Written by Shyamlal Yadav | Gadva Ghat (varanasi) | Published:March 5, 2017 5:14 am

Prime Minister Narendra Modi would on Monday visit an ashram here known for its influence among Yadavs. He will perform cow puja besides seeking blessings for its head Sadguru Sharananand. I will not seek anything from him. Let us see what he seeks from us, Sharananand told The Indian Express. The ashram is located on the banks of Ganga on eastern side of Varanasi and is called Saint Mat Anuyayi Math. It enjoys huge influence among Yadavs. The ashram has around 100 ashrams in India, Lahore (Pakistan) and Nepal under its umbrella. It runs Gau Shalas (cow shelters) for nearly 200 cows, a mahila ashram and some schools.

In Varanasis three assembly segments, there are around one lakh Yadav voters. They have traditionally voted for BJP, with some exceptions.

In Varanasi city area, Yadavs have voting pattern opposite to other areas, where they have been staunch support base for SP, said local BJP leader Ram Sunder Yadav. Here in Varanasi city area, we have several leaders at local level in BJP and mostly Yadavs here vote for BJP. .

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UP polls 2017: Modi to visit ashram known for influence among Yadavs - The Indian Express

BATON ROUGE, La. Ten minutes before the evening aerobics class even begins, the music is blasting and a half dozen women dance and clap in rhythm.

Leader of the pack is 75-year-old Gracie Perkins.

For a decade Perkins has taught this rhythmic aerobics class for seniors at BREC's North Sherwood Forest Community Park, dancing hard for an hour every Tuesday and Thursday. And she barely breaks a sweat.

"She's the fountain of youth," says Brenda Summers, 50, a regular participant. "She makes you want to be better."

When the class officially starts, the room is full, and Perkins grabs a stack of CDs next to the boom box. The ageless, constantly smiling Perkins wears a pink T-shirt slightly off her shoulder, her short, dark hair highlighted with brassy tones.

"Where y'all want to go?" Perkins asks the room while searching through the music. She puts on Michael Jackson's "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," and the women know all the moves. They mimic jumping rope, then spin around.

Most of their routines involve a few easy-to-learn steps repeated in all four directions. The moves matter less than the idea of getting moving, Perkins says.

"You're not concerned about making mistakes," she says. "We're concerned about fitness for life. We get vigorous."

They dance to classic songs from the 1960s and '70s and modern pop songs, just taking breaks to swig water, towel sweat out of their eyes and prepare for the next song.

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"I love what I'm doing," says Mattie McClain, 67, who has done aerobics for 15 years nine with Perkins. "It keeps you feeling young and living longer. And it keeps you happy."

Trained as a health and physical education teacher, Perkins teaches them that while working out is about looking good, it is primarily about cardiovascular health and getting the blood flowing.

"It's all about cardio, from the inside to the outside," she says.

Born in Baton Rouge, Perkins helped create the Southern University Dancing Dolls, becoming the celebrated troupe's first director and choreographer. She taught in Kansas City and Seattle but settled back home in Baton Rouge. She's been teaching aerobics since the workout craze first hit more than 30 years ago.

She has always been energetic and active, says Perkins' niece Shari Poydras, 50, who attends the class.

"This is her all the time," she says. "I don't think she would be herself without it."

The members of the class perform their routines at fitness fairs all over the parish and have even shown off their moves at a Southern University football halftime show. Sometimes they take trips together.

"They're about having fun," Perkins says. "We love it, and what's amazing about it is we love each other. This is what we need."

Later in the class, the women grab small plastic platforms and hoist 2-, 3- and 4-pound weights to step up and down to the Motown hit "Please Mr. Postman." In most classes the women take 8,000 to 10,000 steps, says Theresa Charles, 64, who wears a pedometer.

The class winds down with stretching and balance exercises, and Perkins incorporates mental drills in which she calls out a time 12 o'clock or 6:30 and the class has to move their arms like the hands on a clock face.

But they love to dance, and, not counting the pre-class warm-up, they move for at least an hour.

"We live to dance. We dance to live," Perkins says. "Whenever we go someplace, that's our motto, we dance to live. Life is beautiful. Love it. Have fun."

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75-year-old has been leading an aerobics class for a decade ... - nwitimes.com

The next time your pup starts to pant and pace during a thunderstorm or you have to leave for a day and you know separation anxiety is about to ensue, consider turning on some music. But not just any musicaccording to a new study published in the journal of Physiology and Behavior, dogs prefer the sounds of reggae or soft rock more than any other genre.

