Nottingham Updates

Back in Nottingham for the first time in 10 years!

We'd love Nottingham to be a regular event so we need a lot of visitors to make it viable.  Spread the word for us, lol ;)

We have the full list of exhibitors and speakers on the website click here so here's just a few bits of extra information.

Refreshments – just light refreshments on sale – tea/coffee, cakes, that sort of thing.  Those of you with special dietary needs might be best bringing a snack with you.


Parking is free in the Brian Clough Car Park, which is off Sacrrington Road, on  Lady Bay Bridge. There is a sign that says ‘Environment Agency’, turn in there and the car park is dead ahead.  The postcode is  NG2 5FA. But my SatNav took me to the wrong side of the bridge, so better to set it for Scarrington Road.  Once in the car park, walk as far right as possible towards the river.  The building facing the river is the Pitch Diner, which is where we are.

Favourite Things

Weekend Reads

So sorry Weekend Reads are a bit late this week.  Here are a few fun websites, have a lovely, sunny weekend!


Mother Nature Network

News, articles and tutorials on green issues and sustainable living.

Musicovery

Fun site where you can discover new music through your mood!  Hover over the interactive mood board and the site will suggest music for you to listen to.  You can stream the music or there are links to iTunes if you love a track enough to want to keep it.

Street Art Utopia

This gorgeous visual site will take you on a trip of amazing and funny street art from around the world.  You might look at graffiti slightly differently.

ZenHabits

Leo Babautas' blog has lots of posts on meditation and mindfulness.  Lovely, peaceful site for feeling calm over this weekend!

Guest Post - Bill Douglas, T'ai Chi in the Information Age

T'ai Chi In The Information Age – Ancient Cure For Modern Problems by Bill Douglas

According to a twenty-year study by Kaiser Permanente, between seventy and eighty-five percent of illness is caused by stress, meaning that in the U.S. alone stress is costing us about one-trillion dollars per year in healthcare costs. Since most absenteeism is due to stress, US business is losing upwards of $300 billion per year.

On a more personal level, it is disturbing to realize that aging is accelerated by stress, and stress is a growing issue with all of us. Studies show that change is stressful, even "good" change. So as we computer jockeys settle into the saddle of a new age of rapidly changing information, we need an edge that can help us stay healthy, sane, “younger” and more vibrant, even as we are often at the very center of the hurricane of modern change, such as keeping up with new hardware and software.

Ironically an ancient mind/body tool provides the perfect balm for our generation's modern problems -- it is called "Tai Chi" (pronounced tie-chee). T'ai Chi is a gentle series of relaxing motions that cleanse the body's tissue of accumulated stress and, by doing so, boosts all aspects of our health systems. According to emerging research boosting the immune system’s strength dramatically, while reducing the incidence of depression, anxiety, and even reducing chronic pain conditions, are just a few of T’ai Chi’s myriad benefits.

What makes ancient T’ai Chi the perfect modern balm is that it doesn't require special facilities or clothing, and doesn't even make you break a sweat, meaning you can do it in office attire in an empty boardroom just by kicking off your heels. Yet, it provides the same euphoria of a long run, the cardiovascular benefit of moderate impact aerobics, and burns nearly as many calories as downhill skiing.

Our time is filled with paradox. A problem in this modern age stems from the great promise of the information age -- a tidal wave of data being created by and offered to our "left brain"; that part of our minds that is analytical, calculating, and categorizing the world. Of course, this is a powerful and important part of who we are. This is the part of the mind that gets things done, pays the rent, builds the houses, and makes the cars. Our "right brain," however, is getting left behind in our rapidly changing techno-world, and this imbalance of thought processes is at the heart of modern stress.

Our right brain is the feeling, smelling, sensing . . . enjoying part of the mind. This is the part of the mind that smells the flowers, not to analyze the smell, but to be filled with its beauty -- and this is the part that has been left behind in the digital world. When we go to the cyber mall, for example, our right brain doesn't get to play. The cyber mall is a wonderful thing that saves us time, money, and gas for our cars (and thereby saves the environment), but there are no Auntie Anne's Pretzels to smell in cyberspace, or warm sunlight streaming in through the big skylights.

So what do we do? We get the best of both worlds. T'ai Chi is a series of exercises to balance the mind. T'ai Chi teaches us to experience life for sheer pleasure, thereby creating balance in our busy "get things done yesterday" world. If you learn T'ai Chi and practice in the morning before you sit down at your computer, your right brain (the sensing and enjoying brain) will be turned on more. You will feel the texture of your computer keys. You will remember to take the time to get a nice cup of green tea or herbal cinnamon spice tea, and you'll interrupt your staccato keyboard occasionally to smell the tea's rich aroma, feel the warmth in your hands, and breathe the breath of life deeply into your lungs.

