Maintaining Control? Yeah, Right!

The end of the year is a terrific time to evaluate all that has happened during the year. The times spent mourning what I don't have rather than being grateful for what I do have seems to be precious time wasted. Hindsight is 20/20, isn't it? I would love to say that I will be grateful for every experience that is thrown my way, good or bad, but I know that I will unfortunately slip into the mourning phase yet again. How do I know I've slipped into this phase? I start picking away at my budget, trying to eke out one last dollar to cover expenses, I try to fix my friends or students' problems--basically focusing on other things rather than myself. See? I'm trying to maintain control over my life. Ha!

My plan of action, I've decided, is to witness and be aware of when this happens. I will then take stock of all that I have to be grateful for: two beautiful boys, a wonderfully supportive husband, A JOB! (Not all can say that, for sure!) a fulfilling and sustaining yoga practice, an old, but functional home (built in 1895), 4 fluffy cats--one who's ornery, two Toyotas (one of them a Prius), and of course, food and clothing.

I'm sure there are many that would trade their woes for what we have, and I need to make sure that I do not fall into complacency. I need to allow life to happen and welcome the difficult, because truthfully, that is what really makes us grow. Happy New Year to all! Namaste.

Yoga and Fibromyalgia

I started doing yoga to relieve my pain due to fibromyalgia. It has helped greatly, but not completely. I recently visited a new rheumatologist last week who I found to be highly informed and compassionate.

I told him I did not like the diagnosis of fibromyalgia (FMS) because it seemed like it was a catch-all diagnosis or a diagnosis of exclusion. He stated that they have actually done brain scans on people with FMS and pain vs. people with pain due to other factors. The scans showed that people with FMS had differences in their brains than the other group. He also explained that people with FMS have more nerve activity than other people. When we (people with FMS) do normal activities, we ache all over. When other people without FMS do the same thing, they are fine.

My goal after retirement is to become a certified yoga instructor and work with people who have chronic pain. Who better to teach them than someone who has experienced chronic pain?!

I have included this link for further information on FMS: Symptoms of FMS. But remember, it is important to stay active and NOT let FMS rule your life. You will be in pain whether you stay home or not. But I guarantee that you will feel better after exercise; but please make sure you check with your doctor about the most appropriate exercise for you.  Happy holidays, everyone!!!

Neti Pot Recipe for Killing Amoebas!

Hi All,
With the recent scare of the infected solutions using Neti pots, I thought I'd post a recipe that should kill those darned amoebas.

1 cup distilled water
1/4 tsp each of sugar, baking soda, salt
Stir and nuke for 2 minutes.

Let sit on counter for about one hour then use. It should still be a bit warm. Enjoy! Remember: The neti pot needs to be cleaned as well!

Homemade Ice Packs and Heat Wraps

You do not have to go out and buy expensive hot pads or work with a bag of ice to try and comfort your aching muscles. I have used these over the years and they work perfectly...even better than the store bought kinds!

Let's start with the hot packs. You need two hand towels, a gallon-size ziplock baggie, and some king of a belt or sash to hold the prepared hot pack in place. First wet one of the hand towels thoroughly. Squeeze out the excess water. Place the towel in the ziplock baggie and close until you have one inch left. LEAVE THAT OPEN or the bag will explode. Now, put the baggie in the microwave and nuke for 2 minutes. In the meantime, lay out your other hand towel on the counter. Make sure it is flat and all the way open. When your towel in the microwave is finished, REMOVE CAREFULLY! You may want to use oven mitts. Open the bag away from you so you do not get steam burned. Place the heated towel on the other towel. Now take the two ends and fold toward the middle (meet the edges in the middle). Now fold the opposite sides in, but this time overlap them so you do not have any hot towel poking through. Place on your skin where it hurts. You may need to put it over a shirt or on top of your pants if the heat is too intense. If you don't want to hold it there, grab a belt or sash and wrap around you to hold it into place. This take a bit of practice, but in the end, it is definitely worth it!

