by atmara | Jul 10, 2014 | Creativity, Inspiration, TED Talks, Video
According to ted.com: “”I have cerebral palsy. I shake all the time,” Maysoon Zayid announces at the beginning of this exhilarating, hilarious talk. (Really, it’s hilarious.) “I’m like Shakira meets Muhammad Ali.” With grace and wit, the Arab-American comedian takes us on a whistle-stop tour of her adventures as an actress, stand-up comic, philanthropist and advocate for the disabled.”
“A Palestinian woman from New Jersey, Zayid jokes about her family, global culture, and her life with cerebral palsy. Along with Dean Obeidallah, she founded the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival, now in its 10th year. She spends several months of the year in the Palestinian Territories running workshops for disabled and orphaned kids in refugee camps, using art to help them deal with trauma. And yes — if you’re an Adam Sandler fan, you’ll recognize Zayid as the woman behind the beauty-shop counter in You Don’t Mess With the Zohan.”
Enjoy this entertaining talk.
For those of you not familiar with TED Talks here is a brief summery from www.ted.com: “TED is a small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader. Along with two annual conferences — the TED Conference in Long Beach and Palm Springs each spring, and the TEDGlobal conference in Oxford UK each summer — TED includes the award-winning TEDTalks video site, the Open Translation Project and Open TV Project, the inspiring TED Fellows and TEDx programs, and the annual TED Prize”
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I look forward to your thoughts and comments!
by atmara | Jul 7, 2014 | Art, Mandala Coloring, Mandala Monday, Mandalas
Although Mandala designs began as part of a spiritual ritual in Buddhism and Hinduism, it has gained popularity in the western world for use in meditation. Psychoanalyst Carl Jung described it best when he referred to Mandala designs as a “representation of the unconscious self”.
Always in the shape of a circle, Mandala designs symbolize the universe as an orderly, harmonious whole, free from chaos. The main idea of Mandala designs is to help replace the negative energy from your life by focusing your energy on the positive. Creating your own personal Mandala designs can help soothe trauma, and coloring them in with your favorite colors can bring a peaceful state of mind, replacing negative thoughts.
Some find it helpful to write words within the mandala circle, such as Healthy, Kind, Compassionate, etc. It is so easy to slip into a negative mind frame, especially if you are surrounded by negativity on a daily basis. Creating your own Mandala designs and using them as part of a meditation session can bring your mind and soul back into a state of positive love.
For example, you may have suffered the loss of a job and had to settle for a less paying and less prestigious position. That has to sting. You may feel worthless and inadequate, and find your new boss to be a pain. But it is a job and you will get through this. Telling yourself that over and over again may not be enough to overcome the negative feelings. Of course that’s just one scenario that life can throw our way. We face obstacles and let downs on a daily basis. Using mandalas and meditation together is a simple and easy way to regain your positive outlook on life.
You might try working on some mandala designs that use words that focus on the positive aspects of your job. Of use words and imagery in the designs that focus on your future job. Using specific colors will also help creative a more positive state of mind. Bright blue reminds people of strength, yellow means sunny, and lavender is a relaxing, soothing color. Some words you might incorporate into your mandalas are STRONG, GRATEFUL, and SERENE, depending on what you’re meditating on.
There are thousands of mandala designs you can find online if you don’t feel like making your own. There are mandala calendars you can purchase. There are coloring book mandalas, mandala posters, downloadable, printable mandalas, etc. Mandalas are everywhere and for good reason.
Situations occur in life all the time but your ability to deal with them makes all the difference in your spirit and mood, and mandalas can help you get rid stress and negative feelings.
Cat Williams is a freelance writer and advocate of creating your own mandala designs for use in mediation and as a healing tool. To learn more about the benefits of mandalas, see her website at Self-Help-Healing-Arts-Journal.com.
Article courtesy of GoArticles.com
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I look forward to your thoughts and comments!
by atmara | Jul 3, 2014 | Compassion, Inspiration, TED Talks, Truth, Video
According to ted.com: “In this touching talk, Ash Beckham offers a fresh approach to empathy and openness. It starts with understanding that everyone, at some point in their life, has experienced hardship. The only way out, says Beckham, is to open the door and step out of your closet.”
“Ash Beckham is no stranger to hard conversations. In her work, she shares how coming out as a lesbian helped her appreciate our common humanity and better understand the hardships that we all face. This equality advocate mixes personal experience and wisdom to help everyone bravely face their demons.”
Enjoy this touching talk.
For those of you not familiar with TED Talks here is a brief summery from www.ted.com: “TED is a small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader. Along with two annual conferences — the TED Conference in Long Beach and Palm Springs each spring, and the TEDGlobal conference in Oxford UK each summer — TED includes the award-winning TEDTalks video site, the Open Translation Project and Open TV Project, the inspiring TED Fellows and TEDx programs, and the annual TED Prize”
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I look forward to your thoughts and comments!
