Read James 2:14-26 James 1:25 (NIV)

Whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in itnot forgetting what they have heard, but doing itthey will be blessed in what they do.

Worshiping with fellow Christians is special. Being fed from the word of God, being taught and encouraged by singing and praying together, giving to meet the needs of others and remembering the sacrifice of our Savior all make the time we spend together a blessing.

But I think that too often the motivation to live more faithfully grows cold once the church services are over. We dont always take what we learn in church and live it out in our daily lives. If we leave behind what we learned while we were assembled together, we miss out on putting our discipleship into practice. Taking to the street what we have learned while we were assembled together, we miss out on putting our discipleship into practice. Taking to the street what we have learned means treating our families and neighbors the way Christ would. It means being the very best employees we can be. It means maturing as parents, as students, and even as citizens. As the verse from James quoted above tells us, it means for us to go beyond listening to acting.

Meeting together as Christians gives us the tools and understanding of Gods love that help us live faithfully. Wherever we go as we leave the service, we can resolve to share with others the unity and peace that Christs love inspires in us.

PrayerDear God, help us not to take the blessings of life in Christ for granted but instead to share them with those around us. In Jesus name. Amen.

Thought for the DayAlong with worship and fellowship, God desires our discipleship and service.

Andy Baker (Tennessee)

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Meditation - High Plains Journal

The auditorium at the University of the District of Columbia was dark Sunday afternoon not in the sense that nothing was happening onstage, but because the pianist Richard Goode prefers to play with the lights dimmed, to create, as Washington Performing Arts President Jenny Bilfield said from the stage, a meditative atmosphere.

Is that the opposite of outreach, presenting classical music in a setting of quiet reverence? Or is it a sign of the times to think about the whole picture of the concert and to care about the ambiance as well as the music? The proof is in the playing, and Goode, 73, a musicians musician, offered a performance of Bach and Chopin to more than satisfy not only the faithful but also anyone else who happened to be in attendance.

The program fell neatly into two halves. On the first were four selections from Book II of The Well-Tempered Clavier, starting with the intricate triple fugue of the F-sharp-minor pairing through to the fluid stream of notes of the prelude in B. Although Goode sounded a little hesitant in a few places, his touch slightly rough, the lines in this prelude spooled from his fingers like oil.

[Richard Goode lends a lively voice to an exuberant all-Bach program]

Real love informs Goodes performance, and if that love becomes part of the focus of the afternoon, sharing place with the music as the player conducted his left hand with his right, sang along in places or paused with relish after the drama of opening notes of the A-minor prelude the listeners did not mind.

Each half of the program had one longer work surrounded by groups of shorter ones: the sixth partita, in E minor, on the Bach half; the third ballade, quiet and singing, on the Chopin half, embedded in a bouquet of nocturnes and mazurkas and topped off with the Polonaise-Fantaisie in A-flat. After the intricacies of the Bach partita, Goodes Chopin seemed a contrast indeed, with the E-flat nocturne (Op. 55, No. 2) as sweet and full as rose water against the clear Bach rain.

[Pianist Richard Goode makes an unforgettable evening]

But the initial focus on Bach attuned the ear to the intricacies within the Chopin pieces, such as the little hints of dissonance twanging at the edges of some of the phrases, laid in at a slight angle to make those voluptuous lines stick in the mind in, for instance, the C-minor nocturne (Op. 48, No. 1). A group of four mazurkas emerged as distinct, taut little worlds of rhythm and color. And if Goode was over-emotive in some aspects of his presentation, he was not overblown in his playing; indeed, the opening of the ballade was almost too restrained, leaving room for more effect when he finally unleased some fortissimos toward the end.

The last piece, the Polonaise-Fantaisie, was an exploration through the stars, dreamy and a little anticlimactic in that the heart of this program were the short bursts of insight offered in each of the smaller pieces that made it up. The encore returned to Bach with the Sarabande from the fourth partita, in D a small punctuation mark on an afternoon full of them.

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A pianist's personal meditation: Richard Goode plays Bach, Chopin - Washington Post

Photo: John Salangsang, INVL

Oprah Winfrey is one of many celebrities who practice meditation. She and spiritual guru Deepak Chopra regularly offer free 21-day meditation experiences through their app.

Oprah Winfrey is one of many celebrities who practice meditation. She and spiritual guru Deepak Chopra regularly offer free 21-day meditation experiences through their app.

