Seeking the key to happiness? Research suggests taming the wandering mind

Eastern philosophies have advocated it for more than a millennia. Ram Dass wrote a book about it. And now, an iPhone app has collected data on it. The subject is presence and its relation to happiness. Over the last few years, happiness has been a hot topic of research. Scientists have investigated how to spot it, maintain it and acquire more of it. But one aspect is clear: it isn't external circumstances that determine happiness, it's how present we are in the moment.

"Be Here Now"

The Buddha was known to say, "Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment." And Richard Alpert, a Harvard University professor who would later be known as Ram Dass, wrote "Be Here Now" in an attempt to convey a similar message: pay attention. What both realized (and science validates) is that when we are present in our lives, happiness grows. Interestingly, happiness is not the flashy car or good job, but simply to be fully engaged with what is right in front of us.

Roof Farm-Topped Whole Foods Set to Open in December

(Inhabitat) Whole Foods has announced that it will be opening its long-awaited Gowanus store on December 17th this year. In addition to putting the usual organic and artisan products on it shelves, the new location at 214 3rd Street will bring the local food trend to new heights with a 20,000 square foot rooftop farm right on top of the building. It doesn’t get more local than that!

The rooftop farm was made possible thanks to a partnership with Gotham Greens, a Greenpoint-based rooftop farm. The two organizations are calling the endeavor the first commercial-scale greenhouse farm and say that it will help reduce the carbon emissions spent on transporting food from far away sources. The elevated greenhouse will grow high-quality, pesticide-free produce all year round to be sold at the bustling supermarket below.

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Beat holiday bloat and weight gain with bitter elixirs

Don't be weighed down by heavy meals and sugary treats this holiday season. Instead, try a bitter aperitif to help reduce indigestion, nausea, extra pounds and much more. Designed to improve digestion and detoxify the body, herbal bitters ease the complaints of poor food choices. But bitters are not only for those times of overindulgence -- even when the diet is in top form, these tonics support universal vigor and health.

Time-honored recipe for health

The first record of a bitter tonic is attributed to Swiss Renaissance physician Paracelsus, but many believe bitters originated much earlier in ancient Babylon and Egypt. Jonathan Samst, an 18th century Swedish doctor, developed the classic "Swedish Bitters" we know today. Considered a panacea, bitters are said to: