Different types of yoga

HATHA

Hatha is a very general term that can encompass many of the physical types of yoga. If a class is described as Hatha style, it is probably going to be slow-paced and gentle and provide a good introduction to the basic yoga poses.
IYENGAR - A type of Hatha Yoga
This style of practice is most concerned with bodily alignment. In yoga, the word alignment is used to describe the precise way in which your body should be positioned in each pose in order to obtain the maximum benefits and avoid injury. Iyengar practice usually emphasizes holding poses over long periods versus moving quickly from one pose to the next (flow). Also, Iyengar practice encourages the use of props, such as yoga blankets, blocks and straps, in order to bring the body into alignment.

VINYASA

Like Hatha, Vinyasa is a general term that is used to describe many different types of classes. Vinyasa, which means breath-synchronized movement, tends to be a more vigorous style based on the performance of a series of poses called Sun Salutations, in which movement is matched to the breath.

ASHTANGA & POWER YOGA

Ashtanga, which means “eight limbs” in Sanskrit, is a fast-paced, intense style of yoga. A set series of poses is performed, always in the same order. Ashtanga practice is very physically demanding because of the constant movement from one pose to the next. In yoga terminology, this movement is called flow. Ashtanga is also the inspiration for what is often called Power Yoga. If a class is described as Power Yoga, it will be based on the flowing style of Ashtanga, but not necessarily keep strictly to the set Ashtanga series of poses.

KUNDALINI

The emphasis in Kundalini is on the breath in conjunction with physical movement, with the purpose of freeing energy in the lower body and allowing it to move upwards. All asana practices make use of controlling the breath. But in Kundalini, the exploration of the effects of the breath (also called prana, meaning energy) on the postures is essential. Kundalini uses rapid, repetitive movements rather than poses held for a long time, and the teacher will often lead the class in call and response chanting.

BIKRAM/HOT YOGA

Pioneered by Bikram Choudhury, this style is more generally referred to as Hot Yoga. It is practiced in a 95 to 100 degree room, which allows for a loosening of tight muscles and profuse sweating, which is thought to be cleansing. The Bikram method is a set series of 26 poses, but not all hot classes make use of this series.

Is shopping at the markets really cheaper?

Here is a list of what I picked up at Paddy’s market earlier this year for $60.

- half kilo pork mince
- two salmon fillets
- three bunches coriander
- handful of cherries
- three bunches of asparagus
- bunch of mint
- five naji pears
- one whole pumpkin
- five white nectars
- six tomatoes
- one bunch spring onion
- one bunch garlic chives
- one bag of green beans
- one chinese cabbage
- six green pears
- six kiwi fruit
- three egg plants
- four baby pears

It was all fresh and took me about forty minutes to select.

Understanding personal insurance

LIFE INSURANCE\TPD (or what is sometimes referred to as LIFE COVER.)

On the event of your death (or being terminally ill and close to carking it) the policy owner or beneficiary gets a pay out in a lump sum or instalments. You can either take it out in your name and make weekly payments out of your wage, or you can take it out in the name of your super and have the payments made out of that. As an example, CBUS super do life insurance at about $1k a year that pays out 1.2mil if you are aged between 16-30. Other super funds go higher - ING for example goes up to about $5 mil. You need to work out the appropriate cover for yourself (think about paying off the mortgage, all your debts, and having some left over for the wife/husband/kids/partner/dog/cat). You can get TPD as a seperate policy but it generally comes as an add-on to your life policy. It provides a lump sum if you are disabled so badly that you cannot continue to work, but expect to have to prove yourself if you try and claim for this.

INCOME PROTECTION

This is typically an insurance that will cover 75 % of your current earnings for the rest of your working life if you have an accident. If you earn $100k a year for example, they might pay you $75k a year until retirement age. This also can be paid out of super.

TRAUMA

This sort of insurance cannot be paid out of your super and is a lump sum to cover you for events that occur in your life which might render you useless for a short period of time.  A heart attacks or stroke is the generally used example. SOme insurance agents recommend avoiding this type of insurance as it can be difficult to pay out. One example that sticks out in my mind is that if you get cancer, you still may not be eligilbe for your payment.
If you go to a financial advisor to get advice then be clear up front that you are after quotes only and do not expect to pay for their time. You also do not want to pay them any trailing commission and expect it to be covered by the underwriter. Be sure they justify any of their decisions to you and talk you through all the options.

