Ahimsa: Non Harming

3 evening poses to do in bed

As a new mom I have dedicated hours of time reading about developing healthy sleep habits for baby. Advice on newborn and infant sleep is infinite, often times contradictory, and to me, exhausting. I have tried so many things and yet we still wake up every four hours, hence I am usually pretty tired and have no trouble falling to sleep early and often. However, all of this reading has got me thinking about some adults I know who have trouble settling in at night and getting to sleep (mom).

I know time is precious and a fifteen minute bedtime flow may not be realistic for parents of little ones or super busy people (who isn't these days). Here are three poses that feel good, can be done in bed, help the nervous system settle down.

General rule for sleep encouraging poses: fold forward and extend your exhales :).

Pose 1: Double pigeon. For people earlier in their yoga practice or with tighter hips traditional or reclining pigeon may be more comfortable. Getting deep into the hips feels really good to me and I really enjoy double pigeon.

       1. Sit up tall and feel your sits bones root down into the mattress, spine stays long.
      2. bringing your right shin parallel to the end of the bed, stack the left shin on top. Make sure the ankle bone is stacked directly on top of the knee. (You can place a pillow between the left knee and right ankle if there is space.
     3. Flex both feet to protect the knees.
     4. Take a deep breath in as you grow tall and lengthen the spine
     5. On a long exhale begin to hinge forward from the hips any amount while keeping the sits bones rooting down. 
   

Pose 2: Baddha Konasana
1. With sits bones rooting down and spine long bring the soles of the feet together, using your hands open the soles of the feet (like a book) towards the ceiling. If the knees are hanging in space you can place blocks under the knees or a rolled up towel/blanket to support them.
2. Keeping the back of the neck long (gaze neutral) begin to hinge forward with a flat back
3. Rounding the spine evenly, relax the head and neck, hold this pose for at least five rounds of deep inhales and exhales.


Pose 3: Viparita Karani
One of my favorite restorative poses, when I was pregnant I did not invert and would look forward to handstand / headstands in class so that I could take legs up the wall. This is great at the end of the day to take the stress of the feet and reverse the blood flow. You can get super fancy and take reclined baddha konasana (photo 2) with the legs up the wall, or head board in this instance. 

1. Sitting sideways, scooch your hips to the edge of the headboard / pillows.
2. Slowly recline back on your elbows as you work your legs up the wall
3. Relax!!
(you can always place a bolster under your back/hips)

If you really want to find a way to fall asleep deeply and quickly, have a baby! Just kidding...you won't get to sleep through the night but you will fall right back asleep. 

Other ways to support your sleep:

    1. Lavender oil: diffuse it or rub it onto the soles of your feet ( I then like to rub my feet on my sheets so they smell good as well). 
  2. Make your room an oasis: get rid of distractions and clutter and FLAME RETARDANT CHEMICALS. Having a beautiful bed makes it inviting. Soft organic cotton sateen sheets and a cozy duvet always help. Our bed is so cozy it is hard to get out and getting in feels like a spa treatment. I have never had to purchase a mattress before, mine came with my husband, until buying a mattress for baby!  

While doing research I learned about all the chemicals that come in our mattress and I can't help but think that all these flame retardant chemicals and vocs hinder health and are not good to inhale all night long as we sleep. I have mixed feelings about buying a new mattress-- ours is soo comfy so I will be nervous to buy a new one but, at the same time, I can't wait to get a more environmentally friendly, flame retardant and other VOC free, made in the USA  mattress. Casper is a mattress company that does all that. Their website explains how they have replaced these chemicals. I am really impressed with their site and company and they are worth checking it out. 

 3. Take a nap: From all my baby sleep reading I have repeatedly seen "Sleep begets sleep", so you have my permission to take a nap! My mom swears she is not a napper, she has never been able to just take a nap--- well there is a formula I found in Healthy Slee Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Marc Weissbluth and scribbled mom next to it.  "As adults, an afternoon nap is most refreshing when we take it at the time we are biologically most drowsy. Take the midpoint between the time when you most easily fall asleep at night (example: 10:00 p.m.) and most comfortable awaken naturally in the morning(example 8:00 a.m.) . Then, twelve hours from the midpoint is your best nap time (example 3:00 p.m.)" (Weissbluth 27).  So be a little Spanish and take a siesta-- you will sleep better a later.

 

An attitude of GRADITUDE: Five little things I was greatful for thispast week.

Of course a lot of the things I am grateful for this week helped to make this snow storm  / artic temperatures cycle we keep going through a lot easier. I mean who knew that when we put Chicago at the top of our match list we would actually end up in Antarctica?

1. Kitty Litter-- Random I know, and no we did not get a cat (Chicago may have frozen over but hell hasn't yet--actually that is not true, I am slowly warming up to the idea of a kitten after playing with my sister in law's adorable and playful kitty). Kitty litter has saved us three times- just toss some under the tires and instant traction-- unstuck car!

 

2. Men with shovels-- I am UBER thankful for them this week. TWO times I was rescued by two different kind souls that helped shovel and push my car out when it was stuck and the kitty litter wasn't cutting it. Most of you are probably thinking, "why the hell do you keep trying to drive?" and I say to you it is negative twenty sir and I gots places to go and the CTA is constantly delayed.

Special shout out to Rick Frue-- hero numero 1

3. Agracept--have probably mentioned this one already, but heck it's true! It taste aweful but afterwards I always feel a little bit better.

4. Bloody Mary's- 

5. My Lady Eileen wool hat- It's gorgeous and when I feel like blah fashion wise becuase I wear stained old uggs or wellies, a long black coat, and multiple pairs of pants on a daily basis, this beauty makes me feel cold weather classy for an instant winter fashion boost!

I will be so thankful when there is no need for SALT anymore-- I hate finding it everywhere all the time making things look dingy.

A well oiled machine: oil cleansing

After braving the cold (Chicago Lake Side Campus COLD & Wind) one of the things I look forward to most is washing my face. Weird, I know-- but this past week I began oil cleansing and it has been a relaxing and feel good part of my day. 

I have consistently battled with breakouts since high school. When I was in high school I thought, "thank god that in college pimples stop" then in college I thought, "by the time I am in my mid-twenties breakouts should stop" and here I am at almost thirty and I still struggle with hormone and stress related breakouts-- and I know they aren't going to stop unless my hormones change or my stress is eliminated.

BUT

This oil cleansing has really improved the overall look and feel of my skin and it hasn't suffered a breakout-- I actually think it helped one mammoth pimple heal quicker. I have noticed scars are less visable and my pores look smaller. So how does this work???

Oil is not synonymous with greasy...Oil can actually remove (read clean) oil. So while typical store bought facial cleansers strip the skin of oil and leave it depleted and trying to rebalanced the oil, oil cleansing works with skin's natural oils to leave skin with a healthy oil balance. 

Oils also contain no fragrance, many facial cleansers have fragrance in them and it is one of skin's top irritants by causing inflammation. Next time you are in the grocery look at the labels and see how many you can find that have no fragrance in them. Not  So  Easy!

There are different categories of oils- for example, castor oil is astringent and works to shrink pores and is great for combination to oily skin.  It is an oil that cleans, softens, and shrinks your pores.

I have been mixing it with olive oil and want to try sunflower seed oil or jojoba oil  after my next grocery store trip. These are the moisturizing oils and are used to thin out the thinker castor oil. Castor oil alone can over dry your skin--you can play with ratios and after a week of a ratio you can alter it based on your skin's reaction.

 For my combination skin I am using 2 part castor oil to 8 parts olive oil

 dryer skin increase the olive oil to 9 parts and decrease the castor oil to 1 part

 for oily skin increase the castor oil to 3 parts and the olive oil to 7 parts.

Below are the steps to follow:

Treat your skin after brutal everyday life abuses it:
Gather your oil and a wash cloth-- I had used most of the castor oil in this bottle for castor oil packs and so I was able to mix the two oils in this bottle. Use a wash cloth that you don't care if it gets a little messed up.

2. Gently massage the oil mixture onto your face (upward circular strokes are best).

3. I then let the oil sit for a minute while I do something else like brush my teeth, q-tip, wipe down the counter--whatever.

4. Wet the washcloth with hot water, some people lay the wash cloth over their face for a moment, I haven't done this yet. Using the wash cloth gently wipe upwards, periodically re-wet the wash cloth.

5. After I have wiped my face I splash it with some cooler water to close up the pores.

6. During the day I leave just like this-- the skin is moisturized and soft, at night I have continued to add my moisturizer and eye cream. I am a glossy thing when I climb into bed.

After a week of doing this my skin feels great--if I suddenly breakout I will add a comment to this post, but overall I have been really pleased with oil cleansing. It is natural, affordable, and effective.

My one concern is castor oil-- I was unaware, before doing some research, that Castor Oil, from the castor bean, when being processed exposes the workers to ricin which causes grave health issues. There is work being done to eliminate this harmful process. I am looking further into NOW Castor Oil and it's processing. In the future I might try to find a substitute for castor oil in the cleansing until a less harmful version is made.

If you have tried oil cleansing or are going to try it let me hear your thoughts on it!

Enjoy!

Five Little Things

With winter in full swing- and in Chicago it has gone past that to absurd- I have become extremely thankful for the simple things that allow life to be a little easier. And my number one stop for ease when shopping / preparing food is Trader Joes. We have one pretty close, it has a parking lot, and I can get a weeks worth of groceries for about $50. This past pay schedule I didn't recieve a pay check so cash was a little tight and I had to budget more than normal. This week we lived off of Chili and veggie burgers, oatmeal, and peanut butter balls / cookies.

The temperatures have been dancing around 0 to -20 this week, so as expected our heater is working hard and the air is dry. I am loving this humidifier- the one night we forgot to turn it on before falling asleep I got a bloody nose.

Numero 3- a broom! I know this sounds like a silly thing to be thankful for but you learn to appriciate these things when you don't have one. After we first moved into this apt. I asked the Mr. to pick up a broom for me during his trip to Ace. He came home with a hand broom because it was cheaper--requiring crawling on the floor while cleaning it. Ugh.  I almost bought a full sized one last summer until I remembered I was on my bike. Biking in Chicago can be scary enough without doing so with a broom. I purchased a cute little one at Marshall's a month ago and our floors look fabulous. I love my full sized broom it's so easy.

Pan Away and Peppermint Oil were my home made Icy Hot this past weekend. I slept funky and woke up with a sore neck on Sunday, layering on these two oils led to some relief.

My Eddie Bauer Parka- this thing is serious. My body is never cold- even while walking into 40mph wind gusts that provide a balmy -30' sensation. I need to buy down gloves and boots and I will be set. Also- they restuff the fluff for their coats- Life Time Guarantee! 

Five Little Thinkgs by cloch1 on Polyvore

Dry Skin Destroyers- Take that winter!!

While I love the snow and the coziness that winter can offer, it can also bring about a plethora of discomfort. Before moving to Chicago, where it is winter or at least dry for about five months, we lived in New Orleans, a sauna for five months and still humid the rest of the time. My skin and body were not used to the dry and itchy conditions last winter. This year I have a few tools that have helped me fight wrinkles, bloody noses, and dry itchy skin.

I have had a few melt downs this winter about the discomfort that blasting the heat brings on, these melt downs were followed with a full body slathering in coconut oil (including the inside of the nose).

I am pleased to introduce Destroyer numero 1: Cocount oil

 

In Ayurveda there is the practice of Abhyanga  which is a daily oil massage. I have somewhat adapted this practice to combat my winter skin. Before getting in the shower use an oil- coconut, sesame, or other specialty massages- and gently warm it up. Apply it all over the body without rubbing it in too much. After the oil has a chance to absorb a bit into the skin begin massaging it into your skin in a circular motion making your way all over. Instead of wiping it off with a towel as some methods encourage I hop right in the shower. 

This practice, besides hydrating the skin, helps improve circulation, release toxins, calms the nerves, and if done at night can lead to a deeper sleep. 

For a further explanation this page does a great job offering an in-depth guide to Abhyanga.

2. Star Flower Skin Care Products

                                             

In the winter I apply this morning and night. In summer just at night. Smells divine.

Thick and luxurious skin cream

SO..because of the dry air I began to convince myself that I was developing deeper wrinkles around my eyes...I took it harder than I thought and caved and bought a Retinol A product. I was so disappointed and rather convinced that my wrinkles looked way worse while using the product. I have been using Star Flower Products for the last three years and love them ALL. Piper from Essential Elements  is my go to for all skin care and holistic dealings. I told her of my new eye wrinkles and she sent me over a sample of the Gold/Lavender Face Cream...I'm OBSESSED. Around my eyes I double it up on top of my Skin Dance. I can't put it all over my face because I am likely to break out and Skin Dance Serum totally takes care of my face and neck without breakouts. 

The rose gold lip balm... stays on, feels amazing, smells good, have I mentioned it feels damn good. It can double for wrinkles, cuticles, and just dry anything.

And while I love slathering my skin in smell good feel good products, Piper reminded me that hydrating form the inside is just as important.

3. You are what you eat--eat fruits full of water and hydration

I have made sure to load up on green smoothies and coconut water. Drinking lots of water is key to having beautiful skin and not feeling like a raisin. 

4. Humidify the Air

I received this adorable little humidifier for Christmas and have felt a lot better since. It is great for skin care, reducing nose bleeds, and a better air quality.

 

I think it looks like a little smurf. It is important to clean the water and basin so that you don't put toxins and all that collects there back into the air. 

These four little tools have helped me feel more comfortable this winter. 

"So what do you eat?", the social side of a dietary restriction

This January marks one year of my eating a non-ovo, non-lacto, pescatarian diet. Those labels pretty much sum up my eating habits, to put it easily I eat seafood but other than that follow a vegan or plant based diet. By now most family and friends know that I don't eat meat and some get it all together--then there is my adorable father who cooks something and then asks afterwards if it's okay that he used chicken broth.

Needless to say my dietary lifestyle choices have led to some challenging situations. I have had to walk out of resturants after looking at the menu, bring my own food to dinner parties, having to request that we eat elsewhere when with a group of people, and the sure to come dinner conversation about "So what do you eat?" and the why's. It is highly likely that new and interesting situations will continue to come.

What I have learned over this past year-

• Always check the menu online before going to a restaurant and/or call ahead to see if they can prepare something without butter etc.
• When RSVPing to a dinner or event kindly let the host know that of the restrictions and offer to bring a dish to share
• Take people up on their offer of providing you with a separate dish a dinner-- everyone feels way more awkward when you do as you sit there not eating.
• Always keep a bag of nuts, trailmix, or bar in my purse.
• When I am going with my husband (or a friend) to a party they have always come through for me letting the host know about their pain in the rear guest.
• When hosting always ask if there are any dietary restrictions. In a city full of soy free, gluten free, lactose free, vegetarian, paleos, and vegans it is nice to be able to accommodate as many people as possible. Pot lucks are always a great option because people will generally bring a dish they can eat.

Never fail, if it is my first time eating with a person or group of people there is for sure to be a discussion about my diet. I really don't mind and completely understand their curiosity.  Although I know my sister and husband feel that I always talk about what I eat, I continuously point out that it is not me that starts the conversation.

So, why do I eat this way?

It started about three and a half years ago when I cut out dairy to help me shed some extra pounds, I really didn't eat dairy for about two years and when I started again I just felt terrible afterwards. So for me cutting out dairy wasn't hard-- I have developed an aversion to it.

My husband's explanation to others about why- "She watched a documentary." I did, two in fact. I had done a good bit of research before hand about plant based diets and part of that research included the Forks Over Knives documentary and Vegicate. After learning about the China Study and meat consumptions connection to cancers, diseases, and the environmental impact of consuming meat I wanted to make changes.

My family has a large history of cancers, colon included,  and heart disease so if I can easily cut out meat from my diet than why not. I never really enjoyed cooking or eating chicken or pork. So I loaded up on veggies, fruit, whole grains, legumes, and nuts.

I learned that meat consumption and meat farms are one of the largest causes of deforestation in the amazon and of increasing our carbon footprint. I am the daughter of an environmental engineer and a super recycling mother, I was destined to be an Eco-conscious tree-hugger.

And lastly yes-some of what I saw in Vegicate bothered me in regards to animal processing.

This last year I have physically felt great and am really happy with my choice. I understand it is not for everyone and no- at times it is not easy. For example traveling to New Orleans or Montana is hard while going to California, Portland, or Colorado is so exciting. I have been able to do it with the help of some awesome bloggers and have found some incredible recipes that carnivores crave as well. As this post is getting long I will have to post about my favorite resources and recipes that I have found.