The violinist, a maverick in the classical world, explains why she wants her music to disturb

Call them the mavericks. Theyre the increasingly vocal squad of classical musicians who thrive on confounding expectations, whether its in their unlikely combinations of material, their unique, sometimes madcap style of live performance, or the way they flaunt inspirations that lie well beyond the classical canon.

The high priest of the movement is Teodor Currentzis, the Greek conductor who heads the pioneering period-instrument orchestra Musica Aeterna. Then theres the Argentine cellist Sol Gabetta (last heard in the UK singing along to her own encore at the Proms) and the pixie-like Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto, or the David Bowie of the fiddle as The Timess Richard Morrison once anointed him.

The queen of the mavericks, however, must be the violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja (often known as PatKop),

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Patricia Kopatchinskaja: 'Music is not like relaxing in a sauna or spa ... - The Times (subscription)

As voted by UG community.

[+] bio

UG editor. Music lover. Constant searcher of something interesting and unique.

This week's traditional Wednesday Question saw the people of UG community discussing the matter of greatest songs to listen to during a hangover. Based on your votes and more than 200 comments, we summed this one up to a traditional Top 25 rundown, make sure to check it out below.

We'd liketo single outsuch nominations as Sandy's "Texas Song" from "SpongeBob SquarePants" or just "anything by Bob Marley" - as well as our pranksters' nomination "Anal Cunt - Hitler Was a Sensitive Man." Plus another honorable mention will be: "Hangover TV is the Joy of Painting with Bob Ross."

With all these things out of the way, the actual top awaits below!

You folks decided to kick things offwith "Booze Me Up and Get Me High" by Ween. With its lyrics and sound, it's almost an ideal song for hangover.

Slow-pacedand heavy, the masterpiece ofstoner metal gods Electric Wizard, "Funeralopolis" is next - and it doesn't matter are wasted by alcohol or something else.

Relaxing, dream-like "I Will Possess Your Heart" by Death Cab for Cutie is another great addition to your hangover soundtrack.

You're still wasted? Having a really hard morning? Then "Still Wasted" by Liam Lynch will be just ideal.

Are you on your own? Then Green Day's "Brain Stew" is next! And if you wanna escape from your hangover - actual album version of "Brain Stew" is joined with "Jaded," try it 🙂

Up next is "No Excuses" by Alice in Chains with its exceptional mood...

Zakk's voice accompanied by acoustic instrumentation and harmonica - do you need something else for your hangover morning?

Relaxing, almost jazzy mood of this tune by Mike Patton and company held this tune to No. 18. Be warned of the beepingat the end of the song 🙂

Quiet and totally deppresed, "Something in the Way" is ideal if you're in the same mood...

Zakk Wylde again- but now with Black Label Soceity and anappropriately-titledalbum "Hangover Music Vol. VI."

Mellow and trippy, "Space Cadet" by Kyuss will help you to travel with your hangover.

The whole "B-Sides & Rarities" album (which also tops our previous Best B-Sides & Rarities Albumslist) is calm enough to accompany your hard morning, but you vote particularly for this unique cover of the Sade's song.

First with Kyuss, and now with QOTSA, Josh Homme is again on the list. If you have really heavy hangover - maybe this tune will just for you.

You are in a depressing mood, don't want to move - put some Lou on...

Lou Reed takesthe next place as well! "Sunday Morning," performed by The Velvet Underground & Nico, will be great for every morning, not only Sunday.

A frequent participant in almost all UG tops, "Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd is next. Just "relax"...

The moody song with its lyrics, "Cheap Sunglasses" by ZZ Top is great for your lazily cheerful hangover. Just go get yourself a CHEAP pair of sunglasses!

Maestro Johhny Cash is at No. 8, bringing his "Sunday Morning Coming Down" for your hard morning.

Not a typically "calm" song, "Oblivion" by Mastodon is next.You voted for this one because of the tune's soothing vocals and guitar solo, which can ease down ahangover.

A genuinemasterpiece by Angelo Badalamenti, whichalso foundits place onUG community's Greatest Movie Scores list, the haunting and touching "Twin Peaks Theme," can easily help you to relax after a hard night.

Are you really tired after the party? Then this classic Beatles' tune is just for you!

The song's title says it all - "The Worst Hangover Ever" by The Offspring will be an ideal soundtrack for your dreadful morning.

And Mike Patton is again on the list, taking the bronze with one of the biggest hits from Faith No More - calm and relaxing cover of Commodores' tune "Easy."

And silver is going to the real masterpiece by Black Sabbath, trippy and mellow "Planet Caravan."

And the gold this week is taken by The Doors! To quote jamoneverdies, "Anything by the Doors is hangover music." It's the timeless "Riders on the Storm" with its trippy mood took no. 1 on our list.

And we decided to put this absolute masterpiece by John Cage on the list too! Hangover is a hard time for any music - with an exception of "4'33""!

That's all folks; we hope you enjoyed the top, stay tuned until next week for another WQ!

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Top 25 Best Hangover Songs - Ultimate-Guitar.Com

News at Rider

Rider Musical Theatre journeys through pop music of the 1980s News at Rider The spring cabaret promises to be a fun and relaxing time for the audience. Trapp hopes they see the variety and talent in the arts programs at Rider and that they take note of just how talented the student performers are; the variety of music from the ...

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Rider Musical Theatre journeys through pop music of the 1980s - News at Rider

Juicy J plays the Fillmore Auditorium in 2014.

Brandon Marshall

Academy Award-winning MC and producer Juicy J has been in the hip-hop game since 1991, when he co-founded the Memphis crew Three 6 Mafia. Juicy J struck out on his own, building his personal music business, producing his own records, touring aggressively, rapping about weed, booze and blow jobs, and eventually securing his own cannabis strain and becoming the spokesperson for Colt 45.

While Juicy J is known for rapping about his decadent lifestyle, he prides himself on being a smart businessman who gets a good night's sleep, enjoys watching movies with his family, and makes sure to keep a close eye on his bank account. We could all use a little life advice, and who better to get it from than J? In advance of his Friday, February 10, show at the Fillmore Auditorium, we gave the inimitable Juicy J a ring.

Westword: How's the tour?

Juicy J: The tour's going good, man.

Where are you right now?

Sacramento.

What kinds of adventures have you been having out on the road?

Man, you know, I've been doing this for so long. To me, everything's an adventure. Meeting the fans the meet-and-greets are the best thing. When I do a meet-and-greet, I get the chance to meet one-on-one with the fans, and they get the chance to tell me they like the songs I did back in the 90s with Three 6 Mafia and the favorite songs they like. That's how I vibe off of that. I get to hear a lot of different things. Some people tell me I saved their lives when they listened to my music. I saved their lives. That's good that I saved some lives. I feel good about that.

That's amazing.

That's what's good about the tour. It's the meet-and-greets.

Are there particular songs people talk about?

Man, they talk about every song. I can't remember everything they say, but they talk about everything in my career from when I first started until now. They go from years back in the day. They talk about everything.

You've had such a long and such a storied career. I'm curious how you keep it up, how you keep moving, how you keep producing fresh content.

I just keep my ears to the street, man. I like doing music. I've been doing this for so long, I just like making music. I like making beats, making songs. I probably got up to two million songs brand-new songs probably not that many, but I've got a lot of songs on my hard drive that I've never released. I just like making music. It's not about the money anymore. It's not about none of that. It's just about me just making music. I'm always going to make some money. I'm not worried about that, but when it comes to being an artist, being creative is what I like to do. Collabs, working with different producers it's great.

You're either the most decadent person I've ever heard or the most traumatized, in terms of how much you're talking about drugs and booze and blow jobs and everything else under the sun. Can you talk about your relationship to that stuff if it's pure joy, if it comes from a place of pure pleasure, if it comes from a place of trauma, perhaps? What's your relationship to all that when you're not rapping about it, when you're in your own life?

When I'm relaxing, I'm smoking some weed, man. You know what I mean? I'm chilling and watching Netflix. I don't really do much. I go to the movies. I've been in this game for over thirty years. I've done pretty much everything. I went all over the world, just about. I haven't been to Australia yet, but I've been to a lot of different places. I just be relaxing. I just smoke some weed and be relaxing. That's what it is. It's just enjoying the fruits of the labor, you know?

It's amazing to hear that you relax at all with the amount of output that you have and your incredible work ethic, both as a businessperson and also an artist.

It's not easy, man, but somebody's got to do it.

Are you still doing the Colt 45 stuff?

Yep.

Is it fun?

It works every time. It's super-fun. I love it. You can see Billy Dee Williams doing it back in the day, and now I'm doing it. It's great.

Talk about the weed industry right now. You're going to be coming out to Colorado. Do you have business relationships out here? Are you doing any of that while you're on tour out here?

Yep. I've got a strain of weed called Green Suicide. I'm just pushing that right now. Hopefully, when I tour and come to Colorado, I'm going to bring some to the show if it don't get smoked all up. I'm going to bring some to the show, smoke with the fans.

Do you sell in any of the dispensaries out here?

It should be out there. I don't know for sure. You'd have to talk to the managers. I let them handle everything. I just sit back and smoke. I used to do stuff like that. I try to let the management handle that. Back in my Three 6 Mafia days I used to do the management, book the shows and all of that shit. I try to free myself from that and let other people handle it. I just like to look at the account and make sure the checks go through.

Talk about your production process. What's your creative process like? How do you make a song from beginning to end?

I'm listening to something, I can get a sample rolling, put a drumbeat behind it, add the bass and anything else the song needs, write the hook and then write the verse. That's how I usually do it. Sometimes I get an idea of a verse or a flow. I might write down scratch vocals or something, and then I may take it home and live with it for a day or two, come back in the studio and then put words in, turn it into a whole song. Sometimes it happens right there on the spot. Sometimes it takes a couple days. Sometimes a week. It depends on what kind of song you've got. If you've got a regular song, I do it real quick, sometimes knock it out. I put more concentration in it if I've got a feature or something on it. I might structure the beat a little bit or whatever. I can make a song in a day and I can make a song in a week.

Has there ever been a song that was a hard nut to crack? What was the hardest song you've ever written?

I don't know, man, it comes natural, but sometimes you can come up with a hook and I might write a verse and I might come back in a couple days and re-change the whole verse up. It comes natural, man. I feel like if the vibe is not there on the song, I just walk away from it. I won't even try to pursue the record. There's songs that I have that may have one verse or may not have a hook on it, and if I feel like I ain't just really feeling it, I go on to the next record. I don't really try to brainstorm an idea. I like things that come natural.

It's always interesting. Different musicians have such different processes. You have someone like Leonard Cohen, who will work for months and months and months on one verse of a song. For a lot of people, it's quick.

Yeah.

It's cool the differences in that, for sure.

I can't wait a month. That's too long.

You do a lot of work with younger rappers and a lot of mentorship. Can you talk about that process, how you identify who you want to work with and how that works for you?

When I hear a producer with dope beats like when I heard Mike WiLL (Made-It) I reached out to him. If I hear a dope beat, it can be some underground guy from my neighborhood, from Memphis or whatever. If I hear a dope beat, shit, I just reach out. Let's do business. I know a lot of unsigned talented people. I know a lot of signed talented people. But I know a lot of unsigned talented people that's on the up-and-coming. I just like to make music. It don't matter the person. It don't matter the name. If I feel like we've got a good vibe, we go into the studio, smoke some weed, vibe, make a song with no problems.

I take it you'll never retire?

I know this is not going to be my last tour, but I'm going to take some time off, as far as the road. But I'll always be in the studio working with new artists and throwing records out here and there, and make some videos. But the road is not easy when you're an artist, and you've got to get up in the morning. You've got to make sure you're on time. The road is hard work on the body. It's fun, but it's a business at the end of the day. I'd rather go on tour, take a good five or six months off, relax and then maybe go on another tour and not just rush out there. I'm definitely going to slow down on doing the shows a little bit and spend more time with my family and stuff like that because that's really more important. My wife is more important. This music, you know, I pay the bills. It's something I love. But there is a real world out there that I've got to live. So I'm definitely going to take a break for a few months and just spend time with family and go visit people I haven't seen in a long time.

What do you do when you're with your family? How do you have fun with them?

Chilling at the crib, cooking. You know, down South, it's how we do it. We cook and sit around and talk and watch TV and stuff like that. I think that's good things. You don't always have to be doing everything. You can just be sitting around with your family watching a good movie and cooking some good food. We might go to the beach or whatever, but it's cool for me to just have the family around the house.

What do you like to cook?

Man, I don't cook nothing, man. I can burn some water. I can definitely burn up some water. But I can't cook nothing, man.

You're not sitting around julienningonions or whatever?

Yeah, man. I'd set the kitchen on fire.

On the road, how do you take care of yourself? What do you do to stay sane, keep it together, stay fit?

Man, you know what? Sleep. Believe it or not, resting the body, resting. Sleep is good, man. A lot of people don't know that I like to get sleep. In my younger days, I'm not going to lie, I used to be up for three days in a row. But sleep is good, so you can be energetic and give a great show without stressing yourself. Just relaxing it's all about relaxing, man. I've been through all the trials and tribulations in the music business and the ups and downs. Now this tour is more about relaxation. I've been relaxing, meeting people, smoking good weed and just watching movies. Chilling, man. Enjoying life. It's about the sleep.

What do you recommend for young folks coming up? If they want to pursue their vision or pursue their dream, what do they need to do? What should they be up to?

I think they need to never give up, keep going, read. Nowdays you can go on to the computer and read about the music business. Back in my day, I had to check out books at the library. Read about the music business. Understand it before you get in it. Know about publishing. Know about producer royalties. Know about artist royalties. Understand the math.

The most important part of the music business is the business. The music will come, but a lot of these artists don't know the business, and it's not good, because you're signing a contract and you don't get a lawyer to read the contract. I don't think that's smart. I know we've all been through certain things and sometimes people can't afford lawyers, but at least try to read up on it, so when somebody puts a contract in your face, you'll know some of the shit in that contract if you want to hire a lawyer or not. And then, when you start getting some money, it's taxes. You've got to pay those taxes, man. I see a lot of artists who buy those watches, they buy those big old houses. You've got to pay Uncle Sam first. Take care of him first and then do what you do. You don't want to be in a situation once you've got a couple million dollars in the bank, you in the club, you kicking it, and the next day, shit's wiped out. You lose your car. You don't want to be in those situations, man. I've never been in that situation, but I've seen a lot of people come up to the top, they didn't pay Uncle Sam, and they fall flat on their face.

That's good advice. Anything you want people to know about you that they don't already?

Man, I don't know. A lot of people think I get high all day, but I'm a businessman. My business is handled. The business part is solid, on my behalf. I know where my money is. You've got to know how to read out here. You've got to know how to add. I've got some real estate. Invest that shit. Invest your money. A lot of people probably don't even know that about me. They probably think I just be sitting at home smoking weed which I do a lot, because I got my business handled. So I can do that. But the business is definitely intact. I don't owe nobody shit, you know what I'm saying?

Has it always been that way? Did you learn that lesson the hard way? Did you always have that business sense?

I read a lot of music books. I've made some mistakes in my life and had some fucked-up deals here and there. It ain't been too many. I've always been on top of my business from the jump. I didn't know how to pay taxes, but I know how to pay taxes. When I got my first check, my daddy was asking me, "Yo, did you pay taxes on that money?" I was like, "No. What the hell is taxes?" He was like, "You know you got to pay the government whatever you get." He put me up on that game, and I hired a CPA. My mama was my CPA at first. Then I hired a real CPA and took it from there.

Juicy J plays at the Fillmore Auditorium, Friday, February 10, at 8 p.m. For more information, go to the Fillmore website.

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Juicy J's Life Advice: Pay Uncle Sam, Sleep, and Smoke Good Weed - Westword

Humane society volunteer Barb Timmer raised enough money through selling T-shirts to have outside play area for dogs like George, a shephard boxer mix. George and many other dogs are available for adoption at the Humane Society of Richland County.(Photo: Jason J. Molyet/News Journal)Buy Photo

ONTARIO - Barb Timmer has been a faithful volunteer at the Humane Society of Richland County for six years.

She saw a particular need almost right away.

"I've been wanting a fence ever since the first dog I walked got loose," Timmer said. "Luckily, I sat down and eventually the dog came back to me."

Timmer raised $4,000 for fencing for play yards through the sale of T-shirts. She found a company called Merch on Amazon that does print-on-demand T-shirts.

Some of the shirts feature pictures of dogs at the shelter.

To get to the site, visit ItsTheTruthDesigns.com.

Humane agent and shelter director Missy Houghton has four or five of the T-shirts.

"They hold their size well," Houghton said. "They're soft and comfortable to wear."

There is a need for dogs to be able to burn off energy. Houghton said the exercise lowers stress levels and makes the dogs more adoptable.

Timmer initially came to the humane society to walk dogs. She developed an interest in the adoption events and started helping with those.

Today she is the volunteer coordinator.

Timmer says she wasn't sure she wanted to be at the humane society.

"I was kind of leery of coming in here," she said. "I thought it was a sad place, but I found it was a happy place. I love spending time with the animals."

During a recent interview in the play yard, a young boxer mix named George romped with the volunteer.

Timmer has been a nurse at OhioHealth Mansfield Hospital for 38 years. The Mansfield native married her high school sweetheart, Mark.

"We met in 10th grade," she said. "He's not the animal lover I am, but he tolerates the time I spend out here."

The Timmers have a dog and a cat at home. Timmer said she's partial to golden retrievers.

Through continued T-shirt sales, Timmer hopes to raise money for "things that are considered luxuries to a shelter." Those include a shed to store equipment and MP3 players for relaxing music.

Timmer said her greatest satisfaction as a volunteer is seeing an animal come out of a bad situation and go to a loving home.

"They're really happy here until they hit the jackpot and get adopted," Timmer said. "They have the care, the attention and the love that they need."

Timmer is a big part of that success.

"What she does, you can't put a value on it," Houghton said. "She is so willing to go above and beyond.

"We wish every shelter had a Barb Timmer."

mcaudill@gannett.com

419-521-7219

Twitter: @MNJCaudill

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Volunteer raises money for dog play yard at shelter - Mansfield News Journal

Some residents of Madison, Wis., are no eligible for a groundbreaking program that allows doctors to prescribe organic fruits and vegetables.

The Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program, or FVRx, is focused at the neighborhood level and started earlier this month. It comes from the financial support of Wholesome Wave, and from a partnership between Willy Street Co-op North, and UW Health Northeast Family Medical, which are within a block of each other.

Wholesome Wave is a national group that is dedicated to affordable, healthy, local food for all. Its mission is to empower underserved consumers to make healthier food choices by increasing affordable access to fresh, local food. It funded the pilot with a $23,000 grant to the city of Madison.

Im extremely pleased that the city of Madison was awarded a Wholesome Wave grant to implement a Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program, said Madison Mayor Paul Soglin. By collaborating with partners at Public Health Madison and Dane County, Willy Street Co-op, Second Harvest Foodbank, and UW Health Northeast Family Medical Clinic, the city continues to illustrate how government and the community can work hand-in-hand to increase the well-being and health of all of our residents.

A patient can qualify for aid to help purchase produce and join the co-op if their doctor deems that they don't food security, or reliable access to enough affordable, nutritious food.

To qualify for the aid, a patient has to answer yes to one of two questions: In the last year, have you worried about having enough food until you could buy more, or have you actually run out of food before you could buy more?

A Boost to Co-op Membership The aid comes in the form of a packet that includes a coupon to become a co-op owner, and 60 $2 coupons that can be used in the produce department until the end of the year. Participants can also join a program at the co-op that offers an additional 10 percent off groceries, and a free coupon to attend one of the co-op classes, which would normally charge a fee.

FVRx coupons can be used in conjunction with other co-op sales and coupons, including those redeemed via another new co-op program, known as Double Dollars, or any time a customer shops at any of the co-ops three locations.

The co-op is invested in continuing to expand the ways in which we can help address food security in Dane County, said Kirsten Moore, director of cooperative services. In addition to our established Access Discount Program, we are excited to work with our public and private partners to test new programs like Double Dollars and FVRx.

Moore added that the data collected from the pilot will help the co-op determine how to continue and fund these type of programs for the future. We already have some great ideas to share in the next few months, and we look forward to launching new initiatives to expand these offerings, she noted.

Founded in 1974, Willy Street Co-op, with more than 34,000 owners and three retail locations,is the Madison areas largest consumer-owned neighborhood grocer offering organic, locally produced and conventional foods.

