Martha Stewart, the Polish girl from Nutley, New Jersey, is no different from many of America’s female celebrities in embracing a heady mix of Eastern spirituality and New World materialism. To Martha, a woman on the path to eternal enlightenment must practice yoga, worship healthy food and commune with her karmic bliss while painting her crown mouldings and furthering her career. At her website, Martha offers “9 Ways to be Happier.” Number Eight is “Practice Mindfulness:”

“The practice of mindfulness (referred to as smrti in Buddhism) leads to concentration (samadhi), which in turn leads to insight (prajna). The insight you gain from meditation can liberate you from fear, anxiety, and anger — allowing you to be truly happy.”

What else should one do? Martha suggests:

1. Learn to give.
2. Eat more avocados.
3. Fix your career.
4. Do more yoga.
5. Spritz with essential oils.
6. Stock up on strawberries.
7. Learn to rejuvenate.
8. Add chickpeas to your diet.  

This is a creative list.  It’s not big on self-denial, but then it doesn’t call for outright hedonism either. She doesn’t say, Stock up on strawberry ice cream, does she? I admit I was thrown by the avocados, strawberries and chickpeas, but then I am not as healthy or wise as Martha, who is pictured below with her daughter Alexis. Here is a description of Martha’s fitness routine, which is both aggressive and meditative:

For Martha, exercise is nonnegotiable — and it starts bright and early. While others are hitting the snooze button, Martha’s meeting her trainer, Mary Tedesco, at 6 or 6:30 a.m. each morning for a session in her home gym. She also fits in a daily session of yoga with an instructor at the Martha television studios. “That hour is so important to me,” she says. “Yoga is incredibly relaxing, but strenuous, too.” And while Martha says she does suffer occasional aches and pains (“probably from riding in the car — but also from stress and the economy,” she notes), exercise and yoga have helped tremendously.

As you probably know, both Martha and her 44-year-old daughter, who is her only child, are divorced. Alexis has no children. They look great though, don’t they? Think essential oils and chickpeas.

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