Amanda's Weekly Zen

The Professor's Assassin by Matthew Pearl

2012-02-07T11:26:00.000-07:00

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Professor’s Assassin by Matthew Pearl is a prequel to his latest novel The Technologists. The regular reader of Pearl will know that he does not disappoint the reader looking for an engaging historical fiction novel. His short story about a professor who is determined to find out the identity of a murderer at the University of Virginia and bring him to justice is no exception. Pearl’s talent for tantalizing the reader with thrilling tales shines through once again. William Barton Rogers (later to be the founder and president of MIT) is the science professor at the University of Virginia and is startled to discover that the riots of campus “volunteers” have turned deadly. Rogers is the first to want justice when one of his colleague’s is slain in the street at the hand of a student and volunteer. With his prodigious knowledge of the area and the help of other students Rogers goes on the hunt for the person responsible so he cannot kill again.

Pearl, as in his novels, creates a character in Rogers that makes the reader want to follow him into the darkest alley to find out who has committed the crime and bring that man to justice. From the first page we, the reader, are captured and cannot leave until the thrilling end.

The short story is riveting and leaves the reader wanting more. The short story also includes sample chapters from Pearl’s upcoming novel, The Technologists, which if the sample is any indication of the rest of the novel is going to be phenomenal. Trust me readers of historical fiction, mysteries and thrillers… you will not be disappointed with The Professor’s Assassin.

Novel Moments:

“William Barton Roger’s eyes tracked the bursts of light in the darkness outside. The other men in the room kept away from the window, as though there was somewhere to hide.” (Kindle Location 33-36).

“Jack would not be so limited forever. Nor would Rogers. More choices would come-they must.” (Kindle Location 944-49)

View all my reviews

Meditation Tools

2012-01-02T09:39:00.002-07:00

Meditation
Originally uploaded by rmhealing

The student of meditation may find themselves at times overwhelmed with the various “tools” that are out there designed to guide or assist the student in meditation. I know when I was a beginning student I spent a great deal of time exploring what I thought I needed to “sit” and tried many things to help with my concentration. Now after years of trying out the various meditation tools I have come to a point where I simply need a comfortable place to sit, a recording of a singing bowl and a “zen” alarm to signal the end of my session. However, since that was not always the case I have decided to put together a post detailing some of the common tools out there for meditation and how they are used.

Zafu Meditation Cushion: Since many traditional forms of meditation are done sitting one of the most basic tools a student will need is something to sit on. Commonly you will find people using a Zafu (a little round pillow on which to sit) but there are so many different types of instruments out there designed to make you sit tall yet comfortably for your meditation session. From chairs to stools you will find it all and there is no right or wrong tool. It all depends on what you want to sit on. In truth, while your comfort in sitting is the most important step to begin your practice most likely you could find something around your home that will work. If you have a yoga mat you could sit it on the floor with your back against the wall and find enough comfort for your session. While you should start with this tool, do not worry too much about whether or not you have the “right” sitting setup. It is right if you are comfortable yet erect (in other words no slouching meditators here).

Mala Beads: Mala beads very simply are prayer beads. They are used in many different types of religions (even Catholics use prayer beads, commonly called a rosary). The number of beads and the style of beads will vary (in yoga there are 108 beads) but all are designed to help you concentrate on restating a mantra (for example: gaté, gaté, paragaté, parasamgaté, bodhi svaha). The idea is that you touch each bead on the strand, say your mantra then move on the next bead and repeat. Once you have come full circle on the strand you have completed your meditation.

Zen Gardens: A Zen garden is a small sand garden often with a few rocks and a rake. In order to help focus your attention on only one task you are to rake the garden. I have a small Zen garden and I at times find it useful when I have difficulty entering into my meditation. It is calming and aesthetically pleasing in any room. You can find relatively simple and inexpensive Zen gardens almost anywhere. You can also very easily make your own.

Singing Bowls: If you are a student of meditation or yoga you will find yourself hard-pressed not to have run into a singing bowl sometime in your practice. They are so commonly used in both meditation and yoga classes throughout most of the U.S. Singing bowls are usually of two forms metal or crystal. They come in various sizes that will be tuned for different areas of the body or mind. The sound and the vibration from the bowl are wonderful tools for helping you to enter further into yourself, but you do not necessarily need to have a bowl present in your meditation to enjoy the benefits of their music. There are several good recordings out there of bowls that you can put on your mp3 player and listen to on a personal device or on a stereo in your meditation room. Out of all the tools I have tried and used my recording of singing bowls is the one that I still use daily.

Incense and Aromatherapy: Incense or other forms of aromatherapy are commonly used to create a mood in your meditation room. It is also used cleanse an area. It is used in many cultures and religions. I am not aware of smells being used specifically for concentration purposes but I certainly do not see why one could not use a smell as a concentration tool. You could introduce a smell into your meditation room and begin to find adjectives to describe the experience of the smell until no other thoughts but the smell exist in your mind. If you are a meditation guide I would avoid using smells with students (unless you are familiar with all your students) because there are many who have sensitivity to smells. Many types of incense for example give me a headache and make it difficult for me to concentrate.

Candles: Whether real or LED candles can be an inexpensive and useful concentration tool. They not only help to set a mood in your meditation room but the flame can also be a tool used to meditate on. Candle gazing is common for many beginning meditators. Focusing all your attention on the flickering flame will help you to draw inward sooner and keep your concentration in one place.

Alarms and Timers: Besides your meditation pillow, the alarm or timer you use to end your session is one of the most important tools you will want to always have with you in your meditation sessions. I would highly recommend not using a regular alarm clock. The annoying beeping can be somewhat jarring when coming out of a long meditation. There are many products out there that offer more soothing sounds to end your sessions. Personally I use my cell phone. I have used my favorite Om chant recording and created a ring tone out of it and it is my alarm. Put your cell phone on airplane mode so no incoming calls can interrupt your session and set it for the desired time. The best part about using a cell phone as your meditation alarm is that you will more than likely always have it with you and you can easily change the tone.

The above are just a few things that you may run into when sitting with others in meditation studios or monasteries. All of them are useful, but in the end it is only you that can decide which tools you choose to use. Remember your practice is the most important thing not necessarily what tools you use to meditate.

Busted in Bollywood by Nicola Marsh

2011-12-10T11:32:00.001-07:00

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Busted in Bollywood by Nicola Marsh is a fun light read about Shari Jones. Shari Jones finds herself in a real mess, homeless, broken hearted and unemployed. Unsure that her life will turn around anytime soon her best friend Rita proposes an outrageous scheme that involves Shari posing as Rita in an attempt to get rid of her fiancé whom Rita’s traditional Indian parents have chosen for her. Not seeing anything more promising on the horizon Shari agrees to the scheme and travels to India only to find that nothing goes according to plan and once again she has placed herself in a position where she could very well have her heart broken. Shari has a decision to make, should she risk it all and take the pieces of her new life and begin to put them together or should she play it safe, stay in New York and hope that someday opportunity and love will come her way again.

This book is a quick read and it is fun. There is nothing really substantial about this book. The characters are one dimensional and the relationships are superficial but the book is a page turner, full of laughs, a little bit of shock and ultimately what everyone wants in a good tale of love lost and found again, a happy ending.

What this book really has going for it, besides being fun to read, is a great exploration of Indian food. There is a lot of food in this book and some very rich descriptions of the spicy and the sweet. I enjoy it when books can step outside their primary purpose and give us a little cultural education. How accurate the food accounts are I could not tell you not being all that familiar with Indian food myself, but each one is a delicious little morsel you will savor.

There are also some nice blurbs about the culture in India and Bollywood movies that this reader found interesting. Since a majority of the story takes place in India, we, along with Shari discover its secrets and delights. By the end of this book you will find yourself ordering Indian food and curling up in front of a Bollywood film.

Those who want something fun to read over their holiday vacations will find this a great read. It can be read in just a couple of days and will leave you with happy, satisfied feeling.

Publication Date: December 6, 2011

Note: I was given this book for review. In no way does that fact effect what was written in this review.

Holiday Kisses: A Holiday Romance Collection

2011-12-10T10:50:00.001-07:00

Holiday Kisses: A Holiday Romance Collection by Shannon Stacey

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Holiday Kisses: A Holiday Romance Collection by Shannon Stacey, Jaci Burton , HelenKay Dimon, Alison Kent and Angela James (Editor) is a collection of short romance tales all with the theme of Christmas. The first story is “This Time Next Year” is one of a woman who finds herself stranded on the side of the road on the way to visit her grandmother for Christmas. Just at her moment of need a cowboy comes riding to the rescue, pulls her to safety and together they find out just what it means to have someone they love at Christmas.

