The benefits of meditation are remarkable and continue to be documented. The practice has been shown to reverse heart disease, enhance the immune system, reduce pain and create feelings of calm and general grooviness. The problem is that sitting meditation requires the ability to sit still; which for many people can be a real obstacle to success. If you are stressed out and haven’t found a regular relaxation practice that works for you, perhaps a journey into the labyrinth is just what you need.

I had my first labyrinth experience on a breezy afternoon in San Francisco’s Duboce Park, making sure I was nice and pre-stressed by illegally parking to get there. Labyrinths have been used as a meditative tool by many cultures including Celtic, Mayan, Greek and Native American since prehistoric times. I already felt more connected to humankind as I thought about the mega stresses that people were dealing with thousands of years ago and was impressed that such varied cultures had caught onto this practice.

Labyrinths are often confused with mazes, but there are a couple of key differences. A labyrinth has only one winding path, you can’t get lost (physically anyway) and there are no minotaurs waiting to eat you. Also, labyrinths are flat and the path is never concealed. They can be made of almost any material but the most common are stone, masonry, tile or canvas. The labyrinth at Duboce Park is sandblasted into the concrete and includes a table-top finger labyrinth for the vision impaired. The typical practice is to walk from the outside to the center, pause for contemplation and then retrace the path back to the beginning.

The labyrinth adds some action to the quiet and focus of meditation and asks you to observe yourself on the journey. There are lots of different ways to approach the process of walking a labyrinth, from focusing on your breath, the feel of your feet (bare or not) on the path, your God or something else in your life that needs attention. You can see the labyrinth as a metaphor for the many journeys of life and also as adding some helpful structure to your meditative practice.

After my walk I felt calmer, more connected to my own body and more in the moment. I wonder what that the labyrinth has in store for you?

All stressed out with no where to go? To find a labyrinth near you visit the world wide labyrinth location.

http://wwll.veriditas.labyrinthsociety.org/

More information on walking Meditation (no labyrinth required)

www.wildmind.org/walking/introduction.com

Online labyrinth tool (no walking required)

http://www.gracecathedral.org/labyrinth/interactions/index.shtml#

My cat Smurf will eat just about anything, from the processed concoction that is dry, diet cat food, to the mysterious blend that is wet, and any kind of meat or dairy product in between. This morning I was woken to a slamming in the kitchen and the soft patter of her paws down the wood floor of the hallway. I rose to find her hunkered down over a piece of crust from last night’s frozen pizza. Just about the only things Smurf won’t eat are fruits and vegetables; which makes her palate very similar to the average American’s.

Except for beets!

I discovered this aberration when I spilled a bowl of cooked, cubed beets onto the kitchen floor. Smurf went to town on those beety beets, risking decapitation from the refrigerator door without a second thought. I was surprised and intrigued as I had never seen her eat anything that didn’t have, or come from, something with a face. Was it the blood red color, reminiscent of raw meat that brought her on or the nutty, perhaps vaguely meaty taste of the root itself? Due to the language barrier, we may never know.

What we do know is that even though beets are not as famous as some other rooty vegetables, such as carrots and potatoes, their unique coloration makes them a nutritional treasure trove. Beet roots are rich in a plethora of nutrients including folic acid, potassium, calcium, Vitamin C and Vitamin A. Their telltale redness is an active ingredient that is thought by many nutritionists and natural health practitioners to thwart tumor growth, heal the liver and detoxify blood.

If your first experience with beets involved the pickled or candied varieties then you may be suffering from Post Traumatic Abused Vegetable Syndrome or PTAVS. Chances are you are hesitant to try them again and I understand your pain. I too thought of beets as foul red pickles, used for garnish and torturing children. I truly hope that you will give them another chance and discover their tastiness for yourself.

The versatile fresh beet root can be eaten raw, boiled, steamed, roasted (my favorite), or sautéed. They are great on salads and can be used as a meat substitute on sandwiches or burgers. Their peak season is June through October, but because they store well they can be found year round. If you decide to boil you beets, cook them with the skins on to minimize their magical nutrients leaching out into the water.

