It was a brook where the water flowed over round pebbles and larger stones, polished smooth by the passage of time.  Upon closer inspection there was beauty in this scene that wasn’t made by nature.  What we were seeing was a cairn.

“From early civilization to the present, cairns have been created for both practical and meaningful reasons. Often created simply as directional markers pointing the way home or to safety, the cairns are also a symbol of the spirit of friendship and hope. The rock sculptures were built by those who had been down a path, to mark the way for others to follow. Today, the creation of rock cairns and stone balancing is pursued by many as an art form and as a meditation practice.”

As one stone balancer says: “My initial attraction was the good feeling it gave me; the meditative aspect is relaxing…” he then goes on to talk about how he likes when crowds gather to watch and how he sometimes likes to think that the gravitational threads keeping the rocks in balance are “beacons that radiate and collect positive energy to and from people, into Mother Earth.”

Moment Momentum™ is about doing things that slow down the pace of life.  It’s about going off the clock and finding a way to switch off from our day to day chores, work and distractions.  While it may seem unusual to some, I think building rock towers is a perfect example of the Human Truth™ of this wave which is:  “One must take time to reflect”

I was too busy thinking of the sun, surf, crazy sights & sounds of LA LA LAND.  Well, I have lived here on and off over the last 10 years and one thing that has struck me on this particular return, is the impact of the legalization of marijuana.  The American spirit of jumping on any opportunity for capitalistic gain, to me, is inspiring.  Some would make a different case entirely but lets just say: “Haters gon’ hate” and move on.

Suffice to say I wasn’t surprised when I heard about 420 Yoga classes.  (420 being code for pot… a code that hardly seems necessary anymore.)

“Students are expected to medicate in their cars before class in the parking lot, as no drugs are consumed or distributed in the studio.  Early arrivals, fresh off their parking lot endeavors, are greeted in the concrete courtyard outside the studio by McDonald wielding a spurting hose or offering tea and fresh organic cherries from Trader Joe’s. “Do you feel hugged? Do you need a hug?” she asks you. McDonald and Manger think that more traditional yogis who see marijuana as a toxin that inhibits enlightenment rather than enhancing it are being “yogier-than-thou.”

I know first hand that Yogi’s are serious business when it comes to fasting, discipline, rigid adherence
to form, and all kinds of cleansing yourself mentally, physically and spiritually.  So for people who are seeking to EXTEND THE NOW, in a more casual way this would be a way to slow down the pace of life without dogma.

One student says he and his wife come to 4:20 Remedy Yoga as often as they can. “It’s nice to sort of, you know, stretch out a Sunday,” he says. Being able to procure a legal prescription for marijuana strongly influenced his decision to move to LA last year, he told me. “I think marijuana creates an inquisitiveness, a stillness, something that allows you to concentrate on one thing at a time. And tactile sensations feel better, so as you’re stretching everything basically feels good.”

Moment Momentum™ is a wave about escaping the hub bub, and surrendering to a peaceful moment.  If you can do that legally, in an environment that facilitates good vibes then… 420 yoga could be just what the doctor ordered.

To me, it’s a metaphorical piece that’s making a statement about our “up sizing” culture.  Returning to Australia after so long in America it really becomes apparent how huge portion sizes are in the US.  The Aussie “Large” fast food beverage cup, for example, would be about a US medium.  I’ve also had many American friends visit who have commented on the smaller portions at restaurants, cafes etc. But do they ever leave hungry? No.

In a broader more conceptual way… this glass also asks us to reflect on: just what is enough?  How much work do you need to do for you to feel fulfilled and satisfied, and be ok with “switching off”? When do you say enough is enough?  What ARE your wants vs. needs?  Are you over doing things?  Can you get by with less?

These are all questions I don’t think we ask ourselves often enough.  The waves that live in the Self Actualization tier of Maslow’s Hierarchy are not always part of our day to day reality, but the evidence in the waves are usually very deep and resonant.

That’s what the Moment Momentum™ wave asks us to do when it says: “One must take time to reflect”™ It’s where we take a step back and “take stock”.

The sites’ creator, Alex Teway says:

“I had been thinking how we spend every waking minute of the day with access to an unlimited supply of information, to the point of information overload. i also read somewhere that there is evidence that our brains are being re-wired by the internet, because we get a little dopamine kick every time we check our e-mail or Twitter or Facebook and there’s a new update. So we’re all developing a bit of ADD. which is probably not great in terms of being productive.”

Think the dopamine thing is OTT?  Well, I seriously believe I’m addicted….

My mother was brainstorming ideas for my birthday and she suggested we “go bush” to an extremely remote but beautiful National Park in the Australian Outback, and I will admit right now, my first reaction was a panic at being away from internet and phone service.  A physical feeling of panic.

That’s pretty bad.

The Human Truth™ of the Moment Momentum™ wave is “One must take time to reflect”  and I now realize how little I do that.  However, that’s what Self-Actiualization is about, realizing things about yourself and working to evolve.

How long can you “EXTEND THE NOW” ?

I’ll touch on this note in somewhat of a personal story. Being in Japan was one of the most fascinating and tiring points of my life. There is so much to do, so much overstimulation and nowhere to escape it. Having made Roppongi Hills my stomping grounds I got adjusted to the coveted use of grass and trees to break up the concrete metropolis, but I always had headaches.

