HuffPost's Oasis: The Place to Unplug and Recharge at the DNC
Lefkada, Greece - For the last year now -- ever since I passed out from exhaustion, broke my cheekbone and got five stitches over my eye -- I've been working on bringing more balance in my life.
The prevailing culture still tells us that nothing succeeds like excess, that working 80 hours a week is better than working 70, that being plugged in 24/7 is expected, and that sleeping less and multi-tasking more are an express elevator to the top.
But there is a growing movement that rejects these archaic notions (in today's sped-up world, archaic means the 1980s). In fact, I'm currently reading In Praise of Slowness here on Lefkada, an extremely slow Greek Island. In Praise of Slowness is a terrific book by Carl Honore, a self-professed former "speedaholic" in which he advocates the need for a more measured existence. And, in a piece in the New York Times, recovering "techco-addict" Mark Bittman details his search for not only rest but relief from his Internet addiction disorder and points to others on the same quest.
Bittman quotes David Levy, a University of Washington professor: "Who would say you don't need time to think, to reflect to be successful and productive?"
If you are lucky, you have "a final straw moment" before it's too late. For me it was passing out from exhaustion; for Bittman it was obsessively checking his email via his in-seat phone on a trans-Atlantic flight; for Honore it was when he started reading one-minute bedtime stories to his two-year old to save time.
Since my cheekbone/final straw moment, I've become an evangelist for the need to occasionally disconnect from our always-connected lives. It has guided the editorial philosophy behind our retooled Living section -- promoting the ways that we can take care of ourselves and lead balanced, centered lives while at the same time making a positive difference in the world.
And since there is no zealot like the convert, we've decided to demonstrate that a balanced life is possible even during the most compulsively hectic days in the political calendar. So during the Democratic National Convention in Denver, HuffPost's Living section will offer harried conventioneers -- including delegates and members of the media -- a chance to unplug and recharge at the HuffPost Oasis.
The Oasis will feature complimentary yoga classes, Thai massages, hand massages, mini-facials, healthy snacks and refreshments, music, and a comfortable seating area for lounging and unwinding.
Our partner on the Oasis is Off the Mat, Into the World, a wonderful organization that promotes activism as an adjunct to healthy living. It was cofounded by Seane Corne, with whom I practice yoga when she's not traveling the world for Off the Mat. It was actually during one of our yoga sessions that the idea for the Oasis first began to shimmer.
We were talking (sorry, I know you're not supposed to talk during yoga!) about how HuffPost wanted to create a space during the convention where people could go to recharge -- and about how the need to do so becomes all the more important the busier you are. She loved the idea and quickly signed on. So did Shawn Henderson, interior designer and eBay Design Director, who is creating a great place to relax and re-energize.
So, in the midst of the convention craziness, along with bringing you the latest in convention news, scoops, gossip, and on-scene video, HuffPost will be featuring extensive coverage of all the goings on at The Oasis, including blogging and interviews about how conventioneers unplug and recharge.
Check in next week to see what happens when America's political obsessives unplug their laptops, turn off their iPhones and Blackberrys, and step into The Oasis.
On another convention front, HuffPost's OffTheBus will be presenting its Maximum Exposure Project, an undertaking that will show us in pictures what the Democratic and Republican conventions look like -- up close and personal. As such, OffTheBus is looking for ground-level observers who are planning to attend the DNC and RNC conventions, cameras in tow. We want you to snap shots of the convention as you experience it. What's happening around you? Who did you run into in the hotel lobby? At a restaurant? What was going on at a party you attended? Send us your photos or completed sideshows and we'll post them on HuffPost's OffTheBus Maximum Exposure page, which is being produced in partnership with the USC Annenberg's Center on Communication Leadership and the Institute for Photographic Empowerment. So point, shoot, and submit!
And while we are talking about OffTheBus, I'm delighted to announce that it has been nominated for "Changing the World: Top 10 In 'Net and Politics," an award given by PoliticsOnline and the World eDemocracy Forum. All of us at HuffPost are extremely proud of OffTheBus' successes. So please support the HuffPost community, and cast a vote for OffTheBus. It will only take a moment; just click here now.
Follow Arianna Huffington on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ariannahuff
Loading comments…
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
You get alot more bees with honey, than you do with Mc Cains Vinegar!
I LUV OBAMA!
I feel to counteract the HATE compaign of Mc Cain, is with
LOVE, which will define Mc Cain and the Republican party the party of
HATE!
We should start putting out bumper stickers with I (heart
symbol) OBAMA, Also campaign buttons with the same thing.
What helped
Eisenhower to get elected, was the slogan "I LIKE IKE" Jimmmy Carter
got elected with a great Smile!
The world today needs love, all the
Bush regime has spread is HATE & WAR,,
We need a President who can spread
LOVE & PEACE!
LET'S PUT OUR "HEART" IN THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN!
LETS MAKE OBAMA'S "CHANGE" FROM HATE & WAR TO
LOVE AND PEACE! LET THE OBAMA SYMBOL BE THE HEART!
Will you be doing this at the Republican convention as well?
Waste of effort, at the Republican convention
Arianna said: "The Oasis will feature complimentary yoga classes, Thai massages, hand massages, mini-facials, healthy snacks and refreshments, music, and a comfortable seating area for lounging and unwinding.
