Snow Piles ... of opportunity!

Ok, cheesy title. And if you know me at all, you know that I am not a "cheerleader"; I think telling people to "think positive" is trite and condescending. Yet I cannot help but see the opportunity, the "positive", in all this snow. For instance:

1. What other time of year is it common to see perfect strangers helping each other by pushing a car out of snow? I love that! I honestly, with every degree of sincerity, enjoy helping to push vehicles out of the snow. To me, it's fun.

2. Free, productive exercise! Want an amazing full body workout? Well, get your shovel out. There is pounds of free weights out there to lift and push and throw! Just be careful to lift with your legs, not your back! Even just walking in the snow is a much bigger workout than regular walking.

3. Rosy Glow. Everyone looks better with a rosy glow from the cold. Make sure you spend time outside every day, enjoying the sunshine and the cold air. And yes, we do have sunshine still.

4. Lastly, snow is pretty. It is. And it is here, so you best enjoy it! Whether or not you love all of the amazing snow sports out there, take advantage of the fact that we have this unique gift. Don't think it's a gift?

I spent one Christmas in Texas, minutes from the Mexican border. On Christmas Eve, it snowed, for the first time in 100 years. People were beside themselves. At midnight, children were running out onto the street to see the wonder of the snow falling. It was amazing. Even all of the Canadians were giddy, so happy to see their familiar fluffy, white friend in such an unexpected place. Try to view snow like it is the first time and the last time you will see it; view it with the awe and amazement that nature deserves.

And stop complaining about it!

Kristi Shmyr

Is there a success formula?

Learning the secrets and the "rules" of success is a passion of mine. I have spent the past 7 years studying, reading, listening and attending seminars on this topic, and hundreds of thousands of dollars and countless hours later, here are some of the things I have figured out: 1. You need a big "why" for any goal. This is your reason for doing what you do, and this reason has to be big enough to get you out of bed, and keep you working when you "don't feel like it". Without this, you get temporarily motivated, excited and passionate, but it will never last. You will set goals, New Years' Resolutions, and make promises to yourself, but you won't have the will to keep going when that initial burst of conviction wears off. 2. You need to understand your reasons for NOT wanting to achieve. Sounds strange, but our mind does not keep us from success to be mean; there is always a benefit your subconscious mind sees to stay exactly as you are, without your goal. Finding out what that is and resolving it is critical to your success. 3. The best way to tell your future is to create it. I see no reason to leave the content of you future up to chance. If you really want to achieve success, you need a very clear image of how you define that success. What does it look like, feel like, and sound like? Don’t limit yourself, because there are possibilities you could not even imagine from where you currently are, but get an idea. Since energy cannot be created nor destroyed, everything you want already exists; it simply needs to change form. Hold that image long enough and it will be drawn to you as you move towards it. 4. Act. Notice I said it will be drawn to you as you move towards it. I truly believe the universe can only do for you what it can do through you; waiting for your dreams to rain down from the sky will leave you waiting a great deal. Get clear and focused and then take inspired action, huge action, that makes your dreams inevitable. 5. Never stop readjusting and realigning. Success, like life, is never static. It will require you to be dynamic and changeable. Our knowledge doubles every 3 years, so you CANNOT keep doing what you have always done and expect to even stay the same; if you refuse to evolve, you are not only refusing to grow, you are actually DE-volving. Realign your goals and your actions with your purpose constantly. And embrace change; it is, ironically, the only constant. 6. Practice, and then simply let go and trust. Success requires practice. Just as working out for 5 days for 1 minute will not transform your body, inconsistent action and focus on your goals will not transform your life. You need to bring structure and order to any area that you want to be successful in. After that, comes the easiest and yet most difficult task – letting go and trusting that what you desire is already coming. This work is my passion. If you resonate with this Success Formula and want to learn more, I invite you to join Goal Ninjas: 6 Steps to the Kick Ass Life you Crave, starting November 6, 2010. If you want to learn more, check out www.goalninjas.com, or call Kristi at 780.454.5299

Fleeting Summer Days

I love Edmonton in the summer.

There. I said it.

It seems to me that's not a particularly popular opinion - to actually enjoy where you currently live. But I have always been a bit of a rebel.

