Lucid Practice

A Blog Featuring Enriching Content on Travel, Wellness, Art, and Yoga

12 Jul
2013

Lucid Practice Notes on The 5 People You Meet In Heaven

Lucid Practice Notes on The 5 People You Meet In Heaven While traveling China, I found The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom on a hostel bookshelf. *Side note: Isn’t it funny the books that you find in hostels while traveling? Paz and I had enjoyed Albom’s beautiful short book, Tuesdays with Morrie so I […]

12 Jul
2013

Carla Bruni – Quelqu’un m’a dit

Thanks to Jan and Sandrine for introducing us to Carla’s music!

12 Jul
2013

Celebrate the Journey, Not the Outcome

We can spend so much time focused on what we can’t control that we get so caught up only in that, and as a result, we feel totally powerless over our life. And while it’s important to be aware of what’s wrong and what we cannot control, our power is not found there. Our power […]

11 Jul
2013

7/11 Art: El Anatsui

  Gravity and Grace, El Anatsui (Ghana), 2013- Currently @ Brooklyn Museum

11 Jul
2013

No Stress Success

“If a warrior is to succeed at anything, the success must come gently, with a great deal of effort but with no stress or obsession.” ~ Carlos Castaneda from The Wheel of Time I love that –> “With a great deal of effort but with no stress or obsession.” We usually wind up on one extreme or […]

11 Jul
2013

The Coolest Meditator In The World

He turned 78 last Saturday and still says he meditates for three hours every day, starting at 4 am. He says he is just a simple monk and that kindness is his religion, calling for love and compassion to promote world peace. When we met with the Dalai Lama he was standing on his veranda overlooking the […]

11 Jul
2013

Traveling the World

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

11 Jul
2013

7/11 Quote: R. Sharath Jois

“You should not be practicing to have a “good” practice, but instead to keep steadiness within yourself. Practice happily regardless of whether it is “good” or not. Sometimes some postures will not be possible, but when you accept the good and the bad and everything becomes equal for you, that is yoga.” ~R. Sharath Jois

10 Jul
2013

7/10 Art: Conrad Tao

Conrad Tao is a 19-year-old virtuoso who tries to push the limits of classical music by combining tradition and technology. His experiments include compositions for piano and iPad as well as stage performances with a bright pink toy piano. Check out a video of him jamming here.

10 Jul
2013

Art: Kickstarter and the NEA

“Indeed, people have been saying since last year that Kickstarter funds more art-related projects than the NEA. And it’s true! For 2012, the NEA had a total federal appropriation of $146 million, of which 80 percent went toward grants. Kickstarter funded roughly $323.6 million of art-related projects if you include all design and video-related projects, […]

10 Jul
2013

Raising Respectful, Grateful, Loving Children: 6 Lessons from an NFL Quarterback

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 […]

10 Jul
2013

7/10 Quote: Devi

“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 […]

10 Jul
2013

How Your Thoughts Program Your Cells

Some “Basic” Cellular Biology There are thousands upon thousands of receptors on each cell in our body. Each receptor is specific to one peptide, or protein. When we have feelings of anger, sadness, guilt, excitement, happiness or nervousness, each separate emotion releases its own flurry of neuropeptides. Those peptides surge through the body and connect […]

10 Jul
2013

The Seven Chakras Of The Human Body

Click on the picture for a brief description of each Chakra. What practices have helped you in balancing & clearing your chakras? Post your response in the comments section below 🙂

9 Jul
2013

7/9 Art: Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr., Robert Adelman, 1963. From “One Life: Martin Luther King Jr” exhibit currently @ The Smithsonian

9 Jul
2013

Dalai Lama Calls On Young People to Create ‘Happier Century’

The Dalai Lama said he was counting on young people to create a “happier” century as he celebrated his 78th birthday on Saturday in southern India with tens of thousands of Tibetan exiles. “The present-day generation can create better conditions and build a world where everyone can live in harmony and in a spirit of […]

9 Jul
2013

Happiness Is A Work Ethic

We think that happiness is something that you find or if you reach some level in a company or a school, then you’re happier.  And what we’re finding is that happiness is not something that happens to you.  Happiness is a work ethic.  It’s something that requires our brains to train just like an athlete […]

9 Jul
2013

Albert O. Hirschman and The Power of Failure.

I liked this Gladwell piece from The New Yorker profiling Albert O. Hirschman, an influential economist and author of several well known books. Hirschman, an esoteric mind,  felt that people were more creative when they experienced failure. Then, he believed, people were forced to think. Hirshman wrote, “Creativity always comes as a surprise to us; therefore […]

8 Jul
2013

7/8 Art: Pinaree Sanpitak

  Anything Can Break, Pinaree Sanpitak, 2009 Installation

8 Jul
2013

Best Egypt Analysis Yet. From a 12-Year-Old.

We try not to be any bit political, but I think this boy represents hope and freedom.

8 Jul
2013

12 Amazing Staircases Around the World

http://www.theworldgeography.com/2013/07/amazing-staircases.html Click the link to see 12 incredible staircases around our world.

8 Jul
2013

Let The Practice Be The Guide

“Now be silent. Let the One who creates words speak. He made the door, He made the lock, and He also made the key.” –Rumi Practicing and teaching I’ve experienced resistance  on various levels in myself and have observed it in the students I assist on a daily basis. Sometimes the resistance we face comes […]

8 Jul
2013

5 Reasons to Soak Nuts and Seeds Before Eating

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, […]

7 Jul
2013

Kino MacGregor’s Notes from Sharath Jois Lecture

If you’re an aspiring ashtanga yoga practitioner, Kino MacGregor’s website is a great place to learn. Here’s a link to her notes from a recent Sharath Jois lecture in Mysore, India. Sharath is one of the most respected ashtanga yoga gurus alive today. He is the grandson of the great Pattabhi Jois, the Father of […]

5 Jul
2013

7/5 Art: Gaudí

Salamander, Antoni Gaudí, 1900-1914, Park Güell, Barcelona, Spain

5 Jul
2013

Growing Our Garden

In late April, Brian, Kate, Danielle and I started our garden. We began with zero experience but were eager to learn. Our goal was to grow edible plants, meet interesting people, and learn as much as possible. There have been ups and downs, plants have yielded meals and other plants have died. Along the way, […]

5 Jul
2013

Brad Stevens Can Coach

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9018653/shaka-smart-brad-stevens-butler-vcu With Brad Stevens being selected as the new coach of the Boston Celtics I thought about this awesome profile of Stevens and Shaka Smart from March 2013. I love Phil Jackson’s approach to leadership called process based coaching. Here are some great quotes from the article: Both are committed to positivity on the sideline, […]

5 Jul
2013

Artists in America

Katherine Boyle wrote a nice breakdown about artists in the United States last week for the Washington Post: Instagram and Etsy have made everyone seem like artistic geniuses, but according to the National Endowment for the Arts, artists make up only 1.4 percent of the U.S. labor force. Congratulations, California. You’re still an artist haven, […]

5 Jul
2013

5 Healthy Summer Fruits and Vegetables

1)      Raspberries- Low sugar content, 8 grams of fiber in one cup. 2)      Collard Greens- Calcium, Vitamins A + C, and other important nutrients. 3)      Peaches- Great source of potassium. 4)      Red Bell Peppers- High levels of Vitamin C and beta-carotine. 5)      Heirloom Tomatoes- Phytonutrient lycopene levels may help prevent prostate cancer. Jump to Margaret […]