Author: Kasandra Monid

Kasandra Monid is the founder and owner of ThinkLife Wellness. For over a decade, she has been helping people to stress less and live better through one-on-one sessions and corporate wellness seminars. As a wellness advisor, Kasandra believes that genuine well-being is the equal care of mind, body and spirit and uses her formal training as a life coach, nutritionist, chef, and in mindfulness and traditional Chinese Qigong to help people achieve wellness through basic preventive self-care. Kasandra lives in Toronto, Ontario with her husband. Outside of work, she enjoys watching absurdist Spanish comedies, cooking, drawing and playing her ukulele.
Taking a Stand (or My First Skinny Dip)
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Taking a Stand (or My First Skinny Dip)

Say YES to life.  Participate.  Move.  Act….Take a stand. Susan Jeffers, psychologist, author I like skinny-dipping.  This recent self-discovery is startling in view of the fact that I’m someone who has always been timid around water and the idea of me skinny-dipping was as remote as, well…, me diving off a dock.  How did I…

You Are Not Your Hair: 5 Reasons to Go Gray
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You Are Not Your Hair: 5 Reasons to Go Gray

Last summer I decided to do the unthinkable – stop coloring my hair.  The song “I Am Not My Hair” by India.Arie was stuck in my head and I was at a point in my life that cried for change. The decision to go “au naturel” wasn’t an easy one.  My love affair with hair…

Pain Sucks, Part 6 of 7: Practice Mindfulness
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Pain Sucks, Part 6 of 7: Practice Mindfulness

Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional. Buddhist proverb As someone who suffers from chronic pain, I can’t say enough about the benefits of mindfulness meditation.  Back in 2005, shortly after my workplace injury, I sought comfort and guidance in the Buddhist teachings of Thich Nhat Hahn, Pema Chodron and Jon Kabat-Zinn.  I began my mindfulness practice with…

Pain Sucks, Part 5 of 7: Laugh Out Loud
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Pain Sucks, Part 5 of 7: Laugh Out Loud

Laughter is an instant vacation. Milton Berle, Actor, Comedian  I can’t imagine a day without laughter.  Growing research shows that daily laughter is healthy for you in many ways.  According to the Mayo Clinic, laughter is definitely the best medicine.  Here are the health benefits of a good chuckle: Laughter relieves pain.  It stimulates your…

Pain Sucks, Part 3 of 7: The Anti-Inflammatory Diet
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Pain Sucks, Part 3 of 7: The Anti-Inflammatory Diet

It has now become clear that inflammation plays a causal role in many chronic diseases including – heart disease, diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. What is inflammation? There are two types of inflammation: acute and chronic. Acute inflammation is the body’s short-term immune response to infection or injury. In this response, pro-inflammatory compounds recruit white blood cells…