The Fringe Festival is on right now, it's still sunny and warm, but the nights have cooled significantly. You can eat outside or in, and ice cream still feels like a totally reasonable "I need to cool down" purchase. I love it. 

I have been happily enjoying our short summer season, blissfully unaware that fall has been silently slipping in and touching the trees already. Yes, saw my first yellow leaves on the trees. Blerg.

So today's post isn't particularly relevant to my business, but simply a Happiness Call to Action. Enjoy the last days of summer. I truly believe how you do anything is how you do everything, so if you are waiting for the kids to be out of the house, or retirement, or whatever, to actually get out there and enjoy summer, know that you will ALWAYS be in a state of waiting. Seize the day and enjoy the sun. It doesn't last forever. 

Do you get that I am not just talking about summer here? 

Kristi Shmyr

Prana Holistic

Your Ego is Your Amigo!

Most self-help books, programs and experts will tell you that in order to achieve a truly happy life, you need to forgo the evil "ego".

Unless you intend to live your days on a mountain top in the lotus position
DO NOT LISTEN TO THIS GARBAGE!

If you want to live a life integrated into society, ANY society, you need to appreciate and respect your ego and work WITH it, not against it.

Working against it will only force your ego to work against you and sabotage your efforts, something I think we are all familiar with (has your head ever convinced you, mid-diet, that it doesn't matter if you eat a whole bag of cookies? That's your ego sabotaging you!)

So how do you avoid this? You have to respect the ego, and the survival brain, and enroll it in your goal.

We will go into this in much greater detail in our September Goal Ninja Bootcamp, including exercises on enrolling your ego, but in the meantime, here's something to keep in mind:

Get clear on what you fear would happen if you pursue or achieve a goal. Those fears are your ego's way of keeping you safe and are there for your safety and protection. Once you start listening to your fears with respect and acknowledging the important role they play in your life, you will have a better chance of your ego allowing you to proceed with your dreams.

If you are interested in achieving your goals and dreams, please go to www.goalninjas.com for more information on our upcoming Goal Ninjas Bootcamp.

Kristi Shmyr
Prana Holistic

Out with the Old!

Do you ever feel like you can't attract anything new or exciting into your life?

As an avid goal getter, let me ask a revealing question:

Is there any room in your life, your closet, or your head for new and exciting things?

 If you really want to create space for new and wonderful things in your life, you need to make room for them. Start eliminating draining tasks, memories and even clothes and other items to create a vacuum for which  brand new joys can fill.

A great place to start? Go through your closet, purge the clothes that are in great shape but that just don't inspire you anymore, and trade them in for "new to you" clothes this Saturday at the "Over the Top Fashion Swap" at the Winspear (go the the Over the Top Fashion Swap website here).  There will be fashion shows, spa samples, photographers, and a lot of fun, including us (yes, we will be there!). Come. Get a relaxing spa session (you get a free sample with your entry fee). Clear a closet. Make way for new things. Don't buy into the idea that there isn't enough, make room for the abundance that wants to enter. Start with your clothes, and who knows what will happen.

This was a very weak blog post.

Sorry. I'll do better next time!

Kristi Shmyr

Kristi's No Sugar Experience

Heyo!

Check me out - this is my uber-professional picture, slightly distorted by this blog's image importing system. I had my hair and make-up done for my YWCA Women of Distinction nominee photo (in the category of entrepreneur) and am using it all overs the interweb so y'all can see me in my professional glory!

But I digress.

So, my 30-day Sugar-free month is over. (See Sugar is to Health what Tiger Woods is to Commitment for more on our Sugar-free month).

What did I learn?

1. I eat more sugar than I thought.
2.  My subconscious is adamant I maintain a certain sugar quota and barrages me with dreams of sugary sweets as punishment for not giving in to my cravings during the day, and yet;
3. During the day, I didn't find it nearly as hard as I thought I would to resist the sweet temptations.
4. Finally, when I resumed my sugar-eating, I broke out, got a yeast infection, and got a headache.

Lesson - I will now cut my sugar consumption to 2 treats a week, a fair trade for a brain that doesn't throb and clear skin, me thinks.

Now it's your turn to rock the sugar-free month. Try it and see - the Oreos and doughnuts will still exist in 30 days, and you get a chance to see what life would be like without sugar.

