Monday, September 29, 2008

Throat Singers


CHIRGILCHIN MASTER THROAT SINGERS FROM TUVA
Saturday, October 4, 8 pm

CHIRGILCHIN is the cream of the crop of today's younger generation Tuvan throat singers and are the current champions of the Tuvan national throat singing competition.
This ancient tradition is kept alive (and kicking!) in just a few countries across Central Asia, south of Siberia. The best throat singers in the world come from Tuva, and the best throat singers in Tuva are the members of CHIRGILCHIN – and YOU will have the opportunity to experience them live in Santa Fe.
The three male singers and instrumentalists of this group are masters of their trade.
In throat singing, the singers create sounds from deep in the throat area which range from a lower, medium to a higher range. At times, one singer can create about 3 different sounds simultaneously with just one voice. While listening to a melodic tune, one can hear whistling tunes on top.
This art incorporates the culture and daily live of Tuvans. The Throat Singers will bring to life horses, rivers, wind blowing, the Stepps and other parts of their lives.
CHIRGILCHIN will not only use their voices but will also play traditional instruments. One of the members is a master instrument maker as well.

Let yourself be transported to the Tuvan Stepps through this live performance of these masters. A very special treat!!!

Kendra

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Welcoming the Autumnal Equinox



"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."
- Albert Camus

Monday, September 22, marked the Autumnal equinox on the solar calendar. I have always thought of this day simply as the beginning of fall and the end of summer's festivities, but technically it refers to the exact time when the sun is directly above the Earth's equator. What does this mean for all of us in Santa Fe? Even more amazing sunsets! When the sun is in this position, the atmosphere refracts light; so, even when the upper limb of the Sun is below the horizon, its rays reach over the horizon to the ground.

This time of year is considered special in may of the world's cultures, and in many cases, is thought of as a time to move inward and begin to focus on introspection. But between the incredible fall sunsets and the colorful autumn leaves, I'm going to try to squeeze in a few more outdoor adventures to enjoy this extraordinary seasonal change before focusing on my inward journey. Below are a few fall festivals from around the world. How have you been celebrating the equinox?

Chuseok (Korea) - This 3 day celebration of good harvest entails visiting ones ancestral hometown to share a feast of traditional Korean food. Harvest crops are attributed to the blessing of ancestors and a variety of folk games are played.

Mabon (Paganism) - Celebrated on the Autumnal equinox, this pagan holiday is celebrated with a feast, similar to Thanksgiving. This is most likely of Welsh origin.

Mehregan (Zorastrian Iran) – This autumn festival is celebrated in honor of the divinity Mithra, who represents friendship, relationships, affection and love. Festivities include wearing new clothes and setting an elaborate, colorful table decorated with sweets, flowers, herbs, pomegranates, rose water, silver coins and marjoram. After a lunch feast, handfuls of wild marjoram, lotus and sugar plum seeds are thrown over each others heads while they embrace one another.

Sukkot (Hebrew) - During this seven day holiday, Jewish people build a temporary structure in which to eat their meals, entertain guests, relax, and even sleep. This holiday is intended to reflect God's benevolence in providing for all the Jews' needs in the desert.


- Keryn

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

A Commmunity of Eco

"Be gentle with the earth."- Dalai Lama
We all need our reminders. Some days we forget how fragile the earth is and how the little things that we do can make a drastic impact. I have to remind myself periodically not to through the can in the waste basket, but put it aside for recycling or do not through out paper. We can all have our days where we forget. Earth Day can not be the only day that we are reminded. Constant reminders will help everyone make better and healthier choices in their lives. Just remember this quote by the dali lama, maybe write it on a post it note and place it around your house and office to help everyone remember. - Kendra

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Green Toys for Little Bodies

Parents have always wanted the best for their children, but today's generation of moms and dads are even more fastidious about how their little ones are being raised. The green movement has brought a new set of ideals into the mainstream, which, in a sense, is going back to the basics. From organic baby food to fair trade toys, parents have a lot of options in the path towards going green with kids.

Today's hot toys are not only fun and cute, but they are also made with organic materials from sustainable sources, and many times are handmade by companies that take big steps to invest in social responsibility. Plan Toys is a company that sets a perfect example of taking green ideals into action. These super cute toys are made from recycled rubberwood that is non chemically treated. The rubberwood is taken from trees that are no longer able to produce latex. Producers of latex usually burn the rubber wood at this point in a rubber tree's life cycle, but Plan Toys has found a way to re-purpose it into toys - a much happier destiny.


