Yoga & Stress

The holidays can be stressful. Especially this time of year it may be easier to forget about yourself. Through the regular practice of yoga one can maintain a sense of inner peace, spontaneous joy and awareness.

Yoga teaches you how to breathe. If you have ever had a panic or anxiety attack look at your breath. When we do not breathe correctly the mind and body go in to survival mode if it is not getting enough oxygen. The mind may act out on a negative stream of thoughts when you do not breath correctly. The basic breath of all yoga styles is deep breathing from the abdomen. Inhaling and pushing your tummy out then exhaling as you draw it in. Full complet breaths. Just being aware of your breath during stressful times (even when in traffic) can do wonders for your mood and the people around you.

Mantras (ma = mind, tra = focus) are also good for teaching you how to breath correctly (one of many benefits). A deep breath with a simple long OOOOMMMMMMM until you need to inhale again can bring you back to your center. A mantra can also be in english so if you do not feel comfortable you can always pick a word or affirmation in place of.

Yoga has many styles, forms and intensities. Hatha yoga in particular, may be a good choice for stress managment and beginners. This style of yoga is designed to encourage a calmer mind with improved flexibility.

Take a class at your local yoga studio. They are best for finding authentic classes. It is always fun to bring a friend. I do not recommend going to a gym or fitness center, most gyms modify yoga as a body practice which loses many benefits of yoga's body,mind spirit connection.

Have a wonderful and stress free holiday.

Is Maca Root a Superfood Safe to Use While Pregnant?

I found this interesting article on Associated Content so I am sharing this info on a great superfood http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/269730/the_side_effects_of_maca_root_during.html

Maca Root can be consumed safely throughout your whole pregnancy. Maca Root is actually not technically an herb. It is a whole food. It is actually part of a daily diet consumed by the people of Peru.
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It works very well to balance hormones and keep progesterone levels high while you are pregnant. This can be especially beneficial during the first trimester. There are no hormones in the Maca itself, so there is no need to worry about over doing it in anyway.

It works by stimulating and healing the pituitary gland so that it can function at a higher efficiency. There is no way to overdose on Maca Root; there is no toxicity from it. Worrying about overdosing on Maca is the same as worrying about overdosing on potatoes. It is a food, not a drug. Maca Root Supports a Healthy PregnancyThere are vast amounts of nutrients found in Maca Root.

It can almost be a pre-natal vitamin in itself due to the large amounts of vitamins, minerals and amino acids contained within. Maca Root helps to ensure that your unborn baby is getting the nutrients that he or she needs. Choosing the Right Maca RootThere are a lot of different brands of Maca Root out there. I have successfully only used one kind of Maca Root throughout two of my pregnancies. This is because the extracts and gelatinized versions do not contain the whole food, therefore they will not provide the same benefits. I highly recommend Navitas Naturals Organic Raw Maca Powder. It is a reputable product from a great company. Navitas Maca Root comes directly from the farmers who cultivate them and are free of heavy metals, chemicals and pesticides. I have found the best prices on Navitas Maca Root to be from Amazon, you can go straight to it by clicking here.

How to Eat Maca RootMaca Root tastes like it sounds, like a root. The taste can easily be compared to that of a potato, but slightly more bitter. If you try and eat it plain you will spit it out fairly quickly. This is why it is best to disguise the taste in food.

Offsetting your Carbon Footprint and Beyond

Off setting your carbon footprint is bringing balance to your daily carbon producing activities such as driving a car, using electricity, etc. It is as simple as planting more trees, growing your own food, starting a community garden, buying organic foods whenver possible, join a food co-op save money and get local wholefoods, and using alternative energy sources such as www.sterlingplanet.com is a place where you can get your electricity transferred from fossil fuels to wind and solar power without having the actual wind turbine on your home. you can get 25%- 100% of the energy you use converted. When we all work together as a whole we can accomplish amazing things.

I just found out that Bonanzle is off setting their carbon foot print. Way to go guys!

I am excited to be going for a permaculture certification. Permaculture means permanat agriculture. Permaculture is about Living in harmony with the land by utilising efficient designs for homes or businesses to work for you some including growing your own food, aquaculture, rainbarrels, solar and wind power to live independantly from reliance on fossil fuels. It is also about creating community. It doesn't mean give up technology.

Earthships are excellent examples of permaculture. They are amazingly artistic using recycled materials, cob, straw bale and other techniques to create a beautiful sustainable home. There is a documentary on earthship homes called "Garbage Warrior".

Fairtrade on Bonanzle

Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach to empowering developing country producers and promoting sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a fair price as well as social and environmental standards in areas related to the production of a wide variety of goods.

A list of booths on Bonanzle that sell fair trade are:

http://www.bonanzle.com/booths/babayogashut

Bonanzle

The newest and the best selling alternative to ebay.
You can find us at http://www.bonanzle.com/booths/babayogashut

Zen Koan

One of my favprite things is Zen Koans. If you do not know what a Koan is I will tell you. According to wikipedia a kōan is a story, dialogue, question, or statement in the history and lore of Chán (Zen) Buddhism, generally containing aspects that are inaccessible to rational understanding, yet may be accessible to intuition.

It also may be used during meditation to reach a state of satori(enlightenment/the nature of reality). No one can answer a koan for you. It may take days, weeks or years for your mind to see what a koan is telling you and it changes over time as you change.

Here are some more to enjoy.

KOAN 1
Two monks were arguing about the temple flag waving in the wind. One said, "The flag moves." The other said, "The wind moves." They argued back and forth but could not agree. Hui-neng, the sixth patriarch, said: "Gentlemen! It is not the flag that moves. It is not the wind that moves. It is your mind that moves." The two monks were struck with awe.



KOAN2
What is your original face before you were born?



KOAN3
What is the colour of wind?



KOAN4
A monk asked Zhao Zhou to teach him.Zhao Zhou asked, "Have you eaten your meal?" The monk replied, "Yes, I have." "Then go wash your bowl," said Zhao Zhou.At that moment, the monk was enlightened.



KOAN 5
Te-shan was sitting outside doing zazen. Lung-t'an asked him why he didn't go back home. Te-shan answered, "Because it's dark." Lung-t'an then lit a candle and handed it to him. As Te-shan was about to take it, Lung-t'an blew it out. Te-shan had a sudden realisation, and bowed.




KOAN6
A monk saw a turtle in the garden of Daizui's monastery and asked the teacher, "All beings cover their bones with flesh and skin. Why does this being cover its flesh and skin with bones?" Master Daizui took off one of his sandals and covered the turtle with it.



KOAN7
When the many are reduced to one, to what is the one reduced?



KOAN8
Once Ma-tsu and Pai-chang were walking along and they saw some wild ducks fly by. "What is that?" the Master asked."Wild ducks," Pai-chang replied."Where have they gone?""They've flown away," Pai-chang said.The Master then twisted Pai-chang's nose, and when Pai-chang cried out in pain, Ma-tsu said, "When have they ever flown away?"