Natural Living in Dominica Blog

     

Hi;

I grew up in a loving family in a small town in Ontario, Canada.

My first  degree was in Computer Systems Design and Business Management; to date me, computers were the size of a large room then. I did not enjoy the corporate computer world of those times but I did get to study with IBM and work for Mitsubishi and learn a lot about the Japanese Culture.

I started to study natural living in the 1970′s: Back to Eden; Silent Spring; Lets Eat Right to Keep Fit; Richard Hiddlemans Books on Yoga Lifestyles; Walden; were significant books in my first steps to educate myself on natural living.

In 1979 I spent a little over a year on a sabbatical travelling through the Caribbean, studying Vegetarian Cooking and Traditional Herbal Medicine. It was there I realized that to truly promote a sustainable future the concepts of social sustainability and natural resource managment have to be included in Natural Living. I also fell in love with traditional Caribbean Lifestyles – using natural products that exist in the environment such as coconut fibre for cleaning dishes or bush baths with local herbs.

When I landed on Dominica, my 8th island in my travels I had a dream I would live here.

I returned to Canada after I visited a few more islands to spend 16 years working in the Health Food Industry.

During that time I studied healthy living through various workshops and courses on: osteoporosis, vegetarian nutrition, medicinal uses of aloe vera; natural cosmetics; raw foods cooking; eco cleaning. I also completed a 2 year  Herbal Medicine Programme  with Thuna’s Herbals established in 1888 in Toronto.

During those years I studied natural living through the Candian Pioneers; many of the Traditional Ways of Living were being reintroduced by the Back to Nature or Country Living Movements.

I also started to educate myself on Native American ways of life and realized how amazing that culture really is.

I have lived in both the country and the city in Canada and Dominica and considered myself to have the richest of lives as far as friends and kind and gentle encounters with people everywhere I have been.

My children were birthed naturally, breast fed and raised with a vegetarian natural foods diet. We used herbal teas instead of aspirin and only utilized antibiotiotics once or twice in 20 years. My children were not immunized, yet we had excellent health and rarely were sick.

I believe children are our gifts from God and we raise them in the way we feel best, they were born to learn from us. There are many right ways; there are many wonderful mothers and fathers; most important is the love.

While my children were young I operated a vegetarian, eco day care and an eco cleaning business as well as a mail order health food buisiness.

My children had a range of experiences; they were  homeschooled, and enrolled in the traditional school systems in Canada and Dominica.  We had an art table at home that they used when they wished. Lot’s of recycled dibs and dabs; glue; sizzors and recycled paper.

I taught in both the alternative school system and the city and country public school classroom in Canada.

I taught craft and art classes for adults recovering from drug addiction as well as natural living workshops such as Basic Vegetarian Cooking and Simple Herbal Medicine for our Families.

I finally took a 2 year yoga teacher programme with Archa Mati of Sahaj Yoga Centre in Toronto.

The dream to live in Dominica never left me, so I returned with my children to live on this beautiful island in 1996. I am lucky enough ever since to wake up every morning and thank God I am living my dream! Thank you Dominica for all the kindness.

In Dominica I assisted in the writing of tourism and eco tourism standards and facilitated customer service training within the tourism industry. I had the privellege of teaching at Pioneer Preparatory School, a private school, well known for it’s focus on holistic education for 3 years.

I now work as a consultant assisting teachers and home school facilitators to add science experiments, art and hands on learning to their programme.

I teach yoga regularly to a wide range of people for Rainbow Yoga Health and Wellness.  Right now I hold regular weekly classes at my office studio in Upper Checkhall; Our Dominica in Shawford; in Calibishi; on the beach and at our office studio in Portsmouth and  hold on going sessions at Ross Medical University. I also offer private classes, day tours, lectures and workshops on yoga, specializing on getting people into nature to practice yoga. I provide destination management services to those wishing to host a holistic holiday in Dominica.

I write about healthy living, heritage foods, local foods and eco living for local papers, magazines and Ross University Newsletter.  I also love to write and research about healthy living, there fore this blog.

I am ever so thank full for my life, my husband, my children and my friends.

Namaste