Nine-day ‘Navratri’ festival begins all over India

New Delhi/ Faizabad/Allahabad, Sept 19 (ANI): The nine-day ‘Navratri’ festival began across India with religious fervour on Saturday.

Thousands of devotees queued up at various temples dedicated to Goddess Durga.

In New Delhi, devotees converged at Jhandewalan to offer prayers prior to dawn and observed fast throughout the day.

“We observe fast on the first day of Navratri. On the first day, we pray for the whole day and meditate on Goddess Durga,” said Madan Gehlot, a devotee.

Meanwhile, at Faizabad in Uttar Pradesh, people made a beeline to the temple of Goddess Badi Devkali.

The devotees believe their wishes are fulfilled if they pray to Goddess Badi Devkali during the festival.

“People believe that coming here redeems them from their sins. Since the Goddess Devkali is the deity of Lord Rama’s dynasty, her significance is all the more. That’s why people come here to offer prayers to the Goddess,” said Poonam, a devotee.

Earlier on Friday, a day prior to the commencement of Dusshera, a unique annual horse procession was taken out through the streets of Allahabad.

The belief is that the horse representing sage Vyasa would relate the Ramayana.

Musical bands led the attractively decorated white horse procession organised by a leading Ram Lila committee of the city.

“Legend says that when Maharishi Valmiki narrated the story of Lord Rama to Luv and Kush then this horse standing next to them also listened to the story. The horse in the form of sage Vyasa tells the story of Rama to people during the Navratri celebrations,” said Ajay Kumar Shukla, secretary, Ramlila Committee.

“Naaratri”, which literally means nine nights, is observed twice a year.

The festival lasts for nine days in honour of nine manifestations of Durga, goddess of power, and fall in the months of April-May and September-October.

It is believed that during the Navratri, Goddess Durga descends on earth to rid it of the demons and blesses her devotees with happiness and prosperity. (ANI)

Meditation helps build stronger brains

Washington, May 13 (ANI): A new study has confirmed what many people believed: meditation helps increase gray matter.

A research team from University of California, Los Angeles scanned the brains of people who meditate and found that certain regions in the brains of long-term meditators were larger than in a similar control group.

Meditators showed significantly larger volumes of the hippocampus and areas within the orbito-frontal cortex, the thalamus and the inferior temporal gyrus – all known for regulating emotions.

“We know that people who consistently meditate have a singular ability to cultivate positive emotions, retain emotional stability and engage in mindful behaviour,” said Eileen Luders, lead author and a postdoctoral research fellow at the UCLA Laboratory of Neuro Imaging.

“The observed differences in brain anatomy might give us a clue why meditators have these exceptional abilities,” Luders added.

During the study, the research team looked at 44 people. Half were asked to practice various forms of meditation such as Zazen, Samatha and Vipassana and the other half acted as the control group.

More than half of all the meditators said that deep concentration was an essential part of their practice, and most meditated between 10 and 90 minutes every day.

The brains of the meditators showed larger volumes of the right hippocampus and increased gray matter in the right orbito-frontal cortex, the right thalamus and the left inferior temporal lobe.

Because these areas of the brain are closely linked to emotion, Luders said, “these might be the neuronal underpinnings that give meditators’ the outstanding ability to regulate their emotions and allow for well-adjusted responses to whatever life throws their way.”

The study is published in the journal NeuroImage. (ANI)

Elle Macpherson’s secret to looking 20 at 45 revealed

London, May 4 (ANI): Aussie supermodel Elle Macpherson’s secret to looking like a twenty something at the age of 45 has been revealed by her personal trainer James Duigan.

Macpherson has attracted a lot of interest with her killer figure and Duigan was contacted to find out the reason for her great shape.

The trainer first revealed that Macpherson is a person who swears by fish oil, and it is one of the reasons she is so trim.

“They’re great for helping your body burn fat, especially around your stomach and waist,” the Mirror quoted him as saying.

In fact, the latest study, from the Mayo clinic in Minnesota in the US, reveals that the omega-3 fatty acid contained in these oils helps suppress appetite and encourages the body to burn fat around the mid-section.

Secondly the model moves around a lot, whether she’s cycling her kids to school in West London, or surfing in her native Australia, is always on the move.

“She makes exercise a part of her day,” Duigan said.

“When she was in Sydney recently, she was cycling and surfing all the time. It’s important to stay active at weekends and holidays but, like Elle, you can make it fun,” he explained.

Thirdly Macpherson does not want to be skinny, she is happy to have a few extra pounds on her body.

“A few pounds show a lot on my body but it’s OK. I believe women look good with a bit of softness to them,” the model once said.

Although she’s very slim, Macpherson always kept her curves during her modelling career, which is probably why she’s so fit now.

“If you yo-yo diet or starve yourself, your metabolism suffers greatly,” says nutritionist Carina Norris.

“It catches up with you in later life and you’ll find it harder to keep a steady weight. It’s far better to eat well and move around a bit instead of messing with your metabolism,” she added.

Fourthly, Macpherson believes in her organic diet, and even says so.

“I would encourage everyone to give it a go,” she said.

Studies show that organic food contains more nutrients – and the more nutrients your body absorbs, the less hungry it feels, however, it can be pricey, so just add the odd organic item to your basket when you can.

Fifthly, she likes to meditate, as it allows her to take time out to focus on her mind.

“Keeping stress at bay is one of the best things you can do for your body and waistline,” Duigan said.

Stress is closely linked with stomach fat – studies show that when we’re stressed, our bodies release cortisol, a hormone that encourages our body to store fat around our waist and tummies. (ANI)

Russell Brand considering quitting sex

London, January 26 (ANI): Funnyman Russell Brand, who sleeps with three woman a day on average, has revealed that he is fed up of the “meaningless” one-night stands, and wants to find another hobby.
“If I’m to find any true happiness I have to devote myself to something bigger than my own ego,” British tabloid The Sun quoted him as telling US GQ.

“I’m really getting tired of materialism. I don’t reckon I’ve got more than two or three years.

“I’ve burned out drugs. I’m burning out sex. I don’t even know what I’m doing yet. I’m not ready.

“I’ve got to be in a position where they can’t go, ‘Didn’t he f**k* that stripper? Didn’t he go to that lap-dancing club?’”

“There can’t be any of that around. That’s all got to go – until I’m in a position where I can say, ‘Look I’m celibate, I’m a vegan. All I do is meditate, come out and do stand-up and make films,’” he added. (ANI)