I have no Voice
September 3, 2011 by Gina
Filed under •-Headline, Healthy Pets, Poetry
You can learn about a person’s true character by watching the way they treat animals. This poem is for those creatures that have no voice, who rely upon humanity for their loving care; it is the voice for all animals in kill shelters. It is also dedicated to our family dogs, Buddy and Max (pictures above) who were saved from kill shelters and found their forever family.
I Have no Voice
I have no voice to ask for what I need. I have no voice to tell you how I feel. I have no voice to share my sad story; but if I did maybe I would reveal…
My owners left me for one reason or another. I only wanted to cuddle and play, I tried not to be a bother. I am unable to say that I desperately want to live. I want the chance to have a family; I have so much love to give.
Many see me only as a number, filling up a crate and taking up resources; so I get a “sleep” date. If I could talk I might tell you all these things and more. I am God’s creature, put on earth for you to adore.
What if it was you who needed my help; left without anything or anybody, possibly in poor health?
I would never leave your side, I only know love. I would not desert you or give you a shove.
If you had no voice, you would still be treated kind. Your family would not force you to leave because you couldn’t read their mind.
Animals desperately need mankind’s caring to rely upon. Maybe they are here to teach us how to truly get along.
We can learn a lot from those who cannot speak. Mostly we can learn how a living being we should treat.
For those with no voice, I am happy to express what I know. Open your heart, save a life and adopt your pets; let your love flow!
Save our Bees
August 5, 2011 by Tony Samara
Filed under •-Headline, Green Living, Health & Well-being, Healthy Pets, Holistic Living, Inspired Business, Nature
Tony Samara believes that the extensive use of mobile phones, microwave ovens and other gadgets that emit specific radiation frequencies are seriously damaging our bee populations as well as our energetic bodies. He therefore emphasises the benefits to the environment created by minimising their useage.
Instead utilise sms rather than making long phone calls on mobile phones and find other ways (such as internet telecommunications) to stay in touch with family and friends. Also by using conventional cooking methods you can help nature and yourself.
We will now include an excerpt from a nature journal to highlight the seriousness of the situation:
“According to a study, beekeepers reported an average loss of just over 36% of their colonies over winter, a figure up 13.5% from the previous year, and just over a third of all beekeepers reported losing one or more of their colonies to the condition named Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).
Since 2006, their keepers have been reporting the sudden and unusual disappearance of large numbers of their bees. Virtually overnight, all the adult bees in a seemingly healthy hive disappear [...]
As critical pollinators of many of the foods we depend upon, healthy honeybee populations are essential to our food supply. About 130 different crops rely upon honeybee pollination. Some 30% of all the different types of nuts, fruits, and vegetables we consume.
Things we can do:
· Plant species native to your region in your yard and garden. These will provide abundant food for local bee populations.
· Grow a wide variety of plants with different colors, shapes, and flowering times. A diverse range of plants will attract an equally diverse range of bee species and give them plenty of food choices throughout the growing season.
· Stay away from hybrid and genetically modified plants, which often don”t produce any of the pollen that bees need to survive.
· Never use pesticides or herbicides of any kind. Though these poisons may be meant for plants and non-bee pests, they can often have a “spill-over” effect that harms innocent bystander species, bees among them. (Pesticides are also extremely unhealthy for us land-bound creatures, too!)
· Consider starting a hive and being a beekeeper by creating a nest for wood bees (which don”t sting!) by simply taking a non-treated block of wood, drilling holes 3/32 of an inch to 5/16 of an inch in diameter and about 5 inches deep, and leaving it out for bees to find. Traditional beekeeping also has many rewards, from a supply of homemade honey to assured garden pollination.”
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Research, Relate, Raise- Pet Problems
July 16, 2011 by Grace Ste. Croix
Filed under •-Headline, Healthy Pets
A decision to get a family dog is a big one, but as most pet owners will assure you, any pet can be a wonderful addition to your family. However, how well do we research a potential newcomer to our family? Does the new cat like children? Can this new puppy adjust to another pet already in the house? Many of us fail to take proper consideration of a pets needs while we focus solely on our own. This is giving Humane Societies and Animal Shelters big problems.
Unfortunately, there is an abundance of Jack Russell Terriers, hounds and other dogs who are extremely active and require a lot of attention. These pets are a welcome addition to any family, but sometimes the owners of these pets do not do enough research on how much time these pups may need. Regular walks, an active lifestyle and loving owners are just a few of the requirements to own these great pets.
In many cases, city animal shelters and humane societies are seeing an abundance of dogs that are active, such as the amount of Jack Russell terriers dropped off at their front door. It is becoming all too common that people are adopting these pets and not realizing the commitment you must give them. Therefore, these pets are dropped off at a shelter. These societies are overwhelmed with all animals, including these pets and it is harder for them to find potential active owners in the big city then in a suburban or rural area. Often times they spend long periods in these shelters and in worse case scenarios in some cities, are put down because of overcrowding.
If you have any interest in getting a new pet for your family, do your research! Whether it is a hamster or a Jack Russell terrier, see what the needs are of the pet and make sure you are as good of a fit for that pet as that pet is a good fit for your family. If this is the case, take the time to check out humane societies or animal shelters. They have a lot of loving animals who could use a good home, and the shelters need to take in more animals, so the empty spot is also appreciated. So commit to the three R’s , RESEARCH, RELATE and RAISE a new pet into your family
Yoga Body Beautiful – Connecting with your Furry Friends through DOGA!
