Karuna means compassion in sanskrit and this section of our newsletter is dedicated to compassionate acts in and around our community.

When we hear the word compassion, most of us think about compassion towards others.  Recently, however it's become very obvious to me that we need to consider the meaning of this word for and towards ourself first.  While many of us are proud to hold ourselves to very high standards, it might serve us to take a step back to understand what we are really doing to our hearts and minds.  It seems very obvious when we see our friends and loved ones being too hard on themselves, however what about when we do it to ourself?  Over time, just as an abused person begins to show signs of insecurity, and emotional imbalance, we start to feel these feelings internally and many of us work hard to hide or disguise them.  Am I suggesting that we let go and not feel the responsibilty of our actions or inactions?  Absolutely not.  I am just saying that we should treat our own 'failures' as we would those of the people we love the most.

Summer is here and many of us are excited to finally start enjoying our pools again!  It is pretty common place these days, to understand the importance of using sunscreen.  What may not be as widely known is what to look for in a sunscreen and what SPF (Sun Protection Factor) really means.  There are two types of rays that significantly impact our skin.  UVB rays which can burn the skin and UVA rays which don't burn but penetrate more than UVB and can sun damage.  The SPF factor on most sunscreens refer primarily to UVB rays and have little to do with UVA rays.  For more information on the effectiveness of your sunscreen and ingredients in this lotion that might be hazardous to your health, click here.   

For a pretty complete report on sunscreens and which ones are more beneficial and health friendly, check out The Environmental Working Group's (EWG) 2011 Sunscreen report.