The second story, “A Rare Gift” is about a man who has no interest in women after a disastrous marriage that is why it takes him by surprise when his ex-wife’s younger sister begins to grow on him during a work project. Now with the holidays approaching he finds himself asking whether or not he can put his trust in love a second time.

The third story, “It’s Not Christmas Without You,” is about a woman who breaks up with her boyfriend in order to accept her dream job in the city. Still in love with her boyfriend she cannot bring herself to go home for Christmas. When her boyfriend, who is also still in love, discovers this he is determined to bring Christmas to her in the city in hopes that after Christmas she will come home with him and resume their love story.

The last story in this romance short story collection is, “Mistletoe and Margaritas.” Two years after losing her husband a woman still finds herself not quite ready to move on. However, she still believes in love and is not surprised when her needs start to manifest themselves in her dreams. What surprises her however are the feelings that she has begun to develop about her best friend, Justin. As it turns out he has always had affection for her and when they find themselves at a holiday party together they are no longer able to conceal their true feelings for one another.

I have to admit there are few times when I rate a romance novel higher than 3 stars. This collection started off with great promise the first short story actually engaged me in it’s story line before moving on to the “romance” part of the novel (read here the lusty love scenes). For short stories they actually did take their time letting their characters fall in love and all of them stuck true to the holiday theme. What made this book dip below the typical 3 stars I will give a romance novel is the graphicness of the love scenes. Call me a prude but I have read many Sandra Brown novels with some pretty intense love scenes that did not make me say, “Well now THAT is just going too far,” this collection made me say that more than once. I am sure there are many readers out there that enjoy those type of love scene but for this reader it bordered on erotic fiction and outside the taste of this reader.

People who enjoy romance novels however will more than likely enjoy this collection, as mentioned earlier the contributors do take their time to develop a story between their characters and many of them are enjoyable page turners, the only real problem with this collection is that according to the taste of this reader some of the love scenes were just a little too much.

Publication Date: December 5, 2011

Note: I was given this book for review. In no way does that fact effect what was written in this review.

Yoga as Music on Elephant Journal

2011-12-05T13:24:00.001-07:00

A while ago I wrote about the movements we do in yoga as a form of music that we perform with our bodies. Well I submitted that article to the very popular and totally awesome online yoga and meditation magazine Elephant Journal and it was published! You can read a revised version of my initial post here...

www.elephantjournal.com/2011/12/strum-your-prana-with-the-chord-of-yoga--amanda-perez/

If you are not a member of Elephant Journal yet I encourage you to join. It is a fantastic publication with a wide variety of articles to read, well worth the money and it's eco-friendly. :)

Happy Reading.
Amanda

Sun Salutations A, B and C

2011-12-01T07:57:00.001-07:00

The Sun Salutations or Surya Namaskar are very common in many yoga classes however there are so many variations that it can be confusing which you are doing. There are some great resources online that I would like to share with you about all three Sun Salutations A, B,C. In this post you will see videos from Yoga journal for Sun Salutation A, B and a modified version. A and B are pretty classic and you will see those a lot in classes and online. The modified version is new to me but it looks like a great version of A and C (in C you use the 8 point pose to lower yourself into Cobra instead of Chatarunga). I could not find a video that portrayed C but here is a link to a PDF that lists all three along with common names, Sanskrit and breath…

Sun Salutation A, B, C

Hope you find these helpful and that you add the Sun Salutations into your daily practice.
~Namaste

Sun Salutation A

Sun Salutation B

Modified Sun Salutation

Classics Challenges 2012

2011-11-28T15:07:00.001-07:00

As a student of literature it is not uncommon for me to have a number of “classic” novels in my reading queue. I have to admit though 2011 has been a little sparce in the classics department. That is why when I stumbled onto two classic reading challenges from fellow book bloggers I signed up without hesitation. 2012 will be a year to reconnect with some old favorites and read some classics that I just never got around to reading. Below are the challenges that I entered along with my projected book lists for each challenge. Unlike the last time I joined in on a classic reading challenge all the books below will be read on my Nook and my Kindle. If you are participating in either challenge and want to share your lists please feel free to do so… I love lists. J

2012 A Classics Challenge:

Dates: January 1-December 31 2012

Description: This challenge is hosted by Katherine of November’s Autumn. The goal is to read 7 classic novels in 2012 and participate in the 4^th of the month writing prompt at November’s Autumn.

Book List: (some of these books are also on my Back to the Classics Challenge 2012 list)

1. Villette by Charlotte Bronte

2. Women In Love by D. H. Lawrence

3. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

4. Grimm's Tales for Young and Old

5. Tom Jones: The History of a Foundling by Henry Fielding

6. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

7. Emma by Jane Austen

Back to the Classics Challenge 2012:

Dates: January 1- December 31, 2012

Description: Sarah of Sarah Reads too Much set up the reading challenge in which we are to read one classic for each of the following categories:

Any 19^th Century Classic (Category 1)
Any 20^th Century Classic (Category 2)
ReRead a Classic of your choice (Category 3)
A Classic Play (Category 4)
Classic Mystery/Horror or Crime Fiction (Category 5)
Classic Romance (Category 6)
Read a Classic that has been translated from its original language into your native language (Category 7)
Classic Award Winner (Category 8)
Read a classic set in a country that you will not visit in your lifetime (Category 9)

Book List:

Category 1: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott published in two volumes 1868 and 1869

Category 2: Women In Love by D. H. Lawrence - initially banned, published in 1920

Category 3: Tom Jones: The History of a Foundling by Henry Fielding the 18^th Century English novel that was the subject of my Masters in Literature thesis

Category 4: Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Category 5: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde enchanted portraits and overindulgence who could ask for anything more.

Category 6: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë so much in love that it carries over into the grave.

Category 7: The Inferno by Dante Alighieri first written in Italian and then eventually translated into English

Category 8: The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1940.

Category 9: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy is set in nineteenth century Russia, a place that I cannot foresee myself visiting in my lifetime.

Speaking of lists... here is a great list of 100 classic books from Wikipedia that might interest some of you.

The Winter Palace: A Novel of Catherine the Great by Eva Stachniak

2011-11-15T12:17:00.001-07:00

The Winter Palace: A Novel of Catherine the Great by Eva Stachniak

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have to admit that there is nothing like the drama of palace life that intrigues me. The gluttony, the power hungry willing to do anything… when done right it can create a real pager turner. That is why this reader very rarely turns down the opportunity to read a historical fiction novel especially one set in the 18th Century. The only downside to fondness for such literature is that there are many such novels out there and not all are worth the read. The Winter Palace: A Novel of Catherine the Great by Eva Stachniak is worth the read.

Varvara the daughter of a bookbinder from Poland is an innocent girl who believed that the word of the Empress was truth that could always be depended on. After the loss of both her parents Varvara, was taken to the palace where she believed the Empress would care for her because after all the Empress did give her word to her father. She was disappointed to find that she was just another ward who was invisible to everyone because she was considered a no one. It was not until she learned to see what others would not see and listen to the words meant to be kept secret that she rose through the ranks.

Completely satisfied with being a tongue for the Empress Varvara’s (Barbara’s) only wish was to be at the Empress’s side just as she had promised her father before his death. It was not until Sophie a young countess brought to marry Peter III did Varvara ever feel the need to protect someone other than herself and began to question the cruelty of palace life. Together Sophie, later to become Catherine the Great, and Varvara took a small girl and made her Empress of all Russia.

The story of how Catherine the Great rose to power is not that unusual in the historical fiction world. What makes The Winter Palace: A Novel of Catherine the Great stand out however is the choice of the protagonist. Varavara is the only character we hear from in the book. It is through her eyes that we watch the fall of old power and the rise of new power. It is through her that we discover just how far people are willing to go for power.

This book is a great read for those who are interested in 18th century historical fiction and Catherine the Great. Heck if you just want a good read and are not really interested in either you will enjoy this book. As I mentioned earlier in this review it is a page turner. The only thing that I was disappointed with was the ending. I do not want to spoil the novel for anyone so I will not go into great detail about the ending but let me just say that I felt there were loose ends that needed to be tied up at the end and the ending felt somewhat abrupt and not as satisfying as I hoped it would be. All that said, it is a fantastic book worthy of at least one read.

As a side note I would just like to express my extreme pleasure at how prominent books were in this novel. Any bibliophile would adore this novel simply for the descriptions of the books that surrounded Varvara and the power that storytelling alone had on everyone in the novel.

Publication of this novel is scheduled for January 2012.

Note: I was given this book for review. In no way does that fact effect what was written in this review.

