Tuesday, May 3, 2016, the Lok Sabha, one of the two houses of Indian Congress, unanimously passed a bill to unlock over $6 billion dollars in accumulated funds that would go toward increasing the forest coverage in India. The bill, called the Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF), aims to utilize a large sum of funds that have accumulated over the past ten years in a central, governmental body. 

The bill will go to the other house of congress, Rajya Sabha, in the coming weeks and is expected to pass there as well. 

Encouraged by the recent Paris meetings on climate change, the creation of this historic legislation will lead to necessary reforestation across the country and has the potential to create many jobs in the rural and tribal areas of India. As part of the Paris Agreement, India committed to creating 2.5 billion tons of additional carbon sink, i.e. creating more forest.

Furthermore, the bill aims to: 

• provide transparency for how the funds will be spent. 
• create a National Compensatory Afforestation Fund in the central government and the State Compensatory Afforestation Fund in respective states. 
• ensure the states will spend the funds for reforestation and related works, such as, forest regeneration and wildlife protection. 
• set up a national and state-level authority to monitor the utilization of the funds.

Have you found yourself feeling more stressed out or anxious recently? How do you deal with your stress and anxiety? In the current age - it seems like technology can create more new ways to feel stressed or anxious, rather than helping to cure people's stress or make people's lives easier. A more recent phenomenon that has arisen in the past few years is the concept of FOMO - or "Fear of Missing Out." It has become such a mainstream concept that the Oxford English Dictionary added it in 2013 and defined it as: 

“…‘‘the uneasy and sometimes all-consuming feeling that you’re missing out – that your peers are doing, in the know about, or in possession of more or something better than you’’. Under this framing of FoMO, nearly three quarters of young adults reported they experienced the phenomenon.”
 

This phenomenon began to take off, especially among younger generations, during the rise of social media like Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat, etc. In addition to rising numbers of young people feeling FOMO, studies published in 2013 revealed that 57% of women enrolled in American Universities reported feeling overwhelming anxiety. Furthermore, a study performed in the United Kingdom discovered that 1 in 3 young women who participated in the study suffered from anxiety attacks. 

The question then arises - what can be done to relieve the seemingly high amount of stress and anxiety that people experience these days? One solution being explored by researches is the use of music. In fact, neuroscientists have discovered that people can reduce their levels of anxiety by listening to specially crafted music. In a study done by researchers in the United Kingdom, it was discovered that by listening to a particular song, participant's stress levels decreased by 65%, and they also exhibited a 35% reduction in their overall physiological resting rates. 

The song that the researchers used to induce heightened states of relaxation in participants was specially composed through a collaboration between the UK band Marconi Union and a team of music therapists. With the help of the music therapists, Marconi Union identified and used harmonies, rhythms and bass lines in the song that would help to slow down the listeners' heart rates, lower their blood pressure, and in turn, lower stress hormones such as cortisol. 

The song was so successful that TIME Magazine named Marconi Union one of its "Inventors of the Year" in 2011. Since its release, the song "Weightless" has been streamed on Spotify and via Youtube more than twenty million times. 

Want to experience the song for yourself? Let us know if you experience it's relaxing effects. 

Listen here now:


 

January 6, 2016 

Rajmani Sinclair

Wisdom can be found in the most unlikely of places, even in an imaginary land called the Hundred Acre Wood. Many of us grew up watching and reading the misadventures of Winnie the Pooh and his colorful friends, but perhaps we've forgotten the qualities that these lovable characters possessed and tried to pass on to us bright-eyed wee ones. Here are some timeless quotes from that cuddly yellow bear, reminding us that wisdom can be cultivated at any age.
 

1. "You can't stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes." 

2. "People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day."

3. "Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day." 

4. "Some people talk to animals. Not many listen though. That's the problem." 

5. "What day is it?"
    "It's today," squeaked Piglet!
    "My favorite day," said Pooh.           

6. "You're braver than you believe and stronger and smarter than you think." 

7. "Love is taking a few steps backward maybe even more… to give way to the happiness of the person you love." 

8. "A little consideration, a little thought for others, makes all the difference."

9. "Don’t underestimate the value of doing nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering." 

10. "If there ever comes a day we can’t be together, keep me in your heart, I’ll stay there forever." 

11. "The things that make me different are the things that make me."

Compiled by Rajmani Sinclair

                                                                   

As Gandhi so eloquently put it: Be the change you want to see in the world. 

Balbir Singh Seechewal, fondly known as Eco Baba, is a living example of Gandhi's quote. In recent days, Eco Baba has been getting a significant amount of press for the work he started in 2000 to clean up a 160 kilometer stretch of the Kali Bein river in the Punjab region of India. 

When speaking about his project, Seechewal quoted a verse from the Guru Granth Sahib (the Sikh holy book) saying: "The wind is our Guru, the water our Father, the earth our Mother."  This verse calls upon people to treat the earth, wind, and water with respect, but since the Green Revolution four decades ago, increased agricultural production has lead to more pollution of the earth, water and air. Several villages and towns dumped their waste into the river, and this led to parts of the river drying up, which had significant repercussions for neighboring farmland. Runoff from the waste in the river also seeped into the groundwater, causing many people to contract lethal diseases. The health of local communities started to reflect the poor health of nature as a  result of their polluting practices.

Seechewal saw this and decided that he wanted to break the cycle of pollution and destruction. Drawing upon the Sikh tradition of kar sewa, or selfless service, he inspired many locals to get involved in helping clean up the river. In an attempt to get the local and municipal governments to support his efforts, Seechewal started a public awareness campaign in the region and together, with the help of several people giving hours of selfless service, they cleaned 99 miles of riverbed, built new river banks, and revived traditional methods of waste disposal and treatment. Since cleaning up the main part of the river, Seechewal has set his sights on cleaning up rivers and creeks across the Punjab in a more systematic way. 

Seechewal's efforts show how the efforts of one person can have a ripple effect - inspiring and benefitting the community in a very meaningful way. 

Written by: Rajmani Sinclair, April 13, 2016

In the words of the great novelist, poet, environmentalist and farmer Wendell Berry, we must act as “a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers, but borrowed from his children.” 

A group of 20 children, ages 8 – 19, seem to be putting Berry’s words into action. They are currently suing the US government on the assertion that: 

Young people and unborn generations are being discriminated against when it comes to the U.S. propagation of climate change. 

The children who are currently suing the US government are backed by the environmental advocacy group, Our Children’s Trust. Our Children’s Trust asserts on its website that it is: “Leading the frame changing, youth-driven, global climate recovery campaign to secure the legal right to a healthy atmosphere and stable climate.”
 

The case that the group of 20 children have brought before the Federal District Court in Eugene, Oregon (OR), presents a new approach to environmental advocacy that is fighting climate change. 

On April 8th, 2016, US Magistrate Judge Thomas Coffin of Eugene's Federal District Court agreed to hear the children’s case. The main points that the children assert in the case include: 

• The US government has known for decades that CO2 pollution has caused climate change and failed to take necessary actions to curtail fossil fuel emissions. 
• The actions or lack of action taken by the US Government and its agencies has contributed to increased CO2 pollution through fossil fuel extraction, production, consumption, transportation and exportation. 
• The actions of the US government have made it extremely difficult for current and future generations of children to protect their vital natural systems and maintain a livable world. 
• The US government’s actions or lack of action infringes on children’s rights to life and liberty. 

Judge Coffin’s agreement to hear the children’s argument upheld their claims (supported by the 5th and 9th amendments) that our government is denying them protections afforded to previous generations by favoring the short-term economic interests of certain citizens. Furthermore, Judge Coffin upheld the youth plaintiffs’ assertion of violations under the public trust doctrine, ruling that there is a federal public trust, and the plaintiff’s claims deserve acknowledgment.
 

