a closer look at lymph

with the upcoming colder months we want to do our best to keep our immune system functioning as best as possible.

one of the most important parts of our immune system is our lymphatic system. unlike the cardiovascular system, the lymphatic system doesn't have a pump like the heart to move lymph around. so our body relies on us to get our lymph moving.

lymph is the fluid that contains hormones and other chemicals from the various glands to the rest of your body. lymph is also rich in white blood cells, which as you well know, is vital for your immune system and helps remove toxins from the tissues in your body.

here are a few simple things you can do to help get your lymph moving:

• dry brushing before showering (i've wrote about this here)

• see a massage therapist

• do a simple self massage daily or every other day - this doesn't have to be anything major - just rubbing on your lotion helps move lymph around
  

• exercise - get moving

• yoga - twists and inversions are great for moving lymph

wishing you a happy and healthy autumn & winter season! hugs!!

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monday moment of zen

"if you follow your bliss you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life you ought to be living is the one you are living. follow your bliss and don't be afraid, and doors will open where you didn't know they were going to be."
~ joseph campbell

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half day bed day

i spent the majority of my day in bed yesterday. today, specifically this morning, i am blessed with another half day bed day.

there is a difference between a bed day and a crash day. let me educate you on the fine art of both. :)

a bed day is when you can take a few hours or hopefully most or the whole day and just stay in bed. you can take your laptop, books, pets, loved ones, tea/coffee, anything you wish as a bed day is considered productive time (if you want it to be) with maybe a nap or two thrown in for good measure.



where as a crash day is something different entirely. a crash day is when your body just can't handle you putting it through the ringer anymore and you just sleep most of the day away. not much, if any, productivity happens on a crash day.


i have learned, for me at least, that if you don't take a bed day occasionally you are sure to eventually have to give in to a crash day as your body just can't take anymore. while i have been busy recently, i haven't been pushing myself too far.

tell me your experiences of bed days vs crash days. wishing you a productive day from bed or otherwise. hugs!!

image credit ici et ici

full moon meditation

every full moon people from all over the world are meditating simultaneously for world peace. take a moment whether you are, on your meditation pillow or waiting in line, bring peace to yourself and send that peace through out the world. if you are with a friend share it with a friend. link up with sages from the himalayas and people world wide as one collective vision for peace. everything begins with a thought.

east coast time starts at 10pm. namaste

this info came to me by way of an email.

bed day

the air has a crispness to it today that is a foreshadowing of what is to come. i love fall and all of it's beauty.

i've declared today a bed day. other than my chiropractor appointment and my massage appointment, i will send the day in bed. yes, other things will try to work their way into my day (and that has already proven to be so with a early text asking if i could do a massage later today) but i have to be selfish with my time today and take care of me.

the past two days my energy has been rather low. i'm always on the go, go, go! and i think my body is just letting me know, 'ay lady, you need to slow down, rest and rejuvenate.' so today, i will listen to my body and give it what it needs.

today's festivities will include some major cuddle time with the snuggly


and a few forceful cuddles with the not so snuggly

i am sending you all thoughts of love & healing hugs!! hope your tuesday is a tranquil one!!

monday moment of zen

"what lies behind you and what lies in front of you pales in comparison to what lies inside you." ~ ralph waldo emerson

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mornings

as i sit in front of my laptop writing this, i am enjoying a cup of coffee made from a french press. while i am definitely a lover of tea, i still love & enjoy coffee as well. from my desk i have a lovely view of this:

my beautiful morning glories

i also have a lovely view of this:

my lovely potted herbs and flowers (sanjay is on herb patrol here)

i believe he's asking me "why didn't you plant cat nip?!" :)

so, tell me, or better yet, show me, what is your morning view?

have a lovely weekend! hugs!!

thankful thursday

this thursday i am thankful for:

• all of you lovelies who have responded to the 2nd annual tea trade. if you haven't signed up yet, please consider doing so.

• enjoying my beautiful roses (see pic above) that ryan planted for me last year. i've enjoyed plenty of fresh cut roses all summer long - thank you sweetie!!

• getting together with the bliss book club to watch eat pray love together & then gathering at the kenyan cafe afterwords to enjoy each others company, dine & discuss both book & movie. we had a wonderful time together! if you are local, consider joining our book club, we've got some exciting events coming soon!

• finally getting to meet long time bloggy friend jessica and having her in my yoga class. :)

• teaching yoga to puppy parents at this years splash bash at marilla park - bring your pup, do some yoga & play in the pool sunday august 29th 10am-4pm

i hope you have a thankful thursday as well. hugs!!

a heated debate

i was perusing around the blogosphere the other day and ran across one of my favorite bloggers analiese wrote about hot yoga. instead of leaving all of my thoughts in a comment there i decided to do a blog post about it. yes, i know, i haven't been posting much as of late and i apologize. i will have someone to speak to my secretary immediately.... oh wait, i am my secretary. so it goes! :)

as some of you may know, amongst other classes, i teach hot yoga. in fact, i am the only person that teaches hot yoga in morgantown.

let me just start out by saying that i am not a fan of bikram, which i wrote about here. bikram felt a little more like boot camp rather than yoga to me, but that's just my opinion.

ok, with that said, my student's safety is of utmost importance to me. i heat the room between 90-95 degrees - hot but not too hot! trust me, if it were any hotter, i wouldn't be teaching it. :) i know one of the many perks of the heated room is so that your muscles will warm up faster but i always start my hot yoga class out the way i would any of my classes - by doing easy poses that warm up the body slowly. and being a licensed massage therapist, i always make sure to mention to my students to honor their bodies limitations.

i think that a student can be injured in any yoga class. in fact, i am one of those students. i injured my sacroiliac joint during an iyengar class.

the most beautiful thing about yoga is that there is something for everyone! if you want to try out hot yoga, i say go for it!

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monday moment of zen

"the purpose of life is not to be happy. it is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well."
~ ralph waldo emerson

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2nd annual tea trade

can you believe that is almost autumn already? where has the time gone?

the good news is that it's almost time for the 2nd annual tea trade!! last years was a blast and again, my thanks to all who participated.

this years trade is going to be just a little different than before. i am opening up this tea trade to loose tea as well as bagged tea. to participate you must be willing to ship your package internationally.

how it works: tea traders will send a sampling of 3 - 4 ounces (85 - 113 grams) to another participating tea trader. (most boxes of pre-bagged tea is usually between 1.8 -2 oz or 51 - 57 grams)

details: please send an email to melitamollohan@gmail.com with the subject line "tea trade." in the body of the email please share your address . i will then match up people round robin style and give you a name and address of where to send your teas packages. all of your personal information will be kept strictly confidential. if you feel more comfortable providing your work address rather than personal that is totally fine. also, if you do not wish to provide your name please make sure you let me know in the email and who ever will be sending your tea package will label the envelope "tea trade" and your address.

special prize: i will award a special prize to one lucky tea trader. special prize will be announced soon (i'm still working on gathering a few goodies for the lucky winner).

due date: please email me your information by september 15th so that we can start tea trading at the end of september!

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monday moment of zen

"very little grows on jagged rock. be ground. be crumbled, so wildflowers will come up where you are." ~ rumi

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monday moment of zen

"beauty is not in the face, it is in the light of the heart."
~ anonymous

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