Dr Prabodh Kumar Bhowmick set up Bidisa, a place which 100 Lodha families now call home.

Most people living in urban and rural areas today have access to basic amenities and opportunities alike, but tribal people cannot say the same when it comes to basic facilities. There still exist nomadic tribes and communities who lead destitute lives because the current society fails to understand these people and their way of live.

There still exist tribes who choose to live within themselves and are scared to even interact with the outside world. This fear stems because of the fear of unknown and more importantly because of they have led isolated lives. Bringing them to the fore, working towards their sustainable uplifting of these communities is the need of the hour.

Late Prof. Prabodh Kumar Bhowmick, who had understood and realised this very aspect, worked towards the uplifting of the Lodhas in the Medinipur region of West Bengal.

Prof. Prabodh, who did his BSc (Honors) in Anthropology in 1949 from Bangabasi College, and then his MSc in Anthropology from Calcutta University in 1951, went on to complete his PhD in Anthropology on the topic Socio-Economic Life of the Lodhas of West Bengal.

Turning his study into a centre for change, he set up the Samaj Sevak Sanga and then the Institute for Social Research and Applied Anthropology in 1955. The centre, which was called Bidisa, was set up for working towards the uplifting of the Lodhas with particularly, bringing about a change in the criminal tendencies of the Lodhas.

Prof. Prabodh dedicated his life towards economic amelioration, educational progress and sustainable living of the tribes, and uplifting of the tribal people particularly Lodhas of the area.

In 2003, Dr Pradip Kumar Bhowmick, Associate Professor, Rural Development Centre, IIT, Kharagpur, filled in the place of honorary Secretary, after the demise of Prof. Prahodh.

After a journey of about six decades, Bidisa is now home to about a hundred tribal families, including the Lodha, Santal, Munda, Mahali, Kora, and Bhumij tribes.

Within the ashramic folds of Bidisa, a social laboratory exists where research on tribal welfare, tribal development takes place. The social laboratory mainly concentrates on working with tribal communities towards their integration into the society, imbibing in them the values of the middle class, and teaching them various skills for sustenance, says Dr Pradip.

Bidisa is working towards bringing social transformation in undeveloped, nomadic tribes by rehabilitating them and giving them space and opportunity to learn and sustain themselves.

The effort began when late Prof. Prabodh, along with the government, was involved in the distribution of agricultural land to 20 families of the Lodha tribe, in Daharpur. Thus, Bidisa began with an aim to inculcate in them social values and facilitate them with formal and vocational training, as part of the rehabilitation process.

Various training programmes, seminars, and workshops are conducted to teach the tribes skills and methods such as bee keeping, vermicomposting, mulberry cultivation, and tussar cultivation.

A bio-gas unit and a vermicompost plant were installed to impart training facilities to the local tribal youth to provide a means of sustainable livelihood to the local people. Recently, the District Sericulture Board established a Tasar-cum-Mulberry cultivation, training-cum-production unit at Bidisa for employment and income generation in Paschim Medinipur.

Through various training activities, the people here are forming self-help groups to ensure their self-dependency. During 2006-08, we executed a project called Empowerment of Tribal Women through Batik Print: Training cum Production sponsored by Department of Science & Technology, Government of India. As a part of the project we trained 90 tribal women belongs to various tribal communities in and around Bidisha. In view of their show interest we formed nine self-help groups, says Dr Pradip.

Bidisa strives to preserve the tribal art culture of the tribes, at the same time tries to teach them skills to survive in todays world.

Bidisa is currently running three Ashrama Hostels two for boys and one for girls exclusively for Lodha children. Ashrama Hostel provides free food and lodging facilities to the children. The tribal children study at the Daharpur Junior High School.

Bidisa also houses an eco-museum and a library, Prabodh Kumar Bhowmick Memorial Library. Bidisa publishes a biannual journal on social sciences called, Man & Life, which has been running for the past 37 years.

