Terrorist Strikes

Over the last few days, mails have been pouring in, asking us about the situation and how we are here at Jiva and what the situation is like in general. I would like to thank everyone for their concern and support at this very unfortunate moment.

First, we express our sympathies for those who have lost their lives, and to the families of the victims. A special respect and appreciation to those who fought bravely against the terrorists in this horrific ordeal. We also commend the journalists who worked diligently under dangerous conditions to keep the world informed about the events.

Here are some updates and thoughts related to many questions that have been asked:

• From the latest news reports the attacks and encounters have come to an end, with all terrorists either being killed or captured.
• There is no sense of sign of the situation escalating. It seems as this was a singly planned attack and that it is now over.
  
• All flights in and out of Mumbai are still suspended.
  
• There is a strong sense of unity among Indians. At the same time, there is a powerful feeling of outrage with people demanding accountability from the Pakistani government, as evidence shows the terrorists were trained in Pakistan.
  
• Top Pakistani leaders have been summoned to Delhi to meet with Indian leaders to discuss the situation.
• The election process is on in India, and a number of politicians from opposition parties are trying to politicize the event. Many people are condemning those leaders that are trying to gain mileage at a time like this.

It is our sincere hope that politicians avoid stirring up racial disharmony, and that the leaders of South Asia, as well as from other countries, work jointly and diplomatically to find a lasting solution to the problem.

Thanksgiving

It's a day of mixed emotions today. While Thanksgiving is being celebrated in an economically-ravaged America, millions of people in India sit glued to their TV sets watching the today's terror attacks in Mumbai. God's name is surely being invoked on this day, perhaps more than usual.

Thanksgiving was a holiday that was meant to be thankful to God for providing us with prosperity. As I reflected on the economic and civil unrest that we are experiencing today, as well as on God's possible role in the situation, a quote came to mind: " You ask, 'In the Holocaust, where was God?' The question is 'Where was man?'"

God created a perfect world, with flawless laws of nature. However, in our own greed, we have egregiously exploited our environment and fellow man--and the karmic repercussions had to emerge eventually. Today, people might look to the heavens in their search for an answer to how their home was snatched from them, or why innocent people have become victims of terrorist attacks. But, as Neil Peart wrote in the Rush song Territories:

The whole wide word and endless universe
Yet we keep looking through the eyeglass in reverse.

Did you know that the popular notion of the original Thanksgiving being celebrated as a harmonious union of Pilgrims and Indians has been has been significantly romanticized by historians and teachers. Many of the early settlers arrived in the Americas knowing full well of the natives there, and with the intent of grabbing their land and riches. Check out this article Deconstructing the Myths of “The First Thanksgiving”,to read 11 myths about the holiday. Considering the complete disenfranchisement of the native Americans over the last two centuries, it seems as though the day should not be one merely of thanks, but also one of acknowledgment that the riches they enjoy today came at a great expense for an entire race of people.

In an equally interesting article, David Hulme writes about the first American astronaut's return to earth, and how their belief in God was galvanized upon seeing earth from space. Yet upon their return, they realized what a mess man was making of the place:

They did not return to a place as beautiful as they had seen it from a distance. Once close enough, they could see the pollution and despoliation of the earth by man's hand. In orbit they could probably barely identify the countries where war was still raging. Once back on the ground they could see the violence on the streets.

Perhaps its a good time for all of us to look within--to dig a bit deeper into our own souls for answers rather than appeal to God for answers. Vedic philosophy explains how we are each responsible for our own circumstances; it is our own desire and karmas that bring us into every new context. By looking into our own actions and misdeeds as individuals and communities--we will see how, through our own unbridled deisres and insensitivity, we have mistreated each other, animals, and the environment, and created these social and economic problems that are plaguing us today. In the process, we will also find that God has provided us with the wonderful capacity for humility, generosity, and empathy--the exact tools we need to create a true and lasting climate of peace and prosperity.

The Educator's Dilemma

You're a teacher who wants to educate kids about life. However the curriculum is rooted in materialistic ideals, and the management wants you to teach to the test. What do you do?

This was a question posed by a colleague, David Progosh, in August 2007. In my bid to find an answer, I asked Dr. Satya Narayana Dasa to provide some insight from a Vedic perspective. I conducted a brief interview with him, and received some very practical advice. (That's what I like about SND--his answers are always sensible and down to earth).

Among other things of interest, he predicts the US economic meltdown a year in advance.

Have a listen here on Radio Jiva!

Weird Al's "Whatever You Like"

I am an unabashed Weird Al fan. Apart from his spectacular musicianship, his ability to observe and lampoon the absurdities of modern life are beyond compare. After more than 2 decades in the industry, Al is still the undisputed champ of musical parody.

This summer, rapper T.I. released "Whatever You Like", a song about his own extravagant lifestyle, where he lavishly spoils his love with an array of luxuries--cars, cash, tropical vacations, and so on. Some lines include:

You know it ain't nothin' to drop a couple stacks on you...
Five million dollar home, drop Bently's I swear

My chick could have what she want.
And go in any store for any bag she want.

I'll gas up the jet for you tonight
Baby, you can go wherever you like

Gas up the jet? Hey, man, what the heck? What about Tom Friedman's "Code Green". I mean, this a serious breach of environmental responsibility! All joking aside, what's frightening is that this song (which music-wise is mediocre at best), was at number 1 for 7 weeks. It shows you where people's values are...

If America is to get it's act together and come out of the recession, it would be wise for people to take a clue from Weird Al's wisdom. His recently released parody under the same name is making waves on the web. (The complete lyrics are here.) Below are a few lines, where Al outdoes T.I. by demonstrating the new-age man's feelings for his beloved through more modest means:

Tater tots, Cold Duck on ice
And we can clip coupons all night
And baby you can have whatever you like

I can take you to the laundromat downtown
And watch all the clothes go round and round

My chick can have want she want
At Wal-mart she can pick out anything she want

And you can always ride the city bus
Got a stack of tokens just for us
Yo, my wallet’s fat and full of ones
It’s all about the Washingtons, that’s right

I'm not alone in my opinion that the song is superior than the original. The music is exceptional and worth listening to again and again even if just for the melodic value. The parody serves as an additional kicker. On top of this, if you read into it (as I'm prone to do), you'll discover the meaningful message behind the irony--that luxury is not defined by a brand name or fiscal excess, but rather by your valuing what you have. Whatever the case, I'm sure Tom would approve.

Jiva Logo gets HOT

In my last post I wrote about the Class VI students and their "symbol" project. This morning they were to come to my office at 8am to tell me what the Jiva logo meant. I suddenly realized this morning that I had a teacher training session. OK, no problem. I used it as an opportunity to host a joint learning session.

There were 7 teachers and 6 students. I did a recap with the students about our previous day's discussion on the symbols of the Indus Valley civilization. As I walked them through the summary, I pointed out side by side to the teachers how I was making use of HOTS (higher order thinking skills). HOTS refers to deep level thinking--not just asking fact-based questions--that is meant to get students to think actively and critically. It is a slap in the face of teaching methods that require students to memorize, especially without really understanding what they are memorizing.

In 1956, Benjamin Bloom devised a taxonomy of educational objectives that demonstrate the hierarchical levels of such thinking. In my impromptu, self-commentated class, I demonstrated each level, along with the questions I had been asking the students (or was planning to ask):

(from lowest to highest)
1. Knowlege - What is a symbol? Give an example of a symbol.
2. Comprehension - What does this symbol mean?
3. Application - Come up with symbols that match different feelings (e.g., strength, grace, power, hard work, etc.)
4. Analysis - Why do you think we used the Lotus/Chakra for the Jiva logo? Why do you think the people of the Indus Valley civilization used those particular symbols?
5. Synthesis - What symbol would you use to represent yourself? Or, imagine you were a (clothing designer, furniture maker, etc.). What logo/symbol would you use?
6 Evaluation - Given an example of any symbol: Do you think this symbol is appropriate for this purpose? Why or why not?

Most teachers do not venture beyond questions related to knowledge or comprehension. However, as you can see, things start getting interesting only after these two levels. They unlock the imagination create the potential for all sorts of learning opportunities to happen.

The teachers gained quite a bit from the session--and I think the students enjoyed the experience (especially witnessing their teachers as learners). In the end, we did achieve our objective of exploring why Jiva uses the Lotus/Chakra symbol, but it seemed like the session today wound up being about a lot more than that.

