Hundreds of road side traders who were chased from their business places by Adamawa State government as part of preparation for Vice President Osinbajos visit have accused the state government of violating their rights.

The traders including fruit sellers, food sellers, vulcanisers and other small scale business owners said members of the task force appointed by government confiscated their goods which they shared among themselves even when they conducted their business without constituting any problem to traffic or pedestrians.

Osinbanjo is scheduled to commission some road projects in the state on Thursday as part of his one day official visit to the state capital,Yola.

Chairman of the Fruit and Vegetables Sellers Association in the state, Abubakar Mai Dama said the action of the state government had dispossessed hundreds of traders of their hard earned capital, there by plunging families in to hardship.

He wondered how government embarked on demolition of their stands without prior notice or involving the affecting persons who worked hard to survive in the current economic hardship..

A trader who gave his name as Vandi urged politician to always encourage self reliant among the citizens instead of treating them like foreigners, wondering how an elected government could treat tax payers in that manner.

However,the Commissioner for Housing and urban development,.Abubakar Idris Magaji said the excercise had nothing to do with the Vice Presidents visit.

He accused the traders of dumping waste in new drainages and defacing newly constructed roads in the state capital, saying the excercise was in the best interest of the state.

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Traders protest demolition of stalls over Osinbajo's visit - Naija247news

The ACB today arrested a headmaster and superintendent of an Adivasi Ashram School while allegedly accepting Rs 20,000 from a barber to continue his contract.

Kishore Patil (49), headmaster of the Adivasi Ashram School at Savroli in Shahpur in Thane district and Dilip Khotare (38), superintendent of the school had allegedly asked for the bribe from the barber to continue his contract, the official said.

Patil and Khotare sanctioned the payment to be made to the barber against students monthly haircut bill and also transferred money into the barber's bank account, said the official.

Thereafter, they asked for a bribe amount of Rs 22,000 for clearing the bills, said the official. The amount was later scaled down to Rs 20,000 after negotiations.

The barber later approached the ACB with the complaint.

The ACB sleuths laid a trap at Shahpur and arrested both the accused while accepting the bribe amount, the official added.

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

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HM, superintendent of ashram school held for demanding bribe - Daily News & Analysis

ABU DHABI // As the Sun set over Abu Dhabis port on Wednesday, art enthusiasts and experts converged at an event aimed at attracting collectors.

Six galleries that regularly participate in Abu Dhabi Art, the citys annual art fair, had set up small booths of low-priced art works.

People started to arrive at Galleries Week as evening fell and the galleries opened their doors. Visitors from across the Emirates came to see the art as well as listen to a presentation about collecting it while a DJ played relaxing music.

"This event is a fantastic idea," said Salwa Zeidan, an art collector and dealer with an eponymous gallery in Abu Dhabi.

Her gallery was one of the six participating in the event and she had a selection of work in her booth from Emirati artists.

"I made sure to take this event seriously and offer art made in the UAE as this is what the young collectors are looking for," Ms Zeidan said.

In her booth she had prints from Abdul Qader Al Rais, one of the most prominent artists in the UAE, as well as small works by Fatema Al Mazrouie and some collages by Hussein Sharif, the brother of Hassan Sharif, who died last year and was probably the best-known Emirati artist.

Galleries Week is the first event of its kind in the city. It is a tie-up between Abu Dhabi Art and Warehouse 421, the art hub located in the port.

The idea was to filter the selection of art so that for those looking to start a collection, some of the work was already finished. Although there was a maximum price tag of Dh30,000 set on the artworks on offer, most were much lower than that, with some beautiful etchings by a Tunisian artist Halim Karabibene on sale for Dh3,150 at Elmarsa Gallery from Dubai, and drawings by Emiratis Mohammed Ahmed Ibrahim and Nasir Nasrallah at Cuadro Gallery for under Dh10,000.

"For us, this was a fantastic experience," said Bashar Al Shroogi, the founder of Cuadro gallery. "It changed our perspective and forced us to think about how to present art to a new audience and how to make it accessible. Contemporary art can sometimes be quite intimidating and events like this can help reduce that."

Also on show were calligraphy pieces by Abdulaziz Al Rashidi at Athr Gallery from Jeddah and some highly detailed pencil drawings by an Italian artist known as Serse, who lives in Trieste in northeastern Italy and draws images of nature such as the sea, the horizon and storm clouds.

"Abu Dhabi has great potential," said Lilia Ben Salah, the owner of Elmarsa Gallery. "There is a growing art scene here and having something beside the annual art fair for people to come and enjoy and experience art is vital to nurture that growth."

Galleries Week runs until next Wednesday and as well as the art on sale there is a strong line-up of music performances.

Soul and funk outfit Abri and Funk Radius will be playing on Thursday night and the rock and roll, funk and blues band Carl and Reda Mafia will take to the stage the following night. Sima Dance Company from Syria will entertain audiences on Saturday as will Adam Baluch, a performer who plays the keyboard, guitar and trumpet.

Although the event is aimed at art lovers, anyone interested in art and culture is encouraged to attend.

The event is at Warehouse 421 in Mina Zayed and entrance is free. It will run from 4pm to 10pm today, 3pm to 10pm tomorrow and Saturday, and 4pm to 10pm Sunday through Wednesday. It will be closed on Monday.

aseaman@thenational.ae

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Gallery event aimed at encouraging new Abu Dhabi art collectors - The National

Thursday,April 13 8 AM Pieces of Peace Guests are Milana Baazov, Associate Executive Director of The Blue Card whose mission is to provide financial assistance to needy Holocaust survivors. Also, Laynee Bluebird Reyna, a descendant of the Eastern Woods people, will discuss her work as a Painter of Spirit. 9 AM Special Working Class Histories from With Good Reason. Tracking the history under your feet how enterprising outsiders shaped working class neighborhoods the truths about homelessness. 10 AM Turning Pages Special The Witches of Lublin. Lublin, Poland, 1797: While they prepare for Passover, a family of female Jewish klezmer musicians struggles for survival, but when music and love prove not enough, only the unthinkable can save them. 11 PM Under the Needle featuring Brazilian guitarist Seu Jorge, this time playing covers of David Bowie.

Friday,April 14 11 AM Reveal If You Cant Afford A Lawyer A New Orleans state-appointed lawyer refuses to represent people who cant pay. A follow up to last years story. Noon Alternative Radio Geoffrey Stone on The Fight for Free Speech on Campus. 2 PM Classical Friday Anneke hosts a program featuring English composers. 4 PM The French Touch Listen to The French Touch with Emmanuel, presenting you todays and yesterdays French pop music with large choirs as a background. Contact emmanuelgps@gmail.com for details and requests. 5 PM Happy Hour Liberacha unveils some newly acquired vintage vinyl, perfect for those listeners with a thirst for mid-century B-movie soundtracks and a gristle-tinged serving of soul jazz. Tune in for the sonic intrigue! 7 PM Bring It On Home will honor the patriarch of rock and roll, Chuck Berry. In 1977 the Voyager space craft launched a treasures trove of earths cultural achievements. Johnny B. Goode was the only rock and roll song included. In 1987, the first intelligible signal from outer space was received. In 1990. three years laterearth scientists were finally able to translate the alien message, it said simply, Send More Chuck Berry. We will be playing covers of his songs by a few of his disciples, Elvis, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, Jimi Hendrix and others. Join us in remembering the man who made rock and roil possible.

Saturday,April 15 7 AM Morning Glory Anneke brings you Spring.on-air!

Sunday,April 16 10 PM LA Theare Works presents The Misanthrope. Molire went beyond his usual comic inventiveness to create a world of rich, complex characters, especially in the cynical title character Alceste.

