Like the majority of today’s working folk, I sit in front of a computer for about eight hours a day. My neck and shoulders get scrunched up and I can feel it in my lower back. I found an excellent move today that sent blood rushing to my spinal extremities. Check it out, The Figure Eight:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsQIpiKx2f8&NR=1

It’s the 2nd move, you’ll have to wait a bit to get to it. Remember to breathe.

I spoke to my mother earlier that day and she asked me if I needed any money. I said no, because I really don’t, but it triggered something in me, something that made me want to say yes – take care of me! I’m a grown woman but I still want to be babied.

When I calmed down and stopped thinking about everything – about where I live, what I do, where I’m from, where I am now – I felt silly (but still sad) because I realized that I hold on dearly to ideas of what I perceive as “me”. For so long I’ve been a daughter, a sister, a Canadian, a student….and now that I have new labels forced on me – producer, writer, Canadian with visa, alien…my mind is confused and my body mistakes this for suffering.

I found this video of Shakti Mhi, whom I studied with for my yoga Teacher Training Course. She explains the whole concept of the Self quite well.

I’m fine now. It was a good cry and I needed it.

Jaya Ganesha

I am wrapped up in a grass colored shawl with little Ganeshas printed all over it. I’ve kicked off my flip-flops and I’m bundled into a ball on my office chair, shivering.

For the first time in two years, I am coming down with some sort of bug. I can feel it creeping up in the back of my throat, scratching at my sinuses, and pumping chills through my body.

The last time I was sick, I was on assignment in downtown Toronto, reporting on tow-truck drivers who lost their operating licenses. I arrived late for the hearings, ended up missing the story, and stayed for half a day digging up records from the secretarial office. I wrote a really good, juicy story in the end (as juicy as municipal courts can be), but probably drained my inner resources, as I wound up sick in bed that night, unable to move, shivering and miserable.

At 1 in the morning, I gathered enough strength in myself to throw on a few layers of sweaters and pants, made my way to the street and walked to the emergency room. I remember feeling so alone, with no one to call, and I laid in the hospital bed crying.

It turned out to be a 24-hour thing and I felt better by the next night.

There is nothing in me today that feels like crying. I might feel cold and weak, but my heart is pumping with joy that it’s Friday, and that I will be able to go home in a few hours, get in bed, and snuggle with my favorite person.

Ganesha is the son of Siva, and he is very loyal. He has a round belly because he likes to eat sweets, and his nature is also very sweet.

Picking flowers at the Sivananda Ashram in Woodbourne, NY

I left Atlanta last Thursday with a heavy mind. Thoughts ran through my head like ants on spilled syrup and I was ready to get back down to earth.

I spent my July 4th weekend at the Sivananda Yoga Ashram in Woodbourne, NY. I met a best friend there, who flew in from Buffalo. We rented a car and drove 3 hours through holiday traffic from the Newark airport and arrived in time for the rain. It was dark, wet, and neither of us felt like setting up camp that day. I had a migraine from the car-ride and was ready to sleep.

That night, We snuggled in our sleeping bags on the hard-wood floor of the yoga hall, sharing the space with one of the Ashram cooks who had her abode set up behind a white curtain in a corner. We woke up in the morning to the sound of the 5:30 bell.

Every morning, we sat in silence for 30 minutes until the Swami started the morning chants. We sang praise to all the Hindu gods; Ganesha, Siva, Rama…a basket of tambourines and morrocas were passed around so the brave could sing and chant while banging a beat against their seated legs.

We ate two meals a day, full of wonderful, glorious vegetarian food, and practiced 4 hours of yoga, 2 in the morning, 2 in the afternoon.

By the second day, I felt my cloud lifting. Oh adorable lord of mercy, help us control the mind. Om nama shivaya. Let us rid our minds of negativity. These chants permeated my soul and as I walked barefoot on the damp ashram grounds, the melodies continued to sing and hum, filling the empty, vulnerable spaces where unhealthy, dark thoughts longed to touch. No.

I left four days later with a firm but gentle grasp on the mind. Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya…

It’s a conscious decision every day to live in the moment.

Breathe. Stay Calm. Make him a cup of tea?

That’s exactly what one woman did in Japan, after she and her six-month-old baby found themselves in the frightening situation. The thief barged his way into her apartment, and instead of freaking out, she made him a cup of tea and listened to him talk.

Read the full story here from Reuters.

By the time she made it outside to call the police, the thief had fled.

This is an extreme situation – but maybe we can answer our milder, daily life confrontations with this kind of zen.

Instead of continuing an argument with a loved one, make a cup of tea. If a co-worker is getting on your nerves, suggest a coffee/tea break.

In addition to the anti-oxidant effects of tea and the soothing properties of certain teas like chamomile and jasmine, there are some really good teas out there that will make you scoff at the next Starbucks you see.

Make a cup of tea when life gets tough.

My favorite tea of the moment: Teavana’s Rooibos and Mate mix. It has a creamy, chocolate-like aroma and tastes like a dark chai. It warms up my entire deskspace when I make it. It contains caffeine though, so don’t OD on it. Good for supressing the appetite as well.