Aging the Yogic Way

The aging process cannot be stopped, but it can be slowed. Simple daily habits followed and routinely administered will have a great effect on a persons well being. Diet is the most important, try to avoid red meats as much as possible, fish is the best of all the meat products. Do not eat any foods that are not cooked and use very little salt in your diet. Having a glass of water in the morning is very important, this must be done prior to any food or drink is taken. Follow the 12 Basics described below and life will be a lot sweeter.

1) Avoid Red Meats. 2) One glass of water in the morning daily. 3) Avoid being in the sun for too long. Use sun screens with high SPF ( coconut oil is a good substitute if you have no sun screen). 4) Avoid shampooing your hair daily. ( If possible avoid all shampoo soaps). Wash hair daily with hot water. This will definetly stop hair loss. Also massage your body with coconut oil when ever possible. 5) Avoid alcoholic drinks, if you indulge in them, have a glass of red wine and do not have any excess. Avoid all soda’s with sugar, definite contributer of diabetes and obesity. 6) Sleep is very essential, try to cat nap at midday if possible. 7) Manage stress, exercise daily, yoga is very good for stress management, sivasakti.com is a great site for yoga. 8) Married couples should have sexual relationships on a very regular basis. 9) Be forgiving and friendly to all around you, especially to animals. 10) Have a small garden and work in it every day. 11) Give in charity and devote some time to help others. 12) Always talk to people and smile and make it contagious.

There are some vitamins and minerals that will help in your well being, Vitamin E, C, D, and the use of Ginseng will help for good memory retention. Taking any vitamins and minerals should be done with care and proper guidance. Avoid the use of pain killing drugs and avoid excessive cafine. Seasonal fruits are a very good source of natural sugar and should be included in your diet.

Fasting on a regular basis is very essential, if fasting is not possible, one must consume less food than one does normally, good eating habits and timing the food intake are very important.  Late nite eating should be avoided, alcohol consumption should be avoided.

Energy – Oil

The high cost of Energy – is simply the cause of supply and demand, we as a nation can control this, and we are not willing to at the moment. The energy companies are not fixing the high price of oil and gas, they just explore and produce it and sell it. The commodities market is playing the game and making the profits by spreading false rumors about the dollar value and the news stories that create the swing in pricing. My prediction is that oil will eventually level out at 110 $/barrel.

The consumer has to do his or her share of controlling the price of energy. Most believe that this is easier said than done, but a few simple steps will make a difference.

1 Buy automobiles that are 30+ miles to a gallon. (Rid yourself of the gas guzzler SUV’S). 2)  Drive at 60 miles / hour. 3)  Sacrifice the use of automobiles and use other means of transport when possible. 4)  Use good quality gas only. 5)  Use less AC in the summer and properly insulate your residence. 6)  Live in harmony with nature ( use as little AC as possible in your automobile). 7)  Wash laundry in cold water and dry on clothes line. and use wrinkle free fabric. 8) Shower in cold water in the summer time. 9)  When replacing the water heater use the tank less one with instant heating. 9)  Wash dishes by hand. 10)  Last and very important – cook outside the house and do not heat the home up in the summer time.  11)  Use CFL bulbs or LED lights and it will make a big difference in your energy consumption.

We as American’s are very resourceful and hard working and we can beat this energy virus and have a great lifestyle without throwing our hard earned money. Recycle anything that can be reused and stop using plastic bags and other plastic materials. Use less ice. Just simple and basic changes will save a lot of expense and energy. This will bring the commodities gang down to its knees.

Update : As of September 02/08 price of oil is down to 106.60 $/BBL. As predicted the price is a clear function of the consumers habits.

Update : Next marker will be the 79.00 $/BBL.

Update Oct-22-08: Next marker will be the 60.00 $/BBL – this is when oil will bottom out.

Mango Salsa

• 2 Medium mangoes, 1 small red onion, 1 large tomato, 1 jalapeño pepper.
• 1 bunch of fresh Cilantro
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander cum powder
• 3 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon of red chill pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon of fennel seeds.

Peel the mangoes and finely chop the meat (remove the seeds). Finely chop the red onion and tomato, add all the spices and peppers, add balsamic vinegar, lime juice, salt to taste, sugar, olive oil and nutmeg and mix well. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and enjoy.

Avacado Dip

• 4 Avacado
• 1 can whole tomato
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon coriander cumin powder
• 1 lime
• 2 green jalapeno peppers

Take firm avocado’s and peel and mash by hand. In separate bowl blend tomato’s and green chillies and add olive oil and spices and mix well, mix the avacado’s with the tomato’s and add the lime juice to it. Mix well add salt to taste and 1 teaspoon of brown sugar mix well and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Enjoy.

Apple Cobbler

Apple Cobbler Recipe

• Apple Filling:
• 5 cups tart apples, peeled, sliced
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon butter, softened
• Topping:
• 1/2 cup flour, sifted
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 egg, slightly beaten

PREPARATION:

In a medium bowl, combine apples, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon salt, vanilla and water. Turn into a lightly buttered 9-inch square pan. Dot apples with 1 tablespoon butter.

Combine all topping ingredients. Beat with wooden spoon until batter is smooth. Drop batter in 9 portions, over the apples, spacing evenly. Batter will spread during baking. Bake 35 to 40 minutes at 375° or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown. Serve warm with cream or ice cream.
Serves 6 to 8.

The Practice of Yoga

Yoga for the mind and body, The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit language, meaning union or merger. The yogi strikes a balance between mind and body to attain self-enlightenment, and release stress. All the exercises (aasans) in yoga control and stimulate the glands in the body, thus exercising in this manner releases stress and calms the body. The practice of physical yoga is called Hatha yoga and the practice of mental yoga is called Prana yoga.

Yoga must be performed in total silence and if possible in a very quite and serene location. There should be no distractions from music and any other noise. Correct postures must be learned from the master yogi, and correct breathing must be performed during every aasann. Clothing must be loose and preferably of cotton. Body should be clean. The morning time is the best time for the performance, but any time is good. I like the serenity of the garden in the mornings. After a good workout a glass of water from the copper pot will put the icing on the cake. Other topics will be discussed in later publications of yoga.

Yoga- First performance in the morning

The practice of yoga in the simplest form. Every morning after waking up, and performing the cleaning of the body have a glass of water, preferably stored overnite in a copper pot. Do not have any food or other drink before you consume this glass of water. This has a very medicinal effect on the digestive system and if the water is stored in the copper pot, it destroys any bacteria or other organisms in the water.

The morning time is the best time for meditation, the soul is closest to the creater. Spend a few minutes in meditation, there should be no disturbance from any external sound and this should be performed in total silence and deep concentration.