For the study, conducted by the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), researchers with the University of Glasgow turned on six-hour playlists of five different genres of music for shelter dogs. During the duration of the study, the dogs heard classical, soft rock, reggae, pop and Motown. While the dogs were listening, researchers took note of their heart rate, cortisol levels and behaviors that measure stress levels, like barking or lying down.

Tatiana Ayazo/Rd.com, shutterstock

It turns out that dogs are fans of chilling out to Bob Marley, just like we do on our beach vacations, as results showed that dogs were less stressed while listening to soft rock or reggae. When listening to Motown, their stress levels were higher, study co-author Neil Evans told the Washington Post.

Overall, the response to different genres was mixed highlighting the possibility that like humans, our canine friends have their own individual music preferences, Evans said. That being said, reggae music and soft rock showed the highest positive changes in behavior.

Based on the results of the study, Evans and his team believe that shelters and dog owners alike would benefit from playing reggae or soft rock music for their canines during high stress situations. For animals entering a shelter for the first time, the new surroundings can be scary, leading to barking, shaking or cowering, and dogs living in home can be fearful of loud noises or when their owners leave. Here are some ways to decipher if your pet is sick, instead of stressed.

This latest research dates back to previous findings that discovered shelter dogs that listen to classical music were more relaxed, barking less and lying down more. Unfortunately, the study also found that by the seventh day of listening to classical music, the dogs returned to restlessness, leading researchers including Evans to believe that the animals were getting habituated with the music, or possibly getting bored. Those previous results are what led the researchers to try varied genres for the new study.

Two Scottish SPCA shelters are taking note of the study and will begin playing music in their shelters, allowing their dogs to reap the relaxing benefits.

While reggae and soft rock might be good for Fido, the study authors have yet to determine if felines enjoy the same sounds. In the meantime, you can brush up on what your cat is trying to tell you.

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The Most Soothing Music for Dogs Is NOT Classical - Reader's Digest

Proper Sleep

Everyone is busy. I get it. However, did you know that a poor nights sleep puts your student at a higher risk of injury? One study found that kids who slept more than eight hours per night had a 68% less chance of getting injured during sports. So, shut the television off, put your phone away, and get to bed! It may just save you from an injury.

Our bodies sleep best in dark, cool environments, so consider purchasing light-canceling shades and turning the AC down a few degrees at night. Also, avoid staring at bright lights 30 minutes before bed. Many electronics including your phone, TV, or computer emit bright light that tricks your body into thinking it is daytime. Instead, try reading a book or listen to relaxing music immediately before bed. Doing this allows the brain to settle down to fall asleep faster.

Proper Eating Habits

Food is fuel for our bodies. Put bad fuel in and you get bad results. Put good fuel in and your body benefits. With the business of life, eating well can be a constant battle. While the quick, easy option may sound good at the time, your body will feel its effects up to days later. Eating a poorly nutritious meal prior to a game or practice will keep your student from performing at his or her best. Eating poorly over time can quickly result in suffering from a nutritional deficiency.

Unsure what the nutritional guidelines are for your child? Many nutritional websites, such as http://www.nutritional.gov, provide helpful resources including grocery lists and recipes. If you are looking for in depth nutritional counseling including meal programming seek out a registered dietitian.

Proper Training

Look into any athletic training room during the first week of a season and youll find it packed. Too many times, an athletes body is simply not ready for the demands of their sport. The intensity of practices and games often are much more than what a typical offseason program includes.

Seek out an experienced coach or trainer during the offseason to ensure your athlete is following a logical progression of activity leading up to the season. Training in small groups of similar ability level during the offseason is often another great way to prepare for the intensity of an upcoming season. In season be sure your athlete is in constant communication with their athletic trainer about any aches or pains they may be having. Small aches or pains can quickly become a full-blown injury.

Follow these three steps to reduce your risk of injury and stay on the field all season long.

ByDerek Rietman, CPT, FAFS, Trainer at imove

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COLUMN: Three easy steps to reduce injury risk - Grand Haven Tribune

Sacramento Bee

Conventional vs. organic farming: We're having the wrong debate Sacramento Bee Despite the USDA's enthusiastic support for organic food, the USDA makes no claims of any kind for organics or for any advantages over conventional farming methods. The reason? Absence of clear evidence for superiority on any meaningful aspect.