I beet-seech you to expand your vegetable horizons and give beets a try! If you hate them, you can always feed them to your cat.

Yoga is supposed to make you feel good. It is supposed to clear out tension blockades, release energy to flow like fresh mountain spring water and open up, relax and harmonize the body. It is true that the practice of yoga can accomplish corporeal and spiritual magic, but if the yogis around me have their feet twice wrapped around their heads while I struggle to bend over, angst becomes the order of my day.

Yoga is not supposed to be a competitive sport (though I have heard of yoga competitions).  If only taking off my westernized, capitalistic view point was as easy as taking off my shoes and socks at the studio door. I bring my perspective with me and it causes me to suffer and because they keep reminding you to be in the present moment, I am much more aware of this suffering then I would usually be. From my vantage, most of the people in my yoga classes are “better” then me. They are more flexible and more balanced. They can do the poses as shown without the support of the three bricks, two blankets, a strap and a crane. I know that I should love and honor my body where it is at, but it is difficult when it appears that the bodies around me are in better places. Sometimes the flexy bodied people make inane comments and then I feel a bit better. “They may be more flexible, but they are a bit idiotic.” It is a small and dark comfort.

I see them in headstands, their bodies taut and balanced, their shoulders limber and strong and I try not to hate them. I resist the childish urge to knock them over like a stack of blocks. I try to distract myself with sexy thoughts of the instructor, something I am an experienced expert at. Sadly even that leads to pain as I realize that a yoga instructor would want to have superhuman, inverted, levitating yoga sex. I probably wouldn’t be up for it and who wants all those yoga blocks in bed anyway?

And then, when I have myself worked up into a respectable tizzy I remember who I should really be comparing myself to; my neurotic family. They are charming folk, all of them, and they can’t help it if they make more money then me, drive nicer cars, vote Republican and only recycle if a hippy stars knowing on their legs. All of them, with the exception of my 2-year old nephew, are stiffer then me. They have superbly tight and knotty hips and hamstrings and practically have to UPS their socks to their feet in the morning. They have more energy blockages then the 405 Freeway at 7:30. My father who has taken up yoga in his 60’s cannot sit in simple cross legged pose without several assistive devices.

When you are dating someone you can look at their parents to see what you might be waking up to in 25 years. In this way I look at the members of my family, particularly the older ones, to see the conditions and maladies that I want desperately to avoid. I’d like to avoid osteoporosis, limited movement, pain and the inability to have a conversation without quoting conservative talk radio. I try to keep my eye (both inner and outer) on this prize as I twist and strain and attempt to transform my body into a flexible, harmonious playground.

I know, I know, I’m not supposed to compare myself to other people, even my own family, but I consider this a stepping stone on the long path to enlightenment. I often dedicate my practice to my older self. The self that I hope will be more enlightened, agile, and active for a very long time to come.

It seems an inevitable law of romantic relationships that one partner will take longer to get ready then the other. Throughout the ages people have dealt with this situation in various ways including: standing by the door and getting pissed off, sitting in an idling car and getting pissed off, doing other chores around the house to stay busy while secretly being pissed off, or direct badgering of the slower partner; which usually serves to piss everybody off.  I have tried all of these methods with varying degrees of failure and much dissatisfaction. This weekend I hit on a far superior of dealing with this type of situation.

Stretch while you wait. 

This is the perfect solution because it is no coincidence that the faster, prompter (and dare I say superior) partner usually happens to be the tenser partner; both muscularly and in many other ways as well.  I can always use more stretching and I often have a hard time fitting it into my workout schedule. Stretching is a perfect activity to drop into any otherwise unproductive period of time, but its best done in a situation where you don’t mind bending over and sticking your rump in the air (not the line at the bank).

Implement this method and you will get more flexible as your partner gets prettier, everybody will be happy and you will never have to start another night on the town or day at the office with irritation and tight hamstrings.

