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Relax,Mann

ISSUE 2 VOLUME 1 | SUMMER 201103 Feeling Happiness

22 Seeing Happiness

24 Hearing Happiness

31 Tasting Happiness

Exploring, Learning, and Traveling: HappinessBy Kimberley Sarnoff

Examing Feng Shui:Benefitial or no?By Isis Body-Lawson

Interviews with world renowned musicians & op-eds on the role of music

Going Meatless: Benefitting Myself and the WorldBy Alexander Posner

THEHAPPINESS

ISSUE

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Editorial BoardRM

Editor in ChiefAdela H. Kim

Managing DirectorsAndré Manuel

Kimberley Sarnoff

Design/Production DirectorAdela H. Kim

Executive ProducerDaniel Brovman

Associate EditorsElla Landesberg

Gurbani SuriIsis Body-LawsonAlexandra Saali

Staff WritersDaniel Henick

Eden SungAlexander DanielAmbika Acharya

Toni-Anne RichardsAlexander Posner

Contributing WritersRebecca Segall

Lauren Simpson

Faculty AdvisorsDr. Barbara L. Tischler

Lindsey Willis

Relax-Mann is not associated with the Horace Mann School, and does not represent the views of the Horace Mann School. Relax-Mann! is not responsible for any possible errors in the maga-zine. For any concerns, questions, and comments, please contact us at relaxmann@horacemann.org, or alternatively at 231 West 246th St., Bronx, New York, 10471

Managing Director: Kimberley Sarnoff; Managing Director: Andre Manuel; Editor in Chief: Adela Kim

Relax MannISSUE 2, VOL. 1 | SUMMER 2011

Living happily

After NY withstood (or enjoyed) a surprise of five snowdays, the spring is finally here: birds are chirping, sun is shining, and most importantly, we are recuperating from the winter blues. It is finally time to exchange our cups of hot chocolate with scoops

of ice cream. Sooner than later, it will be time for summer.

Summer represents a myriad of opportunities for all, whether it be interning at a senator’s office, taking rigorous courses, revisiting your summer camps, or traveling to exotic places. Our “happiness” issue this spring discusses a variety of ways to spend your summer - and how the way you organize your warm days can help you cope with the school year as painlessly as possible.

Another feature of this issue explores the interior designs of our bed-rooms and workspace. Feng Shui is a set of rules of old Oriental methods that claims to give the inhabitants focus, wealth, and happiness.

This “happiness” issue is followed by testimonials on how food can also induce contentment, rather it be sweets or healthy vegetables. Our own staff, Gurbani Suri demonstrates her yoga moves so we can relax better. A contributing writer, Rebecca Segall, completes the key to happiness with her guided meditation. Lastly, Relax Mann’s interviews with world famous musicians and an op-ed on how classical music soothes its listen-ers complete this issue.

I hope you enjoy this issue, and find tranquility amidst the fast paced lives we all have. How will we ever slow down unless we find a moment to stop ourselvess and relax, rather than to leave the future as a resort for happiness?

Editor in Chief,

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Experiencing Happiness

Not all “junk” food is bad - items containing chocolate release endorphin, thereby mak-ing us happy! It’s okay to eat up sometimes!

Seeing Happiness

A room created with the Feng Shui rules in mind! Does it relax you yet, even by just looking at it?

Hearing Happiness

Isaac Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall, New York. How world famous musicians cope with stress.

Tasting Happiness

Ah, only if it was summer already! A sunset at a beach and using it to your advantage.

Contents RM SUMMER 2011

EXPLORING, LEARNING, AND TRAVELING: HAPPINESS

BY KIMBERLEY SARNOFF

AMBIKA IN INDIA: AN ADVENTURE

BY AMBIKA ACHARYA

FIGHT OR FLIGHT? STRESS OR RELAXATION?

BY GURBANI SURI

YOGA BREAK WITH GURBANI SURI

SUMMER VACATION?TIME FOR RELAXATION

BY SHINIL KIM

EXERCISE YOUR STRESS AWAY

BY LAUREN SIMPSON

GUIDED MEDITATIONBY REBECCA SEGALL

EXAMINING FENG SHUIBY ISIS BODY-LAWSON

INTERVIEW WITH JON MANASSE

INTERVIEW WITH GIL SHAHAM

INTERVIEW WITH VEDA KAPLINSKY

WHY WE NEED CLASSICAL MUSIC IN OUR DAY

BY DANIEL HENICK

MUSIC AND SLEEP: HOW MUSIC CONTROLS OUR SLEEP

BY DANIEL BROVMAN

GOING MEATLESS: BENEFITTING MYSELF AND THE WORLD

BY ALEXANDER POSNER

COMFORT FOOD: PROS AND CONS

BY TONI-ANNE RICHARDS

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Feeling Happiness

The way I see it, there are two types of learn-ing. There is formal learning - the things you do in school - and practical learning - the things you learn when out in the world expe-

riencing life. They are both important and both useful modes of engagement. However, so many of us put so much focus on the “book” learning we do in class. While solving math problems and analyzing literature facilitate intellectual development, it is important to exercise your brain in other ways. I don’t mean by playing chess, although it is a good game. I mean by going out and living life. Summer is really impor-tant because it allows you to learn about our fantastic planet in a natural way. Contrary to popular belief, your brain doesn’t melt when you relax in July. You are simply thinking about and approaching different types of problems. I have been lucky enough to spend my past few summers traveling. This is not necessarily superior to beaching or eating peaches, but it is a really good ex-ample of why summer is awesome. Ounce for ounce,

I think I learn more while traveling than I do while at school. I’m not referring to actual knowledge, like how to speak another language or how to find your way around a foreign city. Learning while traveling is more like discovering. You see where you fit in, how others live, why other cultures are good and why other cultures matter. You learn to enjoy living regardless of what you are eating, where you are sleeping or what you are doing. Learning is not all about memorizing facts – it is about understanding that people matter and doing your best to get to know your fellow man. I think it’s really a shame that there is so much focus on the academic bubble. We spend our lives attending school, preparing for college and thinking about how we will have successful futures where we make a lot of money and find attractive spouses. While modern, urban society is not bad and the quest for hard knowl-edge is worthwhile, there are other things that life and Earth has to offer. We need summer because we need to immerse ourselves in something other than aca-demics. There is more to life.

Exploring, Learning, and Traveling: Happinessby Kimberley Sarnoff

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SUMMER

This summer, I spent two days with nomads in the north of India. When we left, one of the little kids told our guide that he was going to miss us. He gave us a hug and waved goodbye as we left. The power of the human connection is incredible. I never thought I would become so close to people who seemed so dif-ferent in such a short time. But I did. Would I give up that experience to spend an extra week in class? I would never. Don’t feel bad about relaxing and abstain-ing from school work. You are doing yourself a service, in fact.

Traveling makes me happy. But more impor-tantly, summer makes me happy. The ability to do something that isn’t academic and that doesn’t result in an evaluation is invaluable. You like summer because it’s a time when you can do something really meaning-ful to you. School may well mean something to you, too (and it should) but happiness comes when you explore on your own. Happiness comes when you step back, realize we live on a fantastic planet, and enjoy that fact. So, keep exploring and keep finding. There’s a lot to see. You will be glad you saw. RM

“Would I give up that experi-ence to spend an extra week in class? I would never. Don’t feel bad about relaxing and abstaining from school work. You are doing yourself a service, in fact.”

All photos taken by Kimberley Sarnoff (11). Across: Guggenheim Bilbao. To right: Blue Mosque. Bottom: Turkey Fisherman.

RM SUMMER 2011

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SUMMER RM APRIL 2011RM SUMMER 2011SUMMER

Ambika in India: An Adventure

by Ambika Acharya

Photos taken by Ambika Acharya. With family members and of India.

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RM SUMMER 2011SUMMER

Two summers ago, I spent five and a half weeks in India by myself, visiting relatives, temples, monuments and new cities, in an attempt to understand aspects of the Indian lifestyle. During my stay there I journeyed

to Bangalore and Mangalore, two cities in the sourth-ern state of Karnataka, Mumbai, and finally Delhi and Agra, where the Taj Mahal is. The trip was eye-opening in many ways, and at the end, I felt so immersed in the culture that it was hard to leave and return home.

        My parents, who both grew up in India, had encour-aged me to spend time in India many times before, but I had never seriously considered in until that year. I saw truly how majestic the Taj Mahal is, I saw grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins that I hadn’t seen in years, and I made friends that I still keep in contact with. Even though I had been to India many times before, those trips had been much shorter and with my family. Travel-ing through a country alone gave me the opportunity to look at my experiences through a different lens.        There were many socail differences that I noticed through my time there, and which have changed the way I view my life here in the United States. Traveling as a girl, I was expecting to feel different treatment, and im-mediately saw this whenever I was in an airport by my-self, or walking on the streets alone. Whereever I went, I would feel as if people were giving me quick glances, as if it was odd for a girl to be travelling by herself. Also,

whenever I wore shorts, it was always in the 80s and very sunny, people glanced as if it was indecent for a girl to dress in that manner. These small things built up to make me feel insecure at times, but made me understand that I had violated the societal norms and this added perspec-tive to my trip. Also, whenever I didn’t wear traditional Indian guard, salwar kameez or a a sari, people would glance, which made sense to me: I wasn’t following their cultural customs and was a stranger in the land.        Although India is a flourishing country, the poverty is easily seen when walking through the streets. Wher-ever I went, whether in the north of the country or the south, I was constantly bombarded with beggars, and passed by slums where the way of life was completely opposite from my own. While in India, and even after I came back, I learned to be more thankful and grateful for everything I had, as evidently, so much of the world doesn’t even have the ability to eat.        I thought that by spending a summer in India I would get to spend more time with my relatives, eat great food and see more the the country. I did accomplish all those things, but I also learned so much about myself and gained great perspective onto the country, its culture and the people. I got to celebrate Hindu festivals with great crowds of people, embrace the rituals and learn about how I, as an Indian American, fit into their society. It was an eye-opening and moving experience that will remain with me for years to come. RM

A statue in India

Ambika in India

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RM APRIL 2011RM SUMMER 2011FEELING HAPPINESS

Fight or Flight = Stress or Relaxation?by Gurbani Suri

When HM students think back to their 9th grade Biology classes, many of them are reminded of their wonderful experi-

ences with the pig lab, learning the names of some bones in the human body projects, and the term “fight or flight”. Surely, having to memorize all those hormones and their func-tions last minute must have triggered some poor 9th graders’ “flight or fight” response. During this stress response, cortisol aka “the stress hormone” is released into the blood stream. Although cortisol can be beneficial in small amounts to the body, high levels for prolonged periods of time, chronic stress, can have dangerous effects. These effects include weekend cognitive function, higher blood pressure, reduced immunity and inflamma-tory response, increased fat in the abdominal area which increases risks for heart attack and stroke, decreased bone density, blood sugar imbalance, etc. Even though HM students have stressful lives, according to our grandpar-ents, we are still kids and our bodies are young and can handle anything. Although grandpa Joe might have exaggerated a little when he said “anything”, after reading this article you will be able to have resilience and make grand-pa Joe proud.

There are so many ways to find hap-piness on days when even the world’s stresses seem to on your shoulders. Endorphines are hormones that boost our mood. When we feel good, we are able to work more productively with a clear, relaxed, and energized mind. Exercising releases endorphins. In addition,

exercising mobilizes stress hormones and brings us back to a calm mental state. Quick exercises that break out a light sweat will do the trick like a round or two of push-ups or sit-ups. After a long day at school, sports or dance practice will help get you relaxed and focused in order to get work done. It’s important to remember that everyone has different ways of blowing off steam. Some people prefer the challenging yet calming motions of yoga or tai chi. Sometimes people need to distract themselves by cleaning, texting, watching TV, or listening to music. For others playing soft classical music on their instruments or rocking out in the garage with the band will serve as an output for all the stored emotion. Of course, drawing, writing in a journal, composing songs, and singing are also great ways to do so as well.

Gurbani Suri (11) in the middle of a yoga photo shoot for RM

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RM SUMMER 2011FEELING HAPPINESS

One of the most effective ways to relax and relieve stress is by clearing the mind of unnecessary thoughts. Mediating is about removing all thought from the mind becom-ing aware of our own on the break. There are people who sit for hours, day, or years meditating in order to attain inner peace. Even if you do not have that much time, mediating properly for fifteen minutes will teach you how to control your mind. It will increase concentration and removed any unneeded thought in our mind including stressed ideas. Allowing the body to relax will help you be happier, focus better, think more clearly, and live a healthier life. Those who become more relaxed will have a decrease in blood pressure, lower respiratory rate, lower pulse rate, increase in alpha brain waves that are associated with relaxation, etc. Lastly, for grandpa Joe’s sake, always keep a smile on your face because even though you may not feel happy your smile may make some one else feel better. When it comes to happi-ness, sometimes it helps to just fake it till you make it. RM

What causes high stress? From Dr. Saul Marcus From Scott Hilburn

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STRETCH1.

