5/29/06 Haven't been here in a while. The last months have been particularly rough. I am completing my third year of graduate school -will finish up over the Summer- and I tell you, I feel as some sort of veteran returning from war, or a survivor of some natural disaster. Graduate school will kill you or hurt your health deeply if you are not taking care of yourself, in the process of getting that piece of paper with "Doctor" written on it.

I just went up to Cobb mountain for a World Peace Assembly (intense meditation retreat), and the deep rest gained up there, through rounds of 4 hrs of meditation program twice a day, have only began to scratch the surface of the damage the last three years have done to my nervous system and body. To recover fully form graduate school damage will take me a while.

But isn't a shame that graduate education can hurt you so? Shouldn't be replenishing, enlightening and strengthening? What a paradox... Learning how to heal and getting sick in the process... something is profoundly wrong with this picture.

However, listening to the latest knowledge that Maharishi released to the world has been so heartening, healing, and delightful. A special guest at the WPA was Dr Robert Schneider, who did a presentation on his latest book, "Total Heart Health". Dr Schneider, a cardiologist and an Ayurvedic physician, spoke of the healing quality of TM and how the Unified Field, the Mind, the Body and the Environment all interact and interface to create total heart health. The heart is the seat of everything else in our physiology, and we want to make it strong and happy.

Reminded we were to treat ourselves with self-oil massages and to meditate regularly, to eat the foods that are best for our body types (Vata, Pitta or Kapha predominance) and for the season, and to live in Stapatya Veda buildings, or homes and offices built according to natural law. Also, to hang out with supportive, inspiring people, and to do things that are good for you in the highest sense; such as to listen to your emotions and favor your healthy daily routine over less important things in life. All of these factors interact to make someone sick or healthy, and Maharishi has given us the knowledge to truly and completely care for our health and self-development.

Why did I write this piece in the "psychology" section? Because a healthy life, a healthy routine and healthy emotions make for psychological health, as obvious as it may seem. I need to remember this, when stress overtakes me because I have neglected myself.

I wish total health to everybody.

With love, Rosa

• Beauty of the Desert: Death Valley, by Rosa: