Healthy household cleaning
19/01/11 21:18
I am a true believer in living as non-toxic as possible and therefore I seek to make the best choices I can for those things that are within my control (which is a lot!). This includes the substances I put on my body, in my body, and what I bring into my home. Today I’ll share with you my household cleaning choices.
First, I think good cleaning tools can go a long way and reduce your need to buy products, which saves money, conserves water, and minimizes adding wastes to our environment. I use E-Cloths a lot and really love them. I have the Glass and Polishing cloth for windows and mirror which works with just water and I use the General Purpose cloth for everything else. For tougher jobs I use a regular cleaning brush that I’ve had for many years.
My #1 most useful and favourite cleaning product is Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap! This stuff is really magic and they claim there are 18 uses. I’m not sure what all 18 are, but you can use it for all-purpose cleaning, laundry, dish soap, body wash, shampoo, and even toothpaste to name a few. I use it all over the house to clean surfaces, scrub the tub and toilet, or mop. It comes in lots of great scents and is organic, fair-trade, biodegradable, vegetable based. Apparently this is the top selling brand of soaps in North America! Who knew?
Something I’ve recently come to love is Nature Clean Oxy Stain Remover powder. I use it in the laundry for whitening, brightening, and stain removal, but I have also recently started using it to clean, as it works really well in the shower/tub and the toilet. I mix it with the Dr. Bronner’s soap and scrub the surface, then let it sit for a while before rinsing. This gets things very shiny clean!
Most of the time, these two products are enough for everything, but sometimes I like to use a spray cleaner, especially in the kitchen and bathroom if I’ve been procrastinating and haven’t cleaned in a while... Right now I’m using Parsley Plus spray, which literally has 3 ingredients! I kind of like the odd, parsley-like scent to this product and it works really great!
You may notice I don’t use any sanitizing or specific germ-killing products... For day-to-day life, I think these things are overkill and in fact prevent natural and useful immune “education.” Our bodies are incredibly well-designed to protect us from everyday exposure to pathogens like bacteria, viruses, etc. In fact, regular exposure to these things is incredibly important for our immune systems to develop and function properly. This is especially true for children, who are programmed to get themselves as dirty and grimy as they can! Basic good hygiene (like hand-washing), reducing the unnecessary spread of germs (like sneezing/coughing into your sleeve instead of all over the person next to you), and supporting the immune system (by eating healthy, getting enough rest, and dealing appropriately with illness) works with our body’s natural balance to keep us healthy. Exposure to man-made toxins and pollutants is far more disruptive to health than exposure to normal environmental pathogens!
There are some people who get sick easily/frequently and for those individuals it is important to investigate the causes behind that increased susceptibility (whether it be dietary intolerances, immune imbalance, overwork, energetic imbalance, unusual exposure, etc) and address that in order to solve the problem. This is what naturopathic medicine is all about!
First, I think good cleaning tools can go a long way and reduce your need to buy products, which saves money, conserves water, and minimizes adding wastes to our environment. I use E-Cloths a lot and really love them. I have the Glass and Polishing cloth for windows and mirror which works with just water and I use the General Purpose cloth for everything else. For tougher jobs I use a regular cleaning brush that I’ve had for many years.
My #1 most useful and favourite cleaning product is Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap! This stuff is really magic and they claim there are 18 uses. I’m not sure what all 18 are, but you can use it for all-purpose cleaning, laundry, dish soap, body wash, shampoo, and even toothpaste to name a few. I use it all over the house to clean surfaces, scrub the tub and toilet, or mop. It comes in lots of great scents and is organic, fair-trade, biodegradable, vegetable based. Apparently this is the top selling brand of soaps in North America! Who knew?
Something I’ve recently come to love is Nature Clean Oxy Stain Remover powder. I use it in the laundry for whitening, brightening, and stain removal, but I have also recently started using it to clean, as it works really well in the shower/tub and the toilet. I mix it with the Dr. Bronner’s soap and scrub the surface, then let it sit for a while before rinsing. This gets things very shiny clean!
Most of the time, these two products are enough for everything, but sometimes I like to use a spray cleaner, especially in the kitchen and bathroom if I’ve been procrastinating and haven’t cleaned in a while... Right now I’m using Parsley Plus spray, which literally has 3 ingredients! I kind of like the odd, parsley-like scent to this product and it works really great!
You may notice I don’t use any sanitizing or specific germ-killing products... For day-to-day life, I think these things are overkill and in fact prevent natural and useful immune “education.” Our bodies are incredibly well-designed to protect us from everyday exposure to pathogens like bacteria, viruses, etc. In fact, regular exposure to these things is incredibly important for our immune systems to develop and function properly. This is especially true for children, who are programmed to get themselves as dirty and grimy as they can! Basic good hygiene (like hand-washing), reducing the unnecessary spread of germs (like sneezing/coughing into your sleeve instead of all over the person next to you), and supporting the immune system (by eating healthy, getting enough rest, and dealing appropriately with illness) works with our body’s natural balance to keep us healthy. Exposure to man-made toxins and pollutants is far more disruptive to health than exposure to normal environmental pathogens!
There are some people who get sick easily/frequently and for those individuals it is important to investigate the causes behind that increased susceptibility (whether it be dietary intolerances, immune imbalance, overwork, energetic imbalance, unusual exposure, etc) and address that in order to solve the problem. This is what naturopathic medicine is all about!
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7 keys to achieving your resolutions
04/01/11 19:54
Do you make New Year’s resolutions? A lot of people I know don’t, but personally I love it! Of course I don’t always keep them, but I love that feeling of having a fresh start and I find I get more momentum to make changes at this time of year. Here are some rules I abide by when making resolutions:
1. Keep it simple
First, don’t try to change lots of things at once! Choose a few things that will make a positive difference in your life and focus on those. Also, don’t try to make drastic changes all at once. Figure out some small changes that will start you on a good path. For example, I once resolved to floss every day. This resolution was not that hard to keep and it was a small step that has created a long-lasting habit.
2. Write it down
People who write down their goals are far more likely to actually achieve them. Think about what you want in life and why your resolutions will help you get there. Write down your resolutions and the reasons for them. This will help keep you motivated! For example, if you are trying to quit smoking, write out all the reasons why you want to do this (prevent disease, feel healthier, breathe easier, smell better, etc). When you find yourself having trouble keeping your resolution, go back to this list to remind yourself!
3. Get excited!
This is kind of a no-brainer... Choose things you actually want and hopefully that will be enjoyable to do or achieve! If you find you are resistant to what you are trying to do, ask yourself why? Maybe that choice is not right for you or (more likely) there are strong subconscious forces within you that really WANT to hang on to your old behaviour. Addressing this is key to success. For example, nearly every patient I see wants to lose weight and most of them know things they need to change to do this AND are capable of doing it. So what holds them back? Most often I find that there are many other factors at work that prevent patients from truly being able to make a different choice. Homeopathy is one amazing naturopathic treatment modality to help shift this and open up new choices.
4. Change your brain
Did you know that you can actually change the way your brain works? There are so many ways to do this, but here I’ll mention visualization and meditation, which can work together. Visualization is a tried and true tool for achieving goals. If you can visualize something, you can make it happen. Meditation can encompass so many different things, but at the root it is a way to become more conscious of your mind’s activities and exercise control over them. Meditation is a skill that you build over time that pays off in so many ways, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. A great book to start with is Meditation as Medicine by Dharma Singh Khalsa.
And when you change your brain, you change what comes to you in life. The law of attraction is a powerful tool that you can use to achieve your goals. For more info on the law of attraction and the power of choice, check on my blog on this topic.
5. Plan, plan, plan!
Planning makes things happen. In addition to setting goals, you need to figure out HOW you will achieve them. Write this down too... For example, several years ago I wanted to reduce my stress levels and improve my mental focus, so I decided to learn meditation. If I had just made my New Year’s resolution “to meditate more” I would not have done much differently. Instead, I made the resolution “to meditate for 10 minutes every day” and I was successful in doing this the entire year! Having this specific plan in place helped me make time each day for this and it quickly became a new habit.
6. Get help
As part of your plan to achieve your goals, you might need some help from others. Support is a key factor in success, so write down what you might need to keep your resolutions. For example, if your resolution is to exercise more, your spouse can help you by taking care of the kids or cooking dinner so you have time to work out and a personal trainer can help you learn to make the most of the equipment available to you at the gym. If your resolution is to change your eating habits, your naturopathic doctor is a great support to teach you how to eat healthier and create a plan of action to help you accomplish this. One of the principles of naturopathic medicine is Docere - Doctor as Teacher.
7. Don’t give up!
Practice truly does make perfect! Nobody is ever good at something the first time they do it, so if you fall off the resolution wagon, climb back on and try again. The more you practice your new behaviour or habit, the better you will become and the easier it will be to continue! For example, getting to bed earlier so I can get more sleep has been a resolution of mine in a few different years. This one required (and still requires!) me to plan my time and get in the habit of doing my “going to bed” routine. And I’ve gotten better and better at this as years go by. Once you do something enough times, it is a lot easier to come back to, even if you stray.
1. Keep it simple
First, don’t try to change lots of things at once! Choose a few things that will make a positive difference in your life and focus on those. Also, don’t try to make drastic changes all at once. Figure out some small changes that will start you on a good path. For example, I once resolved to floss every day. This resolution was not that hard to keep and it was a small step that has created a long-lasting habit.
2. Write it down
People who write down their goals are far more likely to actually achieve them. Think about what you want in life and why your resolutions will help you get there. Write down your resolutions and the reasons for them. This will help keep you motivated! For example, if you are trying to quit smoking, write out all the reasons why you want to do this (prevent disease, feel healthier, breathe easier, smell better, etc). When you find yourself having trouble keeping your resolution, go back to this list to remind yourself!
3. Get excited!
This is kind of a no-brainer... Choose things you actually want and hopefully that will be enjoyable to do or achieve! If you find you are resistant to what you are trying to do, ask yourself why? Maybe that choice is not right for you or (more likely) there are strong subconscious forces within you that really WANT to hang on to your old behaviour. Addressing this is key to success. For example, nearly every patient I see wants to lose weight and most of them know things they need to change to do this AND are capable of doing it. So what holds them back? Most often I find that there are many other factors at work that prevent patients from truly being able to make a different choice. Homeopathy is one amazing naturopathic treatment modality to help shift this and open up new choices.