Katy Perry

Katy Perry

Russell Simmons

Russell Simmons

Hugh Jackman

Hugh Jackman

Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman

Big Sean

Big Sean

Jerry Seinfeld

Jerry Seinfeld

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga

Heather Graham

Heather Graham

Ellen DeGeneres

Ellen DeGeneres

Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar

Spiritual guru Deepak Chopra

Spiritual guru Deepak Chopra

Goldie Hawn

Goldie Hawn

Susan Sarandon

Susan Sarandon

Paula Abdul

Paula Abdul

Husband and wife: Producer Trudie Styler and musician Sting

Husband and wife: Producer Trudie Styler and musician Sting

Experts say meditation isn't hard. Here's how:

In 2016, media and radio personality Devi Brown launched Karma Bliss (www.karmabliss.com) to offer tools, resources and products for meditation and mindfulness. She gives these tips if you're new to meditation:

Read more here:

Experts say meditation isn't hard. Here's how: - Chron.com

You know exercise is good for you, but if you're over 65, which is best? A study from Mayo Clinic found that high-intensity aerobic exercise can actually reverse aging on a cellular level.

High-intensity aerobic exercise or cardio includes running.

Mayo researchers compared high-intensity interval training (HIIT), resistance training and combined training in a 12-week study. They monitored molecular and metabolic changes in adults divided into age groups of between 18 and 30 and between 65 and 80.

All types of training improved lean body mass and insulin sensitivity, but only high-intensity training improved aerobic capacity and mitochondrial function in skeletal muscle.

Mitochondria are tiny energy-producing structures inside cells. They change with age and activity, and tend to decrease, both in content and function, as we grow older. One result is we have less energy.

In the study, high-intensity interval training also improved muscle protein content that not only allowed cells to create more energy, but to also cause muscles to get bigger, especially in older adults.

The ability of the mitrochondria to generate energy was increased by 69 percent among the seniors and by 49 percent in the younger group.

"We encourage everyone to exercise regularly, but the take-home message for aging adults that supervised high-intensity training is probably best, because, both metabolically and at the molecular level, it confers the most benefits," says Dr. K. Sreekumaran Nair, a Mayo Clinic endocrinologist and senior researcher on the study.

Study results are published in Cell Metabolism.

2017 NewsmaxHealth. All rights reserved.

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High-Intensity Aerobics Can Reverse Aging Process - Newsmax.com - Newsmax

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 Edina, 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? - Minneapolis Star Tribune

JON MORGAN

Last updated12:32, March 13 2017

We have to trust farmers, regulators and science that pesticide residues in our food are not at dangerous levels.

OPINION: Wellington Organic Week is coming up and I'm pleased. It gives my organic farming friends a chance to profit from this heightened interest in them.

But what I'm not happy about is the divisiveness of a crowd calling themselves the Safe Food Campaign.

They claim that only organic food is "safe" because all other food contains pesticides that are a risk to children's health. In a media release marking Wellington Organic Week, they spell out, with relish, what can go wrong - birth defects, genetic and hormonal damage, damaged immune system, and brain damage. All this from eating non-organic food.

Now, the organic growers and farmers I know would be horrified by these scare tactics. They know claims like this are without foundation and they know that they lead to counter-claims of equal strength which I will come to in a minute.

READ MORE:Kiwis take to organics as the sector goes mainstream

First, these claims. Every so often health authorities detail pesticide residues in food. The Greens and their mates see this as a chance to literally scare up more votes and toxicologists are forced to hose them down.

These experts say use of pesticides, herbicides, fertilisers, and veterinary medicines in all food is strictly regulated and pesticide levels are at extremely low levels, not remotely near what would be considered unsafe. These residuesaredetected more efficiently than they used to be because thetechnology to do so has improved.

If the Safe Foodclaims were true, youwould think the Cancer Society would be up in arms. But no.

This is what the society says: "There is no current evidence that shows very low levels of pesticide residues increase the risk of cancer. There is evidence which suggests eating lots of fruit and vegetables has many health benefits. These health benefits far outweigh any risk which might be linked with pesticide residues and you should not limit the fruit and vegetables you eat."

Strangely, the chemicals that organic farmers are permitted to use to replace conventional pesticides are not tested for residues in food but you can bet they're there.

The list is too long to show here, but these are three of the more dangerous ones.

Copper sulphate is used as a fungicide by organic farmers, despite its far higher toxicity when compared to synthetic alternatives.