As mentioned above, this case is an unprecedented lawsuit in that it holds the US government accountable for its action, or inaction, that has contributed to global climate change, thereby effecting the current and future generations of children on this planet. While the case has not gone to trial yet, the fact that Judge Coffin has agreed to allow this case to proceed is a significant victory for the plaintiff, and ultimately for the future generations that we are currently borrowing this planet from. 

For more information regarding this case, check out these links: 

Our Children's Trust 
The April 8, 2016 Press Release regarding Judge Coffin's Decision 
Judge Coffin's Legal Brief regarding the Case

Everywhere you look these days, people seem to be professing the benefits of mindfulness. Yogis have been talking about it for thousands of years, and now Western science is finally starting to catch up with what some sages have known for ages. But what is mindfulness anyway? And why should you care? 

To put it succinctly, Ronald Siegel, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School, states that mindfulness is: "awareness of present experience with acceptance." 

Sounds simple enough, but it can be trickier than you think. 

How often are you really present and aware? 

In this age of social media, cell phones, computers, tablets and smart watches, how often do you pause, disconnect from the media-saturated digital world and connect with the world around you? How often do you wait in line or for the train or bus, for example, and really just wait? Can you do it without listening to music on your iPhone or checking the latest snapchats or emails? 

The iPhone was released when I was in college, and I remember vividly the day when I looked around campus as I was walking to class and thought - Does anyone just walk anymore? I looked around and saw that nearly everyone had headphones on or was talking on the phone. Not many people were simply walking and interacting with the environment around them. With time, I started to get uncomfortable walking across campus without talking on the phone or listening to something on my phone. I noticed that it took a lot of energy and discipline to go against the sudden social tendency to never be fully present and aware. 

After I graduated I got a job, and before I knew it I was attached at the hip to my iPhone and all my work emails and texts. I was never alone - someone could always reach me. I started to resent my phone. I yearned for a simpler time when people had to pick up the phone to reach people, or had to type things on a typewriter rather than answer hundreds of emails and update several spreadsheets a day. 

Did that idyllic time ever exist? 

Probably not.

Regardless of the current technology, humans will always find ways to not be present. We are so often lost in our own thoughts about the future or past, and rarely are we fully aware and present. So I can blame technology if I want, but ultimately, as I realized, the choice to be present is mine and mine alone. 

If any of what you've read so far resonates with you, you might be wondering, "okay, so why should I care? What can a mindfulness practice offer me?" 

While it won't make all your troubles away - it will help change how you respond to daily life and ultimately live in a way that reduces anxiety and worry. 

In simple terms, here are 5 basic principles of mindfulness that, when understood and put into practice, can take you a long way: 

• Recognize that you are not your thoughts. 
• Observe your thoughts, but do not judge them. Don't try and suppress them or get rid of them. Just notice your thoughts and allow them to float by without engaging with them. 
• Practice becoming immersed in the environment around you. Take off your headphones. Turn off your smartphone. Look at the world around you. 
• Take note of patterns of thoughts that occur often and label them so that when they come up again, you can say, "Oh, there's that thought pattern again..." Acknowledge it, and move on. 
• Return to your breath - be in your body, and take in the world as it presently is around you.

What's even more important than all of these tips is actually making time for them! We often get wrapped up in the runaway train of our thoughts because we think we don't have enough time. Don't get on that train. Pause. Breathe. Take time for yourself, even if it's just a minute, and see what happens. 

Written by Rajmani Sinclair, 05/17/2016

It's always exciting when scientific studies start to show what we already know about meditation. A number of studies held in the past five years are now starting to quantify how mindfulness and meditation practices are beneficial for elementary school-aged children. In a recent blog post on the New York Times Wellness Blog, one study showed that meditation over a period of 4 weeks improved children's executive functioning and even improved math grades. Furthermore, a different scientific review published in March concluded that meditation can positively change the structure of the brain to improve academic performance. 

Studies also showed that Meditation can also have the greatest effect on the cognition of the brain if it's done during childhood, due to the plasticity of the brain during that time. Thus, the earlier one meditates, the more effective the impact is on one's brain development.

Some scientists also shared personal examples of how mindfulness practices have supported and improved the lives of their children. For example, one scientist who practices Transcendental Meditation (TM) cited that she's noticed her 9-year-old daughter turning to mindfulness centering techniques of her own volition when she finds herself getting emotional. Thus, her daughter is able to better self-regulate her emotions. 

Another researcher shared a similar observation regarding meditation and her son who has A.D.H.D and bi-polar disorder. She has seen that when he takes a moment to focus on a mindfulness exercise, he is able to resolve his mood swings or anger with more ease.

Ultimately, by teaching children mindfulness meditation - parents and teachers are providing children with the tools to learn how to process emotions better and relate to the world with more focus and self-control. These are tools that will benefit anyone for a lifetime. 

Article written by Rajmani Sinclair, May 11, 2016

In an interview with a CBS New Anchor, King Nahh, a now 9-year-old motivational speaker and actor, spoke about some topics that you wouldn't expect to hear from a youngster. In the interview he speaks about the mystical 3rd Eye (pineal gland), and the importance of turning off the TV and violent video games. These things, King says, can negatively influence and incite violence in media consumers. He also speaks about gun violence in such a way that you feel he is an old soul, perhaps reincarnated into this body to continue a fight for peace. 

Watch and see what you think!

Washington DC resident Virginia McLaurin had a lifelong dream of visiting the White House. Last week, at the impressive age of 106, her dream finally came true. Lucky for us, it was caught on camera! Watch Virginia's sheer delight as she meets the president and first lady: 

Virginia was invited to the White House for the Black History Month reception and given the opportunity to meet the Obamas privately beforehand. 

Believe it or not, Ms. McLaurin has offered her services as a volunteer in the DC area for 20 years, serving about 40 hours each week! Specifically, she is a Senior Corps volunteer at Roots Public Charter School and C. Melvin Sharpe Health School, where she mentors, cares for, and tutors special-needs students as a foster grandparent. 

As Virginia carries on serving her community into her 100s, her dedication continues to inspire and uplift people everywhere. 

What a beautiful example of modern generosity and a life well spent! 

Author: Nate Morgan

As Gandhi so eloquently put it: Be the change you want to see in the world. 

Balbir Singh Seechewal, fondly known as Eco Baba, is a living example of Gandhi's quote. In recent days, Eco Baba has been getting a significant amount of press for the work he started in 2000 to clean up a 160 kilometer stretch of the Kali Bein river in the Punjab region of India. 

When speaking about his project, Seechewal quoted a verse from the Guru Granth Sahib (the Sikh holy book) saying: "The wind is our Guru, the water our Father, the earth our Mother."  This verse calls upon people to treat the earth, wind, and water with respect, but since the Green Revolution four decades ago, increased agricultural production has lead to more pollution of the earth, water and air. Several villages and towns dumped their waste into the river, and this led to parts of the river drying up, which had significant repercussions for neighboring farmland. Runoff from the waste in the river also seeped into the groundwater, causing many people to contract lethal diseases. The health of local communities started to reflect the poor health of nature as a  result of their polluting practices. 

Seechewal saw this and decided that he wanted to break the cycle of pollution and destruction. Drawing upon the Sikh tradition of kar sewa, or selfless service, he inspired many locals to get involved in helping clean up the river. In an attempt to get the local and municipal governments to support his efforts, Seechewal started a public awareness campaign in the region and together, with the help of several people giving hours of selfless service, they cleaned 99 miles of riverbed, built new river banks, and revived traditional methods of waste disposal and treatment. Since cleaning up the main part of the river, Seechewal has set his sights on cleaning up rivers and creeks across the Punjab in a more systematic way. 

Seechewal's efforts show how the efforts of one person can have a ripple effect - inspiring and benefitting the community in a very meaningful way. 

Written by: Rajmani Sinclair, April 13, 2016