4. Change your brain
Did you know that you can actually change the way your brain works? There are so many ways to do this, but here I’ll mention visualization and meditation, which can work together. Visualization is a tried and true tool for achieving goals. If you can visualize something, you can make it happen. Meditation can encompass so many different things, but at the root it is a way to become more conscious of your mind’s activities and exercise control over them. Meditation is a skill that you build over time that pays off in so many ways, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. A great book to start with is Meditation as Medicine by Dharma Singh Khalsa.
And when you change your brain, you change what comes to you in life. The law of attraction is a powerful tool that you can use to achieve your goals. For more info on the law of attraction and the power of choice, check on my blog on this topic.
5. Plan, plan, plan!
Planning makes things happen. In addition to setting goals, you need to figure out HOW you will achieve them. Write this down too... For example, several years ago I wanted to reduce my stress levels and improve my mental focus, so I decided to learn meditation. If I had just made my New Year’s resolution “to meditate more” I would not have done much differently. Instead, I made the resolution “to meditate for 10 minutes every day” and I was successful in doing this the entire year! Having this specific plan in place helped me make time each day for this and it quickly became a new habit.
6. Get help
As part of your plan to achieve your goals, you might need some help from others. Support is a key factor in success, so write down what you might need to keep your resolutions. For example, if your resolution is to exercise more, your spouse can help you by taking care of the kids or cooking dinner so you have time to work out and a personal trainer can help you learn to make the most of the equipment available to you at the gym. If your resolution is to change your eating habits, your naturopathic doctor is a great support to teach you how to eat healthier and create a plan of action to help you accomplish this. One of the principles of naturopathic medicine is Docere - Doctor as Teacher.
7. Don’t give up!
Practice truly does make perfect! Nobody is ever good at something the first time they do it, so if you fall off the resolution wagon, climb back on and try again. The more you practice your new behaviour or habit, the better you will become and the easier it will be to continue! For example, getting to bed earlier so I can get more sleep has been a resolution of mine in a few different years. This one required (and still requires!) me to plan my time and get in the habit of doing my “going to bed” routine. And I’ve gotten better and better at this as years go by. Once you do something enough times, it is a lot easier to come back to, even if you stray.
Since when did natural become the alternative?
20/12/10 10:25
Check out this blog by my colleague Ashley Mayer that asks the question “since when did natural become the alternative?”
I had to share this blog because it addresses a major shift in perception that has happened in society in a short period of time. Somehow in just a generation or two, most people have accepted advertising messages/manipulation that tells us that fake, altered, and lab-created foods are somehow equal to or even better than what nature has to offer. Although I have yet to read both of the Michael Pollan books I own, I know that one of his major messages is “eat food.” Even just sticking to this basic advice, meaning eat things in as close to their natural state as possible (unprocessed and free of preservatives, additives, flavours, colours, etc), would greatly benefit most people.
In this blog, Ashley addresses this question as well as the key points of: choose your sources of information carefully and employ your critical thinking skills to decide what is actually “healthy.”
I had to share this blog because it addresses a major shift in perception that has happened in society in a short period of time. Somehow in just a generation or two, most people have accepted advertising messages/manipulation that tells us that fake, altered, and lab-created foods are somehow equal to or even better than what nature has to offer. Although I have yet to read both of the Michael Pollan books I own, I know that one of his major messages is “eat food.” Even just sticking to this basic advice, meaning eat things in as close to their natural state as possible (unprocessed and free of preservatives, additives, flavours, colours, etc), would greatly benefit most people.
In this blog, Ashley addresses this question as well as the key points of: choose your sources of information carefully and employ your critical thinking skills to decide what is actually “healthy.”
Root cause beyond the physical
08/11/10 09:32
One of the principles of naturopathic medicine is “identify and treat the cause” of illness. I think that every health care professional believes this, but we may differ in what we identify as the cause! This blog at Crazy Sexy Life focuses on stress and emotional pain as two important, but often overlooked, causes of illness.
This is why I love to work with a combination of modalities that work physiologically (such as nutrition, botanical medicine, lifestyle) and energetically (such as homeopathy, Asian medicine). Energy medicine can go far deeper into balancing stress, changing mental patterns, and healing emotional pain. In fact, all of these modalities have some impact on both body and soul. However, while you can achieve incredible results through dietary changes, supplementation, herbs, and lifestyle habits, addressing the deeper levels of mind, emotions, and spirit can lead to major shifts in susceptibility and vitality that can help a patient achieve wellness, which is beyond just physical health.
Look for more blogs on this topic soon!
This is why I love to work with a combination of modalities that work physiologically (such as nutrition, botanical medicine, lifestyle) and energetically (such as homeopathy, Asian medicine). Energy medicine can go far deeper into balancing stress, changing mental patterns, and healing emotional pain. In fact, all of these modalities have some impact on both body and soul. However, while you can achieve incredible results through dietary changes, supplementation, herbs, and lifestyle habits, addressing the deeper levels of mind, emotions, and spirit can lead to major shifts in susceptibility and vitality that can help a patient achieve wellness, which is beyond just physical health.