2.

3.

Sit on heels with back straight.

Raise both arms straight up with palms together.

Reach up and start lowering your body till hands reach the mat. (Reach for 5 minutes.) Reach your hands forward while keeping your butt on your heels. To get up, re-verse the process using the core.

Allows the body to attain energy equivalent to a couple hours of sleep (if done properly) and stretches the back and the sides of the abdomen!

yoga break with relax mann’s gurbani suri

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yoga break with relax mann’s gurbani suriSPINAL TWIST1. 2. 3.

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Face front feet together. Place the left knee on the mat and cross your right leg over.

Lift the right arm straight up and bring it to the inside of the right knee.

Twist away form that arm. (Try turn you head to see 180 de-grees behind you.)

Repeat on the other side.

Increases flexibility in each vertebrae of the spine, stretches the back muscles and hips, speeds up circulation and creates an aerobic effect!

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relax, take it easy, for there is nothing we can do - mikaWARRIOR POSE

1.

2.

Begin with a sideways lunge with the right thigh parallel to the floor and open the arms out, bringing the right arm in front of you and the left arm behind.

Reach out through both fingertips. Step up and repeat on the left sideTo add an addi-tional stretch:Twist the spine to bring the right arm down and the left arm up. (Make sure the arms are in a straight line.)

Strengthen the legs and arms, opens the chest and shoulders, tones the abdomen. and back, and improves balance.

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relax, take it easy, for there is nothing we can do - mikaCAMEL POSE

1.

2.

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Come up onto your knees. Bring your hands to your lower back.

Lean back opening up your chest. Reach your hands back one at a time to grasp your heels. Bring your hips forward so that they are over your knees. Let your head come back, opening your throat. Get up by reversing the process.

Stretches the front of the body including the chest, abdomen, andquadriceps. Improves spinal flexibility. The backbend helps relieve stress from our spine.

TREE POSE

1. Stand with feet together and hands at the side.

2. Begin to shift the weight over to the right foot, lift-ing the left foot off the floor.

3. Bend the left knee, bringing the sole of the left foot high onto the inner right thigh.

4.Press the foot into the thigh and the thigh back into the foot.

5. Repeat the move on the left leg.

Strengthens legs and improves balance. For focus, balance on one point!

feel your tensions vanish in a second!

feel your tensions vanish in a second! CAT COW POSE

Start on all fours, bring-ing the wrists underneath the shoulders and the kneesunderneath the hips.

On an inhale: (cow)

Curl the toes under and drop the belly.

Take the gaze up toward the ceiling.

On the next exhale: (cat)

Release the tops of the feet to the floor and round the spine.

Drop the head.Take the gaze to the navel.

Increases spinal flexibility and abdominal strength. Can help prevent back pain.

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Photos taken by Adela H. Kim

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RM APRIL 2011RM SUMMER 2011FEELING HAPPINESS

Summer Vacation? Time for Relaxation…by Shinil Kim

If you’re a Horace Mann stu-dent, it is almost impossible to relax over summer vaca-tion. Some of you may go to summer school for physics or

spend your days doing community service. But what really is relaxing? What is summer vacation for? Is it for us to really enjoy our free time with friends? Because more than half the time you are preparing for

school instead of relaxing, summer vacation is not really a time to party all day but for us to prepare for what is ahead of us. Being a freshman, I spent the summer vacation with a little bit of studying. The rest of the time, I went touring or hung out with my friends. But even while having fun, I was still nervous about what was

waiting after the vacation. Probably loads of WORK. So I found myself studying even when I thought I was prepared. But being nervous actual-ly benefitted me for the school year. Since I was used to being nervous and having the thought of complet-ing the assignment, I actually felt something was left out when I didn’t have any work to do. So my school year (for now) went pretty smoothly

since the pressure wasn’t something new to me. But is it normal to be always alert and nervous? People tell us to meditate when we are stressed out. Most of us live in the city or the suburbs where things happen so quickly. What I found soothing was to discover something that I really wanted to do or enjoyed over the

summer break and dig deep into it. In my case, I was never interested in meditating because I found it to be useless. But when I started to attend some of yoga classes and actually get involved in it, I found it very relaxing. It is like taking a nap but losing weight and getting a good amount of exercise while sleeping. This is especially possible during the break, when you don’t have a

three-page essay due the next day or three tests coming up the day after. How many of you call your-self flexible? Probably not many. We sit in a classroom everyday for sev-en hours a day, some of us with bad postures. Flexibility reduces fatigue and stress. Now when I talk about yoga, you may think of flexing your body like a gymnast, but that is not

Courtesy of “JUXXO”

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always the case. Just a little sooth-ing stretch, like touching your toes and holding for 15 seconds every day, can relax your thigh, calf, and back muscles. Not all of you may be interested in yoga. But the activity really can be anything; golf, tennis, singing, cooking. Are you stressed when you do your favorite activity? Probably not. So over the summer break, pick one thing that interests you the most and really focus. Sing-ing or reading may be your favorite thing to do and it may not relax your muscles, but it relieves stress and makes time for you to relax in a busy life like ours. RM

possible activities for HM students to do over the summer!

Internships Studies at universities

Camp Summer school @ HM

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personal.kent.edu upenn.edu

clermont.gov horacemann.org

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Exercise Your Stress Away!by Lauren Simpson

Special Middle HM Contribution!

I think that exercise or a sport definitely controls stress levels. I really enjoy swimming and for me, swimming really helps to get rid of stress. When you are doing a sport or and exercise, you are really focused on it. Therefore not think-

ing about workload, family issues, or anything else

that could cause you stress. A lot of my friends who like running say that running is their key way to forget-ting everything else. It allows them to zone out, and have peace. If I’m really worked up about a test, I jump into the pool, and start training. The only thing I would say about sports and ex-ercising is that it’s temporary, so when you finish, the stress just comes back, unless you keep yourself busy with other things. Such as a hard puzzle, or an interesting book. I feel that sports and exercising is just one way to control stress levels, because really anything that keeps your mind set on something else, gets rid of stress. But this is just the mental view. When you exercise, your body releases a chemical called endorphin, which makes you feel better. Endor-phins or “happy hormones” temporar-ily counteract your stress. However, if you exercise everyday regularly, you create a lot of these hormones, making you feel happy and stress less every day. “Endorphins are naturally released by the body, and they truly do make patients and people feel much better,” says Christina Y. Ahn, M.D., “Exercising everyday is very important so that you never feel too stressed or agitated.” Dr. Ahn is a surgeon who works at various different hospitals. She knows a lot about stress and how

to control it. “Though eating might make some people feel better, it also makes them obese in large amounts. That’s why exercising is one of many very good tech-niques both physically and mentally.” These endor-phins are very good for you, because they take away

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Exercise Your Stress Away!