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Conventional vs. organic farming: We're having the wrong debate - Sacramento Bee

Im not a ramen noodle fan. Empty calories and little taste beyond the MSG. Just my biased gastronomic opinion. But as I pushed my cart down the aisle at Costco, the aroma wafting from the sample table did indeed tempt my olfactories and my growling stomach. To my surprise, the steaming contents of the paper cup offered by the cheerful, grandmotherly matron turned out to be delicious. And the brown rice noodles were organic to boot, certified as such by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Says so prominently, right there on the label.

Not that ramen would be likely to become a staple in our household diet, but it might be handy to have as easy-to-make quick meal during busy times, or a half-meal serving during Lent. So I picked up a six-serving package for $8.99. However, while unpacking the groceries at home, I did what I should have done (but was too hurried to do) at the store: I read the label. In rather small print came the fatal words: Product of China. Big oops! Communist Chinas takeovers of our tool, electronics, clothing, and other consumer markets are alarming enough, but Beijings huge inroads into our food sector over the past two decades is beyond scary.

Nearly a decade ago, in September 2007, The New American published Michael Telzrows New Chinese Take-Out: Tainted, Poisoned Exports, which detailed the frightening extent to which China had already succeeded in penetrating and even dominating our internal consumables: foods, beverages, vitamins, pharmaceuticals. Its gotten markedly worse in the years since, thanks to both Democrats and Republicans in the White House and in Congress who have caved in and/or sold out to the China Lobby. Its not just melamine in pet food, diethylene glycol a highly toxic solvent in cough syrup and toothpaste, and lead paint on childrens toys. After those and other Made In China food scandals made it through a few news cycles, the issue was largely swept under the rug by the establishment press. Instead of heeding these canary-in-the-coalmine warnings, government officials and business leaders opened the floodgates even further so China could accelerate its conquest of the American food market.

In June 2011, Food & Water Watch, a non-profit consumer watchdog group, published an eye-opening report entitled A Decade of Dangerous Food Imports China.Among other things, this important monograph tabulated from U.S. government records the alarming year-by-year increases in Chinas food exports to the United States: apple juice, mushrooms, garlic, cauliflower, asparagus, broccoli, pears, apples, cherries, strawberries, catfish, salmon, tilapia, cod, sardines, shrimp, clams, crab, honey, spices, tea, nuts, onions, vegetable oils, soy sauce, and much more.

In 2010, China was the second-largest source of U.S. processed fruit and vegetable imports, shipping in more than a billion pounds, the Food & Water Watch report noted. China was the third-largest source of imported fresh vegetables. The United States also imported 102 million pounds of sauces, including soy sauce; 81 million pounds of spices; 79 million pounds of dog and cat food; and 41 million pounds of pasta and baked goods from China in 2010.

The study goes on to further report:

China is also the worlds leading seafood producer and leading exporter to the United States, supplying nearly a quarter of all U.S. imports. In 2010, the United States imported more than 1 billion pounds of seafood from China, including 723 million pounds of frozen fish fillets, 33 million pounds of shrimp and 109 million pounds of mollusks, such as scallops. Chinese seafood exports totaled more than $2 billion in 2009, accounting for 19 percent of the seafood Americans eat.

More alarming still is the fact that China has gained a lock-hold on our foodstream by inserting itself into many food products that are made here in the United States. How? By dominating production of widely used ingredients: preservatives, sweeteners, enhancers, and flavorings. The Food & Water Watch study reports:

Chinas largest role in the American diet may come through the myriad ingredients it exports for processed foods that reach U.S. consumers every day. China had supplied up to 90 percent of U.S. imports of citric acid, a flavor enhancer and preservative that is used in soft drinks, cheese, and baked goods, although these imports dropped off in 2009. China is also a leading supplier to the United States of other ingredients like xylitol, used as a sweetener in candy, and sorbic acid, a preservative. China also supplies around 85 percent of U.S. imports of artificial vanilla, as well as many vitamins that are frequently added to food products, like folic acid and thiamine.

This, obviously, is not only a threat to our nations health but also to Americas food independence. Chinese imports have even made that healthy sugar substitute, honey, a very suspect commodity. The Epoch Times reportedin 2011, Millions of pounds of hazardous honey are being smuggled in large quantities from China to the United States, constituting as much as a third or more of the honey on American shelves, a recent investigation found.

