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The following is a report by Babhru dasa, a Vaisnavas C.A.R.E. volunteer who resides in Berlin and works with the elderly and the mentally challenged using music therapy.

This type of therapy can be easily adjusted to terminally-ill Vaisnavas using bhajanas and stories from the scriptures.

1. We led the "Songs hour" for elderly men and women, where we sung the songs of their youth. It was always attached to some event either to time or season. The purpose was to make it easy for them to remember their "good times" so that they get a taste of life. These "Hours" were led twice a week.

2. We got a special project together with one therapist, who used "Fairy Tales Therapy" I played piano using some improvisation on Indian Raga, and she told the special Fairy Tales to help the elderly get rid of the fear of death. It was a one hour program once a week.

3. For mental challenged persons (not for seniors), we led a theater project. The purpose was to improve communication skills. In 12 months the following was achieved:

· Two people who previously could not even remember their own name, were able to call us by names

· They began to distinguish between our activities (me as a musician, and my colleagues as actors)

· They began to see themselves as persons with responsibilities for their roles.

· Scenes of different situations (e.g. trip to the forest, or scenes in a restaurant)

· Accompanied with improvisations by me on piano and keyboards. Drums were also used.

I have also just begun the study of Rajas which is based on the teachings of Chakras. The main tones of the musical scale correspond to the seven Chakra Points in the body. By using the different tones we can produce different moods which can help one to keep the necessary direction of thoughts. I will keep the readers informed as I discover interesting information.

Foot Massage for Ankle Edema
Bernie Rowen
(Acupuncture, Ayurveda, Yoga therapy, Aromatherapy and massage, Reflexology, Herbal medicine, and Iridology)

Put oil blend into the palm of your hand spread onto other hand. Place both hands gently on the top of the feet, just to connect to the patient. {I repeat the mahamantra while doing this}.

As soon as the patient is comfortable with your hands on their feet, massage first with the palm of your hand upwards, towards the knee. Then lightly bring the fingertips down again towards the toes, using no pressure on the downwards strokes.

Repeat the upwards strokes gently and firmly, depending on how sensitive the patient is. If the patient is fine with that see if you can use your thumb in small rotations around the ankles, gently always working upwards and bringing the hands behind the calf to behind the knee where the popliteal lymph nodes are, and gently past them to the back of the knee.

The properties of all the oils are mildly diuretic geranium having the highest diuretic properties, as well as being relaxing, lavender having the most relaxing qualities and grapefruit is often used as an uplifting essential oil during times of stress and depression.

THE PROPER APPROACH TO FITNESS AND HEALTH FOR DEVOTEES Hari das dasaZac Laurent (IFAST)

In the Vedic scriptures it is said that we should try to do everything in sattva-guna or the mode of goodness. Unfortunately, when someone wants to try some “keep fit” training or martial art, they tend to go for something "dynamic" as this is what is most readily available on the market.

Aerobics, kung-fu, Karate, Circuit training etc., seem to be very good for the health and mind as well as exciting to do, but the fact of the matter is that these things are speeding up the heart rate dramatically and therefore making one breathe faster. This is alright for a short term point of view, but in the long term, we will see heart strain, pulling of the tendons, muscle tension as well as breathing difficulties.

It is said that we have a certain amount of breaths to take in our lifetime, so we are pushing our luck by doing something that makes us breathe faster.
Not only that, we are not really breathing properly! We are breathing in allowing our chest to rise before our abdomen. In this way we are only filling the top part of our lungs with vital oxygen needed for the body. If you observe a baby you will note that their abdomen rises gently before their chest, and it is clear that they are filling the bases and well as the upper portion of their lungs. This is the natural way to breathe as it relaxes the whole body (thereby reducing pressure on the heart, lungs and other internal organs).

In the ancient traditions of Tai Chi Chuan, Chi Gung and Ba Gua Zhang, there are two fold techniques which enhance health as well as martial prowess. It should be noted that the health aspects are extremely profound and do not just deal with the external body, but also with the mind and spirit. The nature of the techniques increases mindfulness, concentration, focus and breathing effectiveness; as well as massaging the internal organs, thereby enabling them to rejuvenate and function more effectively. It is also to be noted that there is an esoteric element to the internal martial arts training which works on a more subtle level-akin to the anapanasati and vipassana techniques used by Theravada Buddhists. This involves using the breath to first still the mind. Once this is achieved, one can then go deeper into the body and mind and thereby seek out and analyze gross and subtle blockages.

In some books about chanting, devotees have mentioned the benefits of breathing deeply for a few minutes before doing the rounds. This is recommended because the more oxygen we take into our body (if we breathe properly) the more our mind will RELAX; therefore a higher focus on attentiveness can be achieved.

The above is a very brief introduction and more articles will follow shortly. The subject matter is quite vast and key concepts must be approached with emphasis on detail as this is a scientific process like Krsna consciousness.
Any questions or comments are most welcome. I can be contacted by writing to zacifast@hotmail.com

Thank you. Hare Krishna.