RM SUMMER 2011FEELING HAPPINESSthe stress. The more you exercise, play a sport, or be active, the more of these hormones you create. Which means that you control your stress greatly. This is the physical view that most doctors look at when they are determining how the best way is to get rid of stress. Physically, or mentally, sports and exercising gets rid of a lot of stress, but only if you do it regularly. “There is no point in exercising once, and then never doing it again,” says Dr. Ahn. If you plan on exercising to get rid of your stress, then come up with a schedule for it. “I would say the minimum time per day would be about 30 minutes. If you can do more, that’s great! But of course, don’t go swim-ming training right after you’ve eaten!” Most kids and teenagers can’t find time to do 30 minutes or more straight, so the best thing to do is to split it up into 15 minutes here, then 15 minutes later. Or if you know you can do more now, but only a little later, that works too! Just make sure to get in at least 30 minutes per day. As you can see, exercising and sports relieves stress temporarily, unless you do it regularly. So put this article down, and start creating a schedule! RM

don’t forget to drink your water!

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guided meditation by rebecca segallGuided meditations are an easy way to calm the mind and help you feel more awake and aware. It’s easy to write your own; just try to come up with an image or sensation that seems relaxing or empowering to you. Give this one a try if you have a few minutes, especially if you have never meditated or don’t know how. Put yourself in a comfortable position. You can lie on the ground or sit in a chair; whatever makes you most comfortable. Turn the lights off and block out any outside noise. Have a friend read this slowly in his or her most soothing voice. Takes about 10 minutes. Listen. Relax.

Close your eyes. You are no longer touching the ground, but floating in space. You can’t see or hear anything, other than the sound of my voice. In the silence and the darkness, you become aware of every part of your body. Feel everywhere that you are holding tension and stress. [Pause] Your body is the only thing that you can feel now, and you are conscious of every part of it. Become aware of your whole body, [Pause after each body part] starting with your toes, working your way up through your legs, up into your stomach and chest, your fingertips, all the way up through your back and shoulders, and even the muscles in your face. You are in tune with every sensation in every part of your body.

Now you’re going to focus on your breathing. You will breathe deeply, in through your nose, and out through your mouth. Still aware of your body, you will be conscious of how it feels as you inhale [pause to inhale] and exhale [pause to exhale]. Focus on how full and fresh it feels to breath in through your nose. Notice how reliev-ing and effortless it feels to breath out through your mouth. Try to make your belly swell up when you breathe in. You will feel even more refreshed and relaxed as you take three deep breaths. [Pause for three breaths]

You are no longer floating in space, but standing on a mountain. The mountain looks as beautiful as you want it to, and it is green and lush and full of life. You can feel the ground firmly underneath your feet, and this feels constant and safe. Take a moment to notice the rocks and plants and birds around you. You can feel the sun warming your face and the breeze cooling you down. You are a part of this scene, which is both stable and full of new life. [Pause]

Now you’re going to become aware of your breathing again. The air around you is fresh and cool, and you focus again on how it feels to breath it in. But now, instead of just breathing in air, you’re breathing in some of the en-ergy around you. When you inhale, you can feel this living air fill your lungs and flow through your entire body, reaching your fingertips and your toes. This fills you with a sense of warmth and energy. [Pause for a breath] And now, when you exhale, you’re breathing out all of the tension and negative energy that you’ve been storing in your joints and muscles. You’re replacing all of the stress you carry in your body with the warmth of the sun and the energy of the mountain each time you breathe. Totally aware of how each part of your body feels right now, you feel reinvigorated, and at ease. Breathe deeply and take a few moments to focus on how relaxing this feels. [Pause]

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guided meditation by rebecca segallNow you’re slowly going to leave the mountain and come back to the room. I’ll count down from 10 to 1, and you will gradually feel more aware of your physical presence here, but still relaxed and reinvigorated. Stay con-scious of your breathing as you slowly make your way back.

10… You’re still breathing in warmth and energy and breathing out tension

9…

8…

7… You ‘re no longer on the mountain, and a little more aware of being physically here in your body

6…

5… Now you’re aware of your body touching the ground, and of yourself in the room

4…

3… You’re back in the room and almost ready to open your eyes. But you can still feel the calmness of being a part of the mountain.

2…

1… You can open your eyes when you feel comfortable. Stay aware of how your body and your breathing feel to you as you go about the rest of your day.

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RM APRIL 2011 Seeing Happiness

by Isis Body-Lawson

What is Feng Shui? Maybe your mom tried it for a while and you were left won-dering why all your furniture was moved around or maybe you heard about it on TV but never really knew what it was. The loose translation of Feng Shui is wind and water and it is the ancient art of placement to bring balance, harmony, and good vibrations to a physical space. Although it has only gained popularity in the West in the last 30 years, this ancient art was invented in China thousands of years ago to bring good health

and fortune to the inhabitants of a space. Unfortu-nately, Feng Shui’s purpose has been lost on many west-erners who believe it is simply moving furniture around to make money. In actuality, Feng Shui changes with your goals and is more likely to work if you understand the na-ture and background of it. While Feng

symbolizes the wind that caries Chi (energy) through-out a space, Shui signifies the water that transports Chi around the earth. Chi is considered to be one of the most important parts of Feng Shui, which teaches you how to arrange your furniture in order to let Chi flow

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Examining Feng Shui

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freely. For instance, arranging chairs and sofas so that they face each other is beneficial since furniture that faces you attracts your Chi. If your house is full of clut-ter, the Chi will be confused and lose its focus. A con-fused Chi leads to loss of money, poor health, and bad relationships. In order to prevent Chi from stagnating, you must keep your surroundings beautiful and clean.To do this you should arrange your house so that there is a balance between Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang are opposing forces and Chi flows naturally when they are in equilibrium. Too much Yin causes Chi to flow too slowly and too much Yang causes Chi to flow too quickly. Too much of either Yin or Yang is supposed to damage your physical and emotional states. Yin represents the north and west and Yang represents the south and east. The Feng Shui Energy map divides any space into areas that correspond to different sections in you life. For example, you should display certificates, medals, and other symbols of achievement in the south

of your room or house because that direction corre-sponds with fame and reputation. Directions aren’t the only things Feng Shui uses to symbolize areas of your life. Colors and five elements are also used to correspond to different directions and activities. For example, south also cor-responds with red, orange, action, self-esteem, and fire. Other elements that are used as symbols are earth, metal, water, and wood. When you use these elements and their associations with other aspects of Feng Shui correctly, you can control the flow of Chi. So now that you know more about Feng Shui, you can decide for yourself if you think it works. It seems as if people either completely believe in Feng Shui or don’t believe in it at all but you can’t fully make your decision unless you try it out for ourself. If you do attempt Feng Shui, try to learn as much about it as you can so that you can do it correctly. Maybe then it will work for you! RM

North: “Study” luck. Place your desk here. East: Relationship star. Put your bed here.

