Kiefer Sutherland, Danny Glover in New Fox Show “Touch”

Posted on by Tammy

Described by Fox as a “distinct and colorful drama in which science and spirituality intersect,” the new show “Touch” will premiere early next year and star Kiefer Sutherland and Danny Glover.

Sutherland will play Martin Bohm, an ex-journalist, widower and single father, who struggles to connect with his mute, autistic 11-year-old son, Jake, played by newcomer David Mazouz. Everything changes when Martin discovers his son has the ability to see things that no one else can and the patterns that connect seemingly unrelated events, the network reported.

“Every once in a while, you encounter a piece of material that you cannot say ‘no’ to,” Sutherland told Reuters.

In the show, Jake communicates with numbers, and Martin meets Arthur Dewitt (Danny Glover), a professor and an expert on children who possess special gifts when it comes to numbers. Now, it’s up to Martin to decipher the meaning and connect the numbers to the cast of characters whose lives they affect, according to the network.

“Touch is a surprising and special drama. From its international scope and big themes to a central character who doesn’t speak a word, the show strives to break new ground for television,” said Kevin Reilly, Fox Entertainment President.

VIDEO: Goldie Hawn Talks Children and Meditation

Posted on by Tammy

Goldie Hawn recently appeared on ABC’s “Nightline” to speak about The Hawn Foundation, which develops programs to help children thrive and find happiness. One of its programs is called MindUp, which is helping kinds with mindfulness meditation, or what Hawn calls “brain breaks.”

“It’s not anything magical. It’s all biological and neurological,” Hawn told “Nightline” anchor Cynthia McFadden. “So let’s just take a breath and take a break. Teachers need it. Kids need it.”

Hawn, who meditates herself, also spoke about her new book, “10 Mindful Minutes,” which is meant to help parents and teachers work with their children. The MindUp program, which is now being used in hundreds of schools in the United Kingdom and United States, suggests children should have two-minute moments of self-reflection and meditation three times each day to help them calm down and focus, the ABC report stated.

“You go inward for a while. It’s important to do that … it helps relax your brain and strengthen your brain,” she said in the Nightline interview. “It gives great context into behavior, emotions, ways of forgiving themselves by understanding their brain, reactivity, stress, how to reduce our stress, how to recognize it.”

Children are under pressure to perform well in school, and are over-worked and over-scheduled, Hawn explained in the interview. “An optimistic mind, an optimistic environment, actually opens the mind and helps children learn,” she said. “When they’re learning in a stressful environment, fearful environment, it shuts down their ability of their executive function.”

Additionally, Hawn’s advice to other parents is to find those “10 minutes for yourself,” because the secret to raising happy children is to be happy.

“Children mirror who you are,” she said. “If you’re happy, if you show them smiles, if you show them good attitude, if you show them kindness, understanding, fun. … They just replicate it.”

See the whole interview in the video below!

Bernie Siegel, MD to Teach Yoga, Meditation to Doctors

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The American Meditation Institute is offering the comprehensive mind-body medicine CME credit course on meditation and yoga for physicians and healthcare professionals under the direction of Leonard Perlmutter and Bernie Siegel, MD, on November 3-6, 2011 at the Cranwell Resort in Lenox, Mass.

Entitled ‘The Heart and Science of Yoga,’ the CME course is accredited by The Albany Medical College Office of Continuing Medical Education for 16 AMA Category 1 credits. Additional faculty members include Beth Netter, MD and Anita Burock-Stotts, MD.

Leonard Perlmutter is the founder of The American Meditation Institute (AMI) and the award-winning author of “The Heart and Science of Yoga: A Blueprint for Peace, Happiness and Freedom from Fear.” Additionally, since the 1970s, mind-body medicine pioneer Bernie Siegel, MD has worked with patients to help them heal and to deal with issues regarding disease and mortality. His first book, published in 1986, was the popularly acclaimed “Love, Medicine & Miracles.”

Noted physicians Mehmet Oz, Dean Ornish and Larry Dossey endorsed Perlmutter’s book, which serves as the curriculum for this mind-body medicine CME course. The course is accredited for physicians and nurses, and provides an introduction to the entire science of Yoga including meditation, breathing, Yoga psychology, easy-gentle yoga and a mind-body medicine care plan.

“By accrediting this meditation and yoga CME course, the Albany Medical College continues to be a progressive force in mind-body medicine,” Perlmutter said in a released statement. “This accreditation will provide many benefits for the health and wellbeing of physicians, healthcare professionals and their patients.”

A case study conducted by Beth Netter, MD, Chair of the AMI Medical Education Committee found individuals who practiced Perlmutter’s “Heart and Science of Yoga” teaching daily, experienced many positive, reproducible, long-term health-promoting changes, including lowered blood pressure, reduced cholesterol levels, increased breathing capacity, improved quality of sleep and significant reductions in stress and fear.

Physicians, nurses and healthcare professionals interested in attending the annual CME accredited event are encouraged to contact The American Meditation Institute in Averill Park, New York at www.americanmeditation.org.

Doreen Virtue’s Archangels 101 Reveals How to Connect

Posted on by Tammy

Whether its movies, television shows or books, the topic of angels is popular and universal. Many people tell stories about praying to a certain angel and having their prayers answered, or discovering signs of an angel’s presence, such as a big, white feather.

While there are many groups of angels, the Archangels, such as Michael, Raphael and Gabriel, are most recognized, but they are all here to assist us – all they are waiting for is to be asked.

In her book, “Archangels 101: How to Connect with Archangels Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, Uriel and Others for Healing Protection and Guidance,” Doreen Virtue outlines the roles each angel plays in our lives, what ‘specialties’ they cover, and specific prayers to help us call upon them.

Did you know that not only is Archangel Michael the angel to call upon for protection, but that you can also call upon him to repair necessary items like computers and other mechanical or electrical tools? And while Archangel Raphael is known for healing, did you realize you can also ask him to direct you to the right health care provider?

This book reveals all of this and more, and has become a staple in our library. We often tell friends and family to call upon these angels for help with specific problems or issues, as they are always ready and waiting to provide help!

Deepak Chopra’s Secrets of Meditation Software

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Wild Divine, a company offering relaxation training products, released its newest software title, “Deepak Chopra’s Secrets of Meditation,” which works on both PC and MAC computers.

Using the Wild Divine system, the new program features exercises to teach individuals how to relax and more fully enjoy the benefits of improved meditation, according to the company.

The software platform and its interface, the IOM, is the world’s only Active Feedback system, allowing users to take part in interactive audio-visual presentations. Active Feedback picks up the physiological energy of your body through the IOM, a painless interface that attaches to three fingers. Individuals can learn to concentrate their mind and body on interactive exercises to achieve a higher state of mental control through relaxation.

By sitting motionless, using only the power of their mind, they will actually control elements on the screen.

“I have teamed up with Kyle Widner and Wild Divine to create an interactive software training program called Deepak Chopra’s Secrets of Meditation,” Chopra said in a released statement. “What is unique and exciting about this program is the IOM sensor feedback technology. About the size of an iPod, it combines with software on your computer to give you instant feedback on the changes in the level of stress, tension, or relaxation in your body.”

“Deepak Chopra’s Secrets of Meditation” features 20 full length guided practice videos and 10 inspirational videos. Each lesson is augmented by exercises that utilize Wild Divine’s IOM hardware, which connects via a standard USB port (and is purchased separately from the software). The IOM sensor measures skin conductivity, heart rate and breathing rate.

Packages are available starting at $299.95.

To learn more, watch this video: www.secretsofmeditationlaunch.com/learnmore, and you can sign up for the free Deepak Chopra video series at www.secretsofmeditationlaunch.com.

Using Alternative Medicine to Treat Pets

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Alternative medicine is not just for us two-legged humans anymore. The popularity of choosing alternative therapies for our four-legged friends continues to grow, including the use of acupuncture, herbs, chiropractic, massage therapy, aromatherapy, essential oils, laser therapy and physical therapy, Dr. Nancy Scanlan, executive director of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

“People are finally questioning their own health care, so they are seeking alternatives for their own animals also,” Dr. Joyce Loeser, a holistic vet with a practice in Davie, Fla. told the newspaper. Loeser had 300 clients when she first started her practice nine years ago, and now has more than 4,800 clients and 6,900 patients.

For example, Loeser helped a 125-pound Weimaraner recover following a stroke by putting him in an underwater treadmill, which she said helped him regain his strength and balance. “We’ll do whatever it takes to get these guys functioning again,” she said in the report.

The American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association started in 1992 with 30 members, and now has 900 members. Every year, approximately 150 vets become certified in acupuncture, Scanlan told the Sun Sentinel.

However, just like alternative medicine for people, a trip to a holistic vet will cost more money — anywhere from 1 1/2 to three times what a regular office call might cost, Scanlan said in the article.

For more information or to find a holistic veterinarian near you, visit http://www.ahvma.org/.