Indian Symbols / The Jiva Logo

A group of 6 students from Class VI spilled into my office during their lunch break today. Each of them was armed with posters they made featuring symbols used in India during the Indus Valley civilization. Their subject teacher thought I would be interested to see the creative work that they did.

Indeed I was. After appreciating their work, I began asking them lots of questions--what were these symbols? Who made them? Why do you think they made them? Some of these queries seemed to escape them...so I tried to contextualize things a bit.

I asked them what a symbol was, and after a while they agreed that it was some pictoral/graphical representation of something. I gave some examples of symbols--including alphabets (symbols for sounds) and numbers (symbols for quantities of something). We pulled out a newspaper and began scouring it for other symbols. We found an ad published by the government of India which bore the Ashoka emblem, and I asked what it represented? "Lions represent power, courage, and kingliness". They got that easily. But what about the pillar...hmmm, that was a bit tough. I told them to turn their bodies into pillars--and they stood erect, tightening all their muscles..."Ah, strength and straightforwardness!". We continued our exploration finding all sorts of symbols of in the paper, and around my room on books, trophies, and electronic gadgets, and did a similar study on each.

I then pointed to their sweaters and asked them what symbol was there. "The Jiva logo," they replied. I asked them to analyze it--what is it, what does it represent, etc. "A flower." Yes, but which? "A lotus." Correct. But why a lotus? And it also represents something else--a chakra. "Yes, yes, it's a chakra too." But why a chakra? (Puzzled faces on the verge of an explosive Aha moment.) But waiiiiiit!! Don't tell me now. I want you to think about it. These are your homework questions...

So the group is coming to meet me tomorrow 8.00am with their analysis. In addition to telling me about the Jiva logo, they will then address the first question I asked, "Who made those ancient symbols and why." Let's see what our Junior anthropologists turn up tomorrow morning!

Add Life to Your Style!

When people ask me what Jiva is, I often refer to our slogan: We're an organization that helps you "Add Life to Your Style". Sometimes they pause and say, "Wait, don't you mean add style to your life?"

That's exactly my point. Today's world has become overrun with style. Designer clothes, cars, homes, foods, gadgets--people have become so caught up in brands and consumerism that they are missing out on the essential stuff of life. So Jiva's thought is that we don't need to help people add style to their lives (they've already got enough of that). What folks could use is a little more stamina in their step, solace in their sleep, wow in their work, pleasure in their play, and so on.

Browse through our site to see different ways that we fulfill this goal. In addition to our existing courses, workshops, and products, we'll be adding lots of new content and programs on our website in the coming months. These include:

• Radio Jiva
• Jiva TV
• Jivananda

So stay tuned. Check back frequently so we can help you find lots of ways to add style to your...wait, no...I mean, Add Life to Your Style. Right!

Cleaning the Senses

Here's a nice tip from Dr. Chauhan that I picked up from the Radio Jiva interview I did with him last week. It's called "Cleaning the Senses".

In the morning, after waking up, part of our routine for getting ready includes an amount of cleaning. The two key aspects of this process include brushing our teeth and bathing. However, Ayurveda has a different perspective on morning hygiene: it instead suggests that we "clean our senses". This includes cleaning:

1. The Eyes - after waking splash water into the eyes. You can do this by leaning over the sink, cupping the hands, filling them with water, and making gentle upward tosses.
   
2. The Nose - you can do so simply by blowing out gently from the nostrils. (The night before you can put a drop or two of almond oil in each nostril and inhale it deeply. This lubricates the nasal passage and pacifies olfactory nerves.)
   
3. The Tongue - after brushing your teeth, you can clean the tongue by using a tongue scraper. This removes toxins (ama) from the tongue.
   
4. The Ears - Clean the ears gently with an ear bud. (The night before, you can take a cottonball soaked in seasame or mustard oil and put it in the ear overnight).
   
5. The Skin - Bathe in water that is neither too hot or too cold. Be sure to natural, herbal cleansers. Avoid chemical based products. (You can do an oil massage with natural oils 1-3 times a week to nourish the skin).
   

What I like about this approach is it's not just about waking up and mindlessly brushing and showering. Here, the morning routine is transformed into a deeper life practice. I'm recognizing myself as a sentient being, who interacts with the world through these 5 channels. And if I'm going to do so effectively, then I should take care to see that they are all operating at peak performance.

Ayurveda (and Dr. Chauhan) assure us that when we clean our senses, they will automatically be drawn to sattvic things--i.e., those things that are good, clean, healthy, and beneficial for keeping our minds and bodies balanced.

Give it a try, and let me know how it works!

My Morning Session with Students

Just about every morning, I start the day at Jiva Public School with a student interaction session from 8-8:30am. This is what it looks like across my desk.




Because I don't teach regular classes, this is a way for me to stay connected with kids. I have a lot of fun talking with them about all sorts of topics. I usually let them pick the topic--today, these three 5th graders picked "careers" (not surprising, as this has been a hot topic at Jiva recently). And so we talked about Multiple Intelligences and Multiple Natures and different job types that require strengths of different types. I was impressed with how curious and articulate they were--we really had a lot of fun and 30 minutes just went like that.

Can Everyone Be An Einstein? (Creativity)

Times Online has an interesting article entitled Can Everyone Be an Einstein, about the location of creativity in the brain, some myths about creativity, and techniques which can be done to improve it.

Here's a quote from the article:

In fact, the whole process seems to be centred on one small part of the brain: the anterior superior temporal gyrus. This seems to be the point at which bits of information stored far apart in the brain are brought together. This may be an important clue as to how the brain organises itself. But it's only the beginning. At Goldsmiths College in London, Dr Joydeep Bhattacharya says the real issue is not the 'Aha!' moment itself, but the way it is produced in the brain and how we recognise it. 'We need to know the brain processes involved, to find how this moment is strong enough to reach consciousness. We know insight does not come from the sky.' This is the problem with all neuroscience. We don't really know what we are seeing.

Radio Jiva / Consumption Interview

I'm happy to announce we've added a new section to our site: Radio Jiva. This section will contain audio files with interviews and lectures related to Ayurveda, education, and spirituality. Here, we invite you to "Listen to Your Inner Beat".


The first show is a Skype interview with Dr. Chauhan about the current economic crisis and the link to its cause: Overconsumption. I did the anchoring (my first go at it), with me in Faridabad and Dr. C in France.

In the 25-minute interview, Dr. C discusses the root cause of over-consumption, it's negative effects on the body, mind, and soul, and simple solutions at each level to help you keep balanced in a world which screams at you to buy more, eat more, and live life supersize. He's also got some suggestions for Barak Obama on how the president elect can stimulate the American economy with Ayurvedic way of life!

Check it out. Post your comments. And if you have requests for specific types of audio content on Radio Jiva, let me know.

Best,

Steve

Jiva School Celebrates Education Day

A new holiday has been declared to commemorate the birthday of the late Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad, an eminent educationist and the first Union Minister of Education of independent India. November 11th is now National Education Day in India.

Jiva Public School celebrated with a day dedicated to Indian culture and Multiple Intelligences. There were over 20 game booths set up, where students tried their hands (and bodies, minds, tongues, etc.) to demonstrate their multiply intellectual prowess. These included an interpersonal game where friends had to guess their partners' likes and dislikes, a magnetic dartboard where students had to hit targets representing "good human qualities" (such as honesty, hard work, and optimism), and a musical intelligence activiity that had students mapping words of one song to another.

Jiva Education Day 2008 photoset

View an awesome photostream here!

There was also a rangoli competition, where students created traditional (and modern) designs on the ground with colored powders, and a mehndi competition (students creating henna designs on each others' hands).

Words that described the scene: energetic, frenetic, exciting, surprising, stimulating, meaningful, chaotic (and orderly)--fun!

I think Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad would have approved highly of the traditional + modern twist created by the Jiva teachers and staff. Nice work team!

Stroke of Genius

Here's an extremely interesting video...

A talk given by Jill Bolte Taylor, a neuroscientist who suffered a stroke and lived to tell about the experience. As she explains, "It's not often a brain expert undergoes such an ordeal and gets to describe the situation from the inside out."



Taylor provides a fascinating recount of the event, and in the process, offers a wonderful primer of how the brain works--right and left hemispheres, language centers, and more.

The end gets a little emotional, the tone shifting from the scientific to the spiritual. Caught me a bit off guard as it started out so clinically, but fascinating nonetheless.

(Thanks to Anil Mehta for pointing it out.)