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Zen Meditations

2011-11-08T11:09:00.001-07:00

After posting a little post here on Weekly Zen about how to meditate I started to receive emails requesting more information. In particular people wanted to know more about Zazen. After gathering my thoughts about what I know about Zen meditations and doing a little additional research here is a brief outline about the different types of meditations that Zen practitioner’s use.

First let’s start by defining in simple terms what exactly Zen is. Zen is simply meditation or a meditative state. Often people may also think of it as some sort of Nirvana. You may also hear many people refer to Zen as a life full of simplicity. Any of these ideas can portray what Zen means because all will bring you wisdom or enlightenment if you spend time with them.

As far as the history of Zen goes, it is complicated and somewhat incomplete. What is known (or is widely accepted) is that it was founded by the South Indian Tamil Buddhist sage Bodhidharma. It was first documented in 7^th century China and from there was said to have spread to Vietnam, Korea and then Japan. The word Zen itself is the Japanese version of the Chinese word Chan which was derived from the Sanskrit word Dhyana. All mean the same thing and can, if you choose so, be used interchangeably.

Now that we have a little history under our belts in regards to Zen let us turn our attention to how you can enter into Zen. There are many paths to wisdom but here are the most common techniques used in Zen Buddhism.

1) Zazen: Zazen is what is often depicted when one thinks of meditation. It is sitting . When you sit you are working on regulating your mind. A technique to regulate your mind can be as simple as counting your breath. How you sit is somewhat important but can be modified according to your body. As was mentioned in my previous post on meditation there are many great tutorials out there with pictures that show you how to sit (at the end of this post I will list several great resources for you). Often people will sit in full Lotus or half Lotus, but any type of sitting in which your back is straight and your airway is not restricted is fine. The most important thing to remember is that the aim of Zazen is to be aware of the stream of thoughts that flow through your mind and allow them to continue their flow. Except them as they are and if you wish let them stay present in your mind. I do this but I like to clean up my thought stream every once and awhile and allow some to be filed away, so they are always there but not always in the forefront.

2) Sesshin: Sesshin is group Zazen and it is often done in monasteries by monks for hours every day.

3)Koan: Koan practice is an inquiry that can take place during Zazen, walking mediation or in your daily activities. Koans are stories that are related to Zen or Buddhist history. They usually take the form of anecdotes that involve a Zen teacher and practical demonstration of their wisdom. They are used to test you and your Zen practice and are meant to encourage the truth to reveal itself. You should let go of conceptual thinking and logical constructions of the world around us so your creativity and spontaneity can bloom in your mind. Here is an example of a Koan:

A Cup of Tea

Nan-in received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen.

Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor's cup full and then kept on pouring.

The professor watched the overflow until he could restrain himself no longer. "It is overfull. No more will go in!"

"Like this cup", Nan-in said, "you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?"

4)Mantras: if you get books or look at Zen meditation websites not all of them will list mantras as something that Zen Buddhist’s use but they are useful. When you sit in Zazen instead of counting your breath or using visualizations you may repeat any mantra to yourself. The number of times depends on you and your beliefs. You may have seen mala beads and have heard that you should repeat a mantra 108 times. You can if you want to but the main idea behind it all is that you repeat the mantra enough until it is all that is left in your thoughts. Here are some of the general mantras that I have found in my readings that you may consider using…

Clear mind, clear mind, clear mind... Don’t Know
The above can be used when you have too much on your mind and would just like to quite some of the noise.

gaté, gaté, paragaté, parasamgaté, bodhi svaha
translation: “gone, gone, gone beyond; opposites disappear, absolute appears”

Namu–de–bang–kwang–bul–hwa–um–gyung
Helps to make our minds strong and complete.

Om
The universal mantra of truth. This is used in many different traditions. It is even used in yoga. It is said to be able to take everything away.

Om–chi–lim
Protects your body from bad energy. When you are feeling sick or need energy this is a good mantra to use.

Om–nam
The mantra of purification. Use this when the place you are in seems to have bad energy attached to it.

Additional Readings:

Here is a list of things you can read to broaden your understanding of the topics discussed above. As always if there is anything you would like to add or you have any questions about this discussion please email me at amanda@amandasweeklyzen.com or comment on this post.

Zen Readings:

http://www.zenguide.com/ : a great website for everything Zen

Zazen Readings:

http://www.meditationquotes.com/index.htm : a great website for meditation quotes and some beginner tips (its focus is general meditation)

http://www.mro.org/zmm/teachings/meditation.php : has a great tutorial on how to sit

http://www.zenguide.com/zenmedia/books/chapters.cfm?t=zazen_meditation_guide : a Zazen guide that can be downloaded into a PDF

Koan Readings:

http://www.nozen.com/index.htm : a great little place that offers different Koans for study. It also has a great mobile site.

Mantra Readings:

http://zenmirror.blogspot.com/2009/03/mantra-practice.html : a comprehensive list of Zen Mantras

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Be Empowered! Eat Chocolate with Breakfast by Jan Bethancourt

2011-11-02T09:39:00.001-06:00

Be Empowered! Eat Chocolate with Breakfast by Jan Bethancourt is a delightful little book that is best shared with others. It is not the type of book that you need to sit down and read in order. Flip to any page and you will find something not only relevant to your day but also uplifting and inspirational. So what is Be Empowered! Eat Chocolate with Breakfast? It is a collection of original sayings and watercolors that are designed to make women feel empowered, confident and happy. Lots of smiles in this book. It was started as email messages that Bethancourt sent to her daughter while she was in college. All were designed to make the daughter feel worthy and encouraged.

The entire book is built around the metaphor of chocolate (alas she is not really advocating the eating of real chocolate for breakfast… but this reader is! J ) Chocolate is Bethancourt’s metaphor for confidence, courage, and compassion. It is not really clear why she choose chocolate to serve as those ideas but it fits this collection. It is cute and delicious. The metaphor of chocolate comes up often with beautiful little sayings and every once in a while a cute little watercolor heart jumps into the conversation to visually remind you that you are loved.

I am not sure if the book “unleashed my inner self worth” but it did make me smile. As I mentioned earlier in this review this is a book that means more when it is shared. Since I cannot share the entire book with my reading audience (here though I encourage you to run out and buy or download your own copy) I want to share a few of my favorite tidbits…

“You do not have always have the luxury of choosing your journey. You do have the freedom to choose your path.”

“What if?” won’t change your past. “What now?” will change your future.

“Appreciate where you have been. It takes you where you are going.”

This book would be appreciated by readers who are women, readers who want a little smile and readers who want to appreciate simplicity. Smile dear readers and eat some chocolate with your breakfast!

Note: I was given this book by the publisher for review, in no way did it effect what was written in this review.

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Bullet Trains to Yaks by Stan Biderman and Kathryn Minette

2011-11-02T08:55:00.000-06:00

Bullet Trains to Yaks by Stan Biderman and Kathryn Minette is a great little travel diary about a writer and a photographer who travel across China and Tibet to find unique artwork to hang in their home. This was a pleasant piece to read as it was much like a blog complete with posed pictures in front of landmarks. Some of their travel adventures were a bit humorous while others politically and emotionally charged. I enjoyed this book and found it a quick read. It is always somewhat interesting to read about others travels and there are times when their rosy depictions of the places they have visited elicit a strong feeling of longing on this reader’s part to visit said place. That happened somewhat with this book, although that feeling diminished towards the end of the book and after reading the photographers note at the end of the book.

Here are the highlights of the book; there are great descriptions of people, places and food. I loved the food mentions of the mishaps that resulted from some adventurous eating. There are also some great little tidbits that help the less knowledgeable reader pinpoint places in China and get a feel for the landscape. Just like China itself, Biderman and Minette blend the old and new into this small book. There is also some deep philosophical discussion both implicit and explicit going on in this travel narrative.

Here are some of the things that I thought would have made this book so much better. The photographs… I read the eBook version so I did not get the nifty little color photo insert that the paperback and hardback versions promise. The black and white photos in the eBook were just not enough to get the visual experience of their trip. Often I found myself reading then expecting a certain type of photo to illustrate a particularly interesting part of their journey only to find that the photograph was of something less significant to the story. Also the photographs were not always what I expected from a professional photographer. The POV was sometimes drab.

Overall, though this is a great little read that readers who enjoy travel narratives, art, food and China would enjoy reading.

Note: I was given this book by the publisher for review, in no way did it effect what was written in this review.

