Today's DailyOM Offerings...
January 6, 2010
Relax: A Liquid Mind Experience
Liquid Mind
2007
Chuck Wild, the man behind the Liquid Mind phenomenon, got his start with 1980s keyboard band Simple Minds and is an in-demand collaborator, so if Liquid Mind music is defined as much by what it is not as what it is, it's not because the man lacks chops; he just doesn't need to prove it. There are no acoustic "instruments" per se, no vocals or percussion, no beats or world samples; nothing, in short, to break the mood of calm emotional release and surrender. What we get instead are long, slow relaxing movements of amniotic analog-synthesizer melody, slow melting rays on frozen rivers of time. Listening for each melodic movement to resign itself back to the root is to find oneself in a slow, warm free float. Relax: A Liquid Mind Experience collects tracks from several of Wild's earlier compositions, and includes a new track, the glacial yet warmth-inducing "I Am Willing."
Each track is grace unto itself, but together they ebb and flow in calming waves. "Take Me Tenderly" is a beautiful track that floats in like the calming coda to a fairy tale, while "Lullaby for Grownups" lives up to its title wonderfully, evoking a soft nap in the cradle with a giant mother sky beaming down from the night and protecting you with currents of warm love, her voice nurturing and clear in every sound of nature.
Perfect for Reiki, meditation, or healing work, this is also ideal for nurseries, nursing homes, and those moments of emotional detox that come the night after intense acupuncture and holistic healing sessions, when all the toxins come flooding through the body in a rapturous, tearful release. You can tap into that release anytime with Wild's amazingly tranquil collection. It's hard to pinpoint just what makes the man's compositions so genuinely effective and relaxing. Perhaps it's the slowness, the way he plays on our melodic expectations but then just stretches out each note enough to create a disconnect in our frenzied mind. Maybe it’s just the constancy of it, the way the music stays calming and healing without becoming dull or repetitive. Sometimes all we need to do is slow down and breathe, and remind ourselves of the liquid our simple minds are 92 percent made of. From Wild to you, the warmth and relaxation flows unfiltered.
January 6, 2010
Coming Together Actively
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
You may feel particularly outgoing and energetic today. A sociable mood can lead you to seek out family members and friends to ask if they would like to join you in an hour at the gym or participate in a competitive sporting event. You may find that the strenuous activity you enjoy with others is more satisfying on both physical and mental levels than if you were exercising by yourself. Consider gathering as many of your loved ones as possible and organizing an afternoon of friendly team sports. You can make the most of your good mood and copious energy by concentrating on the fun of playing and being with others rather than trying to win. If you’re busy today, a short stroll with someone you care for can be an immensely satisfying experience.
Gathering your loved ones around you can make participating in physical activity more enjoyable and thus make it easier for you to incorporate it into your daily routine. During busy, stressful, or challenging periods in our lives, our commitment to the well-being of our physical selves is often the first thing to fall by the wayside. Involving your family and friends in your fitness and physical recreation schedule can make sports and exercise a social activity that affords you a welcome break from worldly stressors and challenges you to face each day. Your loved ones can offer support and turn otherwise vigorous and strenuous physical activity into a pleasurable game. When you invite others to join you in sports and exercise today, each will become more agreeable.
January 6, 2010
Healing Gardens
Hand in Hand with Nature
Time spent in nature’s embrace is a soothing reminder of the fact that we also are products of the natural world’s ingenuity. We feel at home in a quiet forest and are comforted by the pounding surf of the seaside. In both the sunny meadow and the shaded waterfall’s grotto, stress and tension we have long retained melts away. Finding opportunities to reconnect with nature to enjoy its healing benefits can be difficult, however. Planting and tending a garden allows us to spend time with Mother Nature in a very personal and hands-on way. We work in tandem with nature while gardening-honoring the seasons, participating in the life cycle of various organisms, experiencing the unique biorhythms of our environments, and transcending all that divides us from the natural world. As we interact with the soil, we are free to be ourselves and reflect upon meditative topics. Fresh air invigorates us, while our visceral connection to the earth grounds us.
Though you may plant a garden to grow food or herbs, or for the pleasure of seeing fresh flowers in bloom, you will likely discover that the time you spend working in your plot feels somehow more significant than many of the seemingly more important tasks you perform each day. Whether your garden can be measured in feet or is a collection of plants in pots, tending it can be a highly spiritual experience. You, by necessity, develop a closer relationship with the soil, seeds, water, and sunlight. Nurturing just a single plant means cultivating a deeper understanding of the mechanisms that permit it to thrive. A true healing garden is simply one where you feel comfortable plunging your hands into the earth, lingering over seedlings and plants to observe their growth. And yes, even caressing and talking to plants. Creating beauty through the creative use of space, and giving yourself over to awe when you realize that you have worked hand in hand with nature to give birth to som! ething, is truly wonderful.
The partnership that is formed when you collaborate with Mother Nature through gardening is wonderful in that it provides you with so many opportunities to be outdoors. You will be reminded of not only your connection to the earth but also of your unique gifts that allow you to give back to the earth.