South: “Wealth” luck. Display your accolades. West: Friendship star. Show pictures with those you care about

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1. What is your usual schedule, including performances, teachings, master classes, and more? How much sleep do you usually get?

My schedule is certainly very packed, and there’s a lot of travelling involved. I try to sleep whenever I can. If I sleep for six hours, I feel very lucky. If I can, I will sleep on the plane, or in transit. I try to catch some winks here and there. I think ideal sleep is between six to eight hours.

2. Have you had a really bad experience with not getting enough sleep? What happened?

Yes, I have. In the past week, I have been not sleeping that much, because when you play concerts and you get wound up, and it’s hard to fall asleep because you’re excited. Since I had concerts in a row, my sleep was very curtailed. It was a bad experience when I was feeling very

sleepy on stage in an orchestra concert. But that only happened once. What I always do is to sleep before a performance. I make sure I have a nap always, no matter if I feel really rested or not. I sleep anywhere between 20 minutes to 40 minutes, a few hours before the concert. They are power naps. They really help.

3. When you were a student, how did you manage your sleep and practicing?

I remember, I had schoolwork and I had Pre College (Juilliard) on Saturdays and I had lessons on Sundays. I would be very tired. I had to get up very early for school, at around 6:20 am and the buses came around 6:45 AM. The classes started at 7:12am. I would come home at 2:30pm and I would be exhausted. So I would sleep right after school. Then I would get up and I would practice 3 ½ to 4 hours during school days. And then I would stay up and do homework until around 1 AM.

INTERVIEWS

Jon Manasse, Performing Artist of Buffet Crampon and Vandoren and the Principal Clarinetist of the American Ballet Theatre emphasizes “coordination between teachers and students.”

Hearing Happiness

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RM APRIL 2011INTERVIEWS

4. How do you think students’ management of the sleep/work is different today, by looking at your children and your students?

Especially when you’re learning something, your brain needs that sleep. It needs time to not focus on anything else, so you can really absorb information. You guys have more work than I did, it seems to me. I think it’s a big concern although it seems that because of technol-ogy it’s faster to get information, you have all informa-tion at your fingertips; but consequently, you have more work assigned. I can’t really think of a solution. I think you all need more sleep. I think less homework is what is needed, since you guys already have enough to study for the exams. Unless the work is completely aligned with the exams given, doing the homework is basically what you only have to do to be prepared for the exams. Everything is test oriented. Without sleep, the information doesn’t get stored. If studying is done overtime, then you have a chance to really understand it and have it be a part of you. There should be more coordination between the teachers and the students in terms of the amount of work.

If studying is done overtime, then you have a chance to really understand

it and have it be a part of you. There should be more coordination between the teachers and the students in terms

of the amount of work.

5. What do you recommend when there is a lot of work, and one has to sacrifice their sleep? What would you recommend to your students?

There are periods called ‘bottle necks,’ when all of a sudden, all the aspects in your life seem to converge. In my case, I would have a new concerto, all the con-certs in a row, and it’s very high pressure that you end up learning more about yourself. However, you can’t sustain that linear stress for a long period of time. There has to be a period afterwards for recovery. Dur-ing these periods, you see the light at the end of the tunnel, drink coffee and just dig in. Yet, there has to be a recovery period—work hard, and recover hard. Just catch some sleep! RM

JON MANASSE studied clarinet at the Juilliard School under David Weber. He won a prize in the International Competition for Clarinet in Munich and was the youngest winner of the International Clarinet Society Competition. Manasse has performed at the Lincoln Center in New York, Columbia University, and Rockefeller University. He has toured in Japan and Southeast Asia with the New York Sym-phonic Ensemble, and played in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Osaka. He has been a guest soloist with the National Philharmonic, Symphony Nova Scotia, National Chamber Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, and the orchestras of Alabama, Annapolis, Bozeman, Dubuque, Evansville, Florida West Coast, Green Bay, Indianapolis, Pensacola, Princeton, and Richmond. He has also been the guest principal clarinetist of the New York Pops Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, and Seattle Sym-phony Orchestra. He was also a member of the New York Chamber Symphony and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Manasse is the principal clarinetist of the American Ballet Theater Orchestra and the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra. He became the principal clarinetist of the Orchestra of St. Luke’s in 2008. Jon Manasse and his duo-part-ner, pianist Jon Nakamatsu, serve as Artistic Directors of the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival. Manasse is a Buffet Crampon and Vandoren Performing Artist. He has been Associate Professor of Clarinet at the Eastman School of Music since 1995, faculty member of Juilliard in 2007, and distinguished artist in residence at Lynn University’s Con-servatory of Music since 2008 in Boca Raton, Florida.

RM SUMMER 2011 INTERVIEWS

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JM teaching. From K State clarinet studio.

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Gil Shaham, a world-renowned violinist and a Horace Mann graduate, talks about dealing with “funny schedules.”

1. What is your usual schedule, including performances, teachings, master classes, and more? How much sleep do you get per night? Do you want more/less? Why?

Musicians have funny schedules. I usually play about fifty times a year and many of those perfor-mances are on the road. When we work it’s often late at night. I love this interview because I am a great believer in sleep! My under-standing is that in one’s teenage years sleep is even more needed for well-being than at other times in one’s life. I used to feel I needed nine hours every night to function well. Recently it might be a bit less.

Nowadays I try to get things done as early as possible if for no other reason than to avoid that panicky feeling. This goes a long way to helping me

get enough z’s.

2. Have you had a really bad ex-perience with not getting enough sleep? What happened?  

Right now I am jet-lagged having just returned from Asia. It can be debilitating!  I can remember being jet-lagged exhausted and missing flights, making silly er-rors on stage and pulling funny muscles because of fatigue.

