KAROLINE TUCKEY

Last updated13:52, March 27 2017

KAROLINE TUCKEY/FAIRFAX NZ

Niko Tofa, 13, has shown dedication to practising the bagpipes.

Niko Tofa, 13, is in love with music, especially bagpipes.

He loves chilling at home playing, regularly has jam sessions with his brothers and dad, writes his own music, and is part of the school band.

Tofa is part Samoan and part Scottish. His Samoan father started him playing ukulele when he was 3 years old, then taught him guitar, and his Sottish-born older brother passed down his love for bagpipes.

The Waiopehu College year 10 pupil also plays and writes for piano, and this year joined a school band as the drummer. They're working on a name, and plan to take on the Rockquest in June with one of his songs in their repertoire.

"Music's something I really, reallylike to do.I feel like I've listened to music since I was born.My mother played old CDs and tapes to me."

The teen doesn't gravitate to modern pop - it's theEagles, Glen Campbell and Little River Band he picks as his current favourites, and he loves the "relaxing and stirring" sound of the bagpipes.

This year he and his brothers joined the Manawatu Scottish Pipe Band. The band has been practising hard - last year they played in grade 4A, which combined with grade 3 this year, so they wanted to bring their standard up.

"So we worked really, really hard, and we went to the nationals in March, and we came second in grade 3. We never expected that."

Meeting other young people who play bagpipesand hearing all the different bands from throughout New Zealand playing differently at thenationalswas a good experience, he said.

"If you went out for a walk through the town as you passed each motel you could hear a different band play.It was beautiful."

Tofa began learning bagpipes when he was 8. "I started off on the practice chanter - it's like a recorder.

"I practised everywhere, and I took my chanter everywhere - to the supermarket, and practised in the car.

"I wanted to not play until I was not going to make really horrible noises come out, so I practised just blowing and the finger [patterns] until I could do it."

Tofa hopes to keep playing all his instruments and to keep writing music, and would love to one day have a career in it.

-Stuff

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Bagpipes playing 'relaxing and stirring', young fan says - The Dominion Post

The Imperial Orchestra and the Lakeland Downtown Development Authority sponsor the weekly event from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. each Monday from October through March.

LAKELAND Today is the last opportunity this season to start out the work week with Music Munndays, a lunchtime concert in downtown Lakelands Munn Park.

The Imperial Orchestra and the Lakeland Downtown Development Authority sponsor the weekly event from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. each Monday from October through March.

Todays concert will be by Motett with Lemay Olano-James. Motett is a jazz trio featuring Davis Collister on bass, Jody Marsh on keys and Jean Bolduc on drums.Olano-James is a violinist.

Expect to hear some swing, foxtrot, rhumba and mambo.

The original ideain October 2015 was to provide a break for downtown office workers, said Julie Townsend, executive director of the Downtown Lakeland Development Authority.

Mondays kind of bum people out," she said. "This way they can start their work week out with a relaxing time in the park.

And it has been a way to promote the park, she said.

Instead of rushing by on their way to and from lunch, people can stop at the park with a blanket or sit on one of the benches and relax, listen to music and play board games or fill out one of the adult coloring pages available at a tent on the Kentucky Avenue side of the park, she said.

Over timethe office crowd morphed into more of a community crowd, Townsend said. Retirees and young parents with toddlers come from home for the free concert, bringing lawn chairs or blankets and lunch, Townsend said.

And sometimes school groups or community groups make a field trip out of it, she said.

The Imperial Orchestra arranges the musical entertainment, Townsend said.

As examples of the type of entertainment the Monday crowds hear, Imperial Orchestras Facebook page lists the entertainment for the month of March as an ISO Brass Quintet, Acoustic Dose (acoustic guitar and vocals), Jazzanovoa (Latin-influenced instrumentals) and todays entertainment by Motett with Lemay Olano-James (jazz with electric violin).

We try to mix it up, to expose people to different types of music, Townsend said. It is just a good time -- just a couple of hours over lunch to hang out, have a good time playing board games and relaxing with coloring while getting exposed to something you may not normally listen to.

Marilyn Meyer can be reached at marilyn.meyer@theledger.com or 863-802-7558. Follow her on Twitter @marilyn_ledger.

