Month: January 2017

Chinese Astrology 中国新年

新年快乐. Happy Year of the Rooster! May the New Year bring you good fortune! 

The beginning of the lunar year has begun, and millions of people across the world will be gathering with family and friends to get out the fireworks and celebrate Chinese New Year.
January marks the beginning of the Year of the Rooster, defined by the Chinese zodiac cycle. Chinese New Year takes place on a different date every year, because it is based on the lunar calendar.

The New Year is traditionally marked with the giving of gifts, lucky money and celebrations with family, as well as looking to what the sign of the Rooster symbolically means for the year ahead.

Living in China for one year, I was teaching ESL & Music at a Montessori school in Guangzhou China. Chinese New Year brings upon memories in my mind as an unforgettable experience. 
Celebrations began on New Year’s Eve, and it lasts around two weeks, called “Spring Festival” making this the longest holiday in the Chinese calendar. It is celebrated with the ringing of bells, the lighting of firecrackers and watching traditional lion dances and dragon performances. It is seen as an important date, with families gathering together for a reunion dinner. Fireworks are then released to signal the end of last year and the beginning of next. 

On New Year’s Day, families gather, clean their houses and wipe away and sweep away bad-fortune. Red envelopes stuffed with “lucky money” are given to children, along with written wishes for their kids to grow up happy and healthy.

People also decorate their houses with red paper cutouts, banners and special New Year paintings during the festive period. For this year, it is likely to see Rooster themed decorations. Chinese people believe that a good start to the year will lead to a lucky year. 

Year of the Rooster. Every 12 years there is a Rooster year, beginning at Chinese New Year. A year of the Rooster comes after a Monkey year and before a Dog year. In Chinese astrology, each zodiac year is not just associated with an animal sign, but also one of five elements: Gold (Metal), Wood, Water, Fire, or Earth. 2017 is a Fire Rooster year. Element-sign combinations recur every 60 years.

This is a year believed to bring Trustworthiness with a strong sense of timekeeping and responsibility at work. It is also a year of courage. 

Happy Chinese New Year,
Kelly Krishna Dunn 

Adho Mukha Vrksasana 

Sometimes you may just need to do a handstand. Aside from bringing out your inner child and just being fun to do, there are actually multiple ways handstands can benefit your health, especially if you do them on a daily basis. 

Whether you do them against a wall or manage to do freestanding ones, here are three reasons why handstands are good to do everyday:

 1) they increase balance. 

2) they build core strength.

 3) they make your upper body strength superpowerful. 

#adhomukhavrksasana #handstand  

#love, #krishna

Raja Restorative 

Yogi’s Raja Restorative Hair Oil is the only deep scalp hair treatment you’ll need. This hair oil is light-weight, non-greasy and a few drops goes a long way. A unique blend of rich oils and over 30 Ayurvedic herbs will provide a deep hair conditioning that will promote healthy hair: 👍🏼Jojoba oil-good for dry hair; softens hair. 👍🏼Olive oil-strengthens and deeply nourishes hair.👍🏼Coconut oil-adds lubrication to the hair; fortifies damaged hair. 

#krishna 

Spiked Ginger Lily 

Spiked Ginger lily is the name of this plant that possesses significant restorative properties through anti-oxidants found in  Spiked Ginger Lily 


and has a long history of use for promoting hair growth by stimulating hair’s roots, makes hair grow thicker and enhances hair for a beautiful shine. #weloveflowers  #thankfulthursday 🦋 -#krishna 

3 Reasons why Rainy Days are the Best

Rainy days, we love! Listening to rain drops tap your window pane, love sitting next to a window and listening to rain and feeling all poetic. It’s the best, especially when you have an amazing book, inspired writing and a cup of hot tea. 

Three Reasons why Rainy Days are the best! 

1. Cooking and baking something especially comforting. Rainy days are a crockpot kind of day. Creating new vegetarian soups, chili, and other foods that nurture mind, body and soul. While we are wrapped up in a blanket watching how beautiful and warm the fireplace is, the kitchen has some soup going and cookies and other baked goods in the works. Creating a Rainy Days Recipe. 

2. Throwing a movie marathon, hot chocolate included. Combine Netflix with a cup of anything hot (tea, chocolate, coffee, Irish coffee, chai) and you have our perfect day. 

3. Feeling extra inspired. Rainy days are usually our best days for writing. We can spend all day writing anyway, so it’s not because we are trapped inside that makes us so productive. Rain must have a magical healing property to it that makes us more creative. It is cozy. 

To Rain,

K 🙂