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Yoga, Levitation & Superpowers

Posted by Beth Shaw on
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Health & Wellness
Yoga, Levitation & Superpowers

Once limited to fairytales and folklore, magic has been prevalent throughout history and is just now starting to be understood and recognized by science. Whether it be levitation, clairvoyance, remote viewing or telepathy; magic has been practiced for centuries and the more we explore these abilities, the better understanding we will have of ourselves and the world around us.

On Voice America’s hit show Make America Healthy, host Beth Shaw, founder of YogaFit Training Systems, brings up topics affecting our nation today and talks through solutions that the everyday American can achieve. In the episode titled “Yoga, Levitation & Superpowers,” Beth invites Chief Scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences, Dean Radin, to take us on a deeper dive into ancient wisdom and modern sciences, while guiding us to the secret powers of the universe. In his new book, Real Magic, Radin paves the road to new scientific horizons, arguing that magic is a natural aspect of reality that everyone is capable of tapping into with diligent practice.     

Traditionally, tapping into your inner magic was thought to only be achieved after years of practicing deep meditation and yoga, but as acceptance of plant medicine grows throughout the modern world, scientists are discovering the supernatural benefits psychedelics have on the mind, body, and spirit. Allowing us to step outside of our realms, psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD alter our state of mind so that we can see the world from a different, more unified, perspective. 

Just with trying anything new in life, it is important to take precaution when experimenting with psychedelic plant medicine. The Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) is a non-profit research and educational organization that develops medical, legal, and cultural contexts for people to benefit from the careful uses of psychedelics and marijuana. They provide a psychedelic fundamentals course as a beginners guide to plant medicine, backed up by scientific research. If you have never experienced psychedelics, it is generally recommended you start off with a micro-dose, a small enough dose to reap the benefits while avoiding undesirable side effects. Through countless studies, research has proven positive effects on depression, PTSD, and creativity levels; but since there is yet to be a designated prescription for what micro-dosing means, it is important to decipher what works for you. 

If you are weary of psychedelic practices, stay true to your intuition and follow the tried and true methods of yoga and meditation. Prioritize your health and sign up for your first YogaFit training program. Our Meditation and Mindfulness course provides a one­-day transformational training that uses a multilayered approach to mantra and chakra meditations to balance the nervous system and bring greater awareness to the mind and the body. If you enter the code VOICE22 at checkout, you will receive 15% off your next yoga session! At YogaFit we follow our essence of “Breathing, feeling, listening to your body. Letting go of judgment, competition and expectations. Staying in the present moment.” Only you will know what is right for you.

Christmas With Molang * Adorable Stories With Important Messages About Christmas

Posted by presspass on
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Empowerment
Christmas With Molang * Adorable Stories With Important Messages About Christmas

ChristmasMolang.Cover..jpg

The magic of Christmas is all around! Join our best friends, Molang and Piu Piu, on their adventures during this idyllic season. It’s the perfect time to build a snowman, go ice-skating with friends, find the most beautiful Christmas tree and of course, meet Santa! Merry Christmas from Molang and Piu Piu! KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Jolleen M. comments, “The adorable episodes on Christmas with Molang convey important messages surrounding Christmas, without having any dialogue. Kids of all ages would be able to understand the messages.”  Katherine S. adds, “The animation in this DVD is charming. It is simple, but with good attention to detail. The characters’ hilarious language is made up of gibberish words and sounds, which is very creative and entertaining. The music is upbeat and fits well with all the Christmas adventures.” Tiana S. chimes in with, “One of my favorite parts is when Molang and Piu Piu are ice skating and Molang lets go of Piu Piu’s hands and he flies away and lands on the back of a deer. The deer then takes off like a horse. I also find it hilarious that the music director Nicholas Varley has Santa enter to ninja music.” Elizabeth T. wraps it up with, “Christmas with Molang is a sweet DVD that parents can enjoy with their younger children. The episodes are short enough to hold a young child’s attention and there is enough charm and comedy to the stories that an adult might find themselves laughing at the characters’ antics as well.” See their full reviews below.

Christmas With Molang
By Jolleen M., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 15

https://youtu.be/MpfU90Zpj3Y

The adorable episodes on Christmas with Molang convey important messages surrounding Christmas, without having any dialogue. Kids of all ages would be able to understand the messages. The animation is filled with pastel colors and is pleasing to the eyes.

The storyline follows two best friends, Molang and Piu Piu. Molang is a bunny and Piu Piu is a chick. They encounter problems throughout the day and, while finding the solutions to these problems, they learn a valuable lesson every time.  Normally Piu Piu is the one who is in distress and Molang finds a way to fix Piu Piu’s problem to cheer him up.

The animation is in a cutesy style from Korea. Molang was drawn by a university student named Yoon Hye Jin and is made to look like a sticky Korean rice cake. Everything is colored in light pastels and all the characters have round figures. Super adorable!

Although the cartoon is from Korea, the characters do not speak in Korean or in any real language for that matter. The fans have named the language that they speak Molangonese or Piupiualish. The audience is still able to understand what they are trying to say by the images shown and the strategic framing.

My favorite part about Christmas With Molang has to be the messages. Molang and Piu Piu promote the idea that Christmas is about more than receiving gifts. They help out other animal friends in their community and feel complete. Molang and Piu Piu inspire viewers to do good deeds for other people. They are an example to kids that “when you do good it comes around.”

Molang and Piu Piu also show how great it is to have a best friend. Molang and Piu Piu love each other very much and support each other all the time. These besties show how to sympathize and comfort others. These are important things to know to be able to socialize and be a caring person. Molang and Piu Piu promote positivity and love throughout the series.

Christmas With Molang is the perfect cartoon to show kids of all ages during the holiday season. They will love how cute everything is and will be inspired to do kind things for other people. I give this DVD 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 2 to 6. Christmas With Molang is out on DVDs now so be sure to check it out!

scene outside.pngChristmas with Molang
By Katherine S., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 11

https://youtu.be/tJl1hCCOho4

I love this DVD! It is full of cuteness and Christmas cheer! And it is perfect to watch on a cold, winter day.

Christmas with Molang is about a bunny named Molang and a chick named Piu Piu going on fun-filled Christmas adventures. Episodes include A Beautiful Christmas Tree, The Snowman, At The Elves’ House and Santa.

The animation in this DVD is charming. It is simple, but with good attention to detail. The characters’ hilarious language is made up of gibberish words and sounds, which is very creative and entertaining. The music is upbeat and fits well with all the Christmas adventures. All of the episodes are adorable. My favorites are The Choir and The Frog, because they have the funniest story lines. The episodes are approximately five minutes each, so the total run time is about 30 minutes.

There are many positive messages throughout the DVD including the value of friendship, helping others and always have fun in what you do. Christmas with Molang has no bad language, but there are a few risky things that kids might try to do such as climb a Christmas tree, bother wild animals and go into houses Santa style.

I give this DVD 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 3 to 9. This DVD is available now so look for it.

M&P santa claus selfie.pngChristmas with Molang
By Tiana S. KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 9

https://youtu.be/HE8EMO6xS4Q

Christmas with Molang is a cute movie full of all things Christmas! I love it. It’s a movie I would love to watch with my little cousins. The characters are so funny, playful and seem to always have fun.

Christmas with Molang is a DVD with six different short stories about Christmas on it. In each story the lead character, Molang and his friend Piu Piu experience a new lesson related to the spirit of Christmas. They build a snowman, go ice-skating, find the best Christmas tree and even meet a Ninja, back-flipping Santa Claus. Each time they go on one of their adventures, they learn a new lesson.

There are so many funny parts in each of the short stories. One of my favorite parts is when Molang and Piu Piu are ice skating and Molang lets go of Piu Piu’s hands and he flies away and lands on the back of a deer. The deer then takes off like a horse. I also find it hilarious that the music director Nicholas Varley has Santa enter to ninja music. Sometimes it is a little weird when the characters speak in animated baby voices. It could be a little annoying for older kids, because you can’t always understand what they are saying. However, because of the great animation, you can still tell what is happening. The scenes are very bright and colorful and full of the Christmas spirit.

The overall message of the DVD is to be kind to others, even strangers. In each story the characters are trying to help someone else or show how much they care about them. Also, it encourages you to show people you care and make new friends. Some day, when you are in trouble you’ll have help because you helped them.

I rate Christmas with Molang 5 out of 5 stars. It is a really cute movie for younger kids so I recommend it for ages 3 to 10. Christmas with Molang is available now wherever DVDs are sold.

vlcsnap-2018-10-08-11h59m44s584.pngChristmas with Molang
By Elizabeth T., KIDS FIRST! Juror

https://youtu.be/isF3dv75OhQ

Christmas with Molang is a sweet DVD that parents can enjoy with their younger children. The episodes are short enough to hold a young child’s attention and there is enough charm and comedy to the stories that an adult might find themselves laughing at the characters’ antics as well.