Kristi Shmyr

Prana Holistic

Can you Boil Water on my Body?

Did you know your body gives off enough heat in 30 minutes to bring half a gallon of water to a boil?

Tell that to my feet!

If you have circulation issues, here are some suggestions:


1. Take cayenne pepper capsules, or eat actual hot peppers. It helps with your circulation.


2. Exercise. The more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism (your internal furnace) and better your circulation.


3. Eat some fat! Believe it or not, you NEED healthy fat in your diet. Eat some so your hormones are nice and balanced and metabolism is revving.


4. Take deep breaths. Oxygenated blood circulates better and will help eliminate cold spots.


5. Infrared Sauna - the best heat on a cold, dreary day, like today! Get unlimited sauna sessions for a month for only $69 at Prana Holistic (call 780.454.5299 if your interested!)

6. Get your thyroid checked - cold hands and feet are a common indicator of a problem. Ask your doctor to check your levels of thyroid hormone regularly, and even if they are "within the normal range" but low, take a supplement to boost them. I love Lorna VandeHaeghe's Thyrosense.


No more cold feet!

Sugar is to nutrition as Tiger Woods is to commitment

(Hmmm...I am not entirely sure that analogy is sound, but you get the idea!)

Sugar. It holds such a key spot in our hearts and our society. Chocolates at Valentine's Day, candy at Halloween, and that striped emblem of Christmas, the candy cane - sugar is everywhere. It's in your salad dressings, on your fries, and (chances are) its in most of what you will eat. 

We KNOW sugar is all but a biohazard when it comes to our health. It depresses our immune system. It raises tryglycerides and increases weight gain, diabetes and metabolic disorders. It aggravates asthma, arthritis and gallstones. It can destroy your kidneys and increase your risk of infection. Yet we are eating eat at a record rate - in the last 20 years, our consumption in North America has risen from 26 to 135 pounds of sugar per person per year!!!!

That's like eating a whole human made of sugar!

Not shockingly, the rate of heart disease and cancer seems to be somewhat correlated with the rise in dietary sugar.

So my intrepid friend and colleague, Roberta, and I are setting out on a little experiment.

How would 30 day sugar free days feel?

What do I expect? Well, its only 3 days in - cravings are strong. But after 30 days, I expect energy and focus to be more sustainable, and my mood to be more stable. I suspect everyone would embrace those changes for me!

So what are our rules?

1. No baked goods
2. No juice of any kind, fresh or not
3. maximum 3 servings fruit a day, focusing on berries and apples.
4. No sauces or dressings with sugar
5. no chocolate or candy (obviously)
6. No yogurt, except plain.
7. Just no sugar!

I'll let you know how it goes!

Kristi Shmyr

Prana Holistic

The Healing Crisis: Don’t Fret; You Get Worse Before You Get Infinitely Better!

Lately I’ve been writing a lot about spring cleansing being that it’s a seasonally appropriate topic. The component of cleansing that I’d like to highlight here is the healing crisis. A healing crisis occurs when there are more toxins making their way out of the body than the body can deal with all at one time. The result is a compilation of adverse symptoms, the most common ones being: headaches, body odour, joint and/or muscle aches and pains as well as general aches and pains, digestive disturbances such as diarrhea, constipation, indigestion, bloating and heartburn, nausea, skin eruptions including boils, rashes, acne and hives, fatigue, lack of energy, difficulty concentrating, irritability and intensity of emotions.

I’ve always thought it really important to mention the possibility of any or all of these symptoms that may or may not accompany a cleansing process (though more often than not at least some symptoms will go along with cleansing). The reason this is so important is because people often get discouraged when embarking upon a cleanse only to come head-to-head with nasty symptoms, sometimes right from the get-go. More important than being aware of the healing crisis is knowing that, as crappy as it feels in the moment, it’s an indicator of progress.

We store toxins primarily in our liver and our fat cells. When we cleanse, all of the organs and systems of the body work together to clear toxins out from storage via the systems of elimination. The end result is a replacement of tissues with healthier, more effective ones. Part of this process involves toxins getting dumped into the bloodstream, causing adverse symptoms known as ‘cleansing reactions’ or a ‘healing crisis’. Also, be aware that a detox will often bring about repeats of former conditions and their symptoms. For example, if you formerly got strep throat frequently, when you cleanse, you may experience the same symptoms of strep throat from before.

Healing crises usually occur quite quickly at the onset of a cleanse, though sometimes will set-in after 1-3 days of cleansing, and typically last anywhere from 1-5 days and sometimes more. To help ease you through a healing crisis be sure to apply the following tips:

• -          Drink plenty of water! Water is essential to flush toxins out of the system and moreover, removing toxins also means removing some water from the body.

• -          Rest as much as possible and as much as your body indicates that you need it if you are getting fatigued.

• -          Soak in a hot tub with Epsom salts, which will work to further remove toxins from the body.

• -          Be aware of the frequency of your bowel movements. Yucky symptoms of a healing crisis are almost always relieved by having a good bowel movement. If your bowels are not moving regularly, try using supplemental fibre such as products from RenewLife, or consult an herbal practitioner (such as myself) who can recommend herbs to help move the bowels. Also, consider pursuing colon hydrotherapy (I can provide recommendations for colon hydrotherapists within Edmonton).

• -          JOURNAL! Part of toxic upbringing includes thoughts and emotions stored in our cells over time. When cleansing, a person could find themselves feeling unusually angry, grievous, sad, depressed or restless. Journaling provides an avenue by which these seemingly unproductive emotions can be excavated as well as insight for later review.

• -          Call Prana Holistic to book massage, reflexology, infrared sauna, emotional freedom technique, flower essences, reiki, manual lymphatic drainage, acupuncture or NLP, all of which would be conducive to helping you process toxins more quickly and effectively, including emotions and self-defeatist thoughts.

As I wrote in my recent column on spring cleansing: cleansing reactions are temporary experiences that mean movement towards better health. On the other hand, accumulated toxins in the body lead to diseases that can be permanent and devastating. With that in consideration, surely some temporary, uncomfortable symptoms are worth the improved experience of health that internal cleansing imparts. Check out the full column at the following link: http://www.seemagazine.com/article/city-life/lifestyle/holistic-0318/

If you are interested in pursuing a cleanse and would like guidance or are already cleansing and looking for more guidance, please call me at Prana Holistic and I will be happy to set up an appointment with you to offer help in any way I can.

Roberta Shepherd for Prana Holistic

Fear of the scary, holistic unknown

"Holistic Health and Alternative Medicine are dangerous and irresponsible!"

One of our Prana Holistic Practitioners has recently started writing for See Magazine, an Edmonoton-based free newspaper (click here for Roberta's latest article on "Lymphatics"). Her first article was a simple introduction to her philosophy on health - click here to read her introductory article. This article, seemingly non-inflammatory as it is, provoked an angry letter. 


Although I won't share the exact contents of the letter, the gist was this: holistic health is dangerous. It has no value. There are no double-blind studies proving its efficacy. It cannot claim to save lives, like conventional medicine. Any effects seen by holistic health or alternative health are purely placebo.


It is wonderful to start a conversation about this, so let's do that.


First, I would like to address the argument that all resulting improvements from Holistic health modalities are the result of the placebo effect. The argument that there are "no double-blind, placebo-controlled studies being done" in this area, is simply untrue. Yes, studies are limited, but this is primarily due to lack of funding and corporate interest. Drug companies and large corporations often fund studies; the motivation to fund in an area of low profitability is correspondingly low. 


I will 100% concede that the placebo effect accounts for much of the results observed in any healing practice. But 30% of all conventional treatments is proven to be placebo as well. Drugs like Sertraline (including Zoloft), a popular anti-depressant, is criticized for being almost exclusively placebo effect, meaning the drug does no more to help depression than a sugar pill would. This effect is not limited just to conventional medicine; surgery also appears to be affected by the placebo effect. A study on arthroscopic knee surgery divided individuals into a group who underwent knee surgery and a group, who unbeknownst to them, had a "sham" surgery (were put under, had incisions and were then promptly sewn up without treatment). Both groups reported no pain one year after the surgery, regardless of whether it was real or fake. 

The author of the letter to SEE dismisses acupuncture because one study showed similar effects - a "sham" acupuncture session resulted, for this one specific problem, to be just as effective as "real" acupuncture. Shall we dismiss surgery as a whole as well because it is seemingly wholly placebic (just made that word up!) in its affect for this one surgery?