June 10, 2011 by Adrienne
Filed under •-Feature, Healthy Pets, Yoga
Every time I roll out my mat to do my home practice, there he is…my best furry friend Tonka is always right there beside me, tail wagging with uncontrollable excitement as he circles around me, eager to participate. And as I begin to move through my practice, his excitement turns to calm and he always ends up flopped down at the top of my mat staring at me with his big brown puppy dog eyes. It’s as if he has begun to tap into the energy of my practice…my sense of calm and centeredness becomes his sense of calm. When I think about it, this makes total sense. Animals are very sensitive to our energies and can feel when we are relaxed and at peace. And since our pets are some of the most important friends in our lives, why not begin to include them in our yoga practice and let them enjoy the benefits too?
Yoga is about connection. The word yoga means to unite, and so when we do our practice with our pets we can think of it as creating a deeper bond or connection with them. Unlike a typical yoga practice where you are focusing on your breath and alignment, doga is a more of an organic practice where you can feel free to move around the dog as you don’t have to feel that you are perfectly aligned. Modifications are welcomed and often necessary depending on the size and energy level of your dog. It is not so much the pose as it is the connection that counts.
Try this simple doga practice to show your love and deepen your connection to your dog:
- Find a comfortable cross-legged seat on your mat with eyes closed and hands together at your heart.
- Allow yourself to breathe slowly and deeply…your dog will probably naturally come to rest near you
- Encourage your dog to lie down on the mat in front of you so you can begin to fold over them finding a nice stretch for your hips and giving your pet some love and gentle rubs
- Eventually come in to table position, knees hip width apart and shoulders over wrists with your pet lying on the mat under your belly.
- Move through three to five rounds of cat and cow, alternately lowering the belly and lifting the heart and sits bones before you press into the hands and round out through the spine in a cat stretch.
- Curl your toes under and press into the hands to lift the hips and come into downward facing dog (ironic, I know), perhaps resting your head on your dog, depending on the size. Stay for five breaths.
- Slowly walk your feet towards your hands where you will eventually end up in a gentle forward fold. Give your pooch some love as you pet them, maybe giving a gentle massage
- Bend your knees to come into a bit of a squat with feet hip width apart and place your hands under their shoulders (you should both be facing the same way).
- Lift your dogs two front paws off the mat and press into your heels so you can lift them up to standing (bend the knees more with larger dogs to protect your low back). Their front legs will be lifted as their hind legs connect them to the mat. This is butterfly pose for your pooch…try staying for five breaths before you gently lower them down.
- Give your dog lots of love and rubs before repeating the entire sequence. Let them feel you breath deeply and enjoy the sense of calm that connects you both.
Doga is a practice of connection…first we connect to our dogs, but as we bond with our furry friends, the unconditional love we receive in return eventually shows us how to connect back in to the best parts of ourselves. Really, what more could you ask for?
Balanced Life Yoga is now offering Holistic Nutritional Consulting with Adrienne.
Book Your Appointment Now and start making vibrant health a habit!
Adrienne Kelly-Durys
Adrienne Kelly-Durys is a Certified Nutritional Practitioner, 500Hr RYT and lover of feeling good in mind and body. She teaches Yoga and wellness classes at Balanced Life Yoga and specializes in detoxing and nourishment. Classes include Power Hour Yoga, Power Yoga Vibe, and Holistic Nutritional Consulting.
Does Love Ever Die?
May 14, 2011 by Christine Arylo
Filed under •-Feature, Family & Relationships, Healthy Pets
How to feel loved even when a relationship ends
7 days ago I made one of the hardest decisions of my life.
A decision made for love, but a choice that really seemed to be set up to take love away from me.
7 days ago, I helped my best friend of 17-years, my heart companion, my soul dog, die.
She wasn’t sick. Just old.
Her body no longer worked the way it needed for her to
Be the vibrant, jubilant, beautiful being she had always been.
And although I didn’t know it at the time, inside I became very afraid that Love was going to leave me… again.
Love had certainly felt like it had left before – when my father died, when my engagement ended abruptly, and in the times previous best friends became people I no longer talked to.
Through my previous experiences with love and loss, I had come to believe that when people leave, so does the love. Which has also caused me to believe that as humans, we will do most anything to avoid feeling the pain associated with feeling the loss of love. Or sometimes we will do everything to run straight into and sit in the pain, suffering to make ourselves feel alive and connected to the one that has left.
As I made the choice this time around to let someone I love go, what I found were two beliefs around love and loss – one that served me and one – a love lie — that just caused me great suffering, that I thought we all could benefit from getting to the real truth.
LOVE BELIEF
The thought of losing love is one of the scariest things we face as human beings.
This is true.
LOVE LIE
When a relationship ends or a person leaves our lives, the love dies. The love leaves with them.
This is totally false.
It is true that if you input a belief into your mind that tells you “Love is gone! Love has been taken away!” you will feel pain, excruciating suffering kind of pain.
Because just like we need air to breathe, we need love to live.
Anyone who has had the experience of losing someone they love deeply can attest to feeling like the wind was knocked out of them, because it was.
