yoga and HBP

"better late than never" with taking more care

of my high blood pressure.

I have had this health concern for many years!

it's time to pay attention more diligently for my

happy healthy lifestyle!

I found this helpful info on High Blood Pressure

and yoga safety at the DOYOUYOGA website:

  

Yoga has amazing benefits such as increased flexibility, better concentration, less stress, stronger bones and muscles, and much more. But for some people with certain conditions, yoga needs to be practiced with extra safety. If you are new to yoga and have high blood pressure, there are certain poses you need to avoid.

 the downward dog is recommended to do against the

wall where the head and heart are aligned with hands stretched

out to touch wall

the above 7 poses need to be avoided as they

all have the head below the heart and it can cause a stroke.

I am doing 15 minutes of treadmill daily and am getting

very conscientious about my blood pressure.

Heart Rate Monitor wristband tracker is great especailly

when I ride my horse and can check  where my BPM is!

heart health is actually the number 1 killer for women!

I'm paying attention!

Yoga for Neck and Shoulder stiffness

Just in case you have a sore neck and stressed or just stiff in the upper body - this is great!

Adriene is a great "go-to" for me.  She is on the internet and has 100's of videos.  This one is only 15 minutes.  I like her voice and her personality and explanations....and her dog.

who is your fav yogi-relaxer-calming voice-sincere- helper?

a good spirit lake

new digs move

{housewarming gifts)

I have tried to write here on this blog since I am here on our new acreage and
retirement home and words are not coming forth as eloquently as I would like so just
know that all the house and garage items are delivered and in!

I do like the countryside here and the flooding around this area did
not affect our home or property.

hoping and praying our condo will sell in the next couple of months, but no control
over that too much.

Miss my Summer dog!

my friends have visited and welcomed me here and I have popped into
a couple of summer time yoga classes to get me loosened up.  I gained 7 pounds this past 5 weeks
so my blood sugar was very high but now I have got it under control once again.

next is the NEW sofa, end table, coffee table and kitchen/dining set to be delivered and
tommorrow is the.....
delivery day!

(house warming plant)

mosquitos are non-existent out on our high back deck so thankful for that.  The breeze and
the height of our deck must be enough to ward them off and also the thousands of dragonflies that are here.

(oops ..caught in one of many webs around our deck)

oh Namaste! relieved that the difficulty of the move is 90% done just need the
perimeter fencing done to bring our equine friends here. I do miss them so if you have a horse or dog give them a rub down or a treat for me.

its been a year

I retired/resigned from Innovation Credit Union a year ago

and what have I been up to this past year? you ask or may not ask?

{taking notes while looking at some modular homes  - tucking in more info just in case]

completed my facilitator support work with Griefshare at Eastside Church of God last May

involved myself in Young Living Essential Oils and presented myself with these oils at SC Market Square in Aug and Sept.  Great fun and opportunity to share and meet people!

attented a wedding in Ucluelet BC and visited 2 girlfriends in Qualicum BC and Nanaimo. Fantastic time! this was in July

put our acreage up for sale end of August

sold our acreage end of October - 1 week before the listing expired and we were sure that we would still winter at Kirkville.  surprise!

moved to Regina and landed there Dec 1 and the next day the -40 celsius weather began

began my physical -mental health journey on Dec 16 at Bodhi Tree Yoga in Regina and still doing it twice a week. This yoga stabilized my new life in the condo and kept me grounded and true to my decision to move and leave a 21 year financially secure job.   my 1st year of retirement/no career/no structured schedule or paycheque that previously establises my worth  is a unnerving process.  I was used to the credit union being my life and priority and when I left it was freeing however unnerving at times.

I did alot of painting on my own and some with other ladies and learned that
i love acrylic painting over watercolours.  Acrylic is easy to create texture and
dark deep colours faster.  So I like that,

our son just moved into his home and has a renter now to help with the payments (Yay!!)

we just moved his stuff a couple of weeks ago as alot of it was in storage at Jays Moving.

I have so many friend connections here in the Queen City that it is overwhelming but great!

the best is being close to all my family.

I am now working on my resume (thats alot of work) in case I need to

check out a job that sounds appealing.  Getting ready for a new lifestyle job is

work but I am enjoying the learning -  as alot of tips are available online and from friend connections in that field.  I now know that the cover letter is the most important to get right.

this is a new challenge and it is very good...Be Committed To Do Whatever It Takes to Have Want You Want. - BE  DO  HAVE!

filling in

I do question people at times, (who doesn't)

is it possible that because I am NOT EARNING A PAYCHEQUE that I get comments of 'Arent you bored? '

What do you do?

I am not bored.

I am working at a therapy program to heal my back and my shoulders -Yoga is a big part of this

I go out and coffee with my sister and have meals with my Mom and Dad

I walk on the good "walkable" days this winter and found a great walk

behind Douglas Park, this is where alot of University students bike, jog, cross country and

if I go up the steep hill to Goose Island Ovcrlook it changes the scenery and I am puffing when I get to the top.  

I spend time reading and discussing how to use and order YL essential oils with family and friends

it is a vast learning and my son Tommy is gaining great benefits from applying them onto his wrists just for aroma therapy.  They are so uplifting.

I visit our dog once a week and say hello to Rocky and Ziggy

I write alot and I am organizing my writings on my son's depression and tragic end.

I have received little help from professionals but the little I did get was actually very HUGE in

continuing on and maybe someday it will be completed.  I am learning about the outline and flow of the writings.  It is now about organizing what I have written and making chapters out of it.

the most fun is water colouring painting and I get to it so seldom

but I spend today on it....I just have fun when I have a paintbrush in hand, and lots of colours to

mix.

what does one do to fill in the empty gaps in your week or in your

thoughts?

I paint, today it was fun patterns

I like black in any painting

I put roller tops on most of my oils so my hands

don't have to touch the oils and I can just roll on my feet or chest

it is way simpler

Have a good day all!

January's quiet

after the christmas holiday and after my son went back to his home in SC; it seems  I am busy with wonderful  fun activities, reading and doing Yoga at least 3 times a week and their are 2 yoga places to

attend the different classes.  I am getting around the city of Regina quite nicely now.

we will be living on the Qu'Appelle acreage, for 2 weeks, where our horses and dog are staying as the owners are holidaying in Mexico!  so back to country living.

here are my quiet past times.................

I am starting to read Chasing God by Angie Smith and has been highly recommended from my fav blogger "The Pioneer Woman"

I am doing Yoga 3 times a week and have taken 5 classes; the 1st 2 were for RELAX and RENEWAL and classes for NECK and SHOULDERS and then the beginners yoga class called Bodhi 1 - all were great for my much needed physical mental and muscled selfie (ha!)

My dermatolgist whom I just saw this afternoon, looked at my hands and said off I go to the Pasqua Hospital for the Patch Test, which is allergy testing.  I will have 80 patches put on my back and stay on my back for 48 hours and then I go back to her, Dr. Roberta Mckay, my dermo and she then checks for anything positive. She said there is probably something you need to AVOID and you need to find out what those are.  okay-dokay!

Bodhi Tree Yoga

 "If you have found yourself struggling to understand God and your faith, you will glean something from this book no matter where you are. It’s deep and funny and just beautiful." (The Pioneer Woman)

  

I have joined a  monthly creative group where I can get together with other creatives who want to express themselves through art and journalling and I look forward to that.  First one is Jan 18.  I have met some of the women it will be a free 3 hours to work with some professional artists or others who want to create.  Yeah!!

I would say that moving to a city is working fine for me now, our decision to move to Yorkton (the coldest snowiest part of our province) is still open to discussion.  We are even talking about BC and will hopefully check BC out this summer if nothing appeals to us .....in the meantime nothing wrong with our money being invested.   Tommy is only 2 hours away and it is always a pull to not move too far, but he and I said well just think, if we end up in BC you, Tommy, can come for some great vacations!

We are blessed to have these options.  I am grateful!

protein chia seed balls with coconut

these were handed out during my meditation in Yoga

on Dec 21st as a treat to nibble on while being calm and to help

us keep our minds less cluttered, we were to nibble slowly for

5 minutes..!

