Shouldn’t we be expressing our appreciation for our loved ones every day? Not necessarily in words but in actions. They don’t have to be grand gestures either. My husband, who gets up earlier than I do, brings Mumsie and me a cup of coffee every morning. (I suspect part of the reason is because it will keep me – his chatterbox wife – in bed and he – Mr. “not-a-morning-person” – can have some peace and quiet before heading off to work!) And when he gets home from work, I always stop whatever I’m doing and go to the door to greet him with a kiss and a sincere “how was your day”?

And during those not so great days when we have one of our humdinger arguments, we always – and I mean always – say goodnight to each other with a kiss, even though we’re angry. Mumsie taught me that – and it works wonders in helping us compromise (although I’ll admit my husband is far better at putting his anger aside than I am…I like to stew, brat that I am).

Those are just a few examples of the little expressions of appreciation that my husband and I show each other every day – and they make a huge difference in how we approach our life together.

So instead of reserving just one day to show our appreciation for our loved ones, wouldn’t it be wonderful to show them every day – in words and actions – how much we care?

Tags: valentaine’s day, how to last long the relationship, companionship, love life, secrets of relationship, how to keep the relationship last long

Someone once criticized our efforts at the soup kitchen, saying we were just doing it to make ourselves feel good. Well, that’s true – in a way we are doing it so that we feel good about ourselves. But if feeling good about ourselves can help others regain their self-respect and dignity, isn’t that a win-win situation?

In this time of economic turmoil, we’ve noticed that the queues are becoming longer. While our “regulars” still show up for a meal and a chat (the latter being just as important as the former), we’ve noticed that more single parents are coming with their children.

A few weeks ago, a single mother came with her three children, all under the age of nine. Just by looking at her, we could tell she’d had a very rough life lately, but she didn’t let that get her down. Her dignity, grace, and strength were amazing to see as she gathered her children around and sat down for a meal. Marian thanked us all with a quiet smile and made sure her children said “please” and “thank you.” She was obviously in need of food and clothing for herself and her children, and we were glad that we could help out on both fronts. In addition, someone had recently donated some toys, games and books to us, so we were able to pass them on to this family as well.

After the meal, a few of us sat down and chatted with Marian for a while as other volunteers played with her children. Just a few months ago, her husband had a well-paid job and they were living in a rented apartment. Then he lost his job, started drinking and gambling, and couldn’t pay the rent. Having lost his pride and ability to care for his family, he couldn’t bear to face his wife and children, so he left – and Marian hasn’t seen him since.

One of our volunteers, who owns a catering company, overheard our conversation and asked the woman to contact her about a possible job. Since that day, I’ve learned that Marian has indeed found work with the catering company and another volunteer has offered to have her and her children stay in their basement until she gets back on her feet.

It’s a relief and a comfort to know that Marian is managing to start over again and provide for herself and her children, thanks to the generosity of so many people. But many others continue to struggle, so wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all do our bit – big or small – to help out?

Tags: helping out, generosity, volunteering, soup kitchen

And – all joking aside – it really is a great experience. I don’t even think twice about going through the process every night, now that it’s become part of my ritual. I’m convinced that Neti has helped alleviate my headaches, lower my high eye pressure, and enabled me to sleep better at night.

So the other day, when I was out with some friends and one of them mentioned how she’s been suffering from sinus headaches, I told her about the benefits of a Neti Pot. Sharon rewarded me with one of her “looks.” “Neti Pot? Are you going all ‘new age’ on us again?” This resulted in chortles from the rest of my friends.

Well, that exasperated me. “What does “new age” mean anyway?” I shot back. “In its day, I’m sure the New Testament was considered “new age”! And, for your information, this technique has been practiced successfully for thousands of years in the East – so much for “new age”!”

“Okay, okay, don’t get hot under the collar,” Sharon said apologetically. “Actually, I am interested in learning more about it. I’m willing to give anything a shot if it will help me get rid of these headaches.”

I admitted I was no expert on the Neti Pot but managed to explain the basic principles to her. “Okay, so where can I get one?” Sharon asked. I suggested she log in to YogaHub.com and check out the “Alternative Health” section of the “Shop at YogaHub” link, where she’d be able to buy one for less than $20.