Obama Starts Day One with Parent-Teacher Conference

CNN reports:

... for Barack Obama, the day started with a more personal duty, that of father. The Obama Transition Office announced this morning that the President-elect would start his day, along with his wife Michelle, by attending a parent teacher conference at his daughters' school in Chicago.

I'm glad to see he's got his priorities straight!

I meet so many parents who have lots of excuses that they don't have enough time when it comes to their kids. My answer is: You make time.

You can't consume your way to growth

Sunita Narain of Centre for Science and Environment has a great editorial about the current economic crisis:

The fact is we have been taught, and have practised what has been preached, we can consume our way to growth and consume our way through and out of any slow-down period. “Don’t worry, just consume” is the mantra. If we cannot ‘afford’ to consume, then, too, we should not worry. The financial systems will ensure we get cheap loans to buy homes, cars, washing machines, or anything else we may not need but desire. After all, it is only if we consume that growth indicators will look rosy again, and the world will remain happy.

It would be way cool if "contientious consumption" became the in thing. People thinking about their footprint on the world--how much they give/create vs. how much they consume.

Stay tuned for some Jiva articles by Dr. Satya Narayana Dasa and Dr. Partap Chauhan about the Vedic/Ayurvedic perspectives of consumption.

Unity in Diversity (Anekta Mein Ekta)

Most of the Indians I speak with are curious about the American elections, not as much with respect to the issues as with the fact that Obama is a person of color. Or maybe more so because America has never had a minority or female president. Folks here find this sort of skewed representation perplexing, because America is supposed to be the quintessential democracy. The country whose currency bares the slogan "E Pluribus Unum" (out of many, one) to demonstrate its commitment to a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. But to Indians it looked as if Americans had just been paying lip service to the ideal until recently.

You see, in the mere 61 years of its democratic rule, India can boast of a female president, a Sikh PM, an Italian-born female as president of the ruling party, and a former president who is a Muslim. Indians actively demonstrate their value in diversity. In fact, it is common for school children to enact a play at least once a year (usually near Independence Day or Republic Day) based on the importance of Hindu, Muslims, Sikhs, and Christians living and working together cooperatively.

No doubt, one of India's greatest assets is its diversity, which I feel has accounted for its resiliency over the millennia. Living System Theory shows us how beneficial diversity is in all systems of life--biological, ecological, sociological, economic, etc., and how nature has its own ways of balancing organisms when they become too large, too powerful, too deviant, etc. It also explains how systems that are too centralized or homogeneous often pay the largest price when corrections take place.

Obama's election formally signals the onset of this corrective period. And I feel that America will find the bottom soon (and that it won't be so deep). However, I believe that because of the extent to which globalization has affected our world in the past decade, America's ability to balance itself will be dependent on its ability to increase its interdependence with other countries.

Here is an area where I think India will serve the US well (far better than as a destination for outsourcing)--helping to improve the quality of life by sharing a wealth of knowledge on the science of life, related to yoga, pranayam (breathing techniques), Ayurveda, meditation, etc. Such knowledge will help people find ways of balancing themselves physically, helping them get in tune with their bodies and to reduce stress and anxiety. It will help them stay healthy with inexpensive, natural healthcare, including herbal remedies and massage therapies. And spiritually, people will learn to find greater joy with what they already have in their lives rather than by acquiring more and more material goods.

Making this type of knowledge available in a current context with modern technology is Jiva's mission. We've been working for the past 14 years to create an array of tools, courses, and resources in the area of life-wellness based on Vedic wisdom. It seems that things are suddenly coming together--a tipping point of sorts, where our work may soon be of value to a much wider audience.

We're excited about the opportunity to share these assets and to be an active part of the balancing process. Get ready for some informative articles and videos in the coming days and weeks from Dr. Satya Narayna Dasa, Dr. Partap Chauhan, and our team members. In the meantime, let's remember:

E Pluribus Unum / Anekta Mein Ekta
(Out of Many One / Diversity in Unity)

Steve

Breathing from the Stomach

If you've ever watched infants sleeping, you'll notice that their stomachs go up and down when they breathe. This might seem like an insignificant fact, however, most adults could learn a thing or two from these diminutive dozing creatures--as they demonstrate perfect breathing technique!

Most of us lose our original, instinctive way of breathing as young adults and even as kids because of the high levels of stress brought about by unnatural lifestyles. Stress then leads to physical tension, which causes the stomach muscles to tighten and our breathing to shift upward into the chest region.

