-Diet: No drugs, caffeine or alcohol.  No extremes of any kind – no de-toxing or drastic dieting.  Follow a Vata pacifying diet.  Eat fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh juices, whole grains.  Listen to the signals your body gives you.  Drink lots of fresh water.

-Exercise: Gentle exercise like walking, swimming, and yoga is good.  A pre-natal yoga class may be beneficial to understand what modifications are necessary.  Avoid any strain.

-Stress: Cut back on your workload as much as possible.  Use your support system, friends and family, to help you out.  Take care of yourself mentally, physically and emotionally.

-Rest: Takes naps when your body signals you to do so.  Make sure you get enough sleep at night.

-Massage: Abhyanga (ayurvedic self massage) is a wonderful daily practice.  Pay special attention to the belly to avoid stretch marks.  An ayurvedic massage therapist can help to stimulate marma points to relieve some of the discomforts that come with pregnancy, like sciatica, heartburn, or swelling.

-Meditation: Meditation is especially beneficial during pregnancy to help you relax and relieve stress.  Enjoy quiet times by yourself before the baby comes!

For parents or kids, here are some fun ways to spend some of your precious alone time:

5 MINUTES:

• Bliss out! Close your eyes, rest your head, put your feet up and breathe!
• Spend five minutes in peace and quiet – no talking, no reading, no listening – just CALM. Sit and just “be.”
• “Dance like no one’s watching!” Crank up your favorite CD and go nuts. Let the energy flow from your fingers to your toes!
• Cuddle your kitty cat. Studies have shown that stroking pets reduces stress and lowers blood pressure.
• Repeat an affirmation. Maybe it’s a quote you live by, or a goal you’re trying to reach – give it your undivided attention and remind yourself just how important that is to you.
• Go through your calendar and see what events you’ve got coming up. Schedule in some time to get ready so you’re not feeling ambushed when the big days arrive!
• Give yourself a massage! Use a rich cream to moisturize your hands and massage them thoroughly. Apply extra to elbows, knees and those tired tootsies.

30 MINUTES:

• Spend time in nature. Do we ever get outdoors enough anymore? Go for your own nature walk. Notice the flowers, the leaves, the birds – ah, this beautiful planet is paradise!
• Write a letter. Is this a lost art or what? Not an e-mail letter, but a real, old-fashioned pen and paper kind of a thing! Send it to your favorite aunt or grandmother – they’ll love it!
• Organize your photos. They have been piling up, haven’t they? Slip them into an album, or start a scrapbook. You’ll be so happy to have the saved memories later on!
• Give yourself a manicure! A little primping will make you feel all new!
• Meditate. This is the best, healthiest thing you can do for yourself. Clear your mind, close your eyes, and focus on your breath. Whenever thoughts come to disturb the tranquility, see them drift by like a cloud, and go back to watching your breath.

HALF A DAY:

• Take yourself on a date! See that movie that you’ve been dying to see and couldn’t drag your friends to. Bring a picnic to the park and play on the swings! Do the things that YOU want to do, the things you never give yourself permission to do.
• Clean out your closet. Challenge yourself to fill up bags to give to charity. Be ruthless with your stuff this time! If you don’t love it, lose it!
• Read a book. Really. Just for the FUN of it. Nothing that is assigned, nothing you have to analyze or write a paper about. Whether it's Jane Austen or Jackie Collins, just enjoy reading for reading’s sake.
• Write out your life’s story. Someday your grandkids will ask about what life was like as a teen way back in the 2000’s – you can get out your journal and tell them just what was on your mind! Think about what moments stand out in your memory, and why.
• Experiment in the kitchen. Have you ever made your own pie crust? A soufflé? Want to try? Now’s the time! You’ve got the place to yourself, no one to look over your shoulder – so go for it!
• Luxuriate! Take a bubble bath, light candles, take time doing your hair. Pamper yourself!