With the aim of revival of tribal art and culture, Bidisa organises the Navanna Utsav every year. At this annual event, different tribal communities perform various cultural arts and dance forms. Our institute is putting its endeavor to provide a platform where the missing tribal cultural traits are being staged and this happens to be the eye opener before younger generation of various communities as a source of motivations and challenges, says Dr Pradip.

Bidisa has now become a place for research for students of anthropology, rural development, and sociology, who come from all parts of the country. While tourists do come to Bidisa for visits, a lot of students come here for research, to study the model of Bidisa, and its role in the welfare of tribal communities.

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This Ashram-cum-social laboratory is working towards sustainable living of the tribes in Bengal - YourStory.com

Teachers in tribal welfare (ashram) schools are government teachers by a Presidential order and common service rules should be made applicable to them along with those in the Education Department. Instead, Zilla Parishad teachers, who are not government teachers, are sought to be included in the service rules the demand for which is long-pending, Tribal Welfare Teachers Union has pointed out. In spite of being qualified, teachers in ashram schools were denied promotional opportunities to take up posts of MEOs or deputy DEOs owing to the anomaly, Union State president Regam Matsyalingam said.

Besides, though GO 233 was issued in 2013 to fill 1,319 posts, it had not materialised so far. The posts should be filled with 70 % quota for in-service teachers and 30 % with fresh recruitment, he told reporters here.

In other schools, Telugu and Hindi pandits and physical education directors were directly appointed as school assistants whereas in ashram schools Grade I and II pattern was still being followed, Visakhapatnam district president K. Ganganna Padal said.

Single teachers

While in ZP and government schools two teachers were appointed, in the Agency area of Visakhapatnam district alone 680 schools continue to function with single teachers.

Also implementing GO No. 3, non-tribal teachers should be shifted to plain areas thereby providing employment to the tribal unemployed, they said.

While the teacher, student ratio should be 1:30, it was now 1:40 and only appointment of more teachers would improve it, they pointed out. Appointment of regular ANMs in all ashram schools to take care of the health problems of students and provision of security at girls schools would greatly improve the situation in tribal schools, they opined. State general secretary Karem Ranga Rao and organising secretary Bhavaraju Appa Rao were present.

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Ashram school teachers seek fair deal - The Hindu

The Thiruvalla Sri Ramakrishna Ashram will launch the first Sree Ramakrishna Vachanamrita Sathram, a week-long retreat on the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna, on the ashram premises on Tuesday.

A large pandal to accommodate 1,000 people has been built at the ashram grounds. The stage has a LED wall on its left for the audience to have a hassle-free viewing of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will inaugurate the event through videoconferencing between 1 p.m. and 1.22 p.m. on Tuesday.

People from across the country are camping at the ashram and its surroundings to attend the spiritual retreat.

Senior monks of the Ramakrishna Mission are camping at the Ashram to make necessary arrangements for the smooth conduct of the event, according to Swami Golokananda, senior monk, and Swami Nirvinnananda, ashram president.

The 103-year-old SRK Ashram in Thiruvalla is the second-oldest monastery of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission in Kerala.

Swami Swaprabhananda, senior monk from Belur Math, and Swami Nandatmajananda, Editor of Prabudha Keralam, journal of Sri Ramakrishnan Mission, have been assisting the Ashram president in making necessary arrangements for the Sathram.

Birth anniversary

The week-long Sathram has been planned in connection with the 182nd birth anniversary (Jayanti) of the Saint of Dakshineswar, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. The jayanti fete is on February 28.

The inaugural ceremony will begin on Tuesday. Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha P.J. Kurien will preside over the function and Kummanam Rajashekharan, BJP State president, will deliver the keynote address.

Swami Atmaghanananda, president of Sri Ramakrishna Ashram at Kancheepuram, will light the ceremonial lamp and Swami Nirvinnananda will welcome the gathering.

Water Resources Minister Mathew T. Thomas, will release the souvenir by handing over its first copy to Swami Golokananda on the occasion.

