Chronic illness cat, you speak the truth.
Gentle hugs,
Chels
Now, first let me say that I’m trying very hard to practice what I’m preaching, here. I started doing yoga when I was about 12, as I was starting to recover from years of illness, and started doing it regularly as a Junior in high school. I took yoga in college, and have continued to do it on a semi-regular basis since. Needless to say, there are days that I can’t even imagine doing Savasana (Corpse Pose, or the resting period at the end of your practice,) whether it be from lack of energy, pain, or weakness.
A few days ago, though, I was reminded of the possibilities of yoga poses by this article from SparkPeople:
Nearly every pose out there can be modified for just about any limitation. Seated poses are great, especially if you work in an office environment, or another environment where you don’t get to stand up and move around much. (Be sure to go to the next pages in the article for specific instruction on seated poses.)
Another thing about yoga is that it regulates your breathing, and causes you to have to focus on your body alone. There’s plenty of quiet time as you’re trying to keep your balance in Tree Pose, or as you’re trying to be aware of your core while pulling your sacrum upward as you pull your heels down to the floor in Downward Facing Dog.
I also came across this link to Yoga Nidra, or Yogic Sleep, which is what many people experience at the end of each practice with Corpse Pose. This goes a step further, adding guided meditation to the experience. It’s said that one hour of yogic sleep is equivalent to three hours of “regular” sleep.
Click on the photo for free recordings to use during your meditative practice. I surprised myself by staying in a meditative state for the majority of the 45 minute recording I chose to listen to. I’ve meditated before, but often no more than 15 minutes or so. It helps with the fibro fog and anxiety by calming my brain and helping me focus. I also sleep much better afterward.
Do you practice yoga or meditation for your health? What’s your favorite pose or mantra?
Gentle hugs,
Chels
My style has always been a little off-kilter, and I love dramatic and humorous touches to an outfit. That’s one of the reasons I love Peach Plum Pear. My new friend, Leslie, is the mastermind behind pieces like the Oregon Trail necklace:
I can’t count how many times I died of dysentery on that game …
She also makes some really beautiful jewelry, like this Art Nouveau statement necklace:
Isn’t it lovely?
What’s that you say?
You must see more?
Well, you were probably lured in by the title of this post, so I’ll get right to it.
Head on over to Coco and Cocoa’s blog for her $40 gift card giveaway to Peach Plum Pear!
If you don’t win the giveaway, or if you just can’t wait for someone else to snag your favorite piece, do not passgo:
Now, for the twist. By entering and sharing the giveaway, you not only get a chance to wear one of Leslie’s unique creations, but you’ll also be contributing to a great cause. Leslie is a member of the chronic health issue club, who’s been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and other illnesses, as well as adhesions. Adhesions are really painful sheets of scar tissue that can bind nerves and other tissue, in her case, part of her digestive tract, together. Adhesions act like a glue that can cause severe pain, obstruction, and other debilitating symptoms. To learn more about them, go here. Unfortunately, the type of surgery Leslie needs to relieve her of those terrible symptoms is only available in Germany, so she’s raising money for the trip and procedure by selling her awesome jewelry. So, please pass the giveaway and shop info along, and help Leslie reach her goal – she has $19,399.00 left to go! (To donate directly to Leslie, visit her Go Fund Me page.)
Gentle hugs,
Chels
I’m not necessarily a neat freak, but I do like order. I’m a planner, a note taker, and … a forgetter.
Folks, sometimes the brain fog gets so bad that I just have to laugh. Sometimes I have to cry, too, because it can be so frustrating. There are days when I just don’t know if I have the energy to make one more trip to the other end of the apartment because I forgot one more thing. So, to make it a little easier on myself, I try to maintain some order to my routine, and to our living space.
FlyLady.net is a great resource for developing and maintaining a cleaning schedule, as well as maintaining order in other areas of your life. I have to confess that I’m not able to keep a very regular cleaning schedule with our unpredictable schedule here at the student center, but splitting up chores on different days helps me not wear myself out and end up in extra pain. We are notorious for letting the dishes pile up in the sink since we moved into the center’s intern apartment, which doesn’t have a dishwasher, but every time the dishes DO get done, I think of Fly Lady’s tip to give the sink a clean while I’m at it. It really does make a difference. The sink is already wet, and I already have the scrubber in hand.
I came across this next link on Pinterest this evening, and I think I’ll give it a try. There are tons of printables to use, from meal planning to important contact info, and you can pick and choose which ones you want to use. I’m especially fond of the list for contact information for different service providers. If that can keep me from searching for a bill to find a customer service phone number, I’m all for it! The theory is that if you put all of your important information in one binder, you won’t have to hunt for that info ever again. Unless you lose the binder, of course.
Obviously, if it’s helpful to organize your schedule and important information, it’s also helpful to organize the rooms in your home to keep from having to search for important items. If everything has a home, you’ll almost always know where to find what you need. A while back, I made a key rack for our entryway, because I would spend several minutes each time I needed to leave trying, frantically, to find my keys. So, now I’m in the habit of hanging them up as I walk in the door. If I forget to do it, I don’t put the keys down just anywhere – I walk back to the rack. It’s saved me a considerable amount of time and frustration. While you’re organizing, you can arrange things so that they’re more easily accessible. If you’re vertically challenged like I am, or if you have trouble crouching or bending over, you may consider using an over-the-door organizer. The plastic dollar store shoe organizers work well (you can even cut them in half to hang from smaller cabinet doors in the kitchen and bath,) or you can try any one of these genius ideas:
Take things one area at a time. Not only will it keep you from overdoing it, it will give you a satisfying sense of accomplishment once you’ve finished. Have two or three bags or boxes nearby for trash, recycling, and donations. It’ll keep you from putting anything back that you no longer need or want, and the space will appear less cluttered, which can also keep you from finding what you need.
