Monthly Archives: June 2011

sugar, ah honey honey

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another fun fact about me: i am fascinated by nature and the animal kingdom. i am a discovery channel nerd. i love shark week. i recorded the entire life series, narrated by oprah winfrey, on my dvr. as a kid, my mom got me & my sisters the entire childcraft – the how & why library. out of the entire library, my favorite childcraft book was the world of animals. i am obsessed with dolphins – as a child i had dreams of growing up to be a marine mammalogist. i think i even wrote a book about it in the 3rd grade – me, my boat & my dolphin. i had some pretty bad ass illustrations, too…

fast-forward 20 years later, mammalogy is not associated with my name whatsoever, i have a dolphin that has taken permanent residence on my right hip – smile & all, and i steer clear of any nautical vehicles, unless i feel like regurgitating my lunch. i do, however, have horrible allergies that pop up whenever the weather changes or when things start blowin around in the air.

photo courtesy of genehanson.com

when i first started having allergy attacks about 2 years ago, i was in denial that it was even allergies. i was in denial because my mom has allergies and she is a hot mess. not just during allergy “season,” but all year round! i didn’t mind inheriting my mom’s (lack of) height, her selective hearing (i am slightly deaf in both ears), or her quirkiness, but oh-my-gawd her allergies! then, one year my cousin confirmed it. (our moms are sisters, and yep – they both have allergies). she had been allergy-free up until her mid- to late-20′s, then all of a sudden, it was like she woke up one morning (bam!) and they were there! so i feel like that’s kinda what has happened to me: 2 years ago, they were no big deal. last year it was annoying, but bearable. this year – i am miserable: itchy throat, red/watery eyes, coughing (straight up nastiness), hoarse voice (because of the itchy throat), and congestion… OUT OF NOWHERE! ugh. horrible.

at work the other day, misery must’ve been written all over my face, because everyone at work commented on how i wasn’t lookin to hot. (thanks for the honesty, loves). i had bigger fish to fry than to worry about how i looked. i couldn’t breathe and my nose was running like crazy! i am usually against medication, but desperate times call for desperate measures. one of the girls, we call her juds, suggested zyrtec – “the miracle drug”. i picked up a bottle of the liquid gels (i heard they work faster) at cvs… and yes it most definitely is the miracle drug! i could breathe again!

my honey pot (photo courtesy of kb)

what really caught my attention about allergy relief was taking tbsp. of honey a day… seriously? one of the guys on the team suggested it after i mentioned how bad my allergies were. mind you, not the honey that comes in the plastic bear, but local honey from local bees. i never heard about this natural remedy before, but apparently once he mentioned it, a handful of other people said they heard that it works! this is fabulous news for me, i would rather go the natural route than have to pop a pill everyday anyway!

with this new nature-based knowledge, i drove to the closest whole foods market and picked up a jar of my local honey, sage honey, to be exact. although, i also saw avocado honey on the shelf which peaked my curiosity, but i was not in the mood to be daring.i figured i didn’t have anything to lose, and if it doesn’t work, i could just go back to the zyrtec. i’m on day 3 of my sage honey allergy experiment. i’ve noticed that the itchiness in my throat has subsided, my coughs not as gnarly, and that my eyes aren’t red! (without the aid of zyrtec). the best part, it tastes good – nature’s natural sweetener. :) the animal kingdom never ceases to amaze me.

fun honey links:

amen bee products – suppliers of my daily honey fix

earth clinic honey remedies – other natural benefits of honey! i’m thinking about trying some of these out, too!

honey bee facts – learn about your buzzin’ buddies

honey locator – sooo awesome! read about local honey all over the country, the flavor of each honey & local honey farms in your area!

photo courtesy of laughingplace.com

give honey a try…

winnie-the-pooh knows what i’m talkin about!

look ma, no feet!

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i am in love with bakasana.

it is compact, core-power, strengthens the arms & wrists, and it makes me feel like i’m flying!

it’s so much fun!

:D

lady crow, kathryn budig: photo courtesy of jasper johal

for me, arm balances make me feel like i’m a kid again… learning how to ride a bike: trying, falling, picking myself up, dusting myself off & going at it – over and over again until i get it. yeap! i am persistent. i am determined. i am resilient. what can i say? i love a challenge.

it’s not about the destination. it’s all about the journey and the process.

