Counter Balancing Toxicity - Tips for Every Day

I heard this one recent morning on NPR.

Toxic is the word of the Year 2018; I am not sure about the context (was it related to the environment or politics?), however as far as wellness is concerned, STRESS if it becomes chronic leads to toxicity. 

 - Here are some ideas for the remainder of the holidays (I put this together a few years ago and shared it on my FB channel) to keep stress and thus toxicity down the road at bay- self care for stress. 

- Of course, these ideas can also be used as New Year's Resolution(s).  Baby steps work better for many than big leaps.  It is easier to incorporate baby steps into our often so very busy lives to introduce more balance, better quality of life (QoL).  

In Memorian Mowgli: Olfactory Greetings

Mowgli enjoying „olfactory fireworks“ 

Nov. 19, 2018

"Dogs are not our whole life , but they make our lives whole."  (Roger Caras)

What is this so familiar smell?  Well, it was Mowgli's breakfast.  Two or three days ago I started smelling something very familiar, which at first I could not pin point.

We started feeding him raw food earlier this year.  It had a very distinctive smell.  Even now that I am writing this, it is with me.  I feel comforted and a bit amused.  At times it seems like eons that he is gone, and I am totally okay with it, but other times it seems impossible.  I am not expecting this to change any time soon.  When I see someone who asks about Mowgli, I tend to tear up.  Everyone has been very kind acknowledging his passing with cards, talks and hugs; thank you all for your kindness.

It has been almost four weeks, short and long at the same time.

YogaActivist(s) and Feature

- Sending cheers and gratitude to DC-based Yoga Activist for their support of yoga teachers, by providing a platform to share about our outreach, and so much more: 

- Thank your for the support, grant, and inspiration.  Many thanks for the feature.  Many thanks to Kate Rice for editing, see link to article at the bottom. 

- There are so many yogi/yoginis taking yoga beyond more traditional studio settings and to communities that may not easily have access to yoga.

Who are these fellow practitioners? 

Why do they do the work they do?  
How do they do it?  
What are challenges, etc., etc.  
Which community do they serve?  

- I am inviting you to take a look at their page (see link  at the bottom). 

Use a Pillow (says Lee Albert), Love Chairs (say I)

Many of us may have a love hate relationship with chairs - too much sitting is a reality for many of us - considering that our bodies are made to move.

But ever since I was in India (fall of 2016) I have been giving the chair even more thought.  The fact that I love practicing and teaching chair yoga adds to that.

Chairs are wonderful tools.

- India.  Honestly, I thought I was well prepared to sit on floors in India - I was looking forward to the change after all I had been practicing yoga for more than twenty years and sitting on the floor at the beginning or end of a class for a little while in easy pose was never long enough.

Examining Life in Central Park

This lady is examining life...

Amanda was in a way one of my favorite quotes coming to life, even more so because she looked like she stepped out of Ancient Greece.  While she calls her project Examining Life, the quote I am talking about is  The unexamined life is not worth living by Socrates.

We encountered her at the end of a long walk on a Saturday morning in spring; it was sunny and hot.  It was fun to go on camera so spontaneously.  In case you end up watching the video,  I had to keep an eye on Mowgli who was frolicking in the grass with Gus whom you can not see here while Anastasia and Regal were speaking, and I did not even know I was in the frame, while the two were speaking.

Facial Reflexology to Alleviate Allergy Symptoms (Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America)

Luckily, I personally do not suffer from chronic seasonal (or any other) allergies - at least I am not aware of any- but I have had bouts of symptoms from time to time these last two years or so.   

Last week I had one of these days when I found myself having to do facial reflexology exercises at least three times during my time in the park with Mowgli.  Well, no problem; it is so easy to do it, my hands were dirty but I could use my knuckles, but it also left me wondering about Climate Change and getting older and one's body's changing needs.  This is what I think about a lot; this is work and this is my passion. 

The exercise empowered me, and helped me through the itchy eyes and sneezing, but I decided to also use the neti pot once I got home just to make sure the symptoms would not linger due to pollens being caught in my nostrils.  Kristyn of Smith and Brit Spa and Boutique had reminded me of that.  Thank you, Kristyn.  That made so much sense.  The pollens also gather on our clothes and hair. Interestingly, the ladies at Smith and Brit and I also had plans to do a video for IG the same day - sharing these wonderful exercises based on Marie-France Muller's wonderful teachings.

The weather has been something.  We have had days of summer, then it was a lot like April (in May) if you remember what April traditionally used to be  - lots of rain - which resulted in an explosion of foliage, blossoms and fragrance.  Central Park is more lush than ever, I am still not used to the many shades of green.  

It is so beautiful and so fragrant; another reason to use the neti pot.  I would not want to miss the smell of spring. 

Not Just Another Brick

Playing along last weekend prompted by spotting the beautiful golden brick on our street corner on the way home from a Cinco de Mayo party.  That I spotted it was very random.  Surprises refresh the spirit.  

Celebrating the healing properties of Derek del Gaudo's creative genius and the streets of New York. 

We went to see In and Ofitself  last November, and Regal was randomly picked; I can't tell you more.  The show is still running. 

http://thisisnotabrick.com/ #inandofitself

Thank you for your visit as always,
B, 🌹

Panicky Immune System - Global Warming/Climate Change

removing layers

It got so hot so quickly and both mornings, yesterday AND today,  I felt allergy symptoms coming on (only the third time or so in my 50+long life) during our walk in Central Park, but awarethat I have been having a bit of a cough for a while, I realized that it was my immune system getting panicky, the body's psychology, so interesting!  But the fragrance, just yum.  

- Sniffle protocol to the rescue - it takes less than a minute and it did its magic, just like Marie-France Muller noted in her book*.  Despite dirty palms from touching Mowgli, I could do it right there and then - how convenient.

A Mini Break: Gateway Ears

My ears often pop when I work on the ear reflexes on the hands.  A little bit of DIY Reflexology does wonders, as does yoga, chair yoga; something holistic every day to keep fostering awareness and to keep stress at bay; mini breaks do not replace the need for a class or session but to give yourself a high-quality break is very empowering; swipe for some of the steps... of you click on the IG link below, you will find a demo of some of the steps. 

#reflexology #earreflex #diyreflexology #diyhandreflexology #bilaterally #yogiceyeexercises #handreflexology #loveyourears #meditation #yogabreak #yoga #reflexyogabreaks #lvcy #chairyoga #earreflexology

https://instagram.com/p/BiCpTnCFU2Z/

Thank you for visiting as always,
Birgit 

A Mini Break: Seeing beyond the Two Eyes

A few days ago I shared an exercise for the eyes that I personally spontaneously did to help my straining eyes.

This exercise is for the third 👁 .  Little breaks are helpful during the day and keep stress at bay.  Obviously we need a lot more but, I trust everyone knows that.  Here is the link to the IG post @glimpses that contains a little video and some photos taken yesterday in Central Park.

https://instagram.com/p/BhhHwL4FV1Q/

Enjoy, and thank you for your visit,
B. 

A Mini Break: Eye Tension? Visit Your Eye Reflexes on the Hands

My 👁s were getting a bit tense a few days ago after too much focusing on a small screen.  Aside from switching to a real 📖, I also worked these areas on both hands and did some yogic eye exercises.  I could almost feel the tension undo itself and the eyes taking a big sigh 😔 #reflexology #eyereflexes #diyreflexology #diyhandreflexology #bilaterally #yogiceyeexercises #handreflexology #eyetension @ Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan

The below link will take you to the IG post that includes a technique reflexologists use referrrd to as thumbwalk which is very specific to Reflexology.  

https://instagram.com/p/BhckHTHFXyl/

Thank you for visiting as always, 
B. 

This may help you to shift from fight/flight to more ease:

- Inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth on a ha sound, and two more times, then return to natural breathing and observe...

Taipei Taoyuan Airport, Taiwan: "Is this a Rock in Your Luggage?"

the rock in my luggage (jade) 

Well, the “rock" the security guard was wondering about (see title) was an award, polished jade on a wooden plinth.  After a second of wondering and being a bit worried, what he could possibly mean I remembered and told him that it was "my Humanitarian Award."  "Ah," he said.  And that was it for him.  But I can hardly put into words what it means to me; it most certainly has helped to strengthen  me in many ways and it is part of its properties (see below).

Awards in form of objects with balancing properties for those who help others to rebalance makes so much sense.

Dien Cham Calmed Overly Excited Puppy almost Immediately

I was spending time at the Taitung train station on October 25, waiting for the train to Taipei after Gina Stewart's RVP Program that followed the International Reflexology Conference hosted by the ICR and Father Josef (aka Father Hu) and his Taiwanese team.

I noticed a young friendly male dog.  He was very playful; actually he was too too playful and excited.  A young woman fed him white bread after she noticed that he was bothering someone who had food.  He ate some of it.   

He was adorable and I played with him, too, but he jumped up and started tearing on my clothes.  I was a bit worried about this getting out of control, but somehow I forgot all about the One_Minute Facial Reflexology for Dogs. I had not had an encounter like this, and I had only given sessions to dogs that seemed calm to protect myself.

Emoji Reflexology!