It turns out, that studies are suggesting that the overstimulation of a busy life in a city is leading to mental illness. They say that people who spend a majority of their life in the concrete jungle have problems holing onto things mentally, and that the stress leads to increased bad moods which in turn lead to a permanent negative mindset when being in a city.

However, the same study came to find that just seeing a patch of grass could help reduce these feelings. So if the simple life isn’t for you, or perhaps you can’t bear to be parted with your nightlife; just go find a park and spend some time not thinking about your busy world.

Even if though the average Joe won’t make a fashion statement about it, most of us are feeling over-stimulated and “time poor.” So I’m betting this concept will strike a cord with many.

Rogan wants to help people reclaim time with their newest bit of design re-invention called the Timeless Watch.

“…Its “timeless” empty face, not only neatly dismisses the modern anxieties of analogue-vs.-digital, the conceptual accessory introduces freedom from deadlines, time changes, alarm clocks (and the constant inching towards death) with its sleekly sustainable design.”

Sustainable? Yes, they are made from repurposed old watch pieces so they get to put the word “upcycling” in the press release.  Score!

All cynicism aside though, so many things beep, buzz, and “alarm” us in daily life.  Little suggestions that ask us to stop keeping time, even if for just a moment, would fit many design concepts and really resonate.

“Stress is real. It’s caused by all of the things you juggle in life — money, relationships, schedules, family, work, your health.  In your busy day, what if you could pause briefly, and give yourself a moment to get a better handle on things? What if you could put a ‘number’ on stress and watch it get lower over time? What if you could even keep yourself from becoming stressed in the first place so you can be there for the ones you love?”

It’s called UPLIV™, and they claim that it’s the “first comprehensive stress management program that’s personalized to you and your lifestyle.”

You take an online test to gauge what kinds of stress you have and they give you a “prescription” of products, techniques, and resources to help you achieve more balance in your life.

The subscription based program starts with a monthly fee ($99.95 for the first month, $39.95 monthly thereafter).  Which includes the test, the personal program, and “exclusive face and body products made with proprietary Active Essences that elicit relaxing and refreshing moods and make your UPLIV™ program more effective”

The site claims the program has been clinically shown to help relieve stress in as soon as 4 weeks and nearly 8 out of 10 women report reduced stress in their lives.

I have noticed Moment Momentum™  has become such a pervasive Wave in the last few quarters as people start to get serious about coping with the many challenges modern life is presenting us with.  UPLIV™ is aimed specifically at women, which draws my attention to the fact that, while not wanting to generalize, so many women have taken so much on.  Every working mother I know is scheduled within an inch of her life and this is program that helps women get as organized about their mental health as they are about everything else.

Making the time to “take your time” is what Moment Momentum is all about.

In that vein, may I present an interesting film that we are looking forward to seeing.  LEMONADE:  “More than 70,000 advertising professionals have lost their jobs in this “Great Recession.” Lemonade is about what happens when people who were once paid to be creative in advertising are forced to be creative with their own lives.”

Yes, it’s close to home for us here at Culturewaves^® because we often work with creatives who want to be “First Faster”.  However, we think this film would serve as inspiration to anyone who has been laid off or negatively impacted by this financial crisis.

Moment Momentum generally had a lot of evidence that was about “My cruising time” ie: how to find ways to recharge from a hectic lifestyle.  However, this film is a perfect example of how the evidence is swinging more to “Slowing down to enjoy the pace of life” on a permanent basis.  More and more ex-professionals are choosing to “EXTEND THE NOW” as a lifestyle choice.

Moment Momentum is often overlooked. When we work on it, it’s always the last one to get touched, and usually takes the most time to truly understand. The concept is actually pretty simple. My time. Not works, not distractions, but mine. The problem is, everyone makes products to help you cope with work or help distract you.

From time to time, however, we do run across the occassional piece that’s made to just shut time out of your life. The slow food and living movement, self erasing clocks, and now, the time light switch.

It’s relatively simple, a light switch with an illuminated clock above the flicker switch. Whenever you get worried, frustrated or panicked, shut the switch off. The time goes away. Whenever you feel ready and willing to go back to the real world, a flick of the switch brings it right back.

Amusingly enough, subway drivers on London’s Piccadilly line however have been given a book of inspirational sayings and encouraged to recite them to passengers.

The quotes include “Everyone should be respected, but no-one idolised” (Albert Einstein), “An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory” (Friedrich Engels) and “Nothing is worth more than this day” (Johann von Goethe). -via

As part of an initiative to promote art on the London Underground, poems have been regularly posted inside the trains replacing traditional advertising. In our daily noisy, seemingly chaotic, and at times monotonous lives little breaks of cruise time to enjoy the moments of wait and delay can go a long way. If reading poems or hearing conductors recite philosophy can lend our minds to break without going into cardiac arrests or rising blood pressures than I say its passengers riding the London Tube can consider themselves fortunate for the opportunity.

Now unless the NYC metro makes an official announcement of copycatting such plans, I’ll remain suspicious should I be greeting by Chaucer over the intercom.