LOS ANGELES There are many places where you might expect to find Danny Trejo. On-screen, in one of the 300 or so movies the 72-year-old actor has appeared in over his long career, including three From Dusk Till Dawn films. In commercials heres hoping he reprises his 2015 Marcia Brady imitation during the next Super Bowl. You might not expect to see Trejo working the line in a kitchen, even if it is his own restaurant.

On a recent morning, Trejo moved around the 400-square-foot kitchen of Trejos Cantina in Hollywood, the actors second taquera the original year-old location is on La Brea Avenue deftly working the stoves with his executive chef, John-Carlos Kuramoto. Finding Kuramoto, a veteran of Campanile, Michaels in Santa Monica and Osteria Mozza even though hes only 29, working the line is less unlikely.

Trejo is hardly wearing chefs whites. Hes dressed all in black, a large crucifix around his neck like a relic, his long hair under a Trejos Tacos baseball cap. His face, deeply etched around the handlebar mustache, is an off-road map. But the trademark scowl is noticeably absent, replaced by laughter, a running commentary with Kuramoto and the fact that he keeps pausing to eat tacos. And not just any tacos: the roasted cauliflower tacos that have become one of the most popular items on the restaurants menu.

This is how you take a bite of a vegan taco, says Trejo. You bite it harder.

My mom always wanted to open a restaurant, says the actor, who grew up in Echo Park and lives in Mission Hills. But my dad was like a Mexican Archie Bunker. We have a kitchen right there, hed say. Kuramoto tosses a corn tortilla onto the flattop like a frisbee as Trejo sautees cauliflower. Did he ever think hed open a restaurant? I never thought Id get out of prison, says Trejo, smiling broadly.

Before Trejo began appearing in movies, youd likely have found him in jail or in a boxing ring or both he won lightweight and welterweight titles while serving time in San Quentin for drug offenses or in the rooms of 12-step programs; he got his first acting job, as an extra, while working as a drug counselor. His appreciation of food evolved over time (when you get sober, youre not eating pickled pigs feet in a bar), and to reflect it. When youre in the industry, the entertainment industry, inevitably someones going to say: Im vegetarian, Im vegan.

So when Trejo actually opened a restaurant, not only did he and his chef put the tacos of Trejos childhood on the menu, they made sure to put vegetable-centered and specifically vegan tacos there as well.

Cauliflower is one of those things you fall in love with, says Kuramoto, as he arranges the heady mixture of orange, green, lavender and pale florets with roasted corn on the tortilla, adding a cream made from cashews, pickled onions, the traditional accompaniments of cilantro, radishes and lime wedges.

I thought about Nancys whole roasted cauliflower, the chef says. Hes talking, of course, about Nancy Silvertons whole vegetable dish, which the James Beard Award-winning chef has installed on the menu of Pizzeria Mozza, her restaurant about a mile and a half away from Trejos. (Silverton is one of the patron saints of L.A.s new vegetable cooking, as well as Kuramotos former boss at the Osteria.)

Were trying to stay as authentic as we can, Trejo says, putting down the breakfast burrito someone had handed him. My mom cooked with lard, he says, by way of explanation. But they also want to cater to a community of families, of both kids and adults with health concerns and, yes, the entertainment industry that has given Trejo a remarkably prolific career thats showing little signs of slowing down.

Kuramoto goes back to work: Jidori chicken with achiote, or maybe the taco hes making with young jackfruit and tomatillos. And Trejo heads out into the restaurants casual dining room to greet some regulars, the kitchen doors swinging behind him like those in an imaginary saloon.

ROASTED RAINBOW CAULIFLOWER TACOS

About 1 hour, plus overnight soaking time. Makes 6 tacos

CASHEW CREAM

1 cup cashews

3 cups water

2 tablespoons salt, or to taste

2 teaspoons lime juice, or to taste

In a bowl, soak the cashews in water, cover and set aside overnight at room temperature for the cashews to soften. The next day, strain the cashews, reserving the water. In a blender, puree the cashews with enough water to form a smooth sauce with the texture of heavy cream. Season with salt and lime juice to taste. This makes a generous cup of cream, which will keep, covered and refrigerated, up to 5 days.

PICKLED ONIONS

1 small red onion, very thinly sliced

cup lime juice

1 tablespoon salt

In a nonreactive bowl, stir together the onion, lime juice and salt until the salt is dissolved and all of the onion is covered. Set the mixture aside to marinate for at least 20 minutes before assembling the tacos. The pickled onions will keep, 3 to 5 days, covered and refrigerated.

GRILLED WHITE CORN

2 ears white corn, husks removed

Olive oil, for brushing

teaspoon salt, or to taste

teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or to taste

Brush the corn with a light coat of olive oil and sprinkle over salt and pepper to taste. Cook the corn over a grill or grill pan heated over medium-high heat until the corn is charred and tender on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and cut the kernels from the cobs. You should have about 1 cup corn kernels. Set aside.

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER

4 cups colored cauliflower florets, from a mixture of purple, orange, green and white cauliflower heads

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or to taste

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, toss the cauliflower florets with the olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, until evenly combined. Spread the cauliflower onto a rimmed baking sheet and roast until slightly charred and tender, about 15 minutes, depending on the size of the florets.

ROASTED RAINBOW CAULIFLOWER TACOS

1 teaspoon olive oil

Prepared roasted cauliflower

Prepared grilled white corn

Salt

Lime juice, for seasoning

6 corn tortillas, warmed

cup prepared cashew cream, or to taste

Prepared pickled onions

Cilantro leaves, for garnish

Crushed roasted cashews, for garnish

2 radishes, thinly sliced, for garnish

Lime wedges, for serving

1. Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat until hot, and add the olive oil. Add the cauliflower and corn, stirring until warmed through. Remove from heat. Taste and season the mixture as desired with salt and lime juice.

2. To assemble the tacos, drizzle about 2 tablespoons cashew cream over each warmed tortilla. Spoon over about 1/2 cup of the cauliflower corn mixture. Top the mixture with a pinch of pickled onions, and garnish with cilantro leaves, roasted cashews and radish slices. Serve the tacos with lime wedges.

Note: Adapted from a recipe by Trejos Tacos.

Link:

How to make Danny Trejo's favorite vegan cauliflower tacos - The Keene Sentinel

A small, idyllic German town has a cute tradition of having its town hall building play an array of different but familiar German folk songs on its chimes. One song was removed recently, though, because a local vegan resident complained that it was about cruelty to animals.

According to The Local, the song, Fox, You Stole the Goose, is a familiar German folk song thats popular with kids, and it was one of the 15 or so songs programmed into the glockenspiel of the town hall building in the little town of Limburg an der Lahn.

The song is about a fox stealing a goose, which is just part of the circle of life. But the song also includes a line about how the hunter will probably shoot the fox for stealing the goose, and that upset a local vegan resident who worked within earshot of the glockenspiel and who said it was very disturbing to hear about animal-killing while she was trying to work.

Out of consideration for the womans feelings, the town hall director took the song out of rotation. He said they often rotate the songs, and there are plenty more songs in the rotation, so it was no big trouble to remove one just to be considerate.

More:

Vegan Protest Shuts Down Town's Folk Song Performance - The Daily Meal

The first time I made truffles from chocolate ganache, it was a revelation: How could just two ingredients, chocolate and cream, set up to form such a perfect texture? It almost felt like a cheat; this shouldn't be so easy. Scoop, roll, coat, done.

It wasn't until I cooked with two of my favorite vegan chefs, Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby, a few years ago that my truffles evolved further. Jacoby showed me how to make a pot de creme using little more than dark chocolate, beet juice, coconut milk and cornstarch. I loved it warm - and then noticed that when I refrigerated it, guess what happened? Yep, just like ganache.

I figured a simple coconut milk-chocolate combo would do the same thing, so I tried it, and sure enough, magic. Since then, I've seen plenty of other recipes that play with the same ingredients - and often add several others - but I've never found a good enough reason to branch out beyond that effective one-two punch.

I have experimented with lots of coatings, though: Plain cocoa, unsweetened coconut, pecans or other nuts, chipotle or other ground chiles for the brave-hearted. I love them all, but the best coating of all came to me when I was rooting around the pantry for inspiration. I found a bag of freeze-dried strawberries and blitzed them to a powder in a mini food processor, and the truffles I rolled in them turned out to be my favorite. (Freeze-dried raspberries would be a natural, too.)

The best thing about these is that if you use dairy-free chocolate, they're vegan, and just as tasty as traditional ones, which broadens their appeal to include just about anybody who loves chocolate.

The second-best thing? The fact that, unlike ones made with heavy cream, they're built on shelf-stable ingredients I happen to always have around. That means I can melt, scoop, roll and coat them on little more than a whim.

---

Vegan Chocolate Truffles

24-30 pieces

With just high-quality dark chocolate and coconut milk, you've got deeply flavored truffles that you can roll in your choice of coatings. Below are suggestions for making a box or plate that includes five varieties, but feel free to mix and match, or choose other favorite possibilities.

You'll need paper candy cups. A #100 size disher is helpful for making consistently same-size truffles.

Make Ahead: The ganache needs to be refrigerated for 1 to 2 hours before you form and coat the truffles. The finished truffles can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days. From Food and Dining Editor Joe Yonan.

Ingredients

1 cup full-fat coconut milk, stirred well

10 1/2 ounces dairy-free dark chocolate (preferably 75 percent or higher cacao), finely chopped

1/2 cup freeze-dried strawberries (about 1/2 ounce)

1/4 cup unsweetened, dessicated (dried) coconut

2 tablespoons chopped pecans or nut of your choice

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon chipotle powder

Steps

Heat the coconut milk in a small pan over low heat until it's just starting to bubble.

Place the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Immediately pour the warm coconut milk over it, whisking to form a smooth ganache. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, 1 to 2 hours.

Grind the dried strawberries to a fine powder in a mini food processor or clean spice grinder, then transfer the powder to a small bowl. Place the coconut, pecans, cocoa powder and chipotle powder in separate small bowls.

Once the truffle mixture has set, uncover it. Grease your hands with cooking oil spray and use a tablespoon-size scoop or #100 disher to scoop out a ball, then roll it lightly between your palms. Place on a tray, and repeat to create balls using the remaining truffle mixture. (Your palms will become covered in chocolate as you work, and the balls will soften on the outside, but that's okay.)

Use a fork to help lift and toss the truffles. Roll some of them in strawberry powder, some in coconut, some in pecans, some in cocoa powder, some in chipotle powder (for those who don't mind something fiery) or in a mix of chipotle and cocoa (for a kick that's a little milder) until well coated. You may need to use your fingers to press in the coconut and the pecans. Set each one into a paper candy cup as you finish.

When all the truffles are made, pack them into an airtight container (being careful not to stack them) and refrigerate until ready to serve -- or give.

Nutrition Per serving, calories per piece (based on 30): 80, total fat: 6g saturated fat: 4g, cholesterol: 0mg, sodium: 0mg, total carbohydrates: 6g, dietary fiber: 2g, sugar: 3g, protein: 0g

---

Video: All you need are two ingredients plus your coatings of choice to create a delicious set of truffles for a special someone this year. Bonus: They're vegan! (Ashleigh Joplin/The Washington Post)

Author Information:

Joe Yonan is the Food and Dining editor of The Washington Post and the author of "Eat Your Vegetables: Bold Recipes for the Single Cook

." He writes the Food section's Weeknight Vegetarian column.

@JoeYonan

Link:

Spectacular (and vegan) chocolate truffles from a few ingredients - MyDaytonDailyNews

Allison Ward The Columbus Dispatch @AllisonAWard

Ohio State sophomore Hannah Murphy typically reserves the midweek time she has between classes for studying.

On a recent Wednesday, however, the 19-year-old spent an hour decorating a mandala design, her hands covered in glitter and marker colors.

Roommate Cassie Wisbang, an OSU sophomore majoring in biology, sat next to Murphy in a room at the Younkin Success Center, at Neil and 10th avenues, clipping eye-catching sayings and photographs from magazines and gluing them to the anatomical heart she had drawn on pink paper.

They listened to relaxing music Ed Sheeran, the Lumineers as they tapped their creative sides, forgetting about upcoming tests or assignments, if only for a little while.

Wisbang would probably have been doing homework that afternoon had she not been working with scissors.

But I think this is needed, she said. Sometimes we get stressed out.

The time free from academics came courtesy of the Art Space Workshop, a weekly drop-in art program open to all Ohio State students a place to communicate their feelings and thoughts through artistic expression.

Art Space was introduced in the fall by the Office of Student Lifes Counseling and Consultation Department.

The crafty activities are meant to help students de-stress something many of them need but often overlook, said Shayla Krecklow, a clinical fellow at OSU and licensed professional counselor.

A lot of students forget to take breaks and this is a subtle reminder that it can be beneficial, said Krecklow, who helped introduce the program. If youre studying however many hours straight, you dont retain as much as if you take a break and come back to it.

This is people saying, Its OK to take a break.

Art Space facilitator Sadi Fox said that coloring, drawing and other artsy exercises can be an ideal way to forget the challenges of schoolwork.

Art takes your attention, said Fox, a clinical therapist. It brings you into the present. If mindfulness is there, youre engaged in the here and now. When youre engaged, you can see a decrease in depression, a decrease in anxiety and an increase in concentration and ability to study which are goals all students have to be able to be successful academically.

Research has shown that art therapy can enhance peoples well-being, Fox said, and the university wanted to explore that possibility further, especially given how popular art can be with students.

When the counseling department hosts recess relaxation events with activities such as sports, storytelling, games and art the art stations generally are the most attended, she said.

At the start of each workshop, she or another staff member welcomes students, invites them to write songs they want to hear on a whiteboard in the room and introduces them to an entire assembly line of materials, Fox said.

We have pastels, crayons, markers, scissors, magazines to cut from, blank mandalas.

The mandalas are intended for students to color if they dont want to follow that weeks prompt for self-reflection.

The prompt last week was to create a representation of hobbies or a relationship close to ones heart or to explore why students might be grateful. The novice artists were encouraged to look at the symbol of a heart.

Faith Lynd filled a heart outline she made with construction paper with words that reminded her of her childhood for which she is most thankful.

The time gave her the opportunity to reflect on other aspects of her life besides her studies to become a social worker.

It gets lost a lot in schoolwork, trying to keep up and extracurriculars, said Lynd, a sophomore.

Plus, the hour spent at Art Space was far more constructive, she said, than bingeing on previous seasons of the Showtime series Shameless.

She was coaxed into attending the workshop by friend Kaycee Bethel, using it to fulfill requirements of the Second-Year Transformational Experience Program, in which both participate. STEP is intended to enhance students experiences on campus and the Art Space is among a number of activities students can join in.

The workshop draws as many as 30 students generally a mix of STEP participants and drop-in students seeking a unique way to relax, Fox said.

Although Julia Barone attended last week in part because of STEP, the sophomore public-health major said she plans to return again.

I loved it. It was a time I could focus on something other than school. It was great to take an hour for myself, which can be hard to do as a busy college student.

Not only does Art Space help students unwind, Krecklow said, but it also fosters a dialogue between them and the counseling department in case students need additional assistance.

Its a really easy way for them to meet a therapist, she said. They see us and think, Hey, you guys are real people, and it makes therapy more accessible.

award@dispatch.com

@AllisonAWard

Original post:

Drop-in art program offers OSU students a creative break - Columbus Dispatch

Photo by: Kelsey Greene

Emily Blue will bring her music to Cowboy Monkey on Friday in downtown Champaign.

Here's what's happening in the area's

MUSIC SCENE

The research behind the concert

Sinfonia da Camera's concert on Saturday at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts in Urbana was influenced by market research the chamber orchestra conducted with two University of Illinois MBA student groups.

One group's survey asked: "What word(s) would you use to describe orchestral music?" The three top responses were "relaxing, classy and old-fashioned."

"We have decided to capitalize on the 'old-fashioned' description as well as the current popularity of the old-fashioned cocktail and do a throwback evening on Saturday our American Century concert," said Jenie Kechulius, the orchestra's operations and personnel manager. "The idea is to tell audience members particularly the under-40 crowd that they should feel free to dress up in '20s, '30s or '40s era clothing."

"The American Century" concert, starting at 7:30 p.m., will feature works by American composers, beginning with Leonard Bernstein's most popular overture, the "Candide." Violinist Rachel Patrick (above) will join Sinfonia in David Canfield's "Rhapsody after Gershwin."

The concert also will feature Samuel Barber's "Knoxville: Summer of 1915." It will end with a suite of favorites from George Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess," arranged by Robert Russell Bennett.

Tickets are $40, adults; $36, senior citizens 65 and older and retired UI faculty and staff; $8, non-UI college students; and $5, youths high school age and younger. Call 333-6280 or visit krannertcenter.com.

Valentine's Day concert

A Valentine's Day performance by local and regional musicians will take place at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at McKinley Presbyterian Church, 809 S. Fifth St., C.

"A Time for Love" will feature solo classical piano repertoire and selections from opera and jazz music that highlight romance, including works by Leonard Bernstein, Franz Liszt, George Gershwin and Aaron Copland.

The featured performers include local pianists and educators Tatiana Shustova and Jaifang Yan, as well as soprano Elena Negruta. Joining them will be concert pianist Ian Gindes, who recently returned from performing live on Chicago's WFMT classical music station, and opera singer Cornelius Johnson, who recently performed in "Porgy and Bess" at the Sydney Opera House in Australia.

Special guests are jazz pianist Chip Stephens, a professor in the UI Jazz Studies Program, and his wife, singer-songwriter Paige Stephens.

"We wanted to create an exciting program to bring together a variety of music designed to be shared with someone you love," Gindes said. "It has something for everyone to enjoy whether you prefer opera or Broadway, popular classical music or jazz. We are excited about the opportunity to enjoy sharing this music with you and that special person in your life in an intimate venue."

Tickets will be available at the door for $12 for general admission and $7 for students and senior citizens. For more information, check out the event's page on Facebook.

Sonic Illinois schedule

Celebrating the UI sesquicentennial in 2017, Krannert Center and the School of Music are exploring the diversity of the contemporary music scene this and next month via a new project titled Sonic Illinois.

Sonic Illinois is a revival of the spirit of the UI Festival of Contemporary Arts, which was a major cultural force in the mid-20th century on the campus. With Sonic Illinois, the campus and community are invited to explore innovative composers, musicians and scholars.

The celebration will include historic compositions, global contemporary artists, School of Music ensembles and works by Illinois faculty and students. Audiences will hear pieces by John Cage, Jeffrey Mumford, Julia Wolfe and Osvaldo Golijov; School of Music composers Erin Gee, Reynold Tharp and Erik Lund; student composers Kyle Shaw and Dongryul Lee; and School of Music alumna Tomeka Reid.

The remaining Sonic Illinois events:

Illinois Modern Ensemble, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Smith Memorial Hall Recital Hall, 805 S. Mathews Ave, U.

Jupiter String Quartet with Todd Palmer, clarinet, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Krannert Center's Foellinger Great Hall.

Bang on a Can All-Stars with the UI Chamber Singers: Wolfe's "Anthracite Fields," 7:30 p.m. March 3, Krannert's Tryon Festival Theatre.

Cajun group to visit Post

Mardi Gras, which falls on Feb. 28, will be celebrated early with Cajun music from 8 to 10 p.m. Wednesday at The Iron Post, featuring the trio Blake Miller, Amelia Biere and A.J. Srubas.

Miller and Biere are part of a vibrant Cajun and Creole music scene in and around Lafayette, La. Miller is a gifted accordion player and fiddler and can play rock-solid bass and guitar as well, according to bassist-guitarist Rob Krumm of Urbana.

Currently with The Revelers, Miller was one of the original members of the Pine Leaf Boys and also played with the Red Stick Ramblers. He grew up in a Cajun family in Iota, La., and is a grandson of well-known accordion builder Larry Miller.

Blake Miller has served stints in other Cajun/Creole bands of note including Balfa Toujours, Les Malfecteurs and Cedric Watson & Bijou Creole.

Originally from Dodgeville, Wis., Biere is a terrific guitarist and vocalist, Krumm said. She honed her musical skills with Anabel and the Bell Tones, an all-women Cajun music group in Minneapolis-St. Paul. Drawn to learn more about Cajun and Creole music and culture, Biere moved to the Lafayette area a few years ago and has performed often there with local musicians.

Srubas, originally from Green Bay, Wis., grew up playing Irish music in a family band. After graduating high school, he studied fiddle in Ireland for a few months. Upon returning home, he was introduced to old-time music after his older brother started to learn claw-hammer banjo.

Srubas, who now lives in Minneapolis, was hooked and has been playing old-time music for the last decade. He plays old-time fiddle in the Bootlicker Stringband and Cajun fiddle and pedal steel guitar in the New Riverside Ramblers. When not playing music, he is an apprentice violin-bow maker and organizer for The Monday Night Square Dance and other Minnesota festivals.

This will be the trio's first show in Champaign-Urbana.

Also at the Post, Dennis Stroughmatt & Friends will perform from 5 to 7 p.m. Feb. 24.

Stroughmatt, who lives in Albion in southern Illinois, tours with his bands Creole Stomp and L'Esprit Creole and with his latest project, a traditional country band that pays tribute to the music of Ray Price and his Cherokee Cowboys.

The Iron Post gig will feature Stroughmatt on fiddle and accordion; Doug Hawf, guitar; Doug Rigsby, drums; and Krumm, bass and accordion.

"For this gig, we'll play a lot of traditional Cajun and Creole tunes from Louisiana and mix it up with some swing, blues and country. This should be a very fun show," Krumm said.

A taste of Klezmer and Yiddish music

Klezmer and Yiddish music luminaries Deborah Strauss and Jeff Warschauer will be in Champaign-Urbana for a series of events from Thursday through next Sunday.

In addition to a playing at a performance and dance party Saturday, the duo will present a lecture and musical demonstration on the UI campus and host a "Big Klezmer and Yiddish Music Jam and Workshop" for all ages.

For more than 25 years, Strauss (violin, accordion, voice, dance) and Warschauer (voice, guitar, mandolin) have been at the forefront of the international klezmer and Yiddish music scene. They were long-time members of the Klezmer Conservatory Band, one of the premiere groups of the klezmer revival, and have performed with legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman.

The two are Yiddish speakers and have researched and collected Yiddish and Hebrew songs and instrumental melodies since the 1980s. Together they lead some of the most popular klezmer music, Yiddish song and traditional dance workshops throughout North America and Eastern and Western Europe.

Other events featuring the duo:

Klezmer Concert and Dance Party, 7 p.m. Saturday, Sinai Temple, 3104 W. Windsor Road, C. Free.

Klezmer Music: From Old World to New: Lecture and Musical Demonstration, 7 p.m. Thursday, UI Music Building Auditorium, Room 1030, 1114 W. Nevada St., U. Free.

Big Klezmer and Yiddish Music Jam and Workshop, 2 to 4 p.m. next Sunday, Phillips Recreation Center, 505 W. Stoughton Ave., U. Open to all ages, levels and backgrounds; singers are welcome too. There also will be a workshop section for experienced musicians. Freewill donations will be appreciated.

For more information, see tinyurl.com/klezmerduoitinerary and klezmerduo.com/.

Emily Blue playing Cowboy Monkey

Emily Blue, frontwoman of the band Tara Terra, will debut new material for her #BubbleGumAcidPop project during the show Emily Blue + Church Booty with Tell Mama at 8 p.m. Friday at the Cowboy Monkey, 6 Taylor St. C. The cover is $7.

#BubbleGumAcidPop will be released in March. In November, Blue's last album, "Another Angry Woman," raised more than $3,000 for Rape Advocacy Counseling and Education Services.

Church Booty delivers a musical experience drawing on a wide range of influences, Blue said. The band formed in Champaign-Urbana but members now live in Chicago, where they entertain crowds with high-energy performances.

"Guided by tight arrangements and skillful improvisations, the bar is set at a high musical standard that works both the brain and the booty," Blue said.

Free Urbana Pops recitals at library

The Urbana Pops Orchestra will host three free recitals, each at 2 p.m. the second Sunday of the month, at the Urbana Free Library, 210 W. Green St.

The recital today will feature violinist Tamra Gingold, who will perform along with students from Urbana High School. On March 12, bassoonist Christopher Raymond will perform. And on April 9, violist Robin Kearton will perform with students from the Community Center for the Arts.

"These winter/spring recitals have been another way that the Urbana Pops Orchestra can share music with the community and give performance opportunities to some of UPO's student musicians," said orchestra President Debra Levey Larson. "Because these recitals are short and casual, they are also a great way to introduce young children to orchestral instruments. The library setting makes it easy for families to wander in, listen to a few pieces and get up and walk around if their kids need to stretch."

