With summer fading away, vacations ending and school starting up....we wanted to remind you to always take a moment to breathe. meditate. practice yoga. relax. and ofcourse, tune in to yourself and note that these are great days....

To help motivate you, here are just a few benefits to meditation and taking the time to rest:
~It lowers oxygen consumption.
~It decreases respiratory rate.
~It increases blood flow and slows the heart rate.
~Increases exercise tolerance in heart patients.
~Leads to a deeper level of relaxation.
~Good for people with high blood pressure as it brings the B.P. to normal.
~Reduces anxiety attacks by lowering the levels of blood lactate.
~Decreases muscle tension (any pain due to tension) and headaches.
~Builds self-confidence.
~It increases serotonin production which influences mood and behaviour. Low levels of serotonin are associated with depression, obesity, insomnia and headaches.
~Helps in chronic diseases like allergies , arthritis etc.
~Reduces Pre- menstrual Syndrome.
~Helps in post-operative healing.
~Enhances the immune system. Research has revealed that meditation increases activity of 'natural-killer cells', which kill bacteria and cancer cells.
~Also reduces activity of viruses and emotional distress.

So who wants to come on in to get started?

With two great workshops coming up : Feeding Healthy Kids with Tracey Blahy and Yoga Diet-Eating for Health and Peace with Shanthi Muthu, I felt inspired to review some seasonal foods to help keep both the summer and my health going strong!

Seasonal food recipe finder: August
It's the peak of summer with everything growing in abundance, but it's a good time to stock up for winter

This month's newcomers...
Plums, greengages, sweetcorn, blackberries, early damsons, crayfish, red grouse, hare

Still in season: Artichoke, aubergine, basil, beetroot, broad beans, broccoli, carrots, courgettes, cucumber, fennel, french beans, garlic, lamb, new potatoes, onions, pak choi, peas, rabbit, radishes, rocket, runner beans, sorrel, spring onions, turnips, watercress ; apricots, blueberries, cherries (English), gooseberries, loganberries, peaches, raspberries, redcurrants

It’s the Taste That Counts
For most of us, the taste of the food we buy is every bit as important as the cost, if not more so. When food is not in season locally, it’s either grown in a hothouse or shipped in from other parts of the world, and both affect the taste. Compare a dark red, vine-ripened tomato still warm from the summer sun with a winter hothouse tomato that's barely red, somewhat mealy, and lacking in flavor. When transporting crops, they must be harvested early and refrigerated so they don’t rot during transportation. They may not ripen as effectively as they would in their natural environment and as a result they don’t develop their full flavor.

“Foods lose flavor just as they lose moisture when they are held. Fresh, locally harvested foods have their full, whole flavors intact, which they release to us when we eat them,” explains Susan Herrmann Loomis, owner of On Rue Tatin Cooking School in France and author of numerous cookbooks. “Foods that are chilled and shipped lose flavor at every step of the way – chilling cuts their flavor, transport cuts their flavor, being held in warehouses cuts their flavor.” It’s hard to be enthusiastic about eating five servings a day of flavorless fruits and vegetables and it’s even harder to get your children to be enthusiastic about it. But 16-year-old Jenny Morris from Littleton, CO is a big fan of eating locally grown fruit in season. “I’d stand in line for one of those peaches from the farmer’s market,” she says, referring to the succulent peaches harvested mid-summer from Colorado’s western slope.

For tasty recipes, suggestions and more conscious food choices make sure to check out the workshops coming up and books in our store :)

Money Issues getting you down?

Meet Helen Kim, an active workshop presenter, speaker and founder of YourMoneyRelationship.com, a company devoted to helping people gain clarity around their relationship to money so they can make conscious financial decisions. Through her workshops, coaching programs and products, her process helps loosen the grip that money holds over you, allowing you to experience freedom from the inside, out.

Helen will be visiting All That Matters Oct 1 and 2 with two great workshops: Why You Under-Earn and How to Get Over It and 5 Steps to Money Health.

And/Or you can also tune into Helen's radio show!

