Vancouver, Hidden Jewel Of The Pacific Northwest

Vancouver will receive a lot of attention as the 2010 Olympics approach, but why wait to visit during the most crowded, tourist deluged period since they hosted Expo 86?

Skiing and winter sports will receive the lion's share of attention during the 2010 Olympics - it is the Winter Olympics, after all - but summer is Vancouver's best season.

After a fall and winter of grey skies and rainy days, Vancouver emerges to a summer of endless blue skies, gorgeous ocean views and warm but fairly dry climate. This is when you want to come to Vancouver!

There are 5 star hotels available on the waterfront in downtown Vancouver, but there are two great hostels, one just off the famous gay area of Davie Street - its maybe six blocks of the shopping area of Robson Street as well - or another across from Jericho beach, looking across at downtown Vancouver. Very well run, situated in spectacular spots, and cheap!

Vancouver is famous for international cuisine. Sushi, Thai food, Greek, italian, french, Indian, Chinese - but not just run of the mill varieties - some world class representatives of every type of cuisine. Hy's Steak House is a venerable, 50 year old steak house. Cioppinno's has the kind of italian cooking where everyone at the table raved about having the best______ they'd ever had. C Restaurant on the water has the best seafood. Bishop's has been rated the best restaurant for years, but Rob Feenie at Lumiere has won the Iron Chef competition. There are probably 300 outstanding restaurants in Vancouver!

What to do? Stanley Park is second only to central Park in new york for size of an urban park - and it is simply spectacular, surrounded by the ocean. Over in north Vancouver, cross the Capilano Suspension Bridge, swinging side to side, 300 feet over the Capilano River. There are 3 ski hills poised overlooking Vancouver, so great sightseeing - take the gondola up to the top of Grouse Mountain. Storeum in Gastown is a new tourist attraction - find out about BC's history. See Vancouver Canucks hockey, BC Lions football, Whitecaps soccer and catch a "nooner" at Nat bailey stadium and watch Vancouver Canadians baseball.

Granville Street is the entertainment district, with bars lined on both sides of the street, including the Yale, Vancouver's old time blues bar. There is a gay district with most gay bars on Davie Street. There is a pride Parade in August, and four nights of the Symphony of fire fireworks competition - just you and 400,000 of your closest friends watching fireworks timed to music!

Though you'd never need to leave Vancouver, there are great side trips to Victoria (more English than England), Tofino, Vancouver island and smaller Gulf Islands, Whistler, and the always scorching hot Okanagan Lake. believe me, you WILL find lots to do!

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Be the Change You Wish To See

This quote from Gandhi is usually invoked to silence the complainer. You know, if you cant put up, shut up.

Recently, I received the full quote, Be the change you wish to see in the world, at the bottom of an email from my Wednesday night yoga instructor, Tracy. Each time we begin and end a class, we sit in silence and think about our relationship to the natural world and the other creatures in it. Its a good centering activity for remembering our mutual interdependence and our responsibility for shepherding the good in life.

Having this intention during each class helps me to work on the different poses with more concentration and success. And, I leave most classes humbled by my struggle with the physical practice and also the notion that there is so much more I could do to improve life for myself and others.

But then Im quickly back in my usual day to day, regularly noting all of the things that are amiss in the worldour dependence on oil, global warming, corrupt politicians, inequity in health care deliveryand not doing much of anything about it all. Except grouse and complain.

Noticing What Needs Attention
Most days, I take my dogs for a circular four mile walk near our home. We begin and end on dirt roads, but the middle of our walk is along a relatively quiet paved road that connects Hillsboro and Washington, NH. It is a residential area, abutting woods and for the most part very pleasant.

However, months ago, out on my own on a slightly rainy day when I left the dogs at home, I counted over sixty bottles and cans, assorted plastic containers, and other stray articles along the route. The counting was simply an exercise to pass the time and a curiosity to me that this tranquil area could be so heavily trashed when so lightly trafficked. Angry that others could be so insensitive and selfish, I promised myself that I would get back out there within the week to clean up what I had noticed. I did not.

With three leashed pups in tow on subsequent walks, I let myself off the hook for picking anything up. It would be nearly impossible to carry a big trash bag while busy tending my charges. Besides, I would pick up stray plastic six-pack holders, so that a bird wouldnt get its neck caught. And Id also snare pieces of broken glass in the road so another dog or walker wouldnt get cut. I was doing something. But each day I took that walk, I felt a tug of guilt over my failure to follow through on cleaning up the wake of castaways now buried beneath taller grass.

Vindication by Taking Responsibility
There is much in the world that seems outside of our control. By myself, I cant change a culture where so many drivers consider their personal automobile space more important than the natural world. Alone, I cant end teenage drinking. Without everyone agreeing to use fewer disposable products, I cant stop roadside deposits of refuse.

We often complain on a general level that the world is going to pot, but we know to make any more noise would call attention to the fact we havent done much toward fixing the things that need attention. Thats a sneaky, contributing source to apathy. How can we stop intense consumerism, blind disregard for the safety of others or make other accountable for their actions in any meaningful, if we fail to take responsibility for what we see?

I can shake my fist and scream, Dont be such a pig! Because its not my trash, and I obviously care about the natural world. But where does that get me? Once I see what needs to be done, its up to me alone to follow up in any way that I can. If I take action, then I can claim positive contribution and be more at peace knowing that I did make a difference. And then I really can raise a hornets nest of complaint, and urge others to do as I have.