As we grow older it becomes painfully obvious that many of the foodstuffs we enjoyed as children were nutritional atrocities. I personally feasted on Craft Mac n’ cheese, silver-foil wrapped Ding Dongs, Cheetos, Rice Crispy treats, Frosted Flakes and many other things composed mostly of high fructose corn syrup and air. Looking back I should be three feet tall with rickets and a skin condition.

Thankfully, there are now some more healthful versions of those delicious, anti-nutritious childhood snacks.

I made brown rice crispy treats for my fitness bootcampers recently and they loved them. The crew gobbled them up immediately after a grueling hill workout and I felt pleased to be sending them home to their spouses and children with a decent blood sugar level for once. This version forgoes traditional Rice Crispies for puffed brown rice cereal, eliminating a bucketful of sugar and adding some fiber. The dubious yet heroically sticky marshmallows, which are used to hold it all together in the original recipe, are replaced here with peanut butter and brown rice syrup. The peanut butter is a welcome addition bringing some protein and a touch of savoriness to the mix. With or without the optional chocolate chips these are not as overbearingly sweet as the original version. Kids will still love them and adults will too.

These are ridiculously easy to make and would probably last quite a while in the fridge, but I can almost guarantee you that they won’t. If you live with hungry types I recommend at least doubling the recipe. Keep them cool and they will hold together better, but don’t be afraid to wrap them up and take them on the road. Try them with a tall glass of cold, organic milk and the only snap, crackle and pop you hear will be coming from your mouth, not your bones.

Follow the link below for a tempting photo and an easy to follow recipe:

http://www.danispies.com/archives/dessert/brown_rice_crispy_treats.php

The problem with breakfast is that its preparation often gets lumped in with personal preparation, and while it is acceptable to show up to work sans nutrition, coming in without pants does not fly. Therefore when it comes to preparing everything that needs to get prepared in the morning, breakfast often gets the short end of the spoon. Another problem is that most easy morning meals are high in sugar, while lacking protein and fiber. Easy to grab culprits such as muffins, bagels and many cereals fall into this category. With most carbolishious options you will spend lots of time masticating and getting crumbs on your nicely pressed shirt and then still be hungry again by 9:30.

One good way to avoid breakfast skippery is by doing most of the prep work the week before. There is nothing more satisfying then preparing to retire on a Sunday night and stopping by the refrigerator to check on your ready to go breakfast bundles. Having your AM nutrition plans taken care of in advance is one less thing to worry about as the week spirals and jumps and generally makes a mockery of your plans. If only we could pre-brush our teeth!

Another good way to make sure you eat breakfast is to make sure it is delicious. The thought of the treat that awaits you should help get you out of your snug bed in the morning and on your way to world domination.  One thing that always gets me out of bed is a croissant. I love croissants as much as my grandmother wishes I loved Jesus. In my option they are soft, buttery, little crab-shaped slices of heaven. Problem is they have always been made with very refined white floor which isn’t good for blood sugar levels or intestinal happiness. Humankind has recently taken a very large leap forward with the mass production and distribution of whole wheat croissants. I’m quite certain curing cancer will be next, as we are clearly on a roll.

Heather’s Wonderful Breakfast Bundles

What you need:

Aluminum foil

Tupperware container or Ziplock bag

A bag of whole wheat croissants (they have these at Whole Foods and other health oriented grocery stores)

Pre-sliced cheese (low-fat if you are watching your calorie intake)

Thin sliced low-fat turkey, ham or protein of your choice

A couple of tomatoes

What you do:

Slice the croissants in half length-wise. Layer the bottom half with cheese and meat to your specifications. Put the top back on the croissants and wrap them securely in squares of aluminum foil.  Finally slice the tomatoes and put them in the container or bag. Put everything in the fridge and go brush your teeth. You are ready for the week.

Upon waking pre-heat your oven to 375. Fifteen to twenty minutes before you are ready to eat or take your breakie to-go, toss a foil wrapped package inside.  Cooking times will vary depending on thickness of meat and cheese as well as crispiness preferences. When it’s done to your liking unwrap it and add the tomatoes as well as any condiments you might desire. Wrap it back up to travel or if you can’t wait eat that toasty, cheesy, serving of deliciousness right then and there. Who could blame you?