Passing on Ego

Just as energy can be used for many different purposes, so can pure existence be experienced in relation to any phase of life—anger, hatred, or jealousy as well as love and beauty. Every human action must be carried on through the ego, which plays a role comparable to that of a pipe or channel through which energy is conducted for different uses. We usually think of the ego as a kind of constant, unchanging entity. In fact, however, it is simply a succession of physical and mental events or pressures that appear momentarily and as quickly pass away.

–Katsuki Sekida, from A Guide to Zen (New World Library)

via tricycle's daily dharma

One of my favorite sounds in the world, the sough of rain on a bedroom roof while curled up reading a good book :)

sough \SAU; SUHF\, intransitive verb:

1. To make a soft, low sighing or rustling sound, as the wind.
2. A soft, low rustling or sighing sound.

At a recent visit to Marsha's grave in Rathdrum, as the wind soughed through the towering pines nearby, Marsha's brother Pat left a silk bluebird by her headstone to honor her love of the outdoors.
-- David Whitman, "Fields of Fire", U.S. News & World Report, September 3, 2001

In the dark of winter, tin roofs sough with rain.
-- Les A. Murray, "Driving Through Sawmill Towns"

This voice she hears in the fields, in the sough of the wind among the trees, when measured and distant sounds fall upon her ears.
-- Ernest Renan, The Poetry of the Celtic Races

A few low impact development (LID) techniques applied in New England

(Boston, Mass. – June 9, 2009) – A series of low-impact development or green infrastructure projects are demonstrating techniques that show promise of improving water quality and stream flow in the Ipswich River Watershed.

Today, local communities and state and federal officials toured four of the innovative low-impact development techniques. Several examples of low impact development and green infrastructure projects funded by EPA in the Ipswich River Watershed include:

- A vegetated or “green” roof, atop a refurbished building that provides affordable apartments for seniors, in Ipswich at Whipple Riverview Place. The green roof is absorbing and retaining rainwater, helping to reduce erosion and pollutants from entering the river.

- At Partridgeberry Place in Ipswich, a 20-lot subdivision is designed as a low-impact development by preserving open space, with the 20 homes clustered on ten acres and leaving 38 acres of undisturbed land. The development also uses narrower roads, “rain gardens” and specially designed grass swales. These features help absorb more of the rainfall that falls on the ground, filtering out pollutants from the paved surfaces and replenishing underground aquifers that flow to the Ipswich River.

- In a neighborhood next to Silver Lake in Wilmington, rain gardens and special permeable paving stones with underlying infiltration beds were installed along the road edge, in the public right-of-way. These colorful pocket gardens and permeable areas hold stormwater and let it soak into the ground, recharging the water tables, rather than running directly into the lake.

- At the Silver Lake town beach parking lot, a variety of low-impact development features help prevent polluted stormwater from reaching the lake. These include four types of permeable paving that allow stormwater to filter through the pavement instead of flowing across it; “bioretention” cells – planted areas that filter stormwater through soils and plantings – and two vegetated swales that replace piped outfalls that previously dumped untreated stormwater directly into the lake.

Choice

It is all about the very distinct choices
that we are making as individuals.

And that is the choice to be FREE of emotional baggage.

It's a choice to finally let go of the fear, the pain, the
frustration, the anger, and to be a shining light for those
around you.

Because it IS a choice. You can CHOOSE to live differently. You
can choose to forgive.

To Grow. To Love. To Expand into the greatness of who you are.

New report details effects of climate change on U.S. health, economy

		Click here for the Executive Summary Click here for the Full Report [13 MB] Here's what others are saying: Climate change: From bad to worse U.S. study projects how 'unequivocal warming' will change Americans' lives From sewage to salmon, climate change hitting here and now

“Observations show that warming of the climate is unequivocal,” the executive summary from the U.S. Global Change Research Program report begins. The 196-page study, released Tuesday by the White House, offers one of the most comprehensive analyses of the effects of climate change and its effects on the health and economy of the United States.

