And just like last time, there are a million ideas and phrases and studies that I want to pull out . . . so much juicy brain food in here! But I’ll do my best to narrow it down.

So let’s talk!


1. Chapter 6 was by far my favorite, as I am absolutely fascinated with the concept of placebos and their undeniable efficacy in so many situations. If a remedy is successful, does it even matter whether it “should” work or not (like homeopathy, for example?) Is believing in something enough? What if you believe in placebos, but not in the specific treatment itself – could it work then? (like me and homeopathy) How much of Western medicine is actually placebo???

I’m curious, what do you think of placebos? Insulting to medical science, or important to whole-body healing?

2. I found Langer’s work on “priming” to be especially relevant as well. One study that really struck me focused on Asian women: half the group was primed for gender, while the other half was primed for race (they were all *Asian women*). They were both given the same math test, and those who had been primed for race significantly outperformed those who were primed for gender. (Presumably, because “Asians are good at math” and “women are bad at math”.)

This, of course, got me thinking about my own life. How are we each “primed” by the world around us, every day? How does our own internal voice “prime” our experience? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.

3. The hotel maid study. WOW. Maids were asked how often they exercise, and were given a number of tests to measure their health. The vast majority reported that they never/rarely exercise, and for the most part their bodies reflected this. Then, half of the group was given a demonstration that taught them how the work they do all day, every day, is actually exercise! Vacuuming burns this many calories, making a bed uses these muscles, etc. A month later the researchers returned and measured both groups. Of course, the ones who had been educated regarding exercise, had totally lost weight, although nothing else about their lifestyle had changed. Amazing.

A few weeks back I told Damian about this study. Then, two nights ago he was getting undressed for bed, and I was like “Damn babe! You look GOOD!” He told me that every day on his bike commute, he has been practicing mindfulness, and thinking abou the ride as exercise instead of transportation. He’s especially been holding the thought of how biking works his upper body.

Swear to god, he is getting CUT! So what do you think of that?

4. Langer talks about the idea that in any given situation, the outlier is not an anomaly – it is the main event! Outliers indicate possibility. For example, if one chimp can learn to talk, then it follows that –> chimps can learn to talk. If just one person can recover from this “incurable” disease, then it follows that –> the disease is actually curable.

As well, we simply cannot be sure that anything is impossible. For example, we don’t know that humans can’t fly; we only know that no human has flown . . . yet. What a radical, beautiful way of seeing the world! Or is it? Do you think that there is a practical application here?

5. Labels. Another WOW. Why is it that we “cure” a cold, but that our cancer is “in remission”. Right?! I was blown away by the study that tracked breast cancer survivors. The women who described their cancer as being “in remission” were significantly more likely to have it return, as opposed to women who had described themselves as “cured”. Again – WOW.

What are some of the labels that you consciously or subconsciously place on yourself and your health? How do you think they’re affecting you?


There’s so much more, but we’ll start there. Feel free to add anything else that caught your interest!

See you in the comments!

Have you guys kept up with the reading? I sure hope so, because I want to talk about this stuff! As usual, I’m going to provide a few prompts. I’ll let you guys have some time to respond before I weigh in with my own thoughts. Can’t wait to hear from you!


1. Counterclockwise is all about being mindful – that is, noticing the world around you, and the way that it changes, all the time. The problem, Langer writes, is that “When we are mindless we “are not there” to notice that we are not there.” This is a paradox! How do you keep yourself “there”.

2. In the Counterclockwise study that the book is named for, Langer took a group of elderly gentlemen and had them live for a week as though it were 20 years earlier. In every way, from the music they listened to, to the food they ate, to the objects they interacted with, they were living in the past – except that they talked about it as if it were the present. At the end of the week the changes they experienced were remarkable, including better vision, increased mental acuity, less pain/arthritis, and on. The transformation was so extreme that strangers, looking at photographs taken before and after the experiment, guessed that the people in the “after” photographs were actually younger!

This groundbreaking study was one of the first to indicate the mind’s role in bodily health (this was back in the 70s and it was quite a new concept back then). If it is true that our mind dictates our physiology, how can YOU apply that knowledge to your own life?

3. Langer writes about how we suffer from mindlessness because we seek certainty, and nowhere is this more disastrous than with our own health. The medical model seems to demand a dichotomous “healthy or sick” mentality. Instead of this, Langer asks us to consider, “When my arms and legs are strong and I can breath like an Olympic swimmer and I have an ear infection, am I healthy or sick? When my vision and hearing are excellent and my lungs are strong and I have MS, am I healthy or sick?”

Your thoughts?

4. This “psychology of possibility” is all about empowerment. Langer writes, “We can all say we believe in the possibility of improvement, but unless we really do, we won’t find it. That is, we are more likely to find it if we look than if we presume it cannot be found . . . We believe there are known limits to how fast we can run, how much we should eat or not eat, how quickly our bones can heal, or how much sleep is necessary to perform efficiently . . . ”

I love this idea and yet I am wary of it. It sounds eerily similar to the crystal-twinkie New Age, “The Secret”, just-will-yourself-pretty-and-rich!, “What The Bleep Do We Know?” sort of talk that makes me very uncomfortable. Though to be fair, I think a lot of this modern “manifest your destiny” ferver is based in a large part on Langer’s work, and not the other way around. Do you think there’s a difference between what Langer and her research are trying to convey, versus the sort of message that modern gurus and books like “The Secret” are selling?