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Willy Street Co-op to Dispense Organic Produce Prescriptions - Gourmet Retailer

Ideal For: Students struggling with schoolwork or are having trouble focusing, who cant find an easy solution to escaping negative thoughts, and who like to be reminded to take a Mindful Moment by a pop-up notification on their phone.

Philosophy: Its easy to get overwhelmed with never-ending homework deadlines, tests, extracurricular activities, friendships, a complicated love life and other drama. When youre overwhelmed, stressed, or anxious on a regular basis, its hard to keep your head up and become your best in school and with the people around you.You dont need to struggle to meditate for 10-30 minutes every day; the consistency of a 3-5 minute practice is more important than the length of any practice.

Favorite Features: Aura sends you 3-minute meditations every day so you can clear your mind, create peace, and find comfort and confidence in yourself, free from stress, anxiety, and sadness. It also helps you take mindful breathing breaks for just a few seconds throughout the dayyou can set it for the frequency of your choice.

Whats Free & Whatll Cost You: 3-minute meditations, mindful breathing exercises and reminders, an unguided meditation timer with nature sounds, a gratitude journal, a list of daily goals list, Google calendar integration, and intelligent meditation personalization, which means that Auralearns your preferences. Premium is $11.99 per month ($7.92 per month if you choose an annual subscription) and gives you unlimited access to over 200 meditations, customized meditations based on mood tracking after check-in, as well as the option for longer, seven-minute meditations.

From the Founder: Teenage years are full of soul-searching, finding out who you are and what you stand for in this world. WithAura, you can make meditating a habit and learn more about yourself every day. Having the ability to focus on yourself and the present moment gives you the power to understand your identity, and in turn, build self-confidence and security. Become an even better person, friend, and student by understanding who you are and being comfortable with your mind and body. Daniel Lee, Co-Founder

Ideal For: The visualizers the insomniacs, those who like the structure of working a 7-day program.

Philosophy: In our accelerated, always-on culture, weve forgottenhow to just be calm, but it's a very valuable state of mind for many reasons, and we need to figure out how to bring ourselves back to that.

Favorite Features: Calm features special Sleep Stories, (because, hey, youre never too old for a good bedtime story), 7-Day programs for specifics like Loving Kindness, Gratitude and Self-Esteem, (everyone knows daily practice makes perfect) and the Breathe Bubble that guides your breath from inhale to exhale. Also, really pretty videos of nature-scapes with calming sounds as the backdrop to their home screen and meditation experiences.

Whats Free & Whatll Cost You: The 7 Days of Calm guided meditation program, Body Scan Meditation, timed meditation, Loving Kindness meditation, Breathe Bubble and three sleep stories. Also, the app is 100% free for every K-12 teacher on earthnice! For additional guided meditations, 7-Day programs and sleep stories, its $12.99 a month or $59.99 for the year.

From the Founder: Once we notice what the mind is doing, we have the opportunity to pull ourselves away from distractions and back to our focus. And for that first millisecond that we notice weve drifted away, we can observe what the mind is doing. Perhaps were worrying about something later that day, perhaps were ruminating about a past conversation. Regardless of whats pulled us away from the breath and broken our concentration, the act of noticing allows us to return.

Ideal For: The New-Age girl who is new to meditation and likes a lot of guidance.

Philosophy: INSCAPE was created for those who are seeking balance, calmness, and overall health. It's the same if you are going to a cardio class or a yoga session: you have to dedicate yourself to being healthy, and the same goes for meditation.

Favorite Features: Sleep library and sound baths, futuristic and carefully curated soothing sounds that accompany detailed guided meditations that get very specific when it comes to what to focus on and how to guide your breath. When you open the app each day, Todays Inscapes, a curated list of five different suggested meditations for morning, afternoon, evening, and late night.

Whats Free & Whatll Cost You: The app is free to download and certain parts of the content library are unlocked, including a focus, mindfulness and mantra series, a new session each afternoon and a dream journey.To access the library of over 200 meditation sessions, the cost is $12.99 per month or $89.99 per year.

From the Founder: Research shows people have an average of 50 thoughts a minute. So, even if youre calming your mind down to 40, youre doing great. We were very thoughtful about the design, and how it had to be easy to use, beautiful, and accessible. We know your life is busy and theres pressure of school, sports, social life,working towards college, so meditation shouldnt feel like another to-do, it should be more of an empowering experience. Khajak Keledjian

Ideal For: The girl who has a variety of very specific needs and not a lot of free time.

Philosophy: Mindfulness meditation practice does more than simply help you regulate your emotions and attention; it also can impact your thinking. These meditations are designed for dozens of different situations and moods so you can find meditations for just about any moment and any feeling. Top meditation teachers from around the world contribute to the apps five-minute tracks, which make daily meditation accessible and doable.

Favorite Features: Simple Habit features super-specific meditations like getting ready for a test, interview, or public speaking, your commute home (on the bus, train, or car are all options you can select from) taking a break (specifically, taking a bath, a work break, or eating lunch) or even dealing with PMS. The meditations are also pretty short and sweet.

Whats Free: & Whatll Cost You: The app is free to download, and offersseveral months worth of free content such as On-The Go meditations, Study Break Boost, and Deep Sleep. Access to additional meditations such as Self-Love, Relieving Pain, and others are $11.99 a month, $99.99 a year, or, if you fall in love, $299.99 for alifetime.

