are my children out to get me?

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Photo cred Lululemon

Unlike a runner's high, yoga is cumulative.  You can miss a few days, a week or two and the effects of yoga can still linger.  For me, practicing at least once a week is necessary to be a normal human. Practicing twice a week increases my patience exponentially.  If I practice three or more times per week, my children become hilarious and not so annoying.  The shift is 180 degrees.  From thinking my children are surely out to get me to finding the humor in the things they do is what it's all about.   Yoga works.

The Cure for Eczema

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My Ilsa Bunny will be 9 months old this week.  Her first eczema rash started on January 11th and has remained until this week.  During the fall, to keep my immunity strong and her's too, I researched taking oil of oregano and raw garlic.  I figured the garlic would make my milk taste strong and she wouldn't like it.  What I found out is that it would enhance the flavor of the milk and only good things so I took Dtox's "The Cure" shot regularly in the fall.  I stopped taking it around January about the time she started with the eczema.  I didn't take the The Cure again until last week.  Ilsa has suffered with this terrible, itchy rash non stop since January.  During this time, I cut out the staple of my diet, almonds.  I drank almond lattes and smoothies and used almond dipping sauces daily so I thought I'd start there.  I tried taking out everything at different times to no great changes.  I attempted to have her allergy tested but her veins were so tiny they couldn't draw her blood.  

This past week we all got sore throats.  I started back on The Cure.  Within the week of my taking this 1 ounce shot, her rash is almost completely gone.  Nothing else has changed.  There has been nothing left to change.  I changed all of our clothes detergent and have tried every cream and every wash, natural, homemade and otherwise.  I have tried most things that I considered the lesser of two evils.  I did not use the steroid cream that the doctor prescribed.  I have found that Cetaphil body wash is helping her.  I have found that a mixture of coconut oil and CeraVe work well as moisturizers.  

Why Garlic?

There are many health and skin benefits found in garlic. In addition to the antifungal, antiaging and skin smoothing benefits, garlic compounds have been shown to increase antioxidant levels and possibly lower blood pressure and glucose levels.

Allicin, garlic's most potent compound, provides the largest range of garlic's health benefits, including antibiotic and antifungal properties.  The compound has been used topically in the past to treat skin infections such as athlete's foot; however, too much topical exposure to garlic can result in blistered skin.

In addition to allicin, garlic's high sulfur content is said to tone the skin and give hair more luster. The sulfur reportedly works with B complex vitamins (E3Live or Colin Farrell) to support body metabolism and keep youthful elasticity in tissues, as well as treating and preventing dandruff. Garlic also is a source of the mineral selenium, which is said to fight cancer. Selenium works with vitamin E to boost antioxidant power and prevent or slow the signs of aging. Selenium is critical for the production of glutathione peroxidase, the body's primary antioxidant found in every cell. 

What is Oil of Oregano ?

Being a strong and effective blood purifier, antioxidant and rich in vitamins and minerals, oregano oil is beneficial for your skin. Topical application of this oil in a diluted form is known to treat skin infections, itches and irritations. 

The carvacrol compound in oregano oil helps in treating minor skin problems such as acne, cold sores, rashes and fungal infections when applied topically. This oil can be applied directly on acne lesions to speed up the healing process. You can also mix 2 -3 drops of this oil in a glass of water and dab on the acne with a cotton ball.

Since it possesses anti-bacterial properties, it has the ability to destroy candida and other unknown bad germs causing skin infections.

I feel sure that the above qualities diluted through my breast milk  are what have Ilsa's skin on the mend.  

Consult your doctor about the safety of essential oils and herbs during pregnancy and nursing.  

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Really Hot Yoga

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Carly Grace and Shannon 

After my pregnancy, I started back to yoga when my doctor said it was okay.  Not really, but listen to your doctor. I did my first post-partum, post C Section yoga class at 1 month after at Thunderbolt Power Yoga.  It was my friend Carly Grace's grand opening and I couldn't miss it.  I took it easy, all but the headstand leg lifts,  it was fine.  I did make a rookie mistake and instead of following my breath and listening to my body, my ego kicked in.  I was SO HEAVY, not in weight, but in feeling.  I was accustomed to feeling light as a bird in class and now I felt like a dump truck.  In this vigorous Baron Baptiste style class, we hopped around in chataranga a lot and I injured my big toe.  That's what happens when you follow your ego.  You get hurt.

At Thunderbolt and in Baptiste classes, they heat the room up to 90 degrees.  That's not too hot.  I've been in HOT yoga like Be Hot Yoga in Atlanta where it's easily 110 degrees. I swear it was 125 once.  Maybe not.  I took several classes there over 5 years ago.  I determined from those 6 classes that I did not do hot yoga.  It was not for my constitution.  Never to return.  

Well, things change.  Perspectives and needs change.  I did many classes after this pregnancy in vinyasa style warm rooms and I just wasn't getting what I needed.  I ran into my friend Jason, the owner of Be Hot, and decided to check out the studio again.  

Traditional style hot yoga classes do not flow or do vinyasa.  They have set postures of holding a pose for a minute, change; second set, 30 seconds, change.  

After my first class at Be Hot, where it is really hot, I felt like I'd lost 50 pounds.  I felt light again.

If you've tried yoga once and hated it, try it again.  All studios are different.  There are many different styles of yoga.  Each teacher at each studio is different.  The energy in each class is different.   

Traditional Bikram hot yoga classes are great for beginners and those with injuries.  They are also great for those that don't want to be hippy dippy or sing kumbaya.  Perfect for my husband.  Perfect for me right now.