This isn’t a debate on global warming, instead it is a discussion about creating products that lead to more conscious, connected consumers.

“During the past 60 years, humans have stripped the world of a quarter of its topsoil and a third of its forest cover. In total, one third of the planet’s resources have been consumed within the past four decades.

Dr Jonathan Chapman’s research presents strategic counterpoints to ‘throwaway society’, by developing design tools that enhance the resilience of relationships between people and their products. These include practice-led studies into the way various material surfaces age and the development of theoretical frameworks to support not the design of durable ‘products’, but the design of durable ‘meaning’, and ‘value’, that the product delivers.”

Learn more here.

“Kindness enriches our life; with kindness mysterious things become clear, difficult things become easy & dull things become cheerful.” ~Tolstoy

If you’ve ever spent time living in China or traveling in China, you’ve noticed drastic differences from living in the West.

One of the most fascinating differences that I noticed is that the Chinese prefer to drink their water when it is at room temperature, warm, or hot. The reasons for this probably stem from Chinese medicinal theory.

Their theory helped me realize that I had never even considered an alternative to cold water growing up because that’s all I knew. From then on, I’ve embraced warm and hot water and I’m working towards becoming agnostic in terms of drinking water temperature preference.

There are several reasons why we might consider amending our dependence on cold water:

1. Our internal organs are somewhere around 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The Yin and Yang theory of Chinese medicine suggests drinking water that is close to this temperature helps maintain harmony within the body. In my personal experience, I can feel the negative reaction within my body immediately after drinking ice cold water.

2. Warm water aids in digestion. Warm water increases circulation through the digestive tract, helping you absorb nutrients and discard waste and toxins.

3. You’re more likely to be present in the novelty of drinking hot water. Since it will be a new, exciting experience, you’ll be more mindful. Also, if you can easily burn yourself with each sip, you’re more alert and aware of this. Drinking water in slow, mindful sips leads to a more joyful, lucid practice.

4. If you drink boiling water, you’re less likely to be drinking water with any contamination. Self+explanatory.

5. Imagine a wild animal abstaining from drinking water because it wasn’t chilled to their liking. Not going to happen. Animals drink whatever they can get. Realize that subtle programming has created our perceptions.

Have you ever considered drinking warm, hot, or room temperature water?

It’s Friday at Lucid Practice, so that means it’s time for a garden post!

This spring, Kate, Brian, Danielle and I started our own organic fruits and vegetable garden.

We purchased our membership into the the Westport Community Garden Association and we were granted a 20′ x 10′ plot. The first step was to create “raised beds.” We did this by digging holes into the ground and placing rectangular wooden planks (pictured below) into the ground.

Next, we shifted the soil to remove all sizable rocks. The fewer rocks, the better the soil. The better the soil, the better the growth!

We dug 18″ deep and lined the bottom of our beds with newspaper in an attempt to thwart off weeds. Throughout the beds, we placed an enormous amount of compost. Danielle and I had been saving up compost for six months during the cold winter months! We were happy to be able to contribute a 20 gallon garbage can full of compost.

Something felt right about improving the soil’s quality by adding 20 gallons of compost while knowing that it would have otherwise been wasting away in a landfill!

We tested the soil (using this: Rapitest Soil Tester) to find that it was pH neutral to slightly alkalinic.

Then, we were ready to plant! We purchased kale and spinach seedlings (pictured below) from Gilbertie’s in Westport. We’re fortunate to have Gilbertie’s in town as it the country’s largest producer of organic herbs. On top of that, their staff is helpful, friendly, engaging, and creative. Being around thousands of plants every day must infuse positive energy and a strong connection with Nature.

Kate served as the veteran of our gardening crew (her family has gardened for years) and she got a kick out of us “city boys” learning how to garden for the first time. Here she is examining the garden:

There’s a secret that an old+time Italian organic gardener from Westport taught us. At the bottom of each hole, place seaweed and a banana peel to foster better growth. Here’s Danielle putting the first kale plant into the ground!

Here’s me tilling the soil near our first kale plant:

Brian planting the first spinach plant:

And the finished product:

Great job, right? Well, yes and no. Check out this e+mail exchange between Brian and the Italian Organic Gardener.

“My name is Brian Levine…I am doing my first grow ever this season at the westport community garden…I heard great things about you as a person and heard that you are a terrific resource for knowledge and information when it comes to organic gardening. I have checked out your blog, its extremely helpful.

My friends and I were anxious to get something in the ground, so after fixing up the raised beds (weeding, sifting all the rocks out and adding a winters worth of saved compost) we transplanted some kale and spinach that we got from gilberties in Westport (we know its not growing from seed but its just the beginning for us). We put compost at the bottom of each trench. Ellen Greenberg said we have fantastic soil but we still will need to do a soil test to figure out the ph/acidity.

