Intention

Intention. 
I used to hate when in a yoga class the teacher would say "if you would like to set an intention for class today..."  I didn't get it.  I was in a yoga class to work out.  My intention was to exercise.  And I really didn't like the feeling of not being "deep enough".  But now I have a new perspective on intention.  I think it is probably a result of continuing to practice and study yoga philosophy that now I do set an intention for my yoga practice and it's not just to "get a yoga butt" :)
Yoga is my preferred method of "loving movement" or exercise but it may not be for you, and that's obviously fine.  I'm not trying to convince you all that yoga is the best way to get your bodies moving.  We are all different and enjoy different things.  I always say, find what YOU like to do so you will stick with it.  It is easy for me to want to work out because I thoroughly enjoy the practice I have on my yoga mat.  Yoga is what I have found to be the best for me.
But whether you have a yoga practice or not is besides the point of this post.  I wanted to share with you a new practice I have started about two weeks ago. One day  I woke up before Isla, sat up bed and did a short meditation.  Just sat and listened to my breath.  And as I was doing that the thought occurred to me to set an intention for the day.  For me, for this particular day, the intention that I set was to slow down and be patient. And throughout the day before I spoke or did anything, I was reminded of that intention.  It made my day so....nice.  I was so excited how taking that simple moment before getting out of bed to make a promise to myself and others about the way I wanted to show up in the world really allowed me to be in a way that was useful.  So I tried it the next day too.
And I was humbled.
I didn't set as clear of an intention.  Really  I was just mostly kind of hoping to recreate what had happened for me the day before.  But it didn't work.  Because the intention was unclear I found it difficult to remain as in balance as I did the day before.  So I re-learned the lesson of letting go of expectations, and staying in the moment.  The flimsy intention of trying to feel the way I did yesterday wasn't right for today.  So now everyday I do try to really listen in.  To let myself be open to what I feel for this day.
And sometimes the intentions are the same.
And some are different.
Some days it's easy to step into the space of being wholly present with my words and actions so I may align with the best possible version of myself, and some days it's really challenging.
I have learned to try my best, to see those challenges as teachers.  To know that whatever is being presented to me at this moment is something I need to learn.  An opportunity to test my practice.
So I know that it may seem hard to sit in silence for a few minutes in the morning when most of us wake up to the alarm, to get ready for work or a child crying to be fed, or any number of  responsibilities to get to right away when waking up.  And I do too, and it can be hard on some days.  When I don't get to have those moments in bed when I wake up early I take them once breakfast is ready and Isla is eating or whenever I can find time. I try to do it in the morning but there is no reason why you can't get started half way through the day.  Maybe on your lunch break at work, or during nap time.  Anytime is an opportunity to set an intention for the way you want the rest of the day to be.  And if not today, there's always tomorrow. :)

Why not try to set a morning intention for your day today?

Let me know how it goes!

Peace, Love, Light.

Water

We all know we should be drinking water and lots of it.  I only recently discovered how little water I was consuming and how a few small changes have made me feel a lot better!
First, some of you may or may not know I am newly pregnant.  And since I am health conscious, I have tried to be even more so during my pregnancy.  With the knowledge that what I feed myself feeds the tiny life growing inside of me, building his/her every cell, I have been *trying* to make the best choices possible.  I say *trying* because for some reason I have been craving bread.  Bread, toast, bagels, you name it.  Because of that I try to make sure I am getting lots of nutrients at other times.  Lots of leafy greens, whole grains, fresh fruit, and of course my prenatal vitamins.  That being said, I have been staying away from coffee and tea.  Not just because of the caffeine, but I actually haven't been feeling like drinking them either.  Funny thing about being pregnant, your body has ways of telling you what is not so good for your baby and a strong aversion to coffee has been with me for the past 20 weeks.
And I have been constantly feeling thirsty.  So water, water, water is pretty much all I have been drinking.(only just recently I have had some tea, but I have found I don't really feel that great after I drink it!)  So water it is.  And you know what, when I stick to water I feel so good!
I recently read/heard a tip to start the day with a big glass of water.  Before you do or have anything else first thing in the morning when you wake up drink a glass of water.  This was not something I generally ever did but have now started to do and I love the way I feel after that first glass.
They say that drinking water first thing in the morning is a good way to rid the body from any toxins that have been released through your night's sleep.  The water flushes them away.  Water in the morning helps to jump start the re-hydration process.  As you sleep through the night you are obviously not drinking water for a period of (hopefully) 6-8 hours.  In which time your body uses up its supply of water and starts to become dehydrated.  It's important to rehydrate before you become too dehydrated and feel the effects(headache, dry mouth/skin, nausea, fatigue).  Which brings me to the next benefit to drinking water in the morning, it brings you energy!  The body is made up of 60% water.  And most of the functions of the body need water to work properly (i.e. circulation, digestion, elimination).  When there is little water being put into the body these functions must work harder and this causes you to feel tired and sluggish.  All of these benefits will keep you healthy and radiant from the inside out.
So, what if you "don't like water"?
Well, there are many things to be said about this.  First thing to consider is; if you are not drinking water, what are you drinking?
Chances are any number of the following, coffee, tea, soda, juice.  Right?  Well, some of these things maybe  good at giving your body hydration, like tea and juice.  Depending on what kind you choose.  Herbal tea and other choices that do not contain caffeine, I have read, can give you an adequate supply of water.  Juice that is freshly squeezed(I'm not talking about sugary juice drinks that may or may not contain any real juice)has may benefits as well, and since fruits and vegetables that you can juice yourself ,or that they do at Whole Foods ;), contain mostly water and are therefore hydrating, but also contain natural sugars so you won't want to be drinking 8-10 glasses of juice a day, even if it is freshly squeezed from organic fruits and veggies.
Coffee is very DE-hydrating.  I'm not saying you shouldn't drink it.  Do what you want.  BUT arm yourself with the knowledge that coffee does dry you out, can intensify stress, increases acidity in the body (you want your body to be alkaline, not acidic), it causes a loss in nutrients, and may reduce fertility.   So drinking coffee all day doesn't sound so good anymore....and I was definitely one to do so a few years back.  I worked in a place where there was free coffee, and it was all I had to drink all day long.  I used to own a coffee maker and I no longer do because when I worked afternoons and my partner and then-roommate worked mornings we would make a whole pot of coffee.  They would leave for the day having had one cup (maybe two) each leaving me with the rest of the pot.  Which I drank.  Always.  Yikes.  So I am just suggesting drinking a big glass of water BEFORE a cup of coffee and not the whole pot.  And who knows?  You may feel so energized from your glass of water in the mornings that you no longer wish to have coffee. Maybe...
And lastly soda.  I choose not to drink soda.  It is sugary, contains caffeine(see above), it's pretty much empty calories.  Not to mention it can rot your teeth and make your bones weak.  So I avoid it.  And have done so successfully for a few years now.
But it tastes good, you may say.
It does especially when you're eating with it junk food, like salty chips, fried food or pizza.  But, and I do promise,  that when you start to make healthy food choices and cleanse your palate from the heavy, salty, sugary foods, you'll find water is the best companion to your fresh, healthy food.  If you don't believe it can be done, see my post here.

So if all this info doesn't make you thirsty for water, here are a few tips to make it more palatable.

1.  Try adding fresh squeezed lemon, cucumber slices, or mint to the water for a nice, refreshing flavor.

2.  Try sparkling water.  Especially if your go-to drink of choice is soda.  It hydrates just as well as still water, so drink up.  This is a suitable substitute during meals and while "at rest" like during work hours, or watching a movie, but if/when you are exercising choose still water.

3.  Find a cool water bottle.  I know it may sound silly but this may help!   I have this great stainless steel water bottle that I think is super cute, it holds a lot of water and I drink probably 6-8 of these daily.  It is now the only thing I drink water from even when I am at home.  Maybe for you there's a favorite glass you just like drinking from, use that.  Or maybe you like to drink from a straw, or water with ice.  Find what you like and stick with it.  And you definitely don't have to spend the $20 or whatever crazy price they sell the "name brand" stainless steel water bottles for either.  This one I got  for just 5 BUCKS!

How much water do you drink everyday?  What is your preferred method?  Try starting the day with water and let me know how  it goes!

Corn Chowdah!

