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Say ‘No’ to Botox and Fillers… Try a Little Injection of Facial Yoga!

Yoga for Your Face
Millions are spent each year by otherwise sane folks injecting neuro-toxins and synthetic  Hyaluronic Acid (sounds bad, but its natural counterpart is actually found in a youthful face) into their faces and other body parts to stave off the ravages of time.

And, while the ravages spare no one, perhaps, like me, the idea of needles filled with sickness and goo being injected into into your body is even more oogie than the perpetual frown that is steadily developing… “Are you mad, mommy- why do you always look mad, mom?”

But, hey!  All is not lost to those of us who reject the costly,  rather frightening and, let’s face it, frustratingly impermanent medical solutions.

Thanks to the drive to stay looking younger naturally there is a cheaper, non-medical, and let’s face it, frustratingly impermanent, yogic alternative!

As with yoga as a regular practice to keep our muscles strong and limber, staving off the inevitable fraying with time, the age-old practice is effective with our facial muscles as well.  It can be the alternative to the more invasive needle procedures that can be financially prohibitive not to mention just plain gross.

Developed by Annelise Hagen, of New York Yoga, who wrote a book on mastering what she calls the ultimate facelift, facial yoga provides a wonderfully natural and invigorating way to stay looking younger.

As Annelise explains, there is a particular technique to making the faces that make up the unique practice.

In an interview with “Good Morning America, “If you just made weird squirmy faces randomly you’d get more wrinkles,” she said. “We’re trying to tone and lift the muscles of the face. It’s been scientifically proven that the muscular activity helps to prolong the production of collagen and elastin, which makes your face firm and springy.”  Hagen maintains that this practice of yoga for the face allows people to guide the way their face ages from the inside out.

In addition to the regular needle treatments and other procedures, Dr. Neil Sadick, the lucky go-to dermatologist to some of the wives of “The Real Housewives of New York,” does, in fact, also recommend yoga for the face to his patients, saying it promotes the production of collagen.

Face yoga stimulates muscles, Sadick said, adding that “although there’s not great science around it compared to other technologies like chemical peels or Botox, we know that by stimulating any component of your face like your muscles you’re going to have a beneficial effect in terms of your overall appearance.”

And there you have it…. looking younger may not have to mean endless costly visits to the cosmetic surgeon or dermatologist, numbing and plumping with disease and fillers.  There may actually be an alternative that promotes not only looking younger, but actually doing it gracefully… for free!

Read more….

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My Little Peeee-geon!

I like birds OK… I admire the little hummingbirds that flit and feast from the feeder at our window and I will always stare in awe when I see one of the lovely birds of prey and the herons… well, their long legs dangling, gangly, from their otherwise graceful bodies always make me smile.

That said, there is one bird that drives me a little crazy…  The Pigeon!

It’s a bird that sorta creeps me out… and it’s a posture that I… endure.

It could be said, I suppose, that Pigeon is probably the posture from which I can achieve my greatest growth and expansion, both physically and spiritually.

And I get that.  Really… but damn, it hurts.  I breathe.  I adjust.  And I breathe some more.  Like I said, I endure.  Despite my willingness to expand my yogic horizons through this posture, my hips are not as amenable.  They continue to resist.

So, the trick is to respect the perspective of my tight hips, but slowly, gently ease them into opening just a little further each time.  It means managing my own expectations, of course.  I don’t get to tell them what to do.

It’s yet another exercise in surrender… for both of us.

Pigeon is a posture I would just as soon avoid, in favour of others I prefer (hello, Child’s Pose!) but I don’t.

I don’t let either of us off the hook!

For the low-down on how to get your pigeon on, here’s a lovely variation.

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Yoga (& loveliness) by Equinox… Happy Friday!

Inspiration!  This is just simply beautiful…….

More on the lovely Briohny Kate-Smyth here and here.

365 Meditation Project. Dude, Four Days and Loving It!

Orangutan in Aalborg Zoo, Denmark

Image via Wikipedia

Lest I overstate how I feel about my first four days, I have to stress that my ADHD, crack addicted orangutan- I mean monkey- of a mind still prevails.  My early morning thirty minutes is a virtual cluster f*# of to-do’s, did-do’s, oh sh*t’s, oh-god-i-forgot-to-do’s, WTF’s, and so many more wonderful distractions.

And I indulge.

But I still sit.  I redirect.  I bring my attention to my breath.

Over and over and over again.

While it sounds tedious, it has been a most pleasant space early in the quiet of the morning.  Before the emails, the work, the kids, the noise… the chaos.

And somehow I’m energized first thing, better preparing me for the day.

And the nagging headache I’ve been waking up with?  Blissfully diminished at the end of the half hour… despite the orangutan.

 

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Meditation… 365 Days and Counting!

101 days since mommy’s last tweet… 101 days since mommy’s last post.  Hmmmm…..

OK… so things have kinda been falling apart.  Just a lil’ bit.

But inspired anew, with a tidy place to transform my butt-ugly-early mornings from groggily logging on to facebook- I mean, my email and other work related stuff- to something truly transformative.  I’m turning to meditation to aid in persistent headaches, a pesky snacking habit and even more pesky weight gain… and really just an over-all case of the blah’s- physically and mentally.

I’ll let you know how it goes.  Consider this a 365 Day Project of a different shade.

Forget New Years.  Meditation. Everyday. Now.

Tell it, Senor Kabat-Zinn….

Got My Bikram On!

Over these past several years, I’ve dedicated more than one post to the wonders of Baptiste.  I’ve read and followed his books, been to a Bootcamp (which I loved!) and generally, let the Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga dictate my practice for the better part of a decade… and love it!