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Words Made Fresh by Larry Woiwode

2011-11-02T08:15:00.000-06:00

Words Made Fresh: Essays on Literature and Culture by Larry Woiwode is billed as being an interesting collection of essays that will study the words and places which effect our cultural, spiritual and literary lives. I personally do not share the religious worldview of Woiwode but I am always open to reading a collection about what effects our cultural, spiritual and literary lives. I was somewhat disappointed with the collection and it has nothing to do with his consistent repetition of the question “What is the author’s responsibility to God and or his audience?” I appreciate such questions and in order to even attempt to understand them we need some powerful writing that will leave a lasting effect on the reader. This collection was not that. The first essay; a story about his experience of killing a wounded deer in front of his wife and child and how that left not only a lasting impression on everyone, was a bit disturbing and if the collection had continued in such a manner this review would be quite different. As the collection continued the pieces became dry and somewhat boring.

One of the most disappointing things about this collection is the lack of a unifying theme. Yes the introduction sets up what the promised theme is but the essays do not follow suit. It was a little discombobulating to go from one topic to another within the same collection.

What was well done in this collection was the ability that Woiwode had to face some of the stereotypes of religion. Not that I am an avid reader of Christian writing, but what I have found in what I have read, is very polite literature whose aim is not to offend. That was not a restriction Woiwode chose to place on himself. Some of the pieces (the first essay in particular) were shocking and disturbing.

I have read other reviews of this book that have stated that he places everyone who does not share his views under attack… that is a bit dramatic. He is strong in his beliefs but I hardly felt under attack as a non-Christian reader. If anything the only feelings I got from the collection were a bit of boredom and at times a little shock. Now as I often say at the end of any review, the fact that I did not like a book does not make is unreadable for another. I can honestly say I have never read a book that I thought… “Oh boy! No one should ever read this book!!!” So that in mind here is who I think would enjoy this collection of essays; persons who share Woiwode’s faith, persons who are already fans of Woiwode’s work and persons who like to read essays (although the last group may proceed with caution).

Note: I was given this book by the publisher for review, in no way did it effect what was written in this review.

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Baja Hard Floor Inflatable Boat 11ft 9in by Newport Vessels

2011-11-01T12:33:00.000-06:00

About a week ago I decided to upgrade our dinghy from a Zodiac Bombard. I looked around for a few days finally deciding to buy a Newport Vessel after reading many great reviews. I first purchased the Baja and after receiving it decided to get the Santa Cruz http://www.newportvessels.com/santa-cruz-air-floor-inflatable-boat-10ft/ with an air floor for Amanda. We had the Baja http://www.newportvessels.com/baja-hard-floor-inflatable-boat-11ft-9in/ up to just under 25 MPH coming back from the beach yesterday with our 15 HP Suzuki. The buying experience was so great we became the Sarasota distributer.

Newport Vessels has given our readers an exclusive discount code. Use coupon code ZEN when buying direct from Newport Vessels if you want 5% off your purchase or call me and schedule a test and see for yourself how much better Newport is.

The smallest of Newport Vessels large scale marine wood floor sport boats is the 11’9” Baja model. The baja model is built to accommodate between 3-6 passengers and to used for active users. The Baja is long and wide enough to use as a dive boat or bay/lake fishing craft. The Baja continues to have the extremely large tubes (18inches) which make it very stable and maneuverable especially at high speeds.

Specifications:

- Floors: Marine Coated Aluminum Framed Plywood

- Inflated Width: 5.6 ft

- Weight: 142 lbs

- Max Power: 20 hp

- Max Persons: 6

- Material: 0.9mm, 1,100 denier, 3x layer pvc/polyester

- Tube Diameter: 18 inch

- Air Chambers: 4

- Max Load: 1,519 lbs

If you're looking for speed and performance, the ideal motor paring is the 20hp Honda outboard, Tohatsu outboard, Yamaha, or Evinrude outboard or any comparable motor. You can reach speeds of 27+ mph with this set up. The extremely high-pressure inflatable keel allows the inflatable boat to reach maximum performance while banking, turning, and accelerating. This boat isn’t only made for speed and performance. The wide design makes for an extremely stable and sturdy ride when used with a trolling motor or small outboard.

Newport Vessels inflatables are constructed with triple layered 1,100 denier PVC. What's this mean? It means we use the exact same materials used in professional White Water rafts. In fact we use an extra layer of polyester in our boats to give the material more flexibility for when folding up and storing away. Since our boats are made with the same materials, same construction methods, and techniques, our boats are just as indestructible as white water rafts. Our boats are made to be dragged up on shore, run into docks, and to keep up with the wear and tear of boating.

Price:	$1,199.00
Availability:	In Stock
Model:	Baja Inflatable Sport Boat 11ft 9in

Santa Cruz Air Floor Inflatable Boat 10ft by Newport Vessels

Comes With:

- Santa Cruz 10ft Inflatable Boat

- Drop Stich High Pressure Air Mat Floor

- Carrying Bag

- Repair Kit

- 2 Aluminum Collapsible Oars

- DMV Registration Documents

The small and extremely portable 9ft inflatable sport boat can be inflated and deflated in less than 5 minutes. The Santa Cruz is perfect to use as a versatile tender boat, fishing boat, or small run about boat.

Specifications:

- Model: Santa Cruz

- Floors: Air Mat Floor

- Inflated Width: 5 ft

- Air Chambers: 3

- Weight: 84 lbs

- Max Power: 10 hp

- Max Load: 1,192 lbs

- Max Persons: 4

- Material: 0.9mm, 1,100 denier, triple layered PVC & polyester

- Tube Diameter: 18 inch

The Santa Cruz has extremely large tubes (18inches) which makes it very stable and maneuverable at high speeds. If you're looking for speed and performance, the ideal motor paring is the 9.9 Honda outboard, Tohatsu outboard, or Evinrude outboard or any comparable motor. You can reach speeds of 25+ mph with this set up. The extremely high-pressure inflatable keel allows the inflatable boat to reach maximum performance while banking, turning, and accelerating.

The Music of Yoga

2011-10-24T10:54:00.001-06:00

"There are days when everything I see seems to me charged with meaning: messages it would be difficult for me to communicate to others, define, translate into words" - Italo Calvino 6/365
Originally uploaded by Amanda's Weekly Zen

This morning Norwood and I were talking about my long yoga weekend that just passed and he brought up a beautiful metaphor to think about when doing yoga. Norwood has played many string instruments in his life and as such he is quite knowledgeable about building songs from notes and cords. As I was describing the sequences we did yesterday in Power Yoga (tough stuff by the way) he told me that I was like a musician creating a song to tune my body. Intrigued I asked him to break down his idea for those of us (me) who are musically challenged (because the idea that I could be musical at all is very appealing). So here is his theory of the music of yoga…

Let’s start by thinking of a single posture, Uttanasana (Forward Fold), and break down what we do step by step:

1.We usually enter Uttanasana from Tadasana (Mountain Pose). Slowly we will bring our hands to our hips.
2.We then will begin our exhale as we bring our arms out and up.
3.Next we begin to bend forward from the hip joints, not from the waist.
4.As we are making our descent we draw the front torso out of the groin so we are lengthening the torso as we continue our fold pointing the crown of our head towards the floor.
5. During this pose we keep our knees as straight as possible and bring our palms or finger tips to or towards the floor.
6.If we want to deepen we will inhale and allow gravity to take us farther into the pose.
7.When we are ready to come up we bring our hand back out and up as press the tailbone down and into the pelvis allowing up to come up with a long front torso.

It is so automatic when we come into forward fold that we often do not think about each little movement and sometimes we do not think about the body parts of muscles that are moving. So let’s imagine that our body is like the hands of a guitarist. The five fingers that depress the strings are our body. And we can think of our two arms, two legs and spine as the five fingers on that hand. The hand that strums the strings is our breath or prana or in our musical terminology our Vibrato. Vibrato is a musical effect consisting of a regular, pulsating change of pitch. It is used to add expression to vocal and instrumental music. Vibrato is typically characterized in terms of two factors: the amount of pitch variation ("extent of vibrato") and the speed with which the pitch is varied ("rate of vibrato") (from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vibrato). The guitar, in this metaphor, would then be the universe. The use of our fingers (arms, legs and spine) will create notes. For example, if we use both arms let’s say that we just used the notes A and B.

Now that we have the foundation of our metaphor in line let us now return to how we actually make music when we do yoga. In the above description you will notice that our five fingers are used; our two arms move out and up, are two legs are firmly grounding and connecting us to the earth and our spine is straightening and staying strong and we bend over. We just used all five of our notes (arms, legs and spine) to create the cord Uttansana. And when we reverse and come back up we are using the same five notes in a different way to create another cord. So the pose Uttanasana is a song created from two cords. But let’s not forget our strumming hand. While we are descending in Uttanasana we are exhaling and each time we are letting gravity work its magic to descend lower we are inhaling and exhaling. All the time we have energy moving through us (our prana) and we are breathing so we are always varying the pitch of our music thus changing the expression of our song.

