When disaster happens, it affects all of us, no matter where we are in the world.  We’re all connected, we feel it in our hearts.  We’re still recovering here in the U.S. from Hurricane’s Katrina and Rita, and the people of Pakistan have to deal with the aftermath of a terrible earthquake.  I have recently become involved with Plan USA, a non-profit organization that helps children worldwide.  They were there when the earthquake hit in Pakistan, and they were among the first to give aid.

http://www.planusa.org

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Lissa Coffey is an author, media personality, and the founder of CoffeyTalk.com (Reprinted with permission Copyright © Bamboo Entertainment, Inc.)

Chanting is an ancient practice that embraces the power of sound, voice, and music to bring joy into our lives.  In Vedic culture, there are group mantra chanting rituals, called Kirtans, for many different purposes.  The ancient art of chanting can be found in several of the world’s great religious traditions as a path to healing and enlightenment.  And now scientific studies are showing the therapeutic effects that this has on the mind and body.  The science of sound looks at how sound affects our physical body and our consciousness. There is a rich history and myriad uses of chant that comes from the wisdom of sound healers, monks, priests, rabbis, and shamans from around the world.  Many chants are an oral tradition, and we have to play or sing by ear.  I find that having chanting music on in the background while I work helps me to both relax and concentrate.

Chanting Om – MP3 download on amazon

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FOT87C?ie=UTF8&tag=brightideaspr-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B000FOT87C

Lissa Coffey’s online newsletters and article content may be reprinted provided the following credit line is included:

Lissa Coffey is an author, media personality, and the founder of CoffeyTalk.com (Reprinted with permission Copyright © Bamboo Entertainment, Inc.)

Wisdom comes through every culture and every age.  Don Miguel Ruiz writes about Toltec wisdom in his classic book The Four Agreements.  What I love about this book is that it is so simple.  And that’s the way life is supposed to be!  But sometimes simple is not so easy for us, is it?  We tend to complicate things, to over analyze, to argue.  But if we could just follow these four little agreements, we would find that we relate so much better to people, and that we can handle problems with more grace.  Here are the four agreements, according to Don Miguel Ruiz, in a nutshell:
1.  Be impeccable with your words
2.  Don’t take anything personally.
3.  Don’t make assumptions
4.  Always do your best.

ISBN: 1878424319

Lissa Coffey’s online newsletters and article content may be reprinted provided the following credit line is included:

Lissa Coffey is an author, media personality, and the founder of CoffeyTalk.com (Reprinted with permission Copyright © Bamboo Entertainment, Inc.)

As I’m decorating my new home I’m going through paint chips trying to pick out colors for each room.  It’s hard to imagine how an entire wall is going to look with a swatch of color that is barely 2 inches square!  Color is very important, not only to the look of a space, but also to our feelings of being in the space.  Color therapy is a science.  My son Brian has chosen a rich shade of blue for his room, appropriately labeled “Beautiful Blue”.   I love the names that the company has given each of these different colors.  Avocado Green is popular again, but to update the label they’re now calling it “Wasabi”. What a fun job someone has dreaming up these descriptive titles!  Blue is a great color for Brian, not only does he look great in it with his blue eyes, but it’s a very cooling and calming color which helps to balance him out given his stressful homework load.  I chose a color called “Misty Hillside” for my office.  Can’t you just picture that?  It’s a soft green, so it will bring nature in a little bit.  Green is great for balancing my dosha (Vata) and it’s always been one of my favorite colors.  Each color brings with it a different vibe, its own energy, so when decorating, it’s important to use colors that make you feel good.  What’s your favorite color and why?  Let’s talk about it on the discussion board.

Lissa Coffey’s online newsletters and article content may be reprinted provided the following credit line is included:

Lissa Coffey is an author, media personality, and the founder of CoffeyTalk.com (Reprinted with permission Copyright © Bamboo Entertainment, Inc.)

Has there ever been a time in history when the entire world was at peace?  There is always some conflict going on somewhere.  It sounds like a beauty queen’s speech to be talking about “world peace,” but in this realm of infinite possibilities, isn’t that exactly what we should be striving for?  Peace begins with each one of us.  What we say, what we do, it all makes a difference.  Marianne Williamson addresses the issue in her book: “The Healing of America.”  And Deepak Chopra explains the concept in his book: “Peace is the Way” which is nominated for a Quill Award this year.  This is a conversation we all need to have, with ourselves and with each other – what can we do to bring peace to ourselves, our communities, and to the world?

http://www.onlinepeacecell.com

Lissa Coffey’s online newsletters and article content may be reprinted provided the following credit line is included:

Lissa Coffey is an author, media personality, and the founder of CoffeyTalk.com (Reprinted with permission Copyright © Bamboo Entertainment, Inc.)

I’m a movie fan – that’s no secret.  I even have movie reviews up on the familyeveryday.com site if you’re interested.  I like to see about 2 movies a week, which comes to more than 100 movies a year.  That’s a lot of movies!  Lately there has been a lot of talk about attendance being down in movie theatres, and I’m not surprised.  The movies that have been coming out lately have not been that good.  Sure, there are some movies where I feel like “wow, that was worth the $20 for tickets!”  But recently it’s been more like “wow, I could have spent that money somewhere else and gotten more out of it.”  So lately what I’ve been doing is watching the DVDs that I get from the Spiritual Cinema Circle.  And there are some really wonderful films in there.  I saw a documentary about Ayurveda, and a biography about the poet Rumi, and several uplifting independent films that really should have been in the theatres.  Now my movie-going average has gone down, as you’ll see from the number of reviews posted, but I’m seeing just as many films, at home, and saving money!  The movie industry may wonder why attendance is down, but I know that it’s because we have options – and they’re going to have to work harder to compete for our ticket dollar.  What do you think?  Let’s talk about it on the discussion board.