Conventional medicine lays on a foundation of placebo to the SAME degree alternative medicine does.

I also think it is remarkable that this individual, and so many like him, unquestioningly reference the Placebo Effect as fact, yet refuse to acknowledge energy healing. The very nature of the Placebo Effect is that thought (non-matter) effects things (matter/your body). It is proof that Quantum Physics, not old, matter-based Newtonian Physics, are where answers to better health lie. And it is an acknowledgment that energy (thought) can affect physiology.

There are many reasons why I think this is a wonderful debate to bring out into the open. Unfortunately, this particular effort to debate this topic, like so many I have seen in this field, seems profoundly based in fear of the unknown and ignorance. 

Something to chew on!

Yours in good health,

 

Kristi Shmyr
Prana Holistic
10138 121st Edmonton
www.pranaholistic.ca

Are you Hungry?

Here's an interesting idea - I was reading a great blog...ironically, this blog was ABOUT blogging [http://www.fridaytrafficreport.com], and came across an interesting post on what makes us, collectively, more likely to "rise to the occasion" and churn out our best work. The thought being this - as a culture in North America, we are soft. We are prosperous, comfortable and, well, really really really lucky. This breeds complacency. The really amazing, inspirational stories happen during massive depressions and wars and famines. Let's be honest - regardless of how bad we think the economy is and how tragic the losses in Iraq are, we, as a culture, are still remarkably comfortable. Change only happens when pain is applied (only the truly motivated change purely towards pleasure).

So how do we create a hunger, as Jack Humphrey calls it, to achieve great things in light of all this "comfort"? Well, here's my two cents on the matter (that's what blogs are for, yes?)

• Get very clear on what you DON'T want. Yes, I realize this goes against everything we are told by Law of Attraction teachers - never focus on what you don't want. I agree, but the point is not to focus on the negative, but to be clear on it. From that, you can get clear on what you DO want, in all its technicolored glory!

• Like it or not, we have a "default future" - a future that simply "happens" when we are on auto-pilot. It's imperative that you get clear on what consequences there will be if you continue to float down the "apathy path". Get clear on what those consequences are, and you will have motivation to move into action.

• Focus not on what would make you "comfortable" or "secure". These are apathetic, soft, lazy words. As Dr. Joe Vitale from the movie The Secret says, "Dare something worthy". Imagine you are in the future and a group of people are discussing what person, dead or alive, they would most like to have dinner with. Someone says your name and everyone is in agreement - it would be amazing to pick your brain and figure out how you ... (and it's your job to fill in the blank with whatever grand, life-changing, no-limits, amazing feat you accomplished in your lifetime). This will get you out of your head, away from the SMART, "achievable" goals and into the gracious world of big, juicy dreams. What would you do if you could not fail? These are the kind of dreams that will keep you hungry!

However you live your life, chose to LIVE IT! Make choices! Be grateful for what you have, but never complacent. And always hunger for your really big dreams. No one has ever been inspired by someone who is careful, comfortable and secure. The only way to affect true change in the world is to live your life to the fullest.

If you need help busting through the fog of a comfortable life and into your bright and colorful destiny, you might want to check out this FREE audio on how to create your year - listen online here -Goal Ninja Audio Online

Now go forth and live vibrantly!

Kristi Shmyr

Prana Holistic

10138 121st Edmonton

780.454.5299

kristi@pranaholisti.ca

Haiti needs our Help

Ok, here's the deal - the Canadian government has agreed to match Canadians donations up to $50 million towards to efforts to help in Haiti. I really want to take them up on that offer and raise money for a country that has been struck by everything from extraordinary poverty (they are the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere), war, and now this devastating earthquake.

I live in Alberta, and since I was a small child I have felt an immense gratitude for that. We are prosperous, natural disasters are rare and limited in their destruction, we have plenty of natural resources and beauty, and, this may sound silly, but we have no rats and that makes me ridiculously happy (yes, for all you international blog readers - we have "rat patrol" in Alberta and we are rat-free. In fact, I did not see my first rat until I was 30, in India). Living in all of this natural and man-made luxury, I cannot begin to imagine (or begin to reconcile) the devastation that Haitians are experiencing right now.

