Eating Guilt Free for the Holidays

Our Registered Holistic Nutritionist has been asked: How does one experience the Holiday parties and delicious food without feeling guilty?
The holidays shouldn’t make you feel guilty. It’s a time for giving and a time for sharing, it’s also a time for endless dinner parties with all the trimmings. Food is such an important part of celebration, and no one wants to be focusing on a restricted diet this time of the year. We want to enjoy the same Christmas cookies that we had as a children. In fact, new research shows that while we know the power of a plant-based diet and the benefits of restricting certain “toxic” foods, what can be more toxic is the stress caused when people deny themselves those foods they once loved. That emotional stress can cause more harm to your health than just enjoying those foods (occasionally ).

With that being said here are some holiday eating tips so that you can remain healthy without depriving yourself of all the treats the holidays have to offer.

• Do not go to a party hungry: we often eat faster and more when we are hungry - therefore eat a wholesome breakfast and lunch and a snack before to avoid over eating at the party

• If you are attending a pot luck party, bring a your favourite healthy dish for all to enjoy

• Indulge moderately: no need to skip on your favourite holiday treats, just take small portions and eat slowly; chewing your food well releases satiety hormones to signal a feeling of being full, so savour your food and satisfy your craving without over indulging

• Walk around the buffet table and let your eyes feast first: before eating, see what is being served, start with healthy choices like salads to take the edge off your appetite

• Eat far away from the buffet table, and enjoy conversations without feeling the urge to refill your plate as often. Out of sight, out of mind

• Make a conscious choice to limit foods that are high in fat: anything fried, cream based sauces and soups, cheese-filled casseroles, pies, processed meats, some pastries and baked goods

• Make your own eggnog and bring it to the party to share: traditional eggnog is usually made with egg yolk and thick cream, an 8oz serving of non-alcoholic eggnog has about 362 calories. There are plenty of low fat eggnog recipes on the Internet. Or you can even find soy nog in the health food stores as an alternative

• Try other versions of alcohol: instead of beer, cider, Bailey’s and Kahlua, try dry wine, Bloody Marys or spirits with fresh fruit juices. They tend to have fewer calories. ( FYI: a 5 oz glass of white wine is 100 calories, 12oz beer is 150 calories, a 3oz martini has about 195 calories and a 1.5 ounce of Scotch has 100 calories. As for mixers, juice and pop contain anywhere from 110-150 calories per cup) Calories from alcohol tend to be stored in the abdominal area, and we often watch what we eat and not so much what we drink. When the majority of calories are consumed from drinks, the weight is gained easily

• Drink plenty of water: alcohol, coffee and teas all dehydrate the body and with the extra indulgence during the holidays we need to remain hydrated, adding a little lemon to your water will help support the liver in detoxification, a dash of cayenne pepper and ground ginger will help to alkalinize the blood from all the acidic foods and drinks that are consumed especially this time of the year

• Exercise: Holiday shopping takes up a lot of our time but shouldn’t be an excuse not to exercise while we shop. Brisk walking in the malls will not only get the shopping done faster but also burn tons of calories (an hour of shopping and brisk walking can burn up to 400 calories)

So enjoy the holidays without the guilt, and with the New Year you can get back to eating wholesome nutrient rich foods and incorporate a regular fitness plan once the hectic holiday schedule ends.

Article courtesy of

By Kalayaan Garcia de Vera

and the Philippine Reporter

1 week

Alright, so 1 week in, the only time that I referred to a list was when I did grocery shopping. Otherwise, I lived list free for 1 week/ 7 days/ 168 hours/ 10080 minutes!

My household was not as ORGANIZED as I am accustomed to; it was a little messier, laundry sometimes didn't get done, but I learned not to care AS MUCH! I still cared, still rolled my eyes, still cringed, but I moved on...brothers and sisters I MOVED ON.

The burning question, "Was I less stressed?" and the answer,(drum roll please) "Yes" most definitely. At first I was mores stressed, but I quickly realized that the sooner I let go, the sooner the stress fell away.