Monday,April 17 8:30 AM Special Listen Up: Music & Politics from With Good Reason. One mans quest to free Africas historical recordings from the colonial archives Teaching hip-hop diplomats how to use music for peace The struggle for racial equality in the world of jazz Composers who broke down stereotypes of blackness.

Tuesday, April 18 2 PM Desde La Bahia If you havent heard this show yetMaria Marquez has great taste in musicperfect for a relaxing AND productiveTuesday afternoon. 4:30 PM Youth DJ Project Brians back with The Wave.

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Seu Jorge sings Bowie, The Misanthrope, Racial Equality - KWMR

Hot sauce, broken teeth, slashed sofas and more than a few bus woes. We get the lowdown on the making of the duos second album Ultralife.

By Eugenie Johnson on 12th April 2017

Is it possible to start calling Oh Wonder a phenomenon? After the release of their self-titled titled album, London duo Josephine Vander Gucht and Anthony West booked just four gigs to promote the album in the hope that theyd be able to get straight back in the studio. Things didnt quite go to plan, in a good way. After selling out all the shows in less than a week, they ended up touring the world, playing 162 sets across 112 cities across the globe. Josephine still needs pinching though. She cant quite get her head around it all: if youd told us when we were 15 that in 2017 wed be releasing a second record, touring the world, doing what were doing, Id have been like yeah, do one!

Yet here they are, on the cusp of releasing their second album, Ultralife. On the surface, its release seems to be a little bit more traditional than their debuts. For that record, they released a song a month for a year before combining them all into a single collection. This time round theyve taken a slightly more regular approach to writing and recording. As such, they even call this second LP their debut album proper because, as Anthony explains, the first album didnt feel like an album, it was a collection of songs wed made over a year. This was conceived as a full album, Josephine adds. For me, this is the first album Ive ever written.

But this is Oh Wonder were talking about here. As Josephine says, theyve never approached anything properly. Weve done everything the wrong way round! I guess we wanted to continue being an improper band! she laughs. So its pretty unsurprising that Ultralife has had quite an interesting conception. During their manic touring period, they managed to take 30 days out and, of course, they rented an Airbnb in New York. Why? Weve always grown up writing music in homes, and its really nice to feel like youre not at work, Anthony explains. We want to be able to hear traffic, we want to be able to hear people, we want to be able to take a walk and take in some atmosphere to bounce off.

They certainly got that with the second-floor Brooklyn apartment. It was noisy, with people often shouting outside, and a bagel shop residing next door. The flat itself had a leaky shower, and the landlord wasnt too happy about the state that the pair left his place in. The guy tried to get us to buy him a new sofa at the end of it. He was like, you ripped my sofa! And we said we definitely havent mate, Josephine recalls. Oh Wonder wrecking shit up? Surely not. Turns out it was all a bit of a misunderstanding. We sat on the sofa, we wrote some songs, we watched a bit of The Office and thats literally all we did! He thought wed been slashing up his furniture!

If we can help people through their day, thats our job done.

Anthony West

Despite having to cope with some ripped furniture, they managed to get about half of the album written, and after managing to finish off the rest of the record they started recording Ultralife the day after their tour in December 2016 finished. Renting a (very) small studio in the capital filled with their own weird instruments theyd picked up on their travels, the pair were all set to go. But they didnt realise that as well as having to cope with being near Gatwick, theyd have to battle pretty much an entire fleet of London buses too. Literally any time of the day, theres a bus every minute, Josephine says. Its kind of hard to fight Transport For London though, so in the end they just kept the sounds of the buses as part of the record. Theres buses all the way through the album, Josephine insists. You probably cant hear them but theyre there!

You dont get too much more real than the distinctive hum of a buss engine lingering somewhere in the background. It isnt just in the atmosphere where Ultralife more organic though. The duo have been determined to move away from MIDI samples and laptops and into live instrumentation, embracing the feel theyve generated at their countless gigs. The live show really taught us that you get a lot of energy when you put people behind it, Anthony explains. Lots of people comment that the live show is intense; theres people singing, dancing, jumping around, whereas on the record a lot of people say were very chilled, late-night listening, relaxing music, Josephine adds. We wanted to make a record that met in the middle. As a result, she says the new album has just got so much more energy.