Look for more blogs on this topic soon!
Surviving cancer with true wellness
02/11/10 21:52
On the first page of this website I explain that true wellness is so much more than simply being free of illness. It is a state of balance of all aspects of your being, and this requires a holistic approach. Wellness is not quite the same thing as being “healthy”. One can have a disease or poor physical health and still be “well” because wellness is feeling your best no matter what ups and downs life hands to you and doing your best to support your mind, body, and spirit. Wellness has more to do with intention and balance; it is something that anyone can achieve.
This blog from Crazy Sexy Life written by a man who is a six time cancer survivor does a great job of explaining this point! Plus he’s Canadian (from New Brunswick)!
This blog from Crazy Sexy Life written by a man who is a six time cancer survivor does a great job of explaining this point! Plus he’s Canadian (from New Brunswick)!
The Story of Cosmetics
17/08/10 22:49
A few weeks ago I shared The Story of Stuff and now there is a new video called The Story of Cosmetics. The makers of these videos have even more at their website, like The Story of Bottled Water and The Story of Electronics (coming soon).
A lot of people wonder why it matters so much what we put on our bodies or what chemicals are in the things we use everyday... My take on it is, why expose myself to harmful stuff if I don’t have to? There are lots of options for cleaning products, cosmetics, personal care, water bottles, food containers, fragrances, etc that are non-toxic and work great, so why not avoid what toxins you can? And why support companies that aren’t looking out for your health? There is so much in life we can’t control, I think we should do the best with what we can.
If you haven’t checked it out yet, the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database is a great resource!
A lot of people wonder why it matters so much what we put on our bodies or what chemicals are in the things we use everyday... My take on it is, why expose myself to harmful stuff if I don’t have to? There are lots of options for cleaning products, cosmetics, personal care, water bottles, food containers, fragrances, etc that are non-toxic and work great, so why not avoid what toxins you can? And why support companies that aren’t looking out for your health? There is so much in life we can’t control, I think we should do the best with what we can.
If you haven’t checked it out yet, the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database is a great resource!
Top 10 things to know before you're 30
30/07/10 14:19
The Story of Stuff
13/07/10 18:30
This video has been around since 2007 and is still relevant! Every time I watch it I am still disgusted with how disposable our “stuff” has become. It is hard to change the quality/disposability of the things we buy (cell phones, iPods, computers, appliances) but we can definitely disconnect from the “newer is better” mindset and make use of these things longer and recycle as much as possible.
Success
12/04/10 19:12
21 Suggestions for Success
By H. Jackson Brown
1. Marry the right person. This one decision will determine 90% of your happiness or misery.
2. Work at something you enjoy and that’s worthy of your time and talent.
3. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
4. Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
5. Be forgiving of yourself and others.
6. Be generous.
7. Have a grateful heart.
8. Persistence, persistence, persistence.
9. Discipline yourself to save money on even the most modest salary.
10. Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated.
11. Commit yourself to constant improvement.
12. Commit yourself to quality.
13. Understand that happiness is not based on possessions, power or prestige, but on relationships with people you love and respect.
14. Be loyal.
15. Be honest.
16. Be a self-starter.
17. Be decisive even if it means you’ll sometimes be wrong.
18. Stop blaming others. Take responsibility for every area of your life.
19. Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the ones you did.
20. Take good care of those you love.
21. Don’t do anything that wouldn’t make your Mom proud.
By H. Jackson Brown
1. Marry the right person. This one decision will determine 90% of your happiness or misery.
2. Work at something you enjoy and that’s worthy of your time and talent.
3. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
4. Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
5. Be forgiving of yourself and others.
6. Be generous.
7. Have a grateful heart.
8. Persistence, persistence, persistence.
9. Discipline yourself to save money on even the most modest salary.
10. Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated.
11. Commit yourself to constant improvement.
12. Commit yourself to quality.
13. Understand that happiness is not based on possessions, power or prestige, but on relationships with people you love and respect.
14. Be loyal.
15. Be honest.
16. Be a self-starter.
17. Be decisive even if it means you’ll sometimes be wrong.
18. Stop blaming others. Take responsibility for every area of your life.
19. Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the ones you did.
20. Take good care of those you love.
21. Don’t do anything that wouldn’t make your Mom proud.
Lessons from India
11/07/09 11:48
This blog was originally published on August 27, 2007 here.
The four major lessons I learned from travelling to India.
1. Be proud of yourself
I was the only naturopathic student in my month-long program. Every other person there was a student in medical school at mainstream colleges, mostly in the US. I was also one of the oldest people, having worked for years before returning to school for naturopathic medicine - most of these students had entered medical school right after university undergraduate programs. For all these reasons, I felt like the odd one out a lot of the time and this was hard for me since I was also dealing with culture shock in a new place. My interests, outlook, life experience, and attitude were so very different, even more so than I expected. What I am passionate about was either uninteresting or completely unknown to my companions. During this experience I realized how important it is to remain true to oneself and that it isn’t always necessary to prove yourself to other people.
2. Be patient (already!)
Having patience in India is key. Or else you will go insane. Things do not happen at the pace that you expect - some things are too fast (traffic!), but most things are very, very slow! For example, the distance from Delhi (where I arrived) to Dehradun is 235km. In Canada, driving this distance would take about 2.5 hours. This trip took about 8 hours by bus in India (including a stop for lunch). On my way back from Dehradun to Delhi, the trip took about 5 hours by train. So, it seems that due to poor road conditions, road closures/checkpoints, and traffic, travel by car takes about 3 times longer in India than Canada. Even travel by train (which is much nicer, except for the restrooms) takes about twice as long.
The distance from Dehradun (where I was for 2 of the 4 weeks) to Agra (where the Taj Mahal is) is 381km. In Canada, it would take about 4 hours to cover that distance. The weekend I did it, we travelled for 12 hours overnight by car. The trip went like this: left at 8pm from Dehradun and drove on bumpy, winding, congested, and LOUD roads until about 1am. Stopped for tea. At this tea stop some of us got out of the car to walk around and were instantly surrounded by random men asking us all kinds of personal questions! I got back in the car and stayed there. I managed to sleep for about 2 hours total by listening to my iPod, creating a pillow from a raincoat, putting on an eye mask, and wrapping my head in a scarf (I wish I had a photo of this!). We then continued travelling for a few more hours until we stopped at a closed gas station for a restroom break. We reached our hotel in Agra at about 8am. Quick change and breakfast, then spent the day sightseeing. Stayed in Agra that night, then left the next morning at around 7am. Our drivers tried to take a shorter route back, but it ended up being on worse roads, which ate up more time. We stopped a few times for tea and lunch, and got pretty near Dehradun by about 7pm. Then we got stuck in traffic due to either roadwork or partial flooding of the road. Our driver drove on the shoulder AROUND the traffic to another route and then on dark, winding, guard-railless mountain roads (nearly flying off a few times!) until we reached our destination by about 10pm. In total, 12 hours to Agra, 24 hours in Agra, then 15 hours back to Dehradun.
Another memorable story: I budgeted a certain amount of money for my trip, but that did not end up being enough, so I tried to use my bank card at a few Indian ATMs with no luck. So I tried talking to the banks - again no luck. Then I tried using my credit cards to get cash, but couldn't because I didn't have a PIN set up... So, I started to get a bit panicky - here I am in a foreign country running out of money! I would exchange traveller's cheques or US cash at a particular foreign exchange place and I heard that they could also do a credit card advance without a PIN, so I headed there. Usually I was served by the man who seemed like the owner or his wife, both of whom were professional, efficient, and friendly. However, this one day I rushed over there during a short break in my day (through deadly traffic amid dust and noise and chaos) desperate to get some cash before I left town for the weekend and was served by a different guy who was quite possibly the slowest human being I have ever encountered! He clearly had little idea how to do this transaction and I was so nervous that he couldn't do it, or the phone line would be down, or my credit card wouldn't go through, or whatever that I must have been shaking! I realized in this moment that this was a HUGE test of my patience! And that there was nothing I could do to make anything go faster or work better... And then I chose to stop worrying. Not an easy thing to do, for sure, but still possible! Everything worked out OK in the end and I managed to make it to my next destination on time, so worrying and being impatient would have been an unnecessary stress. I am so thankful for this and other experiences because they have given me much needed practice at being PATIENT, a skill I can definitely use in my life.
3. Remain calm/I am capable/go with the flow/be resourceful/have faith
During most of my month in India I had a cell phone provided by the program. However, on my last day in Dehradun before heading to Delhi to fly back to Canada, I no longer had my cell phone because we had to turn them in the previous day. Some other students, two coordinators, and I headed downtown to run various errands. I needed more cash (again!) while the others headed to an internet cafe and a cell phone store. I agreed to go get my cash then head to the internet cafe to meet back up with some of the others. Seems simple, right? Well, there are literally internet cafes one on top of another in this city and the one I THOUGHT I was supposed to go to was essentially empty. So where were my people? I couldn't exactly go searching for them, since I barely knew where I was or where to begin. At home if this happened to me, it wouldn't be such a big deal, but try to imagine being alone and kind of lost in a noisy, busy, chaotic, and crowded place where you can barely recognize places you know and most writing is in a language you can't read... Without my dear cell phone! Again, I realized in this moment that this was a test of my ability to fend for myself and figure myself out of my problem on my own (remain calm!). First I realized that if I could not find anyone, I could still go do the other things I needed to and head back to my house on my own (I am capable, so go with the flow!). I found and used a public phone for the first time to call one of the coordinators, whose phone number I thankfully had in my wallet (be resourceful!). Turns out the number I had was for a different coordinator (remain calm!), but he gave me the right number (have faith!). I went to a sweet shop to wait for him, but time passed and nobody showed... Was I at the wrong place? Totally possible given that businesses in India often have nearly identical names on the same street - they copycat each other frequently... By coincidence, the other coordinator I had been with earlier showed up at this shop and then a couple others did too (have faith!). Of course everything worked out fine...
