Sister Snog

Monkey mind
Think monkey. Think tree. Link the two together and what do you see? Monkeys jumping from one tree to another. That's the monkey mind. The monkey mind leaps from one thought to another and then another and another. Distracting us from living in the present. Which is one of the goals of yoga. Meditation is one of the ways to tame the monkey mind in order to get to a state of peace.

RIP
The quest for peace is universal. In every age. In every country, people have been trying to find peace within their environment. Nations meet continually to search for ways to make peace with each other. There's even a Nobel Peace Prize for individual contributions to this noble cause. People hold up two fingers in the form of a 'V' which symbolises peace and when someone dies, we pray that they 'rest in peace'.

Inside out
The dictionary defines peace as freedom from strife.  A state of serenity, calmness and stillness. Inherent in this definition is the answer to why peace is so difficult to achieve. Life and strife seem to go hand in hand. Yet despite the obstacles, it’s possible to attain a state of peace by undergoing a shift in thinking and changing the angle of vision. Peace isn’t found in the outer world of possessions, positions and relationships. The solution to finding peace requires us to look at the problem from a new perspective. To accept we cannot change the nature of the world or its problems but we can add a new dimension to life that leads to peace. Found within. Reached through meditation. 

Puppy mind
Meditation teaches there’s little or no control over the restlessness of the ordinary mind. Imagine the mind is like an overexcited puppy. So the question is how can you keep that puppy from running circles around you. The answer. Tie it to a post. Give your puppy something to attach itself to. A note. A sound. A word. A mantra.

Brain bliss
Minds are like mercury. Unable to rest for more than a nanosecond before they go zipping off. With thoughts and ideas constantly popping in. Memories of the past. Fantasies of the future. Never the present. Meditation helps de-clutter the mind. It’s invigorating. It’s energising. It’s totally refreshing. The trick is to learn to observe all those thoughts without engaging in them. Think of the mind as the sky and thoughts like clouds passing through.

So be a monkey. Or a puppy. Find your path to brain bliss.

Did anyone see The Secret Life of the Dog this week on BBC2? It was amazing! I know that SisterSnogger loves me and I love her but what I didn't realise was why the bond was so strong. Apparently it's all to do with the same amazing hormone that bonds a mother to her baby.

There was an incredible dog on the programme called Betsy who had an understanding of over 340 human words (about the same as a young  child). SisterSnogger says I can manage 3. What she doesn't know is that I actually know loads more. I just choose to ignore her. The other thing we can do is to recognise human gestures, such as pointing. Even chimpanzees can't do that and they're supposed to be next in the intelligence line to humans. I don't think so...

There was also an interesting experiment on nature vs nurture. You may be aware that we dogs are 99.8% wolf. At least that's what our DNA tells the experts. However over the course of thousands of years we've become domesticated and rarely harp back to our canis lupus days. The programmers gave 5 day old wolf cubs to a group who had previously raised 5 day old puppies to see how the wolf cubs would react to being raised in the same way as the puppies. In the very early days there was very little to distinguish them. Until the wolf cubs started to find their independence. And boy did they ever. One cub-carer couldn't even open her fridge door without the wolf cub leaping in to steal any food it could get its jaws into. I know what would happen here if I tried that one...

The best thing of all though for you humans is that we're now helping you to identify genes responsible for human diseases. So mother nature's a wonderful thing isn't she? Now when's the next full moon for me to howl at?

Power Pants

Hands up if you’ve had to stand in front of an audience, and present.  What are you wearing?  Statement or safe.  Charcoal-suited.  Naughtie navy.  Cheeky pinstripe.  Zebra or leopard.  Or are you ‘Legally Blonde’  in an immaculate shift dress?

Actually what’s on the outside is possibly not as important as what’s on the inside.  How do you feel?  What do you want to project to your audience?  Power.  Control. Knowledge.  Expertise.  Something else?

Whether you want to blend in or stand out, wear something that makes you feel like a Princess.  Queen of the stage.  Dame of the moment.  In the undergarment department.

If you’re looking for a confidence boost be sure to wear a pair of Power Pants  at your next presentation.  Forget Imposter Syndrome. Pop on a pair of sunshine-yellow nick-nocks if you’ve got a challenging day ahead.  They never fail to cheer you up.  If yellow's not quite your colour what about risky red ?  Passionate purple?  Or Spanx for higher power.  Feeling good on the inside makes you feel good on the outside.  So go on.  Get yourself a pair, and wear them with pride. No one will ever know.

Penned by Myfanwy Neville
Berg Kaprow Lewis

Pools. The winning rather than the swimming kind. You know. The Pools Man. Remember him. Used to call on a Friday night for your 'any eight from ten' coupon. Now the only man who calls regularly is the postman, delivering parcels of essentials ordered online. Your weekly shop, flowers, books,  DVDs and of course that got-to-have-bargain. The one you successfully bid for at the eleventh hour. So you’ve already got a drawer full – so what? It’ll might be worth a bob or two in five years’ time.

And have you noticed how, for every other caller, the doorstep has become a sacred threshold nobody seems to want to cross any more? Or if they do, it often seems to be sheepishly or reluctantly. Pizza-Men and Curry-Men, always in a hurry. Knock. Knock. Come to read the meter. Thanks. Bye. Why’s that?

But hold on. Go just beyond the doorstep and you discover a community that’s right under your nose. A whole world of local characters you could smile at on your way to the station. Now there’s a radical thought. And they smile back! Local businesses, shops and tradesmen (and women of course) to fix it, play it, clean it, re-wire it, unblock it, cover it, sort it, replace it, mend it, hang it, paint it or fit it.

Doggy walkers so you can have a lie in. Baby sitters so you can have a night out! And they’re all within easy reach, just a local phone call away, or a walk down the street. And they all replace what used to be on your doorstep. Like milk bottles. Or dirty boots. Or Mr Soap Powder and The Doorstep Challenge. Think about it. This could be your saving grace. Get back on the streets, embrace your local community. Say hello. Smile. Save the world.