Vineyard sprayers have experienced liver disease from exposure to it. It is corrosive to the skin and eyes, and is absorbed through the skin. It causes reproductive problems in birds, hamsters and rats. It has been shown to induce heart disease in the offspring of pregnant hamsters that were exposed to it. It has caused endocrine tumours in chickens. At normal application rates it is foundto bepoisonous to sheep and chickens. It isvery toxic to fish, crabs, shrimps and oysters.

There are cases where most animal life in soil, including large earthworms, have been eliminated by the extensive use of copper-containing fungicides in orchards.

Once a soil is contaminated with copper, there is no practical way to remove it.

Azadirachtin, also known as neem oil, is a toxic pesticide that is far more effective in killing foraging bees than synthetic pesticides.EUstudieshaveshown it kills 50 per cent of bee populations when they're exposed to a dose level 50 times lower than the recommended dosefororganicfarmers.

Pyrethrum is highly toxic to bees. Several studies indicate the possibility of a connection between pyrethrins and cancer, including one study showing a 3.7-fold increase in leukemia among farmers who had handled pyrethrins compared to those who had not.

Organic farmers excuse their use of these poisons by saying they have no alternative. Yes they do. They could use the pesticides conventional farmers use and are proved to be safe. But then they wouldn't be "organic" and able to charge more for their food and claim they are safer than other food.

You see. It's easy to slag off both organic and non-organic food for perceived dangers. But the fact is we have to trust the farmers, the scientistsand the regulators that they are keeping all food safe for us to eat. And I am sure they are.

Jon Morganis the editor of NZ Farmer

-Stuff

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Safe food campaign open to counter-claims of poisons in organic ... - Stuff.co.nz

Two probes on my fingers measured my microsweat, temperature, and heart rate. An electrode on the top of my head recorded brain electrical activity. A band around my stomach and a sensor on my shoulder measured my breathing and muscle tension.

This may sound like an elaborate medical test, but I was actually undergoing a psycho-physiological assessment to find out just how mindful I am at one of Vancouvers newest meditation studios, Moment Meditation.

What were trying to do is reframe the conversation around meditation, said Anita Cheung, co-founder of the studio that made its Gastown debut in October 2016.

Ive started jokingly saying that it isnt your weird aunts meditation from the seventies - its very modern, and were approaching it from a level of cognitive training. We train our bodies, and now we train our minds.

While historically seen as a practice for granola-munching hippies, the health benefits of meditation have been increasingly documented in the literature over the last decade. These include improvement in concentration and attention, decreased anxiety, help for those suffering from addiction, lower blood pressure and a stronger immune system.

Moment Meditation focuses on combining this scientific research with the peace and calm meditation is typically known for. Besides offering a wide array of classes, the studio gives clients the option of undertaking a psycho-physiological assessment to discover their mindfulness quotient (MQ) score, a number that reflects stress response and ability to stay calm under pressure.

Cheung, who is a yoga therapist, laughs as she recalls how she used to resist anything airy fairy, until struggles with her own mental health changed her mind.

My experience with meditation came about after some mental health struggles in my early twenties with depression, anxiety, and as dark as it is, suicide, she said.

When I was introduced to meditation it was with a clinical psychologist so I trusted and believed her, and it was very, very life changing.

As someone trying to expand my own meditation practice but struggling to do more than 10 minutes a day the MQ test appealed to me. Was I meditating right? Was there a way to measure that?

The premise of the test was simple: I was hooked up to various electrodes, then told to relax and breathe deeply while undergoing intermittent periods of stress. For example, basic math problems flashed across the screen and I was instructed to answer out loud.

Faster, do this as fast as you can, my tester urged, her intensity a stark contrast to the zen atmosphere of the Moment Meditation studio. Youre going to have to go faster than this.

In between each stress interval I was instructed to breathe deeply and relax, a task made easier by the orange scented candles burned peacefully in the background.

A few days later my results were emailed to me, with an explanation of what my score meant (I will not be disclosing my results, but I am proud to say I didnt fail - apparently thats not possible).

An algorithm compared my psycho-physiological data when I was stressed to when I was focusing on being calm, and the results were intriguing. For example, I learned I recover at rates above average when stressed (years of being a newsroom environment, perhaps?) but could improve my ability to ignore distractions. Good to know.

Were jokingly calling this test the Fit Bit for meditation, because it gives you an idea of what happens to your body when youre stressed, said Cheung after my MQ test.

A lot of us live very stressed day to day, and we can access that state of calm with deep breathing, with mindful activities - and with mindfulness in general.

