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iN THE COVERMaria Fernanda Molinari

CHIROPRACTICIMPROVESCREATIVETHiNKING

Co-PublisherLuis Casas

Co-PublisherJaime Cavanzo

Editor in-ChiefMaria Fernanda Molinari

Art DirectorHenry Garzon

Graphic DesignTatiana Gomez

PhotographyOvidiu “Ovie” Softonia

Copyright Notice: iNBrickell Magazine name

and logotype is a trademark. All editorial content,

photography and graphics on iNBrickell Magazine

materials are protected by U.S. copyright, international treaties and other applicable copyright laws and may not

be copied without the express permission of iNBrickell

Magazine, which reserves all rght. Re-use of any of

iNBrickell Magazine editorial content and graphics for any purpose without iNBrickell

Magazine permission is strictly prohibited.

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MATTE PAINT

COSMETICSURGERYADICTION

TRANSFORMING SUFFERING IN TO HAPPINES

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Marta Gainza, DMD, FAGD

You only get one chance to make a first impression. Make it a great one! A healthy smile makes a lasting im-pression and is always in style.

Do your gums bleed when you brush? Your hands do not bleed when you wash them, neither should your gums. Has it been more than 6 months since your last dental cleaning? Have you been to a dentist and had been told you needed a “deep cleaning,” but never went back? At your last dental visit, were you told that you had broken or leaking dental work, but never followed through with treatment? If you answered yes to any (or all) of these questions, it is time to see a dentist.

A Healthy Beautiful Smile is Always in Style!

Once your teeth and gums are healthy, then you can whitening your smile. Bleaching treat-ments range from store bought products to dentist dispensed/supervised bleaching sys-tems in a dental office. There are toothpastes and rinses available in stores and can be used for maintenance after bleaching. Peroxide and baking soda toothpastes are helpful in main-taining white teeth and preventing stains.

Bleaching systems available at your dental of-fice are stronger than store bought products. In a dental office, bleaching systems fall into two major categories 1) home tray bleaching system or 2) in office bleaching systems which is usually paired up with a take home tray treat-ment for optimum results. With dental office take home bleaching tray systems, impressions of your teeth are taken and customized trays (gel carriers) are fabricated to fit to your teeth. The bleaching gel is placed in the custom made tray and worn as directed, from half and hour up to several hours, depending on the product. Your dentist will determine the appropriate re-gime for your smile. Studies show that level of whitening is the same with either system, how-ever combining take home trays with a chair-side treatment will get you there faster.

A dental check up and cleaning gives you an excellent opportunity to address these issues with your dentist. Ask for a “refresher” les-son on improving your oral health at your next dental visit.

A pleasant bright smile is a wonderful way to say hello!

Marta Gainza,DMD,FAGD58 SW 10th Street ~ Brickell Village(305) 374-0996 www.drgainza.com

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Many cigar enthusiasts say, “Cuban, YES, Cuban!” Cuban cigars may be the best. If you live in the U.S. where they’re illegal, it is really hard to have the opportunity to

sample a Cuban cigar. But for those who’ve had the chance to smoke a Cuban cigar it’s likely they’ve had a great experience.

Fortunately for U.S. cigars lovers, there is almost an infinite variety of cigars from other countries from which to choose. Now the controversy starts here: Which country produces the best cigars? Obviously there’s no right answer here and would be the same type of question about which country makes the best food, or produces the best wines. It’s really a matter of taste and preference. Great food, great wine—and even great cigars—come from many places, coun-tries and regions. And part of the fun is the debate with friends over what makes a great cigar.

Wich is the best cigar?

The best way to know what is the best cigar for you is to sample as many varieties from as many regions as possible to make an informed decision about what tastes great to you.

When Cuba was virtually the only country producing truly premium cigar leaf, Havana cigars were decid-edly the best. But today, with manufacturers who have spent four decades perfecting the tobacco cultivation process in nations such as Honduras, the Dominican Republic, and Nicaragua, some amazing tobacco is being produce outside Cuba.

There are too many factors that contribute to the creation of a great cigar, the Tobacco of course, and the construction, among others, is quality control the same for all the cigars, I don’t think so. So next time if you have the chance to select a cigar, just give a try and be yourself the one to judge that without any preconception, you will be discovering amazing sticks from all over the places!Mario Alra, the authority at Little Havanna Cigar Factory iN

Creative thinking is one of the great-est human assets in that it initiates new thoughts and

world changing ideas. Creativity is the ability to generate ideas of both novel and useful form to a particular social setting. Innova-tive thoughts inspire excitement and unlock the depths of hu-man potential. New research has shown that chiropractic adjust-ments significantly improve the creative thought process.

Life is dull, bland and stale with-out the ability to be creative. The unrestricted human mind has the ability to solve problems with new ideas that build off of the lat-est technology of the day. In fact, nearly every problem mankind has ever faced has been solved by a new, more creative way of thinking and living.

Real World Implications for Creative ThinkingProfessional athletes have big incentives to perform at an elite level every time they participate in their sport. Business people, doctors, scientists and others have incentive to perform at their highest level every time they step foot into their spe-cific arena.

The ability to think quickly and in-novatively is one of the character-istics that allows these individuals to have extraordinary success in their field. These characteristics also allow these professions to evolve to a higher level.

Therapies and ergonomic aids such as caffeine, herbs, and med-ications have been used for many years to help individuals perform better in their particular field. Per-formance aids that benefit the in-dividual with very low risk of dan-

ger, side effects or addiction are valuable com-modities.A recent study

showed that chi-ropractic adjust-

ments positively affected creative

thinking. The pilot study was published in

the June 2010 edition of the Chiropractic Journal of Australia.

This study used the “alternative uses test” to measure creative abilities pre/post adjustment. The alternative uses test has the indi-vidual write down as many uses for a specific object as possible during a ten minute period. An example would be to name all the different ways one could use a newspaper, a chair, or a shoe.

Pre-testing using the alterna-tive uses test was performed in the beginning on all ten research participants. Then each of these participants was assessed for subluxation. Subluxation is “a complex of functional and/or structural and/or pathological ar-ticular changes that compromise neural integrity and may influ-ence organ system function and general health.”

Following the assessment the subjects were administered a chiropractic adjustment. The ad-justment is defined as, “A ma-neuver in a specific vector, veloc-

Chiropractic improves creative thinking

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ity, intensity of force and point of application that is intended to as-sist the body in restoring normal tone by correcting subluxation in whole or in part.” After the ad-justment, the subjects performed another version of the alternative uses test.

Chiropractic Improved Real World Creative TasksThe subjects were then inter-viewed two to eight days later after the adjustment to measure lasting effects on creativity. Six of the ten participants experienced a significant post-adjustment im-provement in their performance on the alternative uses test. The follow up interviews showed an even stronger result. Seven of the ten individuals indicated they had new directions in a real world creative task. Six individuals claimed to have renewed energy towards a creative project they had already planned. Meanwhile,

none of the subjects interviewed said they noticed less energy or creative thinking since the ad-justment.

This study indicates that a ma-jority of individuals had improve-ment in real world creative tasks

for two to eight days post adjust-ment. With the profound impli-cations that the results suggest, it seems appropriate to allocate substantial research dollars to look more in-depth at the abil-ity of chiropractic adjustments in improving creative thinking.

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South Florida’s condo industry is reaching an almost giddy level of optimism in anticipation of the January session of the Florida legisla-ture, when state leaders are expected to con-

sider (and possibly adopt) language that would permit Las Vegas-style casinos in the economic struggling counties of Miami-Dade and Broward.

Real estate developers, sales agents, and units owners alike are preoccupied with visions of how casinos could

Casinosjackpot

could be

for condo-hotels

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Real estate developers, sales agents and unit owners are preoccupied with visions of how casinos could provide

further stimulus for the South Florida condo market.

provide further stimulus for the improving (but still wob-bling) South Florida condo market that crashed in 2007 under the weight of an oversupply of new projects.

Consider that since the second quarter of 2011, when Malaysian-based Genting Group purchased the Miami Herald headquarters and surrounding land for a possible casino, at least 16 new condo towers with more than 3,500 new units have been proposed in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

The new condo towers are being proposed despite more than 3,700 new units near the coast remaining unsold in Miami-Dade and Broward counties as of Sept. 30.

At the current sales pace, the new condos could be sold out by 2013, which does not factor in bulk buyers who are looking to resell units acquired during the scariest times of the South Florida real estate crash.

It is not to say all of the newly proposed projects (three of which have already begun construction) will be can-celled if the casino legislation fails next month, but it is curious to see how many projects have been announced since the Genting Group announced its plans for a 10-million-square-foot complex in downtown Miami.

