Bringing people, places and events to life
I heart the 6th Borough Market—and it’s back today! Take a walk behind City Hall (Montgonmery St. and Marin Blvd.) between 11am and 5pm to soak in the unique offerings and handcrafted items. There is nothing like shopping local.
Click below to see pics & purchases from my last visit…
Did you know that you can meditate for free at The Brunswick Center in Jersey City?
The former school at 189 Brunswick Street has transformed into an educational health and wellness center, where classrooms have been converted into dance studios, cardio and weight-training rooms, and the yoga & meditation center.
Volunteers run the meditation classes at 7pm on Mondays (or Tuesdays, depending on attendance availability in the meetup group) and at 5pm on Saturdays.
On my particular visit, Kushal Choksi, who works in hedge funds, was the instructor. We removed our shoes before entering the studio and sat on our mats. First, we did breathing exercises to open up our air passages. Then Kushal led us in a guided meditation that he said would be 10 minutes but when we finished it turned out to be 22 minutes. Time was irrelevent. In meditation, you are so focused on your inner body that you are not concerned with the outside world.
Kushal explained that most of our daily lives involve things pulling us in different directions and that both external and internal forces control our thoughts. But there is one way we can control our thoughts…through breathing. I certainly felt clear-headed and centered after the session, at peace with myself and my surroundings. We were living in the present moment.
I spoke to Amit Haryani, who often leads the classes at The Brunswick Center. He has studied yoga and meditation for 20 years and has taught for 15 of those, finding that it gives him inner peace from his day job as an environmental engineer.
Earlier in ilfe, when Amit was stressed out during exams, his classmate introduced him to “The Art of Living” happiness program, started by His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. The Brunswick Center location offers that as a paid program, once a month. Details here.
“The happiness program is about leading a lifestyle where you can truly be happy,” says Amit. “It gives you the ability to actually be the expression of happiness, rather than be in the pursuit of happiness.”
If anything can be determined from the demeanor of these men and other organizers, it is that they have an inner-peace that radiates positive energy and joy to all of those in their presence.
SCHEDULE:
Ommm,
JCG
Joining the Grove Street Farmer’s Market this year is new hot sauce vendor Gemini-Crow, and boy is that sauce hot!
Dov Teta, a former co-worker of mine way back, founded Gemini-Crow while being a stay-at-home dad for his daughters.
As a supporter of entrepreneurs and small businesses (as well as a lover of hot sauce!), naturally, I had to check out the goods.
I chose Burn, Blackberry Belle, and the Devil His Due (not a typo).
All sauces are quite hot, so a little goes a long way. My favorite is Blackberry Belle, as it’s a little sweeter and has less burn than the others, but they are all good and fiery. There are also two jarred sauces under the “Doom” label.
Stop by Dov’s stand at The Grove Street Farmers Market on Thursdays and you can try each sauce in the Gemini-Crow collection and hear his recommendations for food pairings. All are gluten-free and vegan. Each bottle is $7.99, but you can buy 3 for $21 at the market.
Best of all, if you mention that you read about it on Jersey City Gal, he may just give you a discount.
Feel the burn,
JCG
Who has the time and energy to keep up with household cleaning unless its your profession?
I am obsessed with cleaning and sometimes feel like its all I do, only to find some dust the next day. That damn dust.
I am always looking for ways to be more proficient and smarter and faster with my cleaning.
I research cleaning methods a lot. And I found a cool man, Abu Bah, who runs NJ cleaning service MaidComfy and blogs about our cleaning crises. Here are his 5 Basic Tips for Reorganizing the Home and Simplifying Life
Tip #1 – Start With Clearing out the Clutter
Though most people may not realize it, lots of clutter can affect virtually every part of an individual’s life.
Click below to read more…