All of that being said, we want to do something. We contacted the Red Cross and are set up to accept donations on their behalf. If you are in Edmonton and want to donate, here is our offer -

Between January 21, 2010 and February 6, 2010, Prana Holistic will be fund raising for the Red Cross:

• For every session booked here (except 30 minute sessions), we will donate $20 of that money to the Red Cross effort in Haiti. (for information on our services, see our website at www.pranaholistic.ca)
  
• For every infrared sauna session booked, we will donate $10
  
• If you would like to contribute more, we will also be more than happy to accept personal donations. All donations over $10 are eligible for a receipt from the Red Cross (to be mailed later).
  

And, perhaps just as important as the financial aid, we will be holding a "Group Meditate-y for Haiti" event (silly name, yes, but tragedy does not preclude cuteness!) on February 6 at 4:30 pm. Here we will meditate on and send love to our fellow friends in Haiti. This may sound like a silly, idealistic and trite effort, but there are numerous studies, published in respected journals, that support the idea that joining together to meditate can have amazing effects on the lives of others - even lower the crime rate in cities by 22%!

So however you want to be involved, please get involved. We really can band together and create a better life in Haiti and make this devastation a blessing instead of a tragedy.

Much love, health, happiness and success to everyone!

Kristi Shmyr

H1N1 Hysteria

There is so much hype and hysteria around H1N1 that I wanted to post some comments. No, things I say do not comprise the absolute truth on H1N1 - they are my thoughts and feedback on a topic that is fraught with confusion and, lets be honest, amazing "scarcity" marketing (the "we're running out, get it before it's gone, everybody wants it!" sales pitch). It is based on information that I tried very hard to attain from official sources, but it does rely on the accuracy of those sources.

As of today, the European Center for Disease Control (an independent organization) posts worldwide deaths from H1N1 at 6508 deaths (the World Health Organization has the reported deaths under 5000). The world population as of July 2008 was 6,706,993,152. 

Just to put that into perspective, in 2004 (in one YEAR) the World Health Organization reports that 2.04 MILLION people die of AIDS and 2.16 MILLION die from diseases of diarrhea. To further put the number of H1N1 deaths into perspective, the "regular" flu kills about 30,000 people in an average year in the United States alone (yes, American statistics - Statistics Canada is a terrible website to use!). Again, in ONE YEAR! That is almost four times as many deaths! In Canada, 135 people have died from H1N1. More people are killed by hippopotamuses each and every year!



So the chances of dying of H1N1 are very low (almost ANYTHING else has a better chance of killing you), but you still think - "if I CAN protect myself against it, I WILL". Reasonable argument, yes? Well, depends on what you know about what is IN the vaccines.




Check out SOME (just some) of the ingredients in the H1N1 vaccine:

• formalehyde - ranked as one of the most hazardous compounds (worst 10%) to ecosystems and human health (Environmental Defense Fund).

• Sodium Deoxycholate - has been shown to weaken the blood-brain-barrier (BBB) and subsequently activate seizures.  

• Thimerosal - a form of organic mercury, long known to be very damaging to humans. After only 2 hour exposures, Thimerosal at micromolar concentrations causes neuronal membrane damage and alterations leading to cell death in immune T-cells. It alters DNA and brain function and studies out of the University of Calgary demonstrate the IMMEDIATE damage it does to brain cells(check outthis amazing video on the effects of mercury on brain neurons - you can actually watch the cells of the brain deteriorate - weeee! See Mercury Cause Brain Damage Video here!)

• Please note that there is a reported 10 Times More Thimerosal in Canadian Non-Adjuvanted H1N1 Vaccine (which they are recommending for children and pregnant women) according to the Public Health Agency of Canada website.

I don't intend to put down anyone who makes the decision to get the vaccine. Decisions about your health and the health of your family are decisions I whole-heartedly entrust to you. And I certainly don't mean to belittle the lives lost from H1N1. However, the intense focus on this one virus that is causing, statistically speaking, minor problems, is absurd. We need more perspective and less fear. There are safer ways to protect yourself against ALL illnesses (check out this article if you want more information on how to prevent H1N1 naturally!

I hope you have enjoyed this post! Please feel free to post your comments below and to subscribe to the blog to get updated posts!