Who Needs CarrotsWhen You Have Donuts?

Carrot or Donut? This will be the big question as I crawl toward 2010 in a sugar coma, hopefully soon my kale salads will beckon me once again (kale, cut very finely is amazingly delicious in salads and packed with magical goodness). Happy, super nova New Year to everyone!

This is the Season of Giving.

Let's give these shelter dogs a second chance...
URGENT - Foster Homes NEEDED!! (If you live anywhere near Virginia)

We've visited the shelter. The shelter is not only full, but cages are overflowing with dogs.

Hard decisions will have to be made that shouldn't have to be made at this time of year.....

Please share this information with ANYONE who can help with fostering

ANY BREED of dog as this will open up one of our kennels for a pit bull or another dog.

Please contact us IMMEDIATELY if you can foster or know someone who can.

Bully Paws and Rescuegirl thanks you in advance for considering opening your home to a dog in need.

www.bullypaws.org

bullypawsrescue@gmail.com

Legs up the Wall Pose for Sanity & Serenity!
(I'm going to be doing this pose a lot through the stressful holidays & I cannot recommend it enough).

I love my life, I love my family, I love my snowflake earrings (but already lost one), and my smashing new nail color (gunmetal grey), and my bills are paid (sort of), but somehow stress seems to always creep into the picture this time of year. I thought I could bypass it by getting gifts early and writing holiday
cards in November, but the universe still ushered in heaps of chaos and
stress. William James said the most profound thing he ever learned is that if you change your outlook, then you can change your world. So, I am determined to do Legs up the Wall Pose for at least 20 minutes a day until January 2010 and this will transform my stress into serenity.

I need this pose now more than ever, holiday stress coupled with pitch black darkness by 5pm and frost on the end of my nose beckons fatigue, anxiety, and sadness all of which will be alleviated with this simple pose. Exhausted? Freaked? Sad? Overwhelmed? Go upside-down I say and melt this stuff away!

This pose has such profound restorative qualities that it has gained the nickname "fountain of youth" and few poses actually have the dual magical effects of soothing and energizing like this pose does.

Use a bolster or several folded blankets on top of a sticky mat for this pose (your derriere should hang off the support a tiny bit, but if you have any tension in your tummy or lower back you are hanging off the support too much). The sticky mat is key because you can tuck your shoulders a little underneath your back and relax without them sliding out of position—this action will help open your chest which is key to diminishing depression.

It helps to strap a belt around your thighs just above your knees before getting into the pose—this allows you to surrender more fully into the pose and relax more completely rather than focusing on keeping your legs together.

While in this pose:

• Eyes closed.
• Release any tension in your face.
• Release any tension in your body.
• Lengthen your spine.
• Sink into the floor.
• Calm and even breathing.
• Point heels toward the sky.
• Let go of anger and worry.
• Only loving, kind thoughts.

May your holidays be full of laughter and joy and Legs up the Wall posing!
(Illustrations from my new iPhone app, YogaBeauty...coming soon)

EXFOLIATE! DETOX! GLOW!

I'm a voracious reader of self-improvement books. At the moment I have a stack of books next to my bed that, if toppled, could break my nose. I'm reading about everything from, cholesterol and the heart (I'm starting to believe statin drugs are just another slick pharmaceutical campaign--more on that later) to growing my own pharmacy (I started with wormwood, not sure why...maybe I should figure out how to make my own absinthe?).

Anyway, when I read the same thing 3 or more times from different reputable sources, I start to really prick up my ears. Recently, dry brushing kept cropping up all over the place, so I bought myself a Sisal body brush and have been religiously dry brushing my body for more than 30 days every morning. At first, I thought I was just imagining all the great benefits, but after 30 days of observation, I'm a believer and I'm hooked! Dry brushing my body is like brushing my teeth now; it energizes me in the morning, makes my skin über soft, my leg hair grows more slowly and comes in more soft AND the best part, my jiggly bits are a bit firmer.

I now refer to my Sisal brush as my magic wand and I plan to travel with it!