Now, I’m not sure if Sharon really intends to buy a Neti Pot and try it out or if she was just trying to placate me at the time. But her birthday’s coming up soon so if she doesn’t buy one, I may get it for her as a birthday gift. Once she’s learned how to get past that drowning sensation, I’m sure she’ll thank me….

Tags: neti pot, shop yogahub, alternative health, headaches, how to get rid of headaches, headaches and neti pot

Yes, you read right. Waking up to the Moon!

Well, I just did.

At first, I assumed it was the sun and thought “how odd” because I was looking towards the West. Then I made out the lines of the moon and was mesmerized by its beauty.

Absolutely stunning…gorgeous, powerful, and strong, it awakened my soul and my spirit soared forward to connect with its energies.

That energy has since filled me with such strength that it brought out a totally different Yoga session this morning, a different state of being. My adventure of flowing with Blue Moon energy is fascinating to me.

They say that every 20 years, the Blue Moon will land on December 31, so the next this happens will be in 2028. I wonder what I will be experiencing then? Nirvana?

This has been such an incredible year. I say this because so many have focused only on the negative. Yes, I have been affected by the economy and the tumultuous energies that it brings, but we are here – healthy, happy, and cherishing every moment with loved ones. This year has given us the time to reflect on what is truly important in our lives.

I can only wish for more blessings for all in 2010!

Tags: blue moon, energies, blessing, new year, nirvana

Time is flying by so quickly…gifts? What gifts?

I thought I was better prepared this year but, that being said, I have not even had a moment to pack a thing, ship out a thing. I just got enough packaged for midnight and that was it. We celebrate at midnight.

Thank goodness I have taught my son to only open a couple of presents, saving the rest for the days to come – that way he can appreciate what he has been gifted with and enjoy and realize who each gift is from.

My gift to myself is spending precious time with my family and friends. I miss this very much with the schedule I have been keeping. Running a company that is focused on creating awareness and consciousness continues to remind me how important my loved ones are to me as I continue on my journey. Whether they know it or not, in my silence I learn so much from each of them and am so grateful for the love they share with me. That is one of the most precious gifts for me.

Sleeping in, lying beside my son as he gazes up into my eyes with a joyful smile across his face that leads into giggles and laughter. How could I ask for more of a gift in this life’s journey?

Merry Christmas everyone. May we all continue to find love, peace, compassion, joy – and a whole lot of fun in the years to come!

Tags: christmas, x-mas, merry christmas, christmas gift, christmas presents, happy holiday, christmas with family

Why can’t I wish people a “Merry Christmas?” I realize that it’s not considered politically correct to use that phrase because it’s a Christian one and not everyone is a Christian. So, whenever someone wishes me “Happy Holidays,” I thank them and respond in kind, respecting the fact that they are probably not Christians. However, whenever I wish people “Merry Christmas,” the same respect does not always seem to be reciprocated.

But Christmas has its foundation in Christianity. According to Wikipedia.com the word “Christmas” is derived from “Christ’s Mass,” “an annual holiday celebrated on December 25 that commemorates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.” So, just as people of other denominations have their holy days and holidays, such as Hanukkah, Ramadam, and Diwali, we Christians consider Christmas a holy time. And, in case anyone’s wondering about the “merry” part of the wish, the traditional definition of the word “merry” is “peaceful” or “blessed.”

I understand that most people in the world now celebrate Christmas as a secular holiday. However, Christians celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday, so shouldn’t our rights be respected as well? If, in today’s world, we want to emphasize the need to be considerate of everyone’s feelings and beliefs, shouldn’t that consideration extend to Christians as well?

While I fully respect every individual’s right to practice their own religious beliefs – or not practice anything at all if it suits them – I hope that, in turn, people will respect my right to practice my Christian beliefs.

So my sincere wish to each and every one of you is a wonderful Christmas, however you choose to express it. And may it be a joyful and enriching time spent with the people who mean the most to you.

Tags: christmas, x-mas, holidays, Hanukkah, Ramadam, and Diwali, Jesus

What planet am I from?! Have you been Christmas shopping yet? Where’s the love, the joy, the peace, the harmony? Never mind that – where’s the nearest pub…I need a drink to fortify myself for Christmas shopping (and I don’t even drink)!

