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Win a copy of the meditation guide 'The Mind Illuminated' News & Observer In The Mind Illuminated: A Complete Meditation Guide Integrating Buddhist Wisdom and Brain Science for Greater Mindfulness (Touchstone, $25.99), Culadasa (John Yates, PhD) combines threads of psychology, philosophy and cognitive neuroscience to ...

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Win a copy of the meditation guide 'The Mind Illuminated' - News & Observer

The second edition of Shavasana Disco - a series of music events that combine meditation and some truly classic album listening partiesat the studios where they were first recorded - is back for the 50th anniversary of Jimi Hendrix'sAre You Experienced.

The record will be celebrated at the iconic Olympic Studios where it was first cut to tape on 12 May.

Shasavana Disco aims to pass on practical knowledge of meditation and combine it with its founder Will Williams' love of music, with the meditation aspect hopefully heightening the listener's appreciation for the LP.

'Are You Experienced?' remains the most popular Hendrix album and one of the most important debut LPs in rock history.

It features the hit singles 'The Wind Cries Mary', 'Hey Joe', 'Foxy Lady' and 'Purple Haze'.

Organisers for Shavasana Disco write: "Whether its the poetic lyricism, the mind bending rock instrumentation or jazz inspired approach to rhythm, 'Are You Experienced?' was a slice of musical genius from Jimi Hendrix; reflecting a time half a century ago when musical experimentation knew no limits."

With over 100 years of history, Olympic Studios has hosted some of the biggest recording artists in history -Bowie, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin, The Eagles, Pulp, Oasis... it goes on.

Restored in 2013, the studios now boast a state of the art cinema plus an award winning Dolby Atmos 3D sound system.

If you're a newcomer to Are You Experienced? or a lifelong fan, thisis certainly an original way to experience the record (and hopefully relax a little bit as well).

Shavasana Disco takes place at Olympic Studios in Barnes, London on 12 May from 9.30am - 11am- enter to win tickets here

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Shavasana Disco: Jimi Hendrix edition of meditation series will celebrate 50th anniversary of Are You Experienced? - The Independent

Mindful ASU aims to provide spaces for meditation and mindful activities on ASU campuses, beginning with Tempe

Students, staff and faculty participate in Mindful ASU's first event, an interfaith meditation at the Tempe campus on Thursday, March 23, 2017.

A new initiative isproviding meditation spaces and mindfulness resources for ASU students.

The initiative,Mindful ASU, isaimingto bring mindfulness, meditation and other contemplative resources to students on ASU campuses, beginning with Tempe. The initiative is a collaboration between the Council of Religious Advisors, ASU students and faculty members.

It kicked off with an interfaith meditation event at the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writingin Tempe on Thursday evening.

Mindful ASU has identified 14 spaces on the Tempe campus that could be used for meditation and other mindfulness exercises. Each space also has a specific theme associated with it. For example, theVirginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing house theme is Words. Other spaces include Old Main, with a theme of Tradition the downstairs courtyard at the ASUArt Museum, with a theme of Water; and the Rose Garden, with a theme of Grow.

Mindful ASUs goal is to launch first a website, and then an interactive app that can direct students to these spaces, as well as provide supplementary secular and faith based resources for students to use while they are there. Each space will also be given identifying signage to showcase the theme.

Chad Sundin, the Chaplain of the Episcopal Campus Ministries at ASU and Madeline Dolgin, an Innovation Specialist and Springboard Fellow at Hillel are two members of CORA helping to facilitate the initiative.

Sundin said Mindful ASU aims to provide students with resources they can use immediately, right where they are, rather than seeing mindfulness as another commitment.

They dont have to think I cant possibly think about de-stressing, Im too busy.' Well no, heres the place right here and we're going to help you, he said. Heres something you can do to find your breath, to find a sense of well-being. Even if you only have two minutes between classes.

Dr. Carol Sumner, senior associate dean of students, is working with CORA on their Mindful ASU initiativeand said their goal is to find ways to support students that doesnt require a connection to a particular religious group or organization.

Its a way to be able to say, You dont have to be affiliated for us to present other ways of being connected to the world around you,' she said. Thats what the mindfulness practice is really looking to do, is to get out of a particular modality of thinking that you have to practice mindfulness through a frame of religion or spirituality.

Sumner describes Mindful ASU as being one part of a much larger effort by the university to look at student wellness holistically, including holistic wellness and mindfulness resources being provided to students by Sun Devil Fitness.

While CORA might be doing things that have support and an anchor in faith based community work, its not necessarily looking at faith based practice, but mindfulness, Sumner said. The university has mindfulness work being supported and moved forward through our staff, so there are two separate facets of the work that are taking place under that umbrella.

Sundin said that meditation is the one true interfaith practice.

We can identify that we have differences, we dont have to believe the same thing, but we can both participate fully in this common practice without compromising anything that separates us in terms of beliefs and ideas, Sundin said. We can honor the differences while celebrating our commonality fully.

Dolgin hopes to use the interactive app once completed to connect students with all available mindfulnessresources right where they are.

They have yoga classes and meditation classes at the Sun Devil Fitness Complex, but imagine if those were taken out into the beautiful nature we have at this campus or offered for free at different times of the day that anyone could sort of join in on after walking out of the library, Dolgin said.

Sundin hopes these resources can help students feel less stressed, more at peace, and more connected to others around them.

You dont have to live as though everything depends upon your schedule, as though everything depends on the to-do list," he said."Theres a way of being that connects you to a larger and deeper and bigger reality, where youre connected better to other people, and to however you name whats beyond."

The Mindful ASU website will likely be finished by the end of the spring 2017 semester, according to Sundin, but students can find updates and information about upcoming events on the Mindful ASU Facebook page until then.

Reach the reporter atjspearin@asu.edu or follow@JasmineSpearing on Twitter.

LikeThe State Press on Facebook and follow@statepress on Twitter.

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New initiative promotes mindfulness, meditation among ASU students - The State Press

Photo: Michael Cummo / Hearst Connecticut Media

Carrol Houser, 87, poses inside his private room at the Edgehill Retirement Community in Stamford, Conn. on Tuesday, March 21, 2017.

Carrol Houser, 87, poses inside his private room at the Edgehill Retirement Community in Stamford, Conn. on Tuesday, March 21, 2017.

Edgehill Retirement Community Executive Director Christopher Barstein points to a new rooftop area which will be available during the warmer months. Photographed in Stamford, Conn. on Tuesday, March 21, 2017.

Edgehill Retirement Community Executive Director Christopher Barstein points to a new rooftop area which will be available during the warmer months. Photographed in Stamford, Conn. on Tuesday, March 21, 2017.

A list of the daily activites sits in one of the common areas inside the Edgehill Retirement Community in Stamford, Conn. on Tuesday, March 21, 2017.

A list of the daily activites sits in one of the common areas inside the Edgehill Retirement Community in Stamford, Conn. on Tuesday, March 21, 2017.

One of the common areas inside the Edgehill Retirement Community in Stamford, Conn. on Tuesday, March 21, 2017.

One of the common areas inside the Edgehill Retirement Community in Stamford, Conn. on Tuesday, March 21, 2017.

The Edgehill Retirement Community in Stamford, Conn. on Tuesday, March 21, 2017.

The Edgehill Retirement Community in Stamford, Conn. on Tuesday, March 21, 2017.

One of several dinings areas inside the Edgehill Retirement Community in Stamford, Conn. on Tuesday, March 21, 2017. Residents can also eat in an area on their floor.

One of several dinings areas inside the Edgehill Retirement Community in Stamford, Conn. on Tuesday, March 21, 2017. Residents can also eat in an area on their floor.

The Edgehill Retirement Community in Stamford, Conn. on Tuesday, March 21, 2017.

The Edgehill Retirement Community in Stamford, Conn. on Tuesday, March 21, 2017.

One of the common areas inside the Edgehill Retirement Community in Stamford, Conn. on Tuesday, March 21, 2017.

One of the common areas inside the Edgehill Retirement Community in Stamford, Conn. on Tuesday, March 21, 2017.

The excercise room inside the Edgehill Retirement Community in Stamford, Conn. is adjacent to a pool. Photographed on Tuesday, March 21, 2017.

The excercise room inside the Edgehill Retirement Community in Stamford, Conn. is adjacent to a pool. Photographed on Tuesday, March 21, 2017.

Edgehill Retirement Community staff work with residents to keep their minds active and fresh. Photographed inside the Edgehill Retirement Community in Stamford, Conn. on Tuesday, March 21, 2017.

