healthy

Libre Tea Glass Review & Giveaway!

Taya / Contests, Food / , , , , , , , , , , , / 29 Comments

**UPDATE** This contest is now closed. Thanks to everyone for entering, and congratulations to Adrienne Summers for winning a beautiful Libre Tea Glass!

Libre, from Gibsons, BC, is an eco-friendly company committed to sustainable people and planet practices. They are the creators the portable ‘on-the-go’ loose leaf tea glass for all to enjoy and relax with – anywhere, anytime.

“Libre (lee-brah). The state of being free. Letting go, bringing ones mind and body to a place of rest and free from restraint. Tea is symbolic of an ancient ritual celebrating the secular as sacred. It is a space to take a breath, reconnect with oneself and the world. It is a time to stop to enjoy life, people and the planet and remembering the joys that life has to offer.”

The Libre Loose Leaf Tea Glass collection comes in three sizes: the 9oz Original, 14 oz Large and 10 oz Mug. Each beverage holder is a thermal bottle with a health-conscious glass interior for fresh tasting beverages and a tough polycarbonate exterior for portable durability. Its easy to clean stainless steel removable filter is surrounded by twist off BPA-free lid and drinking lip.

Just add hot water (or cold) along with your favourite loose leaf tea, watch your drink steep, and take leaf-free sips thanks to its efficient strainer screen. It’s is the perfect leak resistant thermal travel container (keeps tea warm yet cool to touch) to take to yoga class – its compact size fits easily in hand, purse, bike or car cup holders, and makes a healthy post-yoga class rehydrator.

This handy to-go bottle can be used two ways to brew and travel with loose leaf tea: Tea in the tea glass for longer-brewing herbal teas or tea on top of the twist off filter for black and shorter-brewing time teas. Here is a quick video on using the Libre Loose Leaf Tea Glass that shows how simple and easy it is to achieve a great cup of tea:

Libre is giving a chance for one lucky Vancouver Yoga Review reader to win a large (14 oz) Loose Leaf Tea Glass! You’ll find the following giveaway information below…

How to enter the Libre Tea Contest:

1. “Like” Vancouver Yoga Review and Libre Tea on Facebook.

2. “Follow” @VanYogaReview and @LibreTea on Twitter.

3. Leave a comment below when you have completed the above!

FYI: Liking this specific post on Facebook and sharing the link on your Facebook and Twitter accounts will add your name three extra times into the draw. Contest ends October 31st at 11:59pm. Good luck!

Raincoast Cookies Are Fit For Vancouver Yogis

Taya / Food / , , , , , , , , , , / 0 Comment

We attended a media event with EatingInVancouver last night at the lovely home of Lesley Stowe. You’re probably all familiar with her über popular Raincoast Crisps, but she has just launched a new product – Raincoast Cookies!

Yes, just as healthy and tasty as her crisps, I have to say, these cookies are delicious! Why are they fit for Vancouver yogis? Well, these nutritious products were born, raised, and made in Vancouver – the city where Lesley still calls home. “More than a cookie”, they are the perfect post-yoga class refuel. Packed with all natural ingredients like flax, chia seeds, and chicory root, these filling cookies are made without artificial ingredients or preservatives. Offered in three flavours: Dark Chocolate, Tart Cherry & Pecan (my favourite), Apricot, Ginger & Slivered Almond, and Dried Cranberry & Toasted Hazelnut, they no not contain eggs, or dairy products, so they’re ideal for all the awesome vegan yogis out there. We’ll have a full review up at EatingInVancouver, but in the mean time visit the website lesleystowe.com for further information.

Chataranga Dandasana

Guest Author / Styles, Yogis / , , , , , , , / 0 Comment

My subject today is the dreaded chatarunga (dreaded by me, anyway).

Source: yogaflavoredlife.com

We all have poses that teach us about our limitations. For many people these are poses like paschimottanasana or other hamstring zingers. But there is the other side– the upper body strength poses– like chataranga. I have been blessed with flexible, long hamstring muscles, which makes yoga much “easier” for me. So my challenges are different. I can find full hanumanasana on some days, but I cannot do a sun salutation!

Chataranga continues to elude me.

I do yoga because of how it makes me feel, because of how it allows me to be in the world– the freedom I get from my practice both in my life and in my body. But there is a part of me that would like to be able to do a vinyasa properly. So I get up every morning and do my yoga and muddle through my vinyasas. My difficulty with chatarunga teaches me to be humble and to continue to experiment in my own body.

Strength and ease in chatarunga is different for me than it is in other postures, but just as worthwhile to explore. Every vinyasa is an opportunity to laugh at myself and let go of any expectations that I have. I aspire to do the pose like this guy:

Source: blog.ricecracker.net

My Doctor Told Me To!

Alison Boons / Meditation, News / , , , , / 0 Comment

Things are rapidly changing not only with yoga but in life itself, and views of yoga and meditation practices are slowly becoming a recommended form of “self maintenance” and an over the counter prescription. 

{Source: http://health.howstuffworks.com/}

Yoga and meditation is not only being brought in to businesses at Lunch or after work, it is used to help cancer patients, children with autism, prenatal yoga and baby yoga, depression or anxiety and much more, the list goes on and on. After reading an article on www.myhealthnewsdaily.com, it appears that doctors are beginning to recommend yoga and/or meditation, as they continue to become more accepting or perceptive to the ideas of alternative medicine or organic alternatives, yoga naturally makes it’s way into the mix.

According to the article,

“the 2007 National Health Interview Survey found more than 6.3 million Americans used mind-and-body therapies due to provider referral. That compares with 34.8 million who were self-referred.”

One comment in the articles states that while most patients are referred as a last resort when other options have failed;

“It makes us wonder whether referring patients for these therapies earlier in the treatment process could lead to less use of the health care system, and possibly, better outcomes for these patients.”

Similarly, the Harvard Medical School released a publication titled “Yoga can blunt harmful effects of stress, from the Harvard mental Health Letter” in April 2009. According to the report;

“Yoga appears to blunt the harmful effects of heightened stress by influencing the body’s response to stress. This is reflected in slower heart and breathing rates and lower blood pressure, all of which are good for the body. There is also evidence that yoga helps increase heart rate variability, an indicator of the body’s flexibility in responding to stress.”

While not all doctors may be on the Yoga/Meditation band wagon yet, it appears that they are beginning to take a closer look at the benefits and how yoga is not only a means of helping somebody with health problems but also in preventative maintenance.

Interestingly enough, when researching the Internet I did not come across any representations of yoga being harmful or damaging except for the occasional post of an individuals experience.

If you practice yoga, you most certainly have noticed these benefits in yourself from feeling less stress, less anxiety to eating healthier, all which of improve our overall health. So, if yoga has been around so long what has taken them so long to figure it out? Perhaps yoga and or meditation should be covered under our Medical Services Plan (MSP) or Extended Health Benefits just like Massage Therapy, perhaps that’s not too far down the road, here’s to hoping!

To read the full Harvard Medical School Report, visit; http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/Yoga-can-blunt-harmful-effects-of-stress

To read the full My Healthy News Daily report, visit: http://www.myhealthnewsdaily.com/complementary-alternative-medicine-yoga-mediation-doctor-referral-1488/

What do you think, should more doctors’ recommend yoga and meditation for their patients? Has your doctor or another medical professional recommended yoga to you?

6 Tips to Deal with the Elephant in the Room

Alison Boons / Reflections, Thoughts, Tips / , , , , , , / 2 Comments

Okay so I’m just going to say it! Many of us our ruled by our emotions! 

{Source: http://www.function1.com}

 There’s the over emotional, unemotional or those who deny emotion. There are the people that react or overreact or just act, or the people who are boisterous, quiet or confident all of which are tied to our emotions. Sure our emotions encompass our personalities, but they shouldn’t have to define us. Our patterns, actions and behaviours, that result from our emotions, can be “trained” without changing our personalities, but for some reason we seem to grow up with this disconnect. 

What are emotions exactly? Well, according to the dictionary; 

Emotion is the complex psychophysiological experience of an individuals state of mind as interacting with biochemical (internal) and environmental (external) influences. In humans, emotion fundamentally involves “physiological arousal, expressive behaviors, and conscious experience.”Emotion is associated with mood, temperament, personality and disposition, and motivation. Motivations direct and energize behavior, while emotions provide the affective component to motivation, positive or negative. 

Therefore, those individuals who say they aren’t “emotional” are wrong. They are, they just don’t see their anger or aloofness as an emotion. So what are we supposed to do with all of these emotions in our lives?

Well, here are 6 tips to begin dealing with the elephant in the room; 

  • Be Aware– Start to take notice of how you interact with the world. Notice when you are acting or reacting or even overreacting. While in the moment your emotions may not let you see this, take a moment after a conversation or any social interaction and review how it went. Were you polite, interruptive, reactive to their thoughts, beliefs or opinions, this affects you and them!
  • Practice Patience –  While a fairly simple concept, be patient with yourself and others around you. Remember that everybody has to deal with their own emotions and while you may not like the way somebody interacts with you, remember you don’t know where they were or what happened to them 5 minutes before they saw you. Take a deep breath and let it go, maybe they are dealing with something really hard, don’t take it personally.
  • Keep a Journal – Keeping a journal is a great tool to “get it all out” or make sense of the clutter in your head. It is a great resource to say the things you wish you could say but feel you can’t, and to “let go” of everything that weighs you down.
  • Do One Thing a Day That You Love – Whether its yoga, or a hike or a run, or something a simple as reading a chapter of a book. Take that 10 minutes or 2 hours to do something for you! Your emotions and your soul will thank you and your presence will show that happiness to all.
  • Be Authentic –  There is a way to express your feelings, desires and emotions to those that surround you without causing them any ill emotions in return. Don’t do the things you don’t want to do if it doesn’t serve you, but let people know why. “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.” ~ Dr. Suess.
  • Breathe – You know in the heat of the moment that you are either angry or upset, take a moment to breathe before reacting. Remember that everybody has problems, challenges and obstacles in their lives and we can interact and still be our own person without being ruled by our emotions.

Our emotions shouldn’t define who we are, and while they can make all the difference in our lives by building lasting emotions of love and happiness, they can also make us live a life of bitterness or sadness. Remember, when you wake up in the morning you have a choice; choose to smile!

3 Ways to Pamper Your Soul!

Alison Boons / Reflections, Thoughts, Tips / , , , , , , / 0 Comment

{Source: http://www.portalmico.com/?p=244}

Who doesn’t love a relaxing massage or a stroll on a beautiful spring sunny day, but how can we continuously pamper our soul? How do we make the time to make our soul and or our heart feel good? We may get these feelings from the above, but generally they are only temporary solutions.

Our lives are made up of a bunch of moments, and while every moment may not be the best experience it makes an impact on our soul and our subconscious.

Here’s 3 Ways for Long Term Soul Pampering;

  • KARMA
    Seems to be pretty self explanatory, especially with the old adages “what goes around comes around” or “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”Derived from the Sanskrit word “kri,” karma literally means “to do.” Then if we take the meaning of yoga as “union”; karma yoga translates to the path of union through action. In some philosophies the word karmanot only means action but the effects that your actions have and can be further described as a way of acting, thinking and willing by which someone acts in accordance to their dharma (one’s duty) without personal self-centred desires, like or dislikes.In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says:

Therefore, without being attached to the fruits of activities, one should act as a matter of duty, for by working without attachment one attains the Supreme.

           Take into consideration how your actions influence life around you and your life.

  • SEVA
    Otherwise known as Selfless Service, Seva is the action of giving back, it is a sincere sharing of wealth (money, talents, service).  Our community is nurtured through voluntary gatherings, where teachers and students can connect with each other while, at the same time, doing something that makes the world a better place.Swami Niranjan, a modern master of yoga, explains the word Seva is made up of two words, ‘saha’ (with that) and ‘eva’ (to). Therefore, the word Seva means ‘together with’ and is describing actions that is an expression of compassion, of the desire to uplift and assist people and can be a strong practice for self-purification.How do you do this? Start small, maybe helping a senior citizen with their groceries or offering to run an errand for a friend. Or take a look at www.govolunteer.ca which lists countless of opportunities to volunteer from bringing your dog to visit the local care home or teaching yoga.

Only those who have learned the power of sincere and selfless contribution experience life’s deepest joy: true fulfillment.
Anthony Robbins

  • DHARMA
    Buddhists believe in the Law of “Dharma,” which means, the purpose in life. This law says that we have taken manifestation in physical form to fulfill a purpose. You have a unique talent and a unique way of expressing it meaning there is something that you can do better than anyone else in the world. By understanding your purpose and special qualities, you will be able to reach your goals and get closer to your dreams.Is what you are doing in life your dharma, are you not sure? Write down all your biggest hopes and desires and work to live by them!

Souls have different journeys. The best thing to know is, not what everybody else does, but what you do. Self-discovery essentially is finding your own dharma, your own rhythm.
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While all of these items are life skills and or lifelong ways of interacting with the world, they can lead to healthier, happier you and a pampered soul!

Uncovering the Patterns

Alison Boons / Meditation, Reflections / , , , , , / 3 Comments

I went and saw the movie “Limitless” this weekend and I got to thinking about the “subconscious mind”. The idea behind the film is that as humans we only utilize approximately 20% of our brain power, but imagine if were able to use 100% and what we could accomplish. The movie briefly touches on the patterns that are embedded into our subconscious mind and how they can govern our lives. We also refer to the subconscious mind in yoga and meditation and how these practices can help us to uncover the patterns and thoughts that lie there.

Source: http://www.subliminalgateway.com

This idea of the subconscious mind is not a new thing, nor strictly linked to yoga, and has been brought up and researched by the likes of many scholars throughout history. If you google, “Subconscious Mind”, you will find many articles on how uncovering these patterns can help us to be more successful and happier.

Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalytic theory, divided the mind into multiple categories, including the conscious, subconscious, ego and super ego minds. But for our sake, we will just look at the subconscious mind; also referred to as the unconscious mind. The subconscious mind contains all of our feelings, urges, memories or our thoughts that are outside of our awareness, all of which can influence our behaviours and experiences even though we are unaware of their influence.

The images of the unconscious place a great responsibility upon a man. Failure to understand them, or a shirking of ethical responsibility, deprives him of his wholeness and imposes a painful fragmentariness on his life. – Carl Jung

As yogis, we know that by practicing yoga and meditation we can begin to train our subconscious mind and discover the patterns that lie there and perhaps do a little “housekeeping.” Many of you may have discovered, through an intense practice or a meditation practice, you feel lighter “more free”, shed a tear or two, or find anger boiling you to the point that you want to scream. These are elements of our subconscious that we have ultimately “stirred up” and can begin the process of dealing with, cleaning out and then moving on!

The patterns that lie in the subconscious, have been there since the day we were born. These feelings and thoughts have influenced our decisions and have played an important roll in who we are, however they may have also steered us away from things that we want, due to fear and anxiety that “we cannot” do something for risk of failing.  Take for example an example from the book Kundalini Yoga: The Flow of Eternal Power;

“Think about an elephant. They say elephants never forget (neither do people). Have you ever wondered why a huge two thousand pound elephant will stand so obediently in one place, tied to a short stake in the ground, held only by a thin chain around its ankle? The elephant doesn’t try to move, because he has been programmed to believe he can’t. How? Simple. The baby elephant is tied to the stake when he is very young. Whenever he tries to move, the chain bites into his leg. He can’t get away, because he’s not strong enough. Every time he tries to move, he gets hurt – a lot. The elephant very quickly catches on to the fact that moving is painful. In order to avoid getting hurt, he gives up trying. Even after he has grown to full size, and could easily tear out the chain, along with the post, and probably the whole circus tent, this gigantic, powerful elephant doesn’t even try to get free, because he believes he can’t.”

When the book The Secret was released, it focused on the fact that we can access our subconscious mind utilizing the Law of Attraction. The Law of attraction briefly states that; like attracts like! You attract yourself to whatever you give your focus, attention or energy to whether wanted or unwanted. While this isn’t a new philosophy and tends to be pretty self explanatory, it makes us see how our thoughts and beliefs can manifest our lives.

The subconscious mind makes no distinction between constructive and destructive thought impulses. It works with the material we feed it, through our thought impulses. The subconscious mind will translate into reality a thought driven by fear, just as readily as it will translate into reality a thought driven by courage or faith. ~ Napoleon Hill

If we look at both the scenario of the elephant and the Law of Attraction and back at our lives, we may notice similar “ideas” or “perceptions” we may have about our own reality. Our yoga and meditation practice helps us to battle our stresses and to “unlock” the ideas of our subconscious mind and by doing so we become more aware of our “self” and begin our journey to the ultimate goal of yoga; enlightenment!

Back to the movie, while it has nothing to do with yoga & would certainly not be the best way of discovering the patterns in your subconscious, it shows you that by unlocking your potential you can become everything you want to be and so much more. The power of thought, and the power of believing in our true selves can help to make us bountiful, beautiful and blissful and live the life that we have always imagined!

What patterns have you unlocked in your subconscious mind through your yoga and meditation practice?

And Exhale…..

And Exhale…..

Alison Boons / Reflections, Tips / , , , / 3 Comments

While Mother Nature showed that she is boss this weekend with snow galore, before this weekend it was apparent that the days are getting longer and the flowers are starting to peak their green leaves out of the ground & the trees are beginning to get buds, which means; (thankfully!) it won’t be long until spring is at our door!

Spring is a time of rebirth, a time for a change, a time of renewal, a time of cleansing and the time is quickly upon us. We generally begin to prepare ourselves for spring as the earliest signs begin to show their faces and decide what needs to change in our lives or in our homes; “Out with the old, in with the new.”

Spring “Cleaning” to me is a great form of practicing Aparigraha (Non-grasping), which is the 5th and last of the Yamas as outlined by Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. Aparigraha means to take only what is necessary and not to take advantage of a situation or act greedily. Therefore, we should only take what we have earned, so in order to help us with our “non-grapsing” we need to work on the idea of  “letting go”. Letting go can be taken into many forms, either material items or feelings but gives us the opportunity to focus on what is really important in our lives.

While emotions can be the hardest thing to “clean” out, sometimes these are the most important. To take a second look at the relationships in our lives that don’t serve us and let them go so that we have the opportunity to cultivate new ones. This letting go of fear, doubt, heartache or whatever it is that you have been hanging onto, can be exactly what spring is, a rebirth for your life.

People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar. ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

When we think of spring cleaning we generally think of material items and cleaning the cobwebs out of the corners of the room, which is a fantastic tool to help us feel better and start the new season with a smile. However the task of spring cleaning can be a little daunting, here are a few tips to help you let go;

  • Clean out the frost bitten, old food that has consumed your freezer.
    If you haven’t eaten it yet, you don’t want to now!
  • Donate the millions of glasses and mugs that are taking over your cupboards.
    Really you don’t need THAT many!
  • Donate the food, that has taken over your pantry, to the Food Bank.
    There are people who can use it now!
  • Clean out the linen cupboard, get rid of the old tattered sheets, towels and stained dishclothes.
  • Hit the bathroom beauty product cupboard, discard all the expired product and the “sample” bottles lying around.
  • Clean out your Wardrobe!
    Donate the jeans that might fit again “one day” and instead tell yourself when that time comes you will reward yourself with a new pair.
    Let go of the shirts and socks and pants that have been lying around with holes in them that you will fix one of these days, you won’t!
    Let go of the clothes you have never worn even though they may be perfect for an occasion one day, remembering there are people that can use these things now!
  • Tackle your Storage Locker;
    Let go of the items sitting in boxes upon boxes.
    While not only fun to reflect on old photos and letters, it feels great to let go of the ornaments and boxes of old christmas cards, that really why are you saving it? R
    Realistically if its in storage and you don’t use it everyday, you probably don’t need it!

There are things that we never want to let go of, people we never want to leave behind. But keep in mind that letting go isn’t the end of the world, it’s the beginning of a new life.  — Author Unknown

While spring cleaning can be a daunting task, what a great way to practice Aparigraha and prepare you for the Spring Solistice which is only a few weeks away. So Take a Deep Breath, LET GO and EXHALE fully!