I am going to attach a picture. I dont know if we should add anything to the soil when growing kale/spinach. I saw on your blog that depending on what you are growing you are constantly adding your own touch from experience. Please let me know what you think if you have the time. I wanted to introduce myself and I appreciate any response. Thanks, Brian”

“Hello Brian,

First, have you have added any nutrients to the soil? Compost alone, especially if it’s not fully decomposed won’t have enough sustainability for kale or spinach, which need nitrogen. If you want to start on the right foot, i  suggest you take a soil test not only to determine how much NPK there in the soil, but to find out how the micronutrients and pH level is. Plants, especially when growing in cold soil will not be able to extract nutrients if the pH is not adjusted properly.

There is too much space wasted between plants in your raised bed: spinach should be spaced 4-5” and kale about 10. And, try not to incorporate compost on the bottom of the trench, instead work it into the whole bed.

Good luck.”

Gardening, like life, is a learning process….

“My father considered a walk among the mountains as the equivalent of churchgoing.”

~Aldous Huxley

Follow my friend Mike as he travels the world. It started with a 6 week road+trip across the US. Now Mike’s absolutely crushing it in Asia. He’s depicting the trip through breathtaking photos like the one below.

Here’s the link to his blog: http://thefieldblog.tumblr.com

Raising Respectful, Grateful, Loving Children

With all the negative news about Aaron Hernandez and the 37 arrests in the NFL in 2013, we’re happy to share positive energy from the NFL. The media likes to focus on the negativity but as you know by now, Lucid Practice is all about positive energy.

I recently stopped rooting for sports teams and started rooting for individual players. I like to root for “good guys” who create positive environments for their teammates to thrive under.

NFL, MLB, and NBA players have enormous platforms, meaning that the impact of their actions is magnified. I root for the guys who use this platform to make the world better.

Some of the guys that come to mind are Al Leiter, Victor Cruz, Tim Tebow, Dikembe Mutumbo, and Warrick Dunn.

A Powerful Practice

In 2008, I heard a story about former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner’s family that has stuck with me ever since. When the Warners dine publicly, Kurt and his family sit back and choose a family. Once they choose the family, Warner quietly adds the family’s dinner tab to his own. Every time, a family leaves with a free meal, oblivious to the the identity of their benefactor. This struck be as such a beautiful, powerful practice of love and generosity.

Kurt Warner’s Story

At one point, Kurt’s career was all but dead. Scouts said he wasn’t good enough to play in the NFL.

Kurt was relegated to bagging groceries (not that there’s anything wrong with that) and living off food stamps. However, one year later, Kurt was given a second chance. To say that Kurt succeeded would be an enormous understatement.

His accolades include a couple Superbowl rings and MVP trophies, but his off the field efforts are what really stand out.

Kurt’s primary priorities are his family and God. He and his wife committed to raising extraordinary kids (7 of them to be exact). Practices that bring positive energy into our lives are of the utmost importance. Here are a few practices that have helped the Warners live beautiful, lucid lives.

6 Beautiful Practices from the Warner Family that We Can Emulate

1. Everyone has to agree on which strangers’ meal to pay for when dining at a restaurant.

An intentional act of kindness. Kurt and his wife recognize God’s blessings and share them with others each and every night. Sounds “Christ+like” to me.

Kurt said, “We want our kids to grow up knowing that because of football we are so blessed. We never want them to lose sight of what it’s really about. Our circumstances are not the most important thing. It’s what we do with those circumstances.”

One of my college football coaches taught me that, “To whom much has been given, much will be expected.” This quote applies here as well.

2. At dinner, share the favorite part of your day.

Scenario 1: Dinner with the TV on. One person texting their boyfriend. The other shoveling the food in their mouth so fast that they can hardly think let alone speak.

Scenario 2: TV off. Phones not at the table. Eye contact. Prayer. Slow, thoughtful eating. Conversation about something positive that happened that day. What seems like the more lucid practice?

3. Hold hands and pray before every meal.

Family. God. Spirituality. Presence. Connectedness. That’s lucid practice.

4. After ordering at a restaurant, be able to tell Mom the server’s eye color.

Eye contact. Respect. How often do you see kids and teens (even adults) with their faces buried mindlessly into an iPhone while at a restaurant?

5. Throw away your trash at the movie theater and stack plates for the server at restaurants.

It may seem self+explanatory but it is often a neglected practice.