Edgehill Retirement Community staff work with residents to keep their minds active and fresh. Photographed inside the Edgehill Retirement Community in Stamford, Conn. on Tuesday, March 21, 2017.

Residents of the Edgehill Retirement Community get to choose between several options during each meal. Photographed in Stamford, Conn. on Tuesday, March 21, 2017.

Residents of the Edgehill Retirement Community get to choose between several options during each meal. Photographed in Stamford, Conn. on Tuesday, March 21, 2017.

Memory care center highlights improvements at Stamford retirement complex

STAMFORD The needs of todays senior citizens continue to evolve and so have the range of services offered by one of the citys largest retirement communities.

Representing a landmark project in its 19-year history, the Edgehill center at 122 Palmers Hill Road completed earlier this year a $21 million expansion and renovation. The upgrades include a new memory-care wing for residents who have Alzheimers and other forms of dementia, an expanded skilled-nursing facility with more private rooms and improved independent-living accommodations.

Our residents come in independently and live in independent-living apartments, Christopher Barstein, Edgehills executive director, said in an interview last week. And as needs arise, they can move onto a traditional assisted-living environment, and they can move onto a skilled-nursing environment. But what was missing was that dedicated, specialized memory-care environment.

Covering 15,700 square feet on Edgehills third floor, the Harbor Wing memory-care center contains 22 apartments. Harbor Wing also includes a dining room, activities area and two patios.

Certified dementia practitioners staff Harbor Wing. They assist residents throughout the day.

I like living here a lot, 87-year-old resident Carrol Houser said during an interview last week. They are very friendly.

To maintain and strengthen Harbor Wing residents cognitive capabilities, Journey Stations aim to engage them in a memory or take part in activities that interest them. Those stations include a sewing machine, fishing rod, tackle box, art brushes, paint and a canvas.

More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimers disease, which represents the sixth-leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the Alzheimers Association.

Demand has grown nationwide for memory-care centers such as Harbor Wing because of the extent of care required by seniors with dementia, said Dr. Patrick Coll, medical director of senior health at UConn Health in Farmington.

For folks who need continuous supervision, if they have a family that has time and resources, often well see families wholl work it out among themselves to be there for Mom or Grandma, Coll said. But for some folks thats not an option, because theyre busy with work and other commitments, and thats why these residential options are now available.

Edgehill also made extensive changes one floor down from Harbor Wing. As part of the overhaul of its second-floor skilled nursing facility that covers about 24,000 square feet, Edgehill increased the number of private rooms from four to 42. The skilled nursing center now has 46 beds, compared with 60 before the renovation.

When you see the changes that are happening at the (Stamford) hospital right now all private rooms, brand-new facility the expectations in this market are for that same thing, a (skilled-nursing) facility with a high level of finish, with additional amenities and, most specifically, private rooms, Barstein said.

Creating the memory care center and refurbishing the skilled-nursing complex involved significant reconfigurations including the relocation to the ground floor of assisted-living units previously located on the third floor and expanding the footprints of the second and third floors.

The improvements to Edgehills 216 independent living apartments included an enlarged casual dining restaurant and several new amenities such as a rooftop garden, a parlor and entertainment room, a fitness center and a massage therapy room. Edgehill also includes 10 assisted-living apartments.

Construction work for the renovation finished in January, after starting in March 2015.

pschott@scni.com; 203-964-2236; twitter: @paulschott

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Memory care center highlights improvements at Stamford retirement complex - CT Post

Vegan blogger Ashley Hankins-Marchetti delivers authentic taco taste without the carne asada in her version of this food-cart favorite, made with textured soy protein and spicy habanero pesto.

FRESNO, Calif. It took just one documentary about animal agriculture to convince Ashley Hankins-Marchetti to become vegan. The documentary, "Cowspiracy," raises the argument that livestock are harmful to the environment. Although there is still a lot of debate over the issue, Hankins-Marchettis mind was made up. No more meat for her.

That was nearly a year and a half ago, and Hankins-Marchetti remains a diehard vegan with a new passion: blogging about her vegan lifestyle.

An avid home cook, she created eatfigsnotpigs.com, where she shares her recipes with thousands of followers. Describing her cooking style as vegan comfort food, shes garnered the attention of websites such as foodgawker.com, a curated photo gallery showcasing photos and recipes from food bloggers around the world. Several of her recipes have been published on the site. Her work also appears on thefeedfeed.com.