However, recently, I’ve let myself succumb to the charms of another… whose methodology has opened a new door into a whole new way of practicing yoga.

Yes, I’d heard of him.  I’ve even written about him here.

But… I’ll be honest, I never really took him seriously.   What with the yoga competitions and all… he just seemed like just another egomaniacal one-named guru cashing in on the trend.

I mean, really.

But then, thanks to an extended trip to the city and the modern wonders of the Groupon… I received an offer I couldn’t refuse.  An inexpensive opportunity to experience that known simply as Bikram

And, lo and behold, I’m hooked.

The first class nearly killed me… sending me into a claustrophobic anxiety attack, gasping desperately for fresh breath in the suffocating heat- never has savasana been so welcome.  But damn!  Even after that first class I felt transformed.

Cleaned, pulled and emerged, not unlike the slimy pupa freeing itself from the restriction of her shell.

And sweat?! Holy moly… I felt purged from the inside out.  All the yuck seeping out through my pores.  Not to mention the 600 calories I supposedly burned!

And more wondrous, throughout the rest of the day, the experience stayed with me, so much so that I enjoyed a heightened consciousness and deliberateness in everything I chose to put back in, from food to media.  Weird.

Everything about my day felt different… true renewal.  A feeling I want everyday.

But alas… my return to the sticks.  And trying to recreate Bikram on my own.

Buddhist Tales for Kids or Jataka For Dummies!

Compassion.  Integrity.  Cooperation.  Hygiene.  All important principles to living a full, happy life.  However, in this age of technology, over-scheduling and increasingly interactive, realistic and solitary-bordering-on-anti-social pursuits such as computer games, XBox and facebook, increasingly difficult principles to nurture in our young ones.

And, if unplugging isn’t an option, maybe reconnecting our kids, and ourselves, to these human truths can be as simple as a story.  These important messages have been conveyed through story-telling for a millennia.  In regions of Buddhist faith, messages of Empathy, Consideration, Wisdom and Modesty have been passed on through the Jataka tales to help guide and govern human behaviour and develop the character of the people.

I found this interesting resource at BuddhaNet, a great resource for all information Buddhist… if you’re looking for a good way to introduce your kids to Buddhist – heck, healthy human!- principles, complete with easy to digest morals, HERE is a wonderful collection of translated Jataka tales to read aloud to your kids.

They are as simple as can be, some of them a little hokey to be sure- they’re fables after all!- but perfect for getting conversations started and kids (and us- ahem!) thinking!

Guided Meditation for Children

Time spent in meditation is, by far, one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves.

Many of us as parents, even those of us who appreciate meditation in our own lives, are hesitant to introduce it to our children.

We are intimidated by the prospect, knowing how difficult it is ourselves to find that often illusive place of quiet.  ’If I struggle in quieting my own monkey mind, how can I possibly help my child do it?’

In truth, it can actually be easier.  Consider how rapt your child is during story time. In that spirit, children are remarkably receptive to sitting in quiet and in peaceful attention.  The perfect beginning.

Through guided meditation to start with, the child is better able to connect with that peaceful place within, losing themselves in the comfort of your voice or that of a recording, and the urgings of gentle instruction.

The benefits of meditation are immeasurable.  As with adults, meditation is shown to reduce stress while enhancing self-esteem.  It also offers a healthy means of relaxation during doctor’s visits, exams and in preparation for various sports events and performances.

According to Sarah Wood, a facilitator in child meditation, and author of the book Sensational Meditation for Children, teachers who build meditation into lesson plans report their classroom environments being more peaceful and attribute this to their students’ ability to express compassion to each other.

“The transformation we as adults experience when we become partners in learning with our children” is exhilarating, says Wood, who also observes “learning a meditation practice is a journey in growth, whether it is spiritual, emotional or mental.”

To help you get started with your own child, have a listen:  childrengettingstarted

While it may take several sessions, any practitioner of meditation will agree that there can be no down-side to offering a child such an experience and the knowledge of how to acheive it themselves.  Any time, any where.  There is such valuable power in that.

For more ideas and resources, please visit Children’s Meditation.

For more information, read more at Suite101: The Benefits of Child Meditation: Giving Children Tools to Nurture Their Bodies, Minds and Spirits http://www.suite101.com/content/the-benefits-of-child-meditation-a22687#ixzz1BOorGkMd

Ujjayi… Certainly Easier to Do than Spell!

The foundation of yoga is in the breath…. It’s a fact that we who practice are already well aware.  But are we doing it right?

Here’s a little beginner’s guide to achieving the Ujjayi, more fully realized- read: done correctly- in your practice.

The Balancing Series… Love on One Foot. Part 3: Dekasana… Airplane!

airplane Back from Thanksgiving and, Idon’t know about you, but I’m finding the need for balance, in diet- navigating my way from abundant meat and cheese (until Christmas, creamy fondue and Calabrese salami!) and back to hot rice cereal, greens and lean protien…    and practice!  Whew! Moving on in the series we find ourselves moving from grasping our toe as though for dear life long, extended and upright, into Dekasana, or Airplane Pose… I’m guessing (cuz I don’t really know) a modern, 20th century evolution of Virabhadrasana III, or Warrior III.  Regardless, a welcome relief from the intensity of Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana, or Extended Hand-to-Toe! From the extended leg, hand-to- toe, the leg is brought forward briefly yet again where the toe is released, controlled of course, not dropped… the hands grasp the hips and that extended leg is lightly, strongly extended forward from the hip.  Alternatively, that leg can be supported by the hands, fingers intertwined below the hamstring- my preference, in fact. more »