Part of the South Florida optimism is rooted in a sud-den surge in condo transactions in 2011 by cash buyers from abroad with strong foreign currencies who have been picking up units in bunches.

All the while qualified domestic users with healthy down payments have for the most part failed to acquire their own condo units due, in part, to lender apprehension about providing financing for South Florida condos.

Under the proposed casino legislation, three licenses (two in Miami-Dade and one in Broward) would be avail-

able to chosen groups that commit to spend at least $2 billion for new development, which should spur jobs and future tax revenue.

In recent months, representatives from what seems like every major casino operator in the world (Caesars Entertainment Corp. to Las Vegas Sands Corp., Wynn Resorts Ltd. to MGM Resorts International) have re-portedly visited South Florida to explore the prospects of pursuing one of the potential gambling licenses.

The optimism brewing for the prospect of casinos has many in the real estate industry hoping that the pos-sible approval of gambling in Miami-Dade and Bro-ward counties could jumpstart South Florida’s condo market, which has suffered financial pain and hardship since the peak in 2006.

The bullishness, however, may be overly optimistic for most existing South Florida condo projects where as-sociation bylaws regulate the period of time that units can be rented out annually.

Much like in the Las Vegas condo market, only those condo units that can be rented out by the day or week are likely to realize any direct boost in leasing activ-ity, which in turn could translate into stronger pricing rather than the emergence of casinos.

For the majority of South Florida condo projects, leas-ing is limited to three-, six-, or 12-month increments annually. As a result, any boost in pricing would likely occur as part of an overall improvement in the South Florida market. iN

Miami’s Hotel Urbano at Brickell has adopted the endangered Florida manatee as the ho-tel’s official “mascot” in honor of downtown Miami’s rich history with these gentle marine

giants. To help promote the appreciation and awareness of the endangered Florida manatees to out-of-town visi-tors, the hotel now features a plush stuffed animal mana-tee amenity in each of the 65 rooms, which are available for guests to purchase. Additionally, Hotel Urbano has partnered with the Miami Seaquarium which is dedicated to Florida manatee rescue, rehabilitation and conserva-tion efforts – to offer Hotel Urbano guests reduced ticket rates for entrance into this top Miami attraction.

By unveiling the new in-room manatee amenities, Hotel Urbano at Brickell aims to promote tourist awareness and appreciation for Florida manatees, which although large in size are very gentle animals that are incredibly unique to South Florida and Miami ’s downtown area. The Miami River, which flows directly through Miami ’s bustling downtown and Brickell Neighborhood, is home to many endangered Florida manatees which require the river’s warm waters and lush vegetation to survive. While manatees once thrived in the Miami River, the in-crease in the use of commercial watercraft on this river has also contributed to the decline of this fascinating species, as Florida manatees continue to be killed and injured due to boat collisions year after year. Humans are in fact the only real “predator” of manatees – due to boating accidents and increased pollution.

Hotel Urbano at Brickell raises awareness forendangered Florida

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Life as a collage

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Sometimes that doesn’t come easy, career, marriage, chil-dren, fears and a world of things keep us from doing it.

After my divorce I learned to let go and realized that nothing lasts forever, ab-solutely nothing! And I went from being a full time “stay at home mom” and a “desperate housewife”, to a full time “Idontknowwhatisgonnahappentome” person.

Only when I went back to do what I loved, things started to get better and it opened a thousand doors for the spirit.I got my first ‘on air’ job at a radio sta-tion, went to remodel a house in Europe (my first project abroad) and traveled

everywhere; from Colombia to post earthquake in Haiti working for my fam-ily’s company.

Then came the TV shows, magazine ar-ticles and having my work featured for the first time in a book. That’s when I learned that we don’t have to do things for others to like it, we have to do things that inspire us and be consequent with ourselves.

Amazing things have always happened to me without looking for them. I believe that when you do something, some-body is always going to find you.

When you have a life that changes con-stantly and have met so many interest-

By Maria Fernanda Molinari

I’m a firm believer that one has to do what makes one happy.

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ing people, the mind plays tricks on you, that is the reason why I write down everything I do every day and when I look at it, all I see is a collage of places, people, activities, emotions, expressions and situations.

As a designer, I am person who loves to trans-form everything around her; it’s easier for me to put into perspective constant changes in LIFE’S shape, color and style. As a communicator, I would tell you how I perceive LIFE as a true COL-LAGE of events; dreams still waiting to come true, a handful of achievements, funny stories and of course, a little bit of drama… We all have that, don’t we? For some reason the most bizarre and weird day-to-day situations find a way to me. It

might sound funny but sometimes I feel like I am living in a “Reality Show”.

