Health Sidebar II: BMI vs BFP

Image via Wikipedia

I've been wanting to talk about this for a while but didn't have the time (or had too much time procrastinating...just being honest). I'm watching Dr. Oz right now and he gave this lady her BMI. He said it was "32," which is supposed to be high.

To tell you the truth, I was never a fan of BMI. However, before I go into my rant, let me explain what BMI is...(click on the Read More link at bottom for more)


BMI stands for Body Mass Index. It is calculated by a person's weight and height. It does not measure body fat directly but it's good if you want an inexpensive way for you to get a good idea of your health.

Does that make sense to you?

OK, great. BMI is a cheap way to figure out your health (or not). But how does it help? Why would I want a number to figure out when I'm obese when I can just look in the mirror? Why would I want this number when I can just get my Body Fat Percentage (BFP). Basically, BMI is inaccurate. Just because a person has a high BMI doesn't mean that they're NOT healthy. If you calculate your BMI and it's on the high side, your doctor or health practitioner will have to take other tests to determine whether your high BMI is a cause for concern.

A great example of this is an athlete. They may have a high BMI but they may have that BMI because they have a lot of muscle (BMI takes into account muscle and fat...and does not separate the two). For more information on BMI, click here.

WHAT IS BODY FAT?

Before I answer this question specifically, it's first important for me to talk about weight. Your total weight consists of the ratio of muscle, fat, water, bone, blood (up to 7% of your total body weight is blood...check out this site for more details), and other minor factors. Technically speaking, this is called your Body Composition.

Body Fat Percentage is one of the most important factors in your weight. Too much fat (in ratio to muscle and water) can be very detrimental to your health...on so many levels (I'm sure we have all heard of the term 'obese' before...this comes from your body fat percentage).

Importantly, for women, body fat percentage is critical if you have fibroids or another reproductive issue because excess body fat creates excess estrogen.

The good news is that you no longer have to go through extraneous means to get your body fat percentage. Tanita is a company that makes great scales. They have affordable scales that can take your body fat percentage. For more information on this company, click here.

I'm going to leave it here...for now, of course. I'll talk more about body fat and how it relates to women in my next post. I think it's so important for men and women (obese, overweight, underweight, it doesn't matter) to know your body fat percentage. It will be key in helping you to gain, maintain, or lose weight in a healthy manner.

Until next time...stay strong, stay healthy, and fight dis-ease!

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Happy Holidays!

I know I haven't been around for a while. I haven't forgot about my blogs nor you. It's not like I have neglected you, I just had to deal with real life for a bit. Some of it was bad but most of it was good.

Does it help if I explain to you what has been going wrong in my life? Nope. Why? Because every single one of us has issues. We all have things we have to face in life - some of it good and some of it bad (depending on your perception of things).

We ALL need to take our time this year. Take our time with making our decisions, setting boundaries, and living life to the fullest. We also need to take our time to savor the present moment. Only by living in the present moment can we be grateful for all the things in our life.

What does "living in the present moment" mean? For me, it means not to think about the past as well as not thinking about the future (projecting. It also means not to project or fantasize about the outcome you want. Let's say you meet a guy and you like him. Instead of thinking about your wedding day (and you haven't even gone out on a single date...this is projection at its worst), think about why you like this guy and how you can make him a part of your life NOW! That's the present moment!

Click on the "Read More" link for more of this post...

This year, I'm going to make it a point to live in the present moment as much as I can. These blogs aren't going to write themselves and just keeping ideas in my head and not putting them on paper just makes no sense. I can't let my past affect me. I can't let my future (or possible future) affect me either. Most of all, I can't let my imagination or wishing for this or that affect me from doing what I need to do NOW.

If you are like me, then you need to make this change as soon as possible. Otherwise, everything you have strived to achieve will be for naught. It's almost 2010. This year should be about responsibility and accountability.

(With this said, I was going to do a blog on what I said I was going to do last year and if I did it or not. It's time I listen to myself and not look in the past...except when it comes to the topics I need to post on here. ;))

So have a Happy Holidays and let make this a New Year of change!

Blessed Love and until next time...
Stay strong, stay healthy, and fight dis-ease! :D

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Essential 4 Series: Breathing Methods - Tai Chi I

When people ask me how I started on this path to health, I reply by saying, "Yoga saved my life" and then I talk about how I finally connected with Yoga. While Yoga did save my life, it's not the first thing that got me on the path to wellness. I learned how to properly breathe way before I met up with Yoga.

The year was 1995...it was early in the year. It wasn't quite Spring yet but Winter was definitely over. To put it plainly, I was a serious pothead then. I also loved Kung Fu Movies. Watching the "Drive In Movies" on Channel 5 in Brooklyn was my Kung Fu fix...but I never even took a karate class.

Cover of Tai Chi Master

So back to 1995, I was hanging out with my friends one day, smoking (which was the usual back then), when one of my friends started talking about Kung Fu. I mentioned that I loooved Kung Fu movies and how much I always wanted to learn Tai Chi (by this time, I was a huge Jet Li fan...my favorite movie then was called the "Tai Chi Master"...so I was really open to what my friend had to say). My friend then said to me, "want to learn some Kung Fu right now?"

All of us...all 12 of us, immediately perked up. Our excitement seemed to come to a near boil in almost seconds as we all said a resounding "yes", like we were in the Pothead Church Choir. He told us to sit down and listen well.

Now that I look back, I realize that as soon as he said that, I calmed my body. My back became straighter. My shoulders relaxed. My chest, slightly elevated and I could feel my breath. I couldn't control what I didn't know about but I can safely say that I did notice something had changed. The air, maybe?

When everyone else sat down, I also noticed that he looked at me the most when speaking. I didn't think much of it back then, I just chalked it up to me starting the convo leading to this so I seemed the most eager to learn. I didn't know what I was going to feel. Tell you the truth, I didn't expect to feel anything. I thought it was all going to be BS.

He told us to fix our legs. "Do not cross them. Let them spread hip distance apart. Don't let your knees fall too far in or too far out. Let your hips control your legs. Sit up straight." The others already started to feel bored. The looks on their faces was a dead giveaway to what was to come. I gave them a look that calmed them down...at least long enough for me to see what was really good.

"Bring your palms together." We all did it at the same time (maybe you should try this too ). "Now rub your palms until they become really hot. When they feel hot, rub them some more. When they are super hot, just separate your hands and watch what happens."

I rubbed my hands really hard. They started to burn when I separated them. I took a huge breath in and when I exhaled, my hands moved! I felt...a charge...it was a little electric almost. I took a huge breath in and my hands came closer. When I exhaled again, my hands separated further! I had no control over my hands what so ever but they still moved. I realized that with every breath, my hands moved further and further apart. What felt like a straight stream of energy now felt like an arch. As my hands opened up and towards the sky, it was as if I felt a rainbow in my hands.

And then it left. (don't forget to click the "Read More" link at the bottom of this post to continue)


I looked up at the sky as if I could actually see this feeling float away. I didn't see anything. I looked around at my friends. They were amazed at what they were feeling. Some of them were dismayed because they didn't feel it for too long. A few (only 2) didn't feel anything at all. I wasn't the only one who had my experience. There were 3 of us who did and we were straight buggin out!!

I asked my friend what kind of Kung Fu that was. He smiled and then laughed. All he needed was long hair and a flowing beard and he would have been able to call me "grasshopper" and I would call him "Sifu" (Chinese for "Master"). He told me to sit down again. What he told me after this would be the catalyst to changing my life forever:

What you felt was not Kung Fu, persay. What you felt was Chi. The essence of Kung Fu. The essence of Life. You have heard of Chi from the Kung Fu movies but have you ever felt it? (I nodded my head yes...I never felt it in my hands like that but I have felt it before). If you cannot feel your chi, then there is no reason for you to learn Kung Fu. None whatsoever.

I want you to start reading books on Chi. Chi is the life essence, your spirit, your soul. It is a part of the universal soul. There are many names for it. Chi is air but Air is not Chi. Get a book and read it. Then come back to me when you are done and tell me what you have learned.

The first book I purchased is called "The Essence of Tai Chi." With this book, I learned many things. The most important was how to breathe.