My MQ test inspired me to continue my burgeoning meditation practice, and potentially even take a few classes in the calming Moment Meditation studios. According to Cheung, even 10 minutes of meditation a day can have huge benefits in daily life.

One of our prime goals is to make meditation modern, simple, and accessible, she said.

I think when some people first start meditating they make it really difficult , like okay I have to meditate for 20 minutes and it has to be at 5 a.m. but if you can even carve 10 minutes a day you will feel a huge difference. Any little bit helps.

Link:

Not your 'weird aunt's meditation': Science-based test measures mindfulness - CTV News

★★

When: 8 p.m. Wednesdays-Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays, through March 26.

Where: Kirk Douglas Theatre, 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City.

Tickets: $25-$70.

Length: 1 hr., 40 mins., no intermission.

Suitability: Mature teens and adults for language and subject matter.

Information: 213-628-2772, http://www.centertheatregroup.org.

Our pasts cannot be changed. We can try to relive them, but in reality all we store in our memories is our reactions to them.

These ideas thread through Good Grief, a psychological, mythological, archetypal and still utterly affectionate and charming work by Ngozi Anyanwu in its world premiere at Culver Citys Kirk Douglas Theatre through March 26.

Set in a Pennsylvania suburb, the play centers on Nkechi, a young first-generation Nigerian-American. Though primed to live her immigrant parents idea of the American dream, she has dropped out of medical school. She says it didnt suit her, but in reality she is grieving for the love of her life killed in a car crash and for her lost youth and happy moments that are now mere memories.

The playwright plays Nkechi. Instead of venting too-personal traumas, however, the writer-actor gives us a thoroughly universal picture of growing pains and a wonderfully specific picture of an exceedingly bright, perceptive, funny girl who thinks no one understands her.

The enchanting Nkechi is surrounded by totally relatable characters, played by a flawless casts. On opening night, they won giggles, groans, cheers and sighs as the various characters wafted through Nkechis recalled life.

First in importance to Nkechi are the boys she liked. Her dream boy is Jimmy Deering (Mark Jude Sullivan), for whom she spent her adolescence pining. But her best friend, possible romantic interest and likely soon-to-be lover is Matthew (Wade Allain-Marcus). He, to his endearing credit, has loved Nkechi since the moment he met her, in their grade-school homeroom.

Gods and godlike archetypes watch over and help recount her story. Nkechis mother (Omoze Idehenre) is the intellect, a psychiatric-nursing student with clipboard in hand, objectively observing how Nkechi processes grief. Meanwhile, other mothers (Carla Renata) overreact in exaggerated emotions, including a World Wrestling Entertainmentstyle bout in Ahmed Bests fight choreography.

Nkechis brother (Marcus Henderson) is the jester, likewise trying to usher the grieving process along. Hilariously, his coping mechanisms are marijuana, booze and 1990s rap. Papa (Dayo Ade) is the pragmatist, sternly but lovingly urging Nkechi to just move on.

This is a memory play, not a straightforward chronology. Its fragments of recollections, or perhaps dreams, are carefully sorted out by director Patricia McGregor. She also adds much humor, none of it mean, most of it universal.

The 1990s references pile up as Nkechi recalls her youth. Sound designer Adam Phalen ensures that the soundtrack of Nkechis life seems to come from the tiny radios onstage, though audiences unfamiliar with the songs might have trouble hearing the lyrics.

But the fact that gossip and reputations fill our minds, sometimes barring us from getting to know the person, is unfortunately timeless.

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The scenes take place in and around Matthews bedroom and Nkechis. Theyre designed, by Stephanie Kerley Schwartz, with white LED lights that outline the homes as if a child drew them, constructed on moving platforms so that the scenery swiftly swings into place. The area between the houses becomes a wrestling ring, a road on which Papa urges his shell-shocked daughter to learn to drive, and the living room where Papa shouts at the Eagles from his armchair.

Nkechi dropped out of her Philadelphia med school. Perhaps her imagination was too vivid to allow her to focus on such objective studies. Or, perhaps all of us seek solace in imagination and memory when our souls are taxed by death and disappointments.

Whatever the case, Nkechi would make a great medical doctor, the type who takes the whole person into consideration in her diagnoses and who clearly explains causes and effects to the patient. On the other hand, that also describes a great playwright.

Dany Margolies is a Los Angeles-based writer.

Rating: 4 stars.

When: 8 p.m. Wednesdays-Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays, through March 26.

Where: Kirk Douglas Theatre, 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City.

Tickets: $25-$70.

Length: 1 hr., 40 mins., no intermission.