On May 8, 2013, China expert and author William C. Triplett testified before U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs on The Threat of Chinas Unsafe Consumables. After making reference to the above-cited Food & Water Watch study, Triplett observed: Two years later, it appears the problem is worse rather than better. Last fall thousands of German children fell ill after eating Chinese strawberries served to them in their school cafeterias. And just last month the FDA revealed that thanks to toxic battery recycling operations, rice imported from China showed lead levels 60 times above the recommended safe levels for children. (Emphasis added.)

One of the particular problems of dealing with toxic food imports from China is illustrated by the honey case, Triplett noted. The FDA and others got onto the Chinese honey issue quite a while ago. The Department of Justice even raided some facilities but the consensus is that through a sophisticated international smuggling network, the Chinese honey producers have pretty well defeated all efforts to control them.

Death by China: Eat, Drink and Be Buried

Horror stories of illness, suffering, and death from Made-in-China food abound (see here,here,and here).How is it possible that this continues? After all, we have a myriad of federal regulatory agencies(virtually all of which are unconstitutional or exercise unconstitutional powers)that harass and destroy American farmers, manufacturers, and marketers in the name of protecting the American consumer.

As with most bullies, these bureaucracies prefer pick on easier targets, rather than go after the real threats. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has done little to address the growing tide of food imports from China, despite a well-documented pattern of chemical adulteration and unsafe drug residues, the 2011 Food & Water Watch study stated. The FDA inspects less than 2 percent of imported food and barely visits Chinese food manufacturers. The FDA conducted only 13 food inspections in China between June 2009 and June 2010.

The FDA, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is infamous for sending in armed SWAT units to harass and arrest farmers for selling raw milk, raiding natural food stores for selling apricot seeds or other food supplements, and persecuting physicianswho try to help their patients byutilizing alternative treatments for cancer other than those approved by the FDA bureaucrats.

Why are these agencies not exercising similar zeal concerning genuine threats to American health and safety from a foreign power that regards us as Enemy No. 1 and whose toxic food supply chain has already left a swath of death and carnage across the globe? This crucial food security issue should be a top national priority. Although defenders of the FDA and USDA might argue that these agencies have some sort of constitutional remit under the interstate commerce clause, clearly, the real legitimate functions that they serve are those that attend to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), inspecting materials coming into this country from foreign sources. The primary functions of the FDA and USDA should be exercised under (or alongside) the CPB, while most of their domestic functions should devolve to the states, as the Constitution and the 10th Amendment of the Bill of Rights mandate.

Does the certified USDA Organic label on food from China mean nothing, then? It appears so. (See here,here,here,and here.)So, yes, I returned the organic brown rice ramen noodles to Costco for a refund, and I informed the customer service department that I do not consume and do not buy food from the communist regime. And I will be following up with a note to Costcos corporate management to let them know that I do not appreciate companies that will jeopardize their customers health and safety by flooding our markets with toxic Made-In-China foodstuffs. Now we must prod the new Trump administration and Congress to address this issue posthaste.

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Chinas Communist Billionaires: Darlings of Harvard, Wall Street, CFR

Stop China Buyout of Chicago Stock Exchange: Congressmen to Obama

China Cash and Movie Moguls The Disturbing New Hollywood-Beijing Axis

Is the U.S. Being Colonized By Communist China?

Bureaucrats Giddy With Newly Minted Power

The Rise of the Administrative State

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Organic Foods From China? Buyer Beware! - The New American

I look at myself and at others and I see some common realities. I believe we have divided hearts. That is we are pulled in multiple directions at the same time. And the consequences of this pulling and our many forced choices, most of which made from this sense of division leads to hurt for ourselves and for those whom we love.

I believe the call of the spiritual life is a call to something hard, and to something necessary. It is about the healing of these wounds, it is about the reconciliation of our lives and the life of this planet, it is in fact about the reconciliation of heaven and earth. It is, at least for me, the most important thing.

And so, when I think of the spiritual life, I think about that word hero in ways it hasnt been used much of late. According to the online version of Merriam-Webster, a hero is, in its first definition, a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities. The dictionary throws in as secondary definitions someone who is greatly admired and the chief male character in a play or story. The historic part references the older use of divine or semi divine figures in Greek and Roman mythology.

Running through all the usages over time is a focus on personal traits, those fine or noble qualities. And it is that which captures my imagination. Particularly, as I consider how the word athlete was used by early Christian ascetics to describe practitioners of their spiritual discipline. Ive always liked that usage, coming as it does somehow slightly from left field.