Before understanding the concept of breath, I wanted to know exactly what Tai Chi is. The name Tai Chi means "the ultimate" (pg. 6). But the ultimate what? Reading the book further, I came to understand that Tai Chi was regarded as the ultimate "art" - whether it was martial art, a healing art, or a spiritual art.

According to Tai Chi principles, which come from the book the T'ai Chi Bible, there are three forms of chi - all which come from the breath and can be manifested, grown, and maintained with the breath - chi, jung, and shen.

Chi is similar to prana (the term for "breath" and "lifeforce" in Sanskrit) in that it is considered that Chi is everywhere. According to The Essence of Tai Chi (pg. 33), "ch'i is...commonly known as the nature of things." "According to Tai Chi theory, the correct meaning of chi is..."internal energy." (pg. 34)


Jing is the power that is generated by chi.(pg. 35) Li is the physical strength resulting from body movement. (pg. 36) I understand how the terms work but want to explain it to you in the best way possible. So let me explain it this way:

If you strike a punch, the force that is released is a result of Li. However, if someone were to attack you and you were able to throw them on the ground with little physical force (or with your hand, like in the kung fu flicks), then that is Jing because you have the same power but without the physical strength.

Recently, I worked out at Embora Wellness and Movement Studio (which is no longer). I did a class with Emory Moore and he wanted us to do certain exercises that included martial arts and yoga techniques. As I was doing these exercises, I wasn't getting the full effect he was looking for. He explained to me that with Yoga, you keep the prana (or chi) inside. Everything stays inside. Martial Arts and Tai Chi is different because sooner than later, that chi needs to come out. You create the internal energy and let it out externally.


It was at that point, I realized that Emory was working with Chi, Li and Jing. However, I wanted something different.


I began to understand that I wanted to achieve shen, which means spirit. According to The Essence of Tai Chi, "when chi is purified, it elevates to shen." (pg. 35) Yoga Asana maybe similar to li and but at the end of the day, Yoga wants you to have shen - connection to your spirit, your true nature.


According to Tai Chi theory, meditation helps you to become aware of your chi (pg. 37) and condensed breathing helps to convert chi to jing (and yes, it's very similar to certain pranayama techniques - pg. 42).


Of course, I have more to talk about in regards to Tai Chi but I'll leave it here for now. Next time, I'll talk more about Tai Chi and its relation to Yoga. I'll also talk about certain Tai Chi practices you have to watch out for (especially in regards to breathing), how to increase your awareness of chi, and my experience with different Tai Chi forms.


Yeah, I know...it took me long enough to write this but better late than never!

So until next time....stay strong, stay healthy, and fight dis-ease!

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• Lower Dan Tien (clearstaichi.com)

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Random Thoughts XXIII: The Biggest Loser Season 8

I love Reality TV. I really do...to a fault. I have my cable Reality TV shows that I like (VH1 is a vice y'all) but I really dig a couple of Reality TV shows on the major channels. My favorite "Reality TV" show: The Biggest Loser.

I knew it was going to be a great show. I had no idea how great it would be. As I was watching the show from the beginning, I wanted to blog about it. Something in me held back. Even as I saw Shay weigh in at 476 lbs. I wanted to blog, but something held me back. When Shay seemingly quit, I thanked the heavens I didn't blog but then the urges came back as I saw the contestants in a battle with themselves.

And still, I held back from blogging. You KNOW I wanted to blog when the contestants went to the doctors and performed all of those tests! Wowwwweee! Yet still, I paused.

When the contestants had to weigh in and I saw great numbers, I wanted to post but something held me back still. I could imagine myself clicking on a new tab, loading this up and playing commentator to the sport of weight loss but I didn't do it. I couldn't. I didn't care why.

Once I saw the end, I knew it was time for me to blog. Alexandra, not even on the ranch for 1 week, ended up losing 60 lbs so far! Amazing!!

The Biggest Loser is not only my favorite Reality TV show (even ANTM comes in a distant second), it's my favorite TV show hands down (yes, it beat out Law & Order - all of them! )! Why? Because this show inspires me in so many different ways. The emotions that I feel for these contestants are not pity nor compassion. The emotions I feel - down to the tears I shed - is admiration, respect, and love. Because finally, they are on a path to admire, respect and love themselves.