Every year in late November/early December, Mumsie and I take our lives in our hands and head out shopping for Christmas gifts. And every year, the same thing happens – we end up watching in horror as people push and shove their way through the crowds, barking at one another in frustration, and getting themselves all tied up in knots while trying and find the “perfect gift.”

Well, this year, I’ve decided what I want for Christmas – nothing. Nothing concrete, that is. There’s no single item I feel I must have and nothing I really want – except time with my loved ones.

It’s been a really busy year for my husband work-wise, so he hasn’t had much time to just kick back and relax. And Mumsie is turning 92 on New Year’s Eve – while she’s still wonderfully spry and alert, the years are piling on. So that’s all I really want this Christmas – to spend precious time with my husband, Mumsie, and other loved ones.

As far as I’m concerned, that’s the most precious gift I could ever have.

Tags: christmas, new year, christmas gift, holiday season, shopping for christmas, christmas shopping

Recently, my sisters came from Colorado and New York (which is where I am from) to visit me at my place in LA. I am the “baby” of the family, with my sisters being seven and ten years older then I am.

By the third day of their visit, I started to realize how different we are but how this difference was never really an issue when we were growing up together, although of course we fought and loved each other a lot – LOL – as sisters do. Now, though, even being under the same roof for only three days, as adult women we were all getting on top of each other.

On the fourth day, when my oldest sister made yet another “joking” sarcastic comment to me, I confronted her because it did not feel good and these days I choose to refrain from interacting with people in that way. As a result of my not taking her comment personally, and addressing what works and doesn’t work for me, my sister opened her heart shared the following with me:

My sister felt like I have “deviated” from my “upbringing” (being raised Jewish in New York with the importance of education being paramount). How I moved 3,000 miles away and don’t really feel compelled to come “home” for the Jewish holidays; how I have never had a “corporate” job; how I “chose” to live with someone without a ring on my finger in my twenties (btw, I am now single and available!

It was SOOOOO interesting for me to hear her tell me this, as it had never really crossed my mind how my life journey and personal life choices have affected some of my family members. I got the sense that my sister felt a bit abandoned by me, and “left out of my world” because she just doesn’t comprehend it. As she said, “I just don’t get that whole meditation and yoga thing…I like my spin class and Stairmaster.” To hear her give her point of view from a neutral place – to really hear how she felt without my feeling the need to defend myself, my choices, and my belief systems, etc. – was such a gift that I felt for the first time in a long while that I actually understood her, and we were having a really loving and intimate conversation. I felt such compassion and also felt so loved by her. I was reminded yet again how people just need to be heard – and what loving and healing power there is in that.

For me, my choices have actually felt quite freeing and liberating – to “break out of the box” and follow what feels right for me, which is to not “follow” any religion at all. If there were “the religion of love,” as Bob Marley states in his song “love is my religion,” well, that would be my choice. I was one who was never a follower and, to me, the corporate world represented that.

I realized that uncertainty is a concept that I have become comfortable with, as it opens up unlimited possibilities and a sense of adventure; a lack of what my sister deems “security,” which brings about a great feeling of anxiety in her.

From this time with my sisters, I was able to arrive at a place of non-judgment on a deeper level with what works for my sister. I feel she too arrived at an understanding that just because she doesn’t “get” my world doesn’t mean that it is to be invalidated.

In conclusion, I would like to share this with you: if you come across people who are not open to receiving your sharing and teaching, who may say to you “you are crazy to believe that,” or who may feel like you are “preaching or lecturing” them, it may just be that they are not in a place at that moment to receive and understand you, so their perception of your sharing is being received in a way that was not your intention at all.

I feel that when this occurs, the “ego” of a person steps forward and will negate what you have to say in order to not feel inadequate or – for lack of a better word – plain old stupid.

Understanding this, by personal experience yet again, has opened up my eyes even wider as to how beautiful and humbling this teaching is.

I invite you, if you choose to keep yourself humble, to practice compassion and understanding of where THEY are; to keep YOUR ego at bay so that a healing of the heart can occur as it did for me with my sister.

I once heard a phrase that if you are having an interaction with someone, you are in relationship with them. What better way to practice, grow and learn from the beauty of honoring the intimacy of relationships in all their various forms.

