Dear Occupy Folks,

I wrote this song for those Chicago workers who occupied their factory in 2008. Since it seems to fit, I’m re-dedicating and making it available to the Occupy Movement of 2011. Feel free to re-share.

In Solidarity,

Bill Collins

One of the best ways to keep yourself from getting injured or fight the effects of aging is through muscle strengthening. Physical therapy sessions usually include a number of muscle strengthening exercises that target the injured or weakened area of the body. Here are a number of muscle strengthening exercises that target the legs, which support the rest of the body and help us keep our balance.

(NOTE: Before starting this or any exercise program, be sure to consult your physician to make sure you are in the right condition for the physical activity you plan to do.)

Leg Bridge – Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Tighten your stomach muscles and straighten one leg, lifting it off the floor to a height you can handle (lower will be more difficult). Then slowly lift your hips off the floor, while keeping your leg up and abs tight. Repeat this 10 times with each leg.

Toe Raises – Stand with both feet on the floor, then repeatedly raise and lower yourself without moving any other part of your body. For a deeper stretch, stand with the front half of your feet on a step with your heels hanging off the edge. When you lower yourself, let your heels sink below the step as far as you can comfortably go.

Straight Leg Raises – Sit with your legs straight out in front of you and your arms slightly behind you to support your upper body. Slowly lift one leg off the ground, keeping your knee straight and holding for ten seconds. Repeat 10 times on each side.

Back Leg Extension – Position yourself on the floor on your hands and knees. Your hands should be shoulder-length apart. Engage your stomach muscles, then slowly extend one leg out behind you. Your spine and hips should stay in a neutral position. Hold your leg out for five to ten seconds and then bring it back to the floor. Repeat 4 times on both sides.

Wall Slide – Stand with your back against a wall and your feet shoulder-length apart. Slowly slide down the wall by bending your knees until they reach a 45-degree angle. Hold for five seconds then straighten back up. Repeat 10 times.

Hamstring Lifts – Lie on your stomach with your legs straight. Lift one leg about 12 inches off the floor. Hold for ten seconds then lower gently. Repeat 10 times on each side.

Heel Slide- Lie on your back with your legs straight. Bend one knee and slowly bring your heel in towards your buttocks as far as you can. Hold for five seconds then straighten your leg back out. Repeat 10 times on each side.

Quad Press – Lie on your back with your legs straight. Try to press one knee into the floor by engaging your quad muscles. Hold for ten seconds then relax. Repeat 10 times on both sides.

Image by rachel a. k. on Flickr Courtesy of Creative Commons Licensing

The rising interest in Eastern spiritual disciplines, shamanic ceremonies, “the psychedelic renaissance,” mystery schools, and neo-tribal festivals like Burning Man reveals a potential reemergence of the initiatory process in our techno-industrialized world. Could civilization itself be acting out a hero’s journey, embarking on a quest of separation, initiation, and reunion in a final dramatic act to heal ourselves and our world?

In this candid discussion, Evolver Editions authors Darrin Drda (The Four Global Truths) and Jonathan Talat Phillips (The Electric Jesus) will explore:
·      How members of a growing planetary culture are integrating ancient practices with modern living
·      Balancing the dance between psychedelic revelation and serious spiritual practice
·      Reinventing community while occupying the digital age
·      How we can evolve and utilize this complicated alchemy to address the many challenges facing us

Location: The Center SF
546 Fillmore St, San Francisco 94117
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 – 7pm, $5
Book Signing to Follow Discussion

Jonathan Talat Phillips is the co-founder of webzine Reality Sandwich and Evolver.net alongside bestselling author Daniel Pinchbeck, and the author of The Electric Jesus: The Healing Journey of a Contemporary Gnostic. This book has received praise from Alex Grey, Graham Hancock (who contributed the book’s introduction), and Richard Smoley, among others. Phillips is aBioenergetic healer, creator of The Ayahuasca Monologues, and coordinator of 40+ Evolver “Spore” chapters worldwide. He will be making a rare SF appearance for his Electric Jesus book tour.

Darrin Drda is author of The Four Global Truths: Awakening to the Peril and Promise of Our Times, which highlights the importance of and steps to making sustainability an important cornerstone in one’s spiritual practice. He is a longtime practitioner and instructor of Insight meditation, as well as a facilitator for the Awakening the Dreamer symposium, which promotes ecological sustainability, social justice, and spiritual fulfillment. He lives in San Rafael.

Are you planning on attending this event? RSVP on Facebook and share the event page with your friends!

It’s Monday at the time this blogger writes this post, and to add to the weight that the “Case of the Mondays” so often carries, it’s also rainy, gray, and cold.

I can’t think of a place I’d rather be on a day like today than on vacation in sunny Cabo San Lucas. Patricia Cori’s event isn’t until March, but I can just picture it now…the calming sound of waves rolling in and out over miles of clean, sandy beaches, the playful vision of humpback whales frolicking in the distance, and a group of love-filled, enlightenment-seeking starseeds all descending on the gorgeous resort for the retreat of a lifetime.

Sounds like a pretty good way to hit the “refresh” button in the cold and dark of Winter, doesn’t it? Visit Patricia Cori’s The Human Voice Blog for more information on signing up for this cant-miss event, and hurry! Spaces will fill up fast!

Related Reading:

Before We Leave You: Messages from the Great Whales and the Dolphin Beings by Patricia Cori
 What if whales and dolphins truly do have a superior intellect, as many believe, and can speak to the human race? What would their message be? In November 2008, gifted clairvoyant Patricia Cori was in Jordan teaching a workshop when a life-changing event occurred. A community of Cetaceans—“a choir of whales and dolphins,” as she describes it—interrupted her talk with a frantic plea for help. Cori was suddenly witness to a devastating scene of suffering, a communal grieving of scores of whales and dolphins “frenzied, lost, and dying.” This was the first of several terrifying calls for help, all of which were immediately followed by mass suicide events as these majestic creatures collectively chose to leave us and our planet.

These troubling incidents evolved into the stream of messages for humanity that Cori reveals in this extremely timely work. The whales and dolphins present their deep understanding of our urgent global situation, calling for the human race to restore balance to our ecosystems—especially our dying oceans. For the first time, we read the communications of the Cetaceans and their story of devotion and celebration of life on the Great Planet Earth. We are also given a glimpse of their role in the unfolding of galactic events throughout our solar system, and the message is clear: We must wake up and realize that our continued abuse of the environment is altering the course of Gaia’s progression to the next dimension.

For more on Patricia Cori, please visit her website at SirianRevelations.net.

Cast your ballots! Time to vote for your favorite raw foods leaders. The Best of Raw Awards celebrates many of your favorite raw foods people, places, products, and media. If you’ve ever struggled with transitioning to a raw foods diet or on your journey to reclaiming your health, you might have turned to several North Atlantic Books authors like David Wolfe, Shazzie, Victoria Boutenko, among others–all leading visionaries in the raw foods movement–for advice and motivation.

Celebrate your favorite raw authors and vote for them in the Best of Raw Awards today. Voting takes place in two rounds. The first round ends February 1st and the final round begins February 3rd. Visit the Best of Raw Foods website for more information on how to vote here or click on the “Vote Now” icon below. You can also click each icon to visit the author’s website.

PEOPLE

Raw Vegan Educator:  
Dashama Konah Gordon
David Wolfe
Dr. Gabriel Cousens
Shazzie
The Engelharts (Matthew and Terces)
Victoria Boutenko

Favorite Raw Inspirational Speaker:
David Wolfe
Dr. Gabriel Cousens
Sergei Boutenko

Raw Vegan Simple Raw Chef:
Elaina Love
Sergei Boutenko

Gourmet Raw Chef:
Chad Sarno
Elaina Love

Favorite Raw Coach:
Dashama Konah Gordon
Elaina Love
Sergei Boutenko

Raw Chocolatier:
Shazzie

Funniest Raw Woman:
Shazzie

Funniest Raw Man:
David Wolfe
Sergei Boutenko

Sexiest Raw Man:
David Wolfe
Sergei Boutenko

Sexiest Raw Woman:
Dashama Konah Gordon
Shazzie Love