I know LIFE is different for everyone, but it will never stop surprising us, and that’s what this ar-ticle is all about.

Every month I’ll be taking you through that col-lage, one month I might be giving you advice on how to decorate your House so you can lose weight and the following month, I’ll be telling you how to deal with your husband’s pet or telling you the best things to do in Dubai, because that is my life... a collage!, and I hope it is as entertaining to you as it is to me. “Be truthful to yourself before anybody else”. iN

For the first time to the artist Rafael Espitia, Cristina Chacon Gal-lery @ Brickell loca-

tion is showing “Caribbean” his first Digital Art Work exhi-bition, where you will find 12 limited edition pieces full of tropical exuberance.

Cristina Chacon Gallery brought the original Espitia’s work to

Miami back on 2010, and after several collections such as “Mu-jeres” and “Aqua” successful, we are launching his new digital collection.

Espitia was born in Cartagena, Colombia, a Prodigious child who exhibits since was 13 years old. Studies art and His-tory of Art in Bogota, Madrid and New York. After receiving awards in Spain and continuing exhibiting, he is commissioned to make murals, the best of his city. 44 years being seduced, and this time, Colors continue doing it.

The exhibition will be opening on Thursday January 19, 2012 up to March 15, 2102. For more information visit: www.cristin-achaconstudiofgallery.com

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Maybe it’s the shape of your nose, breasts, or even calf muscles (or lack thereof) that you’d like to change. This is normal – we all have at least one feature we wish could

be improved with a simple snap of the fingers. But unfortunately there’s no magic lamp to rub or shin-ing star to wish upon. So before you take the steps to attain narrower nostrils, sexier cleavage, or better-sculpted muscles, you gotta do some serious think-ing and evaluate why you want cosmetic surgery in the first place.

What if you think you are completely realistic about what you want done and the type of results to ex-pect? Is society’s skewed standard of beauty influ-

encing you to keep going back for more? Accord-ing to board certified New York plastic surgeon Dr. Sydney Coleman, cosmetic surgery addiction can be caused by a medical condition called body dismor-phic disorder (BDD).

“BDD affects both men and women and manifests as a preoccupation with an imagined physical defect or an exaggerated concern about a minimal defect,” he says. “This can lead the patient to a plastic sur-geon or dermatologist in an attempt to try to change the perceived defect.” However, he adds, turning to a doctor for more surgery is rarely successful because that patient will never be happy with these changes.According to Dr. Dubrow, “The best plastic surgery is unseen.”

This cycle could possibly lead to even more requests for a nip here and a tuck there.

When most people think of what looks to be cosmet-ic surgery addiction, images of specific figures come to mind: Michael Jackson, Joan Rivers, and the infa-mous Jocelyn “Cat Woman” Wildenstein. Just look at the “before” photos of these celebrities, and you’ll find yourself asking, “Why?”Pressure from living in the limelight no doubtedly con-tributes to the desire to look as beautiful as possible; however when a person’s face takes on a different direction and becomes unrecognizable – something seems clearly wrong. So what happens when BDD sufferers or those who rely on cosmetic surgery for the wrong reasons, turn to a doctor for even another procedure? Is it that medical professional’s responsi-bility to put their foot down and say “stop?”

Is it that medical professional’s responsibility to put their foot down and say “stop?”Board certified Newport Beach plastic surgeon Dr. Terry Dubrow, who stars on “The Swan,” doesn’t be-lieve in saying “enough is enough;” however he will share what he thinks may be “counterproductive” to a person’s appearance.

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Addiction

For a doctor who plays an instrumental role on Reality TV, and knowing that media attention has “made peo-ple more plastic surgery-aware,” Dr. Dubrow feels the phenomenon of “overly-pulled faces” and unnatural looking, huge breasts has come and gone – despite how many people go to him for the multiple proce-dures they see performed on television.

Just as it is your decision to find an experienced doc-tor, it is your decision to get surgery in the first place.

“When a physician encounters a patient that desires surgery but clearly has already had enough, it is time for a very frank discussion with the patient,” says Dr. Coleman. “It is important to recognize the point at which either nothing more can be done or nothing more should be done.”

