City Of Yogi’s

May 21st, 2010 By: Brittany

I had to put this into a post. This morning while watching Travel Channel they featured a city called Maharishi Vedic City in Iowa. This city was incorporated in 2001. The name “Vedic” comes from the Sanskrit word “Veda,” which means “knowledge.” The name “Maharishi” is in honor of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

This town’s principle surrounds such things as transdental meditation, housing that all faces east, and organic vedic diet. This is in part to promote health, happiness, and prosperity. Designs and other aspects of Maharishi Vedic Science, Vedic City has more than 40 buildings, including The Raj, a popular health spa and clinic, three resort hotels, business centers, condominiums, chalets, villas, and homes.

Maharishi Vedic City the features two huge domes, one for men and one for women, with residents streaming in to meditate together twice a day.

Vedic City is located two miles north of Fairfield in southeast Iowa, not far from the Cedar Rapids airport, in the central US state.

Vedic City, Iowa Dome

Vedic Houses Facing East

Vedic Health Spa

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America’s Happiest States

May 20th, 2010 By: Brittany

A new study comparing self-described pleasant feelings with objective measures of good living found that people in such states generally have reason to be happy.

The places where people are most likely to report happiness also tend to rate high on studies comparing factors such as climate, crime rates, air quality and schools.

The happiness ratings were based on a survey of 1.3 million people across the country by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It used data collected over four years that included a question asking people how satisfied they are with their lives.

HAPPIEST RANKINGS

The state-by-state list (including Washington, D.C.), from happiest to least cheery:

1. Louisiana
2. Hawaii
3. Florida
4. Tennessee
5. Arizona
6. South Carolina
7. Mississippi
8. Montana
9. Alabama
10. Maine
11. Wyoming
12. Alaska
13. North Carolina
14. South Dakota
15. Texas
16. Idaho
17. Vermont
18. Arkansas
19. Georgia
20. Utah
21. Oklahoma
22. Delaware
23. Colorado
24. New Mexico
25. North Dakota
26. Minnesota
27. Virginia
28. New Hampshire
29. Wisconsin
30. Oregon
31. Iowa
32. Kansas
33. Nebraska
34. West Virginia
35. Kentucky
36. Washington
37. District of Columbia
38. Missouri
39. Nevada
40. Maryland
41. Pennsylvania
42. Rhode Island
43. Ohio
44. Massachusetts
45. Illinois
46. California
47. New Jersey
48. Indiana
49. Michigan
50. Connecticut
51. New York

Source: USA Today

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A Glorious Day To Be A Mother

May 9th, 2010 By: Brittany

My mom is a neverending song in my heart of comfort, happiness, and
being. I may sometimes forget the words but I always remember the
tune. ~Graycie Harmon

Happy Mother’s Day To All Mother’s both in our hearts and in our homes.

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Mom’s Day Green Gifts

May 7th, 2010 By: Brittany

Still looking for a great Mother’s Day gift. Check out these creative and green gifts to help spark your gift giving!

Bamboo bowls From Bambu

Sustainably harvested bamboo and comes in mouth-watering colors like yellow, berry, red, cayenne, blue corn, chocolate, kiwi green, green apple, naked and black. These bowls are fabulous for mom’s who love to cook, serve, and entertain.

EGGLING – $12

This little egg planter is just the thing! The egg-shaped pot is made of unglazed ceramic and you can choose from basil, cactus, red pepper, mint, lavender, or strawberry. Great for any mother.

Organic cooked meal

What a great way to celebrate your mom with a little home cooking. Local farmer’s markets are back in full swing. Pick up some local organic foods, and prepare a awesome meal for mom.

Green Clean

Why not offer your service for a day helping mom clean. Offer to clean non-toxic cleaning supplies. Look for biodegradable products, which are often washed down the sink after use, and cleaners without chemicals hazardous to the environment, such as phosphates. You can also give mom a gift certificate to a green cleaning service in your town.

Eco Spa Pampering

What mom doesn’t like to be pampered? Take your mom on a luxurious and relaxing day to the spa. Many cities now offer a plethora of organic and eco-friendley products and services to please everyone.

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How To Become Happy When You’re Depressed

May 5th, 2010 By: Brittany

There are times through out life that we feel depressed. Many of us may encounter depression more regularly then others. Either way, it is important that we continue to not stay in a state of consistent depression. The hardest part about moving through depression, is lack of motivation. Let’s run through a few ideas to get you feeling better, and motivate you to become happy.

1. Take a walk. Walking is a very good start towards feeling happy. Not only does walking make you feel more motivated, but research has shown that it helps with the effects of depression.

Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin measured the moods of two groups suffering from depression after a 30 minute period. One group spent the 30 minutes walking on a treadmill while the other group sat quietly. They were surveyed five minutes before the session and five, 30 and 60 minutes afterward. Although both groups reported a reduction in negative feelings only the group that exercised acknowledged they felt good after the session.

2. Read or listen to something positive. It important to take into consideration that feeling depressed is very taxing on both our minds and body. Listening or reading to something is inspirational can quickly change our present outlook. Think of how you feel when you hear a touching story on the news, or read heart felts quotes. These all provoke a sense of positive thinking. Find quotes, read stories, or listen to a cd that inspires happiness.

3. Learn forgiveness. Forgiving yourself and forgiving others is important for happiness. We tend to be happier and live happier lives when he let go of our anger, hatred, and dislike for ourselves and others. Negativity can way you down and make you collapse into a deeper state of depression. Learn to forgive your self first. The best way to do this is to stand in front of a mirror as often as you need to, and tell youself, ” I forgive myself, I deserve love and I deserve happiness.” Once you’ve forgiven yourself; forgive others.

Although holding on to anger and hostile feelings can increase the risk of heart disease, forgiveness can diminish that risk. Not only does forgiveness reduce chronic stress, it also increases your sense of self control, which lessens the chance that you’ll overreact in stressful situations. Bottom Line Secrets

4. Help others. When we help others we help heal ourselves. Helping people for the sake of helping will not only help motivate you to go out and participate, but it will also make you feel needed. You could help a elderly neighbor wake her dog, read stories at your local children’s hospital, or you could volunteer at a soup kitchen. These are just a few things that make you difference for others, but can make a difference for you too.

5. Stand up for yourself. Letting others walk all over you can make you feel less of a person. Certainly, we don’t like to feel that we do or say doesn’t matter. Stand up to others when you feel others aren’t listening or giving you any credit. Many people who feel depressed at work feel so because they let their co-workers and manager walk over them. Standing up is important for self-esteem, self confidence, and motivation.

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Your Words of Wisdom of The Day Are…

May 3rd, 2010 By: Brittany

“The greatest mistake a man can ever make is to be afraid of making one.”
Elbert Hubbard

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