Suitability: Mature teens and adults for language and subject matter.

Information: 213-628-2772, http://www.centertheatregroup.org.

See more here:

'Good Grief' is a funny, poignant meditation on memory at Kirk ... - LA Daily News

There's so much changeon the earths surface each day, just like within ourselves.

If the ocean can calm itself, so can you. We are both salt water mixed with air.Nayyirah Waheed

This is my favorite meditative beach quote. When you think about the moods and phases of the ocean, and how theyre affected, too, by the phases of the moon, theres so much change that goes on with the earths surface each day, just like it does within ourselves. But ultimately the ocean can and does calm itself. It can transform from an angry, raging storm of water that can kill with one mighty strike, to the most tranquil, still almost motionless surface, barely moving.

We too, can radically alter our emotions and inner voices, through our breathing and by using meditation as a source of strength and healing. But it takes practice. The more I have studied reiki, the more natural its become to apply its principles to my love for beachcombing. Each time I return to the beach, I take a few moments to do a beach meditation. Its easier to do this on the beach alone, and nicer at sunrise or sunset, but even on a crowded beach you could stand facing the water and perform this simple ritual in just a few moments before you set out on a beachcomb.

Simple Beach Meditation: Stand near the edge of the water, facing the waters edge. Stand with your feet slightly apart in a comfortable, relaxed stance, letting your weight sink into the sand. Let your arms fall gently beside your body, palms down, rested.

Take a deep breath in through your nose, hold it for just a moment and then exhale deeply through your nose or mouth. Relax your jaw. Relax your shoulders. Continue breathing deeply. Feel the wind, listen to the sounds of the waterfrontthe waves, any sea birds. Close your eyes. Take a minute to focus on any negative thoughts you may have lingering in your mind. Before you begin beachcombing, youre going to make an effort to release them into the earth. Take a deep breath in, inhaling the fresh, salty air, and on the exhale, release negative thoughts and energy, down through your body, into your feet and through the sand into the earth. Do it again, inhaling the healing energy of the sea and the wind, exhaling negativity down through your body into the sand and the grounded earth.

Breathe. Open your eyes. Take in the vision of the horizon, the colors of the sky and the water and the land around you, and embrace the time youve been given to be here in this moment, at this waterfront. Silently thank the ocean for any gifts she might offer you that day. Feel the warmth of the sun as it bathes you in light. Let the light wash through you, and feel the soft golden glow fill you with relaxation and warm, peaceful, healing thoughts. With each breath you take, let the salty air and the warm light, this glow and new sense of peace fill your lungs as you have exhaled any worry or negativity down into the sand. Always: breathe peace in, breathe worry out.

Look out at the waves and silently wonder what message they bring for you that day. They may bring you a gift on the sand, a physical message. Perhaps its a stone, a rock or a piece of glass shaped like a heart thats a sign from someone in your life, here or gone, who you needed to hear from. Be ready to receive that message. Perhaps its a letter on a piece of glass, an initial of someone who is in your thoughtsor a shell, a sea creature or other beach experience. Look for those signs, for sometimes theyre right there in front of us, as the universe sends them out, but we can only receive them if we are open to them.

Bring your hands together, feel present with your feet beneath you in the sand, grounded on the earth, and end the meditation by taking one final deep breath and thanking the ocean again for her gifts of the daynot only the gifts you may pick up, but for the time you will spend renewing your spirit, for the peace of mind you will find as you walk the shoreline in the moments to come. Take the messages and gifts home with you from the beach this day, but most importantly take home the peace youve found.

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Beach Meditation - Splice Today

AHMEDABAD: A woman has filed a complaint with Gujarat University (GU) police for theft of her bag containing a laptop worth Rs 45,000 along with her passport. As per GU police, Sheetal Shah, currently residing of Sivanta Apartment near Gandhi Ashram on Ashram Road, had parked her car near Suchita Apartment at Vijay Crossroads at 9 pm on March 10. "As per her complaint, when she came back after one hour and fifteen minutes, she found that someone had broken the left-side window and had stolen the bag," said a police investigator, adding that search is on to ascertain whether the act is recorded in any nearby CCTV camera. City police officials said that with growing number of similar crimes, they are identifying specific gangs - some operating from the city and some coming from outside the city and state - with similar modus operandi. "The laptops and other valuables soon make way to grey market for one third of the market price. We are also keeping a watch on such dealers to curb the crime," said an official.

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ashram road theft: Woman loses money, passport in Navrangpura ... - Times of India