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3. When you were a student, how did you manage your sleep and practicing? How did you manage both Horace Mann and Juilliard Pre-College, both one of the elitest schools in their areas?

I think sleep should be on the top of all priority lists. In the past I didn’t always practice this. I remember pulling all-nighters a few times. I remember crashing afterwards as well. Pre-College was on Saturdays so my week was pretty much divided between HM on weekdays and Juil-liard on weekends.  I wasn’t always on top of all the work but I think I was most of the time. Now that I have kids I see how clearly sleep affects them. Our brain still pro-cesses during our sleep. Maybe it can  be more produc-tive than work ?

4.What do you recommend when there is a lot of work, and one has to sacrifice their sleep? (When one has a performance coming up, and feels anxious, therefore stays up to practice more) What do you usually do your-self when you have work but you’re really tired? What’s your policy on sleep?

My whole life I have been a procrastinator. I would leave things for the last minute and then panic and cram... I found that once I had children our schedules became much more complicated and it was impossible not to plan ahead. It was also harder to count on a full night’s sleep. Nowadays I try to get things done as early as pos-sible if for no other reason than to avoid that panicky feeling. This goes a long way to helping me get enough z’s. My goal is to sleep more than I need every night, but I confess that is probably not true most of the time.

RM SUMMER 2011INTERVIEWS

The Nouveau Classical Project. GS rehearsing for Mostly Mozart.

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5. How do you balance your performance schedule and family? Do you prioritize?

I am very lucky that I started working young and am now able to work less and spend more time with my family. In the past I used to play roughly 200 concerts a year and now I do about fifty. I also travel a lot less and am able to work closer to home most of the time. I am lucky to be able to prioritize this way.

6. When you are stressed, what do you usually do to relax? (Stressed for concerts, too much of a hec-tic schedule.) Similarly, what do you do when you are anxious for an upcoming concert?

I find that there are some things I can do to talk myself down. Sometimes I write down a list on a piece of paper and that makes things seem more manageable. Planning ahead is something I found helps reduce my anxieties. Talking about it with friends,etc. also has a way of calming me.  RM

GIL SHAHAM is sought after throughout the world for concerto appearances with celebrated orchestras and con-ductors, as well as for recital and ensemble appearances on the great concert stages and at the most prestigious festivals.

Among his more than two dozen concerto and solo CDs, are a number of best sellers, appearing on record charts in the US and abroad. These recordings have earned presti-gious awards including multiple Grammys, a Grand Prix du Disque, Diapason d’or and Gramophone Editor’s Choice. Shaham’s recent recordings have been produced for his own label “Canary Classics” – The Butterfly Lovers / Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, The Faure Album with Akira Eguchi, The Prokofiev Album with Orli Shaham, “Mozart in Paris”, a recording of Tchai-kovsky’s Piano Trio in A major with Yefim Bronfman and cellist Truls Mørk, a recording of Elgar’s Violin Concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and David Zinman released in November 2008, and most recently a record-ing of works by Spanish composer Pablo de Sarasate with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León and Alejandro Posada.

Gil Shaham was awarded the prestigious Avery Fisher Ca-reer Grant in 1990. He plays the 1699 ‘Countess Polignac’ Stradivarius and lives in New York City with his wife, the violinist Adele Anthony, and two children.

RM SUMMER 2011 INTERVIEWS

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GS with Dudamel. artistopica.com

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RM SUMMER 2011INTERVIEWS

What is the brain capable of? How can we organize ourselves to get the most

out of ourselves?

Yoheved Kaplinsky, the Artistic Director of the Juilliard Pre-College and the Chairperson of the Piano Department of the Juilliard College discusses “brain capacity.”

1. What is your usual schedule, including perfor-mances, teaching, master classes, and judging?

I work from 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week. I start teaching usually after 5pm. This year, I have thirty students, so I teach for minimum of 30 hours a week. I also hold two studio classes a week, one for Pre-College and one for College. Plus, since I’m the Head of the Piano Department in college, I hold meetings and also meet with other departmental chairs.

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INTERVIEWS RM SUMMER 2011 INTERVIEWS

the toy, and at the end of the day, and then he goes to sleep early. Even if the mess he made is cleaned up, the kid can still retrieve information the next day. This is what our brain does during sleep. It compar-tinizes the information so next day when we want to retrieve it its easily retrievable.

4. How do you think students’ management of work is different today?

I think that we used to sleep more than current stu-dents do. The kind of cramming the students do now doesn’t stay with them—the brain is like our stomach, if we overfeed, it throws up.

5. What do you recommend when there are a lot of work, and one has to sacrifice their sleep? What would you recommend to your students?

The biggest problem with today’s students is time management. You can’t say to someone to go to sleep before a test. But you can say to them, next time man-age your time properly so you don’t find yourself in that situation. Schoolwork shouldnot be crammed. RM

3. When you were a student, how did you manage your sleep & practicing? When I was young, we were very careful bout time management. Many of the sleep problems that young people have these days results from staying up too late. Even if they wake up early in the morning, they still go to sleep late. Their judgement becomes impaired, their mood becomes affected. Some of them even develop depression because of lack of sleep. A neurologist in Germany who does a lot of study on musicians de-scribed the brain activity to me. A kid who plays with toys during the day absorbs all the information from

2. How much sleep do you get per night? Do you want more or less? Why?

I get 6 hours of sleep per night. I’m so used to sleep-ing 6 hours a day, I can’t sleep past 6 AM. I relish the morning time so I don’t really want to go back to sleep. However, I couldn’t do that when I was young. I think young people, when their brains are receiv-ing huge amounts of information, need about 8 to 9 hours of sleep. There has been a lot of research done on sleep, and it’s said that sleep allows you to retrieve information in an organized fashion.

YOHEVED KAPLINSKY is currently the chairperson of the Piano Department at The Juilliard School in New York, and since 2007 is director of Juilliard’s Pre-College division as well. Ms. Kaplinsky has been in great demand for lectures and masterclasses in the U.S., Israel and the Far East. She has served on the faculties of the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore and the Manhattan School of Music, and has been a member of the Juilliard piano faculty since 1993. She also teaches regularly at various summer festivals, including the Bowdoin Summer Music Festival in Maine, the Aspen Music Festival, the Tel Hai Interna-tional Masterclasses in Israel, the Texas Conservatory for Young Artists, the Cliburn Institute and Pianofest in Long Island, New York. Ms. Kaplinsky frequently adjudicates in international competitions, most re-cently the Cleveland, Rubinstein, Dublin, Cliburn and the Tchaikovsky competitions. In 2003, she re-ceived the Presidential Scholars Teacher Recognition Award. She began her musical career as a prizewinner in the J.S. Bach International Competition in Wash-ington, D.C. A native of Israel, she studied with Ilona Vincze at the Tel Aviv Music Academy before entering the Juilliard School as a scholarship student of Irwin Freundlich. She holds master of music and doctor of music arts degrees from Juilliard. She continued her studies with Dorothy Taubman in New York.