4. Be prepared and keep learning
Prior to going to India, I did some research. Reading novels, how to get around, cautions, tips, packing lists, maps, history, culture, food, language, etc. While there, I REALLY wanted to learn more, so I asked my host family A LOT of questions at every opportunity. Politics, pop culture, clothing, food, arranged marriage, India perspectives on other countries, tips, language lessons, whatever. You name it, I asked it! I also decided that I would truly try to LIVE in India, instead of living as a Canadian in India. This means thinking in rupees (not dollars!): evaluating prices based on the market (and not how much cheaper things were than at home) and bargaining fairly (rather than throwing money around because I was a "rich” Westerner). This also meant learning and understanding customs in India and living by them - tipping, photos, attire, table manners, language, bargaining, attitudes, behaviour... I know that I did not manage to blend in too well, but I made an effort to be observant and adjust myself to my surroundings.
As I wrote in a previous blog, you cannot be certain that what you think is polite/rude is viewed the same way in foreign countries. This is what it means to be a conscientious traveller, I think. And I think this is where "rude Americans" (and other Westerners, although most foreigners will assume we are also American) get into trouble. I think most people are trying to be courteous and are unknowingly interpreted as rude because sometimes social norms are so different. It is important to make an effort to be polite, but on whose terms? What I think is much more difficult, but quite an important lesson, is to actually LEARN about the culture you visit and play by its rules rather than impose your own. This means avoiding value judgements ("India is so backwards") and instead making observations ("India is so different from my country"). Through observation, you can see HOW something is different. Through researching history and gaining experience, you can actually start to understand WHY. If cultures are like people, the NATURE influences are the attributes randomly granted to it (location, climate, geography, natural resources, etc). And not all countries start out with the same stuff (just as not all people do). And, just like with people, understanding NURTURE (history, interactions with neighbours, etc.) is a major puzzle piece too.
The four major lessons I learned from travelling to India.
1. Be proud of yourself
I was the only naturopathic student in my month-long program. Every other person there was a student in medical school at mainstream colleges, mostly in the US. I was also one of the oldest people, having worked for years before returning to school for naturopathic medicine - most of these students had entered medical school right after university undergraduate programs. For all these reasons, I felt like the odd one out a lot of the time and this was hard for me since I was also dealing with culture shock in a new place. My interests, outlook, life experience, and attitude were so very different, even more so than I expected. What I am passionate about was either uninteresting or completely unknown to my companions. During this experience I realized how important it is to remain true to oneself and that it isn’t always necessary to prove yourself to other people.
2. Be patient (already!)
Having patience in India is key. Or else you will go insane. Things do not happen at the pace that you expect - some things are too fast (traffic!), but most things are very, very slow! For example, the distance from Delhi (where I arrived) to Dehradun is 235km. In Canada, driving this distance would take about 2.5 hours. This trip took about 8 hours by bus in India (including a stop for lunch). On my way back from Dehradun to Delhi, the trip took about 5 hours by train. So, it seems that due to poor road conditions, road closures/checkpoints, and traffic, travel by car takes about 3 times longer in India than Canada. Even travel by train (which is much nicer, except for the restrooms) takes about twice as long.
The distance from Dehradun (where I was for 2 of the 4 weeks) to Agra (where the Taj Mahal is) is 381km. In Canada, it would take about 4 hours to cover that distance. The weekend I did it, we travelled for 12 hours overnight by car. The trip went like this: left at 8pm from Dehradun and drove on bumpy, winding, congested, and LOUD roads until about 1am. Stopped for tea. At this tea stop some of us got out of the car to walk around and were instantly surrounded by random men asking us all kinds of personal questions! I got back in the car and stayed there. I managed to sleep for about 2 hours total by listening to my iPod, creating a pillow from a raincoat, putting on an eye mask, and wrapping my head in a scarf (I wish I had a photo of this!). We then continued travelling for a few more hours until we stopped at a closed gas station for a restroom break. We reached our hotel in Agra at about 8am. Quick change and breakfast, then spent the day sightseeing. Stayed in Agra that night, then left the next morning at around 7am. Our drivers tried to take a shorter route back, but it ended up being on worse roads, which ate up more time. We stopped a few times for tea and lunch, and got pretty near Dehradun by about 7pm. Then we got stuck in traffic due to either roadwork or partial flooding of the road. Our driver drove on the shoulder AROUND the traffic to another route and then on dark, winding, guard-railless mountain roads (nearly flying off a few times!) until we reached our destination by about 10pm. In total, 12 hours to Agra, 24 hours in Agra, then 15 hours back to Dehradun.
Another memorable story: I budgeted a certain amount of money for my trip, but that did not end up being enough, so I tried to use my bank card at a few Indian ATMs with no luck. So I tried talking to the banks - again no luck. Then I tried using my credit cards to get cash, but couldn't because I didn't have a PIN set up... So, I started to get a bit panicky - here I am in a foreign country running out of money! I would exchange traveller's cheques or US cash at a particular foreign exchange place and I heard that they could also do a credit card advance without a PIN, so I headed there. Usually I was served by the man who seemed like the owner or his wife, both of whom were professional, efficient, and friendly. However, this one day I rushed over there during a short break in my day (through deadly traffic amid dust and noise and chaos) desperate to get some cash before I left town for the weekend and was served by a different guy who was quite possibly the slowest human being I have ever encountered! He clearly had little idea how to do this transaction and I was so nervous that he couldn't do it, or the phone line would be down, or my credit card wouldn't go through, or whatever that I must have been shaking! I realized in this moment that this was a HUGE test of my patience! And that there was nothing I could do to make anything go faster or work better... And then I chose to stop worrying. Not an easy thing to do, for sure, but still possible! Everything worked out OK in the end and I managed to make it to my next destination on time, so worrying and being impatient would have been an unnecessary stress. I am so thankful for this and other experiences because they have given me much needed practice at being PATIENT, a skill I can definitely use in my life.
3. Remain calm/I am capable/go with the flow/be resourceful/have faith
During most of my month in India I had a cell phone provided by the program. However, on my last day in Dehradun before heading to Delhi to fly back to Canada, I no longer had my cell phone because we had to turn them in the previous day. Some other students, two coordinators, and I headed downtown to run various errands. I needed more cash (again!) while the others headed to an internet cafe and a cell phone store. I agreed to go get my cash then head to the internet cafe to meet back up with some of the others. Seems simple, right? Well, there are literally internet cafes one on top of another in this city and the one I THOUGHT I was supposed to go to was essentially empty. So where were my people? I couldn't exactly go searching for them, since I barely knew where I was or where to begin. At home if this happened to me, it wouldn't be such a big deal, but try to imagine being alone and kind of lost in a noisy, busy, chaotic, and crowded place where you can barely recognize places you know and most writing is in a language you can't read... Without my dear cell phone! Again, I realized in this moment that this was a test of my ability to fend for myself and figure myself out of my problem on my own (remain calm!). First I realized that if I could not find anyone, I could still go do the other things I needed to and head back to my house on my own (I am capable, so go with the flow!). I found and used a public phone for the first time to call one of the coordinators, whose phone number I thankfully had in my wallet (be resourceful!). Turns out the number I had was for a different coordinator (remain calm!), but he gave me the right number (have faith!). I went to a sweet shop to wait for him, but time passed and nobody showed... Was I at the wrong place? Totally possible given that businesses in India often have nearly identical names on the same street - they copycat each other frequently... By coincidence, the other coordinator I had been with earlier showed up at this shop and then a couple others did too (have faith!). Of course everything worked out fine...
4. Be prepared and keep learning
Prior to going to India, I did some research. Reading novels, how to get around, cautions, tips, packing lists, maps, history, culture, food, language, etc. While there, I REALLY wanted to learn more, so I asked my host family A LOT of questions at every opportunity. Politics, pop culture, clothing, food, arranged marriage, India perspectives on other countries, tips, language lessons, whatever. You name it, I asked it! I also decided that I would truly try to LIVE in India, instead of living as a Canadian in India. This means thinking in rupees (not dollars!): evaluating prices based on the market (and not how much cheaper things were than at home) and bargaining fairly (rather than throwing money around because I was a "rich” Westerner). This also meant learning and understanding customs in India and living by them - tipping, photos, attire, table manners, language, bargaining, attitudes, behaviour... I know that I did not manage to blend in too well, but I made an effort to be observant and adjust myself to my surroundings.
As I wrote in a previous blog, you cannot be certain that what you think is polite/rude is viewed the same way in foreign countries. This is what it means to be a conscientious traveller, I think. And I think this is where "rude Americans" (and other Westerners, although most foreigners will assume we are also American) get into trouble. I think most people are trying to be courteous and are unknowingly interpreted as rude because sometimes social norms are so different. It is important to make an effort to be polite, but on whose terms? What I think is much more difficult, but quite an important lesson, is to actually LEARN about the culture you visit and play by its rules rather than impose your own. This means avoiding value judgements ("India is so backwards") and instead making observations ("India is so different from my country"). Through observation, you can see HOW something is different. Through researching history and gaining experience, you can actually start to understand WHY. If cultures are like people, the NATURE influences are the attributes randomly granted to it (location, climate, geography, natural resources, etc). And not all countries start out with the same stuff (just as not all people do). And, just like with people, understanding NURTURE (history, interactions with neighbours, etc.) is a major puzzle piece too.
The power of choice
28/06/09 08:46
This blog is slightly modified from its original posting on April 27, 2007 here.
The Secret is both a book and a movie that explains the law of attraction. This law states that we attract what we think about and/or feel. Two lines from the movie are: “thoughts become things” and “feeling creates the future”. Assuming that reality is influenced by our thoughts and feelings, it is important to identify, request, and visualize what we want to happen, rather than dwell on fears, worries, and what we don’t want. To put the law of attraction into practice, we must “ask, believe, and receive”. The Secret works in every arena: financial, intellectual, relational, spiritual, and physical. The Secret and the law of attraction are all about choice; we choose what we want through our feelings. When we clarify what we want we focus our energy on moving towards it. Choice is the most powerful tool in existence because it is the one power that everyone possesses and that can never be taken away from anyone.