The song we create can be as simple as one pose or as complex as an entire sequence. We pick and create our songs to create a harmony between us and the universe or if you will we are tuning ourselves to the universe. So for example let’s say a yoga teacher will craft a class around the Muladhara chakra (the root chakra). We will choose to focus on poses such as Tadasana, Warrior I or Uttanasana. Our practice will keep bringing us back to postures that will encourage us to root ourselves into the ground and our song will be one of feeling grounded, centered, energetic and strong (well only if we play the song correctly).

Now that we are thoroughly immersed in the music of yoga theory let’s think about what it feels like to practice our songs in a group. If you have been to any yoga class in which you and at least one other person have practice the same poses at the same time you may have noticed a different feeling than when you practice alone. Personally, I have noticed that when I practice with others there is a heat that builds up naturally from the use of all the bodies in one space but there is also something more. When we as a group are engaged in the ujjayi breath during our practice there is a vibration that occurs in the room that will resonate with me even a few hours after the practice. There is also a certain feeling of joy and accomplishment that I can sometimes feel in the room (stronger than just my own joy and accomplished feelings).

This is such a beautiful way to think about how we move in yoga (not that yoga is not already beautiful) and I think it is also a way for those who do not want to embrace the idea of divinity in yoga that sometimes comes up. Music, whether you play it or listen to it, can be very spiritual and it is also a universal expression of emotions therefore if you listen to the music of your body you can embrace that as your spiritual practice without having to embrace a traditional religion. I hope you all have lovely songs produced from your practices today.

~Namaste

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The Puppy Diaries by Jill Abramson

2011-10-17T10:25:00.000-06:00

Ever since my husband and I adopted our now 10 year old border collie Maverick from the Humane Society I have had a special place in my heart for stories about dogs, memoirs about the ways that dogs have changed people’s lives… pretty anything having to do with dogs, any type of dog. This year alone I have read a few dog memoirs and thoroughly enjoyed the stories shared by my fellow dog parents out there. When I given the book The Puppy Diaries: Raising a Dog Named Scout for review I was thrilled. Before I even opened the book I already liked it because on the cover is the cutest little Golden Retriever I had ever seen. I started to read the book this past weekend and discovered that unfortunately it did not follow the direction I had hoped it would go. If you have read any of the other reviews out there for The Puppy Diaries (which was scheduled for publication this month) you may already know what I am about to say.

Jill Abramson author of a column about her dog Scout in the New York Times and the managing editor of the New York Times turned her popular column into book about the first year of raising her dog Scout. I am not familiar with the blog so I am not sure how much emotion and feeling went into the blog but the book somewhat lacked a personal quality. There were very sincere moments about the love she had for her three dogs but they were so brief. The majority of the book read like a marketing campaign for various books, dog training professionals, dog friendly place in New York City and even pet insurance. The information that was provided in this section is valuable to those people who live in New York City with dogs and or those who have never owned a dog before, unfortunately though this book is promoted and placed not in the “how to guides” but in the “pet memoir” category.

When something is promoted as a memoir I expect a certain amount of emotion and tone that indicates someone is truly analyzing the situations in their life and are “baring their soul” for the read to read. This book was not that way; therefore it was somewhat of a disappointment. That being said there are some really moving parts of the book that if they were expounded on would have made the blatant ad placements a little less invasive to the reader.

For example, early on in the book Abramson mentions the loss of her long-time companion Buddy. These moments were heartfelt, emotional and real. Another fantastic piece of writing occurs when Abramson talks about her accident that resulted in a steel rod replacing her femur bone in her left leg. The loss of Buddy just a few months before was confounded by the accident making it highly unlikely that Abramson would ever again “give her heart away” to another dog. These moments occurred early in the book and gave promise that we would truly be reading a beautiful memoir about the healing properties of pet ownership. Unfortunately it was not until the end of the book that we are given that beautiful prose again. Another accident in Abramson’s life opens her eyes to the love and dedication Scout has shown her and she in turns realizes how much Scout means to her.

In addition to the brief touching moments there are also a large number of photographs throughout the book. Without the photographs the book would be even less personal and the entire middle of the book would be boring.

In the end, I would recommend this book to those who are fans of Abramson’s blog. I am sure if you followed her blog for any length of time the book might have more personal meaning to you as a reader. I would also recommend this book to those who have never owned a dog before as its manual style may give you an idea of the involvement needed to be a dog parent. Words of caution to that type of reader however; take every bit of advice given (from what to buy to how to train) with an open mind. The ideas presented in The Puppy Diaries are only one side (at times she gives you both). Not everyone who is a pet parent will go to such extremes.

Note: I was given this book by the publisher for review, in no way did it effect what was written in this review.

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How to Meditate

2011-10-14T09:40:00.000-06:00

I was recently asked by a friend on Facebook how I learned to meditate. At first I did not know how to answer. I actually had to question myself if first I could meditate and second if I know how I got there. So I sat and I went through my history of what I have done that would lead others and myself to believe that I can mediate. After a review of my actions I came to the conclusion that yes, I do not how to meditate. Does that mean that I do it all the time? Yes and No. I do not sit in meditation everyday but I do forms of meditation each day when I run, when I first wake up with my thoughts for example. Before we go any further let me first define meditation as I have come to understand it…

Since 1996 Zen Buddhism has been important in my life. I began my study simply by visiting the library at my college. I went to the religion section of the library sought out the books on Buddhism and began with the first book and over the years made my way through the majority of their collection. Zen Buddhism spoke to me and I embraced many of the philosophies, particularly Zazen. Zazen is simply a kind of meditation and in it you study yourself. In Zazen we focus on body, breath and mind as one thing in one reality. There are techniques that are given to the student and often people will seek out teachers to sit with. Zen Mountain Monastery has a very good brief description of how to sit on their website.

When I sit in Zazen I use the same visualization each time... my mind is a large circular room full of filling cabinets. The cabinets are arranged by year and on the floor all around me are papers, and on each paper is a thought that I have had or arises from thinking of another thought. Each time I sit I pick up just one paper and thoroughly analyze the thought, reading it if you will over and over again. At the end I say to myself, it is what is is and when I feel content that the thought has been looked at long enough I file it into a cabinet. My goal each time I sit is to have a clear space on the floor of my mind where I can sit and be with myself. It takes a long time to file all our thoughts (perhaps this lifetime and many more depending on what you believe) and sometimes they end up back on the floor but if you sit each time with the intention that you will face, embrace and move on from the thoughts you will make progress.

Not everyone can sit down and start with a visualization; I could not and sometimes still cannot. On those days we can meditate in different ways. There is the candle gazing technique. In its simplest form you sit in front of a candle and focus your eyes and attention on the flame until you can close your eyes and see only the flame. There is simply counting your breath. Breathe normally and assign one to an inhale and two to an exhale. There is also moving meditation where you need not sit at all. I find this often when I run or walk long distances. I also will occasionally use smells to meditate on. Peppermint has a soothing effect on me so I will use peppermint oil in my meditation space and concentrate on analyzing the smell describing it my mind with many adjectives and then breathing in the smell and exhaling it out, and in the end sitting with the smell of peppermint alone all thoughts about it filed away.

The idea behind meditation (for me) is to simply face our thoughts (whether good or bad), embrace them as part of you and then move on from those thoughts and always work towards a clear, calm mind.

My advice to the beginning meditation student is this:

Breathe. Breathing is the easiest way to initiate any meditation. Focus on your breathe.

Always keep your goal of mediation in your mind sitting right next to you.

Find a place where you can be undisturbed, create an atmosphere conducive to sitting quietly (trust me this can be done anywhere and does not need much space)

Start off by doing it in the morning (I find I am more likely to sit well when I do it when I first wake up)

Practice, practice, practice

Ultimately a meditation practice that fits you is designed by you. There is no right or wrong way to meditate there is only your way. I understand that we all need some sort of starting point so here is a list of my favorite books that deal with meditation that helped me to develop my own practice:

Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation In Everyday Life : A great guide that walks you through the meaning behind mediation. Whether you are starting meditation or have been doing it for years this is a not only a great resource but also an enjoyable read.

Walking on Lotus Flowers: Buddhist Women Living, Loving and Meditating: Perhaps the best collection of Buddhist experiences I have ever read. Not only for women, any gender would appreciate the experiences in this book.

Walden by Henry David Thoreau: Thoreau's account of living in the small cabin on Walden Pond is an experience anyone interested in Buddhism will enjoy. The whole experience was a long meditation.

