Fred Herzog "Vancouver Color"

Absolutely stunning photographs. Perfect for this rainy Vancouver morning. Enjoy:)

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cute quote of the day...

A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for. -Anonymous

Ever tried light therapy?

Ever see one of these things? My last one was much larger in size and had long tubular bulbs. Its a S.A.D. lamp.

If you get gloomy in the fall/winter with the shorter days (and if you live in these parts with all the rain) don't despair, just give one of these little suckers a whirl. It's light therapy and you may not need it at all, but I sure do.

I lose that spring in my step after a couple of months without much sun. Everyone's different though. For instance my partner has no problems at all with the lack of sun. For me my sad lamp is a staple, and as soon as I wake up it's me+coffee+sad lamp every single day (while I'm in Vancouver anyways). I begin around now and go straight through the winter and early spring. They are a little pricey though, generally running $200-$250.00 plus. Personally I truly can't imagine not having one. It has changed my life out here the past few years.

As your light exposure decreases in the fall and winter, the general consensus of the experts is that these changes in light exposure affect the body’s natural rhythm and chemistry. There is tons of research and info on the web so I'll leave that to you. For as long as I live in a rainforest I will be sitting in front of my light box every morning in the darker months. (although if you suffer from depression, are pregnant, taking light sensitive medications, suffer from any health issues that you think may prove a problem I would talk it over with your health care provider before making the investment). For me it's money well spent.

The one thing to make sure of when purchasing one is the strength needs to be what's called 10,000 lux (or it's pretty much useless). Light therapy can help with more then the winter blues as it helps to set our circadian rhythm. Its good for seasonal depression but it's also good for shift workers, jet lag and a host of other situations. Again, it may not do a thing for you, but I swear by it. Thought I'd share. Namaste.

practicing mindfulness

Drink your tea slowly and reverently,
as if it is the axis
on which the world earth revolves
- slowly, evenly, without
rushing toward the future;
Live the actual moment.
Only this moment is life.

- Thich Nhat Hahn

"Breathing in, I dwell deeply in the present moment. Breathing out, I know this is a wonderful moment.

It's Midwifery month!

As I was running around town yesterday I was reminded by this poster that it's Midwifery Month!

And just like the poster says...

there are free workshops all across the city!

To learn more click here

traditional Buddhist prayer - Rimpoche Nawang Gehlek -

A few months ago at a workshop with Cindi Lee of Om yoga I was introduced to this lovely Buddhist prayer. We opened and closed our meditations with it, and I just came across it again. It is really beautiful. Thought I'd share.

Maru keeps tryin' ;)

If you have or had cats you know that the great majority of them love love love boxes, laundry baskets, bags..anything they can crawl into. I once came home to a cat with a glass jar stuck on it's head (and that wasn't good). It had to be smashed off and was pretty scary (he wound up being just fine btw). Anyhow, a friend posted this on facebook and Maru is cute and never gives up. And he tries to make the most out of what he has. Thought I'd share

♥