Christmas with Molang follows a young cotton-ball rabbit and her best friend Piu-Piu, a small chick. Rather than focusing on Christmas itself, either in the religious or secular sense, these episodes take classic bits of the holiday season (skating, making snowmen, caroling, finding a Christmas tree) and give them a story-book feel, full of light-hearted antics and the joys of having a best friend to do everything with. The DVD is a set of six mini-episodes and contains a number of charming adventures and funny moments.

The best part of this series is that none of the characters actually talk. They make vocalizations, like minions, where some of the words are distinguishable, but must are just sounds. Because of this, the viewer is able to imagine their own dialogue, which adds more humor to the characters interactions. On top of this, Piu-Piu and Molang have some genuinely charming interactions, and there is a distinguished personality difference between the two characters, Molang being the imaginative and upbeat, Piu-Piu being a bit more practical and clever. Most children will just find the characters cute and funny. There are plenty of events with good comedic timing (characters getting run over by snowballs, creeping up behind bushes, or trying to avoid kissing a frog). There is a lot of physical comedy (falling, people getting knocked on the head and such), but they are mostly played for laughs. The only serious injury shown is when Piu-Piu takes a rather nasty fall, nasty enough for him to fall unconscious and temporarily lose his memory.

The stories, while simple, make a decent amount of sense, even without dialogue. The only continuity error is that the two are seen decorating the Christmas tree at the beginning of each episode, making the audience wonder whether this is taking place different years or whether something happened to the old tree. The story does include Santa Claus, which isn’t particularly accurate. One episode involves a frog caught in the snow, while real frogs would be hibernating during winter. Another lack of accuracy is that all the Christmas songs the characters sing are secular, with no mention of the original carols used in church.

The animation is pretty basic, with minimal movement and simplistic designs. However, this adds to the charm of the episodes and gives the stories an idyllic, story-book flavor. The voices for the characters are all performed by the same person, but there is a noticeable enough difference to tell who’s talking.

The most beneficial episode involves a snow-man. After Piu-Piu and Molang have build and decorated a snowman, their decorations (hat, scarf, carrot and chocolates) are stolen by some hungry forest creatures, twice. After seeing that the small creatures are in need, the two go back to their house and prepare food and clothing for the creatures in a heartwarming show of forgiveness and compassion. In all the episodes, the characters find creative ways to solve problems and are always ready to help out a friend.

More than anything, the DVD illustrates how to be a good friend, to help out when others have problems, is ready to forgive, and find joy in everyday things. Whatever situation Molang and Piu-Piu find themselves in, they are the best of friends and they are always laughing. These episodes have a lot less to do with Christmas, religious or secular, than they have to do with just being kind to others, regardless of the time or season.

Christmas with Molang is a genuinely funny and charming collection of short stories that illustrate friendship and finding joy in simple, every-day things. Through a simple style of story-telling and plenty of vocal effects, these mini-episodes spark the viewer’s imagination and bring back idyllic memories of Christmas activities. I recommend it for ages 2 to 6 and give it 4 out of 5 stars. Reviewed by Elizabeth T., KIDS FIRST! Juror.

Bug Magic By Ariel & Shya Kane

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Bug Magic By Ariel & Shya Kane

Bug Magic
By Ariel Kane

One night I pulled into our local Pilot station to fill up our Prius with gas. To my surprise, as I stepped out of the car there were hundreds of Mayflies dancing in the overhead lights and alighting on my windshield, hood and top of the car. I am used to seeing Mayflies near rivers as they are aquatic insects whose life cycle is one that fisher folk follow closely since these delicate flying insects are a major food source for trout. I was unaware that the Pilot station was located anywhere near water but it must have been because the air was thick with Pale Evening Duns, the light yellow Mayflies that hatch in the spring and summer.

The young man who fills the tanks stepped over and I offered my credit card and asked him to fill it up with regular. He began swatting the air grumbling, “I hate bugs! They’re everywhere.”

His comment took me aback. Mosquitos, sure, I hate those, too. But Mayflies? As I stood there with the gas meter ticking in the background I realized how one is enculturated to hate some things and accept others. How we are taught to get the heebee-jeebees about certain things and how we learn to take others in stride. And often how, once we learn to “hate” something, we hate it forever without really taking another look.