You see, we are all victims of self-neglect, whether we are obese or not. There are a lot of people like the Youth Pastor who did not realize he has Type 2 Diabetes. How many people live their lives, not realizing what aliments ravage their bodies and they live their lives for everyone else....but themselves.

I, too, am a victim of self-neglect. It may not last as long as someone that is not aware of the state of their health but it does happen. Stress is the ultimate sign of self-neglect because stress can lead to an array of dis-eases - big and small.

When I watch this show, I want to make my life better. I want to get up and take all the anger and frustration and the stress and just clean my house or go for a run or do an hour of Yoga in my home.

All it takes is one small step.

The number 8 is a very powerful number. It is my favorite number and it represents infinity - to build and destroy...which are infinite and needed for balance and growth. So Season 8 of The Biggest Loser should be a season of power. The motivation to destroy what you were so that you can build anew.

The most ironic thing about this show (and life in general) is that in order to lose weight or be able to heal, you have to make a choice. The only tool that is needed and is most important is your mind.

I can't wait to see what Episode 2 has to offer. I can't wait to finally update this blog like I'm supposed to. Maybe that will be my accomplishment for this Season 8 of The Biggest Loser. I'll finally catchup to all the things that I need to in regards to this blog and my other one, Healthy Junk.

You ready? I am.
Until next time...stay strong, stay healthy, and fight dis-ease!

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Drea, where have you been?

Hello there! :D I know you're wondering where I've been, what I'm doing in life and what I'm going to do with this blog.

Let me assure you that my Fight dis-ease! and Healthy Junk blogs aren't going anywhere! I've been really busy this summer dealing with life and getting myself together. It's been stressful and enlightening at the same time. I have so many plans for my future and I'm really excited to share them all with you.

Right now, I'm at my part time job. I still work at the Integral Yoga Natural Apothecary (part-time). I start teaching at the Integral Yoga Institute (NYC), this weekend for 9/13. And that's only the beginning! I'll let you know what's really good next week...

oh yeah, I still have a whole lot of topics to update you on. Trust me, once I get my life in true order, there is going to be a whole new Drea and a whole new Fight dis-ease! and Healthy Junk blogs for you to enjoy.

Until next time (you know the drill)...stay strong, stay healthy, and fight dis-ease!

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Random Thoughts XXII: SEBASTIAN'S VOODOO

This video has been submitted for the National Film Board of Canada in association with Cannes Short Film Corner. I hope you like it as much as I do. :D

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Very soon....

Hey everyone!

I've been away from Blogger for a while...but trust and believe, I'm definitely living life! I'm getting myself together, working and moving and shaking, and I've even posted something new on my wordpress sister site for Fight Dis-ease! dorightforyourself.wordpress.com

However, I'm not here to talk about my accomplishments. I'm here to talk about what I'm about to do - to this site and with this blog.

I still need to update this site. I need to get my blogroll page together and as you can see, I have a lot of blogs to double check and update. Not only that but I then need to make sure that this blog has everything that I need to finally be solid. I'm going to keep the main page but also add a Yoga page so that I can freely discuss other aspects of Yoga that I'm dealing with.

The first post on this page that I will discuss is Kundalini. I have already talked about chakras and I will continue to do so, however, I have had many conversations about Kundalini, within the past couple of weeks. It's about time that I address it and give you my theories and journeys towards this sacred balance of masculine and feminine and all that entails (at least in regards to Kundalini).

So sit tight, keep going to dorightforyourself.wordpress.com for other posts and updates and I'll definitely holla at you soon. Just to make sure I'm going to get this done on this site, I'm going to start it on my wordpress site. Please send me feedback when it's done.

Until next time...stay strong, stay healthy, and fight dis-ease!

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Movements XX: The Matrix Reloaded

As I have said in my last post, I am going through certain things right now that is giving me a chance to totally reevaluate my life. During that process, I will be posting less consistently than before. This is not because I'm giving up on my blog. On the contrary, I'm going to fully revamp this blog to be the success that it needs to be.

In the process, I am totally revamping myself as well.




I have to get a lot of things in order. My finances, my relationships, my health (mental and spiritual), and my career. It's not that things aren't going well, certain situations in my life that I cannot control have forced me to shift into survival mode. Thankfully, various modalities of Holistic Healing have enabled me to weather this change with a good "umbrella" and a positive mind.

I have two blogs. This one and Healthy Junk. I'm going to make a lot of changes to these blogs. Also have a "Fight dis-ease!" blog on Wordpress. I put up a poll on the sidebar to my left. Even though I only received one vote, I got a lot of feedback that has helped me to make certain decisions.

Unfortunately for you, I'm not going to speak on these decisions now. The only reason for this is that I want to make sure that I follow through with these decisions instead of telling you I'm going to do something and then falling back on it.

You will find that as I progress (or regress) with my blog, so is the same with my life. This blog is a reflection of my growth as well as your journey of personal growth.

It is high time that I claim my worth and value it to the fullest - in life, through my blogs.

So it is written, so shall it be done.

Don't worry. I'll still post. However it will be slow, as I have said before. Not only will the template change (as I have already planned to do with the seasons) but the content and many other things will change with this blog. I hope you stick around long enough to enjoy the fruits of my labor. Please feel free to provide any feedback.

Until next time...stay strong, stay healthy, and fight dis-ease!

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Random Thoughts XXI: Vibrations of Life

Vibrations are very powerful because energy is directly affected. One vibration may cause pain, one may locate it, and another may end it. What kind of vibrations are you bringing into your energy field?

Vibrations are heard and felt. For humans, speech and other forms of sound create vibrations within and around us. The Bible speaks of The Word Being God and God Is (the) Word. With this "word," all creation, including our reality, was formed.

In Yoga, this "word" is OM. It is pronounced AUM. Your mouth starts with the A shape and sound, leads into the U and ends with the hum that is produced with the sound of the M. In Yoga, OM is the universal sound vibration that creates a peaceful feeling and connects all matter within a certain space or environment.

from krishnaculture.com

Sanskrit is a very powerful language because the letters and words create a certain vibration within the spirit. The English language can affect the mind (in so many ways ), however, when words are spoken in Sanksrit, such as "Hari Om" or "Om Shanti," a certain vibration is created that leaves a lasting and peaceful feeling - not only in the mind and body but in the spirit as well.

This does that mean that English does not carry that potency. It has the potential to do that as does any language that beings use to communicate. With the languages of today, especially English, you have to be specific in your speech and especially in your intention and awareness. You have to give a clear and specific signal to the "universe" - in heart, mind and soul - in order for "the universe" to properly provide.

I'm talking about this because I spoke to one of my oldest and dearest friends today. She told me that someone did some kind of bowl thing on her. The person put the bowl on her head and made a noise with it. The end result was that she was supposed to feel better.

She had pains in her back before this occurred but she was able to deal with it through arnica. After the bowl treatment, the pain is back. Her mother did it too and now feels a lot of pain in her hands.

I explained to my friend that this is not a bad thing. I figured that the bowl technique created a vibration that let you know what channels and passages are blocked. The vibration may not immediately treat that blockage but on first try, it certainly let them know what areas they have to work in.

The trick for them is to find out why they have this pain and then figure out how to treat it. Let me say that my friend is NOT a fan of pills and doctors. She had to deal with them on many occassions and had "not so great" encounters with them.

I told her that she should go to the doctor (especially in her mom's case) TO FIND OUT WHAT IS WRONG. Then, go to whichever practictioners she feels comfortable with to treat the case.

As for my friend, I know that she is very devotional to God. She is an Orthodox Christian and goes to church regularly. She is an Ethiopian Orthodox so in church, they speak Amharic. I remembered that in church (I used to go a lot myself), we used to chant in praise of the Lord.

Amharic is not as old as Sanskrit, however since it is considered an ancient language and used for devotional purposes, I knew that it would be a good thing to use as therapy.

So as I was talking to her about chanting in Amharic, Sanskrit, or English, she began to understand the power of vibration. She opened up and told me that Yoga was something she wasn't really into doing because of the chanting and the whole "religious" aspect of it.