According to Dr. Dubrow, “The best plastic surgery is unseen.” He says that if you can tell someone has had work done, then it wasn’t such a great job after all. When it comes to a plastic surgeon’s craft, Dr. Cole-man couldn’t agree more: “The result of an operation or procedure is a reflection on the plastic surgeon and most do not want their patients walking around with a distorted, unnatural face,” he says.According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), there are two types of patients who undergo

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plastic surgery. There are patients who possess a strong self-image and would like to have a specific physical characteristic improved or changed, and there are those who have a physical defect or cos-metic flaw that has diminished their self-esteem over time.

Doctors can usually identify “troubled” patients dur-ing the initial consultation, which may prompt them to advise psychological counseling first. The ASPS admits to there being exceptions to the rule; how-ever individuals who may be advised to seek coun-seling include:Patients in crisisPatients with unrealistic expectationsImpossible-to-please patientsPatients who are obsessed with a very minor defectPatients who have a mental illnessSo what’s the doctor got to do with it? Truth is – a (good) doctor is not going to push you towards get-ting a procedure you don’t want and try to sell you the idea of getting more surgery when you clearly don’t need it. Just as it is your decision to find an experienced doctor, it is your decision to get surgery in the first place! iN

I have been a journalist since I was in my mother’s womb. Actually, my mother was studying jour-nalism when pregnant with me. Since childhood, I loved to talk and tell stories, write, and argue about everything that was going on around me. I

was very fortunate to have started working as a jour-nalist in my early 20’s on both radio and television.

Although I lost track of how many reports I have writ-ten or how many people I have interviewed over the last eight years, a few stories have stayed with me as they touched me on a deep human level and made me reflect on our purpose in the universe. Just as the sun shines during the day and hides at night, and the stars appear to illuminate the darkness of the sky, every human being is born in order to try to fulfill its mission. This is why we are all different, with diverse tal-ents, personalities, and abilities.

Early last year, I had to record a television series on extreme sports. To my surprise, my first challenge was nothing more and nothing less than to skydive and jump from a plane flying over ten thou-sand feet. In this adventure I had the opportunity to meet a Canadian named Martin Au-dit, who had 15 years of expe-rience as a skydiving instructor. At the time of the interview, Martin had already logged more than 15 thousand jumps, with an average of ten jumps per day Martin had

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journalist passion to iN Brickell It is a time to refresh our hopes and look for opportunities to start writing a new chapter in our living diary

spent more time closer to heaven than to the earth. At first, I thought it was complete madness. How could someone risk his life jumping ten times per day? His reply to this question is one that I’ll never forget: “I do what I like, I’m happy every day, I get paid to have fun and for me this is my life”.

How many people do we know that work in what they want and have a passion for their job? How many

work in something that excites them? How about the people that don’t enjoy working at all? The fortunate individuals, of course, are the people who work in what moti-vates them and fulfills their aspirations.

These are people who do their best work, because they are passionately committed

to their assignments. People who work in something that they don’t like

may still correctly do their job, may still succeed in their busi-ness and may even be pro-moted, but in most cases they are living in an economic cage, unhappy and frustrated with their existence.

So this is the ideal time to re-flect on what we really like to do in life and remember that we are not a money machine. There is only one life and you have to enjoy it, delight it, squeeze it, and most im-

portantly try to pursue happi-ness. Are you truly happy with

what you do now?

Leana Astorga

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For those unenlightened souls wondering what all the fuss is over Radiohead - it’s because they’re so f-ing special. And the

Grammy-winning British art-rock band is coming back to tour the States for the first time since 2008, kicking it all off in none other than the Magic City. Yes, Radiohead hits the AmericanAirlines Arena in down-town Miami on Feb. 27, 2012. It’s nearly impossible to predict what the band - led by the edgy yet angelic-voiced Thom Yorke and searing guitarist Jonny Greenwood - might choose to play. From early hits such as “Creep,” “High and Dry,” “Fake Plastic Trees” and “Just” to more expansive, experimental works including “Paranoid Android,” “Airbag,” “Idioteque” and “Everything In Its Right Place” to new-er anthemic and stripped-down rock from the albums “In Rainbows” and “The King of Limbs” - there’s a mind-blowing range of styles to explore, plus remixes. The group could even break out new material it’s been working on.

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Matte PaintMatte Paint

Car makers as diverse as Mer-cedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Peu-geot, Lotus, Renault, Ford, Citroen, Fiat and Lamborghini

all showed vehicles with matte finishes that are already offered as an option on some luxury cars in Miami, FL.