Day 3 of no expectations

So this was probably the hardest day so far. Thursdays are when Nicole and I meet as business partners. Essentially a day chock FULL of lists, plans and expectations. The only thing I can say about my work day is that I wasn't torn up about not completing all my planned jobs for the day...shoulder shrug approach. And Nicole and I made loose plans to defer the work over the next few days.

The most difficult thing that I faced today was not being disappointed with my son when he didn't live up to my lofty expectations during his Christmas concert. After bragging about volunteering to play piano for his class' skit, he not only did NOT play the piano, but he also proceeded to sit on the stage with his head in his hands PRETENDING to sing! It was all I could do to keep myself from expressing my feelings...what can I say? I am only human.

48 hours of no Expectations

Grocery list and work schedule. The two things that I refered back to yesterday. The first one I had to since my memory is like a sieve and I honestly cannot remember what my pantry is lacking on a minute by minute basis. The latter, goes without saying, I'd have a bunch of angry people on my hands if I threw that out the window.

Besides that, I played the whole day by ear, took the day as it came, rolled with the punches, made lemon-aid out of lemons, stopped and smelled the roses, didn't sweat the small stuff....are there any more that I missed?

It meant that one load of laundry took a whole day to do and I didn't put new sheets on my bed (which I stripped off early in the morning)until just before I needed to use the bed at 10:30 a night. But, you know what I cared less about it than I would have had you asked me 3 days ago. I still cared, don't get me wrong. I walked by my bed several times and felt a pang of guilt when I made that split second decision that the sheets could wait a bit. And when I was waiting in line at Canadian Tire to use the reference book that would tell me what length of replacement windshield wipers to buy, I thought "If I hadn't put this off I wouldn't be stuck in this ridiculous line". But both times, after that moment of negativity, I shrugged my shoulders, took a deep breath and moved on.

So far so good...I think. It's definitely getting easier. In fact, I think I might be able to make it a full week...YIKES! Did I just say a week?

24 hours of no expectations

With the goals of the day casually tossed aside, or in the very least dealt with individually without stressing over the next, I conducted the rest of my day yesterday in a way most foreign to the very fiber of my being.

I did manage to accomplish quite a few of the tasks that needed to be completed; I prepped for sugaring, I updated our fan page, uploaded a wack of pictures, I created a new video for our senior's yoga, I started writing our AHA! presentation and I booked, prepped, dressed for and attended a family portrait (the first in 5 years!). Each time I finished a task, I gave himself a pat on the back and moved on.

I also managed to not make my bed, not cook dinner (electing instead to take advantage of Swiss Chalet's Festive Special after the family portrait), not go to the grocery store, not apply for Kenny's grade 5 ski pass (until after returning home after dinner at Swiss Chalet).

Really the last 24 hours were not so much about what I did and did not do; what I managed to accomplish and what I did not. I am coming to the realization that it's more about how I feel and how I react to doing and NOT doing. I have to admit that it was very stressful in the beginning when I didn't know what task to tackle first and how my day was going to unfold. I was so accustomed to having a list to tell me what my day would look like. But once I resolved to tuck that list away, and deal with each task just as I remembered them. I found myself being more involved in each task and the feeling of happiness with its completion without a second thought about what would come next. Until, of course, it was time to deal with the next task.
I greeted each non-accomplishment with an "oh well..maybe tomorrow".

So tomorrow has arrived and I think I might approach today in the same way. It might be a bit more difficult as I do have to work. Teaching classes on a schedule does tend to hamper a "no expectations" mentality...I'll let you all know how it goes.

Setting a deadline...to NOT set a deadline

Are you a list maker, a list checker, an "i" dotter, a "t" crosser? Then you are probably a "deadline" creator. If you are, then you probably have a whole heap of friends who are nay-sayers and detractors, who make fun of your anal-retentiveness. I am with you brothers and sisters. I know the call, the compulsion, the urge to be tidy, orderly and thorough. I have been thinking about my lists, my goals and deadlines. I have been considering if they truly make my life stress free or if the expectations of the lists, goals and deadlines, make my life even MORE stressful.

