Are you out of your senses???

My sister recently lent me an excellent book and it has got me thinking about how we go through this life, sniffing, caressing, glancing, harking, and savoring. In

A Natural History of the Senses

, by Diane Ackerman, you start with the nose and move along through our 5 fabulous perception options.

It has me thinking about sensory deprivation. So far, a couple of people that lost their sense of smell in the book feel lost from their own lives, homes, spouses, and that's not to mention the difficulties of trying to actually enjoy food without olfactory assistance. Helen Keller is brought up a few times. Any time I thought of her before reading this I sort of felt sorry for her, but in this book I learn the other side. Her sense of taste, touch, and smell are so enhanced that you might argue she lived a life more sensual and rich than most!

I am thinking of my own nose and a few special scents that are indeed complexly and inexorably linked to my memories. I have a certain conditioner that takes me right back to summer vacations with my dear family down by the ocean. A special Egyptian-reminiscent perfume and there I am on prom night, 17. Warm Vanilla sugar lotion transports me to my college road trip to the eastern Australian coast, and on and on. Do you have any special smells like these? It's fascinating and sad that a loss of smell is sometimes correlated with Alzheimer's disease. It's amazing how scent is so indescribable, yet so effective at drawing us out of our present moment. Perhaps it could also sink us more deeply? In yoga I often apply my herbal eye pillow of lavender and chamomile, I think I'll make it a point to do that more regularly.

I shall continue this theme for a few posts, tune in next time for touch.

Namaste,
Katherine

Are you on the D List???

You may have heard discussion lately over one of the hottest vitamins around: the Big D! Some recent research has shown that a chunk of us don't have enough D. Vitamin D is a fat soluble secosteriod and is produced in your skin upon exposure to you guessed it: sunlight! While you don't want to give up sunscreen and avoiding our solar friend at his strongest is still wise, a few minutes of sun per day DOES give you enough D to be healthy. Once generated, Vit D heads to the liver and other areas and helps regulate calcium metabolism and bone health, and may even aid healthier hair too!

So...the big question is where do you get Vitamin D in hazy shade of winter? Well even mild sun exposure is not a bad idea if you can get out for a walk on a sunny day here and there. In your diet be sure to examine labels, and to cover all the bases a multivitamin is a great idea. If you look to your diet for sources of D, consider drinking fortified milk, fatty fish, mushrooms, eggs and meat. To do a little self analysis, as your physician at your annual physical if you can check your D levels, some forward-thinking practitioners have already added this test to their required list of blood tests, my doc does and I'm happy to report my levels are aok! Remember, always check with your doctor if you're not feeling well, and before you drastically alter your diet or habits, make sure your doc has given you the go ahead. Soon enough we'll be heading out to the garden or pool and easily generating plenty of D. In the meantime, take care of your body and it will take care of you!

Namaste,
Kat

Dry, Cold, Winter...Hydrate!

Water is one of the very most important substances that living creatures require. Sometimes it can be taken for granted. Chronic dehydration is linked to multiple health issues, and it's unlikely someone that is not health conscious would even notice, especially in the cold months!

In the heat of summer, it is easier to realize the need for water. Many people are watering the grass, going swimming at the pool or ocean, or sweating it out during exercise under the sun. Winter on the other hand might catch us off guard. It may not be appealing to chug a large glass of ice water while out to eat in January. Don't be afraid to ask them to hold the ice. Would you water a house plant with ice-cold liquid? No! Why do it to yourself?

Even in cold weather, the body will sweat if exertion requires it to cool down. This could be dangerous if an individual is spending extended time in the elements and over-cools. In addition, the cool, dry air of winter, and the hot dry air of the heater cause moisture loss in the skin. If internal liquid levels are down, this skin thirst can amplify to the point of cracked lips, and skin, increasing risk of infection and pain. One of the easiest ways to gauge hydration is urine color. Go for level 3 or lesson the chart.

So, drink up on H20 this holiday season! Especially during the weeks of holiday parties, where people often choose to drink more alcohol or coffee than normal, and may even eat more, digestion requires water too! Those two drinks actually rob the body of water. And do not forget! If you are heading to the slopes, take that bottle and refill often. High altitude also necessitates greater water intake.

Lets cheers to water in winter! Hot tea, water with lemon, and cocoa with skim milk are all healthy ways to take care of yourself this holiday season.

Be pecky!

You might be wondering "What in the world is pecky"? I too would have asked that until yesterday when I was watching my husband's new favorite show, Swamp Loggers. I learned about pecky cypress, and it's pretty awesome! Cypress trees often grow in swamps and for unknown reasons, certain trees are attacked by a type of fungus that creates lens shaped pockets throughout the wood (as you can see in the photos above). In addition this wood is extremely dense, much stronger than a cypress without the pockets. Some of the trees may be up to 1000 years old, and in fact one about that age weighs around 28000 pounds! This highly desirable wood is incredibly durable and stable, lasting hundreds of years more when it is used in homes or other places for human appreciation. It is given a value of around twice that of any other wood harvested in the swamp.

What can we learn in this lesson from nature? Sometimes the challenges of life permeate and affect us profoundly, even attacking us to the core. It might feel like a battle. However this difficulty can give us value, and beauty, and strength beyond belief in our lives and after. I couldn't have created an analogy for yoga philosophy any more amazing than this forest lesson.

Next time I do tree pose, I will be a pecky cypress! :) I hope you'll join me.

Namaste,
Kat

Gratitude

Happy Thanksgiving Yogis. I found the poem below, and felt it was a nice reflection on America and our past, present, and future. Times are tough, but we have a strong history, and for that, I am grateful. Please do get some rest during this holiday break! Namaste.


Giving Thanks
For the hay and the corn and the wheat that is reaped,
For the labor well done, and the barns that are heaped,
For the sun and the dew and the sweet honeycomb,
For the rose and the song and the harvest brought home --
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

For the trade and the skill and the wealth in our land,
For the cunning and strength of the workingman's hand,
For the good that our artists and poets have taught,
For the friendship that hope and affection have brought --
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

For the homes that with purest affection are blest,
For the season of plenty and well-deserved rest,
For our country extending from sea unto sea;
The land that is known as the "Land of the Free" --
Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!
Author Unknown

Thinkin' bout makin' my move...

What leads to those seismic shifts in life?

Some people seem to experience them regularly, others never or maybe once. A kick off to start your own business, or move to a whole new place and start fresh. To some this is stress, to others a relief. A new approach to life takes a distinct recipe that requires very special conditions. First, an individual has to be open to their true needs. Comfort can be a need, but too much comfort and we forget who we are, we are never tested and can never flash our vibrant and highly able selves. Not enough security and we feel as though strong ocean waves with an undertow are washing over us again and again, relentless and without mercy. We must find those moments where we have a combination of peace and push. The base to let us leap off a steady platform, but also the courage to reach out and embrace change.

Lately I have noticed myself becoming set in my ways about a few tiny things. Driving routes are less varied than before. New routes feel mildly odd. These things are small, but shocking. Getting in a different car to drive and not liking the set up. Wanting to use only my own mugs that are from Japan, I got them free in a box on a curb from a long-over garage sale and I love them. Plus I kind of fear items made in China, related to food. Coincidentally (or not) I have been away from yoga a bit more often, could my strong grasp on the known relate? As our bodies lose flexibility, so too do our minds? Sure. I know I read somewhere recently that our very blood vessels and arterial health can correlate with our muscle flexibility. So could it follow that physical motion and exploration allows our grey matter to dive and soar, just as we do in forward fold and then upward salute?

I renew my commitment to yoga. I now have a home space and I know I'm open to it. One day last week I woke up and headed down for 15 minutes of morning practice with music and pranayama. The day definitely felt better and it was a doozy, organizing a luncheon for 100 people, then yoga then a soccer game at 9:30 at night. I'm teaching two classes of yoga a week as well so that is nice, a constant source of the inconstant. May this shift towards the universe allow the energy around me to swirl, flow, and vibrate, crackling with expectation and hope, alive with potential and joy, and allowing openness towards destiny. I wish the same for you!

Namaste,
Katherine

spring Forward, fall Back

Fall is upon us again. The shriek of the crow echos, hustling squirrels create mental maps, and warm hues of retiring leaves make me feel that this is a time of goodbyes (to the year). Maybe these vivid solar colors remind us to cherish the warmth that is due to leave our hemisphere for a while.

Another orbit around the sun is finishing up and as time moves forward, its normal that we return to memories of the season. I can remember picking apples, hiking with the Marchin clan, Halloween fun, and a brightly lit kitchen with chili cooking on the stove, a warm safe place as darkness fell outside.

Don't forget to set your clock back on November 7th. And do remember to set aside some time to remember autumns past. Happy Halloween!

Namaste,
Kat