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Retreat on Ramakrishna's teachings - The Hindu

The mercurys already going up. Sweating it out at the gym or outdoors doesnt seem so appealing anymore, does it? How about you take your exercise routine under water? Gather up your girlfriends and sign up for an aqua aerobics class. Heres how it will help you stay in shape:

Burns calories

Aqua aerobics is a mix of strength and cardio workouts which is done in the face of water resistance. This ensures the body gets a full workout. Keeping in mind factors like cardio activity, weight, water temperature, volume and buoyancy, you can burn between 400 and 500 calories per hour of exercise.

Increases muscle strength

Because water flows in multiple directions, the resistance in the pool can range from four to 42 times greater than air. Therefore, the muscles get a rigid workout. According to a 2007 study, 12 weeks of regular aqua aerobics exercise gives you significant gains in strength, flexibility and agility.

Builds endurance

Water offers a natural resistance, unlike weights which require the body to pull and push against the weight plus gravity. Water needs the body to strain through the water and against it, building endurance.

Reduces joint pressure

Aqua aerobics relieve pressure placed on joints from normal wear and tear and arthritis. Hydrotherapy is recommended by doctors to those suffering from joint problems.

Increases flexibility

Aqua aerobics requires movements in various directions while adjusting to the push and pull of water, hence the joints increase their range of motion. In the process, the body becomes more flexible.

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5 fitness benefits of aqua aerobics - Femina

World-class art meets sweaty aerobics. New York City's cavernous Metropolitan Museum of Art has been holding lively morning workout sessions this winter amid its prized masterpieces. The 45-minute "Museum Workout" sends people in exercise attire chugging through 35 galleries, past paintings, sculptures, armor and other treasures, before the venerable Fifth Avenue institution opens to the public.

On a recent morning, an overnight snowstorm didn't deter any of the 15 people who'd signed up for the session. It started with a warmup: calf stretches in the museum's grand limestone entrance and an easy jog out to the Bee Gees' hit "Stayin' Alive." Then came the speedy trek through the galleries and up the preserved ornate staircase of the 19th century Chicago stock exchange.

There were squats in front of John Singer Sargent's "Portrait of Madame X," balancing on one leg before Henry VIII's rigid armor, a yoga pose before a bronze nude of the Roman hunting goddess Diana, and jumping jacks in-between, all to a soundtrack of disco and Motown hits.

Why bother traveling to a Manhattan museum some did, from Pennsylvania, Kentucky and even California just to exercise?

"This offers you amazing moments," said participant Oliver Ryan, who runs a New York corporate wellness company. "We did our first stretch, and there in the vast gallery was Perseus holding the head of Medusa. What hit me was this was the TV of ancient times, a frozen moment from a story everyone knew."

The Met commissioned the innovative Monica Bill Barnes Dance Company for the project. It was choreographed by the two women leading the workout Monica Bill Barnes herself and her dance partner, Anna Bass along with Robert Saenz de Viteri, the company's creative producing director.

Bass said the team worked "obsessively" calculating how to keep a safe distance from the artworks. That means no wild swinging of arms or legs, and exercising a minimum of 3 feet or so from any treasure.

Leading scantily clad, pumped up bodies around the artworks "really runs against the culture of being in a museum, being quiet and being still and walking slowly," said Barnes.

"We're in the business of making strange things," she added with a wry smile, "bringing dance where it doesn't belong."

De Viteri helped guide the workout session in a vintage tuxedo and sneakers, holding a laptop attached to a speaker that channeled music and recorded narration by artist and author Maira Kalman, who selected the art and gallery route.

"Something very physical happens to me when I'm in a museum. I get this rush of excitement, this kind of tingle of mad, passionate arousal," Kalman's recorded voice said as the group did side-stretches in front of a stern-looking bust of American founding father Benjamin Franklin.

The workout ends with everyone lying on their back, eyes closed, on the floor of the Met's luminous American wing. This yoga pose, called savasana, is meant to release tension from mind and body while absorbing the benefits of the dynamic exercises. Rising over the human stillness is Augustus Saint-Gaudens' ancient goddess the resplendent, gilded Diana, about to release her arrow.

The first sessions, from Jan. 19 through Feb. 12, were sold out months ago. The interest was so intense that more were added, through March 9, and they're also sold out. Participants, both men and women, have ranged in age from 13 to 85.

Museum officials say there are no immediate plans for a future staging of what is essentially a "performance piece" that took three years to create, with each participant movement matching music and visuals moment by moment.

"The Museum Workout" was commissioned by the museum's MetLiveArts performance series and partly funded by the Jerome Robbins Foundation and One World Fund.

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NY's Met Museum offers exercise amid world-class art - Daily Sabah

How do you know if someone is a vegan?

Don't worry, they will tell you.

I was reminded of this joke while reading Facebook comments on my blog post last week.

There was quite a lively discussion with many of the typical arguments in defense of consuming meat, eggs, dairy and other animal products.

The arguments go on and on, but the one that stood out accused me of being a liberal who likes to boast about my lifestyle.

"How many animal eaters do you see out there writing articles about how they cook their steak and why everyone should eat cow ..."

First off, I know people of many different political persuasions who are vegan. The ones I have in mind are probably reading this and nodding in agreement.

As far as how many people are out talking about or promoting their choice to consume animal products? It's happening everywhere, all the time.

Consuming animal products is such a dominant feature of our society that it is considered a given. Promotion in many different forms goes largely unnoticed in plain sight. That is why vegans stand out whether they are speaking out or not.

I get how it can be seen as boasting or even a threat under these conditions. It challenges some core beliefs about nutrition and the assumed ranking of humans and animals, all of which have become strong protectors of the norm.

But the facts are that we now know we don't have to consume any animal products to be perfectly healthy and will likely improve our health greatly as a result of becoming vegan. There are also tremendous benefits to the planet and the animals, of course.

Despite the accusation, I don't write this blog to boast about myself or pick fights. My goal is to share what I have learned and what I continue to learn in hopes that it benefits others, including the animals, who are suffering greatly and dying very violent deaths at abnormally young ages under even the best conditions on farms.

Having to endure a few bacon references on social media is a small price to pay by comparison.

The opinions are the author's.

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Vegan in the Region: Hearing the critics - nwitimes.com (blog)

Amy Luebbert helped organize VeganFest in hopes that an all-vegan restaurant will open in Des Moines.(Photo: Molly Longman/The Register)Buy Photo

While thousands of Iowans swarmed downtown to eat bacon-covered sugar cookiesat the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festivalon Saturday, over 600 Iowans gathered at the First Unitarian Church of Des Moines for a different kind of fest.

VeganFest 2017 was underway, taking a less carnivorous approach to foodie festivities.

Food Still Matters, a Des Moines-basedvegan potluckand discussion series, hosted the festivalto counter the "other fest" across town and to raise awareness about the hungry and under-noticed vegan community in Des Moines, organizer Amy Luebbert said.

"It's important that people know vegans are here in Des Moines," Luebbert said. "We wanted to shownot only the folks wholive in Des Moinesthat vegans are here, but also restaurants that we are a group of people that wants to eat their food."

Luebbert saidone of her goals for the festival was to prove there's a market for a vegan restaurant in Des Moines. When the East Village restaurantNew World Cafe shut down in 2015, the vegan community in Des Moines was left without a strictly vegan place to dine. Luebbert said she'd like to see that change and she thinks VeganFest's turnout is a step in the right direction.

Hundreds gathered for VeganFest 2017.(Photo: Gene McCracken/Special to The Register)

Luebbert saidmost Food Still Matters sessions have attracted about 30 to 50 people, so she was pleasantly surprised when VeganFest ran out of the 660 tickets and programs that were printed.

Those who attended the event had free access to massages from Peterson Health Services, information sessions about going vegan and sample treatsfrom shops such asTacopocalypse East, Trader Joe's,Gusto Pizza Co., and up-and-comingrestaurant, Dirt Burger. There were even Girl Scouts selling vegan Thin Mints.

More than 600 people gathered at VeganFest 2017 in Des Moines.(Photo: Molly Longman/The Register.)

Luebbert encouraged people at the event to try out a vegan lifestyle.

"I'm vegan for ethical reasons, andI've been vegan 16 years," Luebbert said. "Once I learned there was more I could do to help the animals, I was hooked. So, I did a bunch of research in a day and became vegan the next day. ... I feel more connected to myself and more honest."

Even the recycling system at VeganFest was environmentally conscious.(Photo: Molly Longman/The Register)

David Bottino, who has been vegan for two years, came to VeganFestnotonlyfor the foodbutfor the information sessions, which included topics such as vegan parenting and the environmental benefits of going vegan. He also said he came to feela sense of community, instead of fretting about the Bacon Festival raging across town.

"I always feel that when something terrible in the world and in life happens, something good will come along to balance it out,' Bottino said,referring to the juxtaposing bacon and veganfestivals. "Since I've gone vegan, I've dropped 45 pounds super fast and my asthma improved. It was just a lot easier to get out of bed. ... This is my lifestyle, so I'm glad it's getting some attention."

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VeganFest 2017 draws hundreds, counters bacon fest - DesMoinesRegister.com

Of all the ways we pair chocolate with other flavors, mint and chocolate is beloved by many that must be why this flavor combo has its very own holiday. Yes, February 19th is National Chocolate Mint Day, which is recognized by the U.S. National Confectioners Association. How this happened is a mystery, but hey life is full of mysteries.

Did you know that mint chocolate chip has been named one of the top 10 most popular ice cream flavors in the United States? And Thin Mints, the crispy, chocolatey Girl Scout cookies that were introduced in the 1950s, remain their best-selling cookies to this day. Although chocolate has been around for centuries, mint and chocolate came much later at the dawn of the 19th century, thanks to new advances in technology that allowed confectioners to mass-produce chocolates.

So, in honor of chocolate mint lovers everywhere, we have 15 dairy-free desserts that are sweet, chocolatey, and delightfully minty.

A freezer-made dessert that tastes like an indulgence but is actually good for you? Sign us up! This Chocolate Mint Slice recipe is a tri-colored beauty with each layer bringing its own unique flavor and set of health benefits. The base is primarily made up of oats, spirulina, cacao powder, dates, and coconut oil, the filling a creamy mixture of cashews, coconuts, and more spirulina, and the topping is a decadent drizzle of cacao butter, coconut nectar, and fresh mint. Indulge away and see that dessert can be energizing when made with the right ingredients!

A decadent mint cream flecked with bits of chocolate throughout. Plus more chocolate on top (because, yum!) and of course, coconut whipped cream! Almonds, dates, and cacao make the chewy chocolate no-bake crust. In fact, the entire Mint Chip Cheesecakeis no-bake and raw vegan, so you dont have to worry about setting or sinking, cooling or cracking, and all that goes into baking traditional cheesecakes. This is one rich dessert, so slice it small! Or dont.

These Raw Mint Chocolate Power Bars are full of healthy fats and proteins from seeds, nuts, coconut, and oats, plus theyre packed with energy-giving carbs from dried fruits. They have a fantastic mint chocolate taste and are the perfect food to refuel fast after the gym. They are quite rich and dense so cutting them in half might be a good idea before you chow down. At the same time, were not the food police.

These Crme de Menthe Brownies are a labor of love but if you have the time, they are well worth it. You have a chocolate brownie base with a creamy layer of mint that is topped off with homemade chocolate. Needless to say, this decadent treat is delicious.

If youre looking for a healthy and refreshing, yet decadent dessert, make these Mini Mint Chocolate Cheesecakes your next mission in the kitchen! These mini cheesecakes are made with oats, almonds, cashews, mint extract, spirulina, and coconut oil, among other good-for-you ingredients. Talk about a superfood dessert!

The perfect combination of mint and chocolate, this No-Bake Grasshopper Cheesecakeis cashew and coconut milk-based, making it rich and decadently creamy. The silky mint cheesecake filling sits on top of a mint chocolate cookie crust and is topped with silky chocolate ganache plus even more crushed cookies. Its no-bake, so you dont have to fuss over an oven it comes out just right anytime.

This gorgeous Raw Mint Chocolate Cakeis perfect for any occasion. Two decadent and creamy cashew-based layers sit atop a chocolatey crust of almonds, dates, and raisins. The first layer is lucuma, giving it a maple-like taste and the top layer is cool mint chocolate. In spite of its beautiful presentation, this cake is surprisingly easy to make even for raw dessert beginners.

These Minty Green Chocolate Cream Bars are an absolute must-make. The base is an oat and date crust, the middle is a raw chocolate-maca mixture, and the top is an avocado/mint/green powder concoction. All together, they make one amazing result. And they are super nutritious. We know, life seems too good to be true sometimes.

The best thing about these Thin Mint Sandwich Cookies? Double thin mint cookies. Who can eat just one?! Two crispy, minty cookies sandwich a layer of minty chocolate. Yum! They have the same crispy, flaky texture of traditional thin mints, but without the additives.

Lets paint the town peppermint with these amazing Homemade Peppermint Patties! Theyre made with only seven ingredients and couldnt be easier to put together. Youll be living in cool minty and chocolatey bliss in no time!

Whoa, mama! Chocolate and mint pair up to create an amazing flavor sensation in these gluten-free, oil-free, low sugar Chocolate Cupcakes With Avocado-Mint Icing. Avocado is the perfect candidate for the smooth and creamy mint icing that goes on top and the bright green color will be enough for your kids/dinner guests to be intrigued.

You can have your ice cream for breakfast and eat it too with this cold,Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Shake! This raw shake has a creamy banana base, fresh mint, cocoa extract, and mint extract to make it even more tingly. To top it off, add a handful of crunchy cacao nibs!

You will be hard-pressed to find anybody who isnt a fan of these Raw Choc-Mint Slices. The chewy, chocolatey base is made from a blend of raw nuts and seeds, dates, and coconut, its filled with a sweet, creamy, minty cashew cream, the topped with a simple chocolate ganache. Yum!

So what is so special about these Mint Carob Walnut Brownies? Not only are they vegan, but are also low fat, sugar-free, wheat-free (gluten-free with gluten-free oats), nut-free, and bean-free! These brownies get their natural sweetness from sweet potatoes, carob powder, and dates. Thanks to the sweet potatoes, it is hard to believe there is no added oil or nut butter. Carob powder is caffeine free and contains three times as much calcium as cocoa powder. Incredibly dense and fudgy, no one will ever guess how healthy they are!

If you are looking for a really rich and decadent vegan ice cream dessert, this Cacao Nib and Mint Chocolate Ice Cream recipe just might be it! It has a base of full-fat coconut milk with cashews added for extra creaminess, is sweetened with coconut sugar, and is perfect for any lover of mint chocolate. Mix in cacao nibs for extra crunch and top with a dollop of coconut whipped cream!

Lead image source:Mini Mint Chocolate Cheesecakes

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15 Minty, Chocolatey Vegan Sweets That Will Make Your Taste Buds Tingle - One Green Planet

Fruit and veg are not the only growth area. Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock

Demand for organic food is at its highest for more than a decade, according to major retailers.

Thats good news for an industry that was hit hard by the economic downturn but now seems to be returning to rude health as more shoppers say organic food is worth paying the premium for. This week the Soil Association will release its annual report on the state of the organic food market, which is expected to show that it has grown for the fourth consecutive year.

Meanwhile, Tesco says that organic sales in its stores have risen by 15% in the past year. And the home delivery service Ocado, which stocks more than 3,000 organic products, said sales increased 16% last year.

Waitrose also said the sector was thriving. We were the first supermarket to sell organic products in the 1980s and shoppers are as enthusiastic as ever, a spokeswoman said. Our latest figures show year-on-year growth of around 5%.

Significantly, sales of organic produce appear to be rising across all sectors, not just fruit and vegetables. An increasing number of consumers are buying organic fish, dairy produce and grocery items, such as olive oil, pasta and cooking sauces. But experts said price was still a major factor in switching to organic food, as promoted by celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver.

We are seeing that shoppers are increasingly looking to buy organic food but it needs to be affordable and consistently high quality all year round for it to be considered a viable option, said a spokeswoman for Tesco. The popularity of organic food began with fruit and vegetables, but we are now seeing customers exploring areas such as grocery, fish and dairy. So you can now use organic produce for the whole meal.

Adrian Blackshaw, chair of the Organic Trade Board, which recently won EU funding to help promote organic food in Britain and Denmark, said: Traditionally the two main challenges for customers buying organic are the price and the availability. Over the past decade we have seen this improve across the industry and now the organic market is in a clear growth phase in the UK.

Discounters are upping their game and increasing their organic offer

Adam Wakeley, managing director of Organic Farm Foods, said: The organic food revival is gathering pace thanks to retailers offering a wider range of quality foods at more affordable prices. They continue to support the organic sector and the result is continued growth, outstripping non-organic foods.

Last years Organic Market Report from the Soil Association revealed that the sector was worth almost 2bn in 2015. Sales growth of organic produce outperformed the non-organic grocery market, which decreased by 0.9% in the same period. The association said independent retailers and home delivery box scheme companies had helped boost organic sales. Another key driver was the catering industry whose use of organic food grew by more than 15% last year.

There is a clear opportunity for supermarkets to stock more organic, as our research showed people are having to shop around to find what they want, said Clare McDermott, business development director at Soil Association Certification. The discounters are upping their game and increasing their organic offer, as are other outlets such as Amazon Fresh. There is a huge and currently untapped potential to increase organic sales even further in supermarkets.

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Organic food sales soar as shoppers put quality before price - The Guardian

By Anne M. Mozingo

PORTSMOUTH Stress used to be the chaotic state of mind that plagued some adults who were juggling multiple responsibilities with very few hours a week to themselves. Today, stress is the norm for practically everyone in the United States, including children.

And its a killer. Daily stress gone unchecked is as important a risk factor as hypertension, diabetes and smoking when it comes to the number one life-threatening disease in the United States cardiovascular disease. And take that rushed, trapped feeling one step further and there are an array of anxiety disorders, a mental health condition that racks the nervous systems of more than 40 million adults in the United States between the ages of 18 and 54, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

But there is a solution that people worldwide are turning to. And its not the latest drug or new-age technique. It is called Transcendental Meditation, an ancient practice that originated in India. Those who commit to two 15-20 minute sessions of TM daily say it calms the mind and offers immense rewards for the body as well.

If anything significant happens in the mind, something significant is going to happen to the body since the mind and body are almost like one, said Joan Rist a TM teacher in New Hampshire and Maine. The mind settles down and the body gets this deep rest, and the rest is what is needed to get rid of this deep-rooted stress in our culture. Stress is the black plague of the 21st century. It impacts our health and our well-being. It impacts everyone. So if we can get rid of these deep rooted stresses we can improve our well-being and live life more with enjoyment of our full potential.

Times have changed since the first surge of Americans learning TM in the 1970s, when people wondered if TM was affiliated with a religion or a cult. Today, with more than 700 scientific studies exploring the impact TM has on those who practice, interest in TM is on the rise as TM is considered a mainstream form of self-care.

What is meditation? Is it a way to relax or a way to promote health, vitality and longevity? Is it a means to develop creativity, increase the meditator's IQ and obtain peak mental performance? Or is it a path to inner peace and enlightenment? Actually, Transcendental Meditation is a way to attain all of these possibilities and much, much more, said Bill Rist, who met his wife, Joan, in the mid-seventies in California, where they both were teaching Transcendental programs. The two have been teaching various advanced programs around the country for the past 40 years.

And with daily stress practically a badge of honor in this culture over the past decade, these teachers are doing their part to offer instruction on the TM technique to help improve the lives of many in a myriad of ways.

We have had an increase in people coming to learn TM to gain peace of mind, get relief from stress, anxiety, depression, PTSD, (post-traumatic stress disorder), attention deficit disorder and some people learn TM because they want to realize more of who they are deep inside, they want to reach their full potential, said Bill Rist. We actually have people come who want to have better personal relationships, and limit the over-reactionary behavior with their bosses and family, but more than anything, it is anxiety that brings people in.

