This month, I found an app for my iPhone that can be summed up in one word: simplicity.  I often hear from such venerable podcasters like Andy Inatko (in his recent episode of the Inatko Almanac) that the best apps for the iPhone are the ones that you can simply open up, get right into, and be done.  This is that app.

Serenity’s simplicity doesn’t come without options though.  When you open the app, you are greated with a frame from six loops, and find that there are five pages of such loops, for a grand total of 30 themes.  These range from shots of puppies and birds , fire crackling, waves coming in from the ocean, thunder rolling in, or the more visually interesting lighting effects set to music.  The app lets you go select whether to play the music or mute to just have a visual effect, shuffle between scenes, or set a timer for the entire app, or the specific scene you are viewing.

The aesthetics on this app are pleasant.  Each scene shifts in from the “window” on the menu screens and transitions back out when you leave a scene.  A pleasant attention to detail in such a simplistic app.

I was pleased to see this app was from “tap tap tap” a company most notable for their smash hit, Camera+ app, and the Classics app that gives access to a number for public domain full books to read on your iDevices.
Though I reviewed the app on an iPhone 4S, it is available for both iPhones and iPads for $1.99 as of this writing, though not a Universal app, so you will have to purchase it for each device.  Though not tested on my end due to a lack of devices, the app supports AirPlay, which can stream the video and/or music to various supported AppleTV and speakers wirelessly.  A great, simple way to maybe stream these visuals and music in an office setting or just around the house.  The app is a tad hefty at 238 MB, but that presumes all of this content is available directly on your device, and you would not have to stream anything, keeping it separate from the need to be connected if you were on, say, and iPod Touch or iPad without connectivity. You can find out more at taptaptap.com/serenity
For a peak at the visual aesthetics I spoke of, I’ve attached the following YouTube review. Though in a foreign language, the visuals give you an idea of what I’m so happy with in this app.

When I’m not working with S’eclairer’s media, I’m dealing and juggling with clients all through the week and a variety of tasks.  It gets hard to remember to do the mindfulness that I enjoy on my days with S’eclairer.  Sometimes, I look to my iPhone to help me with my tasks and habits.  A recent bout with Couch-to-5k was really helpful in getting me started and pacing me into a habit.  I was excited to find something similar in the mindfulness space with Headspace.

Headspace starts you off with a ten day regiment of meditation practices.  You hit play and get a pretty soothing voice stepping you through the process and what to pay attention to, or not pay attention to.  It seems so simple, but the guidance is needed.  You can set reminders at a certain time of the day to do your daily 10 minute meditation, and “Mindful Buzzers” up to five times a day to remind you to check in with yourself.

It seems like a great place to start if you are interested in becoming more mindful.  Another case of using technology as a tool to better your life.  Find out more about the Headspace App, available for any iOS device (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad).

Are you using any sites or apps to stay healthy and mindful?  Let us know about it! 

Julie Margo sat down with us to talk about Reiki; the process, what it does, reactions, and where it came from.  We also talk to a student after her first Reiki session to get her take on it.

Last week, I had the fortune of attending TEDxCMU.  I’ve been a big fan of TED videos, which are all freely available on TED.com, and couldn’t pass up an opportunity to experience it in person.  While none of the talks are online yet, and I have a few to share when they do go live, I was struck by this one video about play.  While it starts as just something goofy, when Charlie Todd gets down to explaining why he has thousands of people going pantless in a subway, it resembles some of the play discussions I’ve heard here at S’eclairer.

Dr. Safdar Chaudhary speaks in front of the Westmoreland Bar Association back on January 27, 2011

Its common, its sweet, its in many forms, even frozen: its round and believed to be the golden apple Hercules had stolen from the Garden of the Hesperides. One of its scientific names is citrus sinensis and it is an evergreen tree that grows 22 to 30 feet in height. Have you figured out this describes oranges? Famous all over the world for fruit, flowers and blossoms, the orange has an interesting history.

The origin of the fruit dates back 7000 years to South East Asia, mainly in northeast and southeast India, where its flavor was used in a variety of dishes. Cultivation of the fruit led to a wider distribution in India spreading to China, East Africa and then to the Mediterranean region. The hills and valleys around Palermo earned the name “Conca d’Oro which translates golden seashell because of the prolific citrus production in that area. Oranges were prominent commodities during the Roman Empire. Even Columbus was involved with oranges! He is credited with bringing seeds and seedlings to the New World. By the time Florida became a US territory in the 1820’s, orange groves were thriving. The name of the fruit travelled around too. Believed to be from a Sanskrit word Narangah, after going through different languages like Persian, Armenian, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, Latin, Italian and French, it became orange in English.