From the Founder: One of the biggest obstacles for teens is that they feel like they dont have time to meditate or they don't know how. Studies show that brief meditation, even if it is just a few minutes, if practiced consistently, can have powerful benefits within a few weeks. Research has shown that mindfulness can not only reduce stress but also boost focus and creativity.Yunha Kim

Ideal For: Those who need help managing the stress of school or finals, coping with a breakup or a loss, dealing with anxiety or depression, and who want to use the app in combination with other therapies. It is also ideal for those who like to check-in, as there are dozens of different moods and states of mind to check in with before you start.

Philosophy: Stop, Breathe, Think allows you to chart how you are doing mentally, physically, and emotionally, then suggests meditations that will reinforce the positive. The app was actually initially created with teens in mind, surfacing out of a collaboration with through nonprofit Tools For Peace, where it was found that teens had a hard time going straight into meditation directly from class or extracurricular activities. So, each session started with a check-in, giving everyone the chance to reset. By recognizing and labeling emotions first, teens got one step closer to being present for the mindful or meditative activity, effectively bringing attention from out in the world to focusing inward.

Favorite Features: When you check in, the app recommends meditations personalized to how you are feeling. Theres a great Walking Meditation, Drop the Storyline (detaching from thoughts about something your anxious or worried about) Body Scan, and even yoga videos. It also takes you through the basics of mindfulness through its Learn to Meditate feature.

Whats Free: and Whatll Cost You: The ability to check-in emotionally and get recommendations for guided meditations, access to over 20 guided meditations, sticker rewards for progress, tracking your meditation streak, measuring your mental and physical state over time, a basic meditation timer, and yoga and acupressure videos for stress are all free. If you want to add additional guided meditations, its $4.99 a month or $41.99 a year for iOS, and for Android, there are three in-app packages between $0.99 and $2.99 that give access to 10 additional guided meditations.

Words From the Founder: Our goal is to continue to build on this personalized emotions based approach, to help everyone to gain insight into their mood, understand what impacts it overtime; and try recommended activities that support their resilience and ability to manage their emotions. Our users under 24, especially women, report the lowest mental state, with stress and anxiety as the top emotions chosen in the check in. We have over 6 million emotional check-ins to date, which gives us incredible data that we use to improve the app and make it even more helpful and effective for each individual user. Jamie Price, Co-Founder

Ideal For: The spiritualist, the nature lover, the girl who embraces a Wholistic approach to life.

Philosophy: Akasha is built around the five natural elements, each representing an area of your life: Fire represents the role of Love and Desire; Earth represents Success and Accomplishment; Water represents Flow and Productivity; Earth represents Harmony and Balance; Wood represents Innovation and Creativity. All of these areas interconnect, so the app integrates a way for you to work with yourself to help create the kind of life that you want.

Favorite Features: There is a short lesson and a meditation for each element and meditation within that element. Also, they have teenage girls covered. Theres the Hurt Love module, which explains why each of us has been hurt and how to love ourselves, Transforming Heartache into strength, and meditations for defining what success means to you, and how to stop being so self-critical.

Whats Free and Whatll Cost You: Free to download and experience one free track, Hurt Love: in Fire Element, one-time fee of $3.99 for access to everything else.

Words From the Founder: Stop holding yourself back, learn how to use concerns about yourself to be supportive to yourself.Transform your inner critic into your inner advisor and work with yourself, not against yourself. Tina Chadda, MD.

Ideal For: The music lover, the sound mixer, the aspiring DJ, the big kid who misses lullabies.

Philosophy: The ability to easily mix sounds and create your personalized ambiances helps teach you how to use sound & meditation to calm your brain, achieve better sleep, have more energy, better focus, decrease anxiety and enjoy your intense teen life.

Favorite Features: With Relax Melodies, you basically mix and match as many different sounds and melodies as youd likethere are hundredsto create a calming track, with the option to add a meditation. Some sounds are direct, like Rain and Cat Purring while others are a bit more obscure, like Eternity and Music Box.

Whats Free and Whats Not: Dozens of these sounds and meditations are free. For 122 sounds and melodies and additional coaching and meditation sessions, it costs $9.99 per month, or $19.99 for a full year.

Words From the Founder: - We approach meditation from an everyday life perspective, as an ordinary, natural and simple activitymuch like walking, practicing a sport or having a conversation with a friend. Simon Alex Brub, Co -Founder

Insight Timer is entirely free, and offers nearly 4,000 guided meditations (and chants, and guided movements, and nature sounds) from nearly 1,000 teachers, some of the most renowned of our time, like Eckhart Tolle and Tara Brach. You also have the option to join groups and leave comments on everything you watch or listen to, and read other peoples feedback, too.

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8 Meditation Apps to Try Now - TeenVogue.com

When we think of brain health, few of us consider meditation, yet meditation can be surprisingly effective to boost brain health. Thats because this simple act is effective for reducing stress and the resulting stress hormones that can have a negative impact on your brain.

Research published in the journal Psychiatry Research found that meditation improves blood flow to the brain and that these changes last long after the meditation is over. Scientists at the Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center at UCLA studied the effects of meditation on the stress circuits of the brain. Ten experienced meditators performed two types of meditation: a focus-based meditative technique and a breath-based practice. The meditators brains were scanned using MRI technology before starting, during the meditation practices and following meditation.