The list is small but these books are very meaningful to me and I find myself reading them more than once. These are not the only books one can read for a jumpstart into mediation however. There are many books about yoga that can lead you to meditation practice (Essential Yoga or Light on Pranayama are two that come to mind). There are also those great little books Meditation for Beginners and Meditation for Dummies. And when all else fails start with the basics at Wikipedia. Use these books only as tools. Create the practice that fits you, it only works if it is YOUR practice.

~Namaste

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Shea Vaughn’s Breakthroughs by Shea Vaughn

2011-10-13T12:18:00.001-06:00

Shea Vaughn the founder of SheaNetics decided to further explore her 5 Living Principles in her latest book Shea Vaughn’s Breakthroughs: The 5 Living Principles to Defeat Stress, Look Great and Find Total Well Being. Before you read this book you should first familiarize yourself with SheaNetics. Although she briefly fills you in on the program it is much more helpful to do a little research or even enroll in a class before picking up this book. That being said here is the basic idea of what SheaNetics is about… it is a blend of Yoga, Tai Chi, Pilates, Martial Arts and more designed to not only work you out physically but allow your mind to create positive energies. The main foundation of SheaNetics is what Vaughn calls the “5 Living Principles” (Commitment, Perseverance, Integrity, Self Control and Love). How it differs from other exercise programs (the claim is…) is that it is geared to find total health and fulfillment not just short term goals.

The above is just a basic outline of SheaNetics if you would like more information about it I suggest you visit the website http://www.sheanetics.com/index.htm. The book that is the subject of this book review is designed to help the SheaNetics student further develop their 5 Living Principles. Across eight chapters Vaughn breaks down for the reader what a Breakthrough is and how to achieve one and then once you achieve a Breakthrough what to do with it. The book is very accessible to almost any reader. The tone is that of a friend giving advice. There are numerous personal stories throughout the book illustrating her points. Some of them are heartfelt and well thought out and do illustrate the moment or breakthrough she was trying to convey. Others are not as well written or illustrative, but on the whole the book provides the reader with many examples to plant the seed of meditation and Vaughn’s 5 Living Principles in the their brain.

There are places in the book that could have been more informative to be truly useful to the reader. For example, the early chapters are at times hard to follow and the point of the book cannot really be grasped until the later chapters. It would have been nice if the anatomy of the Breakthrough and how it differs from a “moment” were explored in a little more depth.

One of my favorite chapters of the book was Chapter Four Modern Meditation. I thought her approach to mediation was refreshing and accessible to any reader. Another thing that was pleasing about the book was the whole interactive feel. As I mentioned earlier the tone of the book is one of a friend giving advice. In addition to an accessible tone there were also places in the book for you to write your own comments and reflections (this is the type of book you will want a paper copy of). Perhaps the best thing about this book is Chapter 8 Shea’s 5 Day Breakthrough Boost. It is one thing to discuss theory throughout a book but it becomes much more real when the writer gives you concrete examples of how to make the changes they suggest. In Chapter 8 Vaughn breaks down the 5 Living Principles and tells you exercises you can do, foods you can eat and mind boosts you can perform to achieve each of the principles and ultimately daily well-being.

As a practitioner of yoga and a student of meditation, many of the principles in the book were not as groundbreaking for me as they might be for a student who has never or rarely embarked on a physical/spiritual journey. That being said I can recommend this book to many readers and here is why; it is easy to read and understand and anyone regardless of their position in life can embrace at least some of the ideas explored in this book. In the end she promotes well-being through physical and mental work… and who is not in favor of some well-being?

Novel Moments:

“But what exactly is a Breakthrough? It is a change in the way you view something. It can be subtle or radical shift in perception.” (21)

“It’s not the essence of the moment; it’s the awareness and understanding of it that elicits Breakthroughs.” (44)

Note: I was given this book by the publisher for review, in no way did it effect what was written in this review.

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Yoga for Your Brain by Sandy Steen Bartholomew

2011-10-13T07:00:00.000-06:00

Yoga for Your Brain: A Zentangle Workout by Sandy Steen Bartholomew is a collection of exercises that you can use if you are familiar with the Zentangle techniques. Now if you are anything like me you might be asking at this point… “What is a Zentangle?” Here is a brief description of Zentangles…

Zentangle is an art form that is based on repetitive patterns, think really artistic doodling. You an encouraged to use it as a form mediation and for journaling. They are fun, easy and when you are done you have these awesome little creations that make you look really talented. They are designed so anyone (even children) can do them, anywhere. If you want to find out more or get your own Zentangle Kit I suggest you check out their website.

The book Yoga for Your Brain which is the subject of this book review is a collection of exercises that, once you know the basic techniques you can work on. The book starts off with an overview of the basics then moves into the exercises. The first exercise is a conversation on how to shade. In great detail Bartholomew tells the reader how to hold the pencil or pen and when and where to add shadows. The exercises get more involved and detailed as you make your way through this small book. My favorite part of this book are the little sections where Bartholomew shows you pictures of things in the world and shows you how to create a Zentangle based on those patterns. There are all sorts of things from grapes to columns that you can recreate into a Zentangle. Not all the book is about doing things with you pens and pencils though. There is a little section on “transfers” in which you print photos out or other materials and place them onto your Zentangle journal. In short this book is all about being creative with patterns and when I played around with them I found myself completely involved in the drawings, it was very enjoyable.

This is a book you will want to have as a paper book or on your computer or iPad because you will want to be able to see the images in the book clearly. I recommend this book and the Zentangle technique to anyone. It is fun, and the end products are really neat.

Note: I was given this book by the publisher for review, in no way did it effect what was written in this review.

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Your Personal Desalination Plant and WaterMaker

2011-10-11T12:51:00.000-06:00

As many of you know Amanda and I have been sailing for about 5 months now. Over this time I have worked hard on converting our sailboat into a version of our off grid cabin in Boulder CO. This has been a challenge but we now have about 800 watts of solar panels charging 6, 6 volt batteries and 2, 12 volt marine batteries. This is enough power to allow the vessel to regenerate its necessary power each day to run the DC refrigerator, 4 laptops, internet, washing machine, fans and all the other necessary desires one might have while sailing.

One of the last big projects I had to tackle was a desalination plant. This took some time due to the knowledge that many of the large company water makers such as the KATADYN Power Survivor 160E Water maker are simply expensive and require a great deal of maintenance and expense to keep running. This is a problem most sailors, cruisers and boaters simply don’t need while at sea. Well after many months of research I found a retired water quality expert to help me design the following units. Please take a look.

We have the 4 GPH DC units since we only need about 12 gallons of water per day. This unit is a great industrial unit that can expect to run for 5 to 8 years before the main filter needs changed at a low cost of $125.00 dollars. And the pump and motors could possibly last a lifetime. In addition none of the parts are proprietary therefore one can replace them with ease and lower cost at any time.

Amanda and I have been so pleased with our system that we decided to work with our new friend George in distributing them. The water makers below are all of top quality and can be used to desalinate salt water for you boat or island. Please take a look below and if you have any questions or need a specific unit for your island or resort give me a call at (561) 290-2864 (Please leave a message this is a Google Voice #) and we will work to build a system that meets your requirements.

All systems have a 1 year warranty and are built to order so please allow about 2 to 3 weeks for your order to arrive.

4,6,8 GPH BareBones DC Unit

4,6,8 GPH Barebones DC Units. Includes a 12 volt DC driven Wanner pump with relief valve, 12 volt DC Booster Pump, 2.5" x 14" membrane and vessel, pressure and flow controls, 10' high pressure hose with field installable fittings, 25 and 5 micron filter housings, 3 ea of the 25 and 5 micron cartridges, permeate check valve, Backwash/Flush Manifold, TDS Tester, and Operation and Installation Manual, available 24/7 via phone operation and installation questions. 4 GPH Unit draws less than 30 amps. 6 GPH Unit Draws 35 amps. 8 GPH Unit Draws 45 amps.

Price:	$2995.00
Add $350.00 for Deluxe upgrade Prewired Control Panel:
Add $100.00 to upgrade to 6 GPH:
Add $200 to upgrade to 8 GPH:
Deduct $100.00 for Engine Driven Pump:

10 GPH BareBones Unit

10 GPH BareBones Unit

10 GPH BareBones Unit with AC Motor Driven WaterMaker including a Wanner Pump with relief valve, 12 volt booster pump, backwash manifold an mounting brackets, 25 and 5 micron filter housings, 3 each of the 25 and 5 micron filter cartridges, Pressure and Flow Controls,15 ' of high pressure hose with field installable fittings, check valve, handheld TDS tester, installation and operation manual. Available 24/7 via phone for installation and operation questions

Price:	$2995.00
Add $100.00 for AC Booster Pump:

20 GPH Deluxe Unit

20 GPH Deluxe WaterMaker with 2.5 GPM Cat pump, Booster Pump, Backwash Manifold, 25 and 5 micron Filter housing assembly, 3 ea of the 25 and 5 micron cartridges, 1000 psi pressure vessel, 2.5x40" membrane, 15' of high pressure hose with field installable fittings, Pre-wired Control box with breaker/switches, pressure regulator controls, 15' ea of power supply, Booster Pump, and High Pressure Pump wiring, TDS tester, installation and operation instructions, Available 24/7 via phone to handle installation and operation questions.