This adorable "Dancing Alligator" for toddlers is one of my favorite from Plan Toys. Not only is he green in more ways than one, he teaches several developmental lessons, such as eye-hand coordination, gross motor skills (such as running and walking while pulling), fine motor skills, creative development, imagination, and agility. Many of Plan Toys' products are meant to allow room for the child's imagination to be active, and are intended to be adapted into each individual's play-style.

Another completely organic toy company that deserves props is Miyim. For 30 years Miyim has been making completely organic plush toys. The materials all come from the finest raw cotton, and are colored with Miyim's own PureWaterWash technology. Their adorable stuffed animals include a monkey, bear, bunny, elephant, and more. If I were a kid, this little guy would be on my wish list:


Baby George

If you want to come play with these toys, they live permanently in BODYKids with a variety of other toys from the same lines. BODY Boutique also offers a variety of organic toys for sale.

-Keryn

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Men on the Mat

For anyone who missed my article in the Sun Monthly in June. I thought I would pass this on, Yoga is not just for women.

Yoga began more than 5,000 years ago as a religious endeavor for men. Fast-forward 5,000 years, and the Westernized view of yoga practice is that it is primarily a women’s activity, whereas the repetitive, quick and heavy process of gym going is generally identified as male. But the benefits of yoga for both genders are being more widely recognized, and more and more men are seeing yoga in a new light.

Our society has taught us that men should be muscular and strong. The answer to this is spending hours pumping iron focused on isolated muscle groups (biceps, quads, abs). Over time, this practice promotes strength by the flexing of bulk muscles, but the fact is, without supplemental forms of exercise (swimming, cardiovascular activities, even daily walks), many muscle groups never develop. To address this issue and for many other reasons yoga is a perfect supplement to any exercise and health regimen.
The benefits of yoga are impressive. It improves organ and respiratory function, reduces anxiety and back pain, promotes weight loss, improves sleep and has antiaging ability. Yoga has also been used to treat hypertension, prostrate issues, high heart rate and asthma. Athletes are even turning to yoga to improve their performance and prevent injuries. Superstars include the likes of Boston Celtic Kevin Garnett and former Los Angeles Lakers top scorer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the National Basketball Association, as well as Major League Baseball’s Barry Bonds. Even entire teams, such as the Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants in the National Football League, practice yoga together; the list goes on.
I spoke with a man who had focused on the Western version of strength up until seven years ago, when he found himself stressed out and realized that his usual release, working out at the gym, was not helping to reduce his anxiety level. His wife suggested he come to yoga with her, and he has been practicing ever since. What he found was that yoga was far more challenging than he had imagined. His upper shoulder muscles had been trained for years to lift and to contract, not to relax and expand, as yoga does for muscles in addition to strengthening them. He says that although he still can’t touch his toes, he has learned how to better handle stress, has become more aware of his body, has more energy, and, coupled with his gym routine, is in the best shape of his life. Most importantly, he attributes his his new understanding the most essential part of living — his breath — to yoga. This practice allows time for deep focus on breath, relaxation and quieting the mind.
Another man, a newcomer to yoga, was very surprised by his experience and results. Walking in for first time, he expected there to be an ongoing competition about who could bend farther or hold a pose longer. He found instead that the students were there to focus on themselves and that egos had been checked at the door. “In two months’ time, I found myself opened up to feelings and emotions of which I was previously unaware, and many things I was holding on to were loosened.” Physically, he has found himself standing straighter, with tighter abs and more overall strength. He has chosen to include yoga once a week as part of his lifestyle.
Finding the right teacher and the right style of yoga may be the key to opening up a new part of yourself and finding strength. It’s important to find a teacher with whom you are really comfortable and a type of class that suits your style. For example, in the early stage of learning yoga, you may not want to be surrounded by a bunch of limber women with their legs around their ears. If you are too nervous to go to a class, try starting with a beginner’s video or book, and start with a few poses a day. You can gradually build yourself up to a more advanced workout until you feel comfortable enough to join a class. Here in Santa Fe, we have no shortage of excellent yoga instructors leading classes at all levels, at any given hour of the day. Namaste.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Oh, the wonderful urge to shop!



Happy Friday!
I wanted to share about all the new clothes the boutique has received in the last week or so. Who knew that sustainable and organic fashion could be so beautiful! We have come along way from just yoga pants. I was talking with our buyer the other day and she was sharing some of her requirements to pick companies to buy from: First she prefers things made in the U.S; The items must be organic and fair trade, No sweatshop companies!; and everything must be produced humanely. Did you know that cashmere is almost always organic and humane? Cashmere wool naturally repeals bugs so they do not need to be dipped in chemicals and because of how it grows it has to be hand combed and not sheared off the lambs. No wonder why it is so expensive, but it is such a wonderful fabric. Here are a few of our new items. - Kendra