Meditation and Awareness

Meditation can mean many things to different people. To me, it's a state of awareness attained by completely being unaware of your current state. Confusing, I know! How do you think about nothing when you're trying to make yourself think of nothing?

I've been practicing yoga for about three years, on and off. My experiences with meditation started in the yoga studio during the first Savasana of each practice. At first my time spent meditating turned into falling asleep and either jolting awake or scaring myself awake when I started snoring.To prevent myself from falling asleep I began to mindfully concentrate on my breaths. This kept me awake but also led to thinking about what I was going to eat after or what plans I had for the week.

Practice after practice was spent like this during meditation, I didn't know what it was supposed to be or if I would ever get anything from it. Eventually I would start lucid dreaming, being completely aware that I was awake but still dreaming. These dreams were silent. Most of the time they were irrelevant to my current situations, sometimes I think they were indications of what I needed or what I desired most. Sometimes it was people, other times just objects floating in black space.

One practice I decided to focus on my third eye with my eyes closed. I remembered just focusing, then my mind going blank, no emotions, no feeling, complete silence. The next thing I could remember was seeing subtle waves of purple moving across my mind like billows of smoke wafting from a cigarette or a long, slow-moving flame. I remembered thinking it was the most spectacular thing I have ever seen with my eyes closed in an awakened state. I watched it for as long as I could but the more I thought about it, the more excited I got and the faster I came out of meditation. The color quickly disappeared. The next time it appeared was about a week later, when I was awaking from a sleep on a Saturday morning - the time when our minds are at a standstill, in between knowing we are awake and not knowing anything at all. After searching the internet I discovered that seeing purple during meditation is quite common and is believed to signify opening of the mind. Very cool! :)

What happens when we meditate, we can't tell for sure. There are no tangible results to measure what has changed. I believe that it trains the mind to not focus on one thing and to let go. What we experience and how we react comes from inside after all. Seeing things with a clearer mind releases the weight and moves us forward. Being aware that outside forces can only harm us as much as we will allow them to. Things continue to eat at us for as long as we want them to. Only when we are consciously aware can we consciously make a change. Your soul will tell you. It's easy to be content and happy when you forget about everything else and realize life is ultimately about you but the events that happen in life are not always about you. Forget and let go but be aware. :)

My 10 Favorite Asanas

In no particular order, here are my favorite yoga poses and their benefits. Most of these pictures capture the poses in their full form but there are always variations.

Bound Warrior - Builds strength, improves limberness in the spine, and is a great stretch for the whole upper body.

Tree - Works on balance, concentration, and strengthens feet Remember to do the same to each side with all poses for full benefits.

Cow Face - Supposedly it's supposed to represent a cow with one ear up, one down, and the legs are the lips. Personally I think that describes a donkey. This is a deep stretch that strengthens the spine and with regular practice, helps to relieve hip and knee pain.

Eagle - Also a strengthening and balancing pose, this decompresses the spine, knees, hips, ribs and shoulders.

Half Moon - Strengthens and improves balance, this aids digestion and lifts the mood.

Half Pigeon - Personally this makes me want to swear because it's a very intense way to open the hips and mine are apparently fairly tight. The more challenging, the more you need it. We hold stress, tension, and anxiety here so it can release a fair amount of emotions and feel very frustrating. This pose stimulates organs, decompresses the spine and improves alignment.

One Legged Down Dog - Yes, it looks like a peeing dog. This builds upper body strength, relieves stress, improves digestion, and alleviates cramps.

Plow - Good for headaches, insomnia, thyroid, and abdominal organs. This will also give a good stretch to the back and shoulders, especially if you spend your day hunched over a computer.

Revolved Head to Knee - This is pretty much good for everything. Your muscles, back pain, organs, you name it, this is good for you.

Extended Triangle - Relieves backache, improves flat feet, and relieves stress.

Namaste!

Luscious Lashes

Long, thick lashes are what every girl wants. They frame your eyes and define their shape. Unfortunately, not all of us are blessed with a perfect set of dark, thick curly lashes. Genetics, age, chemo, whatever the cause, some of us just don't have it. Here are the alternatives:

False Lashes

Ever look at mascara commercials and ads and think that if you buy it you will have those lashes? It's not going to happen unless you put on some false lashes first.

They are very affordable, ranging from $5-20 in stores depending on how fancy you want to get. You can even try Ebay to order multiples from Asia where girls sport false lashes daily. They come in full strips or individuals (which are more like clusters). The strips are easier and faster. The individuals give a more natural look or accents certain spots. These lashes can be reused, just remove glue remnants and store carefully. To clean them, very gently dab a cotton swab in rubbing alcohol and lightly sweep over the hairs.

TIP: To avoid looking like you have two rows of hairs growing out of your eyelids, lightly curl your natural lashes first, just from halfway on the hair shaft to the tip. Don't over-curl. The curl in your natural lashes will match the curl in the false ones. Apply the lashes as close to the roots as possible without losing contact with the skin. Very carefully use the flat end of a toothpick to gently dab a little glue to the outer edges of the lash strip as reinforcement. If it looks like a mess, don't worry, the glue dries clear. Lightly sweep one coat of mascara over the entire set to bind your natural lashes to the false ones. Use a liquid liner to finish to blending.

Lash Extensions

Done in the beauty salon, these are more expensive, up to $160 for a new set and maintenance visits anywhere between $25-50. However the benefits are clear: they look real and are fuss free. The esthetician applies each hair one by one and last anywhere from 3 to 4 weeks, shedding with the natural lash or from wear and tear. These cannot be worn with mascara if you want them to last. Oils will separate the lashes from the glue and too much steam will do the same.

Lash Serums

What's the hype around these? They promise fuller, longer lashes and the best part is, they are REAL. They start from a $10 lash conditioning treatment to a $170 serum that was formulated by physicians. Lucky you, I bought into some of these claims and tried a couple myself so you don't have to!

Rapidlash is a $60 tube with very meagre contents. A thin, nightly application is all that's needed and is supposed to last up to 6 weeks. It was created after an ointment for glaucoma patients resulted in thicker, darker, and longer lashes as a side-effect. After 3 weeks, I definitely saw a change. After four weeks people were asking if my lashes were real. That's how long they were! Because of the price tag, I sought an alternative after the tube ran out.

Avance is a Korean lash serum that I ordered from Ebay after doing some research. $8 a tube plus shipping was a steal, not to mention how much more of the product I was getting. I applied this liberally, nightly. My lashes turned out thicker and I guess fairly long but not as long as with Rapidlash. I liked that this was less pricey and the results were comparable.

There are many serums in the drugstore, none of them I've tried but my theory is that if you condition your lashes by keeping them nourished they will take longer to shed, thus each lash is retained longer. I can attest that once I stopped using these serums my lashes shed normally and they didn't reach the same lengths as before. Or I could just be getting old. :(. Applying lash serum has worked it's way into my daily routine now and I won't be stopping anytime soon. :)

Origins

Not to blatantly promote but...this is really good stuff.

I've been using Origins for about 7 weeks now. Typically, when starting a new skin care regimen it can take up to 6 weeks for your skin to adjust to the full benefits. Common misconceptions people have when trying something new is that if it doesn't work right away or if they find conditions get worse, the product will not work. In many cases the skin is adjusting or may be purging which is why breakouts are common when switching to something new. Be patient!

Although it's all very scientific I am going to contradict that lesson. I am not patient when it comes to my skin. If reactions don't subside in 10 days, it's gone! Having more than my fair share of skin ailments in my lifetime I've tried dozens of products. DOZENS. What makes me move on to the next is that after the honeymoon period if you will, the skin gets too comfortable with the product and it begins to get problematic again. This usually happens after 4 months. Another major factor to skin changes is the four seasons. Winter and summer months are particularly unfriendly to it so it's important to change up the products.

My choice to go with Origins started after I got tired of trying products that clean well but leave my skin irritated or end up clogging my pores. The main culprits: synthetic ingredients, preservatives, artificial fragrances and fillers. The only way to avoid any of these are to go organic and all natural. In came Origins. After reading thousands of reviews I tossed my regular products and bought the three most important products in a skincare regimen. Cleanser, toner and moisturizer. Four weeks later I now have a night cream, two masks, eye cream, body wash, body cream and a mattifying lotion. So far no reactions! I highly recommend. Worth every dollar!

http://www.origins.com/index.tmpl

I Heart Sugar.

On many occasions I think to myself that I consume too much sugar. There is a diabetic in the family and this gives me reason to believe that I should stop right there and curb this sweet tooth before I end up having to tote around a glucose monitor til the day I die.

Sometime two weeks ago, my big mouth challenged a caffeine-loving friend to not consume coffee for 30 days. To encourage this, I blurted out that I would not have refined sugar. And another fellow friend said she would not eat baked goods. The conditions were that I was allowed to have natural sugars such as juice and honey, and I was also allowed artificial sweeteners. The point is, I can't eat most desserts that I love like ice cream or cake :( or candy.

I am only 10 days in and I want nothing more than to sink my teeth into a sugary, buttery cupcake like there is no tomorrow. I admit, I cut corners - I buy organic cereal that is sweetened with honey or sugar cane juice and I eat boxed cookies with artificial sweeteners. And I confess, I have also mistakenly put things in my mouth that had sugar, not even thinking about it BUT I was honest about these slip ups.

It's incredible how much willpower it takes to turn sugar away. The office I work at has jars of Starburst and sugary granola bars 10 steps away from my desk. In the morning, I have to eat my toast with butter and not jam. I. Love. Jam. The mental struggle to turn away cupcakes on the weekend was just shy of being epic.

Has this lead to weight loss? No. I seem to have replaced my sugar fix with a carb fix. I've been eating more bread now than I have in the past 5 years. I have no doubt that once these 30 days are over that I will be stuffing my face with cake. Disaster. 40 days makes or breaks a habit they say? If I extend this by another 10 days I will find out.

Snowboarding Season - Fini!

This winter was my first full season of snowboarding, averaging one trip every other weekend since the end of December, totaling 7 days of cold, powdery goodness. Let's total up how much I spent shall we?

My awesome board and matching gear - I have to look good out there after all ;) :

Board, boots and bindings were ordered from www.evo.com's outlet, I ordered them early September when selection was still good and the 2010 inventory was marked waaay down: $390 including ridiculous shipping and duties. TIP: If you have friends who live in wonderful Vancouver, they might be able to do you a favor and drive to Seattle to pick up your gear right from the Evo warehouse and then ship it to you within Canada.

Helmet, goggles, gloves, socks, two jackets, two boarding pants, and Superfeet: $720. YIKES! I'll note though that the helmet, goggles, and one pair of pants were purchased last year. The only thing here that was not on sale was Superfeet. It's an athletic insole I bought to avoid having to buy new boots because there was too much space inside. Expensive, but not as expensive as new boots, this was the best alternative. Plus everything is real matchy-matchy. Bonus: the arch support helps my feet avoid cramping. Why did I get a second jacket and pants? It was life or death really. I was on the top of a mountain once and the fog was so thick, I could barely see past 10 feet in front of me. Blanket of white and guess what else was white? My jacket. I deemed it hazardous right then and there. I also hate trying to pick out people in the crowd when 8/10 people are wearing gray or black. My new teal & yellow ensemble will make me impossible to lose! (And it adds to the matchy-matchy.)

• Sunshine/Marmot Card: $99 (I think). First visit free.

• Louise Plus Card: $99. First 2 visits free, includes Kicking Horse Resort. Used once in both places, well worth the purchase!

• Nakiska iSki Card: $40. First visit free, discounts at Fernie, Nakiska, and Kimberly. Used free at Nakiska and received discounts on the second visit to Nakiska and in Fernie.

Total cost of all cards plus other lift tickets: $400.

Grand Total: $1510 not including hotels, fuel, and food.

Withing 7 days of boarding (not all were full days), I went from loathing the moment I would have to get off the chairlift to carving through trees. I am in love with it!!! The downside to it is that it's been interfering with my yoga practise big time! The muscles built in the legs from being strapped onto a board has reversed the work I've done in yoga. It feels like I'm back to step one. :(  At least the sport has lightened my hatred for winter a little bit and I have something to look forward to when summer is at it's end.

Insomnia

Insomnia comes in many different forms but in a nutshell, if you have trouble sleeping, it's insomnia.

I'm no stranger to insomnia, in fact it's been visiting me at least three times a month, sometimes twice a week, for the past three years. At first it was worrisome and I went weeks without having a restful sleep. When a person goes without deep restorative sleep, health issues arise and mentally, your alertness deteriorates. It's not a small problem.

What causes the inability to fall asleep comes from many areas. Stress, habits, physical health, emotional and mental well-being, even medication. When insomnia is persistent, it may be time to see a doctor. The problem with seeing a doctor is that 90% of the time they will push a prescription on you. Prescribed medicine can lead to misuse and dependency on the drug to help you fall asleep. Being a person who puts off medication until I physically and mentally can't handle the symptom anymore I was extremely hesitant to fill my prescription.

On my first visit to the doctor I asked for a drug-free remedy. He suggested Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Basically, take the time every day to tell your brain to shut up, and relax before hitting the sheets. Do nothing that can make your brain active and avoid late night exercising. This includes avoiding any activities in the bedroom. No tv, no computer, no doing crunches on the floor, if you're not sleeping or making whoopie, take it elsewhere. The idea behind CBT is that you will create the habit every night that tells your brain that it's time to go to sleep. If this didn't work, I had the option to fill the prescription.

A common wall that insomniacs face is that when we worry too much about falling asleep, it fuels the brain to stay awake. I concluded that the major factor in my case was that I couldn't stop my brain at night. I went through three prescriptions, all of them I was hesitant to take, I had to go back to the doctor three times before I found something I was comfortable taking and had the least risk of dependency. One worked and I only took half a pill for 3 nights and I was able to sleep on my own again thereafter.

Since then I've looked for non-pharmaceutical intervention. I tried valerian, which REEKS and I didn't find it to work. My sister's cat also gave me crazy eyes when he'd smell it. Apparently it's like catnip to felines. I tried a chinese herbalist which I should have gone to see first. Aside from the awful taste and the long process of producing a tincture, this is very effective. The tincture cleanses the organs and boosts the immune system.

A few simple solutions from my experience with insomnia is that if you can't fall asleep:

• Just get up and do something. So your brain doesn't want to sleep - reverse psychology yourself. Organize something, clean a little, I usually get sleepy after an hour of not trying to sleep.
• Drink some water. The body needs to experience a slight drop in temperature in order to fall asleep. If you are dehydrated the body can't cool itself.
• If you wake up in the middle of the night and feel hungry, eat some fruit. Your hunger signals will stop and your brain can relax.
• And finally, my personal favorite, and this works for me EVERY time, not even joking. Yoga! I don't mean bust out a full sun salutation (save it for the morning!), do an inversion. What I like to do, to minimize the increase in activity level (or out of sheer laziness) is I shuffle myself around so that my head is pointed towards the foot of the bed and my feet can prop up on the wall. The goal is to elevate your feet higher than your head. I inch up close to the wall so that my body is in a complete L shape. A couple minutes in this position or when I start to feel cold I come back to a normal sleeping position and I fall asleep in minutes. You may look weird with your feet up on the wall in the dark but I swear by it! This is not recommended if you are pregnant, have high blood pressure or have glaucoma. Aside from bringing fresh blood and oxygen to the brain and moving cold blood towards the heart, this is amazingly calming.