6. Spend one hour at an art museum when on the road.

This may seem to be “out of left field” but it goes hand+in+hand with raising respectful children. In order to be well rounded and diverse, it is important to understand art, music and history. Growing up, Brian and I were never artistic or into art but we’ve made the commitment (daily art postings, reading about artists, etc.) to learning as much as we can to appreciate art. Fortunately, my girlfriend is extremely talented artistically so I’ve been able to learn from her.

Thanks to to this NYT article for the short version of the list.

Conclusions on Raising Respectful, Grateful, Loving Children

Cheers to Kurt and Brenda. Their practice offers practical solutions for parents who wish to raise kind, respectful, loving children.

What challenges do you have or do you foresee in raising children? What practices can we employ to overcome these challenges?

“Sri Krishnamacharya used to tell me: ‘Do the Headstand when you are tired and in need of a tonic; when you are unable to fall asleep; when you are hungry, nervous and unhappy. Do it when in need of relaxation, when the brain is clouded, when you are in low spirits. Do it when your thoughts are distracted and you cannot concentrate properly or meditate.‘”

~Indra Devi

5 Reasons to Soak Nuts and Seeds Before Eating

Have you ever felt like the nuts you were eating were rock hard and tough to chew? If so, it’s likely that you’re eating nuts that your digestive system cannot break down. Nuts and seeds have natural defense mechanisms (to fend off predators such as squirrels, humans, etc.) These defense mechanisms include toxic substances and enzyme inhibitors. These defense mechanisms are present until growing conditions exist. After soaking your nuts and seeds, you create a growing condition and the defense mechanisms are broken down, making the nut a much healthier option. Soaking nuts and seeds is also known as “sprouting.”

Why Soak Nuts and Seeds Before Eating ?

Eating rock hard nuts and seeds is like eating “dead food,” or more accurately, food that is not yet activated or alive. You activate, germinate, and sprout the nut or seed by soaking it.

5 Reasons to Soak Seeds and Nuts Before Eating :

1. You unlock the nutritional power of seeds and nuts by soaking

Not all nuts are created equally. A lot of people eat nuts because, “they have a lot of protein.” But what good is protein if you can’t absorb it? Soaking the nuts unlocks the protein and allows your digestive system to absorb it.

2. Soak nuts and seeds before eating for better taste

Soaked nuts taste better.  They’re softer and moist, giving the nuts more of a “nut+butter” taste.

3. Soak nuts and seeds before eating to eliminate toxins

The enzyme inhibitors and toxins are all but removed after soaking nuts and seeds, reducing potential damage to your digestive tract and internal organs.

4. Soak nuts and seeds before eating to activate beneficial enzymes

Not only does soaking reduce toxins, it also activates beneficial enzymes and vitamins (especially Vitamins A, B, and C.)

5. Soaking nuts and seeds before eating is better for your teeth

Any dentist will agree ~ it is better to bite and chew softer foods. You can turn a rock hard nut or seed into a soft, nutritional powerhouse in a few short hours. The lucid practitioner is always seeking vitality through healthy, cleansing, enlivening foods. You can actually increase the life, power, and vitality of your seeds and nuts by soaking them! What experience do you have in soaking/eating seeds and nuts?

Last night, our electrician came over to help install a sound system. His son Max is a smart, jovial 11 year old who lost his mother to cancer at a young age.

Max usually chills on his iPad playing video games while his dad works his electronic magic in the basement.

My friend and I asked the youngster if he’d like to go fishing on our boat. Max’s eyes lit up with excitement, the iPad was history, and we were on our way.

It was a beautiful summer night, around sunset, perfect time for fishing. The wind was pushing us one way while the tide pushed us the other, granting us the perfect “slow drift” along the calm waters of the coast of the Long Island Sound.

Fifteen minutes went by and we hadn’t caught a thing.

Max looked perturbed as this was his first time fishing. It seemed as if he was thinking, “Aren’t we supposed to catch a fish every cast?” Nick and I explained that fishing is about patience and enjoying the water and each other’s company.

Twenty+five minutes…. nothing.

Twenty+eight minutes…. nothing.

Thirty+four minutes…. BANG!

A fish hit my lure and Max leapt to his feet. I handed him the rod and he reeled for his life until the fish had reached the boat. “Did I catch him, did I catch him?” Max yelled in excitement.

As I brought the beautiful striped bass on to the boat, I felt God smiling down on us. I felt God’s love. We took two pictures before we threw Max’s fish back in the water and I felt a deep sense of awareness in the moment. Bringing not just a smile ~ but a whole new experience ~ to a kid’s life, was a privilege.

Max’s first fish. He will never forget that night out on the water. And neither will I.