All I Want For Christmas...

The past few years, my husband and I have struggled to get each other Christmas gifts. We both find it hard since we are fortunate to have incomes where we can make purchases for ourselves year round.  We also don't have any children, which allows us to live fairly selfishly... to be perfectly honest. Yet, regardless if we make a pact not to get each other a gift, I still find the holiday pressure makes me feel guilty for not participating. So this year we decided to do things differently...

This Christmas we decided to participate in the Adopt a Family program through our local Community Care Center. Instead of purchasing gifts for each other, we will be giving the gift of Christmas to a local family in need. Growing up, I was very fortunate to have a great big family dinner with presents that overflowed in our living room. It was an amazing feeling being a child, trying to stay up all night with the anticipation for Christmas morning. It breaks my heart to think that there are children that don't get to experience the joy of opening up gifts and sharing a Christmas dinner with their family. It's even sadder to think that there are parents that can't give this to their own children. It takes courage and strength to ask for help at this time of year. 

Last year alone, Community Care filled 3,800 tummies, assisted 50 families with utility costs ensuring warm beds, 820 people were assisted with their shelter needs and 3,200 families enjoyed a Christmas dinner with presents under the tree. Isn't that amazing?! To be able to participate in such a profound way of giving is the best gift of all in my eyes. Christmas isn't about how much money you spend on a gift or whom bought who the best gift... to me Christmas is about giving.... and sharing the giving with your family.

Whether it is some pocket change or maybe a donation to a food or gift drive, it all adds up and can make a huge impact on someone who is in need during the holidays. And trust me, giving back will make you feel wonderful... which is an emotional boost for your health!  


So this Christmas, make sure you tell all your loved ones how much they mean to you, and please keep in mind all of those less fortunate in our community this holiday season.... and when you have the opportunity to donate, please don't be a Scrooge! 

For more information, please visit : www.communitycarestca.ca

Now Offering Indian Head Massage

Massage is one of the oldest forms of natural medicine known to man and has been practiced for over thousands of years. The art of Indian Head Massage originates from Ayurveda ( pronounced : A· yur·ve·da ), which is the ancient East Indian system of medicine. This Sanskrit word can be translated as either the "science of life " or "knowledge of life ". The Ayurveda approach to health is the balance of the body, mind and spirit and the promotion of a long and happy life.

In India, massage plays an essential role in family life. It is an integral part of the daily routine and is highly recommended for everyone throughout all stages of life. It was originally developed by women as a part of their daily grooming routine, as they would massage oils into their scalps to ensure its health and to keep their hair long and lustrous. Over time, massage techniques become more elaborate to include the arms, shoulders, upper back, neck, face and scalp. As well as relaxing the muscles, we also work on the Energy Lines and Acupressure Points on the upper body, which can help produce wonderful benefits.

Possible Benefits of an Indian Head Massage

1. General relaxation

2. Improved blood circulation increases oxygen supply to the brain and drains away accumulated toxins

3. Calms, revitalizes and uplifts the spirit

4. Can create a more balanced state of being

5. Relaxes tight and painful muscles, eases stiffness and breaks down knots in muscles

6. Increase joint mobility

7. Improved lymphatic drainage, which helps in the removal of waste products and toxins

8. Can give your hair a healthy lustrous shin and improved skin condition

9. Encourages deeper breathing and deep relaxation : very enjoyable and triggers the release of " feel good " chemicals called endorphins creating an almost euphoric sensation

10. Promotion of hair growth

11. Helps to dissipate mental tiredness, stress, depressions resulting in greater mental alertness, concentration and clearer thinking

Can also help relieve the following conditions : Eyestrain, Tension Headaches, Migraines, Earaches, Tinnitus, Jaw Ache, Sinus Congestion, Insomnia, Disturbed Sleep

Many of these benefits are noticeable after only ONE treatment!!

A typical treatment usually lasts from 30 to 45 minutes and the treatments are a very relaxing experience. They can be done in your home, or can be done in my treatment room, whichever you feel more comfortable with. A treatment is given in a comfortable chair in the seated position, so that I may have easy access to all of the areas I will cover. There is also no need to disrobe, the massage is done over top of the clothes as well. I find it is best to wear a comfortable t shirt, without a collar. The cost of a treatment is $30.00.