Marchetti, a culinary school graduate, said the fun part of adopting a new cooking style is discovering new uses for everyday ingredients such as cashews. When soaked and put in a blender, the nuts take on a creamy texture that is perfect as the base for sauces, including their Caesar dressing.

Hankins-Marchettis street-style tacos will satisfy even the most devoted taco fanatic. She replaces carne asada with textured soy protein, or TSP. The soy-based product comes dry and is soaked, well seasoned and then fried into crispy chunks. She packs the TSP into a warm corn tortilla and tops it with cilantro, lettuce, onion, a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of the spicy habanero pesto. Each flavorful bite leaves you wanting more.

VEGAN STREET-STYLE TACOS WITH HABANERO PESTO

Habanero pesto:

2 cups loosely packed fresh basil

cup pine nuts

4 cloves garlic

cup loosely packed cilantro

cup vegan Parmesan shreds (Follow Your Heart vegan shreds)

2-3 habanero peppers, deveined and all seeds removed

6-8 tablespoons olive oil

teaspoon pink Himalayan salt

teaspoon ground cumin

Tacos:

2 cups TSP or Soy Curls (textured soy protein, which we purchase at our local grocery store in the Mexican food aisle or at Whole Foods)

1 cups boiling water

2 "Not Chikn" bouillon cubes (or vegetarian or vegetable stock can be used in place of water and bouillon cubes)

2 teaspoons ground oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce, optional

teaspoon liquid smoke, optional

cup vegetable oil, for frying

Corn or flour tortillas (I purchased the extra-small "street-style" tortillas)

Shredded cabbage or lettuce

Lemon wedges

To make habanero pesto, mix all ingredients in a food processor and blend on high for about a minute. Store, covered in the refrigerator until ready to be used.

For the tacos, you must first rehydrate the TSP. In a large bowl, add dry TSP. In a small saucepan on high heat, add water and bouillon cubes OR vegetable stock. Once boiling, add to TSP mixture and set it aside to rehydrate for about 10-15 minutes. Add seasonings (oregano, cumin, vegan Worcestershire and liquid smoke) and stir to combine.

In a frying pan on medium high heat, add oil. Once oil is hot, fry rehydrated TSP, stirring constantly until browned and crispy, about 15-20 minutes. Transfer cooked soy curls to a paper towel-lined plate. Serve with warm tortillas and garnish with lettuce, habanero pesto cilantro, and lemon.

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Meatless Monday: Vegan Street-Style Tacos - The Providence Journal

How is it that spinach has such a bad rep for being an unpleasant thing to eat when it tastes so good? In fact, its so good that it has its own holiday, National Spinach Day, which is today! Not only is spinach available all year round, it is super good for you! Spinach is one of the best sources of iron and is also filled with nutrients such as folate, lutein, calcium, fiber, protein, and vitamins A, C, E, and K.

For spinach cooking tips, check out10 Creative Ideas to Stir-Fry and Saut Spinach and see what we did last year for National Spinach Day,20 Recipes So Good No One Will Have to Tell You to Eat Your Spinach.

Dairy-free spinach dip is fantastic, but how do you make it even better? You stuff it in a crescent roll, season it with garlic and onion powder, and roll it in crunchy bread crumbs. These Spinach Dip Rolls are easy to make and even easier to eat, so you might want to double up on the batch if youre making it for a party. If you really love spinach dip, you can even dip your spinach dip rolls in any extra filling. Now thats what were talking about.

This simple (but very delicious) Creamy 3-Cheese Spinach and Mushroom Lasagnainvolves nothing more complex than a pan, a dish, an oven, and a blender. Spinach is sauted, combined with mushrooms and cream cheese, and then laid down on a dish for the base. From there, the lasagna alternates between tender layers of pasta and velvety cheese sauce, and eventually is topped with sliced tomatoes and a sprinkling of grated cheese.

A simple marinade made with garlic, balsamic, and Dijon lend a delicious flavor to these Portobello caps. They are then stuffed with a nutty and vibrant spinach kale pesto and topped with pine nuts. These Grilled Mushrooms With Spinach Kale Pestoare great as a light dinner with a big salad or served on some of my celeriac mash, cauliflower, or broccoli rice as a starter.

