwill, blankets and unwearable clothing for New Jersey Aid For Animals. Visit http://www.haddontwp.com/9th-annual-go-green-event/

3. Saturdays on the Crushpad:Saturday, April 22, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Hawk Haven Vineyard & Winery, Rio Grande

Its been a long hard week, and now its finally time to relax! Escape to Hawk Haven for an afternoon of wine, gourmet snacks, and live music by Jim Doran from 2 PM - 5 PM. Kick back, relax, and enjoy the vineyard views paired with musical performances by local singer-songwriters. Saturdays on the Crushpad is every Saturday from spring to fall with no cover charge. Visit hawkhavenvineyard.com/

Daffodils inspire a spring event in Moorestown.(Photo: COURIER-POST FILE)

4. Daffodil Day:Saturday, April 22, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.Main Street, Historic Moorestown

Join the folks in Moorestown for their second annual Daffodil Day. There will be plenty of fun activities to welcome in spring such as a art walk, live music, carriage rides, a pet costume contest, bicycle decorating ad so much more! Presented by the Moorestown Business Association.

http://www.facebook.com/MBA-Daffodil-Day-Moorestown-772095156224919/

5. Specialty Cocktails, Wine, Martinis & Tapas Saturday, April 22. 1 to 5 p.m. Tomasello Winery, Hammonton

Youre invited to stop by the Palmaris Room at Tomasello Winery for a happy hour featuring the Tomasello Almond Joy Martini and other specialty cocktails available for purchase along with beer, wine, light fare and Tapas. Bring your friends and family for a casual, relaxing Saturday afternoon Happy Hour at Tomasello Winery! http://www.tomasellowinery.com/

6. Music Around the County: Pennsylvania Young Performers Orchestra Sunday, April 23, 3 to 5 p.m. Davidow Hall, Salem Community College, Carneys Point

Music Around the County presents a free concert with acclaimed cellist, Geroge Atanasiu and the Pennsylvania Young Performers Orchestra at the Davidow Auditorium at Salem Community College. This performance will showcase the versatility of the Pennsylvania Young Performers Orchestra and feature a solo by Atanasiu on cello in Bachs Arioso in G Major. Other selections include Dvoraks Quartet in F Major, Vivaldis Concerto for 2 CellO and String Orchestra in G minor, and many more! https://visitsalemcountynj.com/

For more events, visit VisitSouthJersey.com

Read or Share this story: http://on.cpsj.com/2oTaXYc

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6 cool things to do in South Jersey - Cherry Hill Courier Post

For most of us a room is a simple place to lay our head down. It can transform into an impromptu movie theater for Netflix binge nights. They can become the go-to area for studying for that next exam. But did you know that every aspect of your room works together to affect not only your moods but also your overall study habits? From the color of your walls and pillows, to the way your furniture is arranged, it all combines together to impact the atmosphere.

Some of the more interior design educated may call this atmosphere the overall feng-shui of your area. Although, most just call it decoration. It has an effect on things you never imagined.

For example, the color of your walls and the items you put in your room have a major impact on mood and productivity. Red evokes passion and power. Green shows harmony, nature, safety and peace. Orange brings about creativity and happiness, which is a great thing for us Bearkats! Blue can pull on emotions of trust and loyalty. Yellow, cheerfulness and light-heartedness. Each color can represent a different prominent feeling. Plus, all of the colors work together to create an overall energy within your room and also within your head.

But colors arent the only things at play here! The arrangement of your furniture can make a difference. Something most people tend to do is place everything against the wall. Turns out, this creates dead space and negative energy. This only makes it harder to concentrate when settling in to study, experts suggest that you should try to mix it up a bit and place furniture in a non-symmetrical way. Another great tip for cultivating creativity is to choose furniture that is different in style. For instance, try a vintage side table mixed in with a classic modern lamp. Using varying textures and patterns within you room can help to relax and expand the mind. Even while you sleep!

Other things to consider when designing your room include the sounds and smells you hear. These things play into the overall vibe and feelings your room creates. Try adding in a Bluetooth speaker system to softly play jazz or relaxing music in the background. For something subtler consider adding a small fountain of water to quietly drip that adds to the backdrop. When it comes to smell, buy a nice candle or consider investing in an incense burner to insure your space smells the way you want it to be: rain, blossoms or clean sheets.

Keeping your room in tiptop space not only helps your mood, but it helps boost your learning potential. Those of us that have spent hours cramming pointlessly and retaining very little could use a little bit of extra help. Maybe next week it might be a cool experiment to rearrange your room and see if anything changes.

