The first stage of meditation is to stop distractions and make our mind clearer and more lucid. This can be accomplished by practicing a simple breathing meditation. We choose a quiet place to meditate and sit in a comfortable position. We can sit in the traditional cross-legged posture or in any other position that is comfortable. If we wish, we can sit in a chair. The most important thing is to keep our back straight to prevent our mind from becoming sluggish or sleepy.

We sit with our eyes partially closed and turn our attention to our breathing. We breathe naturally, preferably through the nostrils, without attempting to control our breath, and we try to become aware of the sensation of the breath as it enters and leaves the nostrils. This sensation is our object of meditation. We should try to concentrate on it to the exclusion of everything else.

At first, our mind will be very busy, and we might even feel that the meditation is making our mind busier; but in reality we are just becoming more aware of how busy our mind actually is. There will be a great temptation to follow the different thoughts as they arise, but we should resist this and remain focused single-pointedly on the sensation of the breath. If we discover that our mind has wandered and is following our thoughts, we should immediately return it to the breath. We should repeat this as many times as necessary until the mind settles on the breath.

Benefits of Meditation

If we practise patiently in this way, gradually our distracting thoughts will subside and we will experience a sense of inner peace and relaxation. Our mind will feel lucid and spacious and we will feel refreshed. When the sea is rough, sediment is churned up and the water becomes murky, but when the wind dies down the mud gradually settles and the water becomes clear. In a similar way, when the otherwise incessant flow of our distracting thoughts is calmed through concentrating on the breath, our mind becomes unusually lucid and clear. We should stay with this state of mental calm for a while.
Even though breathing meditation is only a preliminary stage of meditation, it can be quite powerful. We can see from this practice that it is possible to experience inner peace and contentment just by controlling the mind, without having to depend at all upon external conditions.

When the turbulence of distracting thoughts subsides and our mind becomes still, a deep happiness and contentment naturally arises from within. This feeling of contentment and well-being helps us to cope with the busyness and difficulties of daily life. So much of the stress and tension we normally experience comes from our mind, and many of the problems we experience, including ill health, are caused or aggravated by this stress. Just by doing breathing meditation for ten or fifteen minutes each day, we will be able to reduce this stress. We will experience a calm, spacious feeling in the mind, and many of our usual problems will fall away. Difficult situations will become easier to deal with, we will naturally feel warm and well disposed towards other people, and our relationships with others will gradually improve.

Bellyhouse DJ -Meditation Mixs 2012 (click to download)

New York electro music fans have got to be excited about the crazy lineup that’s been put together for Electric Zoo 2012. From Tiesto and David Guetta to Pretty Lights and Wolfgang Gartner, every genre of electronic music is being properly represented. Below is the line up !
David Guetta, Axwell, Tiësto, Skrillex
3LAU
12th Planet
A-Trak
Above & Beyond
Adventure Club
Andy C
Argy
ATB
Autoerotique
Benny Benassi
Bloody Beetroots DJ Set
Better Lost Than Stupid
Bingo Players
Boys Noize
Chris Liebing
Claude VonStroke
Congorock
Dada Life
DashBerlin
Datsik
Dillon Francis
Dirtyphonics
Dixon
Excision
Felix Cartal
Ferry Corsten
Flux Pavilion & Doctor P
Frivolous LIVE
Hardwell
Gabriel & Dresden
Gesaffelstein
Kill the Noise
Knife Party
Koze
Laidback Luke
Luciano
Marco Carola
Mat Zo
Mathias Kaden
Martin Solveig
Maya Jane Coles
Mendo
Morgan Page
Mord Fustang
Mt Eden
Mustard Pimp
Nadastrom
Nicky Romero
Paco Osuna
PierceFulton
Porter Robinson
Pretty Lights
Robert Dietz
Reboot
Sander van Doorn
Sasha
Steve Aoki
Strip Steve vs Djedjotronic
Tommy Trash
Umek
Wolfgang Gartner
Zedd

Visit official site for updates !

It used to be enough for a celebrity to act or sing or swing a bat really well. Now to be considered a real success, he or she needs to sell clothes, hawk fragrances–maybe even invest in technology startups.

While she hasn’t stormed Silicon Valley just yet, Jennifer Lopez is a state-of-the-art celebrity success story. With $52 million in earnings over the last 12 months and a massive amount of fame, Lopez lands on Forbes No. 1  Celebrity 100 list for the first time.

A few years ago it looked like Lopez was done. Her albums, like the all-Spanish Como Ama una Mujer, failed to find the broad audience she once enjoyed. Her movies, like El Cantante, flopped.

Then in 2010 the singer landed a judge’s chair on American Idol. The job gave her a platform to promote her music and turn her image around. It didn’t hurt that she also split from her husband, Marc Anthony. Suddenly a single mother, Lopez lapped up the media attention and scored lucrative endorsement deals with companies like L’Oreal and Gillette. She now has a line of clothing at Kohl’s, a top-selling fragrance and she was able to secure a nice bump—to $20 million–on her Idol salary for a second season. With 6.6 million followers on Twitter and 12 million fans on Facebook, she’s also proved a master of social media.

Lopez unseats Lady Gaga, who topped the list last year. The pop star slides to fifth place this time around with $52 million in earnings, down from $90 million last year (Gaga didn’t tour much in the last 12 months). Her new album, Born This Way, was still a smash hit, selling 1 million copies its first week out.

While compiling a list of a lot of dubstep tracks this year (and some from late last year) we noticed that the list was getting bigger and bigger. After long hours scouring the internet, here it is for your listening pleasure:

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Soundcloud

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Soundcloud

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This my Electro mix for May 2012! Enjoy !

International diva Haifa Wehbe released her long awaited smash hit album MJK “Maliket Jamal El Koun”. The album is now available on sale in all Record Stores. The album became an instant trend as #MJK on all social media networks before the official release. It was named 19^th place out of 200 international albums on Itunes. Wehbe has created a new wave in the music industry in terms of production and mastering a fusion of oriental and western music. This new style has caused a massive success within all generations in the music industry. Wehbe never fails to surprise us with a new music style in every album. She has done it once again with this new hit album MJK “Maliket Jamal El Koun”.

For those of you who are new to Haifa and her work – she is the Middle East’s equivalent of Madonna, Nicki, Rihanna, Britney and Katy combined. Her fan-base is actually more intense and dedicated than any Barbz, Navy members, K*untz etc. collectively. Since she joined Twitter and Facebook about six months ago, her awareness globally has become unparalleled (for example 43% of album pre-orders have been global – outside of the M.E.). Haifa has even collaborated with Snoop Dogg for a track set to drop later this year and is working with RedOne on Western cross-over track. The video shot in Italy (which is very Sophia Loren-esque) for her single Bokra Bfarjik directed by Giangi Magnoni is out officially on 10 May.

Check out some exclusive images of Haifa  from the video shoot including a shot of Haifa with her statement and iconic Dolce & Gabbana black dress. Preview the album here

Shakira is back and her hips still don’t lie!

The Colombian singer released her new “Addicted to You” music video teaser Wednesday from her Spanish album, Sale el Sol. This is her fifth single off the album since its October 2010 release. In the steamy video, the swimsuit-clad Shakira (with short, sexy hair) looks hotter than exer as she splashes around in a bathtub. Anthony Mandler directed the clip in Los Angeles for a one-day shoot. Shakira’s fans have raved about the “Addicted to You” video on Twitter. “Thank you!” she tweeted them back. “So happy you guys are liking it!”

Last Saturday Bellyhouse the pleasure of working alongside Dj Apl de Ap of the Black Eye Peas @ Lavo Brunch Party (4-28-12). The Dj set will air first on SiriusXM Radio then be available as a free download ! Attached is also a short clip from the dj booth shot around 4pm in the afternoon (yes this party is during the day ) Only In New York  & oh what a feeling !

Lebanese singer Haifa Wahby is currently seeking to obtain the Egyptian nationality after the many years she has spent in Egypt. Haifa is holding consultations regarding the issue with her lawyer. Haifa said she is Lebanese by birth and nationality but she is Egyptian by spirit, confirming that she want to get the Egyptian nationality especially that her mother and her husband are Egyptians. She added that the Egyptian people have endowed her with the Egyptian nationality since the first day she came to Egypt, stressing that the Egyptian nationality is a pride to any Arab.

These are the most played hip hop records in nyc this spring!

1. Roman Reloaded 3:16
2. Mercy Kanye West 5:32
3. Rick Ross Stay Schemin’ (Feat. Drake & French Montana) 4:28
4. Theraflu 4:26
5. T.I. Ft. Dr Dre Popped Off 3:43
6. The Don 3:29
7. Future Feat. T.I. Magic (Remix) (Prod. By Javi) 3:50
8. Drake Feat. Lil Wayne The Motto (No Tags) Www.Djswivet.Com 3:01
9. Champion 3:42
10. 10 Hands On The Wheel 3:17
11. 05 Wale Feat. Big Sean Slight Work 2:34
12. 03 Young Jeezy Ft 2 Chainz Super Freak 2:46
13. T.I. & Swizz Beatz Swing Ya Rag 3:19
14. 16 Young Jeezy Feat. Jay Z & Andre 3000 I Do
15. Bo B Ft Lil Wayne Strange Clouds
16. French Montana Ft Chinx Drugz Shot Caller
17. Tyga Ft Lil Wayne Faded
 
Preview & Download Here

The technology behind this is amazing but watching a guy perform that has been dead for 15 years with living people is a tad strange. Many people online are having strong opinions about this video clip . To find out more on how it works click here.

It made us really happy to be part of the music score of this project. We hope you enjoy the film! Revelation of the Pyramids: For centuries, the Great Pyramids have fascinated Mankind; every year brings a batch of new theories, from the plausible to the absolutely bizarre. One lone seeker, after more than thirty-seven years of study and research, has at last managed first to understand and then to prove what lies behind this greatest of archaeological mysteries, a message of paramount importance for all mankind, through time and space. Its key and its heart are the Great Pyramids of Egypt. From China to Peru, from Egypt to Mexico, throughout the Middle East – through the world’s oldest, most enigmatic and often most beautiful sites the director has spent six years of investigation, guided by his anonymous informant, verifying his discoveries one by one, and meeting the planet’s most eminent scientific and technical specialists. The result will shake the history of mankind as it is taught to its very core, and revolutionize Egyptology entirely. A great odyssey along a breathtaking route rich in staggering imagery, an extraordinary scientific leap and finally a revelation as unexpected as it is spectacular. The message bequeathed to future generations by these mysterious builders.

Watch online here : http://www.sockshare.com/file/FDF803EC13C709FB#

Or Here:   http://www.putlocker.com/file/CD19B752B4F2FE2D#

Tips for using music for meditation

1. Keep it Down
If you are using music for meditation, then make sure that you don’t play the music too loudly. Your music should not seem dominant or intrusive. It should just be a serene and comfortable backdrop to your meditation. Turn it down a notch or two.

2. Headphones
Headphones are not always required, but I do recommend them for two reasons. Firstly, they make the music feel as though it is coming from inside of your own mind. If you are using music for meditation, then you’ll want to become deeply absorbed in the music, and the use of headphones really encourages this. Secondly, some headphones help to block out external sounds, which makes them very useful if you are meditating somewhere a little bit noisy.

3. Choose the right music.
As I already mentioned, if you wish to meditate deeply then I recommend that you avoid meditation music that is overly “entertaining”. By this I mean that you should steer clear of music that contains percussion, vocal performances or lots of instrumentation and variation. Music like this might be great for winding down out and relaxing, but it may not encourage a truly deep meditation experience.

4. Unwind.
Meditation music can also be used prior to meditation, to help put you into a calm, relaxed state of mind. So even if you choose to meditate without music, taking some time out to unwind while listening to some meditation music will help to prepare you for a deeper meditation experience.

The Meditation tab  is dedicated to deep meditation music…music that is specially designed to enhance and deepen your meditation. I encourage you to explore our range of music for meditation here.

You can also download some free meditation mp3′s here.

X3JA Mixed By Bellyhouse

Welcome back ! With the help of our friends at syndex.info we present the all new Bellyhouse! All of the music is neatly in the tab bars and we are now ready to begin releasing new material for 2012. Thank you for all the support everyone!

After all the hip shaking and belly dancing, it only makes sense that Shakira is now considering Bollywood.

According to reports by The Daily Record, the Colombian pop star could make her acting debut in an upcoming Bollywood film. The movie, titled “Desire,” will be directed by Bangladeshi director Enamul Karim Nirjhar, who received a National Nomination from Bangladesh for the 81st Academy Awards in the category of best foreign film for his movie, “Aha!” A large part of the movie is set to be filmed in Scotland.

Shakira is still in negotiations with movie executives to sing in the movie’s soundtrack as well as to act in the role of “Desire,” according to The Daily Record.

Pending the negotiations, Shakira is expected to record the soundtrack with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Shakira is no stranger to Bollywood.

In the 2006 MTV Video Awards, Shakira added some Bollywood moves– and her own version of traditional Indian attire — to a live performance of her hit song, “Hips Don’t Lie.” At the time, she expressed interest in doing a Bollywood-style dance video with film director Farah Khan, who worked with her on the performance, according to BBC News.

Other Latin Americans have previously worked in Bollywood films. Brazilian super model Giselle Monteiro, for instance, played the leading role of Harleen Kaur in the 2009 Bollywood film, “Love Aaj Kal.” Mexican actress Barbara Mori had a lead role in the movie “Kites” alongside Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan. The film was a love story between a Mexican beauty and an Indian man.

Now it appears the Latin American star who popularized belly dancing is set to make her mark in Bollywood.

Kanye West isn’t just satisfied with being a multi-platinum recording artist, fashion entrepreneur, and Twitter icon because reports show that he is currently scouting locations in the Middle East for a short film that he is set to direct. Much like he did with his 35-minute film for his song “Runaway”, West’s latest film will be a long-form music video/art film hybrid.

Apparently Kanye sent members of his team to Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Doha Qatar in order to meet with film companies and government officials native to those parts. There is currently a competitive bidding war in the process by these countries to gain the contracts involved in this production.

“In Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Doha all of the film initiatives are government controlled,” one source involved in the talks reported.  “A bidding war is going on between various government entities and private investors to fund the film. There’s pretty intense rivalry here between Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Qatar. They all want to claim the film as their own and take credit for generating the publicity.”

Kanye and his team are said to be very mindful of portraying the people of the Middle East in an authentic way that will hopefully shed many of the stereotypes of the area.

“His reps seemed genuinely enthusiastic about creating a piece which highlights the culture accurately,” one source told us . “There’s a lot of preconceived notions and stereotypes about Emiratis and Qataris, which Westerners often play up. They discussed how Kanye is looking to bridge the cultural divide and break misconceptions.”

West took audiences by surprise with just how inventive he was behind the camera with Runaway, and now everyone’s expectations will be set even higher with this new project. He went out of his way to craft a story exclusively for the Middle East, so West obviously has a clear vision of what he wants. We wish him the best on this film!

Henna tattoos are a fun and safe way to explore body art without pain or commitment. Henna is a natural substance that’s been used for centuries to create beautiful, temporary designs on the body – an art form that is called Mehndi (or Mehandi). Mehndi has been a long-standing tradition stemming from many ancient cultures dating back as far as about 5,000 years, but is most known today for its history in India. Today, henna tattoos are still used in religious and wedding ceremonies in India, but has also gained appreciation in other countries as a beautiful art to be appreciated at any time. So, what exactly is henna and where does it come from?

Henna’s Origins

Henna powder is derived from a plant (actually a bush), Lawsonia inermis, commonly found in the Middle East and other areas where the climate is hot and dry. The bush is harvested, dried, and then crushed to make henna powder. Henna itself is used for many things such as hair treatment, heat rash relief, and skin conditioner to name a few. The top leaves of the plant are best for Mehndi, while the lower part of the plant is used for the other purposes. Henna paste is what is made to apply henna art designs.

Natural Henna is NOT Black

Henna powder itself is green in color, but the stain it leaves behind is usually an orange-red color. There are many suppliers now that offer henna in a variety of colors but these are not recommended. Pure henna has had little to no incident of allergic reaction. When colors are added to natural henna, reactions can be mild to severe. Black henna especially has been known to cause serious skin burns as a result of the chemicals added to it to produce the black color effect. Henna is best to be appreciated in its purest form.

Henna Designs

Most who are familiar with henna have seen the traditional designs. These beautifully intricate patterns are similar to those used for the marriage ceremonies and other rituals. They usually adorn the hands and feet of the wearer, and require that they remain still for many hours to apply the paste and then allow it to dry. Henna color has been known to take best to the hands and feet due to their dry properties which soak up and hold the color better, but henna can be applied anywhere. How well your skin takes to the henna will depend on each individual’s skin properties.

Today, henna has been done in many forms including more contemporary designs. Some contemplating a permanent tattoo might apply henna first to see if they like the look before making a permanent decision. Some just enjoy having a temporary design they know will wash off in a few weeks. Whatever your reasons might be for being interested in henna, you are delving into a beautiful form of art rich in culture.

How to Make Henna Paste

1. • 1

     Buy the freshest henna powder you can afford. Henna loses potency over time, so when the powder has lightened and turned brown, it won’t leave a good stain. Look for brownish-green dark henna. Bright green henna may have dye added, to make it look fresh. The best hennas are pre-sifted, cheaper hennas may need to be sifted for body art. Store leftover powder in the freezer, where it will stay potent for at least a year.

   • 2

     Measure out henna powder into mixing bowl. For body art, use a teaspoon for a few small designs, several tablespoons for ten to fifty designs. For hair, use about 100g for chin length, or 200g for curly shoulder length. You can use freeze leftover paste for a few months, so don’t worry if you make too much.

   • 3

     Add your sour liquid while stirring. You want a consistency between toothpaste and pudding, where the paste holds on the spoon and barely drips. Add the liquid a small amount at a time so it doesn’t get too runny. Make sure you smash all lumps that form. For hair, add more liquid, or add water. It’s easier to get into hair when it’s thinner. For body art, it needs to hold together.

   • 4

     Add your sugar. Like the liquid, add it slowly, until you get a nice, stringy texture. It’s perfect if you can draw it out into long lines without breaking. If you want, you can add the sugar first, then liquid, or both at once. Experiment to see what works best for you. If your paste is for hair, skip this step.

   • 5

     Add your essential oils. For sensitive skin, use lavender only or skip this step. Add about 1-3 drop per tablespoon of oil. You can use any oil that’s skin safe, but only oils containing terpinols will darken henna (and eucalyptus isn’t one of these.) The above list are some of the best, although there are others that may help darken henna. At this step, your paste should be smooth and thick.

   • 6

     Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, foil, or a lid. Set it in a warm place, and wait. Henna needs from 4 to 24 hours to release its dye. Check the henna every few hours. When a brown crust is on top, the henna is near its peak. When you see drops or puddles of dye, the henna is at or passing its peak. If the paste has become dark brown throughout, it’s probably degraded and will not stain well. Timing henna takes practice, low pH and heat speeds up the process. If you need it to be fast, try leaving it on a warm coffee pot. To slow it down, put it outside on a cold night.

   • 7

     Use or store the henna when it’s ready. You can either store it in sealable bags and freeze, or use it immediately. If the past seems too thick, thin it before using freezing. If it’s for body art, you may want to strain it to make sure it’s lump free. For hair coloring, you can now add conditioner, olive oil, eggs whites, yogurt, or any other product you like.

   Main image by Yasmina & Marco  

These are the hottest belly dance songs by Shakira of all time! There are also a few bonus tracks on this compilation that complimented the songs.  Shakira brought Belly dance to main stream music some years ago and since then it continues to grow worldwide.

1. Shakira – Whenever ,Wherever (Sahara Mix)

2. Sting & Cheb Mami – Desert Rose

3. Shakira – Hips don’t lie (Bellyhouse Remix)

4. Shakira – Ojos Asi (Extended Mix)

5. Shakira – Ojos Asi (Instrumental  Mix)

6. Bellyhouse – Afterlife

7. Shakira – Ojos Asi (Dance Mix)

8. Beyonce Ft Shakira   Beautiful Liar

9. Beyonce -  Bellyhouse Tabla Remix

These are essential belly dance breaks for your collection! These tracks are available as a free download ! Enjoy the music.

  The instrumental e.p  is a musical journey from all corners of the earth taking influences and snippets from music styles such as Persian, Arabian, Spanish, Electro and even includes the modern day feel of  Arabian lounge music. From the outset, the beats and static, pulsing chords of the Synth, provide a solid foundation for the songs, gradually building to a climax, rolling vocals sit beautifully balanced between the two. Produced By Alx & Lou Bastion .

Turn it up – Persian Kitty – Karma Sutra- Bedouin Lounge

Click here to preview all songs

Iranians looking for Barbie in toy shops this week will have a hard time finding her.

Iran’s government has officially banned Barbie and Barbie products in an attempt to protect the public from Western influences, which they see as responsible for eroding Islamic values, Reuters reported.

The ban comes amidst tough Western sanctions against Iran.

Iran’s religious rulers have been opposed to Barbie, US company Mattel’s wildly popular blonde doll, since 1996, when they first pointed to her “destructive cultural and social consequences.” However, Barbie remained on sale and displayed openly on shelves in toy stores around Tehran until a few weeks ago.

“About three weeks ago they (the morality police) came to our shop, asking us to remove all the Barbies,” a shopkeeper in a toy shop in Tehran told Reuters on Monday.

The government allowed a launch of approved dolls to counter demand for Barbie in 2002. But the dolls — traditionally-dressed and covered up Sara and her male companion Dara — have not been successful, merchants told Reuters.

“My daughter prefers Barbies,” Farnaz, a 38-year-old mother, told Reuters. “She says Sara and Dara are ugly and fat.”

Farnaz added that she could not find Barbie DVDs in stores, as she was told they were also banned from public sale.

Shopkeepers have been circumventing the law by displaying approved dolls such as Sara and Dara, but keeping Barbies in stock to sell.

“We still sell Barbies secretly and put these in the window to make the police think we are just selling these kinds of dolls,” a 40-year-old Tehran toy shop manager told Reuters.

In 2003, Saudi Arabia banned and then outlawed Barbie, calling her “offensive to Islam,” AFP reported.

Iran has been attempting to rid the country of pervasive Western cultural influence since the Islamic revolution in 1979, by enforcing strict Islamic dress codes and banning Western entertainment.

Iranians will apparently soon be able to buy toy versions of the US spy drone that Iran captured in December in a range of colors, Iranian media reported. Perhaps that will distract shoppers from Barbie.

Shirin Neshat is an artist who both in her life and her work reflects the global transformations that took place in the last decades of the 20th century. Never before has the number of inter-cultural art-ists employing their works to embark on a dialogue on sex, race, nationality, ethnicity, religion and language, been so great.

With her photographs, films and video installations, Shirin Neshat has been able to place herself in the foremost rank, and today she belongs to the absolute elite on the interna-tional artistic stage. Shirin Neshat was born in 1957 in the old cultural centre of Qazvin a good 100 kilometres north-west of the Iranian capital of Teheran. It is a town of classical, Islamic architecture close to the Silk Road – the trade route that formerly linked China with Europe. The Neshat family, in which the father was a doctor, supported the Shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, in his efforts to modernise and westernise Iran. They were sufficiently affluent and receptive to the idea of sending the family´s five children to the West to be educated.

At the age of 17, Shirin Neshat was sent for a period of study in the USA. Her goal was the University of Berkeley near San Francisco, where she took an MFA in painting in 1983. Ayatolla Khomeini´s Islamic revolution in Iran in 1979, which deprived the Shah of power and in-troduced a theocratic government by clerics, prevented Shirin Neshat from returning home. During the 1980s she moved to New York and according to her own account quickly dropped painting.

Her status as an Iranian exile in the USA was at that time filled with conflict and allowed no room for creativity or artistic activity. So she took on the directorship of the alternative, non-profit-making “Storefront for Art and Architecture” gallery in SoHo, New York, which was owned by her then husband, the Korean-born architect and concept artist Kyong Park. Not until 1990 – after the death of Khomeini – was Neshat again able to visit Iran. And it was a shocking and merciless experience.

In the 1970s she had left a secular, relatively westernised soci-ety. But a decade of political, social, religious and cultural change had left a closed land with a war-torn, divided population, and with women in an increasingly marginalised position. The public arena now belonged to the men and the clerics, while the women´s world had largely been limited to the private sphere – the home.

When women moved outside the walls of their home it was an indis-pensable requirement that they should be dressed in the traditional Iranian chador – the black dress that only leaves the face, hands and feet visible. During the following years, Neshat returned to Iran on several occasions, and in 1993 – after a break of almost ten years – she again felt ready to work as an active creative artist.

This time, however, she did not turn to painting, but to the media with which she has subsequently made her worldwide reputation, that is to say photography and later film. The physical and mental distance from her na-tive land has exerted a great influence on her potential for placing a thematic focus on conflict-filled, complex subjects such as feminism, identity and Islam. Iran´s historically speaking enor-mously rich Islamic culture has formed the basis of Neshat´s work, but her many years in the West have also left their traces.

Background

Neshat’s parents were upper middle-class.Her father was a well-respected physician and her mother a homemaker.

Neshat has stated about her father, “He fantasized about the west, romanticized the west, and slowly rejected all of his own values; both my parents did. What happened, I think, was that their identity slowly dissolved, they exchanged it for comfort. It served their class”. As a part of Neshat’s “Westernization” she was enrolled in a Catholic boarding school in Tehran. She found the environment cold and hostile in comparison to her caring family.

Through her father’s acceptance of Western ideologies came an acceptance of a form of western feminism. Neshat’s father encouraged each of his daughters to “be an individual, to take risks, to learn, to see the world”, and he sent his daughters as well as his sons to college to receive their higher education.

Shirin Neshat. Eroticism in Women of Allah (audio poem in her own words) 

Her Latest Exhibition

The Book of Kings  - January 13 – February 11, 2012  Gladstone Gallery   515 West 24th Street
New York 4th Street
New York

 This set is the perfect blend of rock and club beats . Mixed by guest dj Ra Wu somewhere in Las Vegas last weekend, I found it to be rather cool that the rock songs are even more obnoxious with electro oozing over them. We look forward to more guest dj sets in the near future, stay tuned !

Afrojack – Stairway to Heaven
Smashing Pumpkins – Disarm (randy boyer mix)
Nirvana – smells like teen spirit
Steppenwolf – Born to Be Wild 2009
The Who – Pinball Wizard (david berrie mix)
AC/DC – Back in Black (nujax mix)
AC/DC – TNT (reepr bootleg)
ZZ Top – Sharp Dressed Man (Streetlab mix)
Guns N Roses – Welcome to the Jungle (Dig mix)
Queen – We Will Rock (various mixes)
Doors – Hello, I Love You (andrey Levskiy)
Nirvana – come as you are (lentej)
Clash – rock the casbah 2011
Journey – Don’t stop Believing (2009 dj teva)
Manfred Mann – Blinded by the light (remodemix)
Wild Cherry – Play that funky White Boy
Queen – We Will Rock You
ELO vs HELP INC – Evil Woman
Killers – Mr. Brightside

Click Here To Download

 Several people get attracted to Yoga for a way to become fitter and healthier. Some might come in search of relief or even help for some ailment or stress. Yoga is such a powerful tool that it can help give you what you came looking for as well as much more.

Although yoga has often been linked to ancient beliefs, texts and values, it has benefits for people of the present times as well. It has numerous benefits to offer to make your body mind and soul healthier and happier.

Yoga helps you relax your body as well as mind, even if you are in stressful conditions or circumstances. Yoga helps you to learn how to control your breathing and hence it helps you clear out your mind of cluttering thoughts so that you are left with a deep physical as well as mental refreshment.

Besides that, yoga can help you to normalize your body weight. This can be especially useful for people who are either underweight or overweight. You can achieve your desired weight goal with yoga. Yoga practices principles of moderation and balance in diet as well as physical activity so that you are able to live a healthy lifestyle.

Yoga also helps to make you fight better against diseases. The different poses and movements that you do in yoga help to massage your internal organs thereby, enhancing your blood circulation as well as functionality.

Not only that, but it also helps to make you feel more energized and hence, more productive. Yoga can actually replenish your mind as well as body in as less as 20 minutes. This will give you enough energy to respond to your daily routine and challenges.

Above all, yoga helps you achieve an honest self-contentment and self-actualization. When you meditate, which is one of the forms of yoga, you focus your mind and take it away from any worldly distractions thereby achieving true happiness.

Yoga helps you achieve a unity of your body, mind and spirit through exercising, breathing and meditating. All these exercises pressurize your glandular systems and hence, increase their efficiency and overall health.

Yoga helps you learn that your body is in fact a vital instrument to survive in the world and hence, you should treat it with respect and care for it. You can practice yoga regularly and even daily to achieve a healthy and bright mind matched with a strong and healthy body.

Ten Good Reasons

1. Increased Strength. The first thing someone who hasn’t practiced yoga before will tell me is that they don’t do yoga because they’re not “flexible enough/at all.”  I have news for those of you who agree with that statement – SCRATCH THAT.  That doesn’t matter.  Yoga will focus on proper alignment and building strength, and the flexibility will come later.
2. Increased Flexibility.  With that said, if you aren’t flexible when you start doing yoga, that’s something that will come out of a regular practice as your muscles get stronger.  I can’t do the splits or anything, but I swear I’ve grown an inch since I started practicing regularly because my spine has lengthened and the muscles in my back have become stronger and more flexible.
3. Stress/Anxiety Management.  The reason I started practicing yoga in the first place was at the recommendation of friends who saw me trying to deal with far too much anxiety on my own.  I was having panic attacks in the shower before work, and panic attacks at night as I tried to sleep.  I had no outlet for this adrenaline that always seemed to course through my veins, and the movement associated with Vinyasa (flow) yoga helped provide a way for that energy to circulate without festering.  Yoga also gave me breathing tools and a way to mentally and emotionally connect the lessons I was learning on the mat with everyday challenges.
4. Self-Awareness.  What began as a stress management tool has since evolved into a strong introspective and reflective tool.  Yoga connects breath, movement, emotions, actions, and spirit.  A regular practice has helped me examine pieces of my life more closely and make changes and improvements that have largely contributed to overall peace and happiness.  I find inspiration for my writing on the mat, find peace through challenges, and ultimately learn to see life through a lens of love and acceptance – of myself, first and then also of others.
5. Spiritual Connection.  That being said, there’s an opportunity for a strong spiritual connection and practice in yoga as well.  It certainly can remain a physical practice, and can also be a transformative experience in spiritual growth as well.  Yoga has inspired me to see the world as a much more connected place than I had prior to a regular yoga practice, and has inspired a curiosity about other belief systems that help to further expand my worldview.
6. Community.  There is certainly community around a yoga studio and yogis in a certain city!  I’ve found this to be true in both cities I’ve practiced in regularly – Minneapolis/St. Paul and Boulder, Colorado.  CorePower Yoga (where I’ve completed a 200-hour Power Yoga Teacher Training program) certainly has a strong, supportive community and other studios as well offer additional workshops and chances to practice a variety of styles with great teachers.  My favorite teachers teach at more than one studio, expanding their reach further out into the community.
7. Quality Personal Time.  Maybe it’s your thing to get up for a morning run, or curl up with a book, but my down-time often starts with an hour in a yoga class.  I unplug from technology, stop thinking about to-do lists, let go of any challenges or conflicts in my life and spend an hour dedicated to love, growth, and reflection.  If you’re juggling a busy schedule, a hectic routine, or a to-do list that feels unmanageable, squeezing in an hour or two a week in a yoga class is an excellent way to bring a sense of balance to your life.
8. Work/Life Balance.  On that note, I promise you that the addition of a couple of hours of yoga into your weekly schedule will not put you behind on your personal and professional projects.  If anything, I believe (and have found) that it will make you more inspired, more productive, and more focused.
9. Self-Confidence.  And not just because yoga means stronger muscles.  I used to think the numbers on a bathroom scale were the best way to track and measure my physical fitness, and have since discovered that the numbers actually don’t matter at all.  Thank goodness!  Yoga’s taught me that it’s less about a number and more about a feeling of capability and strength.  When you find yourself balanced in a standing posture and holding it for longer than you ever thought you could stand on one leg, or fully up in a headstand for the first time, that feeling of capability far outweighs any feeling of “accomplishment” that is seeing a certain number on a scale.  I let go of weight awhile ago, since building muscle means that while shapes and sizes might shift around a little bit – the actual scale number might never change.  And that’s ok, because -
10. Overall Health.  You should add yoga to your lifestyle for the overall health benefits it provides.  Physical health and healing, emotional balance, mental stability, and control of breath and movement.  I plan to make yoga a lifestyle for me, and will practice as long as I’m alive.  And I’m counting on that to help me live a very, very long time.