Matte paint finishes could be the next big

thing in car colours

Matte paint can add thousands to the cost of the car but bring a unique look that’s distinctly different to the traditional high gloss paints used on cars. They can add a more sinister appeal to an already sporty car.

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Matte PaintMatte PaintMany brands show had at least one matte finish car on display, with many showing multiples.

A matte finish is either the best or worst thing you could do to your car depend-ing on what it is.

On an S-Class Benz, no. Not even if you are a rapper. Black is a great color for those cars, but not matte. Make it glossy or metallic and have wheels in either chrome or black. You can’t go wrong with that image, whether you spend your days doing surgery, trad-ing options, or running a third world country.

Now, Lamborghinis are cars made es-pecially for outrageous colors, includ-ing and especially matte black. I’d love an Aventador in matte black (called Nero Nemesis) and black wheels, with the rest of the brightwork blacked out. It’s like Darth Vader in car form.

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into happiness

These teachings did not originate with me, they were synthesized from several teachers from different religious backgrounds from around the world. In fact they did not originate with them either, but from the timeless wisdom obtained through personal experience and insight into our true nature. It has been part of the natural

expression of my true nature to synthesize and organize these teachings and so doing I have benefitted greatly. Perhaps you will find them helpful also.

“Our difficulties can be the source of our awakening. The basic principle of spiritual life is that our problems be-come the very place to dis-

cover wisdom and love...our sufferings may seem to increase because we no longer hide from them or from ourselves. When we don’t follow the old habits of fantasy and escape, we are left facing the actual problems and contradictions of our life...we are in-evitably confronted with our own limitations. As we look into ourselves we see more clearly our unexam-

ined conflicts and fears, our frailities and confusion. To witness this can be difficult.”

Lama Trungpa Rinpoche described spiritual progress from the ego’s point of view as “one insult after anoth-er.” Usually we try to fix the problem, avoid it or blame someone else and move on... We must transform our re-lationship with our difficulties, not change them. Very of-ten what nourishes our spirit most is what brings us face to face with our greatest limitations and difficulties. We learn the true strength of our practices.” Some difficul-ties require action, but most often our difficulties require

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G Transforming suffering

facing the ways in which we struggle with life. This requires surrendering and letting go. When we allow ourselves to become vulnerable, we open our heart to new possibili-ties. We must understand the value of our difficult experi-ences in life and learn to be greatful for them because each and every one is an op-portunity specifically given to us to learn something about the true nature of ourselves and life.

“No amount of meditation, yoga, diet and reflection will make all of our problems go away, but we can transform our difficulties into our practice until little by little they guide us on our way ... The seeds of wisdom and whole-ness are within each of our difficulties. We must make our very difficulties the place of our practice. Then our life becomes not a struggle with success and failure but a dance of the heart. It is up to us.” Jack Kornfield

Know who you are, then you will know what to do when problems arise, choices will be easier, decisions will be just decisions, not heart wrenching problems.

We must learn to see with the heart, with loving attention and not with the mind which judges, compares and sep-arates us from ourselves, others and the world. Freedom and enlightenment are not the result of self improvement or perfecting the body and mind.

“True enlightenment and wholeness arise when we are without anxiety about non-perfection.” Third Zen Patriarch

“I’m not o.k., you’re not o.k. and that’s o.k.” Elizabeth Kubler Ross

“When you learn to love hell you will be in heaven.” T.Golas

Expanding our spiritual practice is actually a process of expanding our heart, of widening our circle of insight and compassion to gradually include the whole of our life...to let our life be our message.

“It is through our own strength of being, our own integrity, the discovery of our own greatness of heart, that we bring freedom to our lives and to those around us.” Jack Korn-field

“There is only one teacher. Life itself. And of course each one of us is a manifestation of life...Life happens to be a severe and an endlessly kind teacher. It’s the only authority you need to trust. This teacher this authority is everywhere...this is a very radical teaching not for everyone.

People often turn away from such a teaching;

they don’t want to hear it.” Joko Beck

When one’s life looks uncomfortable, lonely or depressing it is not easy to face “life as it is”. But when we do face it, when we begin to experience each moment, the true teacher, and actually just “be in the moment” then we become free of the outer appearances of depression, loneliness, an-ger or whatever our particular drama happens to be and we experience the true bliss the underly-ing ground of being, our true nature. iN

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