Outdoor Related
Of the Outdoors
October 5, 2009
One of the most powerful spiritual resources we have available to us is Nature. The natural environment renews and refreshes our bodies and spirits. It is particularly effective in strengthening the auric field that surrounds our bodies, thereby inoculating us against the many lesser discomforts we're exposed to in the course of a day. It's no coincidence if you've felt especially good after a walk on the beach on a sunny day. The negative ions from the salt water, coupled with the ultraviolet rays of the sun, will do that for you!
Can't get to a beach? Take this beach visualization relaxation walk instead.
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Bike Your Drive, Instead
September 17, 2009
REI asks....
"What's stopping you from riding your bike more?....
A. Fear of spandex
B. Mechanical skills on par with a monkey
C. An old bike —but not old enough to be retro
D. Lack of time"
I have been blessed with the privilege of riding Sacramento's beautiful, river-side bike trails for most of my life. I even learned to appreciate cycling around town (which I initially thought would be boring) from a past painting teacher of mine, Anne Gregory, who at 72, can still be seen bicycling around her Oak Park neighborhood, checkin' out the scene.
In midtown Sacramento I found I could get from one place to another in five minutes on a bike, versus 20 minutes or more for the same errand in a car, due to having to negotiate those frustrating one-way streets, then find and pay for parking. But the straw that broke the camel's back was when gasoline rose to almost $5/gallon in the summer of 2008....it was then that I rededicated myself to bicycling.
REI is an amazing, top-notch outdoor-related company of which I have been a happy, long-time member. I am pleased to share that one of their latest campaigns is the Bike Your Drive program. While they may not be able to help you with a longstanding fear of spandex, they can support you in making bike riding a regular part of your life, by offering:
* A vast, dizzying array of bicycles, and every manner of
related accessory
* Hands-on classes and workshops about repairing
and maintaining a bicycle
* Informative online bicycle articles you can print and save
* Grant programs to encourage communities to use
bicycles
* Employer programs to encourage employees to
commute via bicyle
* Online bicycle operation and maintenance how-to videos
* ....even iPhone apps to track bike mileage, CO2 offsets and more, in real time!
Natural Visuals
October 10, 2009
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The visuals alone are healing! Below are a few pictures I found on the internet that you may find soothing to look at. You'll probably recognize some of the photos as copyright-free clipart files (which are still beautiful to look at) because unfortunately, the many photos I've taken on hikes are stuck on the hard drive of one of my computers that died (I had backed them up on a disk beforehand, but for some reason I can't open the disk files, either). So for now, clipart it is.
Take a little nature break from work: select an internet-based radio station located on my "Music Related" page [click here], and meditate on a nature picture that catches your eye. Imagine yourself in the picture, try to hear, feel and smell the environment around you, etc....
If you have beautiful outdoor photography you'd like to see posted here, upload it to a web-based photo album like Picasa or Photobucket, email the link to it, and I may post it here. Include a brief description of your visit to that location (if you'd like that included with your photo) and the way you'd like your name credited as the photographer.
~ I love the energy of rivers ~
~ I can just "feel" the cool mist rising from this river ~