There are two varieties of oranges. The sweet variety called citrus sinensis, and the bitter variety called citrus aurantium. The bitter orange tree is an ornamental tree while the sweet orange tree bearing the sweet oranges are used for human consumption. The sweet variety reached Europe through Portuguese traders and is the variety Columbus carried with him. Modern cultivated oranges are categorized into these distinct groups: Round Oranges, Navel Oranges, Blood Oranges, Acidless oranges, Bitter oranges (Bergamot). Oranges are the third most popular fruit in the United States following behind bananas and apples. Brazil, is the leading producer of oranges producing almost half of the world’s total production of oranges. At one time oranges were expensive and only rarely availably in cooler climates, but with the development of refrigeration, they can be transported and stored all over the world.

But lets not forget about the “other” side of oranges. Most of us know that Oranges are known for their high level of vitamins, especially vitamin C, folic acid, vitamin B6, flavonoids, pectin and fiber, along with significant amounts of potassium salt, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and copper. Oranges can help with issues like high blood pressure, hardening of the arteries,, constipation, heart disease, and stomach ulcer. However, oranges are also medicinal. For instance, orange tree leaf is known as a treatment for coughs and colds. The Chinese have used oranges for these ailments since ancient times along with treating anorexia. Orange essential oil which is extracted from the fruit itself, is a powerful treatment in many types of physical and emotional issues. Some of these are anti-depressant, anti-inflammatory, anti-septic, improves digestion, anti-cancer, encourages detoxification, and serves as a skin treatment promoting collagen production and increasing the skin blood flow, soothes dry irritated skin and acne prone skin. Non medical uses, or household and industrial uses of orange essential oil include beingused as a flavor for beverages, desserts, biscuits, chocolates and other bakery items; its is also used in soaps body lotions faced creams room sprays and deodorants. Orange oil can also be used as an insect repellent including ants and moths. (For information about how to safely use orange oil seek a qualified essential oil practitioner.)

Further resources:
http://soni2006.hubpages.com/hub/history-and-origin-of-oranges-orange-oil-benefits
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/history-of-orange-fruit.html
http://obiolla.com/orangehistory.aspx
http://www.naturalnews.com/029155_orange_essential_oils.html

In this edition, Dr. Safdar Chaudhary talks about his recent experience with a doctors’ coffee club and the need for interaction and touch with patients to maintain that human connection and keeping technology at bay.

Have any questions about the topics in this episode?  Join us for a discussion about these issues!

S’eclairer Chatterbox is an open discussion Podcast (or netcast) that you can listen to on iTunes,MediaFly, Stitcher, and other Podcast sources

Have any feedback? You can contact by commenting on our blog post, emailing the show at mike@seclairer.com, tweeting @seclairerlife, or on our Facebook page!

In this edition, we talk  Christina Weimer talks with us about the drug problems kids are having and dealing with the families affected.  We talk about the perceptions of being cool with the drug dealers, the perceptions of parents, and much more.

Have any questions about the topics in this episode?  Join us for a discussion about these issues!

S’eclairer Chatterbox is an open discussion Podcast (or netcast) that you can listen to on iTunes,MediaFly, Stitcher, and other Podcast sources

Have any feedback? You can contact by commenting on our blog post, emailing the show at mike@seclairer.com, tweeting @seclairerlife, or on our Facebook page!

In this edition, we talk to Dr. Donald Valentine about dealing with pain and what can be accomplished with chiropractic methods.  We talk about how diagnosis occurs, soft tissue injuries, misconceptions, and more!

Have any questions about the topics in this episode?  Join us for a discussion about these issues!

S’eclairer Chatterbox is an open discussion Podcast (or netcast) that you can listen to on iTunes,MediaFly, Stitcher, and other Podcast sources

Have any feedback? You can contact by commenting on our blog post, emailing the show at mike@seclairer.com, tweeting @seclairerlife, or on our Facebook page!

We gather a group of “Zumba Enthusiasts” to talk about the classes, where it came from, and just how much fun is it?

What do you think of Zumba?  Have any questions?  Lets us know in response to this post, or email mike@seclairer.com!