5 Reasons Yoga Makes Sex Better

1) Yoga can be a beautiful way of getting comfortable in your own skin, coming home to your body, becoming more alive and aware, energized and open to life and love. Rather than seeking to go beyond the body, yoga is for most of us a way to reclaim an awareness of the body itself as sacred.

2) Yoga makes sex better! Yeah, you heard me – I said it… Yoga systematically makes us more aware of our sensations and trains us in the art of using breath to open into our experience rather contract away from it or attempt to clamp down and control it. This makes us more available to the dance of intimacy, plethora of sensations and waves of pleasure that can turn sex into a mind-blowing form of embodied spirituality – or just make it more satisfying and rich, which as far as I can tell is really the same thing..

3) Yoga gives us time and space to connect to our inner lives. Sensations, emotions, the accrued layers of stress and anxiety, questions we carry about our choices, actions, intentions, desires – all can be meditated upon as we use the ritual of breath and movement to focus the mind, connect to the heart, listen to the body and reflect upon how we really want to live our lives.

4) Yoga can be fantastic physical therapy. In both a healing and preventative way, yoga can be used to promote healthy flexibility, strength, and range of motion. Practiced with intelligence and taught with anatomical knowledge, yoga just works!

5) Yoga can be an integrative vehicle for self-healing. More and more information from science and psychology demonstrates the healing benefits of yoga and meditation. Somatic psychology research and new data from neuroscience show the importance of mindful present attention and body awareness in rebalancing the nervous system, processing through unresolved emotions in the brain and healing from trauma stored on the body. This is real transformation.

If you think about it: healing traumas, keeping your body healthy, strong and flexible, being in touch with your inner life, and being comfortable in your own skin all make you more able to be present in your own body and connect with empathy, intuition, passion and playfulness with your partner’s body. Seeing as how our sexual nature is a core (and I would suggest innately spiritual) intimate aspect of who and what we are, all of this indeed makes sex better. In turn better sex is an expression of healthier relationships in a more integrated, open, authentic and ecstatic human life!

Hello music lovers ! These are the top 100 electro songs of 2011!Click on link to download. Enjoy the music .

Avicii- Levels (Original Version) [Link]

Dinka feat. Hadley & Danny Inzerillo – Reach For Me (Dimitri Vangelis & Wyman Remix) (link)

Michael Calfan- Resurrection (Axwell’s Recut Club Version) [Link]

Coldplay – The Scientist (Dimitri Vangelis & Wyman Remix) [Link]

Nadia Ali, Starkillers, Alex Kenji – Pressure (Alesso Remix) [Link]

Bellyhouse Dj – Dirty Talk (Live ) {link)

Dada Life- Happy Violence (Vocal Extended Mix) [Link]

Pnau- Unite Us (Tommy Trash Remix) [Link]

Robbie Rivera- Turn It Around Ft. Jes (Original Mix) [Link]

Swedish House Mafia vs. Knife Party- Antidote (Original Mix) [Link]

Cobra Starship- Middle Finger (Bingo Players Remix) [Link]

Red Hot Chili Peppers- Otherside (Third Party Remix) [Link]

Tom Hangs Ft. Shermanology- Blessed (Avicii Edit) [Link]

Adele- Set Fire To The Rain (Thomas Gold Remix) [Link]

Sandro Silva & Qintino- Epic (Original Mix) [Link]

Rihanna Ft. Calvin Harris- We Found Love (Fareoh Remix) [Link]

Calvin Harris- Feel So Close (Radio Edit) [Link]

Tiesto & Hardwell- Zero 78 (Original Mix) [Link]

Benny Benassi- Cinema Ft. Gary Go [Link]

DEVolution Ft. Amy Pearson – Good Love (Alesso Remix) [Link]

Britney Spears- Till The World Ends Ft. Nicki Minaj & Ke$ha (Remix) [Link]

Calvin Harris- Bounce Ft. Kelis (Radio Edit) [Link]

Dirty South, Thomas Gold, Kate Elsworth- Alive (Original Mix) [Link]

R3hab & Swanky Tunes – Sending My Love (Original Mix) [Link]

ASH - Let Me Show You Love (ASH & Avicii’s Hype Machine Mix) [Link]

Avicii- Sweet Dreams (Avicii Swede Dreams Mix) [Link]

Dirty South & Those Usual Suspects Ft. Erik Hecht- Walking Alone [Link]

Armin Van Buuren Ft. Lara V- Drowning (Avicii Remix) [Link]

Coldplay- Paradise (Tiesto Remix) [Link]

Axwell- Heart Is King [Link]

Bjornberg – Absolut (Original Mix) [Link]

Basto – Again and Again (Original Mix) [Link]

LMFAO ft. Lauren Bennett & GoonRock- Party Rock Anthem (Alesso Remix) [Link]

Tiesto Ft. BT- Love Come Again (Hardwell 2011 Rework) [Link]

Skrillex- Scary Monsters & Nice Sprites [Link]

Sidney Samson vs. Tara McDonald- Dynamite (Club Mix) [Link]

DJ Fresh Ft. Sian Evans- Louder (Flux Pavillion & Doctor P Mix) [Link]

Bassjackers – Mush Mush (Original Mix) [Link]

Tiesto & Steve Aoki- Tornado (Orignal Mix) [Link]

Two Doors Cinema Club- What You Know (Feed Me Cover) [Link]

Luke R- Bermuda (Original Mix) [Link]

Paul van Dyk- We Come Together (Arty Remix) [Link]

Afrojack- Lionheart (Original Mix) [Link]

Deadmau5- Aural Psynapse (Original Mix) [Link]

Adele- Someone Like You (Thomas Gold & Mark Mendes Mix) [Link]

Rihanna Ft. Calvin Harris- We Found Love (R3hab Radio Edit) [Link]

Bingo Players- Rattle (Original Mix) [Link]

Coldplay- Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall (Swedish House Mafia Remix) [Link]

Dirty South feat. The Good Natured – Alive (Basto Remix) [Link]

Manuel De La Mare, Luca Monticelli- Guerrilla (Original Mix) [Link]

Moby- After (Tim Mason Remix) [Link]

Feed Me Ft. James Smith- Trap Door [Link]

Rebecca & Fiona- Luminary Ones (Denzal Park Remix) [Link]

Mord Fustang – Lick The Rainbow (Original Mix) [Link]

Mord Fustang – Super Meat Freeze [Link]

Hannah- Falling Away (Armin Van Buuren Remix) [Link]

Morgan Page, Sultan + Ned Shepard & BT Ft. Angela McCluskey- In The Air (Hard Rock Sofa Remix) [Link]

Hardwell & Nicky Romero- Beta (Original Mix) [Link]

Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike- REJ (Original Mix) [Link]

David Guetta Ft. Usher- Without You (R3hab’s XS Remix) [Link]

Kaskade Ft. Rebecca & Fiona- Turn It Down (Extended Mix) [Link]

Pretty Lights- I Know The Truth [Link]

John Dahlback Ft. Erik Hassle- One Last Ride (Tommy Trash Remix) [Link] (Original Mix) [Link]

Randy Katana- Return Of The Wave (Original Mix) [Link]

Chuckie & Cregor Salto- What Happens In Vegas (Pierce Fulton Remix) [Link]

Chuckie – Who Is Ready To Jump (Dada Life Remix) [Link]

NERVO Ft. Afrojack & Steve Aoki- We’re All No One (NERVO Goes To Pairs Remix) [Link]

Sneaky Sound System- Big (John Dahlback Remix) [Link]

Tiesto- Maximal Crazy (Original Mix) [Link]

Kaskade feat. Mindy Gledhill – Eyes (Original Mix) [Link]

Arty – Kate (Original Mix) [Link]

Zeds Dead- Coffee Break [Link]

Dada Life – Kick Out The Epic Motherf**ker (Original Mix) [Link]

Foster The People- Pumped Up Kicks (Skeet Skeet Show Remix) [Link]

Sebastian Ingrosso & Alesso- Calling (Original Instrumental Mix) [Link]

Tiesto Ft. Kay- Work Hard, Play Hard (Radio Mix) [Link]

Skylar Grey- Invisible (Dirty South Remix) [Link]

Marcel Woods- Advanced (Tiesto Remix) [Link]

Wynter Gordon- Buy My Love (Fareoh Remix) [Link]

InContext- Just Believe (Right Here) (Skrillex Remix) [Link]

Afrojack & Steve Aoki Ft. Miss Palmer- No Beef (Radio Edit) [Link]

David Guetta & Sia- Titanium Ft. Sia (Alesso Remix) [Link]

Skylar Grey- Dance Without You (R3hab Remix) [Link]

Rye Rye Ft. Robyn- Never Will Be Mine (Fedde le Grand Remix) [Link]

Laidback Luke & Steve Aoki Ft. Lil Jon- Turbulence (Original Mix) [Link]

Swedish House Mafia Ft. John Martin- Save The World (Original Mix) [Link]

Tiesto & Mark Knight Ft. Dino- Beautiful World (Original Club Mix) [Link]

Dimitri Vegas, Like Mike, Yves V & Angger- Madagascar (Original Mix) [Link]

Avicii- Fade Into Darkness [Link]

Deadmau5- Raise Your Weapon Ft. Greta Svabo Bech (Madeon Remix) [Link]

Nadia Ali- Rapture (Avicii New Generation Extended Mix) [Link]

Martin Solveig- Ready 2 Go Ft. Kele [Link]

Adrian Lux Ft. Rebecca & Fiona- Boy (Beataucue Remix) [Link]

Nadia Ali, Starkillers, Alex Kenji – Pressure (Tim Mason Remix) [Link]

Skrillex – Summit (feat. Ellie Goulding) [Link]

Japanese Popstars – Song For Lisa (Benny Benassi Remix) [Link]

Gareth Emery – Tokyo (Original Mix) [Link]

Lady Gaga – Marry The Night (John Dahlback Remix) [Link]

When it comes to food and music for me there is no boundary. Wow the crowd at your next gathering with these two dishes!

An arepa is a small, unleavened corn patty that is split open like a sandwich and stuffed. It is a common food found Latin America. To make arepas, you will need to find arepa flour, a precooked corn flour, not to be confused with masa harina. This flour can be found at specialty food stores or Latin markets. After you prepare your dough, you can grill, bake or fry the arepas and stuff them with meat, beans or cheese.

Instructions
Things You’ll Need

1 1/2 cups arepa flour
Salt
1/2 cup warm water
1 tsp. canola oil

1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine the arepa flour with a pinch of salt. Slowly add in hot water, a little at a time, just until the dough comes together. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for five minutes.
2

Remove the plastic wrap and knead your dough for five minutes. Keep your hands moist and add water as you go to form a smooth, moist dough. Form your dough into 3 inch disks. At this point, the arepa dough can be wrapped in individual portions and refrigerated or frozen for later use.
3

Put your canola oil in a non-stick pan and cook the arepas until a slight crust forms on either side. Move to a baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
4

Serve by slitting the arepa horizontally so you can stuff it with meat, beans or cheese.

Hummus: A staple of Middle Eastern cuisine, hummus is a dip
made from mashed chickpeas (garbanzo beans), and seasoned with
lemon juice, garlic and tahini (sesame seed paste). It is believed that its
origins trace back to 400 BC, when Plato and Socrates write about the
benefits of hummus in their diets.

Ingredients

• 1 pound Slow Cooker Chickpeas, cooled, recipe follows
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 5 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup tahini, stirred well
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
• Powdered sumac, optional

Directions

Slow Cooker Chickpeas:

• 7 cups water
• 1 pound dry chickpeas, sorted and rinsed
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• Special equipment: a 2 1/2-quart slow cooker

BellyDance Superstars volume 8 presents some of the greatest belly dance music from around the world, including the latest release from Oojami, along with hardcore baladi from Ameina. As well as classical bellydance from the legendary Om Kalsoum as performed by Ahmad Berjaoui. It also features the exotic tribal sounds of Beats Antique and high-energy rhythms of Belly House. This compilation is sure to make you shimmy with excitement.

Click Here To Preview

Tracks

Ful mudammas, a kind of dried fava bean stew, is considered by many to be Egypt’s national dish. There is an Arabic saying about this dish: “The rich man’s breakfast, the shopkeeper’s lunch, the poor man’s supper” which illustrates just how popular a dish this is. Once cooked it can be eaten plain but is also eaten accompanied by all sorts of things such as vegetable oil, butter, buffalo milk, fried eggs, tahini or lime juice amongst other ingredients. A very tasty breakfast !

Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
1 c Chopped onions
2 x Garlic cloves, pressed
1/4 c Olive oil
1 t Ground cumin seeds
1 1/2 ts Sweet Hungarian paprika
1/4 ts Cayenne
2 x Bay leaves
Large carrot, chopped
1 c Chopped fresh tomatoes
3 1/2 c Vegetable stock
2 c Canned or cooked fava beans
1/4 c Chopped fresh parsley
3 tb Fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground
Black pepper to taste
Fresh mint leaves (optional)

A popular Egyptian dish, Ful Nabed is simple and
nutritious.

In a large soup pot saute the onions and garlic in the
olive oil until the onions are translucent. Add the
cumin, paprika, cayenne, bay leaves, and carrots and
cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir in the
chopped tomatoes and vegetable stock and simmer until
the carrots are tender, about 15 minutes. Finally,
add the cooked fava beans and the parsley and lemon
juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Ful Nabed can be served with Pita Bread and garnished
with fresh mint leaves.