Now, did you see anything there that would attract a Republican? You know, like $5K call girls, or a stall footsie tournament, or free home remodeling, or a sign-up sheet for oil money?
Hey, Arianna, this sounds great. Unwinding amidst the stress of politics is just what most of us need.
Have you ever thought of adding a component of mindfulness meditation? It's a great way to re-charge, re-align, and center yourself. If you're ever interested I'd be glad to work with you.
Lefkada, Greece ... pictures ... picures ... pictures.
But Ari, Thai massages, yoga classes and all that bullshit are for hyperactive corporate class meritocrats (I speak from experience, modern life nearly killed me ten years ago)
You are in Greece, do what The Greeks do. Just be. Sit in the garden watching the bees and butterflies on the Lavender (sorry, that's very English of me, substitute whatever fills Greek gardens with insect seducing scent at this time of year)
The same approach works for Sapaniards, Protugese and the Irish too.
And read Have We Forgotten How To Be?
http://www
Meanwhile your colleagues back in the office could do worse than dig up a copy of the film Shirley Valentine.
Arianna...
What an idea!! Wish I were going.
arianna! you're not supposed to be in greece with a laptop! but hopefully after you posted that one, you turned it off and are having a frapé by the beach instead. and as i quickly post this from my cubicle, i say enjoy!!!! :)
My best friend is Greek-- and she really knows how to recharge her batteries-- the Greeks invented this!
Recently, I read a piece on the Huff Post about a new study that found that doing nothing is good for you. This was extremely heartening to me and I knew then that my life has been on the right track.
see nancy and reid are on the right track. :-)
nice touch a massage at the demo convention: pun intended.
at the repub convention they will be playing war games and drilling for oil instead. :-)
oh my dry sense of humor on this blog gets me in so much trouble
hey I live in az where the weather is dry so it has affected my humor
we love our mr keating five guy here
where else could we have spent our 125 billion for the savings and loan bailout?
that should do wonders for getting obama elected
Good for you! I tell my daughter, a very busy political reporter traveling with Obama the same thing. Each of us must take time to just be still. I would suggest reading Eckhart Tolle's books "The Power of Now" and "A New Earth". His teachings have truly changed how I approach every challenging day. I believe that living in constant stress for many years as a single mom running my own business led to my breast cancer. It took that for me to really learn to take care of myself and "be still" a few minutes a day. I am very healthy now. I believe it is my Greek half that knows how to enjoy life and I am tapped in fully now. Yiya used to say "if you don't slow down once in awhile, life will MAKE you slow down and it won't be pretty". Cassandra http://www
What a great quote!
Gee - and I never heard of the man - and could we use his kind today....
Cassandra is talking about her grandmother, known as Yiayia in Greek (my spelling, she used Yiya). Interesting how Baden thought the quote came from a man....
This is why the Dem's must win. This is what the Repulican's are doing right now.
"The really dangerous American fascist... is the man who wants to do in the United States in an American way what Hitler did in Germany in a Prussian way. The American fascist would prefer not to use violence. His method is to poison the channels of public information. With a fascist the problem is never how best to present the truth to the public but how best to use the news to deceive the public into giving the fascist and his group more money or more power... They claim to be super-patriots, but they would destroy every liberty guaranteed by the Constitution. They demand free enterprise, but are the spokesmen for monopoly and vested interest. Their final objective, toward which all their deceit is directed, is to capture political power so that, using the power of the state and the power of the market simultaneously, they may keep the common man in eternal subjection
-- U.S. Vice President Henry A. Wallace, quoted in the New York Times, April 9, 1944
Oooops meant to comment on YOUR quote:
We need more people like this today - wonderful quote!
.
The Good Greeks know how to live.
.
Why is there no mention in this blog of McCain's reference to starting a draft?
Do we let ALL our gifts go unused?
No wonder why Obama is behind when he once had a good lead.
Arianna,
Please post about the Democratic line up at their convention? Here we are in a world
where the only living Republican White House occupants are George H Bush, George W Bush,
Dick Cheney and, don't laugh, Dan Quayle . The Democrats have Al Gore (Nobel laureate, Oscar winner), Bill Clinton (the Comeback Kid), Walter Mondale (Mr. Minnesota - he could counter Republican convention) and best of all - Jimmy Carter (Nobel laureate and prolific writer and builder of human habitat)!! Imagine the contrast. Democrats should highlight Carter's call for energy independence from the Middle East. They should highlight Gore's ability to rip Bush. They should
use Bill to rip the Republican scandals of Bush's tenure. It could be a profound reminder of how
Republicans failed America. For this observer it it hard to fathom how the choice in this election is difficult and why the Democrats can't seem to bring the living legends of their party onto prime time TV and win this election big. Please post about the Democratic lineup. It actually is pretty damn good. They just have to get the corporate media to present it without the usual Limbaugh spin.
If George W isn't speaking at the Republican convention maybe the Democrats should ask him to
speak in Denver.
Oldtimer -- I hope Arianna, with her connections, can pass your message along, before the convention. I hope one of her aides will tell her "This is important".
You must be logged in to comment. Log in or connect with
