Thursday, June 27, 2013

MINI-QUIZ FOR A LAZY AFTERNOON

All answers to these questions are found in previous posts, but it's summer, so I made it easy to check the answers for those with a Pitta mind with answers below.

1. What gift did the magic pumpkin give Cinderella on the night of the ball?

  1. almond milk to keep a rosy complexion
  2. sparkle oil for her dancing shoes
  3. a password to win the prince’s heart
  4. pumpkin seeds to make beauty oil (answer in CINDERELLA'S CARRIAGE HAD A GIFt FOR HER... AND FOR YOU TOO!)
1. According to ayurveda, which constitution (dosha) is most likely to be upset during summer?
  1. Vata (air and space)
  2. Pitta (fire and water)
  3. Kapha (water and earth)
3. To balance dry skin and hair, nervousness, insomnia and constipation, it is best to:
  1. never miss an opportunity to go out and have fun.
  2. decrease your consumption of crackers, increase oil in your diet and skin care, avoid stimulants and rushing.
  3. go South during winter
4. What can cool off and heal sunburns?
  1. aloe vera gel
  2. plain organic yogourt
  3. lavender hydrosol
  4. all of the above
5. A shirodara is :
  1. a full body massage by two practitioners
  2. a massage of the forehead with warm oil to balance the Vata constitution
  3. a massage of the forehead with cool milk to balance the Pitta constitution
  4. 2 and 3
6. Which vitamin is essential to the life of a skin cell?
  1. B3
  2. E
  3. Zinc
  4. A
7. Which massage oil mix is most likely to help with sluggish digestion?
  1. cumin, anis, ginger, cardamom essential oils with sesame oil
  2. vetiver, eucalyptus and frankincense essential oils in coconut oil
  3. cedar, birch and pine essential oil in petroleum jelly (Vaseline)
8. Which are the most effective ingredients to preserve the integrity of moisturizing creams?
  1. essential oils
  2. hydrosols
  3. certain vitamins
  4. jojoba
  5. clay
  6. 1, 3 and 4
  7. 1, 2 and 5
9. Face to Grace offers courses on topics such as:
  1. ayurveda, aromatherapy and energy work
  2. yoga
  3. ayurvedic nutrition
  4. stress and emotions
  5. a 1-year beauty certification program
  6. all of the above
  7. 1, 4 and 5
10. Pimples on the chin and lower area of the face indicate a Kapha disbalance.
  1. True?
  2. False?
****
ANSWER KEY:

1. (4); 2. (2) Too much of anything creates disblance; 3. (2) Number 3 could work, as long as you hydrate yourself and avoid stimulants, eg. alcohol and over-activity; 4. (4); 5. (4); 6. (2) All are good, but vitamin E is essential; 7. (1); 8. (6); 9. (7); 10. (1)

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

MOLD AND EMOTIONS: A DIRECT LINK


My visit to the coastal islands Saturna and Salt Spring Island, in British Columbia, continue to inspire me. The thing that struck me most, at least at first, was the incredible humid and rainy weather. But this type of weather was also awaiting here in Ottawa and in many other places in the world such as Germany, where the Danube is currently spreading out of its bed for hundreds of miles.

A voracious destroyer of life
Fascinating to see the strong forces
of growth and decay
at work in this park, close to Victoria.
In extreme kapha conditions, one of the most dangerous creature finds a haven: