Happy Diwali!

My wishes for a very happy and joyous Diwali!

This is a day when members of some of the world's oldest religions celebrate the triumph of good over evil. May the festival of lights bring continued peace, prosperity and health into all of our lives & the blessings of the divine mother be with you always.

Hari Om-

Lauren

Perky Posture

Don't be a slouch! Sit or stand tall, confident and strong. Sitting or standing up straight will allow the prana (breath) to flow smoother, providing you with more energy while improving the health of your spine. Practice mindfulness of your posture at all hours of your day, in all situations for a taller, prouder you!

1. Take a break. Most office jobs leaves us sitting at a desk for long periods of time, allowing us to sink into our chairs. Set your computer to ding every hour as a signal to stand up, stretch, roll your neck/shoulders and readjust. Get up to grab a drink of water too, it will help get the blood circulating, give your eyes a rest and rehydrate you.

2. Raise your car's rear-view mirror. Angling your mirror up slightly teaches you to sit up straighter behind the wheel and elsewhere.

3. Move your monitor. Your neck is an extension of your spine so tilting your noggin down or back to see your screen can promote poor posture. Adjust your screen's position at your desk so that you gaze straight ahead. Also, be mindful of your position as you use gadgets such as laptops, iPads, even gadgets such as phones for long periods of time.

4. Stand tall in mountain pose. Practice tadasana (the mountain pose) by balancing your weight equally between both feel and imagine they're rooted to the floor. Visualize the crown of your head being pulled from above and you keep your abs tight. An easy way to bring yourself into a correct posture at any time is to tightening your abs, that will always align your spine correctly.

5. Do kegals. Contract your pelvis as if stopping a flow of urine. Working the pelvic floor and other muscles of the core stimulates muscles along the spine that encourages it to lift and elongate. It also is a great exercise to help prevent incontinence.

A regular yoga practice will help correct your posture. In yoga we work on lengthening the spine, increasing the space between each vertebrate, resulting in a taller, prouder you!

First Love, Special to All of Us

First romance, first love, is something so special to all of us, both emotionally and physically, that it touches our lives and is a part of us forever. My first love was Nicky Policastro during our glory days at North Brunswick Township High School. Now, many of our NBTHS classmates knew that Nick and I didn't have the healthiest of relationships, HA! But, we did love each other very much while we were together. While dwelling in my youthful ignorance, I would write him long dramatic love letters during our break ups and felt as if the rest of my life would be nothing without him as my boyfriend. I still have rose petals pressed from every flower bouquet he sent me along with the messages of love he would attach to them. We were the perfect example of a high school romance. He was my first real relationship, the first boy I ever fell in love with, and the first person I happily committed to. His family was the first family besides mine that I truly loved being a part of. Nick taught me how to drive (way before I was issued my license, oops!, sorry Mom, Dad and state of NJ), we spent countless hours cuddled up in his parent's den watching Beverly Hills 90210, went to every semi-formal, jr. prom and prom you could think of together, would talk on the phone for hours each night until we'd eventually fall asleep on the phone together, partied together at house parties way before we could get into bars, I was on the sidelines of every one of his sporting events...you know, all that high school stuff couples would do.

Nick and I lost touch a year or two after we broke up, which was well over a decade ago. However, thanks to Facebook, I was able to wish him a happy birthday this September 3rd for his 32nd birthday. We reconnected from there and were able to get together to catch up last week. It's funny the little things you forget about people after not seeing them for a while. His smile, body language, the shape of his hands, his cute puffy earlobes and his sense of humor all triggered memories that I forgot I had. It's amazing how certain things about people never change. We reminisced about our past as "kids" and laughed about all of it as we caught each other up on North Brunswick gossip and what we've both been up to. Naturally, we got into a dispute or two (some things really never change!), but parted at the end of the night happy that we got together.

This past weekend, Nick was involved in a fatal car accident down the road from my parents in Milltown. Sunday morning I received that call that no one ever wants to get. Texts from him are still in my phone and his face is so clear in my mind after just seeing him. It seems so unbelievable to me that just like that, he's gone.

Life is so precious and moments with others are so special. The people who we've shared relationships with (whether romantic or not), help make us who we are today. Nicky Policastro will forever be a part of who I am because of the chapter of our lives that we shared together as young, naive high schoolers in love. My love and condolences go to his friends, relatives, beautiful parents, Patti & Joe, and his older brother, Tony.