Price:	$4295.00
40 GPH Upgrade add $ 1000.00:

The Yoga Journal

2011-10-07T10:21:00.001-06:00

Writing
Originally uploaded by jjpacres

No, no, we are not talking about the awesome magazine Yoga Journal in this post. We are talking about Your Yoga Journal, the one that you keep (or maybe would like to keep) that is all about your daily practice. Now I will be the first to admit it, that way you will not feel bad when you have to admit it to yourself, I am terrible at keeping a journal. Sometimes I do it and I keep it going for a week or so, then I do not do it for a month. And when I do keep a yoga journal I often do not put as insightful things as you will sometimes find here on my blog. Here is a general example of what I keep in my practice journal…

“Today during my home practice I did 8 Sun Salutations Series C then moved on into balance poses that were giving me trouble and tried to achieve Crow again. I was unsuccessful today in my Crow but I completed an awesome Wheel.”

Boring, right? Not to mention not all that useful for improving my yoga. So I started a Google search about what I could do to spice up my yoga journal (besides creating a fiction about my practice). I wanted my journal to be much more then just a list of facts about what I did during my practice. I read awhile back Bruce Black’s “Writing Yoga” and at the time I did not get much out of it and sort of ignored some of the advice he had given in his book. I did not want my yoga journal turning into a diary. I really want it to be all about yoga, my improvements in asanas and my mental and emotional changes as a result. It was not until I decided to do the Yoga Teacher Training Program in September 2011 that I decided to give the journal another go. I have started off pretty much the same way as my old journal… boring, boring, boring.

Last week I took a trip back to my old friend Google to see what others are saying about their yoga journals. As always my Google search was successful in returning something that actually gave me a great direction to go with my yoga journal. I found a “lens” on Squidoo called “How to Keep a Yoga Journal.” It is short and straight to the point. It had a few great tips for how to make your yoga journal more meaningful and a useful tool for the future. Tips like… “Aside from the generic points, write down more specific details about each major notes. These should include mental preparation prior to starting, breathing exercises, other essential points that will enhance your session, among other things that you find is useful to enhance your practice.” This is something that I not only DO NOT often write about it is also something I really do not take the time to think about. I can honestly say that I do not take the time after a practice to ponder why I decided to breathe deeply and start chanting to myself, “You can do this. You have done this,” before challenging poses such as Crane or Headstand. Now that I have it in my mind though it is all I can think about when I sit down with my journal after my practice.

So with the help of a little more research and another reading of “Writing Yoga” I have a renewed interest in my yoga journal. In order to make my journal more meaningful and a useful tool for the future I have set aside a block of time after every practice that I can write and think undisturbed. Since I just started this process I have nothing yet insightful to share (old habits are hard to break) but just like my asanas my yoga journaling will improve with lots and lots of practice.

-Namaste

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To Run or to Walk

2011-10-05T12:57:00.001-06:00

WDW Marathon (8)
Originally uploaded by Amanda's Weekly Zen

In January 2011 I participated in my first marathon the Walt Disney World Marathon and it was well-documented on this blog that I was unable to finish due to a knee injury. I have been struggling with the injury since January spending much of January and February walking with pain and a knee brace. Gradually I starting bring running back into my schedule and in June 2011 I was able to start running again without a brace and with little or no pain. Determined to finish the WDW marathon in 2012 I signed up for it the first day that registration opened. I started training in July 2011 for the marathon. My progress had been good up until early September. What changed in September was the increase in my yoga practice because of the Yoga Teacher Training program. The long weekends of yoga practice mixed with running have caught up with my knee. I have slowed down considerably (even in my walk breaks) and have noticed a stiffness in my knee cap again after long runs.

Today I went out for 12 miles and even before I started my knee felt stiff so I decided to walk the entire 12 miles and maybe run 3 miles tonight. When I finished my 12 I noticed a feeling in my right knee like there might be fluid in it. That settled the run or walk debate in my mind…. I will be walking the Walt Disney World marathon in 2012. I was asked via email in February 2011 by a reader “Do people really run the ENTIRE marathon?” I really did not know how to answer this question at first but eventually I told her this…

“Well, yes there are many people who will run the entire marathon and run it pretty darn fast. But there are also lots of people who use a run/walk method. And then there are those people who will run when the cameras are around and walk the rest of the race at a leisurely stroll. I think you are asking me which method is right and the answer to that is… all of them. If you want to do a marathon but you feel you cannot run 26 miles but have a great chance of walking it I say walk it. If I feel that I need to walk the entire marathon, I will walk the entire marathon. Remember we are doing this for fun and our ultimate goal is to finish, healthy and happy. Do whatever method is right for you because in the end you will have the same medal everyone else has in their hands. Whether you walked the Walt Disney World Marathon or ran it you did 26.2 miles!”

So after a few months of pushing myself to increase my running miles I finally had to tell the above to myself. If walking the Walt Disney World marathon in 2012 helps me to keep my knee healthy so I can continue to run, walk and do yoga… well then I am walking it.

I bring this all up now because I know many are starting to train for the Disney Princess Half Marathon, Walt Disney World Marathon, Walt Disney World Half Marathon and the Goofy Challenge. In your training this Fall and Winter I ask you all to listen to your bodies and respect them. And to always keep it in your mind that no matter if you run, run/walk, or walk every person that crosses that finish line is a winner.

Happy Training!
Amanda

About the photograph:
The photo in this post was taken while running towards Magic Kingdom during the 2011 Walt Disney World Marathon. Notice dear readers that there are lots of people in the photo that are walking.

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I Can Read With My Eyes Shut! By Dr. Seuss

2011-10-03T10:45:00.001-06:00

Day 1 of 365
Originally uploaded by Amanda's Weekly Zen

I can read in red. I can read in blue.
I can read in pickle color too.
I can read in bed, and in purple. and in brown.
I can read in a circle and upside down!
I can read with my left eye. I can read with my right.
I can read Mississippi with my eyes shut tight!

There are so many things you can learn about.
But…you'll miss the best things
If you keep your eyes shut.
The more that you read, the more things you will know
The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.

If you read with your eyes shut you're likely to find
That the place where you're going is far, far behind
SO…that's why I tell you to keep your eyes wide.
Keep them wide open…at least on one side.
-Dr. Seuss

About the Poem:
I choose the above ode to reading by Dr. Seuss this week because late last week and early this week, reading has become very prevalent in my life. It is not just the reading that I am doing for my Yoga Teacher Training or my personal “for fun” reading but I have had many publishers and authors sending me emails with requests to review their books. It is not a new thing in fact I have had the pleasure of reading and reviewing books for authors since about 2005. It just seem there is a large influx of request this last month so many so that I have had to turn some authors down. It was not that long ago that I felt like I was not reading enough and now here I am spending large chucks of time reading. I have so many interesting books on my To Be Read pile right now that I will definitely be keeping my eyes wide open to discover the places I will go.

About the Author:
I am sure the name Dr. Seuss is very familiar to most readers out there so there is really little need for me to be elaborate in this section but if you should want to find out more about the author of this great little poem about reading here is a good place to start…
http://www.seussville.com/

About the Photograph:
The photo was taken in 2009 when we were planning on getting rid of things so we could begin our 2 year long RVing adventure. The books in the photo were just a few of the books that I accumulated over the years because a year before the 2009 move we moved from Colorado to Florida and many of my books were left at local libraries when we made the trip across country. It is funny I had so many paper books and now with my Nook and Kindle I have only 3 or 4 actual paper books left in my collection.

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Whether you are going or staying by Daikaku

2011-09-26T14:57:00.000-06:00

Sitting in the Garden
Originally uploaded by Amanda's Weekly Zen

Whether you are going or staying or sitting or lying down,
the whole world is your own self.
You must find out
whether the mountains, rivers, grass, and forests
exist in your own mind or exist outside it.
Analyze the ten thousand things,
dissect them minutely,
and when you take this to the limit
you will come to the limitless,
when you search into it you come to the end of search,
where thinking goes no further and distinctions vanish.
When you smash the citadel of doubt,
then the Buddha is simply yourself.

-Daikaku

About the Poem:
Whether You are Going or Staying is a Zen poem believed to be written by Daikaku. Daikaku is the formal title that was given to the Chinese monk named Tao Lung. In 1246 he arrived in Japan and his intention was to teach about Zen practice. This poem sounds like it offers simple advice… you are the Buddha discover yourself. Or the world lives inside yourself therefore you take from the world what you create. Sounds simple and is the focus of many meditative studies but there are probably very few of us who will ever achieve such a meditation. I chose this poem this week because as part of the Yoga Teacher Training which I am involved in at the moment we must study and practice meditation both on and off the mat. Not a novice to meditation I thought the task would not be difficult but I find myself leaving the still meditations (sitting in a quite room by oneself in Lotus position until a time period or some awareness is achieved) in favor of the moving meditations (while running or doing yoga). I used to be quite found of “sitting” and found some peace in doing so but now it seems that it is when I move I find my peace. The change in myself brings up many questions in my mind and meditative poetry such as this week’s selection reminds me that it really does not matter if I sit of move as long as I contemplate myself and find myself.

Read more about Daikaku at this website:
http://www.dailyzen.com/zen/zen_reading0207.asp

Read more Zen poems at this website:
http://www.viewonbuddhism.org/zen/zen_poems.html

About the Photograph:

I took the photograph in the Shelby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota Florida in July 2011. This is a small area of the garden that has a bench for those who wish to sit and be one with nature.

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Karma Yoga

2011-09-22T09:28:00.001-06:00

Shelby Botanical Gardens Sarasota FL (3)
Originally uploaded by Amanda's Weekly Zen

Yoga Teacher Training is not all asanas (although the majority of it is). There are also philosophical discussions about the different limbs of yoga which involve meditation, karma yoga and much more. One of the first philosophical discussions that my class had was… what is karma yoga and how we achieve it in our daily lives. I am sure there is not a person reading this blog who is not somewhat familiar with karma regardless of their religion. Generally we all think that it is along the lines of the “golden rule”… treat people the way you want to be treated. If you are good to people then you will have good karma and in turn people will be good to you. Very general way to think about karma yoga but the simplicity of this definition makes it easier for many (me included) to live it each day. So now we have a general idea of what karma yoga is let us turn to good old Wikipedia for a little broader look at Karma Yoga…

Karma yoga (Sanskrit: कर्म योग), or the "discipline of action" is a form of yoga based on the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Sanskrit scripture of Hinduism. Of the four paths to realization, karma yoga is the science of achieving perfection in action. Karma yoga is an intrinsic part of many derivative types of yoga, such as Natya Yoga.

[...]

The word karma is derived from the Sanskrit kri, meaning 'to do'. In its most basic sense karma simply means action, and yoga translates to union. Thus karma yoga literally translates to the path of union through action. However, in Vedantic philosophy the word karma means both action and the effects of such action. Karma yoga is described as a way of acting, thinking and willing by which one orients oneself toward realization by acting in accordance with one's duty (dharma) without consideration of personal self-centered desires, likes or dislikes. One acts without being attached to the fruits of one's deeds.

From the above excerpt of Wikipedia’s explanation of Karma Yoga we can unite with others through our actions which must detached from the ego, or in other words you help others just to help not to gain anything personal. While we might not do this every day I believe that each one of us has performed karma yoga at least once in our life and most likely it has happened when you were not thinking about it. As part of our yoga teacher training we are to perform karma yoga. One example that the instructor gave was at the end of the night we would all clean the studio as part of our “karma yoga.” While I am all for leave the place as you found it I cannot help but wonder if by telling us to clean the studio negates the idea of karma yoga. We are not cleaning because our will wants us to help we are cleaning because we are told that we are good people if we do. Something about that setup seems out of alignment with the idea behind karma yoga.

Here is the best example of Karma Yoga that I have experienced in the last couple of months… When we arrived to Sarasota I went up to the front of the boat to drop the anchor. As it was dropped it became stuck on the windless (a device with gears and lots of power that with the touch of a button drops the anchor) so I reached my hand down to pull of the chain. The Windless was not finished moving and caught my hand between the gear and the chain. When I was able to get my hand free it looked as though I broke my fingers on my right hand. We rushed to shore to get to the hospital but we did not have a car nearby so Norwood asked a mother and her children who were walking by if she could drive me to the hospital a mile away so I would not have to wait for a cab to show up. With little hesitation they took me to the hospital and made sure I was able to get help before they drove away wishing me luck. There was nothing for the woman to gain from helping me, she did not think about it she simply acted. The effect that experience had on my life was profound. I will never forget that family and because of their kindness I felt a renewed faith in humanity. It was not necessary for her to drive me, I could have walked, it was after all only a mile. But she did it without worry, hesitation or concern for what it interrupted in her day. To me this was an excellent example of karma yoga. Yoga Journal has an article about Karma Yoga which you can read here.

Whatever karma yoga is and however we really achieve it, I think that if we all just go back to our general “golden rule” theory the world, even if it is just our immediate world, will become a better place.

~Namaste

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The Secret of the Sea by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

2011-09-19T09:43:00.004-06:00

Sarasota Bay
Originally uploaded by Amanda's Weekly Zen

Ah! what pleasant visions haunt me
As I gaze upon the sea!
All the old romantic legends,
All my dreams, come back to me.

Sails of silk and ropes of sandal,
Such as gleam in ancient lore;
And the singing of the sailors,
And the answer from the shore!

Most of all, the Spanish ballad
Haunts me oft, and tarries long,
Of the noble Count Arnaldos
And the sailor's mystic song.

Like the long waves on a sea-beach,
Where the sand as silver shines,
With a soft, monotonous cadence,
Flow its unrhymed lyric lines:--

Telling how the Count Arnaldos,
With his hawk upon his hand,
Saw a fair and stately galley,
Steering onward to the land;--

How he heard the ancient helmsman
Chant a song so wild and clear,
That the sailing sea-bird slowly
Poised upon the mast to hear,

Till his soul was full of longing,
And he cried, with impulse strong,--
"Helmsman! for the love of heaven,
Teach me, too, that wondrous song!"

"Wouldst thou,"--so the helmsman answered,
"Learn the secret of the sea?
Only those who brave its dangers
Comprehend its mystery!"

In each sail that skims the horizon,
In each landward-blowing breeze,
I behold that stately galley,
Hear those mournful melodies;

Till my soul is full of longing
For the secret of the sea,
And the heart of the great ocean
Sends a thrilling pulse through me.

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

About the poem:

The Secret of the Sea is from Longfellow’s (1807-1882) The Seaside and the Fireside collection. I chose the poem this week because, with our recent change in lifestyle, the poem has become more personal. After three months of living at sea I can finally appreciate the beauty of Longfellow’s words. Not that the sing song quality of his poetry does not lend itself to beauty but it sings more to the heart when one has experienced the sea personally. For example the beauty that Longfellow paints with the description of the sails have so much more meaning once you have pulled them and caught the wind. Also the last line of the poem is not only melodious it is also a truth. You do not know why the sea holds its attractions for so many until you have sat upon it in a worthy vessel and fell asleep to the sounds of the waves hitting the bough.

For the most part this poem is pretty straight forward. There is the mention of Count Arnaldos that may stump some (it stumped me). After a quick search online I found out the Count Arnaldos was first written about in 1555 in Cancionero of Antwerp. He wandered the seashore one morning only to hear the songs of the sailor. He was intrigued by the mystical songs and a beautiful ballad was produced from his experience. Longfellow used a few of the lines from the ballad in his own tribute.

You can read more about Count Arnaldos on these websites:

http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/lrs/lrs12.htm

http://www.freefictionbooks.org/books/c/17378-the-complete-poems-of-henry-wadsworth-longfellow?start=103

You can read more about Henry Wadsworth Longfellow at this website:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Wadsworth_Longfellow

About the Photograph:
I took the photography from shore in July 2011. It is looking out into the Sarasota Bay where many sailors drop anchor for a time and explore Sarasota Florida. It is a popular anchorage that has the best view in Sarasota of the Ringling Bridge.

***

Amanda's Note: Way back in 2004 when I started this blog I intended it to be about my knitting and the poetry and classic novels that I read. As my life changed so too did this blog but one thing that has always remained the same in my life are my reading habits. So in order to bring poetry back to Weekly Zen I have decided to dedicate Mondays to poetry. Come back each Monday to find one of my favorite poems accompanied by one of my favorite photographs. Happy Monday, may you all find poetry today and the rest of the week.

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