From an Integral Yoga point of view, I explained to her that Yoga does not take ones faith away but adds to it. You don't have to say "Hari Om" or "Om Hrim" to be a Yogi. A Bhakti Yogi is someone who is devotional to God, the form of God you choose is inconsequential. If you go to church and do everything in service of God (or at least have that intent ) then you are a Bhakti Yogi, no matter what faith or religion you are bound to.

If you're in a class and you don't want to say OM...that's cool. Say "AMEN" to yourself. AMEN, AMEEN, and SHALOM are all derivates of OM.

I asked my friend to chant every morning and every night. She is going to use one of her church chants. I told her that she must say the same chant at these times and then whenever she feels pain, she should chant again, thinking and breathing into that area of her back that is giving her pain. She agreed and I think she also felt a lot better about Yoga, especially in regards to opening her mind to the healing possibilites that Yogic reasoning provides.

This does NOT mean that chanting will cure her ailment. What this will do is facilitate the vibrations in her body to heal. She got the first vibration that pinpointed where she needs to work on. These new vibrations should enable her to relax her mind enough to realize what she needs to do in order to treat and heal her backache.

In a nutshell, I'm hoping the chanting will make her realize that she has to slow down. In the meantime, she'll try this out and take arnica pills (instead of the cream), starting at 200cc and gradually going to 30cc, if necessary.

For YOU, be mindful of the many vibrations that you take in and give out. Notice your speech. How does it affect others? How does their speech affect you? Notice your methods of communication. Think about how a different method (for you and them) would change the dynamic of your relationships. Even if you try a different form of communication and it doesn't work out, learn the lesson from it and then you can move forward in your journey towards holistic health.

Another way to be aware of your vibrations and how you can enable them to empower you is by taking away that speech for a while. For one week, sit in silence (which is called Mauna). If you can't sit down and be still (like in meditation), do your tasks but say nothing and try to think nothing else but what you are focusing on at the moment. You can do it for 5 minutes or for days on end.

Nada Yoga is the Yoga of sound. Notice if you keep still, the sounds you hear. Sooner than later, you will be able to hear the hum in even the most inanimate of objects. Sooner than later, you will hear the hmmmm (OM) within yourself.

Should I keep you posted? Let me know what you think. Leave a comment here or send me an email at drea@dorightforyourself.org

Until next time, stay strong, stay healthy, and fight dis-ease!

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MovementsXVII

There is so much going on with me (as usual). I have made some really good connections and my Yoga teaching is growing strong. I spent a lot of time this week fixing issues on this blog as well as updating my other blog (did I tell you about it? ) If I didn't mention it yet, the name of my new blog is "Healthy Junk" and it's a lot of fun because it's my ego unleashed.

spring
Originally uploaded by bklynphoto

Fight dis-ease! is a lot more serious, orderly, and professional than Healthy Junk. So if you're ready for all that my ego is about (an angry, complaining, cussing sassy girl), then get yourself on over to Healthy Junk! Please provide feedback on whether you like the site (or not) and what I can do to improve things over there. Even though my ego doesn't give a damn, I still do! My spirit (and ego) wants to give you the best health information to keep you physically, mentally, and spiritually fit - regardless of how it's wrapped up!

My Yoga classes are going well. 13 people were in my first course class and I'm very excited about teaching a regular class on Sunday. Look for my last Movements post for all that information.

At the bottom of my blog, I have a section for donations. It took a while for me to decide to do this but I need help until I setup my services for Health Counseling and Yoga. I know you're wondering why didn't I just put up the services and that leads to my next "quandry."

I mentioned before about wanting to move from Blogger to somewhere else. Back then, Blogger was giving me issues so, in frustration, I wanted to make a change. Now, it's different. I want to broaden my horizons. I want to do more. If I'm going to put up my services, I might as well do it on a website and not on something so...limiting (it seems) as Blogger, right? And this is not about bashing Blogger. For the longest time, this platform has provided me with a way to connect to you and your health and wellness.

The downside to a website is the following questions come into play:

• does it make sense?
• do I have enough information to put into a website?
• do I have enough time?
• am I afraid of success or failure?
• do I have the money to pay for hosting?
• who's going to create my logo, etc. and what do I do if I don't have enough money for them?