Relax: A Liquid Mind Experience
Liquid Mind
2007
Chuck Wild, the man behind the Liquid Mind phenomenon, got his start with 1980s keyboard band Simple Minds and is an in-demand collaborator, so if Liquid Mind music is defined as much by what it is not as what it is, it's not because the man lacks chops; he just doesn't need to prove it. There are no acoustic "instruments" per se, no vocals or percussion, no beats or world samples; nothing, in short, to break the mood of calm emotional release and surrender. What we get instead are long, slow relaxing movements of amniotic analog-synthesizer melody, slow melting rays on frozen rivers of time. Listening for each melodic movement to resign itself back to the root is to find oneself in a slow, warm free float. Relax: A Liquid Mind Experience collects tracks from several of Wild's earlier compositions, and includes a new track, the glacial yet warmth-inducing "I Am Willing."
Each track is grace unto itself, but together they ebb and flow in calming waves. "Take Me Tenderly" is a beautiful track that floats in like the calming coda to a fairy tale, while "Lullaby for Grownups" lives up to its title wonderfully, evoking a soft nap in the cradle with a giant mother sky beaming down from the night and protecting you with currents of warm love, her voice nurturing and clear in every sound of nature.
Perfect for Reiki, meditation, or healing work, this is also ideal for nurseries, nursing homes, and those moments of emotional detox that come the night after intense acupuncture and holistic healing sessions, when all the toxins come flooding through the body in a rapturous, tearful release. You can tap into that release anytime with Wild's amazingly tranquil collection. It's hard to pinpoint just what makes the man's compositions so genuinely effective and relaxing. Perhaps it's the slowness, the way he plays on our melodic expectations but then just stretches out each note enough to create a disconnect in our frenzied mind. Maybe it’s just the constancy of it, the way the music stays calming and healing without becoming dull or repetitive. Sometimes all we need to do is slow down and breathe, and remind ourselves of the liquid our simple minds are 92 percent made of. From Wild to you, the warmth and relaxation flows unfiltered.
January 6, 2010
Coming Together Actively
Sagittarius Daily Horoscope
You may feel particularly outgoing and energetic today. A sociable mood can lead you to seek out family members and friends to ask if they would like to join you in an hour at the gym or participate in a competitive sporting event. You may find that the strenuous activity you enjoy with others is more satisfying on both physical and mental levels than if you were exercising by yourself. Consider gathering as many of your loved ones as possible and organizing an afternoon of friendly team sports. You can make the most of your good mood and copious energy by concentrating on the fun of playing and being with others rather than trying to win. If you’re busy today, a short stroll with someone you care for can be an immensely satisfying experience.
Gathering your loved ones around you can make participating in physical activity more enjoyable and thus make it easier for you to incorporate it into your daily routine. During busy, stressful, or challenging periods in our lives, our commitment to the well-being of our physical selves is often the first thing to fall by the wayside. Involving your family and friends in your fitness and physical recreation schedule can make sports and exercise a social activity that affords you a welcome break from worldly stressors and challenges you to face each day. Your loved ones can offer support and turn otherwise vigorous and strenuous physical activity into a pleasurable game. When you invite others to join you in sports and exercise today, each will become more agreeable.
January 6, 2010
Healing Gardens
Hand in Hand with Nature
Time spent in nature’s embrace is a soothing reminder of the fact that we also are products of the natural world’s ingenuity. We feel at home in a quiet forest and are comforted by the pounding surf of the seaside. In both the sunny meadow and the shaded waterfall’s grotto, stress and tension we have long retained melts away. Finding opportunities to reconnect with nature to enjoy its healing benefits can be difficult, however. Planting and tending a garden allows us to spend time with Mother Nature in a very personal and hands-on way. We work in tandem with nature while gardening-honoring the seasons, participating in the life cycle of various organisms, experiencing the unique biorhythms of our environments, and transcending all that divides us from the natural world. As we interact with the soil, we are free to be ourselves and reflect upon meditative topics. Fresh air invigorates us, while our visceral connection to the earth grounds us.
Though you may plant a garden to grow food or herbs, or for the pleasure of seeing fresh flowers in bloom, you will likely discover that the time you spend working in your plot feels somehow more significant than many of the seemingly more important tasks you perform each day. Whether your garden can be measured in feet or is a collection of plants in pots, tending it can be a highly spiritual experience. You, by necessity, develop a closer relationship with the soil, seeds, water, and sunlight. Nurturing just a single plant means cultivating a deeper understanding of the mechanisms that permit it to thrive. A true healing garden is simply one where you feel comfortable plunging your hands into the earth, lingering over seedlings and plants to observe their growth. And yes, even caressing and talking to plants. Creating beauty through the creative use of space, and giving yourself over to awe when you realize that you have worked hand in hand with nature to give birth to som! ething, is truly wonderful.
The partnership that is formed when you collaborate with Mother Nature through gardening is wonderful in that it provides you with so many opportunities to be outdoors. You will be reminded of not only your connection to the earth but also of your unique gifts that allow you to give back to the earth.