…this can probably be said about one’s yoga practice in general, but for me, it becomes especially apparent in my arm balances & inversions. personally, my strong asanas (poses) typically involve one or both of my feet on the floor… they are my strengths simply because i feel the most comfortable in them. but, then again, what i love most about my yoga practice is that i face my fear head on. i might not overcome it right away, but i am aware it exists, and little by little i’ll whittle the fear away. in a yoga practice, progress is inevitable, especially if you remain dedicated.

man crow, baron baptiste: photo courtesy of yoganonymous.org

the first time i attempted to get into bakasana (crow pose), i couldn’t even get my feet off the ground. my core strength was non-existent and my arms were like jell-o. i think i face-planted at least 20 times before i was air born (so to speak). in that process alone, i’ve learned how to fall slowly, safely, gracefully even… hey, falling is an art in itself. :P ask the klutzes in your life. i used my strengths in my practice to help me to improve my weaknesses, discovered the core in essentially every pose i practiced, and continued to fall out of bakasana until i finally flew!

bakasana was my gateway pose, similar to how a couple hits of maryjane can lead to a whole mish mash of other illegal activity in misguided individuals. (bad comparison, i know, but it’s the first thing i thought of when using the word gateway). bakasana has unlocked this constant curiosity to explore my practice, unleashed a love for all things arm balancing, and added a fun factor to my practice. i love when teachers include arm balances into their sequences, and i love integrating them into mine, too! :) whenever i try something new, i clear my mind of any preconceived notions or expectations, fighting the temptation to psych myself out, because that just leads to graceful falling. i’ve even opened up to inversions, specifically tripod headstand, which has been my biggest fear so far. i am happy to report that i’ve already made huge leaps and bounds since starting to practice my tripod headstand in the beginning of the year! someday… i’ll be solid.

wise crow, bette calman: photo courtesy of yogadork.com

as i explore deeper into my practice, i’ve found that sometimes i hit these sweet spots where everything is in perfect harmony: flexibility is on, breath is calm & steady, and the strength is just on point – bam! i get into a pose like it’s nobody’s business & can hold it there for days. i’m on cloud 9 – euphoria! …granted, on any given day, i may or may not find it, but still, i know it exists! i realize that my body is different every time i step on my mat – as is everyone’s. gotta love the way the body works…

me crow: photo courtesy of kb. weee! :)

 always a work in progess…

afterall, how fun would it be if we could do every single pose perfectly the first time around?

enjoy the journey of your practice, relish in the moment & say hello, to crow! 

father knows best

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photo courtesy of dsgnmomonline.wordpress.com

family dinners are always entertaining these days, especially when you can get the 5 of us together around the table with a open bottle of wine. :) dad used to be able to enjoy a bottle to himself & it would last him a couple of meals, but now that  my sisters & i are all grown up, a bottle is perfect for the 4 of us, plus some to spare for the boyfriends that join us every once and a while. dad always has some sort of interesting story to share – tid bits of fun facts. sometimes i think he’s taken his que from my sister, gerri, who is infamous for knowing tons of random information – she is the trivial pursuit queen.

i wasn’t there at this particular dinner, but my sister mentioned it today as we were walking out of church:

g: did you know what dad said at dinner the other day? were you there?

k: no – i don’t think i was.

g: he said that father’s day wasn’t a permanent holiday until the early 1970s, but mother’s day was celebrated since the 1800s… so we have to make up for all those years that dad’s weren’t celebrated.

lol. my dad is a funny guy… both of my parents actually are. since us 3 girls are out of school & have ventured out into the real world (but still very much at home), my dad has reached a whole new level of laid back-ness. actually, when we were growing up, i would never have associated the word laid back with my dad. he was super strict with me – let’s just say that i didn’t have a curfew because he didn’t think i should be going out past dark in the first place… his methods were kind of extreme, but after high school when i went off to college, i had a new appreciation for how he raised my sisters and me.

thank you dad, for:

  • your authoritative style in child-rearing (you & mom were a perfect balance) – although in the moment i didn’t appreciate it, in retrospect, i would probably be more of the type of parent you were when i eventually have children
  • instilling in me a sense of responsibility, accountability & integrity
  • showing me that family always comes first
  • teaching me the importance of having an education and for supporting all 3 of your daughters in our educational careers: from private elementary school to private high school then to top ranking universities (UC Berkeley, UC Davis & Boston College) – the gift of an education is truly priceless
  • for being present for every single ballet performance i was in as a child/teenager
  • for supporting me in my career choices, even though you do have your own opinions about the matter

words cannot even begin to express the gratitude i have for having such a strong father figure in my life. i am a combination of both of my parents: in personality, quirks, tendencies & mild paranoia (thanks to my dad).

it’s his day today. my dad enjoyed father’s day by playing a round of golf with his buddies… my dad needs golf, similar to the way i need yoga. to each his own! 

i hope you gave your dad a big hug today! …and like my dad says, there are a lot of father’s days we have to make up for! father knows best! 

at my cousin's wedding 05/07 (photo courtesy of kb)

happy father’s day, dad!