6 Simple Reasons Why You Should Detox

Tanya Lee Markul / Reflections, Tips / , , , , , , , , / 4 Comments

As I am starting my own little ’detox’, I thought it could be fun to share some reasons why detoxing is a good idea. It’s winter and it’s a lot harder to find motivation and energy during this time of year (at least it is for me). It’s an easy time to stray from disciplined yoga practices and healthy habits and instead cozy up in the blankets day after day waiting for the sun to return.

OK, so, detoxing includes cleaning the body from the inside out, resting, light exercise and let’s not forget nourishment. It’s total TLC time (tender, love and care) to help you replenish and renew your optimal health by enhancing the body’s natural healing system. And, there are plenty of ways to detox. You can detox for just a few days up to a couple of weeks, even more. You can also make up your own detox program or get some help from your local health food store. From deep herbal cleansing programs to juice fasting to refuelling with simple super healthy nutrients, there’s a program that can work for you.

It’s an excuse to kick bad habits! Take a break from alcohol, coffee, cigarettes, refined sugar and saturated fats, all of which act as toxins and act as obstacles to the natural healing processes of the body. You can even use detoxing as an excuse to finally quit smoking or to kick the habit of caffeine hydration. That’s right, a double espresso doesn’t do too much for your body even if you have one four times a day.

Try something alternative! You should try to avoid chemical-based personal care products or household cleaners during a detox (you would be surprised how much gets absorbed by the skin and lungs!). Chemical-based products are after all, toxic. Experiment with some natural alternatives especially for deodorant, soaps, toothpastes and shampoos. And, get a dry brush for your skin. It feels great!

Say goodbye to stress and hello to yoga and meditation. Stress, in large amounts, creates a toxic build up and slows down the detoxification process, not to mention it can lead to a number of other negative things including one serious bad attitude. Yoga and meditation help you to learn how to deal with the inevitable stress that life brings and in many ways, teaches you to smile from the inside out.

Ok, duh, it’s good for you! Detoxing gets rid of toxins, allows your body to heal and creates a clean ‘slate’ for you to, in a way, start over. Bust out of bad habits and create new, healthier habits. If you are noticing a lot of skin breakouts, can’t think clearly, experiencing a lot of low-grade infections, dark circles under the eyes, feeling sluggish or having intestinal issues, then it’s probably a good time to detox.

Rediscover your discipline. And, why exactly would you want to do that? Well, to get your control back and to find something that you didn’t know you lost. We can get sucked into bad habits for months, even years! Better to nip them in the bud while you still can! And, when you are achieving your goals, you feel great. Detoxing and sticking to it inspires the will within!

Detoxing also inspires others! When you detox and start to feel great, you typically want that greatness for those around you. And, when friends and family start to see how good you are feeling and the good decisions you are making, it’s an inspiration for them to do so too.

Detoxing helps us to get back onto the track of living a healthy life, but it’s not easy, especially not at first. The exiting of toxins can be harsh, especially at the beginning, but just think, it may uncomfortable as they come out, but imagine the damage they could do if you just kept them in there.

Take your time, you can do it and start living as optimally as you can. You won’t regret it.

Be Good to Your Body – Eat Kale Chips!

Taya / Food / , , / 1 Comment

I’ve been on a cleanse for almost a week now (Tanisha’s on it as well), so I’ve been cooking a lot healthy goodness lately! I just tried a recipe from fitsugar.com for Kale Chips. Usually, I’m not a fan of kale since I hate the strong taste it has when it is fried. However, something happens to this cancer-fighting green as it bakes that makes each bite taste delicious. I kid you not! Your body will thank you because one cup of kale has a whopping 354% of your daily value of vitamin A.


Source: fitsugar

I can’t consume any added salt or oil on this cleanse, so I torn the kale into chip size pieces and baked them on a cookie sheet at 275°F for 30 minutes. The chips have a nutty flavor soI didn’t feel the need to add anything to them. The kale turns out super crispy, just like a potato chip. After I removed the cookie sheet from the oven, I put some aside for my husband and added oil and salt – so he was happy.

The recipe calls for tuscan kale, but I used regular green kale and the chips turned out perfectly. Try the recipe with any type of kale you like.  If you’re craving the crunch that a potato chip gives, but are looking for extra nutrition, bake yourself some kale chips today. Yogis will approve 🙂

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