Meditation

I have been getting back into a daily meditation and I must say that it has been rewarding, even if it is for the calm that I feel for quite awhile after wards. Many people have said that they have trouble with meditation because they can't get rid of the mind chatter. I must say that this has been a problem with me as well getting back into the routine.
I thought that I would share some of the techniques that I have used to overcome the chatter and get back into the quiet space that meditation brings.
First, I find that it helps to pick a time that you know that you won't be interrupted. Unplug the phone or change the ring to o if you have an answering machine that allows you to do that. If you can use the same time every day that would help.
Second, light a candle. Sometimes it helps to do an open eyed meditation and focus on the candle. By doing this you can drown out some of the chatter and discern what is chatter and what is useful.
Third, sit in a comfortable chair with your feet flat on the floor if you don't sit in the lotus position on the floor. Me, I use the chair as I have trouble with the floor. Be comfortable. There is nothing worse than trying to meditate and you are sitting in an uncomfortable position or you have a pinch in your waist from your pants, or you are in a draft. You get the gist.
Fourth, play some nice quiet instrumental music, or you could use a guided meditation tape or CD. These help you stay focused and as you progress with your ability to let go, you sometimes will go off and not even follow the tape. That is fine if you find yourself wandering through the meditation after all, it is about letting go and allowing the body to relax and release.
Fifth, some find that using a small Native hand drum and beating out the heart beat rhythm is helpful in allowing them to journey in a meditation.
Try these techniques and see if they work for you. They have for me.

Straw Bale Homes

I thought that I would take some time and talk about straw bale construction. There are some people out there that think that building with straw bales is cheaper that regular stick construction. While that is true about the cost of the materials for the wall systems, it is more labour intensive and can therefore be just as costly.
We love our straw bale home. We feel comfortable with the contours of the walls, the thickness of them and the comfort of heating with wood (although it is quite messy!)We didn't want to have a basement, as is the norm I find, so we chose a slab on grade. The only thing that I regret is that we didn't put in radiant heat. In hindsight, we should have at least put in the tubes so that if we wanted to, we could hook them up at a later date.
Straw bale homes have a R rating of 35 to 50, are 4 times more fire resistant than stick construction, hurricane resistant and now with testing done in Nevada, (I think that is where it was done) the only wall system that has not failed in the earthquake testing! Now isn't that something!I don't know why everyone doesn't build a straw bale home. The benefits are so great!Easy to heat, easy to cool, and comfy to live in!
There is a great deal of thought that should go into the design of the bale home as it is not always easy to change things once the cement or earthen plaster is put on to cover the bales. Many people don't realize this when they decide to build and go headlong into the process without proper planning.
When we built our home in 2000, we were virgins in the straw bale area of expertise but we did persevere and managed to move into the shell after 27 days. We opened our retreat one year almost to the day after we stacked the first bale. It was a long process, but a very satisfying one!
We joined forces with Chris Magwood, Julie Bowen, Hank and Anita Carr, John Weiss, Tina Therrien and a few others to form the fledgling Ontario Straw Bale Building Coalition in 2001. The organization has grown immensely over time and is one of the leaders of information for anyone wanting to build a straw bale home. You can access the OSBBC by going to www.osbbc.ca
I was encouraged to develop and teach a workshop on being your own General Contractor as our build went so quickly and problems were overcome with either no or little loss of time.
I now teach this workshop twice a year, once in the spring (or close to it) the other in the fall, for anyone wanting to be their own general contractor, or to see if they have what it takes to be a GC as the job is very demanding and can become stressful.
If you would like to take this course, check www.robinsnestretreat.com/s_22.asp for more information or call me, Gail at 705-639-2284. Registration must be pre-paid to ensure your spot and spaces are limited.