Introducing our Wellness Junkie Blog

I’ve started a new blog that I’d like to share with you: Wellness Junkie.  I’ve long been a wellness junkie – always up for trying new (or new to me) health and wellness products, services and therapies.  Each week, I’ll share with you a little bit about the topic, my experience with it, and how you can find more about it in your area.

Yes, this is my clever (though not so sneaky) attempt at fully embracing and legitimizing my wellness addiction under the guise of bringing health & wellness information to you.  Rest assured, I do pay for these products and services to maintain my objectivity, but try to take advantage of special offers & discounts when available.

Here are just a few of the recent adventures of the Wellness Junkie:

Hawaiian Lomi Lomi Massage

Cold Stone Therapy for Headaches & Sinus Relief

GYROTONIC® Stretches

Hemp Protein Powder

Have ideas for future wellness junkie adventures & posts OR a wellness product or service you’d like me to try first?  Leave a comment here…thanks!

Securing your mask first: Taking time to care for you

It’s Monday morning and I’ve just returned from a weekend retreat at a nearby monastery.  No agenda-filled women’s retreat or girls’ weekend….I just needed some time by myself to rest, reflect, pray, be still and listen….I immersed myself in my Bible and both classic and contemporary writer’s words. I took in the beauty of turning leaves, stained glass windows and the silence and comfort of an empty cathedral…

So….I’m a little rusty this morning finding the words to describe my experience…maybe they’ll come later or be reserved just for me…I’m still noodling on them, I suppose.

But  I did find a post at Yahweh Yoga that shares how we must get away and do the things we need to take care of ourselves before we can properly, joyfully care for others… Enjoy:

http://yahwehyoga.com/2009/09/04/secure-your-own-mask-first-before-assisting-others/

Checking Your Blackberry While Doing Yoga?

This past weekend, I saw It Might Get Loud, a documentary featuring three guitarists: Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White.  The three come together and discuss the electric guitar, their stories and their music.  While I’m not a musician myself, I married a drummer so we went…plus I’m a big U2 fan, so it wasn’t that much of a sacrifice.

In the movie (which is very enjoyable and worth the ticket), we get to know each of the three artists, their background, personality, etc… Included in The Edge portion, is footage that Bono took of The Edge doing yoga while checking his Blackberry…coining the term “Blackberry Yoga”. While I couldn’t find the actual video footage, the link below shows some pics:

http://www.u2.com/news/title/a-day-in-the-life-of-edge

So before you get any ideas – checking email while doing yoga? Certainly I’m not one of those purists when it comes to yoga. In my classes, we modify like crazy to make yoga work for the actual people in the class and don’t hold up some unattainable standard…however, the intention that often comes from a yoga practice is to get away from distraction, busyness, our to-do lists, our daily chaos.

With that said, most of us don’t have the luxury of regular peaceful hours each day to step out of our crazy and into the serene, reflective peace that yoga can offer. We’re doing good somedays just to get everyone out of the house with the same color of socks, pay the vehicle registration on time, remember to thaw the chicken out so that dinner is a possibility by 6…so I’m definitely not going to judge The Edge’s yoga…or anyone else’s.

That’s why I love yoga. It’s moldable, adaptable…it can be whatever we need it to be.  If my brain is on hyper-speed because I need to process email, maybe yoga and the blackberry can co-exist in the same hour.  I wouldn’t recommend it all the time….but sometimes we just have to make it work for us. We have to start somewhere.

If you’re putting off starting a yoga practice or trying that neighborhood class because you’re waiting for a less stressful or hectic week – guess what? It’s never going to come… Yoga can fit into the nooks and crannies of our lives and should….start with 10 minutes…20 minutes…maybe one class or one dvd….and yes, your Blackberry can come if has to… eventually you’ll want to leave it behind and enjoy your yoga.