Last Updated on 18th April, 2017, 6:34 PM

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Adding Feng shui To Your Lifestyle - SHSU Houstonian Online

As market demand grows for organic products, innovation is driving the industry to reach more consumers. In this session at Natural Products Expo West 2017, join nine industry leaders as they discuss what their organizations are doing to think ahead, problem-solve and disrupt.

"This industry today is unrecognizable from what it was just a few years agocertainly a few decades ago, and it's grown by people continually disrupting." Ken Cook, Environmental Working Group

Highlights: Olu Beck, Wholesome, talks innovations in fair trade and empowering communities of farmers. Melody Meyer, UNFI, addresses the need for industry leaders to continually give feedback to UNFI and USDA. Thea O'Carroll, Yield Organic, uses a comprehensive digital platform to connect organic farmers with buyers.

Highlights: Matthew Dillon, Clif Bar and Company, talks funding research of resilient seeds to improve organic crop production. Ian Justus from Driscoll's discusses successful innovations in plant breeding, field innovations and container production. Monique Maraz, Organic Trade Association, delves into the topic of inclusivity and connecting consumers to farms through augmented reality applications.

Highlights: Tonya Antle, Organic Produce Network, is helping to provide allied resources to help farmers connect with distributors and scale their operations. Steve Lykken, Applegate Farms, suggests that addressing animal welfare is essential in moving the organic industry forward. Ken Cook, Environmental Working Group, challenges the state of California to be 25 percent organic in 15 years.

Highlights: How do we get the consumer to recognize the value in purchasing organic food? How do we simplify all the information and make it simple for consumers? What's next for organic?

This session Organic Innovation Conversations was recorded at Natural Products Expo West 2017.

This piece originally appeared on New Hope Network, a Supermarket News sister website. Visit the site for more Natural Products Expo West session recordings.

See the original post here:

9 industry visionaries discuss the future of organic food - Supermarket News

The National Organics Standards Board on Wednesday opened public hearings in Denver to gauge whether producers of organic meat and poultry should be held to higher animal welfare standards.

Anew Consumer Reports surveystrongly suggests that the issue is important to consumers. About86 percent of consumers who buy organic food said they strongly cared thatthe animal farms their food was raised on were held to high standards. About a quarter of American shoppers always or often buy food labeled organic.

Consumers expect organic farms to adhere to strong and consistent standards, including high standards for animal welfare, said Charlotte Vallaeys, a senior policy analyst with Consumer Reports who will testify at the U.S. Department of Agricultures organic standards meeting Wednesday. That includes letting chickens outdoors where they can move around freely, rather than continually cooped up indoors.

The USDA in Januaryissued a final rule for livestock and poultry producers that, among other things, added requirements for organic animal living conditions, transportation and slaughter. It set standards, for example, for minimum indoor and outdoor pace for organic chickens and requires soil and vegetation for outdoor poultry spaces. The intent, the agency said, was to boost consumer confidence in the products sold under the USDA organic seal.

Eighty-three percent of consumers thought it was highly important that organic eggs come from hens who are able to go outdoors, the Consumer Reports survey said.

But a strong push back from some agriculture businesses prevented the new rules from taking effect in March.

Powerful agricultural interests, especially organic egg producers who raise hens in indoor confinement with no meaningful outdoor space, oppose the rule, a release from Consumer Reports said.

The USDA should make the organic animal welfare rule effective without further delay, Vallaeys said. Producers shouldnt be allowed to pick and choose which organic requirements they will meet. This new rule for organics makes clear that outdoor access for animals is not negotiable.

The NOSB meets twice a year to hear from the public anddiscuss regulation issues. Meetings are scheduled for Wednesday, Thursday and Fridayat the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel with a public hearing from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday and 8:30 a.m. to noon on Thursday.

Read more here:

86 percent of shoppers care about animal welfare in organic meats and poultry, Consumer Reports says - The Denver Post

Were living and working during some pretty challenging times. In our culture, stress is the norm. Too often, our working lives are typified by long days, late-night emails, and unused vacation time. But, more and more, were beginning to understand the positive impact of wellness and mindfulness practices. It seems that an awful lot of successful folks make some kind of mindfulness practice a part of their daily routine.

Meditation, one of the most popular of these practices, has many benefits. Maybe thats why 8 percent of adults in the U.S. are meditating these days. Incorporating a daily meditation practice into your routine could make a big difference in your life and your career.