Benefits of spa lifestyle

The beneficiary effect of the spa has been discovered thousands of years ago and the spa industry has grown much till nowadays. Being the basis of the spa concept, hydrotherapy creates both relaxing and healthy experience through its three main ingredients: heat, massage and buoyancy. The warm water has the ability to dilate the blood vessels and thus to increase blood flow to damaged or sore tissues and stimulate the recovery process by allowing oxygen and various nutrients to the body. Soaking in a hot spa will also carry away the lactic acid that is built up in muscles during exercises and remove the stiffness after a heavy physical activity. Thus, warm spa has found its application for rehabilitative therapies and is being recommended by many physicians and physiotherapists.
Hot water therapies relieve number of diseases, among which are diabetics and arthritis. Some studies revealed that by regular soaking in a hot spa diabetics’ sufferers may reduce their blood sugar levels and improve their sleeping pattern. Those that suffer from arthritis can also take advantage of the hydrotherapy, which has its positive effects if applied regularly: restoring flexibility of the joints and keeping them moving, as well as preventing further damage. Therefore people with such ailments will be able to reduce the pain and discomfort while performing certain physical activity.

Hot spa has also important non-physical benefits on the person by revitalizing one’s mind and spirit. The buoyancy in warm water will slow down your pulse and the massaging jets will stimulate your blood circulation, thus giving you energy and making your muscles and skin relaxed. It is proved that by regular use of the spa you can loose weight and reduce cellulite. This would be a very pleasant substitute for the exhausting work-out in the gym, since you can simply relax and tone the body tissues. Moreover, those that have problems with sleeping can find the resolution by soaking in a warm spa and thus relieving stress before going to bed.

Almost every person suffers from stress in their everyday life, which causes the heart work harder and the digestion slow down. Stress has negative effect on the processes in the body and, according to different studies, 80% of diseases are stress related. Besides hydrotherapy, you can enjoy a massage in the spa and stimulate the release of endorphins. This way you will remove the accumulated stress, feel better and ready for the new challenges of life. You can feel the benefits of the spa services during all seasons, especially in winter when the cold weather causes havoc on skin, leaving it dry and cracked. For further facilitation a personal spa will provide you all the benefits of the spa, whenever you feel the need to relax and use regularly the advantages of its services.

Set Up a Soothing Home Spa Experience

1. Privacy: Perhaps the most important part of the home spa experience is being sure you have some uninterrupted time for just you. If you have to hop out of the tub to circumvent a catastrophe with your toddler or answer a string of calls, you may end up feeling even more tense! So make arrangements for some uninterrupted solitude, let the phone go to voice mail, and prepare to indulge.
2. Music: If you can arrange to have music in your bathroom, you’ll be glad you did. The right soothing melodies can help melt away the stress, make you feel more removed from reality, and, if you live with others, drown out the household sounds that may remind you of everything else going on, taking your attention away from the here and now of your home spa experience.
3. Lighting: You’d be surprised at how lighting can create a stress-relieving mood. Lighting the room with candles can fill the area with a soothing scent and create a very relaxing atmosphere.
4. Bath Products: You can go a long way in creating a luxurious bath with a few helpful products. Lavender-scented bubble bath, for example, uses the power of aromatherapy to soothe you. Body scrubs are used in spas to exfoliate skin, and can be used at home as well. There are also skin-moisturizing oils you can add to your bath to nourish your skin and make the pampered feeling last.
5. Beauty Treatments: While you’re relaxing, you may as well get more beautiful! Putting a conditioning treatment in your hair and a purifying masque on your face can make your face and scalp feel good and leave you looking more beautiful afterward. Rubbing your dry skin with a loofah and scrubbing calloused feet with a pumice stone can be a little more work, but you’ll love the results, and it’ll only take a few minutes.
6. After Tub Care: You may want to follow up after you get out of the tub by applying a rich conditioning cream to your skin and a coat of nail polish to your toes. Again this will keep you feeling more pampered between spa treatments.
7. Massage: You may think a home spa treatment can’t include a massage, but it can! If you can’t enlist the soothing hands of a partner, you can use a self-massager to do the same job: loosen up tight muscles, promote circulation, and make you feel great. Or, if you’re really in the mood to indulge, you can even hire a professional massage therapist to come to your house!

1. Block off a specific amount of time for yourself. Sometimes busy people have a hard time just doing nothing because we can think of so many other things that need doing. If this break is scheduled to be a specific length, you may feel more entitled to just enjoy it.
2. Try to do this on a regular schedule, like once a week or twice a month. With repetition, you may see your spa time making a significant impact on your overall stress level!
3. Don’t feel guilty for taking some time for yourself—you deserve it!

• A bathroom,
• A tub.
• Some privacy.

The History of Spas

No one know exactly where the word spa comes from, but there are two main theories. One is that spa is an acronym for the Latin phrase, “salus per aquae,” or “health through water.”

Others believe the origin of the word “spa” comes from the Belgian town of Spa, known since Roman times for its baths. They speculate that the town was so prominent that the very word spa became synonymous in the English language with a place to be restored and pampered.

Modern spas have their roots in ancient towns famed for the healing powers of their mineral waters and hot springs. Travelers would come to “take the waters” and restore their health.

The practice of bathing in hot springs and mineral waters dates at least to the Babylonians and Greeks, and knowing people, probably much sooner!

In the 19th century, Europe’s great spas were destinations for the wealthy, who went there to “take the waters.” Water treatments are still considered the heart of the spa experience in Europe. Today massages and facials are by far the most popular spa treatments in America.

Free Downloads Here

NASA’s Kepler space telescope has found two new planets orbiting a distant sun-like star, and the researchers who made the find say these two are the size of Earth or smaller. That’s a first in the search for extraterrestrial life.

If the discovery holds up under scrutiny by other scientists, it could be a very big deal. Earth-sized planets are considered critical in the search for life elsewhere in the universe, but until now, scientists said their instruments were not sensitive enough to detect them.

“Theoretical considerations imply that these planets are rocky, with a composition of iron and silicate,” wrote Francois Fressin of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, the leader of the team that made the discovery. “The outer planet could have developed a thick water vapour atmosphere.”

The team is publishing its report today online in the journal Nature.

The two newly-found planets, called Kepler-20e and Kepler-20f, are much too far away to be seen directly. They circle a star about 950 light-years away in the constellation Lyra, which appears high in the sky over North America on a summer night. Scientists measured the miniscule dimming of their host star as they passed in front of it, and then did the math to figure out how large they are likely to be and in what orbits they move.

Kepler-20e and f are probably too hot to be friendly to life — they are so close to their sun that one of them circles it in just six Earth days, and the other does it in 19. But the simple fact that they’ve been found, say the scientists, is reason to expect that others like them exist.

“It demonstrates for the first time that Earth-sized stars exist around other stars, and that we are now able to detect them,” said Fressin at a news briefing today.

Linda Elkins-Tanton of the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington said the larger of the two planets, Kepler-20f, was especially intriguing.

“If it was formed with water, which I think is possible, it could have been habitable in the past,” she said.

“We would be remiss if we did not do our best to find more planets just like our own,” said Alan Boss, a colleague of hers at the Carnegie Institution, in an interview. “That does not mean that we necessarily think that only exact Earth twins could be inhabited, just that we at least had better be able to find Earth twins, and then along the way we will be certain to uncover all sorts of other types of exoplanets that should be habitable, and perhaps even inhabited.”

Scientists know, from looking at Earth’s solar system, that rocky worlds like ours are a precious commodity. If a world is too small (think of Mercury or Earth’s moon), any atmosphere will escape into space before life could possibly form. If a world is too large (think of Jupiter or Neptune) it’s likely to be all atmosphere, a giant ball of gas or slush that thickens quickly as you plunge beneath its cloud tops, but probably has no solid surface where living things could thrive.

Just two weeks ago scientists reported a planet orbiting a different star, right in the middle of its so-called habitable zone. That planet was believed to be much larger (10 times as massive as Earth), but its temperature was estimated at an average of 72 degrees Fahrenheit — perfect for liquid water, considered essential for life as we know it.

Put the two finds together, say scientists, and chances are good that some day soon we will find a planet of just the right size and temperature to have at least a chance of being a lively place.

“In less than 20 years, we have gone from not knowing if any other planets exist in the universe, to being able to look out at the night sky and realize that essentially any star we can see has at least one planet, and a good number of those are likely to be habitable,” said Boss. “That is a revelation that has not yet dawned on the general public, and even astronomers are having their minds blown when they think about it.”