As a country girl, growing up in Oregon, we didn’t have the video games and other diversions that kids have nowadays so when my sisters and I played outside we invented games with leaves and insects, salamanders and mice. Being toted up the hill on the back of a tricycle cost a handful of leaves. Soup served in the playhouse consisted of wild peppermint in water. Little field mice were trapped under up-side-down berry cartons and inspected at our leisure through the green plastic mesh. And grasshoppers were caught at Grandma’s house. We could be heard shrieking and squealing our childish delight as their feet tickled our hands and as they bounded away in unpredictable trajectories.

My grandfather had also taken me fishing in my youth, to a little river just below Mt. Hood. The Zig Zag River was a source of wonder and he introduced me to “Periwinkles”. These creatures hung onto the underside of rocks in the river, their shells a cocoon of tiny pebbles. We would peel them and use the “worm” inside to bait our hooks to catch hungry trout. I now know that Periwinkles were just a name my Grandpa made up and that these bugs are actually the larval stage of a Caddis Fly, also a favorite of trout. But when I was a child I knew nothing of bug magic. Periwinkles were just one of the small details of daily living taken for granted and filed away in the recesses of one’s childhood memories, seldom dusted off or reexamined in later life.

As my husband Shya and I became more interested in the art of fly fishing, particularly on rivers, we were introduced to entomology, the science of bugs. I learned that Mayflies, for instance, mate in the air and the female lays her fertilized eggs on the water, which then float down to the riverbed where they gestate and turn into the larval stage. Eventually the larva swim to the top of the water column, where they shed their case and emerge to fly away and start the cycle once again. That’s why trout will eat the larva, the immerging flies as they swim toward the sky or the flies as they dance on top of the water, dropping their eggs. They will also key in on the spinners, spent bugs who have mated and fall back to the surface to be eaten or reabsorbed into the river itself.

There have been days on the river when I have seen a patchy fog of gnats, a smoky winged haze as millions undulate millimeters above the water’s surface skin as far as the eye can see. At times there are Trico spinners masquerading as gossamer tree fluff floating weightlessly down toward the water’s slick surface. It is easy to watch their effortless descent only to be surprised as they abruptly change direction and dance skyward on translucent white wings.

As I stood by my car, I watched the buttery colored Mayflies, dainty ballerinas, wings erect, waiting to make their entrance on a watery stage. I did so with a sense of wonder, of childlike innocence.

When my tank was full and the pump clicked off, the attendant returned. “Damned bugs,” he said as he removed the nozzle, replaced my fuel cap and closed the fuel door. No, I thought. It’s magic. Bug Magic.

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Since 1987, internationally acclaimed authors, seminar leaders, radio show hosts and business consultants Ariel and Shya Kane have acted as guides, leading people through the swamp of the mind into the clarity and brilliance of the moment. Find out more about the Kanes, their seminars in NYC, in the UK, Germany and Costa Rica, the Say YES to Your Life! Meetups their work has inspired, their Being Here radio show or join their email newsletter. Also get information about their award-winning books. Their newest book, Practical Enlightenment, is now available on Amazon.com.

More Here!

Flagrant Badassery: Trusting Yourself With The Creation of Your Whole Life By Heather Nichols

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Empowerment
Flagrant Badassery: Trusting Yourself With The Creation of Your Whole Life By Heather Nichols

Many of us have spent a great deal of our lives with a strong sense of wrongness. This can so often undermine the life we desire to create. We have molded and contorted ourselves to fit in rather than stick out, a coping mechanism many of us learned in the classrooms and families of our childhood. We slowed our bodies down attempting to remain as motionless as possible in accordance with classroom rules. We believed the labels of wrongness we were given or gave ourselves when we sensed we were different; lazy, slow, disruptive, stubborn, defiant, too loud, too quiet. And we made ourselves wrong for not fitting into many structures that were flawed in their essence, believing instead we were flawed. What if all these apparent wrongnesses are actually what make you unique and different? What if the difference that you be is a strength and one that is required by our world now? What if you can turn these differences around and look from an angle that reveals the gifts and possibilities that lie within them? What if when you discover the unique gift that you be, then can you let go of the lies of wrongness? What if the choices you have made in your life have brought you to this place you stand now? What if somewhere you always knew your difference was the magic you bring to this world? So is now the time to create that life and living you actually know is possible? Come and join Heather Nichols with her guest Christel Crawford in this very different conversation about trusting you in the creation of your life.

