Sound is energy. Music changes us. We respond to the sound waves and vibrations of music. Music can uplift us and give us positive energy — if we listen to the right kind.

“Classical music is boring.” Is that what you’re thinking? Up until two years ago, I would have agreed with you.  In this post, I’ll explain how you can escape the “boring” aspect and come to appreciate the music.

But first, here’s a look at the health benefits of classical music:

• Increased Tranquility and Focus (many surgeons listen to classical music while performing surgery)
• Positive Energy (London government played classical music in dangerous neighborhoods and robberies decreased 33%, assaults decreased 25%, and vandalism decreased 37%) read more in Malcom Gladwell’s fantastic book: Outliers
• Increase in vitality and well being (in a 1973 experiment, plants grew towards and intertwined themselves around speakers playing Hayden, Beethoven, Brahms and Schubert. But, in a similar experiment where violent music was played, the plants died)
• Better Sleep (Hungarian researchers showed listening to 45 minutes of classical music before bedtime helped students from 19 to 28, who had problems falling asleep)
• Increased Intelligence through improved information processing and memory (studies show heightened IQ scores)

But here’s the best part: Classical music doesn’t have to be boring! If it’s foreign concept to you, start by listening a blend of classical and new age music by 2Cellos.  Connect by recognizing the familiar song and by appreciating the beauty of the art of music. I shared this link with friends and they loved it and can’t stop listening!! After enjoying 2Cellos for a couple weeks, you’ll naturally be expanding to beautiful pieces by Yo-Yo Ma, Bach, Brahams, etc. in no time !!

Stay lucid ~

Growing Organic Kale for Beginngers

Growing organic kale and spinach is easy once you know the basics.

Danners posing with our luscious kale and spinach plants

This post is about how to grow and care for your kale once it is in the growing stage (having already been planted). If you’re interested in the initial planting of kale, see our post on “Should I Start with Kale Seeds or Baby Kale Plants?”

We were successful growing organic kale and we’ve been reaping the plentiful rewards ever since! This post will explain why you’d consider growing kale (or any vegetable), how to care for & nourish growing kale, and how to harvest kale once it’s ready. Lastly, we will discuss how to prepare and eat harvested kale.

Reasons to Grow your own Vegetables

To plant, nurture, water, feed, harvest and then finally eat a vegetable, creates a feeling that everyone should experience once in their life. There is such a powerful connection you feel when eating vegetables you’ve grown yourself.

Why Grow Kale?

Growing organic kale is one of the best ways to start your home garden. Not only is kale one of the most healthy vegetables, it’s also one of the easiest to grow and has one of the longest growing seasons. Kale grows in the Spring through the Summer and deep into Autumn (in the Northeastern region of USA.) Thanks to Gerri (Danielle’s friend) from Schenectady, NY for the info on the long growing season!

Harvesting Organic Kale

When growing organic kale, keep in mind that the harvesting method is very important. Rule number one is that when picking kale from your plant, it’s best to take the whole stem from the stalk as opposed to just breaking off the leaf. This ensures that nutrients won’t be transported from the stalk to what has turned into a stem with no prospects of growing a new leaf. This practice helps distribute the nutrients from the soil to the stems and leaves that are still growing.

It’s wise to first harvest the outer leaves since they are the most mature and ready to eat. Whenever a leaf or a stem is connected to a stalk, it is drawing prana (energy, lifeforce) and nutrients from the stalk. The stalk receives prana from the soil, the stem receives prana from the stalk, and the leaf receives prana from the stem. There comes a point when the kale leaf is waiting to be harvested and by keeping the stem and leaf on the stalk, you are doing a disservice to the younger leaves by depriving them of much needed nutrients.

The stems and leaves feed off each other’s growth so don’t harvest too many kale stems/leaves at once or you might end up killing the plant.

What to Eat Kale with

Growing organic kale has been quite the adventure. So far, we’ve harvested 12 servings of kale from our garden. In the span of 3 months, we’ve gone from a group of clueless “city guys” (complete beginners) to being able to supply ourselves with more kale than we could have imagined. We’ve made kale chips, kale salad, kale smoothies, and we’ve added kale to just about any dish you can imagine.

Sautéed Organic Kale from our Garden with Wild Salmon & Grape Tomatoes

Differences Between Home Grown Organic Kale and kale from Whole Foods:

• Fresh kale is more rich and dense (probably because it hasn’t traveled across the country in the back of a truck for days)
• Fresh kale is…. well, fresher (an obvious observation but one can’t help but taste and observe the difference in moisture levels)
• Fresh kale tastes better (this might be because we have great soil and compost & practice crop rotation whereas the big agriculture companies might not)
• Being self+sustainable “feels right.” Imagine the days when this practice was the norm! (it’s amasing being able to pick fresh kale every few days instead of having to go to the store. The feeling of “we grew this” is special)

Have you had similar experiences growing organic kale? How do you like to eat kale?

