Melissa

The Key Benefits of Yoga

YogaBenefits

In case you needed all the reasons why practicing yoga is beneficial to you inside and out, I’ve rounded up a comprehensive list. Please share with us if you’ve had personal experience with any of these benefits!

BODY CHEMISTRY

Balances hormones
Boosts lymphatic system
Boosts Vitamin C
Increases red blood cell count
Reduces cholesterol
Reduces sodium
Reduces triglycerides

EMOTIONAL

Builds a mind-body connection
Improves attention span
Improves concentration
Improves memory
Improves mood
Improves self-acceptance
Improves self-control
Improves social skills
Increases positivity
Promotes calmness
Reduces anxiety
Reduces depression
Reduces hostility
Reduces stress

EXTERNAL

Boosts anti-aging
Boosts energy
Builds core strength
Builds endurance
Builds strength
Improves balance
Improves dexterity
Improves hand-eye coordination
Improves muscle tone
Improves posture
Improves sexuality
Improves sleep quality
Increases bodily awareness
Lowers the risk of injury
Promotes weight loss

INTERNAL

Boosts immunity
Boosts metabolism
Builds cardiovascular endurance
Builds pain tolerance
Improves depth perception
Improves circulation
Improves gastrointestinal function
Improves organ function and health
Improves reaction time
Improves respiratory function
Lowers blood pressure
Lowers pulse rate
Reduces the risk of heart disease
Strengthens bones

SYMPTOM REDUCTION OR ALLEVIATION

Allergies
Arthritis
Asthma
Back pain
Cancer
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Chronic bronchitis
Constipation
Epilepsy
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Menopause
Migraines
Multiple sclerosis
Muscular dystrophy
Sciatica
Scoliosis

Dragon Age II Microreview

Dragon Age II Microreview – 17/20!

Dragon Age II is an action role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts.

The player assumes the role of Hawke, a male or female human mage, warrior, or rogue who is driven from his or her homeland of Ferelden by the blight the Hero of Ferelden battles in Dragon Age: Origins. Hawke arrives in the city of Kirkwall as a refugee of no status, survives and flourishes into a legendary champion over a decade of personal and political conflict.

Of the Dragon Age trilogy, I played this one last and I lost interest halfway through for about a month or more before returning to complete it. The main plot is engaging, the combat flows well and the graphics are aesthetically pleasing. What began to frustrate me is the constant recycling of the same settings throughout the game; the same areas were used over and over again as the years progressed, although with no physical changes. That being said, I am extremely pleased with how well the end of Dragon Age II leads into Dragon Age: Inquisition. If you have the time and the patience, it’s worth playing in chronological order.

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Father’s Day Inspiration

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It’s almost that special time of the year when we recognize the fathers in our lives for being there to love and support us through it all. Like our mothers, our fathers would be happy just to know that his child/children love him and grateful for everything he’s done, but whether you want to show your appreciation through action or give him a gift, sometimes its hard to choose.

Now I know you know your dad best, but just in case you’re stumped I’ve made a list of ideas to spark your imagination.

Go for a drive. There’s nothing like hitting the open road with your dad and sibling or siblings if you have them. It doesn’t have to be to somewhere you’ve never been, just a scenic stretch of road and maybe a bite to eat along the way.

Get crafty and make him a masterpiece: Play to your strengths and make him something that you’re good at making. It doesn’t matter what that may be, as long as you have your Dad in mind when you’re creating it.

Give him something he’s interested in. Think of his hobbies and get him something that compliments those hobbies. Get him a tool for that project he’s been really into, buy him that vintage fishing reel to round out his collection; everyone has something they love doing.

Work on a project together. Ask him if he’d like your help with something he’s been working on and pitch in when and where you can, or just keep him company while he works if he doesn’t need the help.

Make him a meal or meals with his favorite foods. Fire up a grill and make some side dishes, or you make the side dishes and let him grill if that’s what he likes. If cooking isn’t your thing you could always buy him a meal or meals instead, no judgement!

Dragon Age: Origins Microreview

Dragon Age: Origins Microreview – 20/20!

I cannot believe I allowed myself to overlook Dragon Age: Origins for so long! I love a game that places a lot of the power in the player’s hands. From creating a character that looks the way you want, to dialogue and action choices that shape the way the world in the game perceives you and evolves; the choices are yours. This makes the game a lot more engaging and the characters more intimate. Though it can sometimes be a chore to play a dated game for the sake of playing a series from start to finish, I enjoyed every minute of Dragon Age: Origins.

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Stacking Microreview

Stacking Microreview – 16/20!

Stacking is a casual adventure puzzle video game developed and published by Double Fine Productions.

The player controls, Charlie Blackmore, the smallest doll in a family of matryoshka dolls who have fallen into misfortune after their father agrees to work for an evil industrialist known as the Baron. Charlie’s size enables him to stack and unstack into larger dolls to use their unique abilities to solve puzzles and allow him to free his older siblings from the Baron’s control. Each puzzle has multiple solutions and some include additional puzzles and challenges that allow the player to explore outside of the main story.

I found this game to be charming with its vintage aesthetic and unique concept of using the stacking matryoshka dolls with different traits and abilities to progress the story. Now I am a gaming optimist and I try to see the good in all games. I understand that each game is someone(s) time and effort, their pride and joy and therefore I take great care when judging them. That being said, I had to mark this game down one point in each category (fun factor, game play, sound and visual style) because it just wasn’t quite there.

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Dialing down Caffeine

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Nearly a year ago I wrote this:

Growing up, I remember when fast food was a treat we were bought every other week or so and I remember when I wasn’t allowed to drink any soda with caffeine in it, not to mention energy drinks. If I was allowed soda at all, it had to be something caffeine free.

