Experience the sweet smell of clean. The RainMate® is the perfect air purifier for your home or office, with it’s compact size and chic design it fits into any decor. Utilizing mother nature’s most powerful element – water – it circulates fresh air throughout your space while radiating the gentle, ambient sound of running water. Infuse the water with any of 10 all natural scents like Eucalyptus or Tea Tree Mint and bring the spa to you! You can also use the night light and diffuse a calming blue light into the water basin for ultimate relaxation.
Community News
Preserving the Human-Canine Bond
Community volunteers at ElderDog Canada Victoria provide no-cost services such as dog walking, transportation to and from a vet or groomer, foster care when a senior is temporarily hospitalized, and rehoming when keeping the senior and dog together is no longer feasible. Eligible seniors include those who have ongoing health and/or mobility challenges, require temporary support while they undergo and recover from surgery, or must move to a care facility and cannot bring their dog with them. If you are a senior who needs help caring for your dog, you can email ElderDog Canada Victoria at elderdogvictoria@gmail.com.
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
Travelling Boosts Mental Health
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, travel is not an option, but don’t let that stop you from dreaming big. Travel is beneficial to our mental health, helping to enhance creativity, improve mental stability, provide stress relief, broaden perspective, strengthen relationships, and boost mood. Some ways you can continue to incorporate travel into your life while social distancing include planning your next trip, taking virtual tours online of various destinations and attractions, researching festivals and other events you’d like to attend, and watching travel videos online. After the pandemic ends, the world will be yours to explore once again! Megan Reimer, Cruise Vacations.
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!
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!
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.
Optimize Your Immune System
We must all focus on the importance of a healthy immune system as the real protection against any virus or bacteria. A healthy immune system requires a healthy nervous system, removing stress and preexisting trauma to achieve a balanced state. Also, making sure to eat healthy and natural foods so you have all the required minerals, vitamins and a good pH balance in the body. A remote NES scan can show the priorities to focus on in order to achieve and maintain a healthy and balanced state. Get well – Stay well!
We are Here for You
The BC Responsible and Problem Gambling Program continues to provide free services to citizens of British Columbia through this period. We are working to provide virtual options (telephone and videoconferencing) for the delivery of our services, including counselling and outreach support. For more information, please contact the Gambling Support Line at 1.888.795.6111 or email Problem.Gambling@gov.bc.ca. If you need to renew your VSE agreement, please contact BCLC’s Customer Support Centre at 1-866-815-0222. A BCLC Investigator will set new ‘temporary’ agreement renewal and contact you when venues are set to open to obtain your documentation.
Rejuvenate Your Relationships During Covid-19
Are you feeling afraid, isolated, and desperate for connection? Try connecting with friends and family through online platforms like Zoom, Facetime, or Whatsapp. Although we have the limits of social distancing and the request to self-isolate, this gives us an opportunity to connect with our loved ones to a greater degree. Too often we get too busy with our lives that we do not spend the time so essential to building our closest relationships. Finding ways to rejuvenate your relationship with your loved ones is such an important aspect for self-care, and for loving connectedness that builds resilience in such uncertain times.
