As far as we know, no dog can compose music, no dolphin can speak in rhymes, and no parrot can solve equations with two unknowns. Only humans can perform such intellectual feats. Anatomically, the human brain is very similar to that of other primates because humans and chimpanzees share an ancestor that walked the earth less than seven million years ago. However, intellect seems to have emerged independently in birds and mammalsand also in cetaceans and primates.

Swastika has been used in many cultures for a long long time. Swastika has been found in ancient churches in Greece , in ancient temples in India and Mayans, in monastries and on Viking Ships too. Keval Krsna delves into this interesting symbol and brings together the research on this subject. For those interested, please write to: Radhika & Keval Krsna ,

The sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) is a radiantly graceful aquatic perennial and has played an enormous role in the religions and cultures of India, Mynamar, China and Japan. Yogiis use this symbol almost everyday. The lotus is venerated because of its exceptional purity.It grows in muddy water,but its leaves,when they emerge, stand metres above the water and are seemingly never dirty.Drops of water on a lotus leaf have an unearthly sparkle, and rainwater washes dirt from that leaf more readily than from any other plant.

Jill Bolte Taylor: My stroke of insight

http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/229

On this video, Dr. Taylor tells her personal story of her brain stroke and the insights that she received as a neuro-anatomist.

The word Ashtanga means “eight-limbed”.This is an expression used by the author of the Yoga Sutra, Patanjali.

Patanjali was an ancient yogi who was living in India probably in the age around 300-200 BC. He is one of the most important figures of the yoga tradition, because he is the first one that has written a text with clear and systematic instructions about yoga.

He uses the expression “eight-limbed” to indicate eight important levels in the spiritual progression of a yogi:

In October of 2001, my sister started getting very sick. She had stomach spasms and she was having a hard time getting around. Walking was a major chore. It took everything she had just to get out of bed; she was in so much pain.

Scientists are beginning to uncover evidence that meditation has a tangible effect on the brain.

Sceptics argue that it is not a practical way to try to deal with the stresses of modern life.

But the long years when adherents were unable to point to hard science to support their belief in the technique may finally be coming to an end.

When Carol Cattley's husband died it triggered a relapse of the depression which had not plagued her since she was a teenager.

Study Shows Hard Evidence That Yoga Elevates State of Mind

THE NOTION that yoga is a tonic for the mind, as well as the body, isn’t such a stretch anymore.

Practicing yoga might boost a neurotransmitter associated with regulating depression and anxiety disorders, according to a new report in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.

[Yoga Meditation aids sound sleep. Prabhat Samgiita helps one to sleep soundly too. But all these claims need to be verified by research. Here is the current report on science of sleep.]

Shakespeare waxed lyrical about it, and not getting enough of it remains a favourite national gripe. But it is only relatively recently we have started to understand how sleep impacts upon our health, from where we do it to how we do it.

Lend A Hand: http://www.nhne.org/DONATE/tabid/398/Default.aspx (Thanks to Sherry Stultz.)

MYCELIUM RUNNING: HOW MUSHROOMS CAN HELP SAVE THE WORLD By Paul Stamets,Ten Speed Press, 352 pages, 2005, $35.00 http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580085792/newheavenneweart

Reviewed by Starhawk,Yes Magazine http://www.yesmagazine.com/article.asp?ID=1495