As I grew up I was given more allowances and I was allowed to start making my own decisions. I was introduced to caffeinated soda and still maintained a healthy distance.

As an adult I’ve started an office job that is relatively stressful, but not painfully so. I started buying caffeinated sodas and eventually graduated to energy drinks to “treat” or “reward” myself during the work day, but it’s become too frequent. I can feel the negative effects of the sugar and caffeine in these drinks on my mind and body, but I still crave them anyway! As we plan on starting a family I think it’s time to find some healthier “treat” or “reward” options and get back to my healthier habits. As of last Friday, I’ve stopped drinking sodas and energy drinks. It’s definitely rough while my body is figuring out how to cope without all the sugar and caffeine, but it’ll pass!

This didn’t last long, and before I knew it I was up to consuming one sugar filled energy drink or soda every day. I’m not kidding, every day. I knew they were bad for me, I’ve known it for a long time (hence my writing of the post above), but I wouldn’t break the habit; I needed my sweet treat.

The 10 day smoothie cleanse I imposed on myself last month really helped snap me out of those bad habits and carried me through the withdrawal period. I won’t say I will never have an energy drink or soda again, that would be a bald-faced lie, but I feel like I have a better handle on my willpower than I ever did before.

Lesson learned: There is no magic trick to make you stop drinking or eating the things that are bad for you. You need to decide when enough is enough and have the willpower to steer yourself away from that vice. If you need to use a 10 day cleanse to get you started, then use it, but you are the ultimate factor.

The Cave Microreview

The Cave Microreview – 19/20!

The cognizant Cave, voiced by Stephen Stanton, is a magical labyrinthine of tunnels that lures individuals within to explore their darker personalities. Seven unique strangers, each harboring their own dark secret, have been drawn to the Cave from across time and space to learn the truth about themselves and gain insight of who they may become.

The player initially selects three different characters from a cast of seven stereotypical figures to explore the Cave: The Adventurer, the Hillbilly, the Knight, the Monk, the Scientist, the Time-traveller, and the Twins (acting as one character). Once chosen, these three characters will be your explorers for the remainder of the game; players can restart a new game to select a different trio of characters.

The majority of this game’s puzzles require the three characters to work in coordination to complete, the player switching between them to activate multiple parts of a puzzle; an example of this would be opening a door by maneuvering two characters into holding levers, while the third character passes through the open door to pull another lever, permanently opening the door and allowing the other characters to pass through. Each character also has a unique ability to aid in navigating the cave tunnels; for example, the adventurer is able to swing herself across gaps with a rope, while the time traveller can phase shift a short distance to pass through barriers. Some puzzles are specific to the unique abilities of a character, leaving some areas inaccessible if the appropriate characters aren’t chosen at the start; the Cave can only be fully explored through at least three replays, if not more.

In addition, some areas of the Cave are accessible only if one a specific characters is in your party; such as the knight finding a castle or the adventurer discovering a tomb, these areas represent the deep desires and dark aspects of a character that lured him or her to the Cave in the first place. Throughout the game there there are iconographs emblazoned on the walls of the cave for each of the three characters, which the player will need to get near to activate; these provide one of several still art images that reveal the character’s (usually morbid) back-story.

The Cave is witty and quite fun to play through at least once, if not more. The first time I played, I selected the Adventurer, the Knight and the Time-traveller and I couldn’t have asked for a greater combination. Their storylines were morbid, yet entertaining and between their unique abilities, I was able to explore a great deal of the Cave’s tunnels. I did start over with three new characters, but I soon realized a great deal of the cave was redundant and I had no true desire to replay the whole game again just to discover other characters’ backstories.

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Broken Age Microreview

Broken Age Microreview – 20/20!

Beautiful aesthetics and a very fun point-and-click adventure! I could only imagine the frustration players must have felt if the played Act 1 and waited in agony for over a year for Act II!

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Introduction to my Photography

It took me far too long to realize that I have been sitting on all of my Horticultural photography without organizing or showcasing it! You may have seen some of my older work posted on an old Flickr account that I no longer have access to, but since I no longer have access to that account I’ve decided to start a new Flickr account with that old work and my new work.

Once upon a time, I attended Brooks Institute of Photography and received my Bachelor’s Degree in Visual Journalism. After graduating, I toiled away a year in a pet shop doing absolutely nothing I had gone to college to learn. I just felt….uninspired. There’s only so much you can teach an artist about technique and form, then you need to let their unique sense of creativity bring something new to the table. Brooks was very good at teaching technique and form, however when a student tried to bring something new to the table, often times the own personal taste of a professor would give them a less than admirable grade. I saw many students, frustrated in their own loss of unique style, quit Brooks without that sought after degree. I adapted and graduated but I didn’t feel passionate about art anymore for years.

For almost ten years now I’ve worked as an Office Assistant/Photographer for an Author/Professor/Nursery Owner who is a self taught photographer himself and I feel extremely lucky to have a job relating to my degree. Along with my office duties, I photograph plants for the nursery and clients’ purposes. My work consists mostly of close ups of the flora we grow and landscapes, but I branch out into other fields as they present themselves.

I’m excited to get back out there again and stop by my Flickr and show some love!

Severed Microreview

Severed Microreview – 19/20!

Severed is an action-adventure platform video game developed and published by Drinkbox Studios.

Set in a mysterious nightmare world, Sasha, an ordinary woman-turned-warrior must conquer her fears and come to grips with the unknown fates of her family. Like Guacamelee! I am crazy about the colors used which are a bold and beautiful palette, but I found much of the subject matter disturbing. While this game is rife with meaningful lessons about life and loss, the outcome of the game is sad and frustrating which led me to remove a point in the “fun factor” category.

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