Larson said the recitals also serve as a venue to help promote the ensemble's summer concert schedule, "because the full orchestra only performs in June and July, the recitals help us bridge the long Pops drought."

The summer concerts this year will be June 10 and July 15 in the Urbana School High auditorium.

For more information, visit urbanapops.org.

ARTS SCENE

Parkland grad displaying works

The Giertz Gallery at Parkland College will welcome back distinguished alumna Alicia Henry with an exhibition of her works, opening Monday.

The reception for the solo show, "Home: Works by Alicia Henry," will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, with a gallery talk at 6 p.m. by Henry and music by Nathaniel Banks and Friends. Henry will give an another lecture at 1:15 p.m. Thursday in Parkland's Harold and Jean Miner Theatre

The exhibition will remain on view through March 28.

The exhibition, lectures and reception are free and open to the public.

Giertz Gallery Director Lisa Costello said Henry's exhibit has been long anticipated.

"We are delighted to have this Guggenheim Award-winning artist return home from Nashville to exhibit her work and share her experiences with our students and community," Costello said. "Hosting it this year, in celebration with Parkland College's 50th anniversary, makes it an ideal time."

The exhibition features work that explores issues of loss. Henry is interested in how cultural, gender, racial and social differences affect both individual and group responses to loss. Using abstracted human figures, both in isolation or interaction with others, Henry goes beyond mere representation of the figure to present a psychological interpretation of her ideas.

Henry is an associate professor and the discipline coordinator in the Department of Arts and Language at Fisk University. She received her bachelor's of fine arts degree at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and her master's of fine arts degree at the Yale University School of Art.

In addition to attending the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, she has received numerous awards, grants and residencies, including a Ford Foundation Fellowship; a Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant; residencies at Art in General, the MacDowell Art Colony and the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown; and most recently, the 1858 Prize for Contemporary Southern Art.

Henry's works have been exhibited nationally and internationally and are held in private and public collections.

The Giertz Gallery's spring semester hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and noon to 2 p.m. Saturday. The gallery will be closed Feb. 23 for Professional Development Day and March 1825 for spring break.

St. Thomas More fundraiser

The High School of St. Thomas More's Art Club and Art Department, along with Culver's restaurant on Marketview Drive in Champaign, will have an "Empty Bowls" supper fundraiser from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday at The High School of St. Thomas More, 3901 N. Mattis Ave., C.

Proceeds will go to organizations that fight hunger.

The Empty Bowls project was started by high school students in Michigan in 1990. Since then, groups worldwide have sponsored their own Empty Bowls events, in which people buy an empty ceramic handmade bowl in which to have soup and then take the bowl home.

The art students at St. Thomas More have hosted Empty Bowls events for 11 years, usually raising close to $2,000 each year. This year, Culvers will provide the soup and bread. The money raised will be donated to The Daily Bread Soup Kitchen in Champaign.

In addition to the meal, there will be music, drama and dance performances. Other supporting participants include St. Matthew Catholic School, Holy Cross School and Campus Middle School for Girls, as well as many family members, teachers and friends who made bowls.

The suggested donation for the bowl and meal is $10 and for the meal alone, $5. Additional donations are welcome.

Photos on display in 'Seeking'

The Asian American Cultural Center, with the Urbana Museum of Photography, is presenting through March 31 the exhibition "Seeking" of black and white photographs made from film.

The exhibition features photographs by Yashin Chen, Ryan Fang and Ziang Xiao, who explore their Chinese culture and its traces in the American society. The project consists of three parts, with each part offering a personal view of each artist.

Xiao, born and raised in northern China, documents the lifestyle and landscapes of mainland China. As a Taiwanese, Chen feels living in America reminds her every day of the importance of the Chinese culture. For the short period she went back to Taiwan, she brought back photos of the landscape and people. Fang, as an international student at the UI, explores the impact of Chinese culture in the Midwest, particularly Chicago and Champaign-Urbana.

The exhibit is open for viewing from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays at the Asian American Cultural Center, 1210 W. Nevada St., U. The reception will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday.

LITERARY SCENE

Book launch party at Esquire

Champaign author Patricia Hruby Powell will celebrate the publication of her latest book, "Loving vs. Virginia," at a book launch party from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Esquire Lounge, 106 N. Walnut St., C.

In free verse, Powell tells the story of the landmark civil rights case that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

"In 1955, in Caroline County, Va., amidst segregation and prejudice, injustice and cruelty, two teenagers fell in love," reads the Amazon review. "Their life together broke the law, but their determination would change it. Richard and Mildred Loving were at the heart of a Supreme Court case that legalized marriage between races and a story of the devoted couple who faced discrimination, fought it and won."

At the free launch party, Hruby Powell will read from the book and sign copies sold by Jane Addams Book Shop, Champaign. Robin Kearton, Tom Faux and other musicians will perform the kind of string band music that Mildred Loving's family played in Virginia. Along with its regular menu, the Esquire will offer Brunswick stew, a traditional dish from Virginia.

Hruby Powell, also a dancer and storyteller, has had four other books published and is working on another to be published next year.

THEATER SCENE

DLO will perform 'Violet'

Danville Light Opera Musical Theatre will present the award-winning, Tony-nominated Broadway musical "Violet," with a dessert performance at 7 p.m. Friday and dinner performances at 6:30 p.m. Saturday and 12:30 p.m. next Sunday at Bremer Auditorium at Danville Area Community College.

The music in "Violet" ranges from folk to blues to rock to gospel and was written by Tony-winning composer Jeanine Tesori. Inspired by the short story "The Ugliest Pilgrim" by Doris Betts, "Violet" has been praised as "a work of great resonance and beauty and joy" by New York magazine; Newsday wrote, "The Broadway musical we've been waiting for has arrived!"

The synopsis: Violet is a disfigured woman of unshakable faith who boards a Greyhound bus in Spruce Pines, S.C., to pursue her dream of beauty. The real journey takes place through the people she meets on the road leading to a television preacher in Tulsa, Okla. Set in 1964, themes of tragedy, racism, faith and, ultimately, acceptance and love, are part of the story. Its setting in the early days of the civil rights era will resonate with audiences today."

Director Jeanne Dunn embraced a minimalist vision for the production, putting the focus directly on the story, the characters and the performances. "Violet" has been on her theatrical "bucket list" since 2010, and she is collaborating on it with music director Karen Grove.