Best Ways to Hydrate

It’s no secret that hydration is essential to optimal health. Although drinking water is a great way to hydrate, did you know that on average, humans get 20% of their water from food?

Often times, eating fruit is the best way of hydrating — even better than drinking water.  The nutrients and vitamins that fruits contain help balance fluid levels within the body and deliver water in an efficient manner.

Healthy Foods for Hydration

For example, after a long workout, one might be better served to eat watermelon as opposed to drinking water. The watermelon has potassium and sodium that aid in replacing the valuable properties that you lost in your workout by sweating.

Many fruits and veggies are made up of primarily water but they bring the extra punch of added nutrients, vitamins, and antioxidants. For example, celery may seem like a “boring” food but if you look closely, it’s actually amasing (yes, with an “s”). Celery is 96% water and it has dozens of different antioxidants, a high concentration of vitamin K, beta+carotene, and Vitamin C. Consuming celery has significant benefits for the digestive tract, cancer prevention, and reducing inflammation within the body.

Other foods that stand out are papaya and watermelon. Each contains lutein and zeaxanthin which studies have shown can hydrate your body twice as effectively as water.

Conclusion

If you want to hydrate, eat up!

Here are five foods that are great for hydration:

• Cucumbers
• Watermelon
• Apples
• Celery
• Broccoli

What foods do you eat to stay hydrated?

In order to learn and become the best versions of ourselves, we can study extraordinary men and women that have come before us.

Sleep is a wellness topic that Brian and I have studied extensively. We’ll talk about the amazing benefits of napping in the future but for now, let’s examine the following men who were famous for their sleep habits:

Winston Churchill 

Churchill said: “Nature has not intended mankind to work from eight in the morning until midnight without that refreshment of blessed oblivion which, even if it only lasts twenty minutes, is sufficient to renew all the vital forces.”

He also said: “People think you will be doing less work because you sleep during the day. That’s a foolish notion held by people who have no imagination. You will be able to accomplish more.”

Napoleon Bonaparte

It is said that Napoleon was so fond of napping that he would take naps while riding on his horse during battle.

Thomas Edison

Edison could sleep anywhere, anytime, on anything. He was famous for not sleeping much but napping a lot.

John F. Kennedy

Kennedy carved out the mid morning for daily napping of 2 hours. The head of his household staff said that while Kennedy was napping, “No telephone calls were allowed, no folders sent up, no interruptions from the staff. Nobody went upstairs, for any reason.”

Leonardo Da Vinci

Da Vinci took napping to the extreme. He adhered to a polyphasic sleep cycle, meaning that he slept for multiple short intervals throughout the day, allowing him to be awake, alert, and present for 22 hours per day.

Our friend Jordan Lejuwaan explains, “Most people only think that there is one way to sleep: Go to sleep at night for 6-8 hours, wake up in the morning, stay awake for 16-18 hours and then repeat.” There are sleep alternatives which Jordan discusses on his blog.

Have you experimented with alternative sleep cycles?

What benefits have you received from napping?

We change our priorities as we are confronted with the end of something; time with a loved one before they travel or are shipped out to time in the Service; time with our friends before we all graduate; time with our kids before they move away to college and move on with their lives. Each of these impending endings or changes forces us to look at time differently.

We become more aware of it and how we want it to slow down or we want more of it. But we get what we get. A day, week and month for you is the same amount of time for me. Its value, however, is in how we use each moment of time.

6 Steps to No Excuse Living:

1)      Be more aware, more present and more connected to each moment. Each moment matters.

2)      Put fewer things on the to-do list. Do each one better.

3)      Spend more time with the important people in your life. Call your friends and family. Have meals together.

4)      Turn off the electronics and talk to each other.

5)      Know your talents, strengths and passions and build your life around the true you and don’t let others dissuade you from your dreams and adventures.

6)      Listen to others, but always trust your instinct and self-knowledge to choose what is right for you.

List and excerpt via IntentBlog

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.

10 Ways to Feel Alive Naturally:

Here are ten ways to feel alive naturally — I’ve included these amazing practices into my life in recent years. The results have been life changing!

Following these tips can help you feel more aware, more present, more connected, and help you feel alive naturally. Let us know what you think in the comments section!

1)      Hydrate.

We are made of water. Over 75% of our brains are water. Water has so many positives that its hard to name them all. It helps regulate body temperature. It helps convert food to pure energy. It helps wake up inactive muscles. It helps remove waste. Drink water in the morning to wake up. Drink water before you eat to aid digestion. Drink more water. Feel alive naturally.