And then theres the way of the spiritual life. It turns on various disciplines of presence, both to our environment and within our beings. I have come to summarize these practices as sitting down, shutting up, and paying attention. This is not an easy thing to do. I believe anyone who tries this turning the light inward as one sage put it, for any sustained time knows that sustaining it can be extremely difficult.

Also, we find many obstacles along the way, we encounter such things as the noontime devil, and we may tumble into a dark night of the soul. There are traps and snares for the unwary every step of the way, and even keeping on our toes, the path can be hard, and it lasts a lifetime.

Heres where heroic comes in. An authentic spiritual life takes discipline and perseverance. It is definitely counter-cultural. In fact the spiritual life is about as counter-cultural as can be. It demands a constant presence, to finding the deepest currents of our lives within a culture that is pretty much all about distraction.

A genuine spiritual life is heroic in the sense of those qualities of nobility and perseverance that move us out of the ordinary. And yet, at the very same time, the spiritual life is something accessible to all of us. Sort of an ordinary heroism. Finding the extraordinary within the ordinary. This is our call as people on the way of heart and authenticity.

The spiritual life, as I understand it, is concerned with the salvation of the ordinary, of the saving grace of presence, of the transformative power of the here and now. Nothing less.

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What is the Spiritual Life? A Brief Meditation - Patheos (blog)

Headspace, the company behind a popular meditation app, has a new chief executive who is also its old chief executive.

Headspace co-founder Rich Pierson took over the top slot at the startup last week, replacing Sean Brecker, who had the job for the last two years. Brecker is staying on at Headspace as its chief financial officer.

Both Pierson and Brecker say they made the move in consultation with Andy Puddicombe, the companys other co-founder, as well their board and investors.

Were constantly looking at the org and trying to optimize, Brecker said.

Headspace offers free meditation classes through its app, and tries to sell its users a premium subscription service. Pierson said the company, which has 170 employees, got 13.5 million people to try the service at least once in the last year.

Pierson said when Headspace started out as a 15-person operation in 2010, no one had any titles, but he ended up becoming its formal CEO within a year.

After bringing in Brecker to run the company in 2014, Pierson focused on product and marketing; he says it now makes sense to have him overseeing everything.

Headspace has raised more than $30 million, most of which came from a 2015 round led by The Chernin Group.

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Headspace, the meditation app, is putting its old CEO in charge of the company again - Recode

QUEEN CREEK - Students at Gateway Polytechnic Academy in the Queen Creek School District are practicing mindfulness and meditation in a new club.

"We take three deep breaths and on the last breath, we breathe out for five seconds," said fifth-grader Elyssa Land.

Fifth-grade teacher Melissa Smith said she noticed a lot of her students had anxiety -- and the girls responded well to the new lessons.

The club meets once a week on Monday mornings during the lunch hour. The girls create a circle around Smith and the practice breathing exercises.

The girls even made "worry dolls." They tell the dolls all the things that are stressing them out and sleep with it underneath their pillow.

Many of the students said they use the calming techniques in class and at home.

"I like to find a quiet place and just sit down and realize I'm in control and I'm good," said fifth-grader Shannon Barlow.

It may be a unique approach in the classroom but Smith said it's important for her students to feel comfortable and safe.

"Life skills are one of the number one things we need to do as teachers and we don't have a curriculumfor that and we don't have a standard for that," said Smith. "We have to just know we are teaching kids and we are not teaching subjects."

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Queen Creek students practicing mindfulness, meditation - ABC15 ... - ABC15 Arizona

BRISTOL, Va. Lenten Organ Meditations at Noon will be held at Central Presbyterian Church, Euclid Avenue, Bristol, Virginia.

The Wednesday programs begin at 12:05 p.m. and continue for five weeks beginning March 8. Performing first is Joy A. Smith-Briggs, organist of Central Presbyterian.

The schedule continues:

March 15: Dana Fleming, organist at Colonial Heights United Methodist Church in Kingsport.

March 22: Bryan Underwood, music director, State Street United Methodist Church, Bristol, Virginia.

March 29: Robert J. Greene Jr., organist/composer/instructor in the Tri-Cities area.

April 5: Craig Campbell, organist, Wesley United Methodist Church, Johnson City.

The music programs are offered to provide time for reflection and meditation on the meaning of Lent and how it affects the lives of Christians.

Each program is open to the community and free to attend. However, donations are accepted for the music ministry.

For more information, contact Smith-Briggs at 423-878-2919 or email gvbjoyb@btes.tv.

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Lenten meditation music programs set - Bristol Herald Courier (press release) (blog)