Researchers found that four regions of the brain were affected during meditation and that the two types of meditation states cause different patterns of blood flow to the brain; however, both techniques improved blood flow to the brain. Some of the brain changes continued even after meditation stopped.

While research in this area is still in its infancy, the positive impact of meditation on blood flow to the brain may have applications in treating brain disorders or stroke and in keeping your brain healthy for the long-term.

Related: 8 Ways Meditation Can Change Your Life

Meditation has also been linked to mood improvements, pain threshold increases, increases in immune system activity and improved bronchial and arterial muscle tone. Other research at the University of Wisconsins Center for Healthy Minds found that meditation can improve attention in children. While the studies show a wide variety of health improvements linked to meditation, they consistently show a reduction in stress hormones and a reversal in the effects of chronic stress.

While many people associate meditation with religion, its actually a simple technique that transcends religious beliefs. It is a mental vacation from the stresses of daily life whereby you center your mind and create a sense of peacefulness. The rewards are worth the minimal effort

Meditation is easy to learn, requires no expensive equipment and can be done almost anywhere. All you need is commitment and a small amount of time. While participants in the study practiced for one hour a day, even a few minutes daily will be helpful.

There are many different types of meditation. Dont get bogged down in finding the ideal one for you; that sort of quest is often just an excuse for procrastinating anyway. There are a million or more reason for not meditating, starting with I dont have time or Im too tired, but they are all simply excuses for not making your health a priority. No one has the time. How you spend your time is up to you.

Here is a simple, yet effective, meditation exercise. You can play peaceful background music while performing this meditation or you can have silencewhichever you prefer.

1. Sit in a comfortable position where you will not be disturbed. Close your eyes. Keep your head upright and shoulders relaxed.

2. Begin by breathing deeply and steadily. Do not force your breathing. Simply breathe as deeply as you comfortably can. Observe your breath.

3. Begin to allow your breath to expand your abdomen. Comfortably expand your abdomen with each inhalation, and then release your abdomen with every exhalation.

4. Continue breathing deeply for at least 10 minutes. The longer you can meditate, the better.

Meditation gets easier with practice. Take some time each day to meditate and your brain and your body will thank you.

Related:Dont Believe in Herbal Medicine? 10 Things to Change Your MindThe 5 Best Herbs to Soothe Your NervesShould You Actually Starve a Fever?

Dr. Michelle Schoffro Cook, PhD, DNM is the publisher of the free e-newsletter Worlds Healthiest News, president of PureFood BC, and an international best-selling and 20-time published book author whose works include: Boost Your Brain Power in 60 Seconds: The 4-Week Plan for a Sharper Mind, Better Memory, and Healthier Brain.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

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Meditation Improves Blood Flow to the Brain - Care2.com

The recent vote by the Senate to confirm Betsy Devos as Secretary of Education bothered me and not just because I felt she is grossly unqualified for the job. It reminded me that we are in a state of polarization, in partisan or left/right silos, where social media enables us to hear only voices that amplify our feelings. Fear of the other side is festered, along with an inability to achieve balance or promote pluralism. To find that equanimity, I realized that I needed not only to unplug from technology and the world, but to withdraw into myself, and to practice meditation.

Hindus are not the first or only people of faith to encourage meditation and reflection; but it is the Hindu concept of self-realization, with the goal of merging ones self into the [Divine] Self, that I am most familiar with. Whether identified through Greek words id, ego and superego, or Sanskrit words jivatma, atma and paramatma, human consciousness has multiple layers that we must penetrate to get to the Divine as part of our spiritual growth. The mind can be considered dual in nature with one lower and one higher, which are sometimes at odds with one another. Through mindfulness, we can merge the wisdom of the higher mind with the rationality of the lower mind, to reach enlightenment.

Paramahansa Yogananda

As Paramahansa Yogananda, a great Hindu monk, said, Self-realization is yoga, or oneness with truth the direct perception or experience of truth by the all-knowing intuitive faculty of the soul. Paramahansa Yogananda, founder of the Self Realization Fellowship, was born Mukunda Lal Ghosh in 1893, to an affluent Indian family. He became a monk in 1915, gave many lectures and taught people how to attain direct personal experience of God and eventually wrote his life story, The Autobiography of a Yogi. According to American Veda author Phil Goldberg, Published just after World War II, this book remains the most influential memoir of a genuine master of the Vedic tradition ever written. It still inspires tens of thousands of new readers every year. But Yoganandas legacy extends beyond that iconic book. He arrived in 1920 and made America his home, establishing the world headquarters of his Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) in Los Angeles, the Benares of America. For the next 32 years, his universal spiritual teachings and his Kriya Yoga practices reached millions.

Paramahansa Yoganandas description of Kriya Yoga is in his autobiography. According to the Self Realization Fellowship website:

The actual technique is given to students of the Self-Realization Fellowship Lessons after a preliminary period of study and practice of the three preparatory techniques taught by Paramahansa Yogananda.

Taken together as a comprehensive system, these meditation techniques enable the practitioner to achieve the highest benefits and divine goal of the ancient yoga science.

Decades later, another Hindu guru, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, also came to the West, and brought with him another path to enlightenment: Transcendental Meditation, or its popular short form TM. Mahesh Yogi, who arrived in America right before the cultural and political revolution of the 1960s, said:

The goal of the Transcendental Meditation technique is the state of enlightenment. This means we experience that inner calmness, that quiet state of least excitation, even when we are dynamically busy. we have a natural and effective means to dissolve even deeply rooted fatigue and stress. This is the way to unfold full value of life.

Even in the first days of meditation we find that our eyes seem to be a little more open, our mind seems a bit more clear. Our feeling towards our friends seems to be more harmonious.

And then, as the practice continues every day, a time will come when we will start living life free from all stresses. We cleanse the awareness of all stresses and strains, leaving the conscious mind completely free in its pure value.

However, I found my path to meditation through the Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 6 is fully focused on Krishnas explanation of Dhyana Yoga, or the yoga of meditation. And so I turned to the translation of the Gita that my father gave me when I started college, by Swami Swarupananda of the Advaita Ashrama. In Chapter 6 The Way of Meditation, verses 20-23 provided the essence of what I need to practice.

When the mind, absolutely restrained by the practice of concentration, attains quietude, and when seeing the Self by the self, one is satisfied in his own Self; when he feels that infinite bliss which is perceived by the (purified) intellect and which transcends the senses, and established wherein he never departs from his real state; and having obtained which, regards no other acquisition superior to that, and where established, he is not moved even by heavy sorrow; let that be known as the state, called by the name of Yoga estate of severance from the contact of pain. This Yoga should be practiced with perseverance undisturbed by depression of heart.

Just as a good nights sleep, a nutritious meal or a good workout can benefit your mind and body, a good meditation practice can also provide a good foundation to counter lifes daily challenges. It is something I have had to practice sitting down and emptying your mind of all the days stressors does not happen at the flip of a switch. Rather, it is something that happens over time, with persistance and sometimes it takes a little longer to get to that space where you are free from pressure. The benefit? Being able to come back to deal with the news of the day, however depressing, and react and respond from that place of equanimity. And through a more sustained, deeper meditation practice? The hope is to reach a state of bliss, of self-realization.

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A Hindu's Practice: Education, Meditation and Self-Realization - Patheos (blog)

Connie Britton likes to keep her morning routine as simple and peaceful as possible. That means waking up with her 6-year-old son, indulging in a healthy and delicious breakfast , and taking a little time to focus on herself. The Nashville actress and Friday Night Lights alum tells SELF that since she has such a jam-packed schedule, she relies on those quiet A.M. hours to set the tone for her whole day.

My mornings are really about bringing things in that are going to be truly nourishing, she tells SELF. Thats not to say that the first part of her day is glamorous. Rather, she makes sure to practice self-care while also taking care of businessthat means feeding the dogs, her son, and herself, and fitting in a workout when she can.

While promoting her partnership with Quaker for American Heart Month , Britton spoke to SELF about the little things she does in the morning to make sure she feels energized and focused all day long.

Britton has been meditating for years20, to be exact. [Meditating] is something that Ive found to be really effective for so many different things, she says, but certainly for my health, stress levels, mental clarity, and general well-being.

Between working and taking care of her son, Britton doesnt have much time in the morning to meditate these days, especially if she and her son wake up at the same time. But shes found that since she has been meditating almost daily for 30 minutes or an hour through the years, she feels the effects even when she cant practice as regularly as she used to. A lot of times I think that young women think that [meditating] is not something to worry about, but if you start taking care of yourself at a young age, youll feel the effects of it as you get older, she explains.

Most of us dont have time to dedicate a full 30 minutes (let alone an hour) each day to meditation. But experts say doing it for just 5 to 10 minutes can be beneficial .

I think part of eating healthily for yourself is eating things you like, Britton says, and Ive loved oatmeal my whole life. Aside from the fact that she cant resist a good bowl of oats (topped with maple syrup, almond milk, and coconut oil), this breakfast is one of her favorites because her son loves it, too. I feed my son in the morning, and then I have some, and then boom, were both taken care of.

One thing Britton and her son differ on when it comes to oatmeal? Every now and then my son will go for raisins, she says, but Im not a raisin girl.

For Britton, finding time to sweat in the A.M. can be tough. Thats one thing thats tricky as a single mom, because any workout I do has to be at my house before my son wakes up. Thats why she saves the majority of her morning workouts for her days off. If I have a day where I take him to school and Im not working, I try to work out right after I drop him off, she says.

Because Britton loves being outside, she tries to exercise outdoors as often as possible. My favorite workout is any time I can get outside and go on a long walk or a hike.

Like most other meditation fans, Britton is big on yoga specifically the hot variety. I did yoga for years and loved it, but I actually injured myself so now I go with the hot yoga because it feels very healing, she explains.

Thirty minutes to an hour before she exercises, Britton fuels up with oatmeal. That protein- and carb-packed breakfast fave gives her the energy she needs to slay her workout, and leaving a little time to digest afterward keeps her from getting an upset stomach. After shes finished sweating, she reaches for a green smoothie to rehydrate. Thats a pre- and post-workout breakfast routine we can get behind.

You may also like: 3 High-Protein Breakfasts That Take Less Than 5 Minutes to Make

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Connie Britton on Why Everyone Should Start Meditating Daily - SELF