Lissa Coffey’s online newsletters and article content may be reprinted provided the following credit line is included:

Lissa Coffey is an author, media personality, and the founder of CoffeyTalk.com (Reprinted with permission Copyright © Bamboo Entertainment, Inc.)

We all know that regular exercise is essential for our health.  Exercise comes in many varieties, which can be categorized in terms of mental, spiritual and physical.  Mental exercise would include reading, creating, solving puzzles, or stimulating conversation.  Spiritual exercise might be praying, meditating, contemplation, or time spent with nature.  And physical exercise – well, we all know what that is!  I’m one of those people who dreaded P.E. in high school.  I was never good at sports, and didn’t like running around in the cold outside.  Exercise has pretty much always been a chore for me, until I found Yoga.  Ah!  I know it’s the trendy thing to do right now, and there’s a reason for it – it’s fun.  Yoga is so adaptable to any body type, and you can totally go at your own pace.  You can take a class, or do it on your own at home.  You don’t need any special equipment or clothes.  What could be better?  I love Yoga so much that I produced a DVD ,which is newly released this week, called “Dosha Yoga.”  My friend Hemalayaa, an amazing Yogini, leads you through 3 different routines.  You can do one of them, or any combination of them, depending on how long you want your work out to be.  And I’ve got a segment that talks about living an Ayurvedic lifestyle.  I created a website which explains all about it.  Check it out at: www.doshayoga.com

Lissa Coffey’s online newsletters and article content may be reprinted provided the following credit line is included:

Lissa Coffey is an author, media personality, and the founder of CoffeyTalk.com (Reprinted with permission Copyright © Bamboo Entertainment, Inc.)

What is it about September that inspires song?  I hear the word and I think of the classic song from The Fantasticks: “Try to remember the kind of September”. And then the Earth, Wind and Fire song called September with the great hook, “ba-di-ah never was a cloudy day!”   I seem to hear that at least once a season on American Idol now.  September always seems like a time of renewal.  It’s the beginning of the school year, and for many people it’s the beginning of the big sports seasons.  There’s something great about every month, and I think there’s some fond memories about September for each of us.

Lissa Coffey’s online newsletters and article content may be reprinted provided the following credit line is included:

Lissa Coffey is an author, media personality, and the founder of CoffeyTalk.com (Reprinted with permission Copyright © Bamboo Entertainment, Inc.)

One of my major get-on-the-soap-box issues is about the caffeine problem that is going on today.  Recently I came across a website where the topic is handled both practically and with a sense of humor.  Humor is a great way of getting a point across, and I like that this site is getting some attention.  The site is: www.energyfiend.com and one of its features is that it lists the caffeine content on brand name beverages, including energy drinks.  Another page includes a caffeine calculator, which will figure out how much of any given drink it would take, with your particular body weight, to cause “death by caffeine.”  It’s really good to find someone who feels as strongly as I do about this problem.  And I’m impressed at all the work that was put in to make it such an informative, and entertaining, website.

http://www.energyfiend.com

Lissa Coffey’s online newsletters and article content may be reprinted provided the following credit line is included:

Lissa Coffey is an author, media personality, and the founder of CoffeyTalk.com (Reprinted with permission Copyright © Bamboo Entertainment, Inc.)

Summer is traditionally the time for road trips.  While this used to be an inexpensive way to travel, things have changed dramatically.  Not only are gas prices rising, the effect on the environment is a real concern.  The cost of gasoline will continue to rise over the long term.  Part of that is due to inflation, and part is due to the fact that we simply use and waste too much gas.  We definitely need to look into public transportation and hybrid and alternative fueled cars.  Meanwhile, here are some tips to help you conserve fuel this summer:

    * Idling gets you 0 miles per gallon. The best way to warm up a vehicle is to drive it. No more than 30 seconds of idling on winter days is needed. Anything more simply wastes fuel and increases emissions.     * Avoid aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration, and hard braking) wastes gas. It can lower your highway gas mileage 33% and city mileage 5%.     * Avoid high speeds. Above 60 mph, gas mileage drops rapidly. The fueleconomy.gov Web site shows how driving speed affects gas mileage.     * When you use overdrive gearing, your car’s engine speed goes down. This saves gas and reduces wear.     * Using cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will save gas.     * Use air conditioning only when necessary.     * Clear out your car; extra weight decreases gas mileage.     * Reduce drag by placing items inside the car or trunk rather than on roof racks. A roof rack or carrier provides additional cargo space and may allow you to buy a smaller car. However, a loaded roof rack can decrease your fuel economy by 5%.     * Check into telecommuting, carpooling and public transit to cut mileage and car maintenance costs.

These tips and more can be found on the U.S. Department of Energy’s website at http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/  You may also want to check out  http://www.greentreks.org/education/resources.asp for additional information on energy and other forms of conservation.

Lissa Coffey’s online newsletters and article content may be reprinted provided the following credit line is included:

Lissa Coffey is an author, media personality, and the founder of CoffeyTalk.com (Reprinted with permission Copyright © Bamboo Entertainment, Inc.)