I have been wanting to post a recipe but I have had a few weeks of some...I don't want to call them failures in the kitchen...but nothing worth posting about, let's say! ;)
Then last night I made corn chowder and HAD to share! Since the weather is turning chilly and because I just LOVE soup I thought this was good timing.
Here is the recipe. It's super simple and Delish! I hope you try it and it warms you up on a cold fall night!

Corn Chowder
3 cups frozen corn
3 cups water or vegetable stock*
3 cups almond milk(or any other non-dairy milk)
3 heaping tablespoons flour
1 large carrot, finely chopped
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 large onion, chopped
4 small-ish red potatoes, diced small
3-4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 tbsp oil
generous sprinkle dried thyme, about 2 teaspoons?
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot heat oil over medium heat and add the onion, celery, carrot and potatoes. Cook a few minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Stir and cook another minute until fragrant. Next add the flour and stir it in so the veggies are covered and the flour absorbs the oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Then turn the heat up to high and SLOWLY add the liquids. Start with the stock (or water) and add about 1 cup at a time, stirring to combine. After each batch allow the liquid to boil so the soup will thicken. Once all of the liquid is in add the corn and turn the heat back down to medium. Simmer for 25 minutes and ENJOY!

This soup is a complete meal with bread or salad. I love it with a grilled "cheese" on sourdough. :)

*Extra Tip*
Save the ends of all the veggies you chop on a daily basis (carrots, celery, onions, potatoes, broccoli, zucchini) any "scraps" and put them in a zip top bag in the freezer. Instead of wasting money on buying vegetable stock use these scraps to make it. When the bag is full, put the veggies in a large pot, cover with cold water and boil for about 20 minutes. The longer you boil the stronger the flavor will be. Then strain the stock into a container and save in the fridge until you're ready to use. You can reuse the same bag in the freezer over and over. Less waste and you save money! :)

The nose is for breathing, the mouth is for eating.

Breathing.  We do it all day, everyday, involuntarily and most of the time we have no awareness that it's happening.  You can go for about a week with out food, a few days with out water, but without your breath?  To quote Ana Forrest, "you're dead meat in TEN MINUTES".
When we breathe properly, in and out of the nose, taking in as much air as possible, some amazing things happen!  First of all, breathing through the nose filters and cleans the air of most of the impurities before it enters our bodies.  (Nose hairs have a purpose!)
Try this: Take a few breaths in and out through your mouth.  Feel how the air moving over your tongue feels a bit cold?  When we breath through the nose the air is in the body for just a bit longer and therefore the air is warm.  When we are breathing in warm air we increase our metabolism and burn free radicals.  Just from breathing!  Cool, right?
And as for breathing deeply, well, most of you probably know that as adult humans we rarely use our lungs to their full capacity.  When we don't fully inhale and exhale completely air can settle into the bottom of our lungs and become stale.  Kinda gross?  So by taking in air fully and expelling it completely we are insuring the health of our lungs and our entire body.  Our cells need oxygen as a source of energy to perform the functions for which they are designed.  The more oxygen we take in, the more for our cells to use for energy!
Our breath is our life force.  And even though we don't have to be aware that we are breathing to stay alive, when we are aware that we are breathing we can fully LIVE.  Bringing awareness to the breath brings you immediately into the present moment.  Your breath is not caught up in what is was just doing, what it's about to do.  It goes with the flow.  In and out.  It's going to happen whether you observe it or not, but when you observe your breath, your mind starts to clear.  The chatter inside your head gets quiet if only for a moment, one breath.  BUT the more you observe the longer the stillness in the mind can stay with you.  The mind is wild, but when you can control the breath you can begin to control the fluctuations of the mind.
Pranayama is a branch of yoga focused on breathing techniques to create different sensations in the body.  Prana is translated to "life force" and yama is "to control".
If you are feeling sluggish and want to increase energy in your system close off your left nostril and breathe in through the right nostril only.  Then block the right nostril and breathe out of the left side.  Close your eyes and continue breathing like this for a few minutes and see how you feel!
If you want to wind down, if you're having trouble sleeping or just want to relax, try the opposite.  Block the right nostril and breathe in through the left then to exhale block the left and let the air out through the right.
After trying either of these two exercises, be sure to take a few normal breaths through the nose, to take the time to see how your body feels after trying and to bring you back to balance.