Moving from Complaint to action
So much of what is out of whack is within our control, if we break what seems large and overwhelming down into smaller tasks or projects. Or simply take responsibility for doing our small part.

It took me twice as long to walk that four-mile loop, when I finally stopped to pick up all the trash Id been noticing for months. My haul was substantial: 60 aluminum cans, 10 whole or broken bottles, 20+ assorted plastic and paper containers, and an ugly pile of other tangible evidence that I noticed and did something about it.

Picking up trash along the side of the road may not seem like much. But every day I take that walk, I enjoy my surroundings that much more knowing that Ive chosen to be an active steward to keep it clean. If I find a new can or bottle in the days ahead, it will be only one I need to pick up to preserve what is beautiful and shared by all.

Where is Your Next Move?
We can choose to buy and consume differently. We can tutor those who need help. We can teach others what we know how to do. We can give our time and money to causes that respond to our sorrow or outrage, and our sense of what the right thing is to create change. Through our actionsboth large and small, we can be the change we want to see in the world.

Each of us notices what needs attention as we move through our days. We really do know what we can do make a difference.

Complacency is easy. What will you do?

2007 Andrea R. Williams

Andrea Williams, personal and small business success coach, is the creator of the Fearless, Fabulous project, a 12-week, step-by-step discovery and rejuvenation process to help you gain clarity and commitment about what is most important to you. If you're ready to pump your life with more fun & fulfillment, check out Andrea's coaching programs and resources now at http://www.FearlessFabulousLife.com and sign up for Fearless, Fabulous Female, her free ezine on personal reinvention at midlife.

Kripalu Yoga Teacher Ociation

Managing Stress - The First Defense To Manage Stress - Breathing

The first defense against unhealthy responses to stress is not Tylenol, Motrin... but instead deep breathing. Caution, if you suffer from panic - anxiety and or agoraphobia, this technique is not recommended until after the symptoms are history. This is because breathing techniques require internal focusing which is not recommended for anxiety sufferers. For them external relaxation techniques are recommended - see the resource box.

In response to stress, it is normal that our breathing is immediately affected. It becomes shallow and upper chest which is actually part of the defense mechanism. Even that a sigh is usually a tense upper chest unhealthy breadth.

We generally make three basic mistakes in breathing:
Were so consumed with our appearance that we learn to hold in our stomachs which greatly limits our breathing to the upper chest.
Then when we do take a deep breadth, we force our lungs to expand against our chest putting chest muscles in spasm. This can create chest and back pain.
Some of us lift our shoulders to take in that deep breadth. It's called "clavicle breathing" and it contributes to neck and headache.

Life is about stress and as we adapt to higher and higher levels of stress from one year to the next, our normal breathing becomes tense. Even as we sleep, we may breathe in a tense manner. The tense breathing also starves the body of much needed oxygen, affects our posture, and blocks our Chakras--the natural flow of energy through our bodies.

No matter what the physical health problem--headaches, neckaches, muscle pain... (all direct effects of stress), or disease such as cancer, heart disease... it's important to address breathing (except for anxiety sufferers as previously noted). The problem is that no one makes any money from deep breathing. No drugs are required so you will not hear an announcement on the radio, "Remember to do your stress reduction deep breathing exercise!"

Look for times during the day when you are feeling stressed, under pressure, in a rush, defensive, tense... It's during these times that instead of tensing as you normally would, that you instead remember to do your stress relief deep breathing.

And all you have to do to engage your first defense against stress is to consciously become aware of your breathing. Then shift from your upper chest tense breathing consciously to an abdominal breath.

How to take an abdominal breadththe first defense against stress:
Let your stomach and abdomen relax.
Breathe down through your chest into your stomach.
Let your stomach expand outward.
Let your chest expand slightly at the end of the breadth.

As you exhale:
Pull your stomach inward.
Expel all the air up through your chest.

If you can hear yourself breathe, you are breathing too fast. Ten to twelve breaths per minute is find. If you feel your shoulders lifting as you inhale, it is a tense breadth. Just let your shoulders be loose and limp as you inhale and exhale. Let your arms hang from your shoulder like rope.

If you have the time, take a class in yoga breathing to get in some serious breathing. yoga will provide many healthful benefits.

When to do your deep breathing: Make a list of times during the day when it would be appropriate to take advantage of the deep breathing stress management technique such as:
Whenever you're at a red light.
As youre waiting for your computer to load a program or shut down.
Before answering the phone or making a phone call.
As you listen to someone conversing with you.
Before eating or drinking.
Before entering a building or an office.
Whenever you notice yourself feeling stressed.
Whenever you can remember to take a deep breadth.

Remember, no one makes money on deep breathing so you will not hear an announcer on the radio reminding you to take your deep breadth exercise to manage stress.

See the resource box for a ready made cd for Abdominal Breathing with four different deep breathing exercises (including one to help reduce hyperventilation).

Richard Kuhns B.S.Ch.E NGH certified makes it easy to manage stress with http://www.dstressdoc.com breadth management techniques that also reduce hyperventilation. He is a is a prominent figure in the field of stress management and personal change. He is the creative force behind the best selling http://www.DStressDoc.com hypnosis self help cd's and a specialist with http://www.PanicBusters.com

Richardhittleman Yoga Books