Keep your eye out for my blog on connecting to your sensual and sexual selves! Oo-la-la – that’s sure to ruffle some feathers…just as we like it!

Tags: compassion, sharing, understand, relationship, ego, healing

]]> http://www.yogahub.com/blog/lesson-in-compassion/feed/ 2 http://www.yogahub.com/blog/sick-or-detoxing/ http://www.yogahub.com/blog/sick-or-detoxing/#comments Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:36:10 +0000 Christina Souza Ma http://www.yogahub.com/blog/sick-or-detoxing/ This has been quite the week. My son had a runny nose and fever, while my partner had a high fever and was coughing all day and night. Luckily, my body has fared very well through all the detoxing that is happening around me.

That’s what I tend to call it – detoxing. Why, some might ask? Especially in light of this H1N1 scare that has affected the nation.

Well, my son, being 2 ½ – or to be more exact, 2 years and 7 months – is still dealing with growth spurts and his final molar, which is coming in at about 25%. Every time he goes through one of his teething periods, he has a high fever. Also during these times, he sleeps at least a few hours more every day, and eats very little for about two weeks. Then suddenly, when the fever stops, the power eating begins and the energy is heightened.

The Chinese have an excellent term for this, which sort of translates to “the bones releasing the heat.” I find this fascinating.

My partner, on the other hand, began coughing when the fires were raging here in the southland. When he was almost over it, he began the Parasidial Cleanse. Whoa, within the first two days his coughing increased, and he began to have headaches and a fever. Not for one moment did I even believe it to be the flu. Quite commonly, these are symptoms when the body gives off all the pent-up toxins. It’s certainly not pleasant for anyone to go through, but believe me, he and I would prefer to go through these uncomfortable days than have the toxins build up inside us, as that would lead to other more destructive situations.

As for me, I just made sure I had my trusty Essential Oil mixture beside me and didn’t forget to use my Neti Pot. I’ve been using these daily – and so far, I’m feeling great.

Tags: flu, H1N1, parasidial cleanse, detoxing, neti pot, essential oil, teething

]]> http://www.yogahub.com/blog/sick-or-detoxing/feed/ 0 http://www.yogahub.com/blog/natures-beauty/ http://www.yogahub.com/blog/natures-beauty/#comments Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:14:49 +0000 Francesca Silva http://www.yogahub.com/blog/natures-beauty/ As I mentioned in my last blog, we had fabulous weather most of the time while we were at the lake, but there was one night midway through the week when we were treated to a spectacular display of thunder and lightning.

It started with a low rumble of thunder in the evening, just after we’d started the small campfire for the kids to toast marshmallows. The tentative rumbling continued for a while and then grew more persistent.

“Kids, there’s a storm coming – campfire needs to be put out now please.” No complaints from any of them. Instead, they all pitched in the make sure the campfire was completely out and everything was put away – great kids.

And perfect timing.

Just when we were done, there was a great “BOOM” of thunder – and then the lightning started. We all stood on the deck of our cabin and watched as the entire lake lit up every time the lightning struck. It was awesome. We could actually see the lightning bolts as they hit the water – and each spectacular display was greeted with “oooohhhsss” and “aaahhhhhssss” from all of us.

It really made us appreciate the magnificence of Mother Nature.

It also made us very conscious of her temperamental side. We adults were more than a little concerned about the dry storm as there were plenty of trees surrounding us – all it would take was for one lightning bolt to hit some of those trees and everything would go up in flames.

However, Mother Nature obviously decided to respond to our fears because all of a sudden the sky literally seemed to open up (now I know what people mean when they say that!) and the rain poured down in cascades! A different type of beauty – but breathtaking nonetheless.

Once the rain started, we all took refuge indoors and had a great time playing charades. As homage to Mother Nature, we decided on an “earth” theme – and it was hysterical how imaginative we all were!

Early the next morning, the rain had stopped and we were greeted with a beautiful rainbow on the lake – a perfect start to another beautiful day, courtesy of Mother Nature.

Tags: mother nature, beauty, camping, storm, raining, rainbow, lake, relaxation, breathtaking

]]> http://www.yogahub.com/blog/natures-beauty/feed/ 0