Bellyhouse – The Sound of Nibiru 2012 Ambient Mix (free download)

[youtube]http://youtu.be/3JrZl_cJzsU[/youtube]After more than a year of album push-backs and false release dates, Lebanese pop diva Haifa Wehbe has finally returned to save the sagging music industry with her brand new single “Ya Majnoun”.

And in a somewhat shocking move for the closed world of Arab Pop, Haifa’s gone dubstep!

Other than the odd dance influences here and there, it’s rare to ever find any Arab artists who will veer too far from the traditional sounds and structures of traditional Middle Eastern music, so what Haifa’s doing is pretty wild.

While the overuse of dubstep in mainstream music has become contrived and predictable, Haifa’s put a fresh twist on the genre by fusing it with the exotic sounds of the Middle East, adding a new dimension to the sound. A lot of fuzzy vocal effects are used over her ‘singing’, with the diva going for a talk-sing style of delivery similar to that of the Western woman she’s often compared to, Britney Spears.

So, as expected, it’s another smash for Haifa!

Look out for the stunning beauty’s new album next year!  Click To Download

This collection of modern Arabian House Produced by Bellyhouse & Various Artists swells amply with the intriguing rhythms that tend to brand the bellyhouse sound. The album contains tracks by Nourhan Sharif, Apachula, Chirs Marashlian, Ossama Farouk and Gaetano Fabri all internationally recognised musicians and described in some quarters as the trendsetters of the style . The hypnotic percussion of the Egyptian tradition drives these modern beats and is their greatest appeal.

This album is a great addition for what is increasingly noticeable in the Arabian House scene, and would be a good first play in your collection! 

Preview Electro Belly Here

Egyptian actors and actresses have been voicing their concern about an Islamist government coming to power in their country but they insist they will protect their freedom should they feel it is at threat. The seductress Egyptian actress, Ola Ghanim, who once said she would leave to the United States should the Islamists come to power, now says she will stay on in the country, the Egypt-based website, Nukudy.com, reported. Ghanim who posed in a bikini in one her movies, said she is not concerned about the Islamists gaining power and will continue with her acting career like she always has.She hoped that the Islamists would stay away from the movie making business and issues related to actors’ performances. The website also reported, Ahmed Hilmi, an Egyptian star and comedian who loved by many in the Arab world, as saying that he will not allow any political bloc to limit his freedoms and rejected that notion in its entirety.
“I am waiting for the next president to bring an innovative development program for the country and to envisage an exit from the crisis with a succinct plan,” Hilmi said. “The current political candidates … keep on talking about raising salaries and spurring youth employment but without offering any real program to reach such goal.” Muna Zaki, known for her doe-like features and roles in romantic comedies, denies ever having attacked Islamists, adding that she is “not scared from them,” the website reported.She said she is not interested in publicizing who she voted for, saying it is a personal matter and that she wishes the best for Egypt.
As for the sultry belly dancer known as Lucy, who said that she can leave Egypt to teach belly dancing abroad, she has said does not want to leave her country. Earlier she had said that she was willing to dance for the Islamists, and that she does not consider dancing as “haram” or “forbidden” in Islam. She wished Egypt could become a Muslim country that respects freedoms like Turkey. In Egypt’s recently held elections in November, Islamists have secured around 65 percent of parliament seats, with Salafists scoring 25 percent of seats. By Al Arabiya (Image From left to right: The Egyptian seductress actress Ola Ghanim, the comedian Ahmed Hilmi and Egypt’s sweetheart Muna Zaki.)

Instant club sensation!  Just add some refreshing spirits, disco lighting, a hot DJ behind the decks and a dash of glowstick and you’ll soon be finding yourself plugged in and bouncing to one of the hottest new dancefloor fillers this season in way of “Pressure”.This collaboration between Nadia Ali, Starkillers & Alex Kenji is the sex and most likely the hottest club song of 2011.

Nadia Ali (Urdu: نادیہ علی; born August 3, 1980) is a Pakistani-American singer-songwriter, born in Libya and raised in Queens, New York. She gained attention as the frontwoman and songwriter of the band iiO, after their 2001 hit “Rapture” reached No. 2 on the UK charts. The song also charted across several countries in Europe. Their 2006 single, “Is It Love?”, reached the top of the Billboard Hot Club Play Chart.

Area Event present EverAfter, New York City’s electronic dance music New Year’s Eve event. This New Year’s Eve 2012 will feature dance music phenomenon, deadmau5, at the premier NYC event space, Pier 36.Deadmau5 will be making an epic return to NYC after just recently closing out his record-setting six-night run at Roseland Ballroom. Last year deadmau5 was named the Most Influential, Relevant, and Forward-Thinking Person in Electronic Music and we are bringing him to YOU, this New Year’s Eve, UNHOOKED. On a night unlike any other, dance music enthusiasts, club goers, and NYE revelers will come from all over the world to gather under one roof and rock out as the ball drops over New York City.Pier 36 has played host to Billboard’s Annual Summer Blowout Concert and Heineken’s Inspire Concert Series. This time around, Deadmau5 will be ringing in the new year with his unstopple energy and hard hitting beats.This is a night you do not want to miss.

The Location:

Pier 36 is a mega-complex located just a few blocks north of the South Street Seaport. It has played host to Billboard’s Annual Summer Blowout Concert and Heineken’s Inspire Concert Series. For New Year’s Eve 2012, Pier 36 will morph itself into the biggest, boldest, adrenaline fueled night with three access levels:

Main: Open access to all guests

Mezzanine: The VIP lounge overlooks the entire event with spectacular views. This area is reserved strictly for Mezzanine ticket holders.

Stage: The ultimate VIP location on risers to the left and right of the ACTUAL stage – closest to the live DJ performances. This area is reserved strictly for Stage VIP ticket holders.  Stage Pit ticket holders will have access to area in front of the stage.

Live it. Love it. Feel it. Lose yourself this New Year’s Eve at deadmau5 unhooked!

Tickets
General Admission 4 Hour Premium Open Bar

Buy Now

It goes without saying that Anoushka Shankar is a virtuoso sitar player, but one can never be sure how she will use her skills. She has given some memorable performances in the past, playing ragas alongside her legendary father and teacher Ravi, but her solo work has edged towards the experimental and pop mainstream. Her Breathing Under Water album, recorded with electronica exponent Karsh Kale, included a ballad from Sting. Now comes a very different project, in which she explores the links between Indian music and Spanish flamenco, the result of ancient Gypsy migration. It’s an area that has fascinated Nitin Sawhney – who provides the sleeve notes – and allows her to demonstrate her inspired instrumental work in the company of Indian musicians and the flamenco elite, including the producer and guitarist Javier Limón. The best tracks are those where Shankar takes chances, matching uninhibited sitar improvisation against flamenco percussion and the furious, inspired piano work of Pedro Ricardo Miño on the thrilling Buleria Con Ricardo, or backing the passionate singing of Duquende or more thoughtful  Concha Buika. There are occasional less exciting, easygoing passages, including the title track, but this is a brave and original set.    Written by :  Robin  Preview Album Here

BEIRUT: Lebanese Singer Haifa Wehbe is working on a duet with international hip-hop artist Snoop Dogg. The song will be produced in both Arabic and English.

The song is to be called “Yaga Toufin,” which is an Iraqi phrase about picking grapes. The song is written, composed and produced by Haitham Tarchichi, Adel Al-Iraqi and Walid Al-Masih. These Collaborations continue to expand interest in world beat fusion and is welcomed by us all . Stay tuned !

Click Here To Download ( Haifa – Bellyhouse Remix)

Fattoush in Arabic means “moistened bread”, and this salad consists of a chilled mixed veggies tossed with small cubes of toasted bread. The texture of the toasted bread adds an unusual quality. This is the classic Mediterranean recipe in the style of Syria and Lebanon with torn pita bread and a lemon vinaigrette spiced with a pinch of Aleppo.