Are You Having any Fun Yet? Business Done Different By Heather Nichols

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Empowerment
Are You Having any Fun Yet? Business Done Different By Heather Nichols

What if you could truly be the magic and wonder of you in your business? Would you choose to do it the way you have seen everyone else do it, or would you choose what was fun and expansive for you? There may be things that you know about business, and specifically your business, that nobody else knows.

Your business, like you, is unique – and may be asking for something completely
different than what you have decided it might require.  What if running your business the ways that other people run their businesses or based on what you may have learned taking business or marketing classes might be a limitation to what you could actually create?

Is now the time to step out of the way everyone else does business and try something new and different that might actually work for you?

Join Heather Nichols on Creating Beyond Reality Radio as she shares some of the tools and questions she uses to have fun creating her own thriving global business, while allowing herself and her business to be as different as they actually are!

More Here!

Life is a Balancing Act By Youngjoo Ahn

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Life is a Balancing Act By Youngjoo Ahn

Life is like a circus. An entertaining circus needs a little bit of everything—elephants, acrobats, magic, and people! A fulfilled life needs to strike a balance between social experiences, school demands,, and extracurriculars.  With all the opportunities we are afforded as teens, the sooner we learn the balancing act, the happier we will be.

Elephants

What is a circus without elephants? When I think of this traveling extravaganza, elephants are first on my list. Elephants are the necessities of living.  It’s important to prioritize the most important elements in your life.  Before committing to any other activities, ask yourself: “Will this take away from my elephants?” “Right now my biggest priority is lacrosse. It’s my first year on varsity and my coaches expect a lot,” sophomore Sommar Ververka said. “Although I’d like to say that school is my number one concern, it just doesn’t seem that way.” 

Acrobats

At the show, it’s incredible seeing people moving in ways that you didn’t think were possible. Flipping, contorting, and flying through the air, acrobats may not be essential but they keep the circus exciting and thrilling. In life, it’s good to have something that takes us out of our comfort zone, even if it means giving up something else. “School is my main focus but lately, speech and debate tournaments have been a huge added interest,” freshman Andrew Chow said. “Although I haven’t had time to hang out with friends, I don’t regret joining public speaking.” 

People:

Without people to clap and holler, there is no circus. Humans are social animals. In life, you need people to talk to, trust, have fun with, and lean on when the stress is overwhelming. Junior Andrew Bower commented. “I enjoy working with friends on school assignments and then we go out to eat afterwards as a reward for our hard work.”

Magic:

Watching magicians is like watching kids eat candy for the first time. Magicians are the extra sprinkle on top of the cupcake.  Activities that add pizzazz to your routine are the magic of your life. They’re the last things you add on and often the first things you give up. Before adding to your already full plate, make sure you are juggling the rest of your circus well. “For me, Netflix is a never ending world of discovery,” senior Jenny Li said.  Junior Meghan Rogers’ magical moments are drawing and writing in her spare time. 

Balancing is all about knowing how comfortable you are with juggling. You can’t do everything and balancing involves choosing and compromising wisely. To achieve success, we aspire to include the entire circus-elephants, acrobats, people, and magic. Pursue what you truly desire, then, remember to build slowly on top of your main priority, your elephants. 

BeTheStarYouAre

Youngjoo Ahn, a senior at Miramonte High School is the President of Club BTSYA, Host of Express Yourself!™ Teen Radio, and a fan of the circus, especially elephants.  Read the article Here. 

As the editor and teen coach for Teen Scene for the newspaper, Cynthia Brian has had the opportunity to work with talented teens with attitude and opinions. She shares selected published works. To read numerous articles shepherded by Cynthia on Be The Star You Are. Cynthia Brian also produces Express Yourself!™ on Voice America Kids Network heard Tuesdays NOON PT or for photos, descriptions, links, and more.

More information about the show at Express Yourself Radio!

Express Yourself!™ Teen Radio is produced by Cynthia Brian of Starstyle® Productions, llc as an outreach program of Be the Star You Are!® charity. For information on being a guest email info@BetheStarYouAre.org. To make a tax-deductible donation to keep this positive youth programming broadcasting weekly to international audiences. Thanks for supporting teens!

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