It seems that the more money you earn the more complicated the avenues for maintaining your lifestyle/income become. I understand now why very wealthy people have teams of people protecting their income and assets with different structures, investment vehicles and insurances. Unfortunately it would be very hard to make a simple change at that point because the ensuing paperwork would be very time consuming. Think about an event like Packer getting married, dying or going into a new business venture. It would be a huge exercise in modifying all manner of documents: trust deeds, insurances papers, mortage papers, EPOA, wills, company ownership etc..

What to do when your child has a fever

FEVER TIPS

• Everyone has their own story on what fever does for you, why it should or shouldn’t be controlled and what you are best to do about it, so I can only advise on what I discovered. Temperatures up to 39 make the child very thirsty and a little uncomfortable, but they are generally still themselves. Kiara was still OK at 40 and was drinking and responsive. You know that the fever is beneficial for the body to fight the infection, but you feel that you have to *do something* at some point. For me, that personal comfort level was crossed when she was above 39.5 for an hour.  In Kiara’s case it was 40.3 and she was very thirsty.
• A lukewarm bath feels nice for the baby and helps to bring the fever down. Lukewarm is around 36 degrees so use your elbow to test the water and it should have that “neutral” feel. Don’t make it any colder than this or their temperature will drop too quickly and they will shiver.
• Another way to cool them down is pat them down with a cloth that has been dipped in room temperature water. This is to ensure it is not too warm on the skin but no so cold that the child will wriggle away from it.
• Best to use an ear thermometer to measure their temperature. Avoid the temptation to measure too often. 10 minutes is the minimum to see small changes in temperature, and 20 minutes is long enough to confirm a trend up or down.
• Take the kid in your arms and walk them around to see interesting things at eye level. Speak to them and watch if they follow your movements. Remember the actual temperature is not as important as their general behaviour and responsiveness.
• Offer fluids a few times every hour. Alternate the fluids in random order to see which one works: breast milk,  water, orange juice, bottled milk etc. Use different methods (from a cup, from the boob, from a bottle) and different positions (sitting up in arms, lying down, propped up on a pillow) to see which one they like. We found with Kiara she was often thirsty but would not drink because of our choice of fluid and method of delivery. Now is not a time for discipline - do whatever is needed to keep the fluids up.
• Careful of using a squirt to get the drug in if the kid is wriggling. You might send it down the wrong pipe - expect gagging, choking, and vomiting if this happens. Try putting the drug into a spoon an letting the child slurp it out of that.

DRUG TIPS - “Kids nurofen” and “Children’s panadol”

• Once you administer either drug, it takes 30-60 minutes to actually start bringing the fever down. If the fever has not moved after 2 hours you should head to a hospital. These drugs last anywhere from 4-6 hours depending on the child, size of dosage, and severity of fever. We found that for either drug, at about 5.5 hours the temperature would start to rise slowly and 60 minutes after that the fever was in full force again.
• You can pre-empt the fever by giving the child another dose *before* their temperature starts to rise again. We found for Kiara this was around the 5 hour mark for panadol and the 6 hour mark for Nurofen.
• The other option is to let the drug totally wear off and monitor their temperature again. You might find that it does not rise, in which case the child has beaten the infection. Or you might monitor the temperature every 10 minutes and see if it starts to rise again. Once you’ve confirmed an upward trend, you can dose again.
• These drugs will drop the body temperature by 2-3 degrees. If it is cold day or night - make sure you cover them up suitably. Don’t give them the drugs and then leave them in just a singlet as they will drop too far below (35.3 in Kiara’s case). Remember that often when a child feels hot to your touch the infection will make them feel cold. Try to keep their room at a constant temperature and avoid extremes of hot and cold.

PARENTAL TIPS

• Expect stress, anxiety and low levels of energy. Add bad sleep and poor eating. The longer the fever continues the higher the chance that you will come down with something as soon as the child starts to get better. I copped tonsillitis and conjunctivitis. If you want to avoid this, try to get some rest whenever the child is resting.
• Wash your hands before and after touching the child. If either parent starts to show signs of coming down with something, start using a separate bar of soap, towel, cutlery,  and set of linen etc. Sleep in separate rooms and avoid contact. Trust me the effort is worth it!