During first year of naturopathic college, I read Power vs. Force by David Hawkins, which focuses on the idea that everything (and everyone) is connected to and therefore a vast collective knowledge is accessible to everyone. The book provides a guide to tapping into it via kinesiologic testing. However, there is also much discussion in this book about the difference between power and force, which I found fascinating. Force is an attempt to control what cannot be controlled. Power actually arises from within and is not applied to people or things, but instead attracts them or creates them. There are abundant examples of both force and power in the news and our lives every day. For instance, the current issue of whether torture or human rights violations are valid tools of interrogation. In this case, interrogators use force to gain valuable information that belongs to prisoners. The problem with this is that the prisoners, despite having all other rights and powers removed, still retain the power of choice. In this situation, the prisoners actually possess immense power, the power to share information or not, illuminated by the lengths to which interrogators will go to trying to overcome it.
Around the same time I read Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. The major theme of this book is also choice. The prime movers of the world respond to the exploitation of their creative and productive power by choosing to remove themselves from mainstream society. Despite attempts to force them into cooperation, the power of choice cannot be taken away from them and it cannot be overcome.
Healing is intimately connected with the power of choice. Despite economic status, state of health, available resources, or intelligence, the law of attraction is a tool accessible to everyone, all the time. We must determine our own destiny, rather than rely on others (doctors, medications, family, friends, job, etc.) for happiness and health. This is not as easy as it sounds. The law of attraction is common sense, really, but actually becoming skilled in its use takes awareness, practice, and consistency. Apart from our outlook, attitude, or self-image, thoughts and feelings also manifest in vocabulary, speech, posture, daydreams, worry, fear, choices, and every other area of life. In order to change these manifestations, we must also become more self aware and practice a new way of being.
The corollary of the power of choice is the power of acceptance. While we have unlimited choice to control ourselves, there are many forces in the world that cannot be controlled. In the realm of health, this is especially important because perfect physical health may not be possible in all cases. To achieve true wellness (which may occur even in the presence of physical ailments), we must accept what it. The Serenity Prayer, most associated with Alcoholics Anonymous is just one example of how acceptance is used for healing: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
The Secret is both a book and a movie that explains the law of attraction. This law states that we attract what we think about and/or feel. Two lines from the movie are: “thoughts become things” and “feeling creates the future”. Assuming that reality is influenced by our thoughts and feelings, it is important to identify, request, and visualize what we want to happen, rather than dwell on fears, worries, and what we don’t want. To put the law of attraction into practice, we must “ask, believe, and receive”. The Secret works in every arena: financial, intellectual, relational, spiritual, and physical. The Secret and the law of attraction are all about choice; we choose what we want through our feelings. When we clarify what we want we focus our energy on moving towards it. Choice is the most powerful tool in existence because it is the one power that everyone possesses and that can never be taken away from anyone.
During first year of naturopathic college, I read Power vs. Force by David Hawkins, which focuses on the idea that everything (and everyone) is connected to and therefore a vast collective knowledge is accessible to everyone. The book provides a guide to tapping into it via kinesiologic testing. However, there is also much discussion in this book about the difference between power and force, which I found fascinating. Force is an attempt to control what cannot be controlled. Power actually arises from within and is not applied to people or things, but instead attracts them or creates them. There are abundant examples of both force and power in the news and our lives every day. For instance, the current issue of whether torture or human rights violations are valid tools of interrogation. In this case, interrogators use force to gain valuable information that belongs to prisoners. The problem with this is that the prisoners, despite having all other rights and powers removed, still retain the power of choice. In this situation, the prisoners actually possess immense power, the power to share information or not, illuminated by the lengths to which interrogators will go to trying to overcome it.
Around the same time I read Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. The major theme of this book is also choice. The prime movers of the world respond to the exploitation of their creative and productive power by choosing to remove themselves from mainstream society. Despite attempts to force them into cooperation, the power of choice cannot be taken away from them and it cannot be overcome.
Healing is intimately connected with the power of choice. Despite economic status, state of health, available resources, or intelligence, the law of attraction is a tool accessible to everyone, all the time. We must determine our own destiny, rather than rely on others (doctors, medications, family, friends, job, etc.) for happiness and health. This is not as easy as it sounds. The law of attraction is common sense, really, but actually becoming skilled in its use takes awareness, practice, and consistency. Apart from our outlook, attitude, or self-image, thoughts and feelings also manifest in vocabulary, speech, posture, daydreams, worry, fear, choices, and every other area of life. In order to change these manifestations, we must also become more self aware and practice a new way of being.
The corollary of the power of choice is the power of acceptance. While we have unlimited choice to control ourselves, there are many forces in the world that cannot be controlled. In the realm of health, this is especially important because perfect physical health may not be possible in all cases. To achieve true wellness (which may occur even in the presence of physical ailments), we must accept what it. The Serenity Prayer, most associated with Alcoholics Anonymous is just one example of how acceptance is used for healing: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
Failure and imagination
01/04/09 19:46