5. Have you had any “HELL YEAH” moments or “Oh, Crap!” moments or “OH OF COURSE!” moments of your own? Please tell me about them!


See you in the comments!

Hello friends! I’m so excited to present the second selection for our Bonzai Book Club – Counterclockwise: Mindful Health and the Power of Possibility, by Ellen J. Langer. Langer is a prolific author and – quite literally – wrote the book on Mindfulness. As an award-winning social psychologist, Langer has spent over thirty years studying the way that our thinking affects all aspects of our person. And now, in Counterclockwise, she couches her work in the context of physical health and wellness.

What if we could actually turn back time? What if we could repair our vision, shed the excess weight, improve our disposition and increase longevity, all by changing the way we think? Do you believe that it’s possible?

Part of me believes. Part of me is pretty skeptical. But, all of me is damn curious!

Counterclockwise contains 10 chapters, so here’s the plan: we’ll each read chapters 1 thru 5 by Thursday, October 13, at which point we’ll reconvene for our first discussion. Like last time, I’ll lead with my own topic questions, but please bring your own questions and thoughts!

The 13th is only 10 days away, so we gotta get on it! I know that this book will be nothing if not provocative, but I really feel like there’s wisdom buried in these pages. I’m so excited!!!

Waits is too – he’s already gotten started:



See you on the 13th!

7) Overall, what is your impression of this book. Was it what you had expected? Has it changed the way you think about food? Will it change any of your behaviors around food? What is your “take-away”?


I can’t wait to hear your thoughts. Like last time, I’ll hold off on sharing my own answers until a couple of days have passed. Okay, now have at it!

So, I’ve been wrassling with how to best host an effective and fun discussion, and what I’ve finally settled on is this: I’m going to ask a series of pointed questions relating to the Introduction and the first three chapters. However, I’ll reserve my own comments until later, because what I really want is for YOU to take the lead, and to share your thoughts without influence.

So, you can respond specifically to my questions, or you can simply offer your own impressions, or you can ask your own questions – all in the comment section below. Which leads me to . . .

Over the weekend we revamped the commenting section. I really adored the custom look that Damian had originally designed, but the framework didn’t allow for much flexibility. With the new system, you’re able to respond to someone directly, under their comment, which keeps things straightforward and streamlined. This also allows for multiple conversations to occur simultaneously on a single post, with no interference. I’m really excited about this feature and it was implemented specifically for the BBC discussions, so I hope you guys enjoy it!



Okay, so here are your questions. You can answer them directly, use them as a jumping off point, or ignore them completely. Whatever suits your fancy!


1) McWilliams is, himself, a former “locavore” activist, and at times he seems to speak straight from the heart. But he’s also an agricultural historian, and he brings a certain academic tone into his writing. How does his style strike you? Do you find this book to be an easy read, or is it more of a slog?

8) The subtitle of the book promises to identify “Where Locavores Get It Wrong And How We Can Truly Eat Responsibly“. Thus far, do you think that McWilliams has succeeded in doing this?


Discuss in the comments below. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

I’m so excited to jump right in to our first ever Bonzai Book Club! The BBC will alternate with the Monday Monthly Mission, and I’ll always announce the book along with the MMM, so you’ll have a full month to get your copy and read ahead if you want. Sound good?

This month we kick off our first BBC with a very special book, one that I’ve been intending to read since it’s release in 2009 (seriously!) Just Food: Where Locavores Get It Wrong and How We Can Truly Eat Responsibly, by James McWilliams, is an honest examination of the “local/slow foods” movement and the actual impact that it has in reducing our ecological footprint. This is a controversial book that will probably tell us things we’d rather not hear, but if our goal is to truly be the best environmental stewards that we can, then we need to confront the realities of our efficacy.

McWilliams has been called a sellout, a cynic, and a shill. But McWilliams is actually just an environmental historian specializing in colonial and early American history. He’s also a professor (Texas State in Austin), and brings that sort of rational, straightforward intellectualism to this work. His fundamental premise is that there was no romantic “golden age of agriculture”, and that the idyllic, idealistic “myth of the small farm” is just that – a myth.

I find myself wading into these waters with an equal mix of skepticism and curiosity. I’m going to keep an open mind. I’m really looking forward to learning more about the intricacies of these important issues.

I got a head start on my reading this weekend . . . in the sauna!

Just Food has six chapters, plus an introduction and a conclusion. I propose that over the next two weeks we read the Introduction, and chapters 1, 2, and 3. That will take us up to page 117, almost exactly half-way through the volume. We’ll meet back here on Monday, 15 August, for our first book club discussion group. (!!!) I’ll provide a series of questions to facilitate dialogue, but the conversation will not be “directed”, so bring your own ideas and topics and questions and comments!

For those on the fence, or for those wanting more, here’s some additional media:
McWilliams interviewed on Canadian radio show Animal Voices
McWilliams interviewed by the awesome ladies of Our Hen House


I’m so excited guys. So. Excited.