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Music Munndays is wrapping up the season with one last concert - News Chief

Los Angeles, Mar 27 (PTI) Sia is all set to work on her new single with Labrinth and the songstress says creating music with him is like having a relaxing meal at a cool eatery.

The 41-year-old diva took to Twitter where she posted a picture of the Jealous hitmaker playing a guitar.

Working with the extraordinary @labrinth is like a relaxing meal at a hipster cafe, tweeted Sia.

The Greatest singer, who was standing opposite a mirror, made sure her face was not visible while clicking his snap.

Neither Sia nor Labrinth have revealed the details of their project together.

This is published unedited from the PTI feed.

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Sia collaborates with Labrinth - India.com

Title: A Million Thoughts; Author: Om Swami; Publisher: Jaico; Pages: 334; Price: Rs 350.

There are many books, indeed good books, on meditation. But this one stands out.

The author, Om Swami, is no run-of-the-mill holy man. Before his renunciation, this MBA product from Sydney ran a multi-million dollar company. It was then he decided to embrace saffron robes.

At the peak of his own practice, Om Swami meditated for some 20 hours daily for months. It was exhausting but rewarding. In the various places he meditated, he realised the truth once you get used to staying quiet for long periods, you will experience certain quietude of the mind.

Rats posed the biggest challenge when he meditated in the Himalayas for months. Then there were spiders. In the slightly warmer places, snakes and wild lizards plagued him. And scorpions were aplenty in hot areas. But not one wild animal ever harmed him, not even once.

This is ultimately what meditation is about experiencing and living in divine union.

And in simple, lucid language, Om Swami comes out with a profoundly useful work on meditation a guide to those who want to meditate and one that can help the already meditating to perfect themselves.

Meditation is going home. But the meditation Om Swami who has an ashram in Himachal Pradesh talks about is not just a feel-good five-minute exercise. It is about hopping out of negativity and calming the tides of emotions in ones life.

And the only way to meditate is to meditate right. Thats what Om Swami teaches elaborately in the book the how.

The mystic, however, makes it clear that meditation is not about gaining anything. It is not a solution to all your problems. Meditation never was and never will be a substitute for virtuous conduct. And just sitting still is not meditation crocodiles do it better.

Ultimately, meditation is silence and presence of the mind. When your mind is at once silent and present, you are deep in meditation.

This is indeed a book to treasure as far as meditation goes.

(M R Narayan Swamy can be contacted at narayan.swamy@ians.in)

This is published unedited from the IANS feed.

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A classic on meditation (Book Review) - India.com

The Hindu

All set for Mitra Milan at Kala Ashram The Hindu The three-day annual Ugadi Mitra Milan is all set to start on Monday at Kala Ashram as participants have started arriving from all corners of the country. The Mitra Milan is a platform for informal discussions between experts in the fields of ...

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All set for Mitra Milan at Kala Ashram - The Hindu

Metro

Thinking about going vegan? Here's what you need to know Metro Short answer the convenience of not being vegan was addictive. I couldn't be bothered with all the planning, making sure I was getting enough protein and having to let people know ahead of time about my dietary requirements. I had gone completely in ...

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Thinking about going vegan? Here's what you need to know - Metro

Its Mothers Day, and right now thousands of women are clutching spa vouchers, feeling overwhelmed with gratitude. Or not.

Ironically, the very thing thats meant to relax us can actually feel pretty intimidating. Ive been a beauty journalist for 15 years, but Ill confess it took a while before I could truly love spa treatments.

Part of me suspected I was a scruffy anomaly in this fragrant, candlelit world, and that nobody else had ever turned up for a massage with chipped toenail polish and hairy legs. Now, though, a spa is my (rare) piece of bliss, and it can be yours too.

So please dont just stick that gift voucher in a drawer until it expires read this, book in and switch off.

Therapists are like nurses; theyve already seen everything. And while YOU might be thinking about your stretchmarks or stubbly legs, theyre only thinking about whether youre enjoying your treatment.

"Weve seen all shapes, sizes and ages and we really dont judge," says Declors education consultant Laura Ford. "Your therapist will leave the room when youre getting undressed, and youll be covered up by towels in the treatment. If you dont want to take your bra off for a back massage, for instance, just say so we can just undo the clasp instead."

Its pretty lousy me time if youre shifting awkwardly on the massage couch, fretting about what to make for tea.

"Try to focus on the here and now," advises Lisa Brown, founder of spa review site The Luxury Spa Edit. "The first thing I notice when I enter any spa is the aroma most are scented with relaxing oils to instantly de-stress clients." And if youre physically uncomfortable in a treatment, speak up.

"Some find theyre more comfortable with folded towels under their knees, for example," says Laura.

Therapists will usually explain the treatment first, and then take their cue from you in terms of chat. Its not rude to be quiet in the treatment, youre not there to entertain anyone.

"If you feel awkward, a good tip is to say you feel tired and close your eyes, or ask for relaxing music to be played," says Lisa.

Tips are always appreciated but definitely not expected, says Laura.

"Theyre not factored into therapists wages like they are for waitresses. Nobody will think any the less of you for not tipping."

This is your time, so do it your way. Your therapist should ask at the start how much pressure youd like, so just be honest.

"Theres nothing worse than sensing a client is in discomfort," says Laura.

Obviously some treatments are more vigorous than others, so if you prefer a light touch you might want to avoid a deep tissue massage, for instance.

Snoozing, especially during a holistic treatment such as a hot stone massage, is a really good thing, reassures Lisa.

"A 45-minute nap can completely re-energise you."

Its also a huge compliment to the therapist.

"Honestly, we love things like snoring and dribbling, because it means clients are relaxed and enjoying themselves," says Laura.

Combines Declors aromatherapy oils with facial massage to lift and sculpt.

We say: "After a cleanse, exfoliation and mask, my face was given a good working over a lot of knuckle kneading into the cheekbones, but not uncomfortably so. My skin felt the smoothest it has in years and I looked lifted. Several people remarked on how fresh and glowy my skin seemed and asked what Id been using!"

A full-body massage that incorporates breathing and visualisation for maximum relaxation.

We say: "The mindful bit at the start was incredible for getting me into a zen state. Its a full-body treatment, with gentle top-to-toe sweeping strokes (but the therapist checks in advance if there are areas youd like them to avoid). I felt like a calm, happy cat being stroked."

A service at 180 Arden counters, your face is spritzed with oxygen and a choice of detoxing, brightening, hydrating or lifting booster.

We say: "Perfect for perking up a tired face the mist felt refreshing, and the brightening boost revived my flagging complexion. You can do it over make-up and the cost is redeemable against an Arden purchase."

A nutrient booster for tired, stressed-out skin.

We say: "Available in 25 min or 60 min versions. A really good, classic facial: relaxing, refreshing, packed with oils, cleansing and masks. A great treatment for someone who hasnt been to a spa before. It taught me more about looking after my skin, was a pleasure to do, and I left feeling dreamily blissed-out with lovely hydrated, plumped skin."

Lisa Brown is founder of Theluxuryspaedit.com a dedicated luxury spa website sharing handpicked spas and wellness retreats in the UK and around the globe.

We had our Mindful Massage treatment at Espa Life at The Corinthia: Espalifeatcorinthia.com . The flagship spa offers a luxe 90-min version for 190.

More:

Your spa day questions answered - and the best new treatments to try this spring - Mirror.co.uk

MORE than 2,000 children from Gwent flocked to Newport to demonstrate their musical talent over the weekend.

The Regional Festival for Music for Youth - hosted by Gwent Music - was held at the Newport Centre and attracted an estimated 2,600 children from Friday, March 24 to Saturday, March 25.

Simon Linton, 45, who is business manager of Gwent Music, said the day was "wonderful".

He said: "The two days have been relaxing and had a lovely feeling to them.

"It's been wonderful to see so many groups and the audience having so much fun.

"There's been such a mixed age range here too - the youngest child taking part was four."

Mr Linton said the two days allowed children to "develop their musical talent".

"The days gave children opportunities," said Mr Linton, "and I think that is very important.

"They were also given feed back for their performances - this is the only way people can become even better."

"Each performance was roughly between eight to 10 minutes."

Young musicians wow Regional Festival for Music for Youth at the Newport Centre

Emma Archer, also of Gwent Music, added: "The day has been amazing and I'm very grateful to everyone who came."

A variety of ensembles - including woodwind and strings - performed pieces to a packed room of people.

Some of the groups which performed included Greater Gwent Youth Jazz Orchestra and South Monmouthshire Sax Ensemble.

Jean Barnes, whose granddaughter was performing in one of the groups, said: "I was moved when I heard my granddaughter play.

"She didn't know that I was coming so I surprised here.

"Music is lovely thing and it relaxes me."

Paul Parish, an ex-music teacher, said he had been coming to the music festival "for years".

"I really enjoy it," said Mr Parish, "I wouldn't keep coming back if I didn't.

"I see a lot of talent among the children and I think they'll all go far.

"This is a must event for all music lovers."

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Young musicians wow Regional Festival for Music for Youth at the Newport Centre - South Wales Argus

MINNEAPOLIS Organic cotton textiles register no more than a footnote in the worlds cotton production, but Vishal Naithani wants to change that.

His company, Sustained Organic Living in suburban Minneapolis, selects certified organic cotton grown in India with non-GMO seeds. The products are made using only fair trade labor on the farms and in the factories.

The challenge for Naithani and his company, which is also known as Sol Organics, is to be able to create the level of interest among consumers for organic apparel that has been generated for organic food. For now, his chief weapon is price: He aims to price his products significantly lower than his online competitors and on par with high-quality bedding that is not fair trade organic.

Every family should have access to affordable organic cotton just like they have access to affordable organic food, he said. It shouldnt be only the wealthy who can afford premium products.

Sol Organics is one of a number of companies offering organic, fair trade textiles online or in stores. Companies such as Boll & Branch and Patagonia sell them. West Elm, Pottery Barn, and Target feature organic cotton that may or may not be fair trade. Naithani said Sol Organics is the only Minnesota-based company to do so.

Part of the reason Naithani acts as a maverick is that organic cotton hasnt grabbed the consumers attention like organic milk, produce and poultry.

Shoppers arent ingesting organic cotton as they do organic foods, so they may not see the benefit, said Mary Brett Whitfield, senior vice president at Kantar Retail, a retail consulting business. We havent trained shoppers to think about how cotton is grown or how it fits in the environmental food chain.

Conventionally grown cottons critics say the so-called fabric of our lives is a crop that requires lots of water and chemicals to grow. A pesticide-intensive crop, conventional cotton uses more than an average amount of pesticides, although the amount is in dispute.

Cotton covers 2.5 percent of the worlds cultivated land, yet growers use an estimated 10 to 25 percent of the worlds pesticides, according to Rodale Institute, a Pennsylvania organic farm and researcher. AMIS Global, an agriculture data firm, estimates the pesticide usage for cotton at closer to 5 percent, according to Cotton Inc., a U.S. trade organization.

In India, where more than 20 percent of the worlds cotton is grown, child labor is common. According to a Harris Poll conducted in 2016, three in five consumers would not purchase a cotton product if they knew it was picked by children or forced labor.

Naithani and others in the business believe that, in time, more consumers will search out organic sheets, towels and clothing. Only 5 percent of consumers purchase organic clothing, slightly higher among millennials, according to Kantar Retail.

The average price paid for a queen sheet set in the U.S. is $80, but organic cotton sets (300 thread count sateen) start at $240 at BollandBranch.com and $258 at Coyuchi.com.

At the wholesale level, organic, fair trade cotton costs only about 15 percent more than conventional cotton, Naithani said. He doubles the cost of the goods for his retail price while competitors triple the cost, he said.

The only way to get people to convert to buying organic cotton is to keep prices competitive. Costco and Wal-Mart have made organic food affordable, he said. We want to do the same for organic cotton.

At $119 for a queen set and $139 for a king set at solorganix.com (after a $40 instant savings), his prices are 30 to 50 percent less than comparable products online, but still nearly double what a conventional set costs at Kohls or J.C. Penney.

Naithani hopes to drop the price of his queen-sized set to $99 within two years, once the product reaches critical mass. Affordability is the tipping point, he said. It promotes access, which in turn creates demand and conversion to organic cotton.

Brett Whitfield sees organic cotton as early in its life cycle but poised for growth. Target and Pottery Barn recently expanded their organic textiles selection. Pottery Barns spring collections show fair trade, organic sheets and towels.

Target, which already had organic cotton sheets, clothes and baby items, added organic in its new Cat & Jack kids line. Its recent pledge to remove perfluorinated chemicals and flame retardants from textiles by 2022 shows a long-term commitment.

We know organic cotton is important to our guests, said Erika Winkels, a Target spokeswoman. It will continue to grow in the future, whether its home or apparel. Its not the be-all-end-all, but its important.

Naithani, who also sells his product on Amazon, hopes to break $1 million in annual sheet sales by next month. Thats still a fraction of the online retailer Boll & Branch, which sold about $40 million in organic fair trade sheets and towels in 2016.

Sols products are getting four- and five-star reviews online. His return rate is an enviably low 2.5 percent.

Increasing the demand for organic cotton creates this tremendous upside where everyone wins, the farmer, the consumer and the earth, he said.

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Can organic cotton become as mainstream as organic food? - The Missoulian

Every grocery chain seeking to thrive in the modern world must provide organic kale alongside the Hot Pockets and Fritos.

That point was driven home by merger talks in recent weeks between Albertsons Cos., the second-largest U.S. supermarket chain, and Sprouts Farmers Market Inc., whose 250-odd stores are known for fresh produce and organic offerings. The preliminary discussions may not lead to a deal, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

For Albertsons, which may be beefing up ahead of an initial public offering, taking Sprouts private and adding it to the portfolio would mean a deeper push into foods that appeal to a growing segment of shoppers. Longtime staples like cereal and canned soup have struggled as health-conscious consumers pursue less-processed options.

Thats pushed organics into the mainstream, with the likes of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Kroger Co. expanding into a market long dominated by Whole Foods Market Inc. and other niche stores. Albertsons seems ready to jump deeper into the lettuce patch.

Theyre looking to add some sex appeal, said Roger Davidson, an industry consultant. A lot of their stores tend to be boring, standard supermarkets. If they dont do something, theyre going to continue to struggle.

Fresh produce is a draw to brick-and-mortar stores, even as online ordering has devoured swaths of the retail landscape. With Amazon intent on pushing into the business despite its struggles with delivering fresh food, grocers are increasingly focused on the quality of fruits and vegetables.

An Albertsons takeover of Sprouts could help convince investors that theres demand for shares of a giant U.S. grocery chain this year, Davidson said. The company, backed by Cerberus Capital Management LP, operates about 2,300 U.S. stores, including the Shaws, Safeway and Acme chains. The company almost went public in 2015 before pulling the IPO because of turbulence in the stock market. The offering has been on hold almost 18 months.

Cerberus, which manages more than $30 billion in private-equity holdings, distressed debt, credit assets and real estate, first invested in Albertsons in 2006 and then bought stores in 2013 from Supervalu Inc. Albertsons more than doubled in size in 2014 when it acquired Safeway Inc.in a deal valued at about $9.2 billion. The company has a presence on the East Coast, but its stores are mainly west of the Mississippi River. Sprouts has more than half of its outlets in California and Texas, two of the most competitive U.S. markets.

Sprouts is one of the few high-quality growth platforms remaining in grocery and a concept we believe will continue to take market share, Chris Mandeville, an analyst at Jefferies, said in a research note.

Winnie Lerner, a spokesman for Albertsons, declined to comment.

With the IPO in limbo, Albertsons has struggled to find growth. Food deflation has battered the industry over the past year, weighing down sales and prompting price wars that have eroded profit margins. Kroger, the largest U.S. grocery chain, in the fourth quarter posted negative same-store sales for the first time in more than a decade. Its shares have plunged 15 percent this year.

Albertsons faces pressure from both ends. It needs organics to appeal to more affluent customers concerned with health. But its current stores arent quite cheap enough to draw low-end customers who shop at dollar-store chains or Wal-Mart. The price war has gotten even more intense with the German chain Aldi expanding rapidly in the U.S., not to mention the planned arrival of European competitor Lidl this year.

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Grocer looks to grow with organic foods - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette - Arkansas Online