Transcendental Meditation continues to gain popularity because it is commonplace for both doctors and therapists alike to practice TM and recommend it to their patients. The American Medical Association conducted its own research on high blood pressure and the effects of various forms of meditation and concluded that TM is the only technique that works to reduce high blood pressure. Similarly, The American Heart Association in 2013 studied alternative and complimentary medicines impact on hypertension and today recommends TM as part of a treatment plan for those with blood pressure exceeding 120/80.

Unlike some alternative therapies that require a lot of time and effort to gain a cumulative impact, there is no learning curve at all with TM, said Joan Rist.

We are hard-wired for the mind to move from an active state to a less and less active state. In that moving the body settles as well. On the very first day a new meditator will almost always say they feel very relaxed, said Joan Rist. We have people who are not able to relax until they start TM. They start enjoying a relaxed state from the very first meditation, which is why it is so wonderful to teach this because it does not take years to get results.

Researchers conducted brain wave exams (EEG) on new and long-term meditators and found the longer a person practices TM the more cohesive their brain wave patterns become, which means all parts of the brain work together. This global coherence with alpha wave patterns, which are associated with restfulness and creativity, were found in those who had only been practicing TM for two weeks. And over time, these coherent brain wave patterns were found when the meditators were active as well, not just when the person is meditating. This EEG evidence, Bill Rist said, reveals what regular meditators experience as life with more emotional balance, creativity, improved memory, focus and learning capabilities.

I could not imagine starting my day without the focus I get from my morning meditation, said Joan Rist. And who doesnt want to recuperate from stressful situations more quickly? TM is now being taught to the young cadets at Norwich University to see if they are more resilient in active duty rather than waiting until they come home from war with PTSD. A four-year study is under way now. Its brilliant.

Every weekend either in Concord, Portsmouth or Portland, the Rists offer a one-hour Introduction to Transcendental Meditation workshop, which covers the benefits gleaned from the hundreds of studies in the past 40 years. TM settles the mind, Bill Rist told a group attending his workshop last week in Portsmouth, from the active state to a much deeper state of awareness, then transcends any activity at all. Four subsequent classes will offer these students the practical details of sitting down in two 15-20-minute meditations a day, calming the mind from its active state and thereby providing the body a powerful rest and preparing the meditator for the day or the evening. At the first class, the students will receive a mantra, which is a sound chosen by the teacher that comes from the ancient Vedic tradition. It is a pleasant sound that has no meaning and enables the meditator to settle the mind, giving them something to ride inward on, said Joan Rist.

If the sound had meaning it would keep us on the surface. The mantra has a healthy influence on the body and mind, yet it is only a vehicle, it is not an end in itself. It settles the mind, the mind loves to have less and less activity, said Joan Rist.

For four decades Bill and Joan Rist of Concord have been teaching the TM technique first brought to the United States in the 1950s and made popular by the Beatles in the 1960s, when the band traveled to India to learn from the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi himself. But today there are many famous meditators in the United States, including Jerry Seinfeld, Oprah, George Stephanopoulos, Candy Crowley, Arianna Huffington, and Hollywood director David Lynch, who has been practicing TM daily for 40 years and started a foundation to raise money to provide inner city children with TM in their schools. The biggest project is in San Francisco, where 14 middle and high schools meditate together twice a day and call it quiet time.

Lynchs goal to get as many children as possible meditating has really kicked off in South America, where the education director in Brazil wants to offer TM to students nationwide, said Joan Rist. TM helps kids learn. Children with ADHD can learn TM. Its easy, effortless and natural and they find their grade-point averages go up. When we practice TM regularly, it impacts our health. It changes everything. Stress is the number one enemy of learning. So when kids, or adults for that matter, learn TM they enjoy this transcending process and the quiet we get from meditating becomes cumulative, we bring a little bit more each day into the active mind, which changes our ability to focus, be creative and reach our potential.

For information on Transcendental Meditation, visit http://www.TM.org.

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