Once you get to your closets, you may as well do a little editing. Keep those same bags or boxes nearby, but this time for trash, donations, and cleaning rags. Single socks whose mates have been lost to the dryer make great cleaning rags – just put your hand inside the sock and go. My grandmother used socks specifically for furniture polishing, and guess what I loved doing as a kid as a result? (When you’re not cleaning, the sock doubles as a puppet!) For a little help deciding what to keep and what to toss, follow the flow chart below.
Remember to take things one area at a time, and set realistic goals for yourself. It may take you a week, or it may take you a few months to organize your home. The key is to stick with it once you’ve finished! Things won’t be perfect all the time, and you’ll still forget things, but if you maintain just a little more order than you started with, you’ll maintain that much more sanity.
Gentle hugs,
Chels
Call me trendy, I don’t care. I took a hula hooping class last Saturday! Truthfully, I’ve always been interested in “circus” style tricks. Remember the movie Labyrinth? Jareth (David Bowie) appears to be juggling multiple glass spheres, when in reality, there’s a man crouched behind him, really doing those tricks, making the spheres look like they’re floating around his hands. I have one of those spheres, and I’ve learned a few tricks.
Anyway. This is a relatively new trend, so let me explain. Hula hooping for fitness is becoming a popular way to “play” (rather than exercise,) lose weight, and connect with your body in a low-impact way. Check out youtube for some really educational, and just downright fun to watch, videos of people practicing with their hoops. There are even LED hoops that light up the night – kids of the 90’s rejoice!
If your parents didn’t allow you to go to raves – smart move on their part – you can fulfill your neon colored fantasies by picking up a glowing hoop and learning some tricks.
You don’t necessarily need to go to a class to learn how to hoop, although I suggest going to one beginner’s class to learn how to hoop properly. I know that sounds weird, like when, in yoga, the instructor tells you how to breathe correctly, but it’s true. You can avoid bruises and hip problems if you learn how to hoop the right way. If you’re in the DFW area, I highly recommend The Hoop Shack. You can visit the website, http://aroundjoy.com/, to see some videos and find out why hooping is an effective tool in weight loss, muscle toning, endurance building, heart health, coordination and balance, etc. Mostly, I dare you to watch one video and NOT feel nostalgic.
FYI, don’t go to Walmart and pick up a plastic kid’s hoop. I mean, do that if you want to have fun, but it will likely be too small and too light to hoop with for long. The exercise hoops you’ll see in the videos are made of plastic or rubber tubing and wrapped in duct tape and athletic tape for grip and a little cushion. You can get people of all ages involved, though, so if you have kids (who are naturals at hooping, by the way,) this is something fun you can do together.
If you want to try making your own hoop and learning from all those youtube videos, here’s a great tutorial on how to do it. It’s inexpensive, but if you want to wrap your hoop in colorful tape, that may cost you a little more money and time.
Do you hoop? I would love to hear your story in the comments below!
Gentle hugs,
Chels
I’ll be the first to say that I enjoy the occasional debate. (Not as much as I used to – anxiety alert!) I also respect when people have strong feelings and opinions, especially if there’s a good sense of humor to go along with it. With the wonders of social media, we’re all sharing our feelings, thoughts, and causes left and right. Thankfully, most of the people I know are kind and respectful of each other, so I’m not subjected to too much drama, really. That’s not accounting for friends’ friends, though. There are some people who, no matter what you say, think you’re absolutely wrong and an [insert insult here] for saying what you say, thinking what you think, feeling what you feel … it must be exhausting to go through life challenging everyone in that way. It’s exhausting enough to witness someone else doing it.
When you get down to it, we all disagree about something. Food, movies, beauty, and the ultimate controversial duo: politics and religion. All too often, those topics bring up a major migraine and/or some serious muscle tension. The thing I find missing from most discussions gone wrong is grace. You may think of different things when trying to define grace, but I can probably make a case for why each definition is applicable to maintain a respectful argument (or a respectful silence,) and to save you from exhaustion, even pain.
Definition 1: A virtue coming from God. Hey, dictionary, could you vague that one up just a little more? Seriously, I go to church, I read the Bible, I have a relationship with God, and I still don’t completely get this definition of grace. I can say that I get that Biblical grace is something holy from God that sets you apart and, perhaps more importantly, it’s what enables a person to have a relationship with God. Now, even if you don’t believe in God, I know you still get this. Grace is something that is given to form the foundation for a respectful, meaningful relationship. The better relationship you have with someone, the easier it is to tolerate differences.
Definition 2: Favor; disposition to or an act or instance of kindness, courtesy, or clemency. Even when you completely, utterly disagree with someone, your attitude toward the disagreement can make all the difference in the world. You can either end up in a yelling match with a sore throat, wondering how in the world things got that far, or you can take a breath, and allow the other person the courtesy of your “good graces.” C’mon, save the Luden’s.
Definition 3: A charming or attractive trait or characteristic. Simply put, grace makes you attractive. As they say, you catch more flies with honey …
Definition 4: Sense of propriety or right. Last but not least, even if you don’t win the argument, grace means you still get to be right! Everyone likes to be right, right?
All kidding aside, we could all use a little more grace in our lives. Since grace is something you give, first and foremost, you may be the only one giving, but if it means saving your sanity, your health, and keeping your cool, it’s totally worth it. Plus, if you think it might be hard to put grace into action in conversation (fake smiles can be pretty painful for everyone involved,) just abide by that simple kindergarten rule: if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. You can always blog about it later.
Gentle hugs,
Chels