There are proven health benefits of meditation. Researchers have found that it reduces existing stress, helps us better deal with new stressors, manages pain, and helps us sleep better. Meditation has also been found to be associated with fewer sick days and fewer doctors visits. When we meditate, we give our bodies, and our minds, a chance to rejuvenate and heal.

The body is either in fight or flight or rest and digest, said Keina Bryant Worrell, bodymind practitioner and owner of Thoughtful Therapy in Jacksonville Florida, which offers meditation instruction, massage therapy, body talk, and hypnosis, and the exercise of meditation puts the body in the habit of rest and digest where healing and restoration happen.

We all have so many tasks to manage in our chaotic lives. Meditation gives us some practice with doing just one thing at a time. The effects last beyond the act of meditation itself, improving the way our brains process information, focus, and solve problems. Also, researchers are yet to find any negative side effects of meditation. How often do you land on a therapy or treatment these days thats totally risk-free?!

Meditation supports our happiness and can improve our mood. It shifts our perspective. With less stress, and more calm, focused, attention, were allowed more of a birds eye perspective. Its something that takes time, yes, but meditation also saves time down the road.

You can make better decisions for yourself and for someone else. And, you can respond more appropriately to anything that comes up, good or bad. We can be less impulsive or reactionary because were better balanced with our mood, Worrell told me. The improved mood and focus allows you to make better decisions. When youre working from a less stressed or anxious place youll make better decisions because youre not just acting from that moment, you really do have a better big picture understanding of the situation.

Meditation gives us the ability to step back and see the bigger picture, so were less attached to our own perspective, or even our own negative emotions like anger. When these thoughts and feeling are kept more appropriately in their place, were better able to access information about the best course of action going forward. Once that balance and stability is achieved, it allows for a different kind of clarity. And, that leads to actions that are based more in intuition and in a wiser, more balanced perspective.

The balance is being in the present moment. Thats the only place where you can effect change on the future and not be holding on to the past, Worrell said. You learn from the past to make better decisions in the present. And you plan in the present so as to not be worried about the future.

Our brains are actually capable of changing and learning new things when we meditate. The practice supports something scientists call whole brain thinking. Meditation, it turns out, is sort of like exercise for the brain. Because of this, a daily practice can also make it easier to achieve flow state, which in turn allows you to be your most creative and innovative.

Do you have 10 minutes a day that you can sit still and think? In those 10 minutes the brain has neuroplasticity. It can grow and it can change and it can learn new things, Worrell said. So, in that 10 minutes you spend each day, your creating new neural structures that allow you to live a better life in the long term.

Has meditation helped you in your career? We want to hear from you! Leave a comment or join the discussion on Twitter.

creativity innovation meditation problem solving productivity

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5 Ways Meditation Can Help Your Career - PayScale Career News (blog)

Mediation is an amazing thing. It lowers blood pressure, decreases stress, improves relationships, and so much more. If all these benefits are true, why do we have such a hard time getting started? Its like anything else. We know exercise is good for us, but we dont do it nearly as much as we should. We know we shouldnt smoke, yet so many people do. Fried foods, too much drinking, drugs, etc. there are so many things that we do which are bad for us. Im here to tell you how to do something good. Its easy to start and you dont have to be a monk or in any weird cult.

I can tell you from personal experience that when I meditate I am less irritable. I feel a state of calm throughout most of the day. I let frustration and anger go a lost easier and I deal with stress more gracefully. I usually meditate in the early morning and when I have a client or teach a class later in the evening, I still feel relaxed if Ive meditated. Its a subtle difference, but a profound difference. My main reason for meditating is to stay calm and relaxed. Here are a few ways I get there without the rigamarole of sitting cross legged with my fingers in a mudra.

Take a deep breath. Thats it. Just stopping what youre doing and taking a deep breath is going to give you pause. Its going to allow you to focus for a moment. And that moment is really all you need to feel better and reset your mental attitude.

Close your eyes. Dont do this if youre driving, but a simple moment with your eyes closed and a deep breath brings you a sigh of relief. Go ahead, do it now. Feel what I mean. Its amazing, right?

Pinch somebody. Or yourself. This is the easiest way to get present and after all, meditation is about being present and in the moment. Were distracted when were thinking of too many things at once. One of the best ways to get present is to feel whats around you. Touch your desk, pinch your own arm. Jolt yourself, in a loving way, out of the moment and into the present. This is just another technique to help you become more present.

Clap. A loud clap is another way to shock yourself into the present or out of confusion. When were thinking too much and stressing out over what may or may not happen, a loud noise is a perfect way to bring us back.