So I'm asking all of you for some feedback. I wish I could put a poll within this post but I don't think I can (and if I can, let me know how). So in my sidebar, I'm going to put up a poll so that you can help me make my decision. Even if I do choose to create a website (or at least move this blog to a platform that provides more like Wordpress or Typepad), it's going to take a lot of time for me to move things and recreate things and find another theme that I like (I know...I'm such a girly girl!)

If you notice, you may have the same kind of questions in regards to reaching and maintaining wellness.

So if you can, please donate. I don't care about the amount. My editor/copywriter is very understand and loving but she can't live on love alone. I got to pay her. So until I figure this thing out, please help me out in whatever way you can - feedback is great, donations are better.

So what is your homework for today? You are to do the following things:

1. Check out my Healthy Junk blog and let me know what you think.
2. Check out my poll and provide feedback
3. Donate to me.

And thank you bklynyogini (follow her on twitter) for the beautiful spring pic. Springtime is coming and I have a lot to do and plan for! I'm definitely going to keep you updated on all of it.

Until next time...stay strong, stay healthy, and fight dis-ease!

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Random Thoughts XVIII: Wordle for my blog

I created a wordle for my blog...I hope you like it.

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Karma Yogi IV: March is for Women!

February was a celebration of Black History. Now we move from one aspect of who I am to another...Women's History! March is Women's History Month as well as National Women/Girls HIV/AIDS Day on March 10th. So let's do this Karma Yogi session with a little celebration and links for you to get into the spirit of celebrating Womanhood:

Let's not lie to ourselves and act like Michelle Obama is NOT history in the making! The first black First Lady of the United States? Come on now. It will start with her but it surely won't end with her.

If you are in Brooklyn, you can celebrate Women's History Month with First Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum. If you are in NYC on Saturday and love Hip Hop, you can celebrate Women's History Month with this jam.

It's so crazy how much history was made in a couple of months! 100 year old Black women got to vote for and elect a black president. This may not seem like much to most but when your family has been slaves for the past 300 years, this is HUGE. Especially for those who have lived through slavery and segregation. Bless them!

Now let's move onto March 10th...

According to the HIV/AIDS Awareness Website:

In 2005, women represented 26 percent of new AIDS diagnoses, compared to only 11 percent of new AIDS cases reported in 1990. Most women are infected with HIV through heterosexual contact and injection drug use.

Women of color are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. AIDS is now the leading cause of death for Black women ages 25 to 34.

You can get involved in your area by clicking here. In NYC, from 3/6 - 3/13, Womens and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day will be celebrated here. If you can participate, please do.

Now, even though we are celebrating Women's History this month, I truly believe that in order to respect the past, we must use the lessons learned then for the future. With this in mind, I'm going to give you links to a couple of websites and blogs that I think are doing a great job in helping women in the present and for the future:

kiva.org --> Micro-lending at its finest. It allows you to loan to the working poor around the world. I don't know why but it works. I'm going to lend to someone in need by the end of the month. You can lend in increments of $25 or more.

International Women's Day is March 8th. You can help out not only by participating with kiva.org but also with seva.org. Seva means "service" in Sanskrit. Karma Yoga is based on seva and goes beyond that in regards to the manner in which you perform your service. According to the website,

Working in nine countries in addition to the United States, Seva Foundation supports projects in the area of health and wellness, community development, environmental protection and cultural preservation.

Working with children and parents in the United States, lend4health is a blog that does micro-lending to benefit those that need help with their health and wellness. Spawned from kiva.org, lend4health is currently helping out children and adults dealing with autism spectrum disorders. For more information, click here.

The last website that I'm going to talk about is called Off the Mat,Into the World. Created by Yogini Seane Corn, Hala Khouri, and Suzanne Sterling, OTM takes Yoga and Seva to new levels with their Humanitarian tours. For more information, please click here.

I think this is it for now...we need to celebrate women everyday - the past, the present, and the future. Women need to celebrate their bodies, their mindset, and what we do for this planet and humanity. No more of this "secondary but necessary" business. Once and for all, let women feel and rise up to the word equality. Respect from others can only come when we start to truly respect ourselves.

Until next time...stay strong, stay healthy, and fight dis-ease!

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