 When I see the thumps up emoji 👍🏼,  I think of a. hitch hiking (between Murau and Stadl, Austria in the 80s - long story; those were the days) but b. these days more so of the “thumbwalk” which is a reflexology technique.

Scrolling through the emoji menu looking for just the right emoji many a times, I came to the realization that I could probably do Reflexology education/communicate via emojis. Take a look...

🤝 Greeting client🎋

Pre-session: 📴💬🚾💩 🚽

Check in: 📋🍕🍺🎢🤕☄️💨
Session: 🎼 📻📼🕥

(👍🏼,👇🏼,👈🏼,👉🏽,👊🏽, etc., etc)
After the session:
R(reflexologist):  would you like a glass of water🚰 ?How are you feeling?✍🏼
C(client): Stress level is lower, etc. 

Invited to a Non-Traditional but Sacred Reflexology Path: Banyan Tree

Banyan Tree 

I was in Taiwan in October 2017 to attend the ICR Conference and Gina Stewart’s RVP at Garden of Hope in Taitung.  

I was very much looking forward to experiencing Reflexology paths. After doing our morning constitutional* in Taipei by the Tamsui River after our first night walking back to the hotel we passed through a small park called Yuquan Park where seniors and some younger people were exercising.  

A man said hi and invited us to join him and other seniors who were walking on the roots of this banyan tree.  How did he know?  Was it written all over our faces?  We took off our shoes at the edge and embarked on a "session of sacred tree reflexology."   Banyan trees are considered sacred.**. Regal felt we were invited into a tradition and that it was a very warm welcome, I could not agree more.

Every Animal has a Story: Buddy

As I embark on bringing some focus to the animal wellness project, I would like to share about my encounter with Buddy and his mom which I came across strolling down my Instagram.  Please read from bottom to top. Thank you as always for visiting, B.

HAPPY NEW LUNAR YEAR; Year of the Dog!

Ringo (Sean Casey )

HAPPY NEW LUNAR YEAR.
The Year of the Dog begins on February 16, 2018. 

I am taking this as an invitation to continue to raise awareness about the subtle, yet powerful benefits of Reflexology for our canine friends and to spread positive vibes all around.   

I recently found out that there are 600.000.000 strays (SOURCE: ZEROSTRAYPAWJECT) worldwide!  Please consider adopting an animal looking for a home once you are ready. 

Canadian Medical Doctors in Support of Reflexology and other Holistic Methods

Many thanks to Rachel St. Pierre and Rachel Faguy.

“This documentary was produced with the intention of making known to the general public and health professionals existing care options for the individual needs of each human being, in order to explore all possible options for easing and maintaining vibrant health.”
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/newhealth

FoX News “Inside the power of reflexology”

This one can’t be shared often enough; thank you, Facebook.
Stroke and Reflexolgy; Kevin and Barbara Kunz on Fox News with Carol Alt.

link:http://video.foxnews.com/v/4026024914001/

Thank your for visiting,
B.

Reflexology Path? Taipei City Wall

City Wall Taipei

The very pretty urban park at City Wall entailed a slope with mulch surface as well as a stone path (reflexology path see below photo).  This one was a very pleasant one with big flat uniform stones.

I loved taking off my shoes walking back and forth between the Beiman Subway Station and our hotel in downtown Taipei.


However, I never saw anyone else taking off their shoes, and yes, the area was never very busy when we passed through there, although there is heavy motor cycle traffic.


Could it be that this was not an official reflexology path?  I noticed other areas embellished with river rocks, at times in unusual places, e.g. under a bench.  And there were these tiny pebble squares along a sidewalk which I started referring to as reflexology paths for 👶.

Taiwan: The first Reflexology Path

Regal about to work his foot reflexes

The first day in Taipei (Oct 2017), we headed to a park at the river.  We both are river people.  I made sure our hotel was in walking distance to the Tamsui.
We came across this Reflexology path :-); it was literally screwed into the ground.  Wait, I thought they had real pebble paths in Asia.  Not what I expected at all.  I was perplexed and amused and forgot to walk on it (jet leg), but Regal did.  This was an indication, however how popular reflexology was in Taiwan. Great.   There will be additional posts on Taiwanese reflexology paths.  It was so much fun to experience them.

Thanks for visiting.
Wishes,
B.

Some Info about the Tamsui River 

India Part Thirteen: Teaching Chair Yoga at Shri Jasnath Asan

Getting ready for pre-sunrise yoga

I had no idea these photos existed, but so pleased they do.  Many thanks to my buddy Michelle from Ireland who shared these on Facebook.  

Yoga at Shri Jasnath Asan took place before sunrise and breakfast Monday-Friday.  Here we are getting ready for my chair yoga class; love the mood in the room, us all being bundled up; it was a bit chilly in the morning.