So here is what I propose, comrades in control, for one day, ONE DAY, let's not. NOT make our lists, NOT check and cross off our lists, NOT dot our "i's", NOT cross our "t's", not make any deadlines....however small.

Let's take our one day, one moment at a time. Savoring the accomplishments of every second without expectations. Don't allow ourselves to be disappointed by our own petty AND monumental idealism. I'll let you know some time in the future how I fare in this tenant of Buddhism (see I'm learning-just a moment ago I would have said "I'll let you know *tomorrow*")

I wanna do that....

When we tell people that we teach yoga and pilates, the first thing that we hear is "Oh I can't do yoga or pilates, I'm not flexible and my abs are non-existent" to which we always respond "They aren't just for the flexible and the strong" This is not just something nice we say to make people feel better, it's the absolute truth. If we only taught to the flexible, it would be like preaching to the proverbial choir.

For most of us the last time that we stretched was when we were kids...so our subconscious expectation is that will be as flexible now as we were then. When we are hit with the reality of our older bodies, we are shocked, a little embarrassed, and even a little bit disappointed. From that moment in most yogis' journeys, we are plagued with expectations. When we master the basics, we have expectations of doing a perfect low plank and then moving from low plank to up-dog or binding or of doing a roll-up or roll-over. When we conquer these challenging poses and moves, we barely have a chance to revel in our accomplishments before we begin to set the bar even higher; " I wanna do a handstand, I wanna do a headstand, I wanna do teaser, I wanna do a pike..."

Every person has limitations and knowing our limitations is an important part of our journey in any endeavor. Our limitations show us where we can safely set our our expectations, but more importantly we let them, our limitations teach us patience and perseverance. And these are lessons that are useful on and OFF the mat.

Having expectations in or yoga and pilates practice is helpful AND healthy. Every defeat that we suffer and every failure that we experience can be taken, not as a set back, but as a learning opportunity. All things worth attaining are hard...try and try again. We have to remember too that every accomplishment and every level mastered can show us the heights we can attain.

Random Acts of Kindess

Make one person happy each day and in forty years you will have
made 14,600 human beings happy for a little time at least.
- Charles Wiley
Nicole and I recently began teaching a Yoga pilot project at Joseph Brant Middle School in Scarborough. One of the goals of this project is to bring the kids' awareness to the fact that they are all part of a big whole and that performing random acts of kindness not only benefit the recipient of their kindness, but ultimately themselves. The Teacher, Kris, told us about how her coffee was unexpectedly paid for by the person in front of her in the drive-thru line at Timmy's and how, she in turn, a few days later paid for the person behind her. She told us how both the initial act made her feel loved and valued and how her own act made her feel humble and kind.

So a few days later, I decided to practice what I was preaching and paid for the order of the person behind me at Timmy's. It felt GREAT! I was walking on cloud 9! When I saw an elderly lady seemingly stranded at the nearby CIBC Branch distraught because her Pension cheque had not come in yet and she didn't have any money to put gas in her car to get home, I didn't think twice about giving her a $20 bill. I felt elated? A hero and an angel all rolled into one.

Ok I know what you are thinking! Isn't talking about these random and anonymous acts of kindness kind of wrong. Hold on to your judgment people, there's more to the story.

Riding the RAK wave, I visited the same bank branch several weeks later, and who should be there? The same distraught woman, wringing her hands in worry over the fact that her pension cheque had not be deposited and she didn't have enough gas to get her home. I KNOW!!! The questions begin to spin through my mind, "Is she senile, or does she have Alzheimer's and she relives this difficult moment in her life over and over again?" or "Is she a sophisticated con-woman out making her living $20 at a time?" What ever the answer was I didn't really want to know, I didn't want to confront the truth. Probably because somehow I felt that the happiness that helping her gave me would be somehow tainted if I knew the truth.

