Community News
A Musical Gesture

When a newborn grasps a parent’s finger the gesture is reciprocated naturally with a sigh, an embrace, a kiss or a coo of delight. During second-childhood, when abilities diminish and memory fades, there may come a time when communication is not reciprocal in spite of the best efforts of the family or caregivers. Small gestures, touch, humming or singing favourite tunes can help to keep the channels open. Sundowning is the term for an agitated state towards the end of the day that people with dementia can experience. Engaging the person in music whether singing to them, or with them, or putting their favourite music on for them can be extremely helpful.

What’s in Your Smoothie?

Move over, goji berries: there’s a new superfood in town. Meet the Aronia berry! Aronia berries have outstanding nutritional and pharmacological properties which have been well documented. They contain high levels of antioxidants which research has shown helps in fighting cancer, reduces inflammation, and helps to reduce blood glucose in diabetics. In the spectrum of nutrition, berries rank near the top, and among berries, none are more nutritious than the Aronia berry. Aronia berries contain five times the antioxidant level of goji berries with no bitter aftertaste.

Book Club: Hack Your Anxiety

How to Make Anxiety Work for You in Life, Love, and All That You Do. What if anxiety is not a monster to be tamed, but a resource to be tapped? In this revolutionary book, Dr. Alicia Clark recognizes anxiety as the unsung hero in the path to success and happiness. It can become the motivating force that will lead to a better you, and The Anxiety Advantage aims to restore anxiety to its rightful place as a positive resource. Reclaim your anxiety as a powerful energy source, and bring yourself peace, growth and success.

Words to Live By

“Every ceiling, when reached, becomes a floor, upon which one walks as a matter of course and prescriptive right.” Aldous Huxley

Acceptance & Adaptability

“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo
“So do I” said Gandalf “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” ~ J.R.R Tolkein

While our global community is being challenged in a way we have not seen in our lifetimes, we are dawning to the realization that life, as we have known it, is changing and that no one knows what the future will bring. While the future has never been predictable, the current global situation is demanding we realize this. As such many of us are experiencing intensified and wide ranging, ping-ponging emotions such as fear, anxiety, depression, grief, rage, sorrow, overwhelm along with moments of stillness, calmness, tenderness, compassion, and perhaps even, at times, boredom. Somewhere amongst these perfectly normal thoughts and emotions you may also have an inkling that this time is also presenting an opportunity to transform your life in a deep and meaningful way…and that it’s finally time to tune into that longing, which has until now, been pushed away with a million distractions.

The Yoga tradition supports our transformation by teaching us how to live in the moment, how to stop fighting with circumstance and how to become adaptable and present. The many and varied practices of Yoga not only support us through difficult times, but also offer a practical way to infuse our lives with greater ease, clarity, purpose and presence. Numerous practices of Yoga teach us to hone our inner life as well as our relationships with others and with the world at large. Such practices teach us how to cling less, resist less, sit with (&/or) question our fears in order to be less reactive and to not buy into our ego-driven thoughts. Practices also develop in us the ability to live with greater joy, gratitude, compassion and acceptance. While it’s easy to respond to this and say to yourself, “well, of course,” for many of us the reality is that it’s easier said than done, so the question arises, How? The answer; With Practice and support of a teacher/mentor &/or group of like-minds/hearts.

While you may be familiar with Yoga asanas (movements and postures that help you to ground in the body, deepen the breath and begin to focus the mind,) you may be less familiar with practices that specifically address inner struggle and teach us how to create centered presence.
These may include interrelational practices that help to address our motivations and patterns in everyday situations, as well as contemplations and conscious attention practices. The focus of practice may include creating healthy habits/ routines, addressing one’s relationships with oneself and with others, and ultimately, understanding one’s True Nature, Awareness itself.

In one-on-one (1:1) mentorship we (you and I) work together for a period of time to focus on various aspects of your life that you wish to transform. Your particular objective(s,) needs and circumstances inform the course of each session.

For those simply in need of finding some ease and grounding in these times, I have some free videos on my website and an online version of my Deep Self Care program in the works.

At this period of time I am offering Pay What You Can options for my 1:1 services and group programs, for those in need.

If this is your moment to embrace transformation contact me at harriet@YogaAndHealing.ca
For more information on 1:1 Mentorship (online,) the upcoming Deep Self Care online group program, as well as some FREE practices visit www.YogaAndHealing.ca

10-Point Risk Assessment

Is it time to get a medical alert system in your home? If you answer “yes” to most of these, maybe it’s time to consider one. Are you over the age of 55? Do you live alone? Do you use a cane or walker to assist you? Have you fallen in the past year? Do you take daily medication? Have you been hospitalized in the past 3 years? Do you sometimes feel weak or dizzy? Is it important for you to continue living independently? With a medical alert unit, you can have peace of mind knowing that help is available at the push of a button, anywhere you go!

Music for Mood

Many of us have experienced how music lifts us up when we are feeling down. What sort of music gives us this lifting-up effect? Mozart may work for one person, Alice Cooper for another, and Broadway for yet another. There is no accounting for taste, right? An alternative notion is that we match low feelings with music that evokes those feelings, e.g., melancholic music. It would be as if someone who really cared about us keenly listened to our story. We’d melt into their embrace, feeling safe to let the feelings out. Suddenly unburdened, we feel lighter.

Journaling with an Aromatherapy Pen

Using the Essential Ink Aromatherapy pen with a great essential oil while journaling can help pick up your energy, encourage introspection and invite positive thoughts. Regularly journaling has shown long term positive side effects such as reduction in anxiety and an increase in gratitude and positive thinking. Here are 3 great essential oils to use in your essential ink pen while journaling. FRANKINCENSE – Grounding and calming. It puts you in a great mood to write. CLARY SAGE- Helps create a calming atmosphere. BLUE CYPRESS- Helps calm and south a restless spirit.

Product Review: WELLNESS TINCTURE

ACTIVE RELEAF aims to encourage active wellness through the use of nature’s most powerful ingredients. Offering a collection of plant-based wellness products, ACTIVE RELEAF’s WELLNESS TINCTURE is their strongest remedy. Used as a natural plant-based alternative for people experiencing anxiety, insomnia, pain, inflammation and other ailments. The WELLNESS TINCTURE is formulated with a high concentration of broad spectrum cannabinoid-rich hemp plant extract, paired with coconut MCT oil to help deliver cannabinoids and increase bioavailability. Taken sublingually (under the tongue) or mixed into your favourite beverage. With three different concentration options (400mg, 1000mg & 2000mg) and measured droppers, dosing is accurate and flexible for your needs.

Healing Through Blood Flow

BEMER is changing the way we think about our health, challenging our understanding of the human body, and empowering us to reach optimal physical condition in a natural, non-invasive way. If micro-circulation to each cell is improved, cardiac function is enhanced, strength and energy increase, mental acuity and concentration are improved, detoxification processes improve, stress is reduced and sleep improves! ALL 100 trillion cells in the body are affected by blood flow, so ALL cells have a chance at healing. Imagine feeling better tomorrow than you do today!