That new sense of vitality teems out of the albums first single, also its title track. While it still keeps the sense of languid warmth that ran through their debut album, everything seems brighter and bolder, the chorus being the biggest theyve produced so far. Because of its subject matter about striving to live the best life possible, Josephine says that although they werent quite sure how itd sound at first, it was always going to be a really big, festival summer anthem.

Then she reveals the twist in the tale: none of the other songs on the record sound like Ultralife! Instead, theyve decided to push the boundaries far beyond what theyve done in the past, as Anthony says: the sound and the textures, we wanted to make sure they were all different. With the first record, because of the way it was written and recorded, they all kind of sounded quite similar. So as well as some typically warming piano-centred tunes, theyve also been inspired by French disco, and rock.

Weve done everything the wrong way round!

Josephine Vander Gucht

Their latest track Lifetimes is a hip-hop flavoured number, inspired by seeing Drake live. It even has Anthony doing a spot of rapping or, as he puts it, doing a pathetic white-boy rap. Hes being very harsh on himself. Its also a track centred on climate change, and the pair think they invented a new word in the process of writing it: climaphobe. Is it a word? Anthony asks. Josephine is straight on to Google. Apparently climacophobia is the fear of climbing, but theres no such thing as a climaphobe. Yet.

While Lifetimes expands their usual narrative focus and the English language with it - Anthony explains that we never write to a brief, we just write from experience. Josephine gets really enthused talking about the curious incidents that led to writing one of the biggest, most bombastic songs on the album, High On Humans. Making her way back from Heathrow one day, she realised two girls in front of her were talking avidly about food (as you do). When it came round to the topic of hot sauce, Josephine couldnt help but get involved. I just butted in and was like, I love sriracha! We just chatted about hot sauce for 20 minutes, and I dont even know their names! she laughs. I was so hype after talking to these strangers, its not something you normally do in London. Youre supposed to ignore everyone and look really grumpy.

The unusual encounters that night didnt end there. Getting the tube, she met a drunk man covered in blood having knocked his teeth out. Ouch. Josephine experienced a similar crisis with her own teeth after taking a nasty trip a couple of years ago, so was eager to give advice. I ran up to him and said I cant help but notice that youve lost your front teeth, you must have knocked them out! She made it clear that she wasnt being funny, and just wanted to help. After that, the whole train carriage erupted into conversation, each passenger relating their own funny tales of accidental injury. Walking home, Josephine immediately started making voice memos. I got back and called Anthony and was like Anthony, Ive got a song! Its called High On Humans! And he was just like, youre a weirdo. Charming! Undeterred by his reaction, the next day Josephine sat Anthony down in the studio and was determined to write a song about her experiences. A melody was conceived, High On Humans was born.

Not all of the album is as euphoric or celebratory, though. Instead, the pair have found themselves pondering more about the real nature of human connection, our sometimes shallow take on relationships in the modern age and our tendency towards self-doubt in their songs. People will sit on their own on a Friday night with Netflix or whatever and then think to themselves, why dont I have any friends? Why am I alone? I know I do, you just need people, Josephine muses. Conversely, you get periods where youre so liberated and happy within yourself that you want freedom, independence and want to be alone for a bit.

Despite living an extremely fruitful life on the surface, that internal conflict hasnt escaped Josephine and Anthony. Its a weird cyclical thing that youre constantly questioning yourself and doubting yourself, and I think that touring exacerbated that because youre miles away from everyone you love for extended periods of time and you miss them and you want people, she says. As such, theres a loose narrative arc to the new record that encompasses these two extremes. Opener Solo kicks things off at a house party that you cant wait to get away from, while closer Waste states that its a waste to be so alone.

Rather than being contradictory though, its simply a comment on the strange way the human mind works, hopefully giving some comfort to fans that theyre not alone in harbouring these seemingly inconsistent emotions. For me its a reassurance to listeners that youre not bizarre, or weird, or unusual for constantly doubting yourself, or constantly craving people or independence, Josephine says. Whatever friendship, independence and freedom means to you, you should celebrate that and not fear, not worry.

Ultralife is therefore set to be a record not just about Oh Wonder living their best possible life, but about the highs and lows of the human experience, exposing common yet under-discussed issues that we all share. If we can help people through their day, Anthony says, thats our job done.

Ultralife is out on 16th June via Island Records.

Photos:Mike Lee Thomas

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In The Studio: Oh Wonder - DIY Magazine

In this case, its all about quantity. Not enough people are walking through the front doors of Whole Foods Market anymore.

When the supermarket chain went public over two decades ago, it experienced growth driven largely by growing interest in organic foods. In short order, the Austin, Texas-based grocer became a darling of upper-middle class shoppers, earning a reputation for being expensive along the way.

It was inevitable that Whole Foods success would change the grocery market, where chains often engage in aggressive discounting when battling each other for customer foot traffic. Over the years, consumer demand drove more chainsincluding places such as Kroger and Walmartto include organic options, and the supply chains found ways to accommodate. Fast forward to 2017 and almost all grocery stores across the US have an organic food section with lower prices that what shoppers will find in most of Whole Foods more than 430 locations.

Consumers reacted as one might expect. Average sales growth at Whole Foods Market locations open for more than one year declined.

Luckily for Whole Foods, some investors havent lost faith. Edward Kelly, an analyst with Credit Suisse, wrote in a report this week that he had hopes for the grocery chain, especially as news this week broke that Jana Partners, a group of activist investors, has built up an 8.8% stake in the company. Jana has said it wants to talk with Whole Foods management about its corporate structure and brand development, among other things. The idea is that a shakeup could wind up spurring some positive changes.

We believe [Whole Foods Market] has superior brand value but has arguably been mismanaged as the company failed to adapt to the evolving food retail landscape, Kelly wrote. Good brands dont underperform forever.

Still others are more skeptical. UBS analyst Michael Lasser wrote this week that Whole Foods new line of millennial-driven 365 by Whole Foods Market-branded stores may wind up causing more harm than good. The company started that chain to attract value-driven shoppers. Even if Whole Foods becomes more price competitive with competing brands, the presence of 365-brand locations may wind up cannibalizing some of the sales that would otherwise go back to the flagship stores.

These challenges arent likely to abate soon, Lasser wrote.

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Charted: Whole Foods' organic problemshoppers naturally prefer cheaper options - Quartz

Dive Brief:

While Danonemay be the global leader in yogurt, it has been struggling to improve annual sales growth after disappointing performance from its Activiabrand.Since Danone first announced it would acquire the fast-growing organic foods maker WhiteWave for $12.5 billion last year, analysts predicted the purchase would give it a premier position in soy and plant-based products popular with American consumers.

The merger was allowed to proceed following Danone'srecent antitrust deal with the U.S. Department of Justice, which required the company to sell its Stonyfield organic yogurt brand.Danoneexpects the acquisition to raise its full year like-for-like sales growth by an extra 0.5% to 1%and boost run-rate operating profits to $300 million by 2020. Improving the company's dairy division has been a top priority for executives at Danone.

The WhiteWavepurchase comes as consumers embracethe plant-based and dairy-free lifestyle one that is conscious of environmental, ethical, and health concerns. There are a significant number of consumers who cant eat dairy. More than 40 million Americans are lactose intolerant. But many others are looking to dairy alternatives. The purchase, which is Danones largest in a decade, will improve the companys product line with brands including Horizon Organic milk, Wallaby Organic yogurt and Earthbound Farm packaged salad, which WhiteWave says are the top sellers in their categories. If the trend of moving toward plants and away from dairy continues, Danone's acquisition viewed by some analysts as expensive could prove to be a bargain.

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Danone completes acquisition of organic-foods producer WhiteWave - Food Dive

LIV - Liverpool 's new independent healthy living department store will open its doors tomorrow.

The new organic and natural food market, caf and health and beauty destination has 10,000 sq ft market area and 50 seat restaurant.

In the heart of the citys thriving independent food and drink quarter, LIV aims to celebrate the best that Bold Street has to offer and the ECHO were invited for an exclusive look inside before opening day.

Exclusive first look inside Bold Street's LIV organic food market

The LIV concept is being launched by Knowsley-based Healthy Food Supplies. Inside, the market area is a must for foodies, with bespoke individual sectors, where customers are encouraged to wander round and ask the friendly experts for advice.

The team have been hard at work sourcing the finest fresh, local and seasonal produce, with chilled, fresh and frozen sections.

The beautiful eatery is the perfect place to relax and people-watch, or catch up with friends, enjoying views onto Bold Street.

The menu offers something for everyone, including the best delicious vegan and vegetarian dishes, with meat dishes too, as well as a strong awareness of dietary requirements, such as gluten and dairy free options.

In a dedicated health and beauty area there will be a first-rate range of vegan cosmetics, brushes and skincare, catering for a burgeoning sector of the beauty industry.

LIVs Ashleigh Coleman told the ECHO: The response has been fantastic. Since we announced we were opening weve had such amazing feedback. Bold Street is a great location for independent businesses, particularly in the food and drink sector, it just seems the ideal place for us to be.

There is real demand for fresh and seasonal foods, and the growing vegetarian and vegan market means its the perfect time and place for a healthy living department store like LIV to open in the heart of Liverpool. We cant wait to welcome our first customers in through the doors.

Other stand-out elements in LIVs food and drink offer includes a specialist herb and spice selection where keen cooks can help themselves from dispensers, fill up packaging, weigh and print off a price label.

Ashleigh added: Well have fresh fruit and vegetables, and on-the-shelf products like pastas and sauces, plus a cheese and deli counter again supporting local producers and an in-store bakery.

Stepping into the Art Deco grandeur of the iconic site, built for the gas board as Radiant House, customers will be greeted by a large feature wall artwork, celebrating Liverpool's cityscape and all its world famous sights.

Healthy Food Supplies has chosen Liverpool as its first LIV location, and Ashleigh sais the response to the initial announcement gave them confidence that customers are keen to see an organic, natural food market in the city.

Health and lifestyle have become such a big issue and people are appreciating them much more, so we hoped to get a positive reaction, but it went wild as soon as we first revealed our plan.

LIV isnt just about healthy food and natural beauty products, we want to develop a community aspect too which I think are all a part of that lifestyle.

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Exclusive first look inside Bold Street's LIV organic food market - Liverpool Echo

Mindfulness meditationstaying quietly in the presenthas been shown to increase creativity, the ability to manage pain and the power to relieve anxiety. For golfers, the last one might be most important.

There are as many kinds of meditation as there are coffees at Starbucks. Some meditators focus on numbers, phrases or mantras. They even meditate as they walk, counting footfalls. Some sit quietly and concentrate on the sounds around them. To start, keep it simple: Sit upright, close your eyes and focus on your breaththe flow of air, the expansion of your chest in and out. When your mind wanders, notice that, and bring it back to your breath. "It'll take about two breaths before the thoughts start," laughs tour pro Luke Donald, who says returning to meditation in 2014 helped him recover control over his mind-set and mood at a time when he was in a freefall from his No. 1 ranking.

You don't need shrines, special rooms or lotus pillows. "The easier, the more portable, the more practical, the better," says Dan Harris, whose on-air panic attack on "Good Morning America" more than a decade ago led to 10% Happier, a book about his experience. Wherever you do it, try to do it regularly, say, 10 minutes a day. Donald says his new strategy is three little sessions of five minutes each day.