Nap. One of the best ways to find that sense of peace and calm is to take a nap. Seriously. You know when you really allow yourself an afternoon nap. If youre a regular person who works during the week, do this on the weekend. Notice how you feel just as you nod off. Its quite a freeing feeling to be completely relaxed. No meditation needed, just a simple shut eye.

Obviously, these are simple techniques to bring you into the moment. Once you have enough self control, youll actually find way more benefits in extended meditation. When you get there follow three simple fundamentals. Sit up with a straight spine, have a smooth even breath, and a single pointed focus. Thats all there is too it. The mind is always the toughest thing to wrangle which is why I teach people to pick a place that is peaceful like the beach or the top of a mountain. Focus on that point and when youre mind is distracted, accept the distraction, and come back to your focal point. Its that simple. You will experience benefits and I look forward to hearing how. You can always reach me @teddymcdonald. Until then, may you have inner peace my friends.

Originally published on the authors website.

Ted McDonald is a yoga teacher, fitness trainer, endurance athlete, entrepreneur, philanthropist and modern day adventurer. A former Lacrosse player at UCLA and Elite Adventure Racer, he has been an athlete his entire life. He began teaching yoga and meditation over 14 years ago while he continues to compete in marathons, triathlons, endurance mountain bike races and ultra marathons.

He is the founder of Adventure Yoga Retreats, a company that organizes premium travel adventures that enrich lives and inspire people to live life at their highest level. Ted co-created Tony Hortons p90x:2 yoga DVD and is featured in p90x:3 Yoga, p90x:3 Isometrix as well as Tonys yoga expert for his one-on-one video series. He is a long time lululemon ambassador and is the designated yoga teacher for the Tour de France winning pro cycling BMC Racing Team. He is a featured teacher on YogaVibes.com , Curious.com and created the yoga program at The Ranch at Live Oak Malibu which was named in Travel & Leisures Worlds Best Spas for 2012 & 2013.

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5 Easy Ways to Feel the Benefits of Meditation - The Good Men Project (blog)

VAIL Your brain is complex, but meditation makes it work better, says neuroscientist, Marjorie Hines Woollacott, Ph.D.

Woollacott is a research scientist and university professor who was certain that the brain was a purely physical entity controlled by chemicals and electrical pulses. Consciousness, she used to assert, was what she and her highly trained brain could perceive.

Meditation taught her to think outside the box, and the box is our bodies and physical perceptions. Her scientific research about meditation found that consciousness extends beyond the brain.

brain activity

She has been conducting scientific research for 10 years.

Her sister meditated and introduced her to it. Woollacott loves her, but dismissed her was one of those "Woo-woo" people.

"My boyfriend called her a bubblehead," Woollacott said.

Her sister invited her to a meditation confab in upstate New York. Woollacott was skeptical but wanted to visit my sister, so she went. The yogi touched Woollacott's head and she felt an energy flow through her head and down to heart. She was amazed, but still a scientist.

"There were no scientific findings about this," Woollacott said, so she started her own study. "The scientific mind in me thought this was too way out there."

'neurons in your brain'

In a controlled laboratory setting, people strapped on gear that attached 256 electrodes on their heads. Woollacott measured the amount of attention they were giving complex tasks, and found that meditators had twice the mental acuity of sedentary adults. Meditation quiets the mind and trains the brain to focus on the task at hand, she said.

"When your mind is quiet and it's not distracted by a million thoughts," Woollacott said.

"As a scientist, consciousness is solely the product of neurons in my brain," Woollacott said. "But because I've had experiences in meditation that tell me otherwise, I've now done research to say it's much more, and that consciousness can exist without the activity of neurons in my brain and that we have a connection with a vast consciousness that we are part of. That more vast consciousness contracts down into our own awareness. In certain moments, it can expand back outward that connects us with other parts of reality."

Woollacott herself meditates, which is how she started down this road. She will speak about her findings in a Vail Symposium Consciousness Series program today at Colorado Mountain College in Edwards. She's also conducting a workshop Friday morning.

The Friday morning workshop will be less of a lecture and more experiential, as Woollacott leads participants in an in-depth exploration of the nature of consciousness from both the scientific perspective and that of direct experience, discussing how each contributes to a complete understanding of the topic.

Woollacott has been a neuroscience professor at the University of Oregon for more than three decades and a meditator for almost four. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. She has written more than 180 peer-reviewed research articles, several about meditation

Staff Writer Randy Wyrick can be reached at 970-748-2935 and rwyrick@vaildaily.com.

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Neuroscience proves meditation makes your brain work better - Vail Daily News