Holidays are a great time
of year. December is a month
of giving, gathering, and of
course delicious food. As
holiday season approaches,
or any time of year for that
matter, emotions such as
worry and anxiety can arise.
The question becomes how can
we transform these fear-
based emotions into peace
and serenity?
This newsletter has some
suggestions to help you with
some of the common worries
of the season. I have great
gift ideas and
gift certificates for
yourselves, friends, family,
and all those special people
that serve you and your
families every day. For
vegetarians, holiday dinners
can be a stressful time. My
December
vegetarian cooking class
will help you through that
bump in the road with a
delicious vegetarian holiday
dinner, along with recipes
that can be made ahead to
take along to your meat-
eating friend and family get
togethers.
But what about some
practical tips for dealing
with stress and anxiety
through the holiday season?
This morning, in talking
with my coach about how to
transform worry into a
spiritual practice we came
up with a ritual that we
coined as an alliteration,
"bell,
burn, and breathe"-
to help you remember.
First off,
bell.
Buddhist monk, Tich Nhat
Hanh, speaks of ringing a
bell as a way to "stop our
talking, stop our thinking,
and return to ourselves,
breathe in and out and
smile. Whatever we are
doing, we pause for a moment
and just enjoy our
breathing." He suggests that
every time you feel upset
you can invite the bell to
sound. It will signal you to
breathe, and return to your
true self. Ringing the bell
also sets into motion sound
vibrations which can clear
the energy around you from
worry to a higher vibration.
Secondly,
burn.
Burning white sage is a
powerful way to transmute
negative energy. How exactly
does it work? Too many
positive ions in our aura
and environment can make us
feel sluggish and worn out.
White sage emits negative
ions and when it meets the
positive ions in our aura or
our environment, it clings
to them and neutralizes them
out.
Click here for a useful
resource for how to use
white sage.
Finally,
breathe.
Taking ten deep belly
breaths can totally
transform your worries into
serenity. Breathing calms
and steadies the mind,
reduces stress, resets our
emotional equilibrium,
lowers blood pressure and
increases the efficient use
of oxygen in the body.
So the next time you feel
stress, worry, or anxiety
creeping in during your day
remember,
"bell, burn, and breathe."
May this practice in
mindfulness bring peace to
your lives.
Namaste, Melissa
 |
|
Vegetarian
Holiday
Cooking
|
|
|
What's a
vegetarian
to eat for
Christmas
dinner when
everybody
else is
eating
turkey and
stuffing?
How can you
survive all
those family
meat-eating
dinners?
Come to this
workshop and
cook a
complete
Christmas
dinner menu
along with
meatless
main dishes
that will be
great for
taking along
for all
those family
get
togethers.
We will be
making
butternut
squash
stuffed with
traditional
stuffing,
mushroom
phyllo,
vegetarian
gravy,
cranberry
sauce and a
special
dessert.
Date:
Saturday
December 1
Time: 5:00
p.m.
Location:
Ajax
|
|
|
Our
Price:
$60.00
CAD
ID/SKU:
Vegetarian
Holiday
Dinner
Cooking
Class
|
|
Buy Now
|
Learn More
|
|
|
The Wave of
the Breath
|
|
|
Shot on
location in
Cancun
Mexico, this
yoga video
draws on the
metaphor of
the wave of
the breath
to bring
attention to
the
wave-like
pattern of
the ebb and
flow of our
breath. Yoga
postures are
used to open
the anatomy
around the
respiratory
apparatus
for improved
use of
oxygen and
detoxification
of the body.
This video
will give
you more
energy,
emotional
stability
and mental
clarity.
Breath
practice is
known to
improve
blood
circulation,
calm the
nervous
system, and
improve
digestive
function,
which will
leave you
feeling
deeply
rested and
relaxed.
|
|
|
|
Our
Price:
$15.00
CAD
S & H:
2.50
|
|
Buy Now
|
Learn More
|
|
|
|
The Wave of
the Spine
|
|
|
Shot on
location in
Cancun
Mexico, this
yoga video
draws on the
metaphor of
the wave of
the spine to
restore the
natural
curves of
the spine.
The yoga
postures
work to
relieve
compression
in the spine
by
lengthening
it through
side bends
and twists.
Stretching
out the
muscles that
run along
the spine
helps to
relieve
chronic back
pain. The
spine is the
life line of
the body: it
supports the
head which
houses the
brain; holds
the rib cage
which
protects the
heart and
lungs;
anchors the
muscles of
the
gastro-intestinal
organs
including
the stomach,
intestine,
liver,
spleen,
pancreas,
kidneys and
urinary
system; and
carries the
pelvis which
houses the
excretory
and
reproductive
organs.
Restoring
the natural
curve of the
spine can
therefore
help to
improve the
function of
the body's
most
important
organs.
|
|
|
Our
Price:
$15.00
CAD
ID/SKU:
The Wave
of the
Spine
S & H:
2.50
|
|
Buy Now
|
Learn More
|
|
|
Strengthen
and Lengthen
- A Full
Body Pilates
Workout
|
|
|
This pilates
workout will
dramatically
transform
the look,
feel and
performance
of your
whole body.
It will
build
strength
without
excessive
bulk,
creating a
sleek, toned
body with
slender
thighs and a
tight
abdomen.
Unlike
conventional
workouts
that create
short, bulky
muscles,
this routine
will
elongate and
strengthen
your
muscles.
This program
is designed
to tone and
build long
lean muscles
throughout
your body.
|
|
|
|
Our
Price:
$15.00
CAD
S & H:
2.50
|
|
Buy Now
|
Learn More
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chakra
Balancing
Workshop -
The Throat
Chakra
|
|
|
Don't miss
my final
yoga
workshop of
2007!
The main
issue of the
fifth chakra
is
communication.
Our goals
with this
chakra are
clear
communication,
creativity
and
resonance.
Join us for
a workshop
that is
designed to
bring energy
and balance
to the fifth
chakra.
Date:
Sunday
November 25
Location:
East Village
Yoga,
Pickering
Time: 1:00
until 3:00
p.m. |
| |
|
Our
Price:
$42.40
|
|
Learn More
|
|
|
|
Until next time may you
have peace in your hearts
and peace in your lives.
Namaste,
Melissa West
Melissa West
This is the fine print
text where you might tell
your customers how the item
will be shipped and, for
example, if they are
overseas that there will be
additional shipping charges
and must contact