Want to see what I mean? Here's a challenge: Go ahead right now and take a deep breath. A huge, deep breath...

Did you see your chest expand? If yes, then you are among those who have developed an improper breathing habit. Try it again, this time ensuring your chest doesn't move, but that your stomach expands as you breathe in, and contracts when you breath out. It should feel like a bellows inflating as it sucks in air and deflating as the air is released. (It's not as easy as it sounds! If you need some help, try putting your on your navel. Slowly ease your hand away and ensure your stomach follows it.)

What happens when you breathe this way is that the stomach expands outward, causing your intestines and other innards to move out of the way, and to make room for the diaphragm to pull the lungs down to their fullest capacity. As a result, you get the largest breath of air possible. More air in the lungs means more oxygen in the blood stream--which means more oxygen going to the body parts and brain, and ultimately, better brain performance.

Deep breathing has many implications for learning. One is that it can control nervousness. When learners are under stress (e.g., they have to give a test or speak in front of an audience), they become tense, and start taking shallow breaths from the chest. The lack of oxygen teams up with the psychological fear factor, robbing the brain of oxygen, and cutting off the mind's access to the cerebral cortext (the seat of long-term memory). You might recall a time where you had to give a speech or take a test and your mind went blank. That's what was going on.

In the future, whenever you're in a situation where you need to perform cognitively, and you find yourself feeling stressed, tense, or nervous, immediately shift you attention to your breathing. Begin taking deep breaths from the stomach—slowly and rhythmically. Within a few breaths, your tension will ease and clarity of thought will resume. Try it--it's not so hard. In fact, even a baby could do it.

My Twitter Account

I'm now on Twitter in case you're interested:

www.twitter.com/stevejiva

For the uninitiated, Twitter is like a blog or message board with really short messages (less than 160 characters in length). It's used to update others about what you are doing, what you are thinking, things you think others should check out, etc.

In a way it embraces both the best and worst of technology...while it is yet another tool that keeps digital gizmos in our face, it does enable us to remain connected--to keep those who are interested in our lives in the loop. Twitter messages provide others with a slice of life, letting you know about where people are, what music they are listening to, what the weather's like. And while messages often border on banality, if it's someone you care about, banalities can be supremely endearing and entertaining.

Breakfast Brainfood

I get about 50 queries on average per day from both parents and children about problems related to learning. Though I haven't done a formal analysis, I would say that about 75% of the questions deal with memory and concentration. There are many reasons why people are unable to focus or retain what they study, and my responses include an array of suggestions and techniques such as creating timetables, revising newly learned information within 24 hours, studying in the same place at the same time, removing distractions while studying, and so on.

Another tip I share with them is the power food has on the brain. Apart from the general "healthy diet" stuff, my best secret is the super brain boosting 1-2 knockout punch. Milk and Chyawanprash (my morning dose pictured above).

Milk contains a host of good stuff, including Thiamine (a B-vitamin) that is essential for cognitive function. It also contains a chemical called "calpain", which is like a dental floss for your brain. Calpain goes into the synapses (the spaces between neurons), and cleans out the plaque there. This enables your brain cells to communicate more quickly and efficiently, making you more alert and more capable of picking up new information.

Chywanprash (pronounced CHOW-IN-PRASH), is an age-old Indian tonic made from Indian Gooseberry (a fruit that contains 400 times more vitamin C than an orange) and over 50 different herbs. This sweet, brown sticky jam can be found in just about every Indian home. And while mothers often insist on their kids eating it as an immunity enhancer (especially in winters), most don't realize its power on boosting brain power.

Vitamin C is an antioxidant (a chemical that bonds with free floating oxygen molecules that destroy healthy cells), which is known for its role in memory retention. In addition, the combination of herbs in Chyawanprash relax the central nervous system and strengthen receptor activity associated with memory and concentration.

And this special brain food is not just for kids. It is also beneficial for seniors who are interested in keeping their gray-matter fit!

Jiva's Chyawanprash is the best I've tasted. (Of course I'm biased, but I've done taste tests, and I'm really partial to ours.). Whatever the case, just make sure you make both Chyawanprash and milk a part of your family's regular diet to keep everyone's body and mind at their best.