Think light, fluffy and tender crpes lovingly wrapped around the most amazing creamy mushroom mix, flavored with punchy hints of garlic, shallot, and thyme. These Spinach Crpes are so easy to make, 15 minutes in total (after soaking the chickpeas the day before), and miraculously dont fall apart or stick to the pan despite the absence of eggs and oil. You will fall in deep mad love with this creamy, crpey mushroomy creation. Definitely one to put on your to-do list this week!

This warm and fragrant Palak Tofu can be ready and on your table in just 30 minutes! Spinach is sauted in aromatics like onion, tomato, garlic, ginger, and chilis, and is then studded with tofu paneer, a twist on the traditional cubes of Indian cheese. Creamy, rich, and delicious!

Topped with goodness, this Artichoke and Spinach Pesto Pizza is sure to be your new favorite. It can be made with any kind of crust, whether you like thin, crispy crusts, grain-free, soft and doughy its all about the toppings and this pizza has them right. Its all topped off with vegan Parmesan and melty vegan mozzarella which is entirely optional, but so good.

If you enjoy recipes like these and want more, we highly recommend downloading the Food Monster App. For those that dont have it, its a brilliant recipe app available for both Android and iPhone. Its a great resource for anyone looking to cut out or reduce allergens like meat, dairy, soy, gluten, eggs, grains, and more find awesome recipes, cooking tips, articles, product recommendations and how-tos. The app shows you how having diet/health/food preferences can be full of delicious abundance rather than restrictions.

The Food Monster app has over 8000+ recipes and 500 are free. To access the rest, you haveto pay a subscription fee but its totally worth it because not only do you get instant access to 8000+recipes, you get 10 NEW recipes every day! You can also make meal plans, add bookmarks, read feature stories, and browse recipes across hundreds of categories like diet, cuisine, meal type, occasion, ingredient, popular, seasonal, and so much more!

These Avocado Spinach Rotitake flatbread to the next level. Avocados make these roti very very soft and they stay that way for a very long time, which makes them perfect for packing for lunch. The spinach adds color, flavor, and nutrients. You can serve these roti with vegan raita, pickles, or use them as a wrap for your lunches.

These Fat-Free Spinach and Broccoli Patties are a healthier, easy to make tikkis, Indian croquettes, made from spinach broccoli, and chickpea flour. These patties are crispy on the outside with soft and chewy texture inside. Ready in less than 20 minutes, theyre perfect as an appetizer or snack served with chutney or any creamy dip.

Ive youve never tried it, Spanakopita is a Greek savory filo dough pie filled with spinach and cheese. Here, vegan mozzarella cheese and lemony Spinach come together to form this delicious, flaky, and buttery pie. Super delicious!

Flan might be better known as a sweet, pudding-like dessert, but it can also be made savory, like this gorgeous Spinach Flan.Made from spinach and silken tofu, its soft texture and subtle flavor served with creamy rosemary potato pure make this a delicacy worthy of any dinner party.

Its no wonder falafel are popular. These little chickpea balls are plant-based by default and home to many different countries in the Middle East. Unlike traditional falafel, these Healthy Spinach Falafel are baked, not fried, and packed with greens for extra nutrition!

Think you cant make a quiche without eggs? Think again! These Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomato Crustless Quichesuse tofu and almond milk in place of eggs, is packed with cheesy, savory flavor thanks to spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and nutritional yeast, and skips the crust for a lighter and simpler tart. Serve these with a side of micro greens for a light and healthy lunch.

This beautifully simple Cashew Spinach Cannellini Bean Stewworks great if you are trying to make lunch for a week. You start with a basic tomato base and then add some whole vegetables for nutrition and some spices to make the dish pop. You should get creative with the spice proportions so you can have a dish that is just to you liking.

This Spinach and Basil White Pizzacombines creamy almond-based bchamel sauce, tofu ricotta, and a sprinkling of vegan mozzarella. Fresh spinach and basil leaves add a little green to this easy Italian dish. With three different types of cheeses, whats not to love?!

These savory little Broccoli and Spinach Pt Tartsare easy to whip up for any event. A crumbly crust is filled with a creamy pt made from avocado pured with spinach and broccoli. Serve these tarts with a sprinkle of a red berries to really make the green filling pop or use any garnish of your choice.

Need more green in your life? Hop on over to our vegan spinach recipes page.

Lead image source:Artichoke and Spinach Pesto Pizza

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The Common Ingredient in These 15 Vegan Recipes is a Nutritional Powerhouse - One Green Planet

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

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

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