• 1/2 C. Peanut Butter
• 1/2 C. Honey
• 3/4 C. Chocolate Protein Powder
• 1/3 C. Oatmeal (quick cooking oats work best)
• 1/2 C. Unsweetened Coconut (+ more to roll them in!)
• 1 T. Chia Seeds

melt p. butter and honey for 45 sec in microwave then combine the rest

form into balls and roll onto extra coconut flakes

very healthy!

week 3

the cold has let up today, but it is very windy but only minus 7 this morning.  I went for a walk on the University Park walkway behind the Aboriginal University and then I trekked back and I felt good to have finally gotten a nice long walk in to start the week.  We are getting our moving storage company to pull out a couple of important boxes like all our income tax papers and Tom's personal ID and spare hearing aids..etc.  It is costing us $115 to pull this out but we need these boxes.

oops...here is Summer's paw print (sideways) 

I am now registered for a restorative Yoga class for one month, the neck and shoulders are having a difficult time relaxing and settling into this new lifestyle so this class is called RELAX AND RENEW.....and is one and a half hours.  For people with injuries or pain, etc...... Bodhi Tree Yoga

I am sure it won't hurt me to take a few of these classes

  kinda stopped doing yoga for many years do to the over stretching I can get myself

into trouble doing that so this class sounds safe.

it is a good thing that there are so many options now to keep a body and mind

fit for this life that eventually takes a toll on muscles and other ailments.

have a crazy Christmas week as it should be!

next month

my word for 2013 is FOCUS

I will need some regrouping and quiet times

in January

this is a tough month for

many individuals

Christmas season

is an emotional whirlwind

and January

just tends to "massage" that

I have joined this meditation one-month

program at KIVA

exercise, eating well is wholesome, yes

 the mind, however, is an organ

that controls our bodies and this method of

quietness called meditation is a difficult

brain exercise

the brain must stop thinking

(impossible)?

the body still

the body moving

walking meditation

singing meditation

meditation is not just being still

it is quieting the brain

oh? I am looking forward to this

  Mala Meditation - 30 day challenge

FOCUS

my gift to mom and me

 

as a gift to myself and my Mom, I have ordered two of these beautiful bracelets which are coming our way soon. This is to celebrate each other on Mother's Day. My mom has loved the Yoga DVD I gave her for a Christmas present and it is called "Yoga for the Rest of Us" by Peggy Cappy. She is looking for another DVD from Peggy which I will have to purchase for her birthday in August. I thought I would share this bracelet to you all and then Mom and I can show it off when we actually are wearing it on our wrists.
BreatheWear
this bracelet to remember the power of breath and mindfulness…an effective reminder each tme you glance at your wrist to breathe freely and not let the small stuff get to you.

This lovely bracelet was created by Peggy Cappy for Mother's day and it can be worn as a symbol of your intention to stay present with each breath. Meant to be worn for all occasions, each bracelet is hand-made in Cambridge, Massachusetts and designed exclusively for us.
Light Sapphire Swarovski Crystals / approx 7.5 " long

I hope you like your bracelet..blessings to you Mom!

"gentle flow"

i feel so great, my muscles are revived with life and vitality and my back bone is stacked up like it should (that is how it feels anyway)... i went to my first yoga class at "Yoga Conexion" after work and it is called "Gentle Flow" class. I spent a whole hour yog(ing) with a couple of friends, but yet we all had our 'ohm' space. i laughed at my friend as she departed with that statement. I am so glad I have 13 more weeks of doing this practice.

here is a quote to think on from my "yoga" monthly newsletter:

Really big people are, above everything else, courteous, considerate and generous - not just to some people in some circumstances - but to everyone all the time."

Thomas J. Watson - 1874-1956, Founder of IBM

yoga for the rest of us

stretching is so important for me especially as i get older and wiser...yoga helps me alot with my "tin man" joints and back problems. Peggy Cappy has provided my body with such relief and a knowing i can do at least 90% of the stretches well. She is my mentor for physical strength and focus. I love this reminder and i need to post it in front of me all day long.....

Take as many conscious breaths as you can in a day. Even one at a time.. Starting right now. Make it slow, long and deep. In and out. Try another.
Do one more, this time with a smile on your face.

How do you feel... a little calmer, more relaxed, or peaceful?

I have taken yoga with other instructors and loved those classes too, but my body cannot go that quickly anymore so i found Peggy!

you can check out her "yoga for the rest of us" DVD yoga, this link shows a video clip.

"namaste"