Dry brushing (not to be confused with wet brushing and scrubbing in the shower) stimulates your lymphatic system (the system responsible for eliminating toxins) and it encourages new cell growth.

Skin brushing 101:
Economical spa treatement—you can get a good quality body brush for under $10 dollars.Dry brush in the morning before getting dressed.

Start at your toes—brush with firm, sweeping strokes toward your heart. Always brush toward your heart which encourages blood and lymphatic flow.

Spend a little extra time brushing over your lymphnodes (located at the back of your knees, the groin area, your armpits and your neck).

Also spend a little extra time on your jiggly bits (if you have any)—brush in a circular motion on these parts. I pretty much attack these areas like I'm scrubbing a burnt, greasy pot or pan. The experts say over-brushing causes skin to turn red and become irritated, but I'm not one to ever do something carefully or in moderation and I have sensitive, fair skin, and I brush like a maniac and my skin is fine. I don't, however, brush my neck or face which need a softer brush.

Unless you get a brush with a handle or enlist your partner, reaching your whole back will take some limber arms. I could ask my husband to brush the wee bit of my back that I miss, but there is something a bit too geriatric about it, so I don't.

When I feel like skipping a day because I'm in a rush or just plain lazy, I remind myself that my dear, little lymph nodes filter out all the dead bacteria, viruses, and other dead tissue from the lymphatic fluid and eliminate it from my body, so stimulating them with a dry brush is the least I can do. And it will only take you about 2 or 3 minutes.

Brush shown is the one I have—the bristles are a bit more stiff than other brushes, so I can get a good scrub!

HOLIDAY HELPER!  

We all need a boost of energy and sanity during the holiday season....

I don't know about you, but my mom has been baking cookies like a Keebler elf (only much better tasting) and I'm finding my energy dropping like a lead balloon because I'm tasting each one of them more than once!  Thank goodness for the Spinal Roll, doing this simple yoga movement is a good morning wake up and also a good nightcap for relaxing before bed.  It is also a cheap way to get a massage on your spine...perfect for a recession.

I love the fact that it is so simple a child or gorilla could do it (and they often do!).  It is also great for keeping our bodies youthful, a must for those of us pushing 40 or past it. 

Here is how to do it:

1.  Sit at the end of a well padded surface (thick carpet, exercise pad, folded blankets, a bed of marshmellows-anything to cushion your spine).  

2.  Bend your knees and clasp your hands under them.

3.  Bend your head forward.

4.  Keep your spine rounded and gently roll back and forth (straighten your legs a bit as you swing back and then bend them again as you swing forward--this will keep you rolling!).

Don't roll back too far on your neck and don't rock too slowly.

Do the spinal roll 4 to 6 times, then stop and lie down on your back and take a few deep breaths.  Notice how invigorated your spine feels.

Here are a few of the Benefits from this marvelous and fun exercise:

• Massages ALL the vertebrae in your neck and spine.
  
• Makes the spine more flexible, lively, and youthful.
  
• Washes away morning drowsiness and stiffness.
  
• Relaxes the whole nervous system-great for insomnia!
  

Illustrations from my upcoming Christmas iphone app, YogaBeauty.

'TIS THE SEASON TO STOP PUPPY PIMPS!!!
NYC residents please download/print this flyer and give to anyone planning on buying a puppy this holiday season-ADOPTION is the only way to go!!! Don't live in NYC? I can customize this flyer, please contact me.

Holiday Madness!!! In the spirit of one of my most favorite holidays (truth be told I love any holiday), Rescuegirl.com is offering limited edition Life is Messy & Magical pins FREE (and you get a bunch, not just one or two!) with any purchase and all of my greeting cards are 1/2 price.

Yahooooo! An award!
RescueGirl iPhone / iPod Touch Apps receive "Hottest" medal award on iPhone Apps Plus!

"Hottest" medal is awarded to applications which are of good quality and are major topic of discussion in a certain period of time.

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I've also updated the sidebar to include all of the fabulous RescueGirl apps available on iTunes, to make them easier for you to find! You can also check them out directly on iTunes here!