Now the cold pack. This is waaaaaay to easy. I have upper back and shoulder pain, and I always had trouble positioning the pack so it would stay there. Well, I had inspiration when I was going through some old clothes and found some leg warmers I had from the '80s! Well, I took the leg warmer and shoved a freezer pack into it. I placed the pack directly into the middle of the leg warmer. I then positioned the pack on the sore part of my shoulder or upper back, and used the two ends to tie it into place. Viola! Heaven on Earth, I tell you!

Please let me know if you need further explanation, and I'll be happy to oblige!

The Fuzz Speech

This great video clip was posted on Elephant Journal. You gotta take a look at this! http://www.elephantjournal.com/2011/03/the-video-every-yogi-needs-to-see/

Yoga Everywhere

I've been thinking of all the different ways that I bring yoga into my life, and it amazes me that every movement can be yoga. Here are my top ten ways that happen almost daily:

10. At the kitchen sink in a modified downward dog
9. Stretching long and lovingly to reach the top shelf in my cabinet
8. Deep forward bend to pick up kitty plates after breakfast
7. Lunge to pick up kids' toys scattered about
6. Squat when playing with my kitties on the floor
5. Deep relaxation throughout every part of my body during my evening bath in my clawfoot tub
4. Yoga Nidra in bed at night right before I go to sleep
3. Grabbing onto my headrest while driving to give my shoulders a deep stretch
2. Supporting my lower back by engaging my abdominal, pelvic, and back muscles when I pick up my 57 lb. 6-year-old and my 62 lb. 10-year-old
1. My morning asana practice

I used to get hung up on how long I did my morning practice which usually comes in about 15-20 minutes, but now, I've seen yoga in all my movements and make each movement count. AAAAHHHHH!!!!!

Working Through the Burn

Have you ever read about a new way of doing things, and although it was interesting you didn't give it much thought?  Then days, weeks, or months later you are replaying this bit of information through your mind and you find that this information is just perfect for you? Well, yesterday I was in the kitchen becoming more irritated about my upper back and shoulders burning, when I remembered what I read in Fierce Medicine by Ana T. Forrest. She talked about the difference between pain and burning in your muscles. Pain is that sudden OUCH! you get when you move into a pose. Your body is telling you STOP what your are doing. But when you get burning, your muscles are about to release so you need to hold the position longer until they do.

So excited now, I grabbed onto the kitchen sink and went into a modified downward dog. The burn increased, but I held the pose, sinking deeper into it. About one minute later I noticed the endorphins kicking in. AAAAAHHHHH! NO MORE BURN! I about ran outside and screamed, IT WORKED!

Thank you Ana, for planting that seed in my brain so it could germinate and be plucked just when I needed it most! Namaste.

Visit Space Orville on FB

My husband just started using social media to promote his new book, Space Orville. Here is his new Facebook page just for his book. Check it out!  https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Space-Orville/297378956967791?notif_t=fbpage_fan_invite

Space Orville

OK, folks. My hubby has now published his book on Lulu. It can be downloaded now in many formats. Here's a message directly from him:

 Okay, so if you don't have a Kindle but you do have a device that supports and reads "epub" files (that seems to include iPads, iPhones, Nooks, etc. You can check a list here: http://connect.lulu.com/t5/Digital-Media-eBook-Downloading/What-devices-can-I-view-my-eBook-on/ta-p/31639) and, if you are at all interested, my humble wares are now also available through Lulu.com at http://www.lulu.com/product/ebook/space-orville/18740310.

    If you have trouble with that link, you can always try http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/JWhelan which not only will hook you up with Lulu but also offer up a really goofy picture of the author.

    Another great free download I've discovered for folks with any sort of reader is Calibre at http://calibre-ebook.com/download. A terrific resource for storing, reading, converting and uploading all sorts of file types. Handy and very user-friendly.

    'kay, my friends. That's all I've got for now. Thanks so much for all of your support!

Yoga and Science Fiction

Yoga and science fiction? I know these two topics seem to go together like fire and water, but actually, for me, there is a huge connection between the two.

You see, as of today, my husband is a published author! I couldn't be more thrilled for him (and, yeah, ok, for me, too!) The title of his book is Space Orville. It is an young adult, humorous science fiction novel that is just fantastic. It is available only on Kindle right now, but as I'm writing this, he is looking into other publishing formats.

So please, take a look! I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!