Helen has been asked to host CONSCIOUS WEALTH, a new series on Hay House Radio (www.HayHouseRadio.com), to help address your financial health and money relationship from the inside out. Launching September 7, on Tuesdays at 3 PM (EST)/ 12 PM (PST) her weekly call-in show will target different aspects of your relationship with money from the emotional, practical and spiritual perspectives. Helen believes if your issues with money have caught your attention it’s a perfect opportunity to assess your actions and behaviors and what you can do to live in peace while building a firm foundation from which you can build your wealth.

For more information on Helen or these programs, please click on the following sites:

http://www.veeple.com/link/gmUyyOun61g%253D
http://www.yourmoneyrelationship.com/

and sign up today for one of Helen's inspiring workshops!

Finding your own way to ‘Eat Pray Love’
08/17/2010 from Providence Journal
By Leigh GroganMcClatchy Newspapers

Most of us can only fantasize about taking a year off from life like Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of “Eat Pray Love.” Gilbert, whose story is now on the big screen starring Julia Roberts, divorced her husband and went on a trip around the world for a year, eating in Italy, praying in an ashram in India and finding love in Indonesia.
It’s not exactly the sort of thing that just anyone can do, but there are some simple ways to get a bit of spiritual balance in everyday life. It could start with something as simple as a walk — without a cell phone — according to Rose Zahnn, a fitness instructor and owner of a yoga and Pilates business in Sacramento, Calif.
“I read the book when it came out and I think the nugget she [Gilbert] took away especially in India was the notion of stripping external things like her phone and computer,” she said.
“The closest we could come to that without getting rid of everything, including work and family, is to take time two to three times a week to reconnect with ourselves.”
It’s about making a choice to slow down and maybe, maybe take a deep breath.
Zahnn has practiced yoga for more than 25 years and says it’s ironic that when she started, the mind-body connection of yoga was never mentioned.
“Now, you want to have that link,” Zahnn said. “And there are other things you can do to get rid of the static in your head.”
We’re bombarded by phones, computers, mobile devices, Facebook, Twitter. How hard would it be to take a one-day break from your e-mail?
“I like to take a walk with my dog and just focus on my surroundings no music, no phone,” Zahnn said. “Go to the farmers’ market and enjoy something healthy. It’s all about conscious choices.
“Directing your thoughts is difficult. But if you stay mindful, learn to breathe and slow down the chatter, the message will come true.”
Gilbert’s wake-up call in the book was about living a life she wasn’t resonating with.
For the rest of us, it might just be like taking the garbage out.

You can find the book Eat, Pray, Love and Gilbert's other book Committment in our store, as well as other calming books to choose from :)

HI Everyone,
I hope you all are enjoying the summer. We are so happy our new Sept- Dec catalog is here. Please stop by and pick one up if you have not gotten one in the mail already.
There are so many great things...but the event I myself am so excited about is Stories Matters.
It is open forum to tell and hear stories...I am getting my story ready....please join us. Oh... and it is only $5!
Peace,
Joan

As we approach hurricane season I can’t help but to think of the Hindu God Hanuman and what he represents. Being the lord of the winds, strong and clever, Hanuman also
encompasses loyalty, faithfulness and friendship. I like to encompass all these qualities into my daily practice, meditation and life. Let us help integrate these principles into your life and help you find and feel the positive forces that will follow.

~ Wherever there is a grain of loyalty there is a glimpse of freedom. ~

Does discomfort get in the way of your practice? Keep faithful and keep comfortable with Barefoot Yoga Meditation Cushions. These cushions have an aesthetically pleasing design with a tushie pleasing comfort! They come filled with buckwheat hulls and a zipper to adjust the size. Make friends with aaaauuummm.

Have you seen our Bali Malas?!
Each one is handcrafted and
incorporates the rudraksha bead. Rudraksha beads are cooling, help quiet the mind and increase energy. Malas are used to help with concentatrion so you can stay loyal to your meditation practice.
With beautiful designs and powerful gems, Bali Malas are the result of divine jewelry. Try one for yourself or share with a friend!