A WHOLE DAY

• Take a field trip! How many sites are there right in your city that you’ve never seen? Go out and explore. Visit a museum, try a new restaurant, get out a map and go!
• Make a multi-media presentation. Start with your digital camera or video camera. Decide on a topic: your life, your interests, whatever! Shoot a bunch of footage and come up with commentary. Put it all together into a computer program like Power Point and you’ve got your own little piece of history preserved!
• Redecorate! Make over your room entirely! A fresh coat of paint in a brilliant new color will certainly pep up your space. Shop for some inexpensive fabric to re-cover your old bedspread – whip up some simple throw pillow using no-sew fabric glue. Kick out the clutter and make a display of your collectibles.
• Get creative. Drop by one of those paint-your-own-pottery places and personalize a platter for parents’ anniversary. Pull out your old sketchbook and pretend you’re in Paris. Ride your bike to some beautiful scenery for inspiration and draw until your heart’s content!
• Start making a list of all the things you want to do, and then start doing them every time you get a little bit of alone time!

Second: Remember that everything happens for a reason. We may not be aware of this reason, or understand it. In fact, most “reasons” are totally beyond our human comprehension. Adversity, in some way, shape, or form, happens to all of us. But understand that this is all a part of the “big picture.” We are always exactly where we are supposed to be. Maybe years from now we’ll be able to look back and figure out why, but that doesn’t really matter now. Your life is your life.

Third: Remember that we are creating our lives every single moment with the choices that we make. We cannot go back, but we can go forward. Where we go from here is up to us. Dream new dreams. Reach for new goals. Live your life.

? Hide your clocks! Don’t wear a watch. Go all day without looking at the time. Sleep when you’re tired, eat when you’re hungry – follow your body clock.
? Spend a day in silence. This is a HUGE challenge for most people, so if you need to start small, try going an hour in silence, then two, then more. That means no phone calls, no television and no reading, either! Reading is engaging in conversation with the author – keep this about tuning in to your inner self, connecting with nature.
? Make fancy blended drinks and serve them with little umbrellas and maraschino cherries! Anything with coconut milk will feel festive and tropical.
? Go barefoot.
? Schedule an in-home massage.
? Play world music and dance around the kitchen with abandon!
? Meditate.

When you burn your main dish for holidays guests:
-Say: “Looks like we’re going vegetarian tonight!”
-Cook up a batch of rice to extend what you’ve already got to serve. Rice goes with everything, and you can add herbs and seasonings, cheese, almonds or raisins, to make it look “fancy.” It’s filling, and only takes 20 minutes to cook. And it’s probably in your pantry right now!

When unexpected guests show up:
-Go with the flow… the more the merrier!
-Remember that you are giving a gift by providing the space at your home for this gathering, so don’t feel obligated to wrap something up to give in return.
-Grab a box of crackers from the cupboard, and raid the refrigerator. What do you have on hand? A can of olives, a jar of artichoke hearts, a can of baked beans, some fresh carrots… any of these can be turned into an hor d’eourve.
-Put some Christmas music on the CD player, and now you’ve got a party!

When your child walks in on you wrapping Santa’s presents:
-This totally depends on the age of the child. In most cases you can say that you are helping Santa, like all parents do, because Santa is so busy. Don’t offer more info than they ask for. Respond to each question one at a time. Don’t get mad, or flustered, but let them know that Christmas is special and that you’re trying to make it special for them.

When you are unable to get something your child really wants:
-Prepare them beforehand. You can explain in terms of finances, or age… i.e. “That present costs a lot of money, and those kind of things usually come from parents. Why don’t I help you make a list so that we have lots of things you want that your relatives and I can choose from, and you’ll be surprised and happy no matter what you get.” Or “The law says that you have to be 16 before you can drive an electric scooter. Let’s put that on next year’s list.”
-If your child opens his present and is disappointed even after you did your best, that’s okay. It’s our job as parents to help our children strengthen their character, not to fulfill their every wish. Go over all the good things of the day, and emphasize what is really important. After all, Christmas is not about “things” it’s about family and the love we share – not just on this one day but everyday.