Slow Down! The Age of Innocence goes far too quickly!

“Oh, Mum,” said my daughter once in a slightly exasperated tone, “you’ve kept us as children for so long!”

She commented thus when, upon leaving boarding school, we were deciding upon what type of residence she should live in at university.  At the time, I felt a pang of guilt for being overprotective.  In hindsight, I feel given a second chance, I would do the same thing all over again although I do not believe many agree with my approach. It seems a cliché, but many children today ‘grow up’ and become worldly from an unspeakably young age.  Innocence and lightheartedness are no longer treasured.

The KYOG phenomenon

The most noticeable manifestation of the early onset of adulthood is obviously in the area of dress.  One only has to walk into the mall to agree or disagree with the observation. Those in marketing refer to the phenomenon as KGOY – Kids Getting Older Younger. I have often wondered why the children’s range of good old M&S (that stalwart of British emporia) had altered so much.  Out went demure frocks in natural fibres and in came loud Barbie doll-type outfits in sickly pinks made of lycra with tacky motifs. Try as I might, I just could not find anything that I felt suitable for a little girl of eight.  Is it only a matter of taste that I preferred demure dresses for my daughter instead of halter-tops and tight jeans? Continue reading »

Twenty Twelve

There are a variety of popular beliefs about 2012. What will really happen? No body can say for sure. I would like to believe that 2012 marks the shift of a positive spiritual transformation human beings will be going through as a whole. Maybe nothing will happen at all… We’ll see!

Here is one way of seeing it:
http://www.celestinevision.com/2012.html

HOLIDAY CHILDREN YOGA – photos

It was so much fun, and the children wanted to come back for more.
Shanti, shanti, shanti~

Continue reading »

HOLIDAY CHILDREN YOGA

Yoga helps children relax, focus, and strengthen the body/mind/spirit connection through breathing, singing, stories, art, games and fun, fun, fun yoga movements. This school holiday, give your children a gift of yoga, let them experience the joy of being little yogis and develop self-awareness through the most natural ways. Continue reading »

How A Child Learns

If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn

If a child lives with hostility, she learns to fight

If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy

If a child lives with shame, she learns to feel guilty

If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient

If a child lives with encouragement, she learns confidence

If a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciate

If a child lives with fairness, she learns justice

If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith,

If a child lives with approval, she learns to like herself

If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, he learns to find love in the world.

Author: Dorothy Law Nolte

SoulPancake

It’s more of a mission than a Web site…

Rainn Wilson, the lead actor in The Office co-created this cool site to make discussions about Spirituality, Creativity, and Philosophy unlike anyone else!

SoulPancake provides some rockin’ content (interviews, blogs, challenges, contests, features, and more). Anyone and everyone is welcomed to “Chew on Life’s Big Questions”.

“Just remember: Life is a rich, weird, difficult experience. So join us as we go on the spiritual and artistic journey that is SoulPancake.”

The Dhamma Brothers

East Meets West in the Deep South

East meets West in the Deep South. An overcrowded maximum-security prison—the end of the line in Alabama’s correctional system—is dramatically changed by the influence of an ancient meditation program.

Behind high security towers and a double row of barbed wire and electrical fence dwells a host of convicts who will never see the light of day. But for some of these men, a spark is ignited when it becomes the first maximum-security prison in North America to hold an extended Vipassana retreat, an emotionally and physically demanding course of silent meditation lasting ten days.

Continue reading »

The Mind-Body Interaction in Disease

The belief that the mind plays an important role in physical illness goes back to the earliest days of medicine. From the time of the ancient Greeks to the beginning of the 20th century, it was generally accepted by both physician and patient that the mind can affect the course of illness, and it seemed natural to apply this concept in medical treatments of disease. After the discovery of antibiotics, a new assumption arose that treatment of infectious or inflammatory disease requires only the elimination of the foreign organism or agent that triggers the illness. In the rush to discover antibiotics and drugs that cure specific infections and diseases, the fact that the body’s own responses can influence susceptibility to disease and its course was largely ignored by medical researchers.

Read more and listen to the discussion at Speaking Of Faith »

by Esther M. Sternberg and Philip W. Gold

Who Should Do Yoga?

In short the answer to this question would be anyone and everyone!

Irrespective of whether you have never done any physical exercise or whether you are a world class athlete, you can still gain huge benefits from yoga.

So, do not fret even if you have never lifted your finger to carry a pen, yoga will do you good and will gradually become as comfortable as it would be to someone who jogs an hour a day or works out daily. Continue reading »

The Aims of Yoga

Some have said that the fundamental intention of yoga is to attain emancipation or the ultimate freedom that is known as the “Kaivalya”.

Basically, this equates to an understanding of your innermost being or soul. Continue reading »