2)      Get active.

Exercise is a natural anti-depressant. While exercising your body will begin to release chemicals and you will find yourself being more present and happy. Exercise is the key to longevity — it will make your bones stronger, your heart stronger, and your immune system purer.  Move around daily.

3)      Eat 6 Small Meals A Day.

After reading books such as In Defense of Food  and The Omnivore’s Dilemma I feel educated enough to know that a diet based primarily around fruits and vegetables will make you feel the most fresh and present. (I still eat meat, just less than I used to). Make sure to wake up early enough to eat a healthy breakfast. Skipping meals will throw your metabolism out of balance, causing you to become faint and lose valuable energy.

4)      Morning Creativity Practice.

A morning creativity practice is liberating. Carve out time each morning before your “real” day begins, and get in the habit of writing, working on your website, your novel or your home business at the same time each day. It will help you think and accomplish goals. You may find that you will organically become more creative and more energized to work on your project.

5)      Set Tapas.

Tapas are another name for goals. I think of all the people setting New Year’s resolutions in western society and trying to go from zero to hero overnight. When you set an intention or tapas you will begin building your will power. Will power is discipline and self-control. Set small, attainable goals & achieve them. Begin to conquer your mind. Build your will power and nothing will stop you from what you want to achieve.

Suggestion: Do not tell people your tapas. In the western world we tell everyone and anyone our goals for social kudos. Keep your tapas b/w your most trusted confidants and your Source.

6)      Be Organized.

Being organized is extremely important in having a stress free life. There are many advantages to being organized that include reduced stress, saving time, and working more efficiently. Being organized will equal more life and energy to focus on other things.

7)      Sleep.

When you deprive yourself from sleeping 7-9 hrs a night you are increasing your risk for diabetes, heart attacks, and death. Carrying a sleep debt throughout the week with the hopes of paying it off on the weekend is a bad strategy. Move your work into the morning hours and feel alive naturally.

Suggestion: Turn off distractions before bed and give your body the much needed rest it wants.

8)      Positive Energy.

Everything is energy. Energy is powerful enough to create a good or bad day. Everything you involve yourself in is a result of the energy you contribute. Consistently try to manifest your happiness.  It will take more than a few days of positive thinking to make a significant impact on your long-term attitude patterns and help you feel alive naturally.

Suggestion: Surround yourself with positive people. It is said that you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. Do you hang with negative people?

9)      Meditation.

For anywhere from fifteen minutes to an hour (or more) each day, whether alone or with a group, sit in a quiet place with your eyes closed, focusing on your breath as it moves in and out. You may begin to develop dissociation between thought and identity. You may feel yourself becoming One with the world around you. You will “awake” with more energy.

10)   Don’t Go the Programmed Route.

Wake up, breakfast, work, lunch, work, dinner, activity, sleep. It seems that 95% of Americans have that exact routine. Be different. Be that person you always wanted to be.

Travel. Explore. Read. Write. Learn. Meditate. Sleep during the day. Work at night.

Constantly make sure your pushing yourself to evolve and be different. Stand out in your life.

Excite yourself in different ways. Take risks. I’m gonna try to do the same.

Which of these practices do you utilize to feel alive naturally? What other tips do you have for the Lucid Practice Community?

~BL

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?

Just 20 minutes of yoga could help your brain function better, according to a small new study.

Researchers found that people did better — both speed-wise and accuracy-wise — on brain functioning tests after just 20 minutes of Hatha yoga, compared with aerobic exercise.

“It appears that following yoga practice, the participants were better able to focus their mental resources, process information quickly, more accurately and also learn, hold and update pieces of information more effectively than after performing an aerobic exercise bout,” study researcher Neha Gothe, a professor of kinesiology, health and sport studies at the university, said in a statement. Gothe conducted the study while a graduate student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

“The breathing and meditative exercises aim at calming the mind and body and keeping distracting thoughts away while you focus on your body, posture or breath. Maybe these processes translate beyond yoga practice when you try to perform mental tasks or day-to-day activities,” he added.

The study, published in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health, included 30 young female college students who underwent 20 minutes of yoga followed by meditation and deep breathing, as well as 20 minutes of aerobic exercise (jogging on a treadmill).

I think for those of us who practice it is obvious that yoga helps our brains, our bodies, and overall wellbeing. Personally, I think meditation sharpens my mind better than any other tool out there. Just one sun salutation a day could potentially make you smarter and sharper in the long run.

Do you guys have any other creative practices outside meditation/yoga/exercise/diet that you swear by? Please let us know in the comments or on twitter. 1 Love!

Via The Huffington Post