Leading the cast are Mallory (Williams) Middendorf in the title role and Phil Bryant and Bryan Jenkins as two young soldiers to whom Violet grows close.

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That's entertainment: Spotlighting events throughout the area - Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette

February 11, 2017 Whole Foods may have led the charge on organic food, but it's in danger of being left behind by the movement it helped create.

The supermarket chain reported declining in sales for the sixth quarter in a row, experiencing 2.4 percent fall in salescompared tothe first quarter, amidst an increasingly competitive organic food retail market.

"We are refining our growth strategy, refocusing our efforts on best serving our core customers, and moving faster to fully implement category management, said the chief executive officer of Whole Foods, John Mackey, in a statement following the release of the report.

The Austin-based store said at the end of 2013 that it was planning to grow its 470 US locations to more than 1,200. But the new report shows a shift from expansion to consolidation, as it closes nine stores this quarter.

"The more conventional, mainstream supermarkets have upped their game," Mr. Mackey told investors, reported the Wall Street Journal. "The world is very different today than it was five years ago."

The numbers back his claims: Sales of organic products increased 209 percent between 2005 and 2015, topping $43.3 billion in 2016, the US Organic Trade Association said. Studies from the US Department of Agriculture also underscore the rapid development of the industry, with the number of organic farms growing from 67 in 2011 to 166 in 2014.

Whole Foods, who brands itself as "America's healthiest grocery store," is no longer the only market for fresh, minimally processed produce and foods. Now nearly three out of four grocery stores offer organic products, according to USDA.

In addition to the popular farmers markets popping up in more and more cities, retailers including Walmart, Kroger, Aldi, and Costco all offer organic selections to the consumers flocking to their aisles for their lower prices.

According to the Seattle Times, Costco in 2015 became the biggest organic grocer, sellingmore than $4 billion of organic food each year, while Krogers recently launched organic line also netted $1.2 billion in sales in 2014.

To fight its "whole-paycheck" reputation and falling sales, Whole Foods launched a cheaper grocery store chainnamed 365 to appeal to Millennials, a generation who are keen on wellness and exercise. As the Christian Science Monitor noted in 2016:

The 365 chain of stores is designed for Millennials and budget shoppers. According to the website, it will feature heavier discounts, competitive prices, and a few innovative additions, like Whole Food Friends, third-party businesses that operate in or nearby the 365 shops.

Whole Foods is aware of its pricing problems. On Wednesday, Mackay told investors that "in some cases, when we have particularly a strong quality advantage, the gap might be a little larger. But if theyre selling the exact same items and exactly the same brands, we feel like we really need to be competitive on those prices."

Others have pointed to Whole Foods ambitious expansion plan and its poorly managed stores as the reasons behind the stores lower sales.

"The company finally told investors what they've been waiting more than a year to hear: Whole Foods will give up on a misguided goal of adding 1,200 new stores to an over-retailed America," wrote Shelly Banjo, a columnist at Bloomberg.

"Instead, it will close unprofitable stores and hold back on building more of its lower-priced 365 stores until it's more confident in the concept's long-term performance."

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Organic food is more popular than ever, so why is Whole Foods struggling? - Christian Science Monitor

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Organic food has never been so popular, so why is Whole Foods now struggling? Sacramento Bee Organic food has never been so popular among American consumers. Ironically, that's bad news for the brand that made organic a household name - namely, the Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods. On Wednesday, Whole Foods reported what is arguably its ... Has Whole Foods Become a Half-Baked Stock?TheStreet.com Organic Food and Beverages market research report and Design Guidelines Overview 2021Satellite PR News (press release) Global Organic Food Market 2017 Conscious Food, Organic India, Morarka Organic Foods, Ecofarms(India)Publicist Report - Market Research News by Market.Biz (press release) CNBC all 312 news articles »

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Organic food has never been so popular, so why is Whole Foods now struggling? - Sacramento Bee

Mike Ilitch had a nondescript career as an infielder. Signed by Detroit in 1952, he was assigned to Class D Jamestown where he played alongside Coot Veal and Charlie Lau. Veal went on to play shortstop for the Tigers. Lau went to the big leagues as well, then became a legendary hitting guru.

Ilitch spent four years in the low minors, then became a pizza magnate and a beloved owner of two sports franchises in his hometown. On Friday, he passed away at the age of 87.

Ilitch opened his first Little Caesars in 1959, and in 1982 he bought the Detroit Red Wings. Ten years later, he bought the Detroit Tigers. All three have thrived under his ownership.

Little Caesars is the third-largest pizza chain in the United States. The Red Wings won the Stanley Cup four times from 1997-2008, and have reached the playoffs for 25 years running. The Tigers have gone to the postseason five times in the last 11 years, and their lowest attendance over that stretch was 2.46 million.

What will happen now that the patriarch of the Ilitch empire is gone? Forbes estimates that the family is worth $6.1 billion, so the money is there if 51-year-old Christopher Ilitch, who is now calling the shots,follows in his fathers footsteps and keeps the purse strings open. MLB doesnt have a salary cap (the NHL does) and the Tigers currently have one of baseballs highest payrolls. Unlike some owners, Mike Ilitch was more interested in winning than he was in filling his own coffers.

Christopher Ilitch is unlikely to do things much differently than dad. But that doesnt mean changes arent on the horizon. The Cabreras, Kinslers, V-Marts, and Verlanders are no longer spring chickens, and the farm system is anything but vibrant. A rebuild seems inevitable, regardless of expenditures, and it will likely begin following the 2017 season. In the meantime, the Tigers will chase a World Series title in memory of Mike Ilitch.

When I interviewed him last summer, Cardinals outfield prospect Harrison Bader told me that he has a pretty concrete understanding of how a swing is going to work. Its hard to argue. The 22-year-old University of Florida product has an .822 OPS since St. Louis selected him in the third round of the 2015 draft. Riding on a fast track, he reached Triple-A midway through his first full professional season.

He hit a speed bump upon his arrival in Memphis. Bader slashed .231/.298/.354, with just three home runs, in 49 games following his promotion. The power outage was notable, as hed gone deep 16 times with Springfield in 318 at bats.

Eric Longenhagen raised concerns about Badens future thump in his Cardinals prospect list a few weeks ago. According to our in-house scouting expert, Bader has plus bat speed and some raw power, but its hard for him to utilize it in games because his swing is so flat and linear.