Now that I am writing, I chuckle over the whole scenario. I guess it hasn't jaded me, I continue to ride the RAK wave, but now it's not really a conscience effort. It's true what they say "practice makes perfect". It continues to make me feel good...more human...more in touch with everyone around me. I hope that the recipients of my RAK will go out and do the same....and so on...and so on....and so on....

...Contemplations on the Social Networking Generation

After having met with a beautiful, youthful woman who is a social networking guru, I am struck with my age. Just like cassettes vs vinyl, CD vs cassettes, MP3's vs CD, virtual vs real have all been dividing lines between generations in the past. I feel I have come to the edge of my generational divide.

I felt as though my head was going to explode and I saw my business partner, Nicole's eyes glaze over. My thoughts began at one spot; using Social Networking as a means of building our business and by the end of the hour, if you could map my lines of thought, it would look like a sea anenome!

I was introduced to a whole new vocabulary and I was amazed at the ease of our Guru's ability to detail how all the different networks could be linked together, how they could all be updated in one click on a computer or from my cell, how they could be used to increase awareness of what Nicole and I do at the studio and how they could be used to simultaneously widen and tighten our East Village community.

And now as I write this entry, I gaze at my children and realize that ALL this will be second nature to them. I will seem as out of touch to them as my parents seemed to me when email came to town. Especially since in the back of my mind I am still asking "Does everyone really need to know where I am and what I am doing every moment of everyday?". BTW the answer is "Yes, yes they do"

...On Meditation

Do you ever say no to company because you'd prefer to be alone? Running, walking, gardening, knitting, sitting, snow shovelling...alone. If you've done this you've meditated. Being alone with one's thoughts, however mundane, is the simplest form of mediation.

There is something calming about solitude. Perhaps it's because it is becoming increasingly more elusive. We are surrounded, all day, every day. Whether physically by the tangible demands of our work and family, or by the cyber demands of our phone, our facebook and twitter. Alone is a state that is difficult to find and, at best, fleeting. Who has the time to withdraw to a mountaintop nowadays?

The next time you are performing a repetitive task where your body is busy, but your mind is calm and quiet, know that you are in a state of meditation. Be subtly conscious of the thoughts that stream through your head unincumbered by the white noise of life. But don't try too hard. When the runners are off or the tools are stowed away, try writing down tidbits of what you thought about. You might be surprised as to the genuine self that is revealed in this practice.

Searching for Savasana

Someone once asked me what they were supposed to be doing during savasana. Savasana, or corpse pose is the pose that is done at the end, and in many cases the beginning, of Yoga classes. It is supposed to be the most difficult of yoga poses, not because it is physically demanding in the traditional "A" type way, but because it demands of us a balance between consciousness and unconsciousness. Often likened to floating over your own body, aware of it's physical state, but also aware of it's ethereal nature.

Many times over the years I have toyed with how to lead my students into their savasana. I have experimented with different words and phrases. I always wondered what combination of talking and silence would allow my classes to reach that state of true savasana. Recently though, I have become privy to the inner workings of some of my students' savasana. One of my students (and she knows who she is....wink, wink) told me that savasana in my classes involves her standing in her sumptuous walk-in closet, surveying her clothes and accessories and choosing what she is going to wear that day or for a special function. When my voice softly coaxes her our of savasana, she envisions herself walking serenely out of her closet, content in the knowledge that she has ironed out all her wardrobe kinks.

Another student told me that he mentally goes through a laundry list of the tasks that he has to accomplish. He makes mental notes on tasks only half-way completed, makes adjustments to due dates and reassigns tasks to other members of his work team and family. He never comes out of savasana without clicking his mental "save" button.

So here is the question: Is Savasana any less effective if used as a time to take mental stock of one's life? Instead of staying present in one's body, is it OK for us to let it wander a bit as long as there is a purpose and on a very short leash?