“I really believe this report is a game-changer,” Jane Lubchenco, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said. One of the scientists from 13 federal agencies that collaborated on the report offered this chilling prospect: “The world is in for some very serious problems.”

The report synthesizes information from a wide variety of scientific assessments and recently published research to summarize what is known about the observed and projected consequences of climate change on the United States. It combines analysis of impacts on various sectors such as energy, water and transportation at the national level with an assessment of key impacts on specific regions of the country.

Key findings from the report include:

• Global warming is unequivocal and primarily human-induced.
• Climate changes are under way in the United States and are projected to grow.
• Widespread climate-related impacts are occurring now and are expected to increase.
• Climate change will stress water resources.
• Crop and livestock production will be increasingly challenged.
• Coastal areas are at increasing risk from sea-level rise and storm surge.
• Risks to human health will increase.
• Climate change will interact with many social and environmental stresses.
• Thresholds will be crossed, leading to large changes in climate and ecosystems.
• Future climate change and its impacts depend on choices made today.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is one step, certainly, but the report emphasizes that it’s not the only solution. We must learn to adapt.

“It's not a document for scientists. It's not even a document for policymakers,” said Katharine Hayhoe, a geosciences professor at Texas Tech University and one of the report’s co-authors told The Daily Climate. “It's a document for every individual citizen who wants to know why they should care about climate change.”

Read it and decide for yourself.

via Brown and Caldwell's Water News

This link was forwarded to me again today. Its been over a year since I first watched it, so I may refresh my memory: the Story of Stuff

For people on twitter, set your location to Tehran and your time zone to GMT +3.30. Security forces are hunting for bloggers using location/timezone searches. The more people at this location, the more of a logjam it creates for forces trying to shut Iranians' access to the internet down. Cut & paste & please pass it on.

praying for all the brave souls across the ocean

Chinese medicine is based on the ancient Chinese philosophical principle of the holistic nature of the universe, where humans are essentially a representation of the universe. For example, the heart is like the sun in the sky, the lungs the atmosphere or the sky itself, the digestion is the soil of the earth and the kidneys are the salty oceans. Chinese medicine studies the natural order of the universe in order to understand the inner workings of the human body.

A few remedies:

Dry Brushing (for healthy skin and lymphatic system)

• After showering, towel dry your body. Use a firm body brush (I like sisal brushes) and brush your skin vigorously from the tips of the fingers and toes toward the heart. Avoid the face and delicate areas. Moisturize as you normally would.

Scar Ointment (for new scars)

• Materials: Nelsons Cuts & Scrapes Cream with with hypericum and calendula, helichrysum essential oil (Sunrose is a good brand).
  
  Add ten drops of helichrysum essential oil per ounce of ointment. Mix thoroughly. Apply to the affected area twice daily and avoid sun exposure to the affected area.

Goji Berries with Chrysanthemum (for red, dry eyes)

• Goji berries are all the rage now, Whole Foods sells them and I have even seen them covered in chocolate! (I do not recommend the chocolate-covered ones.) In fact, Goji berries’ health properties are greatly enhanced by cooking them five to ten minutes. Throw them into your hot cereal, soups or even tea. A very nice tea full of B vitamins (the natural way) is chrysanthemum and goji berry tea. Both of these foods happen to be good for the eyes as well.

via Adele Reising

Virginia Yoga Week, June 21-28, 2009. Free and discounted yoga classes :)

IBM and Danish Hospital Pioneer Smarter Patient Records to Improve Patient Care -thanks Christine

A little bit about Svaroopa Yoga

Corcoran Free Admission Summer Saturdays

When the petty ego appears, do not be concerned with it. Simply ignore it. When a negative thought strikes you, acknowledge it, then drop it.

The Zen saying goes, “The occurrence of an evil thought is an affliction; not to continue it is the remedy.”

–Katsuki Sekida, from A Guide to Zen (New World Library)

Merging Galaxies

via Astronomy pic of the day

Plant seeds of Compassion...karma originates in the Mind

A picture I took of the sky last Fall.

Earth Ball Friday Night in DC! Click here for more info

The number 108 is significant in yoga: it represents the number of beads on the mala and it was considered the number of wholeness by Vedic mathematicians. There are 108 Upanishads, 108 sacred sites throughout India, and 108 marma points or sacred points on the body.

I got so much inspiration from watching this video on self-reflection (even if it is kind of cheesy). I was sitting in front of my computer answering the questions enthusiastically in my mind...I'm going to watch it every morning for inspiration! (maybe) haha :) -thanks Katherine

Pratima Ayurvedic Skin Care and for those other pittas out there... a link to a site with some info for pacifying the pitta constitution.

Wiki of the day: Edgar Cayce and Ervin László

On June 21 at 12:45 est the Sun will be directly above the Tropic of Cancer. When the Sun reaches the Tropic of Cancer (its farthest point north), it is directly overhead at noon.

Basic Principles from The Artist's Way

via Masuda's Radiance Yoga Newsletter :)

1. Creativity is the natural order of life. Life is energy: pure creative energy.

2. There is an underlying, in-dwelling creative force infusing all of life--including ourselves.

3. When we open ourselves to our creativity, we open ourselves to the creator's creativity within us and our lives.

4. We are, ourselves, creations. And we, in turn, are meant to continue creativity by being creative ourselves.

5. Creativity is God's gift to us. Using our creativity is our gift back to God.

6. The refusal to be creative is self-will and is counter to our true nature.

7. When we open ourselves to exploring our creativity, we open ourselves to God: good orderly direction.

8. As we open our creative channel to the creator, many gentle but powerful changes are to be expected.

9. It is safe to open ourselves up to greater and greater creativity.

10. Our creative dreams and yearnings come from a divine source. As we move toward our dreams, we move toward divinity.

Yoga mala

How to instantly feel more centered: Sit in a meditation posture, and straighten your spine. Bring your awareness and attention to the breath, and with each in breath feel grounded through your root chakra and let the energy of the inhaled breath rise to the crown of your head. Become aware of the luminous channel connecting you to the earth as well as the heavens. Repeat.

A 108 sun salutation workshop is being offered at Radiance Yoga in Old Town on the solstice, Sunday June 21 . (Also the book club at Radiance Yoga this month will discuss The Four Agreements, one of my favorite books). I was curious to the significance of the number 108, as I am planning to do 108 sun salutations on the Summer Solstice as one way of being mindful of the zenith. I came across this Q&A on the Yoga Journal website, but I will continue researching this further because I am interested in the power in numbers. Here is the Q&A reposted below:

I’ve read of people doing 108 Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskar A) at the time of the spring equinox. What is the significance of the number 108?
— Linda Burkard, Martinez, California

By Shiva Rea

The number’s significance is open to interpretation. But 108 has long been considered a sacred number in Hinduism and yoga. Traditionally, malas, or garlands of prayer beads, come as a string of 108 beads (plus one for the “guru bead,” around which the other 108 beads turn like the planets around the sun). A mala is used for counting as you repeat a mantra—much like the Catholic rosary.

Renowned mathematicians of Vedic culture viewed 108 as a number of the wholeness of existence. This number also connects the Sun, Moon, and Earth: The average distance of the Sun and the Moon to Earth is 108 times their respective diameters. Such phenomena have given rise to many examples of ritual significance.

According to yogic tradition, there are 108 pithas, or sacred sites, throughout India. And there are also 108 Upanishads and 108 marma points, or sacred places of the body.

And, yes, one can offer a yoga mala of 108 Sun Salutations. Please take a moment to visit www.globalmala.org for more information on the power of 108 and joining the “mala around the earth” to be formed by the worldwide yoga community on September 21 and 22 of 2007.

Summer Solstice this Sunday

I am looking forward to the Solstice on Sunday...at 12:45 am eastern time...how will you celebrate the day?

I hiked Meneka Peak yesterday, in the George Washington National Forest. What a gorgeous day to be outdoors and reconnect with mother Earth! We saw lots of wildlife, including a mouse, a few frogs, and a turtle. Also along the trail was the greatest variety of mushrooms/fungi I've ever seen in my life. The sunlight was just gorgeous shining on us through the trees. The trail was very rocky in parts, as most are in the area, and during a break in the hike I read this quote from my pocket Buddha reader, which I thought was a fitting meditation for the surroundings:

If your mind becomes firm like a rock
And no longer shakes
In a world where everything is shaking,
Your mind will be your greatest friend
And suffering will not come your way.

-Theragatha

More on the solstice later...

Saturday evening was one of the most enjoyable nights I've had in a while filled with good company and great conversation. It was a potluck dinner for our meditation group, and farewell gathering for our dear friend Kourosh who is moving abroad. I made mango spring rolls, recipe below, shared with me by Jen! :)

Ingredients:
Rice paper
Mango
Avocado
Bean Sprouts
Fresh cilantro
Cellophane noodles
Peanut sauce

Directions:
Slice avocado and mango (click here for how to slice a mango). Cook cellophane noodles until transparent. Set up all ingredients, and a bowl of warm water to soften the rice paper, in an assembly line fashion. Soften the rice paper for each roll, then add a bit of noodles, bean sprouts, a slice of mango, a slice of avocado, and some fresh cilantro leaves. Roll up the rice paper and filling (click on link for how-to), and serve with peanut sauce...or any dipping sauce you would like.

Manipura

A few interesting links I've come across recently:

Now in America: Indian Mangoes

Ideas for Outdoor Activities in Washington the kayaking/canoeing looks especially fun!

Transformus, a summer festival at Deerfields in Asheville, NC. Other festivals coming up...All Good...Summer Solstice Projekt Festival...

Carolina Anusara Yoga Retreat and Gathering

The Heritage, VA Beach, one of my favorite places! Also amazing, the Edgar Cayce Center, the A.R.E. I think I will dediate a blog entry to Edgar Cayce soon.

A pretty amazing video, John Chang, a healer with extraordinary power who decided to share publicly what you can achieve through meditation:

Home

HOME, produced by Luc Besson and narrated by Glenn Close, aims to change the way people see the planet and their impact on it. It offers constructive insights into the major environmental and social challenges facing our world. It was shot in 54 countries and 120 locations. It's also a unique all-aerial film that highlights the Earth's wonders as well as its wounds.

Yann believes that films, a universal media, can change the world. He helped Al Gore promote his 'An Inconvenient Truth' in France and organized a screening of the documentary for members of the French National Assembly and Senate. Al Gore's documentary did have an impact in the way French people consider climate change. Yann and his team were happy to work with Lester Brown, their special adviser, and benefited from Al Gore's friendly participation.

The producers of 'Home' hope that it will shift people's perceptions and inspire action. The 120-minute film will be released in every format, in movie theaters, on television, DVDs and the Internet, on the same day--June 5th--in over 100 countries to reach the widest audience possible. The aim of this simultaneous worldwide broadcasting is to enable as many people as possible to watch the movie together.

For the first time ever, with the help of Google, the long-feature film 'Home' can be seen on YouTube at no cost in high definition (streaming) in many languages during ten days starting June 5th: http://www.youtube.com/homeproject?hl=en

In the United States, it will also be broadcasted on the National Geographic Channel at 9 PM and shown in Central Park in New York, a big event where people can come and watch it for free on a big screen (http://www.frenchculture.org/spip.php?article2553).

Financed by a special grant (10 million euros) from the PPR Group, the film has no copyright and so will not make any profits. If there are any, they will go to GoodPlanet, the NGO founded by Yann in 2005 whose purpose is to educate and inform on environmental issues. http://www.goodplanet.info/goodplanet/index.php/eng/

To learn more about the project 'Home', you can check out the film's website in English:

http://www.home-2009.com/us/index.html

Stream-enterer

This Sunday, June 7th, the full Moon will be in Sagittarius. It’s a great day for your spiritual needs…Peace throughout the cosmos…Enjoy this Full moon with a deeper spiritual awakening and find that equilibrium you have been searching for.

via Brad Williams Astrology