My interest piqued, I asked Baden for his perspective.

Quite frankly, Ive taken some pretty-non-linear swings through the zone, said Bader. Ive gotten lift on the ball. But as fast as the pitches are moving, its really difficult to be that fine with your swing. My only goal is for it to be strong and aggressive. I do try to stay flat through the zone. You dont want to be chopping at the ball, or getting under it. Sometimes it works out well with that flat swing it results in a back-spun ball that goes over the fence.

Bader is aware that launch angle data is being studied, but he hasnt spoken to anyone about it. While he considers himself a student of the game, not everyone explores the science of hitting in the same way.

Studying the game from a players perspective would be drastically different from that of somebody hired out of an Ivy League school into a front office, opined Bader. I dont bring my calculator to the box with me. I just focus on getting into a hitting position to where I can do the most effective damage. At the end of the day, it comes down to understanding your body, and having a feel for the game that you cant really get if you dont play it. Thats what Im trying to perfect.

The Chicago Cubs announced several promotions on Friday. Among them was John Baker going from Baseball Operations Assistant to Coordinator, Mental Skills. The new title befits what hed already been doing. What happens between the ears, and how that impacts physical performance, became a focus for the 36-year-old Cal-Berkeley product not long after he was hired 14 months ago.

As far as former backstops go, Baker is more of a Moe Berg than a Yogi Berra. Calling him a renaissance man may qualify as hyperbole (or maybe it wouldnt), but hes certainly not cookie-cutter. That much was clear when he brought up one of his pet projects at last summers Saberseminar in Boston.

We use the scientifically-backed practice of meditation with our players in the minor leagues to help them perform better on the field, said Baker. We teach guided meditation. Darnell McDonald thats his main role with the team. He goes around and leads guys in meditation, and teaches them how to do it on their own. We promote some different applications iPhone applications, Android applications for our players to do that.

Improving focus is a primary objective. Baker spoke of three-second time windows where each player on the field should be fully focused on every pitch. Another goal is to reduce stress. That is especially true in environments like Boston and Chicago.

Kevin Youkilis talks about having been called a truck driver, and the hate he sometimes felt, explained Baker. Jake Arrieta told me that he was followed in Manhattan, for 10 blocks, by 60 people. He was with his family. Kris Bryant was telling me hes having trouble, in Chicago, just leaving the house.

Theres all of this pressure, so we practice meditation. Why? So we can recognize negative thoughts and let them go, and so we can be fully present for those three seconds. Thats how we teach them to deal with that kind of pressure, stress, and failure. Its by living right now, in those three seconds, 150-200 times a game, and then going home and not worrying about them any more.

Nate Jones was confident that his velocity would return. He wasnt disappointed. In his first full season after coming back from Tommy John surgery he went under the knife midway through the 2014 campaign the White Sox reliever regularly rushed his heater to the plate in the upper 90s.

Rehabbing from a repaired ulnar collateral ligament is an arduous slog, replete with a fear factor. That is especially true for flamethrowers. What if the explosive fastball the weapon that got them to the top fails to rematerialize?

Jones did his best to cast doubt aside. Rather than dwell on negative what-ifs, he put his trust in the process and eschewed radar gun readings.

Coming back, I wasnt worried about velocity, Jones told me this past summer. I wasnt trying to hit a certain number, or anything like that. My focus was on making sure it was quality work, with my mechanics and my direction. If you have that good foundation, everything should fall into place, including the velocity at the end. I just went out there and did the program, and luckily it worked out.

The righty has a similar attitude when hes standing on a game mound.

Ive never been one to have a feel for just what my velocity is, said Jones. I just throw with what I have. If Ive gone a couple days in a row and its only 90 percent of usual, its still Boom! Im going after you. Ive always been like that. Whether its 99, 97, or 95, its all about whats in the tank that day.

Are certain pitch sequences more effective than others? I asked Red Sox manager John Farrell that question recently, and while time didnt allow for an expansive answer, he did weigh in on the subject.

Any time you can force a hitter into making adjustments to the extremes that a given pitcher can execute high fastball to something soft and moving down below the strike zone youre creating the greatest difference between velocity and location, Farrell told me. Those are combinations that have proven to be successful. And strikes are a priority. So is the appearance of strikes, whether thats through deception, or release point, or whatever it might be.

Farrell went on to say that sequencing is something you talk to pitchers about routinely. Not being predictable is crucial. Hard up followed by soft down is less effective if the batter knows its coming.

A pitcher has the final say, said Farrell. If youve maybe established a sense of predictability, you always have the ability to adjust off of it. All it takes is one variation of that predictability, and then all bets are off. You cant assume its going to be the same pitch, in the same count, as in the previous sequences.

This past Wednesday, we heard from Chase Headley and Ken Singleton on why switch-hitters will occasionally go same side against an opposing pitcher. Not included in the article were Mark Teixeiras thoughts on that same subject.

The recently-retired Teixeira was better from the right side an .895 OPS as opposed to .858 lefty and thats how he liked to hit against butterflies. Thanks largely to his AL East match-ups against Tim Wakefield, the erstwhile Yankee had 50 right-on-right plate appearances over his long career.

It was a knuckleballer-only thing. If a conventional pitcher was on the mound, he was going to be in the opposite-side batters box. Period.

Youre just not used to doing it, Teixeira told me at the tail end of last season. Ive been switch-hitting pretty much my whole life, so its just not a comfortable feeling when youre going right-on-right or left-on-left off a normal pitcher. When youve been doing something your whole life thats just what you do. Theres a reason youre a switch hitter to go left against right, and vice versa so Ive never thought about doing it any differently.

Teixeira, who was just hired as an analyst by ESPN he should excel in his new job went deep 409 times, and slugged .509, for four teams from 2003-2016.

I missed the news when it came out just before Christmas, but Todd Kalas is the new TV play-by-play voice of the Houston Astros. He is replacing Bill Brown, who retired after three decades in that role. Kalas reportedly one of 70 to apply for the job has spent the last 19 years as part of the Tampa Bay Rays broadcast team. His father, 2002 Ford Frick-recipient Harry Kalas, called games for the Astros and the Phillies from 1965-2009.

LINKS YOULL LIKE

At The Cincinnati Enquirer, Carol Motsinger explained the science and math that will hold up the Pete Rose statue.

Kevin Kernan of The New York Post wrote about how Frisbee golf plays a role in Seth Lugos crazy curveball.

The hitting coach for the Brewers Triple-A affiliate is back on the field after recovering from a rare disease. Tom Haudricourt has the story at The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

In the opinion of FanRag Sports Jonathan Bernhardt, MLB whiffed yet again on resolving non-existent pace-of-play woes.

Writing for 101 Sports, longtime St. Louis scribe Bernie Miklasz took A Look at Mike Mathenys Comical, Baffling Use of Alternative Facts.

RANDOM FACTS AND STATS

Walter Johnson went 10-2 in games where he pitched 13 or more innings.

As of his 21st birthday, Dwight Gooden was 41-13 with a 2.00 ERA and 1.93 FIP. Hed played two MLB seasons and led the NL in strikeouts in each of them.

Dwight Evans had a 3-0 count 193 times in his career. He put nine balls into play on 3-0, including a single, a double, a triple, and two home runs. In all plate appearances where the count started 3-0, he slashed .426/.813/.721.

In 1912, Home Run Baker of the Philadelphia As led the American League in HR (10) and RBI (130). He also had 40 doubles, 21 triples, and 40 stolen bases.

A reminder that the 2017 SABR Analytics Conference will be held March 9-11 in Phoenix. Featured speakers include Jim Deshaies, Jerry Dipoto, Mike Hazen, Jed Hoyer, Bill James, Randy Johnson, and many more.

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Sunday Notes: Ilitch, Bader's Bat, Baker's Meditation, more - FanGraphs (blog)

Its sort of like yoga. Without pants. And with lots of stroking.

Collage by Kevin Burzynski

I came to the practice of Orgasmic Meditation nine years ago via a circuitous 20-year route of other practices: yoga, seated meditation, bodywork. I havent found a more powerful catalyst for really effecting change in my life than OM.

Orgasm, the way I know it, is indirect, unpredictable, expansive, inclusive. Its a state rather than an event. What the rest of the world calls orgasm, we call climax: part of orgasm, but far from the whole story. If the climax is the cymbal crash in a symphony, were looking at the whole symphony. We learn to up our attention to the more subtle stuff; the low oboe line is just as interesting and relevant.

OM is a 15-minute partnered practice in which a stroker strokes the upper-left quadrant of a womans clitoris with no goal except to feel what arises. The stroker is fully clothed, and the strokee is undressed from the waist down. Its a strict 15 minutes we set a timer. Part of the beauty of the practice is that its so self-contained; I know exactly whats going to happen in those 15 minutes. The protocol of the practice is quite rigid. This isnt a professional service, like getting a haircut or a massage. Rather, its a community of folks who practice, meaning theyre co-creating an experience. The whole notion of giver and receiver falls away. Its more like jazz. The bassist isnt giving Miles Davis a bass line. Rather, theyre both just responding in pitch-perfect resonance to the thing thats between them.

Both stroker and strokee train in this practice private training is three sessions to get started. (My intro package is $450, for about three to four hours of instruction.) After training, all practice sessions are free. Once youre trained, youre added to a private community page or forum, and thats where you find partners for your practice. There are probably about 500 or so folks who have learned to OM in Philly. Its not like a dating app, either. I OM with people I would never date, and Ive had amazing experiences with partners I dont know socially. All genders train and practice of course, you need a minimum of one clitoris to practice. Usually its done in somebodys home; just like youd have a friend over for tea, you have a friend over for an OM.

We look at orgasm as a flow state, something bigger that overtakes you. Its so different from other sexuality practices out there. Its not 15 tricks to blow her mind tonight! Its more similar to the Slow Food movement, which took all the crap out of our food so that we can learn to truly taste how, say, an apple tastes. This is learning to feel again.

I expected OM to change my romantic relationship, and it did it improved our communication, and we became more honest with each other. But I was blown away by the impact it had on my other relationships. The range of people I enjoy has expanded infinitely. I have more empathy and better boundaries, and Ive learned to ask for and receive what I want more fully. Practicing that, day in and day out, with the most sensitive part of my body has made it so much more available when my pants go on and Im out in the world. Im nine years into this practice, and the only things I know for sure are that Ive never had the same experience twice in an OM, and Ill never feel all of my orgasm. And thats the beauty of it: This terrain is infinite.

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Philadelphia Sex Diaries: I Practice Orgasmic Meditation - Philadelphia magazine

February is Heart Health Month. While a heart-healthy diet like the Ornish Diet and daily exercise are the most important steps we can take to support cardiovascular health, adopting a daily meditation practice has also been shown to be very helpful. When a healthy lifestyle is suggested, we usually think of watching what we eat and becoming more active, but we tend to think that there is not much we can do to reduce our daily stress levels.

Excess stress may promote a heightened inflammatory response, which could in turn negatively affect the cardiovascular system. We all know that high-stress situations can cause an increase in blood pressure. Compounding a not-so-great diet with heightened stress levels may eventually lead to a chronic condition.

Removing the stressors sounds like the easiest and most effective plan of attack, but many of our daily stressors are things that are not so easy to remove. Over time, the little things can add up, like running late to work, being behind schedule on a task or helping the kids with their homework. Before we know it, we are worked up and stressed out and sometimes may not even remember why. Many doctors recommend stress-reducing techniques and many are suggesting a daily meditation.

A daily meditation practice for as little as five to 10 minutes can be a great way to take a step back from our stressors and racing thoughts. Many people think that meditation is an impossible task of stopping our thoughts or trying not to think. That is not the case. Trying to clear the mind can actually lead to more stress when we get frustrated that we can't do it. I think of meditation as stepping back and watching our thoughts. With time, we can develop a tiny amount of time between our thoughts to decide if or how we react.

Try this. Sit down and get comfortable. Now count every in and out breath until you get to 10, then start back at one. If you get distracted by a thought, no big deal. Start back at one. If you make it to 10 without getting distracted by a thought, good job. Now start back at 10. Using this practice for five to 10 minutes once or twice a day may just be the way to change how you relate to stressors and help you keep your stress levels in check.

Travis Lemon is a certified herbalist at Healthy Life Market who has worked in the natural health and wellness industry for more than 12 years. He can be contacted at travislemonmh@gmail.com.

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Travis Lemon: Calm your heart with meditation | Features ... - Huntington Herald Dispatch