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The Okanagan valley is Canadas sunniest spot for a golf vacation. Nestled in a scenic mountain valley beside the cobalt waters of 80-mile long Okanagan lake, the Okanagan valley has one of the longest golfing seasons in canada. The area is blessed with a Mediterranean-like climate of warm and sunny summers, bracketed by the more temperate, but still sunny, spring and fall seasons. Even on the warmest of days, there is often the welcome moderating effect of a lake breeze.

this happy climate nurtures many thriving orchards and vineyards. The verdant greenery, cascading down the hillsides to the sandy lakeside beaches, makes a wonderful man-made contribution to the incredible natural beauty of the area. The stunning mountain, lake and desert terrain, coupled with fresh, clean air, warm sunshine and world-class golf courses encourages a leisurely, unhurried lifestyle making the Okanagan a prime for golf vacation!

The growing number of high quality wineries in the area has led to a flourishing regional wine scene. this, together with the abundance of fresh locally grown organic produce, has led many award-winning chefs to settle in the area. The delicious result is innovative cuisine that pairs well with delectable regional wines. Why not follow a golf game in the morning with a relaxing, all-inclusive afternoon vineyard tour? Transportation, wine sampling, winery tours and an evening dinner at a winery restaurant are all provided for you- all you have to do is sit back and enjoy! What better way to cap a day on the golf course than to dine al fresco in a winery restaurant surrounded by sun-warmed vineyards?

The championship golf courses themselves are world-class; designed by renowned names such as Les Furber and Jack Nicklaus golden Bear Design. Whatever type of golfing you choose, a challenging championship course or a couples-friendly resort-type game, the Okanagan is a golf vacation paradise! With a golf courses to suit every mood, the beautiful Okanagan valley scenery and cheerful service is provided for free at every location!

need some time away from the golf course? The picturesque lakeside town of Kelowna is the center of your Okanagan stay and offers many unique shopping, entertainment and dining experiences. As a popular retirement center, Kelowna has a friendly, unrushed feel to it, while still providing many of the desirable amenities of a bigger city. The towns revitalized and compact Cultural District provides art galleries, concert halls, movie theaters and sporting facilities, all within a short stroll of the popular lakeside promenade.

K. Gordon Schultz
President
http://www.GolfCanadasWest.com

Copyright 2007 Golf Canadas West. this article can be reproduced in its entirety, if the author credit and website address is retained.

K. Gordon Schultz is president of Canmore Golf & Curling Club and the founder of Golf Canada's West. His company offers customized golf vacations packages to Alberta and British Columbia being the western Canada's leading golf vacation specialist. Toll free 877 323 3633, or visit http://www.GolfCanadasWest.com

1. books- Inundate her with positive birth stories. The more she reads about how beautiful and positive labor and birth can be, the less fear she will have, and the better her labor and birth will go. Try:
Ina Mays Guide To Childbirth, by Ina May Gaskin
journey Into Motherhood, by Sheri Menelli
Mothers Intention: How Belief Shapes Birth, by Kim Wildner
The Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth, by Susan McCutcheon-Rosegg

2. A Birth ball- Any exercise ball will do. She can use it during pregnancy to practice good posture, during labor to sit on in the shower, or to lean on for back labor. After the baby is here, she can hold the baby and sit and bounce gently. Babies love it!

3. A Doula-Chip in with some friends to pay for or help pay for her to hire a doula. research shows that a doulas presence facilitates several factors in labor and birth: 25% reduction in length of labor, a 60% reduction in epidural requests, a 30% reduction in analgesia use, a 50% reduction in cesarean rate, a 40% reduction in Pitocin use. Find a doula at www.birthresourcenetwork.org, or www.dona.org, or www.alace.org. or www.beautifulbeginnings.org

4. prenatal yoga Series or dvd- research has proven that yoga can:
Relieve back pain
Induce relaxation and relieve stress
Increase stamina
Produce healthier babies and mothers
By working on breath control exercises, mothers are better able to use their breath to relax during labor.

Make sure the class is prenatal Yoga. For more information and other links go to www.yogajanda.com

5. Feed her or do chores for her- For those who cant afford to spend a lot, organize friends and/or family to bring food over every night for the first week or two. Make sure she can freeze it. Or assign people to come over and do laundry, or grocery shop, or vacuum. Just make sure no one stays too long. Its easy to tire a new mother.

Some find the term, monkey mind, upsetting, derogatory, and insulting. This is a shame, as the point is lost, the ego is involved, and a natural human defense goes up. After all, we are supposed to be the king of the primates, arent we?

The first time I heard the expression, monkey mind, in regard to meditation, I thought of Swayambhunath Stupa, in Kathmandu, Nepal. Sometimes, this is named, the monkey temple, and it made me laugh inside, as monkeys need supervision in human settings. The picture of unsupervised monkeys got into my head, and I was suppressing laughter during a serious conversation.

Monkeys can be nuisances, when allowed to roam without some guidance, and it is the same with the untrained mind that runs from topic to topic, without getting much accomplished. So please dont waste time being offended by the term, and try to look at the comical side.

When you allow yourself to enjoy life, and try not to take anything too seriously, you can see that monkeys dont have it so bad after all. Very often, the human mind spends too much time defending, worrying, posturing, influencing, fearing, and feeling embarrassed, to enjoy life to its fullest potential.

In fact, you are not your mind. You are responsible for your actions, but many things happen in the thought process before you do take action. For example: when you think, images and options are created. As a result of those images, you get a physical feeling somewhere around your heart.

Whether the feeling is, good or bad, you process it into action, or treat it as a fleeting thought that passes and may be forgotten. So if you have a fleeting evil thought and it passes - should you waste time feeling guilty about it? The natural safeguard for ethical behavior is your heart or gut feeling. This is the best indicator of wrong or right.

Mankind has the ability to influence the universe, and create different realities, but separating what is sacred, from what is evil, has been a dilemma for thousands of years. The disconnection from your inner self, nature, and God, has led to excessive confusion.

Thank God for meditation; it allows you to harness the power of the mind, settle down, and focus, on one subject at a time. If you take the time for a daily meditation practice, your decision-making process will be much more controlled and clear. The end result will be to look at the monkey with much more respect, appreciation, and a bit of humor.

paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of yoga teacher training at: Aura wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a yoga business Right for You? For yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html