Do you meditate?

About a year ago I took a several classes on yoga and meditation and absolutely loved them. They made me feel so connected to my body and much more focused and calm. After the classes, though, I never really kept up with the practice because it seemed like it had to be time-consuming to be really effective. But then today I stumbled on an article which found that certain types of meditation showed significant results in a short period of time: after only practicing 20 minutes a day for 5 days, the participants showed improvements in focus, depression levels, anxiety, and the ability to deal with stress. How cool is that?

Which got me thinking that maybe I should look into this whole meditation thing again. What do you guys think? Have you ever tried yoga/meditation?

If you're interested, you can read the article here. It goes into more detail about the exact type of meditation used and the results found.

Image via Yoga Journal- where you can find lots of cool yoga and meditation advice.

Can we discuss body image for a sec?

True story: yesterday I was in Target checking out the super cute bathing suits (okay, and I was supposed to be buying toothpaste, but shhh) and over heard the lady next to me talking to her daughter, who looked to be maybe 8 years old or so. And I thought "cute, a mother-daughter shopping excursion". It was so adorable when the girl very seriously informed her mom that she should get the "one with the spots" (a navy blue polka-dotted bikini, girl had good taste). At which the mother replied...

"...Mommy is too digusting and fat for that suit."

Um, what?

I generally try to focus on things that make me happy for One Happy Panda, but every now and then I feel the need to share something that just bothers me. The fact that some women feel so bad about their bodies that they'll call themselves "disgusting" in front of their daughters makes me so sad. Because you know, young girls pick up on their body image from the women they look up to, like their moms. And some day when that girl hits puberty and becomes a perfectly curvy size 8 like her mother, how is she going to feel? Disgusting and fat?

I'm not innocent of putting myself down in front of others. I used to do it all the time. But eventually I realized that body image is contagious. When you put your body down, other women (and men?) feel the need to do the same for their bodies. Happily, it seems to work in the reverse too. When you're happy with your body and take care of it, other people do the same.

So in the name of universal body happiness, can we all agree to give our bodies a little bit of the love they deserve?

PS: Speaking of polka dotted bathing suits, I think the one above (from VS) is totally adorable. And on sale. Tempting.

It's Compliment a Blogger Day!

via Wikipedia

I originally started One Happy Panda because I wanted a place to share the things that made me happy. Well, one of the things that makes me most happy is giving and receiving compliments (something discussed in this blog post over at Operation NICE). When I was in the 4th grade, my dad suggested that I try and give three compliments out every day to help me make more friends- I'm not sure if it made me much more popular in the end, but it has made me realize I love giving random compliments!

So I thought we should try a Compliment Day here on One Happy Panda. Pick a blogger (or two, or three...) and give them one heartfelt compliment- it can be about their blog, their hair, their writing, whatever you like about them. Drop the compliment in their comments/email/whatever, and if you want (though it's totally optional) direct them back here so they can read what this is all about and pay the compliment forward. And maybe we'll start a chain reaction leading to happy bloggers everywhere. :)

My three compliments for the day:

1) Amber (from Amber Alert): You are an inspirational writer and person, and you make me realize that I need to kick my butt in gear! I think you will be a wonderful journalist in the future.

2) Joanna (from Smitten and A Cup of Jo): You are probably one of the nicest, most upbeat bloggers out there. Reading your blogs always makes me feel more cheerful, even when I am having a really bad day. Plus, you find the BEST things on the web (and I'm not sure how you do it either).

3) Melissa (from Operation NICE): I love that your blog is devoted to niceness, and I think it was incredibly nice of you to think of it. Operation NICE is my go-to destination when I want to read something both inspirational and happy.

Alright, now get out there and start blogger complimenting! (And psst, if you're feeling like a real overachiever, you could even compliment some real-life people as well).

When is your best thinking time?

I am of the opinion that everybody has one time of day where they do all their best and most creative thinking. Mine is definitely at night, usually when I crawl into bed. Suddenly when I get a little sleepy, I get all these awesome ideas in my head for research projects I want to try, or new topics for the blog, or new ways to decorate my house. Of course, about half the time I forget these awesome ideas before the morning- one of the pitfalls of doing my best thinking at night. And if I get really excited about the idea, I have trouble sleeping. I've started keeping a journal next to my bed so that if a particularly brilliant thought hits and starts nagging at me, I can jot it down before I drift off to sleep.

When is your best thinking time? First thing in the morning? During your lunch break? Any other midnight Einsteins out there?

Image via this article on Hydrohealth about keeping your heart healthy. Apparently getting less than 5 hrs of sleep a night increases your chance of heart disease, although they don't really say how much. Hm- looks like I may have to get better at thinking some other time of day.