Although you are at the cutting edge of the information age revolution, you are also in the garden of life. This will give you an edge in the long run. Why? Because chronic stress diminishes our cognitive skills and therefore, our creativity.

Einstein said, "Creativity is more important than knowledge." Even if we have the world's knowledge at our fingertips, if we are too stressed out to use the knowledge "creatively,” we are much less effective. Plus, we're not as much fun!

The bottom line is T'ai Chi is a set of exercises to practice enjoying life. It's not enough just to say, "I'm going to enjoy life more." We actually have to practice mind/body tools that can positively affect our brain wave activity, in an integrative way, as T'ai Chi is proven to do.

T'ai Chi is an extremely sophisticated mind/body science that evolved over millennia, and is now being made available to all of us after centuries of being closely guarded secrets in China. Even though the practices are ancient, they are in many ways just as cutting edge as the multi-gigabyte computer.

Don't just be "cutting edge" with your left-brain. Go all the way and stretch the envelope with your right brain, too, by weaving T'ai Chi into your life. You will be forever glad you did, as you discover balance and calm in the eye of the modern world’s ever accelerating storm of changes rushing at us.

About the Author: Bill Douglas is the Tai Chi Expert at DrWeil.com, Founder of World T'ai Chi & Qigong Day (held in 50 nations each year), and has authored and co-authored several books including a #1 best selling Tai Chi book “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to T’ai Chi & Qigong.” He is also the presenter in the world acclaimed DVD instructional anthology, Anthology of Tai Chi & Qigong: The Prescription for the Future. Bill’s been a Tai Chi source for The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Reader’s Digest, Parade Magazine, The South China Morning Post, Russia’s Omsk Weekly News, New Zealand’s Alternative Health Magazine, Family PC Magazine, and hundreds of television, radio, and print media worldwide. You can learn more about Tai Chi & Qigong, and also contact Bill Douglas at http://www.worldtaichiday.org

Article Source: NewAgeArticles.com

Favourite Things

Weekend Reads

Sunshine across the UK!

At BSSK we're all gearing up for Wood Green this weekend, it's looking like a great event and we can't wait.

A few web sites to waste some lazy weekend hours away to...

Make a Vision Board

Fab little site all to do with Vision Boards.  Why we make them and how we can make them.

Treehugger.com

A one stop shop of information about all things green.  Articles and news on sustainability, green issues,  natural products and environmental solutions.

One Sarcastic Broad

Not to everyones taste, but this site is really, really funny.  Also has odd stuff and recipes, a real eclectic mix.  I've linked to the post about things to make your back garden awesome this summer because some of them do look awesome!

101 Zen Stories

Exactly what it says ;)

Favourite Things

New feature (Oprah style!) - every monday we share our favourite things from around the web...

Weekend Reads

Yay, it's friday!

Got another little round of interesting sites for you for the weekend.  Whatever the weather and whatever you're up to have a great weekend.

Information Machine

We have no real description for this site, other than it is fascinating!  Loads of posts about remote viewing, aliens, science, earthquakes, UFO's....counter-culture style posts.

Charlie Hamilton James

Charlie is a photojournalist and  TV presenter.  He may look familiar as he has a programme on the BBC at the moment.  He bought a rainforest and is working to protect it and raise environmental awareness.

Bumblebee Conservation

Bees are on the decline, and that's something we should be worrying about.  The Bee Conservation website explains why, what there soulutions are and how we can help.

Clean Eating Recipes

Tiffany is on a mission to get us eating cleanly and healthily.  Loads of recipes and shopping tips...

Featured Exhibitor...Melinda Cooper

Not long to go until Wood Green!

Today we're going to feature one of our exhibitors who will be there this year.

Melinda Cooper is an international clairvoyant with an excellent reputation here in the UK and abroad.

Melinda comes from a long line of seers.  Her mother and grandmother are both clairvoyants and were amazed by Melindas' gifts from a very young age.  She has been featured in many magazines including Chat, Take a Break, Spirit and Destiny, and Woman's own.  She has also been called upon for her expert opinion by the Daily Express

Melinda has also appeared on RTE Television in Ireland.

Her guidance and positivity in reading the Tarot, Palms and her Mediumship ensures an uplifting and comforting reading.  You can find Melinda online at www.melindapsychic.co.uk

Pop over to her stand at Wood Green, have a look and say hi!