YK with AK, EIC of Relax Mann.

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INTERVIEWS OpEd on Music

Yes, I know. Most people do not listen to classical music as a method of relaxation or stress

relief, but rather as a necessity when listening to a sibling’s concert. However, classical music can provide numerous positive effects, including enhanced memory performance and better per-formances on cognitive tests (two things we strive for in our daily lives). Music can boost athletic performance and also increases productivity when working. However, one of the mystical yet incred-ibly potential abilities of music, especially classical music, is to aid in relaxation. Certainly, there is a range of music that would be deemed “relaxing.” Whereas Antonio Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” might be the perfect music to settle the mind to begin working on homework assignments, “Welcome to the Jungle” might not be the right choice (but hey, you never know). Listening or playing classical music can truly help release ten-sion and stress in the body after a long day of studies, sports, and other extracur-ricular activities.

Why We Need Classical Music In Our Dayby Daniel Henick

Henick practicing the bassoon during his freetime. Courtesy of DH.

    Music’s affect on both the left and right sides of the brain is what truly makes it a powerful tool for relaxation as well as memory improvement and enhanced athletic performance. Listen-ing to music at a relatively slow pace of 60 beats per measure forces the left side of the brain to process and study the information of the music (i.e. rhythm, tone of the piece, etc.), while the right side of the brain is activated by the mu-sic itself. This activation of both sides of the brain can facilitate the recollection of information as well as increase the productivity of the brain. In addition to listening to classical music, playing clas-sical music on an instrument is another way of reducing stress and tension in the body.

The Mozart EffectIn the early 1990s, an experiment was done which seemed to show that listening to classical music could improve memory! This effect has come to be known as “The Mozart Effect” because the musical selection that seemed to improve memory was a song by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

The original experiment was published in the journal Nature by scientists at the University of California at Irvine in 1993. These scientists had college students listen for 10 minutes to either:

1. Mozart’s sonata for two pianos in D major 2. a relaxation tape OR 3. silence

Immediately after listening to these selections, students took a spa-tial reasoning test (from the Stanford-Binet intelligence scale). The results showed that the students’ scores improved after listening to the Mozart tape compared to either the relaxation tape or silence.

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And if not that music, what type of music will and

which composers?

What type of music is the best to listen to? This is a question that is solely based on the listener of the music. One individual might find Beethoven’s piano concerto to be soothing, while others might find more relaxation in Bach’s cello Suites. Though there is a myriad of music that can be considered relaxing, studies have shown that slow and quiet music can lead to a more relaxed individual and can actually triumph over insomnia (one of the new problems of our high school, as per the Horace Mann Record). Jazz music can also help individuals who play jazz-type instruments. Despite the fact that most of us like to listen to songs with lyrics, studies have shown that songs with lyrics can actually distract the individual from his or her work because that person will focus on what ex-actly is being said rather than the assignments he or she is doing. Some of my favorite works include Stravinsky’s “Firebird Suite,” espe-cially the “Berceuse” movement. In addition, listening to concertos for specific instruments can also increase productivity. Since I play the bassoon, listening to bassoon concertos and sonatas, such as Mozart’s bassoon concerto (opus 191) and Saint-Saëns “Sonata” can be particularly effective at releas-ing stress. Again, the best music to listen to is what makes you tick, what makes you more relaxed, and more importantly, what type

of music you want to listen to when plowing through your daily homework assignments.        To conclude, the effects of classical music on the human body are beneficial to an indi-vidual’s lifestyle and can enhance work productivity, improve memory recollection, as well as help relaxation. Again, there is no one type of classical music that will stimulate every individual. By listening to more and more classical music, individuals de-velop a higher affinity for classical music and are able to use it more to their advantage in their work and relaxation. The next time you are at your sibling’s concert, rather than constantly nagging your parents about when the concert will be over, think about the music and decide whether or not listening to this type of music can make you a more relaxed and stress free individual. And if not that music, what type of music will and which composers? RMSupplemental information from: http://www.emedexpert.com/tips/music.shtml

RM SUMMER 2011WHY CLASSICAL MUSIC?

What’s classical music?Does it taste good?

Classical Music Composer 101

Who’s who?

Mozart

TchaikovskyTo find out more, visit

http://classicalmusic.about.com

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RM SUMMER 2011MUSIC AND SLEEP

Music and Sleep: How Music Controls Our Sleepby Daniel Brovman

While we can commonly agree that listening to calming music before we go to sleep can help induce a nice snooze, do we know why? It’s not as easy as simply getting

into bed and then listening to some calming music. On June 20th 2008, scientists in Central Tokyo, Japan conducted an experiment in which they tested the ef-fects of music on 1,500 people. In the experiment, called Dreams Kaimin (Sound Sleep or Good Sleep), a variety of music rang-ing from simple classical music by Chopin and Tchai-kovsky to Guns n’ Roses, Franz Ferdinand, several Japanese songs (Teru, Wishes, Rainbow and Rose) and finally Mary Hopkins. Several of the subjects of the experiment questioned the choices by Dr. Takuro Endo, stating that some of the songs were simply too exhilarating and would if anything, wake them up. Al-though there was no single song that sent every one of the subjects into sleep, several trends were perceived; for example, the elderly tended to fall asleep when a

Japanese singer sang traditional Japanese songs rather than the masterpieces by Chopin and Tchaikovsky. If anything, this experiment proved that the music that sends people to sleep is unique to each person. Furthermore, Endo proved that the songs that would send people to sleep more often than not were songs that they didn’t know. Dr. Takuro Endo has specified three kinds of music that induce sleep: melodies that open your imagination and push you into pensive thought, songs that are calming and relaxing and finally, songs that push the brain to the point of unconsciousness. From his experiment Dreams Kaimin, he was able to devise a list of music that will help you drift off: Saku by Susumu Yakota, Nocturne by Chopin, Piano Concerton Number 1 by Tchaikovsky, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik by Mozart, Pachebel Canon in D, Rose by Aoi Teshima, By this River by Brian Eno, Pie Jesu by John Rutter, Albatross by Fleetwood Mac and finally Divertimento Number 2 in D Major by Mozart.