Psychologist Michael Gervais, whose clients include Donald and the Seattle Seahawks, says the point isn't just awareness. It's insight. "For some golfers, the ultimate insight might be: It's just a game. But you start by becoming aware of your emotions, body sensations and the unfolding environment." Harris talks about "investigating" what you notice and feel. "Practicing mindfulness helps you lean into feelings, accept them rather than fight them," he says. "That's when the magic happens."

Naturally there are apps for this. Some "game" the process, allowing you to measure how long you focus before your mind wanders. Check out Headspace, Muse, Harris' 10% Happier and Opti-Brain, an app built on the Muse software by Arizona State sport psychology consultant Debbie Crews. She put brain-wave-measuring headbands on teachers at last year's PGA show, demonstrating how much better they putted when they got their brainwaves to a resting state.

So now ... sit up straight. Close your eyes. Take a deeeeeep breath... and let the birdies come.

1.) Notice negative thoughts without being run by them. I gag over bunker shots might be a thought that never leaves you, but its power over you should.

2.) Delay reaction to stress. "Think of road rage," says tour pro Luke Donald, who has worked with psychologist Michael Gervais and George Mumford, author of The Mindful Athlete. "Something happens. You react. There are moments like that in golf. The idea is to extend the gap between feeling and reaction. Give the urge to react time to dissipate."

3.) Stop fighting what you feel. "It's not about feeling good. It's about feeling what you feel, and not running from it," says Dan Harris, author of 10% Happier.

4.) Be. Here. Now. "You hit a shot and take a few moments to evaluatenot judgeit," Gervais says. "You say, 'OK, this happened and this happened and that happened.' After that, the idea is to simply be where your feet are. Enjoy the walk."

5.) Rehearse success. Some psychologists go as far as encouraging players to imagine a whole round in a kind of meditative state. See success. Invite success.

RELATED: A great yoga program for golfers

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Why Meditation Could Be Just What Your Game Needs - GolfDigest.com

Of course, exclaimed Mary Bitterauf when I asked her if mindfulness and meditation really help. Mary is a certified Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher at the MaineHealth Learning Resource Center. She teaches an MBSR course based on aprogram developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University

I have been teaching the program for over five years. My teaching certification is from the University of Massachusetts Medical Center and I was trained in the Jon Kabat-Zinn program, which is world renowned. The reason I teach it at the MaineHealth Learning Resource Center is because we know its effective.

A lot of people talk about mindfulness today. Meditation is a tool to achieve a certain quality of mind so it is part of the mindfulness practice. What we know about [the benefits] is through the research and the medical evidence that Jon has been able to provide over the course of 35, almost 40 years. And we know that it absolutely works.

The 8-week Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program has been proven to reduce blood pressure and enhance the immune system and to help people with a wide variety of chronic conditions such as stress disorders, chronic pain, heart disease, anxiety, depression, sleep issues and fibromyalgia. There are many physical benefits and studies have been done repeatedly to validate the effectiveness of mindfulness meditation when done on a regular basis.

I was diagnosed 20 years ago with rheumatoid arthritis which is an autoimmune disease. It affects the joints and other organs in the body and with that often comes pain. It can be somewhat controlled by new biological medications but when I was first diagnosed, they werent available so I did have a lot of chronic pain. One of the ways I was able to manage that was through the practice of meditation and through gentle movement such as yoga, particularly a style of yoga called restorative yoga which is very, very gentle movement of the joints.

When you deal with chronic pain, there is also a lot of anxiety and depression. Mindfulness and meditation are helpful because they keep you focused and centered instead of [launching into] catastrophic thinking. You recognize how often the mind takes us in different directions and we start worrying about the past and the future, which usually causes stress. Mindfulness and meditation bring you back to the present moment where you can steady your mind and find stability.

Mary still has a few openings in one of her upcoming classes. It starts Wednesday, April 26 from 10 am to 12:30 pm and endsJune 14.

If youd like to try a 15-minute sitting meditation narrated by Mary, click here.

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Do mindfulness and meditation really help? - Bangor Daily News