I personally find it difficult to clear my mind and keep it present in my body and breath. Should I expect any more from my students? Once long ago, my Kundalini Yoga Guru likened the mind in savasana and meditation to a big room being used for an audition. Your consciousness is like the auditioner, sitting at the front of the room. Your thoughts are like the hopeful auditionees, filtering one-by-one into the room doing their shtick. Your consciousness has the ability to say to each thought, "Yes you are important, let's deal with you right now" or "No, you're not so important. We'll put you aside for now". I like this way of thinking! It means that when I am in savasana or meditating and an overwhelming thought shows up and I can't help but think about this thought or hash it through in my mind, I'm actually doing a good job at savasana or meditation. It also makes the corpse pose and the practice of meditation much more accessible to the average person. The average person, that is, that finds it very difficult to "empty" her mind and to "think of nothing".

Why do we eat?

Apart from the obvious, we eat not just to fill our bellies, but in many cases to fill a hole. A void if you will. Some of us eat out of boredom, so we fill time. Some eat to feel in control of something. And yet others eat to feel happy. Eating has become the most problematic activity in North America, bar none! More and more people are dying of obesity related and food related conditions than any other ailment alone!

That is STAGGERING!

By reading this blog I am not suggesting that your issues revolving around food will magically disappear, but for those of you who feel you are addicted to food or eat out of an emotional compulsion try this Kundalini Yoga Meditation (It is actually the meditation to correct habituation):

Sit comfortably in a quiet safe place
the mantra is SA TA NA MA (you say this softly in your head)
with each syllable you press your back molars together gently (like you are gently clenching your teeth). At the same time, you make a thumbs up sign with both of your hands and place the pads of your thumbs to the dip in your temples (this is just above each cheekbones at the hairline, just underneath the beginning of the forehead) You want to gently press into these spots with each syllable.
Continue like this for 2-10 minutes every day for 40 days.

The Pineal Gland is located at the top of the spinal column right in the center of the brain. It is believed that the secretions of the Pineal Gland govern the proper and healthy functioning of all the other glands in the body. When it's secretions are lacking or "off" so are the secretions of one, some or all of the glands in the body. The lack of one hormone or another, or one chemical or another in a person's body manifests many times in habitual activities ie. smoking, drinking, eating, etc. which are our bodies' ways of trying to correct the imbalance.

The internal pressure from the teeth combined with the external pressure from the thumbs in the meditation, helps to stimulate the Pineal Gland and allows it to function in a more balanced manner, thereby balancing all the other glands in the body.

For those of you who wonder "Why 40 days?" Yogis believe that it takes 40 days for an action or a thought to change a person's being; to become a part of them. Good luck!

Yoga in Togas

Ok, here is the dilemma: Yoga is supposed to be more about internal change, through physical challenges; about "working in" instead of "working out". Right?
Well if that were the case we would all be practicing in solitude or with one personal guru, in the hills somewhere wearing nothing but strategically placed pieces of cotton. But we don't, we don't and we definitely don't! Instead the number of Yoga and pilates participants has begun to surpass the national numbers for any other physical endeavor individually. We practice everywhere in public: yoga studios, gyms, dance studios, karate dojos and community centres. We clad our bodies in Luon, spandex and coolmax; in bright and garish colours; and in styles that resemble leotards more than the traditional loin cloth!

Does all THIS make our yoga better? Or does it dilute the practice? Does it make it superficial and conceited? Yoga used to be elitist. For the chosen few, handpicked and then nurtured from childhood. Now yoga is for the masses of adult-onset stretchers, broken jocks, mundainly average desk-jockies and frustrated dancers.

Every day when I teach I wonder if I am doing right by my students. Do I only teach them what I think they can digest and leave all the other more esoteric stuff for some braver teacher to discuss? Am I doing right by the art of yoga? Am I allowing a centuries old art to die in it's truest form because a bunch of spoon fed North Americans can't wrap their brains around chanting and meditation.

But then I realize that I am like Mother Nature with her swift hand of Natural Selection. North America has become the Galapagos Islands of the yoga world. Our style of Yoga has morphed into what we need it to be. It has become a coping mechanism for broken bodies, minds and spirits. Not just an Eastern Philosophical practice. Just as Darwin found new and wonderful species of familiar animals on his voyage; so too would Vedavyasa find a species of yoga that was strange and wonderful, all at once.

I try not to worry too much about what my yoga IS or if my love penchant for yoga fashions changes my practice. After all my booty and butt need the scaffholding that luon affords, just like anyone else. Sometimes I wonder if I don't go to an ashram for vacation because I can't afford it or if it is out of a fear of coming to a realization that what I know, love, practice and teach isn't really yoga at all. Sometimes I wonder if true yoga and togas go hand in hand.

Getting out of Pain

Gain without pain. This should be our mantra. And we heard this phrase many times this weekend as East Village hosted its first Workshop, Getting out of Pain with Susi Hately of Functional Synergy. Despite this repetition we all came to our own epiphanies at different stages of the workshop. But it begs the question, "Why do we still need to feel the burn in order to feel like we have accomplished something?" In fact, the opposite is true, as Susi teaches "There is something other than pain that is worth working towards". Perhaps because we are the generation that coined the term "No Pain, No Gain!" we have managed to morph an eastern philosophical program into a workout. We are definitely paying for it though, if our slipped discs, displaced hips or chronic pain are any indication. Although our intentions are good, healing our bodies through yoga, our practice is oftentimes poor. We practice poses (asanas) that are not safe or functional for our individual bodies in an attempt to look like some perceived notion of what a yogi should be. We've approached yoga in the same way that we've approached all physical activity and all sporting endeavors. We think we need to find the edge and jump right off it!
Susi says that "most peoples' concept of what 'edge' is, is way too far!" If we all come to the mat with the same goal, improving our body’s biomechanics and moving without pain, then we want to continuously improve our FUNCTIONAL movement. FUNCTIONAL is the key word. We have to get away from our perceived edge, even if it means that we feel we are not accomplishing anything. It's difficult because so many of the styles of yoga that are out there are so regimented in the flow, in the rhythm and the breath that we don't have the time to stop and think, "Am I moving without pain?" Ease despite discomfort then becomes the moving target. We put ourselves in Yoga asanas and hold them for long periods of time in hopes of finding ease despite muscle discomfort. Do we feel the discomfort and live in it; allow it to build tension, which causes us to 'try' harder, and then there is no longer any ease? Or do we feel the discomfort and, yet are still able to find ease? Some of us may not even understand the term 'ease' because we've lived with pain and tension for our whole existence, that it's all we know. But if you think that we want to walk away from our yoga practice lighter and taller, we should be able to find that feeling within each pose as well, despite effort. "Effortless Effort".

We learned this weekend that we must temper our need to 'feel' the stretch; to 'feel' the work, because it is possible to achieve the same results with less effort. We need to recognize our bodies’ cues. What comes before the back pain, before the numbness, before the pinch? It is important to know what happens just before, because those are our bodies’ danger signs beyond which we should not travel. When we operate in this way, we find the ease and quiet to recognize the places of pain, difficulty and congestion. Only then can we build stability and strength that leads us to functional movement.

First Food Friday!

It is our first Food Friday. Friday's are going to be all about food. Making it. Eating it. Appreciating it. Loving it. Unless you find it an onerous task to eat, you, like Nicole and I, have a special relationship with our food. We love our food; savor it, but we also hate it when the foods that we love hate us back. We hate it when it makes us fat, or makes us bloat or when it causes an allergic reaction.

In our Food Friday blogs, we hope to explore our relationship with food and making it healthier and more productive. Food shouldn't only feed the body, but it should also feed the soul.

Today we talk about Oats. Civilizations have enjoyed and been sustained by this powerful little grain for centuries. Devotees have suggested that a bowl of oats a day is much better than an apple for keeping the doctor away.

According to A2Z Health, Beauty and Fitness and the American Cancer Society the 6 main reasons that oats are so good for you stems from the fact that they are a good source of soluble and insoluble fibre.

1. Insoluble fiber's cancer-fighting properties are due to the fact that it attacks certain bile acids, reducing their toxicity.

2. Soluble fiber may reduce LDL cholesterol without lowering HDL cholesterol. LDL is bad; HDL is good.

3. Soluble fiber slows down the digestion of starch. This may be beneficial to diabetics because, when you slow down the digestion of starch, you avoid the sharp rises in your blood sugar level that usually occur following a meal.

4. It has been found that those who eat more oats are less likely to develop heart disease, a disease that is currently widespread in the United States.

5. The phytochemicals in oat may also have cancer-fighting properties.

6. Oats are a good source of many nutrients including vitamin E, zinc, selenium, copper, iron, manganese and magnesium. Oats are also a good source of protein.

Despite knowing these facts, most people find eating oats (and we're not talking about the pre-packaged, flavoured kind-we're talking steel cut or whole) unpalatable. So one of our resident food bloggers Sandi Stiel (owner of The Stuffed Pantry) has given us the recipe for Oatmeal Muffin Recipe! (find the recipe in the right hand margin in our Food Friday Recipe Box) Delish! Enjoy!

Write it down....

What if we walked around with a mirror and it reflected back to us what we were doing every minute of every day? Would you want that? Would you like what you saw? Would it confirm your hopes or your fears?

Keeping a journal of your day; your activities, your thoughts, your wishes, your emotions can be just that-a mirror that can capture a snapshot of you. Perhaps not on a minute by minute, but at least on a daily basis. If you look back at your journal and like what you read, or even better, like what you are writing in the moment, what better pat on the back can you receive, but from your very own hand. If you look back at your journal and don't like what your read, or even worse, what you're writing is making your skin crawl in the moment, what do you do then?

You can decide to change.

It may not be easy or comfortable. Hell, it may feel downright impossible! But resolving to make a change is really half the work toward change. Going back to your journal will help you pinpoint the instance that your character goes south; when a questionable decision was made; or when you give in at the wrong time. Consciousness of the instance enables you to be more aware the next time, you are about to slip-the proverbial "Aha!" moment.

Knowing who you are is a moving target, especially if you are constantly evolving with the help of your journal. It's a moving target, but it's well worth taking constant aim.

What the hell should I be thankful for?

Sometimes life gets us down. The family is driving you crazy. Your job is stressful. Your bills are late and you know that more are on their way. Times like this, you may feel low, powerless and on the brink of a nervous break down. Negativity lands on the best of us like an avalanche; huge, painful, leaving us buried alive. When you feel completely hopeless, remember something; Positivity and good fortune also arrives in our lives in the same way as Negativity as long as we let it and acknowledge it.

When our minds our focused on the things, the people, the events that piss us off, it leaves us no room for all the things, people and events that we love and that invigorate our souls. The next time that you feel the negative overwhelming you try this: Say thanks. You don't have to say thanks to the person that had an accident on the road and caused a traffic accident and made you late, but why not? Doesn't that person's accident make you more thankful for your own health. You don't have to say thanks to your son whose stubbornness and "ass"itude are making you crazy, but why not? Isn't his behavior testing your patience and showing you just what a good parent you could be?

If you have a quiet moment, close your eyes and slowly bring into your mind's eye all the people, things and events that have made you the person you are today. Picture them in vivid detail. When you have each picture clear in your mind say "Thank you". Then move on to the next person, thing or event and do the same. When you are counting your blessings, you begin to realize just how lucky you really are and just how thankful you should really be.

Take a deep breath...for goodness sakes!

Relieve stress, cleanse the lungs, calm the nerves, keep you committing a host of felonies....deep breathing is good for the soul.
I remember watching The Flintstones and watching in one episode as Fred counted to ten when he had lost his temper. How his voice became less agitated, his face returned to its natural colour, his eyes would soften, his shoulders would drop and his hands would relax from tight fists as he came closer to 10. It has always stayed with me how that simple technique kept Fred from blowing his proverbial top!
Now that I am older I know that counting to ten enables us to take a moment to BREATH. Our bodies WANT to breathe; deeply, fully, unreservedly. When you breath in stressful situations it triggers the release of feel good endorphins that calm you on a very chemical level.
I know for myself, that it is only at the height of these stressful situations that I realize that my breath is fast, shallow and from the top of my lungs. I also realize that my shoulders have taken the elevator to the penthouse, my low back and my butt are clenched and my calves are like rocks. If you also find yourself in these types of situations, try this simple exercise:
Close your eyes if you can, if you can't just look off into the distance and unfocus your eyes. Inhale to a count of 5, Hold your breath for a count of 5 and then exhale for a count of 5. Repeat this until 5 seconds seems easy, then add another second to the count. Inhale for 6, hold for 6, exhale for 6. Continue to add seconds to the count until you reach 20 seconds inhale, 20 seconds hold, 20 seconds exhale. Keep in mind that reaching that 20 second mark is difficult, but the point is not GETTING THERE, but the effort involved in reaching that goal. Meaning don't stress over getting to 20 seconds, cuz that would kind of be defeating the purpose of the whole exercise. This is called the "One Minute Breath". It works almost as instantly as counting to 10!

Granola Eating and Tree Hugging not part of the job description!

The image of the yogi as a granola-eating, birkenstock-and-sock wearing, tree-hugging vegetarian is quickly being replaced, by the more accessible image of youth (both men and women) sporting brightly colored Lululemon garb, carrying equally bright yoga mats. But despite that there is a contingent of our community (and you know who you are!) who think that we are still chasing after Nirvana.

In reality we are all not so young and we have the same foibles and problems as you mortals. We have bad backs and blown knees, we have hernias and hemorrhoids, we have plantar fasciatis and lateral epicondylitis. We have turned to yoga, not necessarily as a path to enlightenment, but as a path to easier movement without pain. Perhaps, we have turned to yoga because we have driven down the conventional medicine road with little to show for it, but a numb butt.

I often try to convince, the uninitiated that I need my morning cup of joe, just like them; that I love a good steak (the pinker the better), just like them; and that sometimes, my kids make me so crazy I want to sell them into slavery, just like them. But then I remember that I am a member of a still, elite group. An informal, yet still very REAL, club of REAL people that roll out their mats every week, feel the floor with the corners of their feet and allow the breath to enter the deepest part of their diaphragm. I realize that membership deserves a little respect.

Whatever our reasons for coming to the mat: practical or transcendental we need to be proud of what we do. We know that talk of yoga makes some of our more mainstream friends and family members a little uncomfortable. We might have been in their shoes, once a long time ago. So patience, dear friends. Rest assured they will come around in their own time, for their own reasons. Or not.

Our Virtual East Village Common!

Our dream has always been to foster a collective of like-minded mainstream and alternative health, beauty and wellness professionals and house them all under one roof. A place where Yoga, Pilates and Fitness teachers, Osteopaths Green Estheticians, Dieticians; Naturopaths, Homeopaths, Thai Yoga Massage Practitioners, Reflexologists and the like could practice, complimenting each others' endeavours every day.

This is our virtual collective; our electronic "common". Here, on a regular basis, Nicole and I, aided by our colleagues in a multitude of disciplines will bring you the experience of well rounded wellness; beauty, fitness and health with a conscience. Along with every day yoga practices, tips on how to get fit, how to decrease stress, improve sleep, we will be posting a recipe of the week and ask a professional. We will also keep you up to date on the latest fitness fashion trends through our friends at Lululemon Athletica, Scarborough.

We hope that you bookmark our blog, visit us often, post your opinions and feelings, give us your feedback and suggest topics for future blog. You are now a part of our whole. It can only be as strong, beautiful and resilient as you help us make it.