BRAIN WAVE MUSIC

Brain-wave music is intended to synchronize with your.. well, brain waves! This type of music is specifically designed to bring about a seriously deep sleep, within which you will experience a higher recovery than nor-mal sleep gives.

All in all, you want to stick with a style of music that does any of three things:

1. Matches the rhythm of a calmly beating heart.

2. Appeals to and soothes you while you focus your-breathing and let yourself drift in a semi-meditative state.

3. Creates within you a sense of peace or security.

Pretty cool, no?

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RM SUMMER 2011MUSIC AND SLEEP

Further experiments by Professor Jim Horne, the director of the Sleep Research Centre at Loughborough University has found a connection between Music and Sleep. In general, children find gentle music to induce sleep whereas for adults, the type of music varies. Pro-fessor Horne believes that “The secret is to find anything that gives your brain peace of mind.” A very interesting experiment by the University of Toronto found that the secret to sleep lies within your own brain. Researchers from the University have sug-gested that a CD of your own brain waves converted into music will send you off to an extremely sound sleep. To prove this hypothesis, researchers would record the brain waves of their subjects and then would convert them into music. Then, the subjects listened to the recordings for a month and fell asleep 3 times faster than those not listening to their own brain waves. Although we might not have access to machines that can record our brain waves and convert them into CDs, we can learn that in order to fall asleep easily, we need to experiment and not go with the convention that calming music will help as sleep. RM

Editor’s Choice ofAlbums to Listen

Before Sleep!

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Going Meatless: Benefitting Myself and the World

Tasting Happiness

I have been a vegetarian since the 1st grade. Year after year, time and time again, I have been asked about why

I have decided to pursue this lifestyle. By now, I know my answer.I object to eating meat on three grounds. The first being morals. As a 6 year-old I could not stomach the notion of eating something that crawled on this earth or swam in the sea. Eating animals felt wrong, cruel, and inhumane. When I did eat meat, every mouthful felt like a kick to my conscience. I debated and pondered every bite. As a vegetarian, I now feel morally at peace. I can sit down to eat a meal and not worry that I am doing something unjust or unfair. The second reason that drives my desire to reject meat is the environ-mental benefits that result from partaking in a vegetar-ian diet. The production, processing, and transport of meat are very wasteful. It is estimated that almost 20% of all CO2 emissions come from the international meat industry. That is more than all forms of transportation combined. As an individual, my decision to be a

vegetarian translates into 1.5 fewer tons of CO2 released into our atmosphere every year. In addition, 1,800 to 2,500 gallons of water goes into producing a single pound of beef. Soy, on the other hand, requires just 220 gallons of water per pound. That is a significant difference.

Alexander Posner (10) implemented “Meatless Tuesdays” at Horace Mann in an attempt to promote vegetarianism in the student body.

by Alexander Posner

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RM SUMMER 2011GOING MEATLESS

The third pillar of my vegetarian lifestyle is the notion that eating meat is unhealthy and perhaps even dangerous. Week after week, I read about E. coli and salmonella appearing in meat across the country. When one eats meat, he/she must accept the inherent risk of serious illness, or even death. As a vegetarian, I avoid, or at least the fear of, getting seriously ill from the foods I eat. This is not to say that eating vegetables is not risk free. In recent years, there have been outbreaks of E.Coli in foods such as spinach and peanuts. The reason this happens is because of contamination from animal feces at CAFO’s (concentrated animal feeding operations) where thousands of animals are raised to be slaughtered. It is the runoff from these feedlots that can contaminate vegetables and other produce. In the long run, if we lessen the amount of meat we consume, not only will we decrease the chance of getting sick from eating meat, but we will also decrease the risk of getting sick from consuming vegetables. That is a very appealing proposi-tion and all it will take is a simple change in lifestyle. In addition, studies have shown that eating meat accounts for increased rates of total mortality, cancer mortality, and cardiovascular disease mortality. In other words, those who eat less meat have a greater life expec-tancy. Avoiding such risks is a very alluring aspect about being a vegetarian.

The benefits of becoming a vegetarian are numer-ous and meaningful. Every time you walk into the caf-eteria, stop and think. Think about the morals of eating meat. Think about the pounds of CO2 that are released into the atmosphere just to bring that hamburger to your plate. Think about the health consequences of eating meat. Instead of reaching for that hamburger, reach for that salad. Make the decision to go meatless. RM

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RM APRIL 2011RM SUMMER 2011TASTING HAPPINESS

Going to such a demanding school, Horace Mann students often find stress relief in the form of music, meditation or, my personal favorite, naps. However, one of the most underrated are comfort foods. These delectable dishes or snacks help the brain to feel good through the release of endor-phins-a natural pain reliever released when the body feels pain or excitement.

Exploring Comfort Food:Pros and Cons

by Toni-Anne Richards

Many people opt for something sweet as their comfort food.

Georgetown Cupcakes Magnolia Bakery

Courtesy of Crumbs

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RM SUMMER 2011TASTING HAPPINESS

Chocolate, a common comfort food, releases anandamide, an endorphin chemical that is similar to the relaxing effects found in marijuana. This could explain why it is such a favorite with many people who believe it helps he or she to relax. Most foods containing carbohydrates, like mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese and pasta help increase serotonin, which has the same effect. Meat, fish or legumes have high protein levels that cause endorphins to increase dopamine production. Dopamine helps you to stay alert.

people a geared towards dessert-like treats, including ice cream and chocolate.

Interestingly enough, in a poll done by Ed-ible, our schools publication on food, 43% felt that chocolate was their comfort food of choice in ‘times of need’ while 20% and 16% chose macaroni and cheese and fried food, respectively. This could possibly show that the stress of school life and everything else we have to deal with is most likely combated with the aid of comfort foods that focus more on helping us relax than keeping us alert.But while comfort foods are great to have, it’s important not to overindulge. Most of comfort foods are very healthy. Eating them in moderation is the best way to make sue that you get the relaxation it provides while not overindulging and endangering your health. RM

The type of comfort food one chooses to eat is a personal prefer-ence, often connected to our culture or past experiences. I love eating macaroni and cheese because it was one of the first meals I learned to make on my own (besides cereal and sandwiches, of course). After coming home from school, I’ll often make the dish if all the ingredi-ents are there. If not, usually an apple or granola bar will do. Most

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Relax, MannHorace Mann School241 West 246th StreetBronx, New York 10471