Blog - Sage Meditation - Sage Meditation

Saturday, 10 May 2008

There is a lot of talk these days about the Economic Stimulus Package and the Economic Stimulus Checks. Will they help the economy? What should we do with them to best help the economy? Most people will probably use the money to pay off bills - is this a bad idea? And, most importantly, how much are we getting and when will we receive the payments?

These last two questions can be answered by going to the Economic Payments Information Center at the IRS website. This website has a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) link and links to information on whether you will receive an Economic Stimulus Check, how much you will receive, and when the check will be disbursed.

At the very least, you must have filed your 2007 taxes. If you have done so, there are other guidelines shown on the IRS website to explain your qualifications. If you are going to receive an Economic Stimulus payment, the next two tables will help explain when you will receive it.

Essentially, those who received a Federal Tax Refund and chose to receive the refund by direct deposit will receive their Economic Stimulus payment according to the following table:

Last 2 digits of SSN	Payment transmitted no later than:
00 through 20	May 2nd
21 through 75	May 9th
76 through 99	May 16th

If you owed Federal Tax and paid by check / credit card or received a Federal Tax Refund by check, you should received your Economic Stimulus payment by check according to the following table:

Last 2 digits of SSN	Payments mailed no later than:
00 through 09	May 16th
10 through 18	May 23rd
19 through 25	May 30th
26 through 38	June 6th
39 through 51	June 13th
52 through 63	June 20th
64 through 75	June 27th
76 through 87	July 4th
88 through 99	July 11th

What you do with your Economic Stimulus Check or payment is purely up to you. Some speculate that no matter what you do with the money, it will help boost the economy.

Kapok or Buckwheat

Saturday, 03 May 2008

Customers frequently contact us with the question, "Kapok or Buckwheat Hulls?" Many of our cushions are available with both fill materials and each material offers destinct pros and cons.

Kapok has been the traditional fill for Zafu cushions for thousands of years. It is a fluffy cotton-like material that comes from the Kapok trees of Asia and in some regions of Southern United States and Central and South America. The Kapok trees grow enormous seed pods that, when mature, burst open to reveal the downy material laden with tiny seeds. The wind catches the fluff and carries the seeds for miles.

Buckwheat Hulls are the outer shell of the buckwheat grain. This outer shell is too hard to be eaten by humans or animals, so it is a waste product as far as food is concerned.

Both Kapok and Buckwheat Hulls make a great fill material for all kinds of cushions, pillows, and mats. Kapok had been used for floatation devices before the widespread use of plastic foam material.

In recent years, Buckwheat Hulls have become a popular fill for Zafus and other meditation cushions. The reason is that buckwheat hulls conform so well to the shape of the body resulting in a comfortable and stable cushion for meditation. It is similar to sitting in a mound of beach sand and, therefore, can provide a more grounded feel - please excuse the pun.

Let's briefly go over some of the pros and cons for each type of fill:

Kapok

Pros
1. It's the traditional fill and has been used for thousands of years.
2. Because of its cotton-like nature, it feels softer than buckwheat.
3. Though the kapok cushions can flatten with use, they can be revived by squeezing and fluffing up the cushion. This will also restore lift.
4. Kapok is light weight compared to Buckwheat Hulls.

Cons
1. The level of kapok cannot easily be adjusted - the fibers are blown into the cushion. Removing kapok from a cushion is not recommended and stuffing more kapok into the cushion manually can result in a lumpy cushion with a "Cottage Cheese" look to it.
2. The kapok has a spongy but firm feel to it. However, it can be somewhat like sitting on a ball and feel a bit roly poly or wobbly.
3. Restuffing a kapok cushion really requires professional equipment - using a yard stick or long wooden dowel will result in uneven areas and lumps.

Buckwheat Hulls

Pros
1. Especially with Sage Meditation's Zafus and other meditation cushions, the Buckwheat Hull cushions are adjustable. They each have a zippered opening, which we use to fill the cushions. This opening will allow you to remove and re-add cushions to adjust the height and comfort of the cushion.
2. Buckwheat hulls conform to the shape of the body and provide a grounded feel.
3. Buckwheat hull cushions do not flatten or require fluffing up.

Cons
1. Some customers find that Buckwheat Hull cushions are a bit hard. Just like sitting on sand, it can be a firm surface if you don't have some of your own natural cushion "down there".
2. The Buckwheat Hulls make a bit of a scrunching sound when you move around on them.
3. Buckwheat Hull cushions weigh about twice as much as kapok cushions.
4. The hulls break down after awhile, but are easy to replace or add to through the zippered opening.

The Buckwheat Hull cushions have become increasingly more popular. More than 90% of the Zafus and Cosmic Cushions ordered by our customers have Buckwheat Hull fill. The customers who choose Kapok typically choose this product because they want the traditional cushion. Others have chosen the Kapok because it is a bit more comfortable to the touch.

It is best if you can test a few cushions locally before making a purchase, but we stand by our 30-day return and exchange policy. We want you to have the best cushion for your need.

Thank you for reading,

Jay

If you would like to comment on this blog or have any questions, please feel free to Contact Us.

Bisphenol-A

Saturday, 26 April 2008

Bisphenol-A: Another Compelling Reason to Stop Using Plastics

Canada, our progressive neighbor to the north, has stepped forward to make the right decision again. On April 18th 2008, Canada became the first country to ban Bisphenol-A (BPA) from baby bottles. The ban comes after repeated evidence that this chemical leeches out of the plastic and contaminates the liquids in the bottle. The evidence further suggests that BPA, which emulates the estrogen hormone, can cause problems with brain and physical development in children, and may cause cancer in adults. While the studies are not conclusive, they were obviously compelling enough to cause the Canadian Government to step in and make this decision.

To read more about Canada's ban on BPA, read this Washington Post Article.

BPA is used mainly to produce plastics that are clear and quite hard. These plastics are typically used in baby bottles as well as in other types of water bottles. These bottles have the number 7 recycling symbol on them. The number 7 represents "all other plastics" and are not typically recycled in smaller communities. BPA is not used in the production of the more common plastics with the 1,2 or 5 recycling numbers.

At this time, many of the companies that are producing plastic bottles with BPA are reformulating the plastic without BPA. This is great news, because it is getting easier to find BPA-free bottles. Here are some examples of BPA-free bottles:

Born Free BPA-free Plastic Baby Bottles

Tree Frog BPA-free Reusable Water Bottle

Camelback BPA-free Better Water Bottle

In addition to this information on the danger of some plastics, the National Geographic program, Strange Days on Planet Earth, has presented new dangers on the accummulation of plastics in our environment. The episode, "Dirty Secrets" recently played on our Public Television. See this link for a preview: Strange Days on Planet Earth, Wisconsin Public Television.

We know that most plastics simply do not go away. Small, fragile plastics slowly break into smaller and smaller pieces, but most large plastics will take centuries to break apart. This time of year, after the snow has melted, we see hundreds of plastic soda and water containers in the ditches. The rains come and wash these plastic bottles down to the streams, lakes, rivers, and eventually oceans of the world.

National Geographic's program shows the devastating impact these plastics are having on our environment and the animals that live in it. They tell us of a strange phenomenon where shoreline birds are picking up small brightly colored pieces of plastic such as cigarette lighters and bottled-water caps and feeding these items to their young. Eventually, the infant birds starve to death because they can never expell the bits of plastic and there is not enough room left for nutritional food.

This additional concern leaves us all wondering if we can continue to consciously allow ourselves to disregard the effect of disposable plastics. But, we have too easily been lulled into the convenience and everyday-ness of plastics in our lives.

A real conscious choice is to use plastics reponsibly or eliminate them altogether. If you are buying bottled water, re-use the bottle a few times before getting rid of it. When it comes time to get rid of it, be certain to recycle the bottle. If you have a reusable water bottle and you are not sure if it is BPA-free, replace it - again, making certain that you recycle the old bottle.

Better still, stop using plastics altogher. Glass is still a safe alternative, but it breaks quite easily and the cap or lid may be coated with a thin later of plastic containing, you guessed it, BPA. The next best option to glass is stainless steel. Drinking containers are available from Klean Kanteen. These stainless steel containers will last a long time and will not introduce any chemicals into your beverage, your body, or the environment.

Changing to BPA-free plastic bottles or stainless steel is the reponsible thing to do. It ensures better health for everyone and every thing on our precious little planet.

Thank you for reading,

Jay

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