gratitude for this art by Isha Volunteer Aman Dalal
Isha Kriya is a free guided meditation from Sadhguru. It’s a simple yet potent meditation practice. “Isha” means that which is the source of creation. “Kriya” means an inward action towards that. In research conducted by Harvard Medical School, this meditation has been shown to reduce tension, anger, fatigue, confusion and depression.
Last year, I took some training to become a volunteer facilitator for Isha Foundation to help share Yoga for Beginners and Isha Kriya at schools, universities, libraries, community organization and corporations. Since COVID-19 has us all stuck inside, I thought sharing Isha Kriya here would be a way to continue on that path.
Build a destination property in a place NOBODY goes, said no one ever. And yet, that is exactly what the indomitable Zita Cobb and her Shorefast Foundation have done. AND, they’ve done it with great success based on the following belief:
All businesses can be community businesses. Business is a system, a social and economic instrument, and a tool that can be used to support place and shape relationships. Done well, business allows all of us to contribute our individual and collective capacities to society. – Shorefast Foundation
This model resonates deeply with me. It’s healthy for all involved and it’s what I strive for with my own business Alberta Food Tours, Inc. So, when I recently vacationed in Newfoundland and Labrador, staying at the Shorefast Foundation’s Fogo Island Inn, the destination property in question in my opening sentence, was at the top of the places I wanted to experience.
While staying at Fogo Island Inn was a dream come true and I’ll be writing lots more about it, I never expected to meet Zita Cobb the founder. BUT…. just as we were checking out…. Zita Cobb was popping in. Kismet. We shared a brief chat about the Inn, positive tourism and food, of course. She was as warm and down-to-earth as I thought she’d be.
This post will share a bit about the full circle community centred life of Zita Cobb. If you are looking for a mentor for your community-minded business, like I always am, the clarity of Zita Cobb and Shorefast Foundation’s principles could provide solid direction.
June 21 is the day that spring transitions to summer. If spring is about the rebirth brought on by increased light then summer is about the blossoming of all life. We go from green blades of grass effortlessly cutting through the earth to birds singing for the ecstasy of being alive. Everything is oriented to rebirth and growth, to potential and possibility.
How fitting then, that June 21 is also the International Day of Yoga (IDY) because this day is also about the potential for rebirth and blossoming. Only with yoga, the seed of potential is not carried along on the softness of a fragrant breeze, it lies within all human beings. The fruit of its birth and blossoming can be the realization of our universal oneness.
This post is about the guidance a guru can offer on one’s spiritual path, what that transformation looks like in my own life and Isha Foundation’s offerings to help bring humans to their ultimate potential on IDY 2019.
I have taken this course and now I do this practice at home. When I do it regularly, I feel my body realign. Kinks from sitting, standing and sleeping in the awkward ways we do, dissolve. My mind is clear. I focus and contribute to the world.
I’ve written about Sadhguru and Isha yoga before. You can check out those pieces to learn more. As Sadhguru always says, “The only way out, is in.” and these yoga practices will give you the strength you need to sit for meditation and enjoy physical health.
This is a non-sponsored post. I am a willing volunteer for Isha because of how Sadhguru and the organization have enriched my life – on a whole other level that money could never buy.
World Food Day is a U.N. sanctioned “day” to bring awareness of their goal of #ZeroHunger in the world by 2030. We have a long way to go. One in nine people in the world are still going to bed chronically hungry each day.
The Facts
A report by Brookings Institute states that, “As of 2017, over 150 million children remain stunted, roughly 820 million people are undernourished (a number that has increased for each of the last three years), and over 2.5 billion people responded that they lacked the resources needed to buy food at some point in the last 12 months, again a sharp increase.” They believe governments need to “focus on policies to raise yields and build efficient and inclusive markets, and on public and private investments needed to achieve these outcomes.” That seems like overwhelming stuff. I’m glad that there are experts in global health working on this. But, instead of feeling powerless, I feel empowered to ask what I can do on a personal and local basis?
The crisp, cool days of fall have arrived in Alberta. Yesterday, instead of making salad, I got out my stock pot and made a big pot of soup for our dinner guests and we were all the warmer and cozier for it. The good people at Apple magazine anticipate the shifts in cook’s seasons so, back in June, they asked me for a “how-to” make soup stock column for the fall issue.
This assignment was easy and a pleasure because soup stock is one thing I always have on hand. I add it to my favourite linguini with clam sauce recipe, use it to add flavour to mashed potatoes and of course, I make a variety of great soups with it. Soup means a lot to me. I’m a volunteer for Soup Sisters and have even contributed to three of their best-selling cookbooks. Click the link below to read my column, stock up and have a happy fall making soup to your heart’s content.
Fall is the time to make soup. Check out my latest column for Alberta Health’s Apple Magazine and >
Looking for an easy breezy summer salad? Here’s one that celebrates two great Alberta ingredients, honey and canola, while maximizing the enjoyment of summer’s bounty of green on your plate. It’s from my latest column for Alberta Health Services Apple magazine and you can read the article and get the full recipe here.