I will also be putting a short video together to demonstrate the massage so that my readers can have a better understanding of what to expect during a treatment. Please expect that in the near future.

Indian Head Massage is an amazing way to pamper yourself. I know so many women, that LOVE to have their head, face and hair played with and massaged. If you are one of those women, this is for you! It is also not limited to women only, many men love the Indian Head Massage experience and will enjoy all the same benefits it has to offer.

For more information or to book an appointment, please contact myself through email or by phone :

the-happy-lotus@hotmail.ca or 905 380 6027

Mother Nature's Heartbeat

This past Sunday, my friend Franny and I were very fortunate to be able to attended a Hand Drum Workshop in St Catharines. "Dewegun" ( the living heart ) is how the drum is described. "It has been said that the one true path that will guide you home.... is the one that begins in your heart. "

When we first arrived at the studio, we were greeted with many smiling and welcoming faces. The workshop itself was led by Bill Russ and his partner Jackie Labonte joined us later in the afternoon. You could tell instantly that Bill would be an amazing Teacher. His passion and joy emanated from his being. We were also introduced to two other amazing Teachers, Earl and Jacqi, who would be guiding us in our wood burning instruction.

The class opened up with Bill singing a Native song and playing his drum. His voice was amazing! As soon as he started I had goosebumps all over my body. I could hardly wait to begin to construct the drum that was echoing inside of all of us.

We all picked out or drum bases and began to sand and wood burn our designs into them. Much respect goes into making the drums. We were guided to put all of our positive thoughts and intentions into every aspect of making the drums. It is a very large ritual to construct a drum, as we are giving life and a voice back to the Spirit of the animals and trees that were taken so that we could make it. Besides the small amount of glue holding the base together, everything that our drums would be made from is organic and once living materials. It is very important to honour the Spirit of the drum and to treat it with respect.

Wood burning was my favourite part, and I believe it was Franny's as well. It was unbelievably relaxing. The whole classroom was dead silent as we all burned intricate designs into our base. The smoke that was created during the process is seen as medicine in Native culture. Just like smudging, the smoke cleansed and calmed all of us. After we were finished, we moved on to making our striker stick. This was a very easy process.

After lunch, we were all eager to move on to the next step - making the lacing for our drums. Little did we know that we would be cutting it out of the imperfect pieces of deer skin that still showed signs of how the deer was killed. I had to hold back my lunch as the Teacher plopped down a folded up piece of fowl smelling skin that had bullet holes in it. We were to smooth out the skin and squeeze out any remaining "juices", then to cut it into 5 arms length strips. Everything smelt like death. It was an awful, awful smell, but we knew we had to suck it up and put on a brave face.

Once our lacing was cut, it was time to lace the main piece onto the base. Walnut oil was used to stain the drum covering, making each piece as individual as the person making the drum. Lacing was pretty confusing as first, but with team work, Franny and I were able to get the hang of it. Once it was finished, it was a huge relief not to have to handle the wet, stinky skin any longer.

Our drums were beautiful, there was no doubt about it. After everyone had completed theirs, it was time to Feast our drums. In Native Culture, it is very important to provide a feast to the Spirit as a sign of respect. We all shared berries and dripped some of the juices onto the drums. I took it a little too far, and actually rubbed my berry onto the dead skin then ate it....right before I was told to squeeze it on instead. Needless to say, my drum and I got a little personal. Closing the Ceremony, Bill led us in a drumming and Native song. It was a wonderful way to finish off the day.

The drumming workshop was an amazing opportunity for us to meet like-minded people and to share in this Native American tradition. Since the beginning of time, drums have been used to call people together. They were and still are the pulse of a community - or of Mother Earth. It is a universal language of peace, diversity, languages, understanding, joy, ect.. I could go on forever! The sound is a peaceful aid to use in meditatation and to bring us closer to the Earth.

We were very fortunate to be apart of this. I will never forget it and I will cherish my beautiful drum forever. I am so happy I was able to share this experience with my friend, Franny. It is a day I will never forget.

Please take the time to visit www.fireart.ca and learn more about wood burning art.

To view all the photos taken, please visit : http://www.flickr.com/photos/staysweetxo/

Inspiration

Definition : the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative. • a sudden brilliant, creative, or timely idea.

I have been taking some time over the past few weeks to really think about what inspires me. A friend of mine actually brought up the topic, and at the time I had a really hard time answering the question. Not because I couldn't think of what inspires me, more so because I felt that I was inspired by soo many small occurrences in my daily life. At first, I thought of how powerful the word inspiration really is. It almost felt like I should have some Divine answer of where my inspiration comes from. But in truth, I find most of my inspiration comes from many of the instances that most of us take for granted.

I find that when I am taking the time to be mindful, it allows me to pay more attention to what is actually going on in this wonderful life we all live. For me, sometimes it is as simple as sitting under my maple tree in the mornings, watching the birds and squirrels go about their routine on a beautiful fall day. Sometimes I just sit under the tree in the mornings, watching leaves fall from the tree... knowing that they are participating in a circle of life, and that they will in turn make compost to help the tree grow strong and continue the cycle. The maple tree doesn't question whether to let its leaves fall or not, nor does it cling to them, not wanting to be bare and exposed. It just lives in harmony and flows with the cycle, growing stronger each year. Most of the time we are too busy to notice how intelligent and beautiful Mother Nature is. In this metaphor, I find the inspiration to go with the flow of life. There are always going to be ups and downs, and there will be beautiful summers in our lives and there will be times when each of us will feel bare and exposed. But fighting and clinging to an idea of how we expect a situation to pan out, won't stop us from losing our leaves... it may just hinder us from growing stronger by not going with the flow and learning the lesson that life is offering us.

I also have been finding inspiration from all the people that come in and out of my life. I believe that everyone that we meet on a daily basis, has something to teach us. Sometimes it is the customer, that is giving us a hard time and teaches us patience, or it could be a child that teaches us to play. I read a great book once that advised to say " Namaste" in a silent greeting when you are coming into contact with someone. Namaste is a common greeting in India that is interpreted to mean : "I honor the Spirit in you which is also in me." This means that we are acknowledging that we are equals, My Spirit and Your Spirit are the same. I personally find that by silently saying this greeting, it removes a lot of biased feelings or emotions you may have with someone and it allows for you to be mindful of how you interact and treat "Your Spirit". You would be surprised how often the energy of a situation can change when you say this greeting in Spirit to someone.

Along with some of the new people I meet everyday, one of my biggest forms of inspiration is the interest and support from my close friends and family. Natural Health, especially Reiki, is not well known in Western culture and this can make people quick to call it "phony", which can unfortunately be discouraging. I have lost some good friends since I have been on my path, but with that loss, I have grown and have made brilliant relationships since. I have made new friends, became reacquainted with some old ones and have grown nearer to some of my closest friends. I truly wish that one day, all of my damaged relationships with friends and family will mend.

I would like thank all of the amazing people in my life who help me practice Reiki and share all the wonderful things I have been learning. Your support keeps me inspired to keep living, learning and loving what I do.... and I guess you really could call that sort of inspiration Divine.

Inspiration is a beautiful thing. It helps me stay passionate and positive. I encourage everyone to look for where you find inspiration in your life and to share that inspiration with others. Whether it is in a song, a book, a photograph, a piece of art or some loving support, even the smallest acts can inspire someone to create a masterpiece in their own life.

Namaste.

“The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers.” Thich Nhat Hanh

Today I have been reminded of one of my favourite authors, Thich Nhat Hanh.

Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist Monk, a Spiritual Teacher, a poet, a scholar and a peace advocate. His book, " Being Peace" was one of the first books that I was given by my friend Thomas, a year ago this month. This book opened many doors for me, ( not to mention my mind ) and essentially started the path that I have been on since I first turned open its cover.

This book teaches that in order to achieve peace, we must achieve peace within ourselves. If we are to change the world, we must first look within ourselves, and awaken the eternal part of ourselves where peace resides.... we must find our Buddha nature.

How can we expect to find peace within our relationships, our work, our friendships, if we do not have peace within ourselves? We are constantly searching outwards in our society and placing the blame for our problems on others, when the answer lies within each of us. We are constantly wanting more..... more money, more love, more friends, more, more, more... when does the search stop? When will we achieve and find this "peace of mind" that we are looking for?

Thich Nhat Hanh says, " Meditation, is not an escape from the difficult present, but an active form of service to our society, directing us to understanding and compassion toward all suffering of humanity. " Meditation has the effect to raise our awareness. And by being "aware" of our actions, our words, our thoughts, we can practice the art of mindfulness.... and with the act of mindfulness, comes compassion and from compassion, lies peace. When we start to pay attention to our being and how we effect others, we can have power over our emotions, actions and wants, and choose the peaceful route of situation.

We are all made the same. We all have a consciousness, we all have an ego, we all have a heart that pumps blood through our body. Why is it that we are all capable of putting others down because we let our material objects or our egos define us? Money and power should not determine our success as human beings. We should be more focused of the impact of how the grace of our actions and words effect others.

“When we come into contact with the other person, our thoughts and actions should express our mind of compassion, even if that person says and does things that are not easy to accept. We practice in this way until we see clearly that our love is not contingent upon the other person being lovable.”

We must practice the art of compassion and start looking at others with compassionate eyes. We are all the same, we are all bothers and sisters, it's time we started treating each other like family.

Movember! Mustached Men Unite! : Fight Prostate Cancer With A Fork!

November, or Movember, is Men’s Health Awareness Month, which is highly focused on Prostate Cancer Awareness. I know many guys out there are beyond excited for an excuse to let their staches’ loose. I don’t know if I can say the same for the ladies out there, who will have to put up with their mans dirty stubble for the month! But, you have to admit, Movember is a hilariously fun way to raise awareness for Prostate Cancer, and the overall health of our mates.

Besides growing a mustache, all you fellas out there should be taking notice of your diet this November. Diet is one of the major environmental factors that accounts for 40% of all cancer risk. Some of the most convincing evidence that shows the relationship between diet and cancer, actually comes from the studies of people migrating to other countries. These studies show that people who move from Eastern areas such as Asia, then to North America, have a dramatic increase in cancer rates. This is mainly due to our Westernized diets and lifestyle.

Let’s be honest here, we are all accustomed to our Westernized diet that is high in saturated fats. On almost every street corner you can find some sort of fast food empire. All of us, ( especially you mustache-men ) need to start being more health conscious and start to realize that we actually ARE what we eat. We cannot continue to keep eating crap, without expecting our bodies to go down the toilet along with our diets!

Leading the list of cancer preventing diets are those HIGH in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds and beans. These foods contain an array of vitamins and minerals, as well as fiber, phytochemicals and antioxidants that participate in protecting the body against cancer. Fruits and veggie play a big role in cancer prevention, due to their high content of the antioxidants vitamin C, beta-carotene and selenium. Much of the damage to DNA related cancer initiation, is thought to be from our exposure to oxygen and other oxidizing substances. If you’ve ever left an apple out for a long period, I’m sure you noticed how it eventually turns brown. Well, as gross as it is, our body is just as susceptible to this type of oxidization. Antioxidants, however, are actually proven to repair this damage! As well, the phytochemicals in these foods appear to participate in cancer prevention by protecting our cells from oxidation, along with stopping the multiplication of abnormal, and possibly cancerous cells!

Ok boys, so along with the mustache, I challenge all of you to look at your diet this month. Please, try to cut back on high intakes of saturated fats from meat and dairy products, charred and nitrate cured meats ( hot dogs, luncheon meats ), and try to cut back on your alcohol consumption. Now, I’m not telling you to do a complete 180, just try to incorporate something new and healthy into your meals every day. Change doesn’t happen overnight, the trick to changing your diet is to do it slow and gradual. If you try to make too many changes at once, you’ll get sick of the change and it won’t last. So, instead of the side of fries, get a side salad. Not only will your prostate thank you, but the rest of your body will also reap the rewards a healthy diet has to offer... and who knows, it may even help that mustache to grow in nice and thick!

HERE ARE SOME TIPS IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO MAKE SERIOUS CHANGES TO REDUCE THE RISK OF CANCER AND HEART DISEASE:

1). Consume a diet that is highly plant based:

• 5+ servings of fruits and veggies daily
• 3+ whole grain products daily
• Regular consumption of dried beans, nuts and seeds

2). Eat foods that are low in saturated fat

• Focus on lean meats, low fat dairy products and fish

3). Exclude charred and nitrate preserved meats

4). Exclude smoking

5). Exclude excessive alcohol consumption

6). Include 30 mins of physical activity, 5+ times per week

Please visit http://ca.movember.com/ for more information the Movember movement!