There are many ways to control the breath to feel different things, this is just a simple one.  I hope you try it, let me know how it goes!  And always when you breathe, give thanks and don't take your breath for granted.

Eagle Arms

If you're like most people(myself included) you might spend your time doing any number, or all, of these things:
Sitting hunched over a computer keyboard
Looking down while chopping veggies and stirring pots
Gripping the steering wheel with less-than-perfect posture in traffic
Finding yourself with tense shoulders because of holding and nurturing babies (yours or otherwise)
The list can go on and on and the result is a pain in the neck! Well, the neck and shoulders. BUT, there is a remedy, a quite simple one, to help ease your pain. This is a great one that can be done anytime, anywhere: Eagle Arms.
I LOVE EAGLE ARMS. The stretch is really wonderful and goes deep into the middle of the upper back and shoulders.

To practice Eagle Arms bring one elbow on top of the other and continue winding arms around each other until your palms touch or you touch your wrist. Then press your shoulders down away from your ears and lift your elbows up towards your face. Play with the amount you press the shoulders and lift the elbows until you find a juicy stretch in between your shoulder blades and HOLD for 3 to 5 breaths or more. Then repeat on the other side.
If your shoulders are tight or it is hard for you to get into the position of Eagle Arms, don't worry! You can get the same benefits of the stretch by stacking your elbows and wrapping your arms around yourself like a big hug.

If you want a little bit more of a stretch throughout your back and in your neck you can drop your chin to your chest and round down through the spine. This can be done in either variation. Breathe all the way down your spine and feel how the entire back of your ribcage expands.









This is definitely a pose in practicing self love. By taking good care of yourself you are more equipped to take care of others around you. This goes for people you know and love and those you don't! (Ever smile at a complete stranger?) One of the reasons I love practicing yoga is that it is a form of "loving movement"(to use a FLY Lady term ). A lot of other exercise programs are harsh and seem almost violent, pushing hard through the workout in hopes of certain results. In yoga we are encouraged to turn inward, listen and feel, soften and experience, to be in the moment intimately with our own life force; our breath. The practice brings awareness to every moment that we are alive, that we are able to move our bodies and to be deep in gratitude for that fact. And sure, with the practice may come strength, flexibly and muscle tone, but that is not why we do it. We practice to be connected more deeply to ourselves, at our deepest core, so that we may more fully connect with each other.
I hope that you take time away from whatever may be causing you tension in your shoulders and practice this pose.  Like I said, it can be done anywhere, at your desk, in the kitchen and even in the car.  You have no excuse not to try!  Let me know how much you love Eagle Arms too! (Or not....and that's okay, too.  As long as you TRY.)

"If you've never tried, you should. These things are fun and fun is good!"

I love bread.  So much.  Toast with earth balance and nutritional yeast is like a little slice of heaven to me.
I don't really understand those who VOLUNTARILY give up carbs.   Not all carbs are not evil, despite what you may have heard.  Complex Carbohydrates that are found in WHOLE wheat give you energy!  It's the simple carbs you need to steer clear from, white bread, white pasta and the like.
Now, if you are gluten free because it makes you sick to eat stuff like that...  I feel your pain.  BUT you can use a mixture of brown rice flour, potato starch, corn starch, tapioca flour and xanthum gum.  Also, I'm pretty sure Whole Foods sells this type of mixture as gluten-free flour so you don't have to worry!
So, speaking of bread I thought I would share my TWO favorite bread recipes.  That's right, it's a two-for-one!:)
First is a beautiful loaf of traditional whole wheat bread.
But, you may say "I don't have a bread machine"
You don't need one!
"I don't have the time to make an old fashioned loaf of bread"
It doesn't take very long...and most of it is just waiting.  I thought the weekend would be perfect timing since you'd be home looking for something to keep you busy!
And, if you really just can bring yourself to try it this time, you can try the OTHER recipe. :)

Whole Wheat Bread
1 cup luke warm water
1 package active dry yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp oil, plus some for greasing
1 Tbsp molasses
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups unbleached white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Dissolve yeast and sugar in water and wait 10 minutes.  When the yeast is foamy stir in the oil, molasses and salt.  Next add the flour.  First stir in the 1 and 1/2 cups white flour then 1 and 1/4 of the whole wheat flour. When it starts to form a dough turn out onto a floured cutting board.   Use the remaining 1/4 cup to add in when kneading the dough, incorporate slowly whenever the dough starts to get sticky.  When finished form the dough into a ball, grease the bowl with a drizzle of oil, place the dough in the bowl turning over twice to cover in oil as well.  Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 1 hour.

After an hour the dough should double in size.  Remove from the bowl and again turn out onto a floured board.  Knead for a few minutes and shape into a loaf.  Grease a loaf pan with a bit of oil, add dough cover and let rise again for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 while you wait for the loaf to rise.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Enjoy!

Banana Bread 

2 very ripe bananas
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup apple sauce
2 tbsp flax seeds
¼ cup water or soy/nut/seed milk
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
½ tsp cinnamon (optional)

1 1/2  cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Grind flax seeds in a clean coffee grinder or a blender.  Transfer to a small bowl and add the water or milk.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a large mixing bowl mash the bananas.  Stir in the sugar, apple sauce, flax seed mixture, baking powder,  vanilla extract, and cinnamon, if using, and combine.  Next slowly add the flour.  Finally add the nuts and cranberries.  Be sure to add the nuts and cranberries before the flour is all incorporated so you don’t over mix the batter.

Pour into an oiled bread pan.

Bake for about an hour.  Check for done-ness by inserting a knife into the center of the loaf.  If the knife comes out clean remove from oven or continue to bake if necessary.

Media Free Day!

Tofu scramble with tomatoes, spinach, onions and Field Roast Sausage, oven roasted home fries and fresh squeezed OJ!

When I wake up, on the way to the kitchen to make breakfast, I usually turn on the computer.  However, yesterday as I went to press the button and I remembered something my sister told me about trying a "Media Free Day" and so I didn't press that button, just continued on to the kitchen and slowly and mindfully made an awesome brunch; tofu scramble, home fried potatoes and fresh squeezed orange juice which we sat down to eat at 9:30.  9:30!  On a Sunday!  IF I had turned the computer on, I would have, no doubt, been sucked in to email, facebook, blogs, etc. and we would have eaten probably an hour later than we did.  Slowing down gave me the great idea to soak the Field Roast sausage in a little maple syrup.  YUM!     Taking it slow also made the whole process of cooking more enjoyable.  I was able to savor the meal twice!  Once while cooking and again while eating!  With a full tummy and a clean kitchen I read my book, Isla played and Corey was on the computer(I had kept my Media Free choice to myself).  Later, Isla and I went to the park where she played in the water fountain, then home for a nap.  I made bean soup(Monday's dinner), played bocci ball in the backyard and walked to Tacos Por Favor for dinner.  There were a few tempting moments when I thought "I could just sit and check my email...." but I didn't.  And I was so glad that I didn't.  There was something freeing about not getting sucked into the computer for a day.  I recommend you try it! :)  BUT when Isla went to bed we did watch and episode of "Pillars of the Earth"  so I guess it wasn't a completely Media Free Day.  But I still felt really good about it!  Thanks for the suggestion, Sarah!  I will definitely try it again, and maybe even suggest Corey tries, too!
Here's the recipe for tofu scramble.  I like it even better than scrambled eggs because it doesn't have that weird egg smell....and it doesn't get stuck to the bottom of your pan!  It's great for weekends, but simple enough for any day of the week!    Also fun for a "Breakfast for Dinner" night.  I love those...

Tofu Scramble
1 block extra firm tofu, frozen and thawed
1-2 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp liquid aminos, or soy sauce
1 tsp turmuric
1 tsp onion powder
1tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp curry powder
Fresh cracked pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp nutritional yeastany veggies you like!
Try peppers, tomatoes, spinach, broccoli, onions, chard...whatever you can imagine.

In a skillet heat oil over medium heat.  Crumble tofu and stir continuing to break it apart as you go.  Stir in aminos and spices, everything except the nutritional yeast.  Add water if it seems dry 1 tablespoon at a time.  Add veggies and nutritional yeast, stir to combine and serve hot!

Ch Ch Ch Changes

"The only thing constant, is change." 

Somewhere deep down we all know this is true but when things in life are "good" we think they always will be so we're disappointed when something changes.  The opposite is also true.  When things seem "bad" we think they'll always be that way and we may feel sad, desperate and helpless.  It helps to know that everything in life is ALWAYS changing.  Constantly.  The earth is moving, our blood is flowing, we are growing.  Every move we make, every thought, every experience we have, changes us.
That being said, you have to know what I'm going to tell you next is true:
I haven't always been the way I am now.
Whenever I think of the life I live now and the life I used to lead, it kinda blows my mind.  Currently, I practice yoga and meditation everyday, I am conscious of what and how I consume, on what and where I spend my money, what I eat, where it came from, how it was prepared, I keep my house simple and tidy, keep my kitchen sink free from dirty dishes, and use only baking soda, vinegar, water and essential oils to clean everything. 
This is all a FAR cry from the way I lived 5 years ago.  I don't even know how to describe it but I went through a "phase" when I would eat a double-quarter-pounder meal EVERYDAY, I always waited until the next day (or more) to clean dishes left in the sink, and thought nothing of cleaning with pure bleach.  But each day is a learning experience.  When I became pregnant, obviously a lot of things changed for me.  I wanted to learn more about how what I did affected the baby growing inside me.  And that caused a chain reaction.  What I did not only affected myself, and my child but it has the potential to affect everyone around me.  And I have been very lucky to have know many very smart people who have helped me to educate myself on not only food choices, but health and wellness, and environmental issues.  I didn't just "know" how to make these changes, I listened, I read, I discovered all sorts of new things and then implemented them into my life.  And it has been a process, and it is still evolving.  I never thought that I couldn't change.  I welcomed it.  I ran with it. 
And so a note to those who are changing and moving toward a healthier lifestyle.  It doesn't happen over night.  But every moment you have choice.  You can choose to choose the same thing you always have.  Or you can choose something else.  Something that  might bring your body, mind and spirit more joy.  And each time you make a positive choice it starts to become less of a chore and more of a habit.  Just like yoga, or and instrument, or a sport, life is a practice.  We try, we learn and we get better at it.

"We don’t get to choose whether we want to make a difference or not; we get to choose only if the difference we make is negative or positive."

Energize!

We've all felt that mid-day lull. When you feel like you want to take a nap.  But because you're working or otherwise unable to do that you reach for a coffee, or red bull, or candy, or a soda or....you get the picture.  And maybe that fix helps you feel that little extra burst to get you through the next few hours.  Then you get home and all you want to do is crash.  Just the thought of making dinner or doing anything, really, makes you want to sink into the couch a little bit deeper.
Let's rewind.
You feel the sleepiness of the 3:00 hour and instead of running to the nearest Starbucks you try a heart opener.  A mini back bend with a side of a few deep breaths.  You feel your chest expand, your mood lifts, and you are filled with liveliness!  This helps remind you to stay aware of your breathing, bring mindfulness into the rest of your day.  With a calm mind and energized body you arrive home, happily prepare a delicious meal for yourself and your family, joyfully clean up after eating and relax the rest of the night with a good book.
Here's how:
Start by dropping your chin to your chest to release the back of your neck and tops of your shoulders.  Take a few breaths here moving your chin from side to side and exploring where there is tension, and consciously let it go.  Carefully lift your gaze and do a few shoulder rolls.  Now you're ready.

And you have a few options.  If you can, stand up, plant your feet firm into the floor, about hip distance apart.  Interlace your fingers at the small of your back.  Squeeze your elbows together as you start to straighten your arms moving your shoulder blades in toward the front of your body.  If that feels okay for you start to lift your arms towards parallel to the floor.  Keep your throat open yet the back of your neck long.  It is easy to bend deeply into the low back here, so keep you abdomen engaged and your tailbone tucking in.  Breathe deeply into the center of your chest accepting feelings of love and joy.  Take this only to the degree that you can hold it comfortably and breathe easy.   Hold for 3-5 breaths and repeat as often as you like!

If your chest and shoulders are tight or it's hard to interlace your hands behind you, try this variation.  Sit up tall in a chair or on the floor.  Place your hands behind you and lift your chest up.  Again, keep your throat open and the back of your neck long.  Feel the expansion of your chest as you inhale and try to keep your chest full and wide as you exhale.  Imagine your heart flying high out of your chest.  Hold steadily and ease-fully for 3-5 breaths and repeat as many times as you want.

It might feel good for you to counter this back bend with a forward bend, like Child's Pose, Standing Forward Fold, or if your sitting just folding forward where you are, just for a moment or two and slowly come back up and feel the bliss move through you!
Also, you don't need to save these heart openers for the midday.  They are a great way to get you energized when you wake up as well!  Let me know how you feel after trying this one!

Namaste.

A Relaxing Dinner at Home

When it was suggested to write a complementary food post to the previous post about relaxing in Child's Pose, my mind was flooded with ideas. And then I thought, what REALLY makes cooking a meal relaxing maybe has less to do with the ingredients used and more to do with the process of cooking. Since it's summer, and although it hasn't been too hot here, I know it has been hot in other parts of the country, I have decided to share with you what I made last night for dinner. It is simple, and cool and because of that, very relaxing.

Salad for Dinner topped with Chickpea "Tuna"
There are three components to the dish; the salad greens and veggies,

the dressing,

and the chickpea "tuna".

For the Salad Greens and Veggies, just use whatever you have and like in a big green salad. I used red leaf lettuce, tomatoes (both from my CSA:)) shredded carrots and cucumber.
For the Creamy Dressing
1 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 30 minutes or more
1 tbsp. Ume Plum vinegar, rice vinegar can be substituted, but try to get the Ume. You can find it at Whole Foods.
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 small clove garlic
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried dill
plus 2tbsp.-1/4 c water for thinning

Drain cashews from the water they soaked in and place them in the food processor with the garlic. Once smooth, keep processing and add the vinegar, lemon juice,and herbs. Slowly stream in water until the dressing is the consistency of creamy Ranch. Transfer to a bowl or jar.

For the Chickpea "Tuna"
1 can (about 2 1/2 cups) of chickpeas drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic
Finely chopped carrots, onion(I used red) and celery
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2-3 tbsp. Wildwood Garlic Aoli, or your favorite mayo
Salt and Pepper to taste

Place the chickpeas and garlic in the food processor and pulse until the chickpeas are flaky. Transfer to a large bowl and add remaining ingredients stir to combine.


The finished product.

How easy is that? And so wonderful when it's too hot to turn on the oven. With all the time you save not slaving away in the kitchen I'm sure you'll find quite a few things to do! Meditate? Practice yoga? Play with the kids? What will you do? Let me know!
Happy Eating! :)

Take Child's Pose

The other day I had a funky day. The type of day where there were constant blocks, in the form of stress, clumsiness, worry, etc. They kept popping up, trying to tell me something, I'm sure, but I was unable to hear the message. I was unable to find my breath, to use my yoga to get through the day with more sukha(ease). I was happy that that very night I was able to attend a Yin yoga class. Yin yoga is a very slow moving, deep stretching, grounding practice. Pretty much the exact opposite of a strong vinyasa class, which is an energetic, faster pace, sweaty practice. They compliment each other very well. I took the Yin class and left there feeling wonderfully relaxed and balanced. It didn't occur to me until later what I was able to do there in that classroom. I let go completely. The day that was so bothersome was dissolved. I poured the emotions of the day onto my mat, and that is where they stayed. And I thought how kind of my mat to take that stress from me and never complain. :)
A great pose to try this type of letting go is Child's Pose (Balasana). It's an inward-turning, quiet, restful pose that can be performed by anyone, even if you have never tried yoga before. Come down to the floor and sit on your heels keep your big toes touching each other. You can keep your knees together or separate them apart a bit. There are a few variations you can try; first, pictured above,is with the arms stretched out in front of you, which has a more energetic quality.

Second, is with your arms along side your body which is more rounding in the back and a bit more restful.

If your hips don't reach your heals, or your knees are troublesome, try using a folded blanket, towel or even a pillow between your heels and hips. Like this:

If your forehead doesn't reach the floor try stacking your fists one on top of the other, or stack a few books or pillows to lift the floor to you.


Resting the forehead is ideal so try your best to make that happen using even a chair if your body is quite stiff.

Remember, there is no shame in using props to make the pose more ease-ful and comfortable. We are practicing to let go of tension, not create more of it by worrying we're not flexible enough, or something less because we need help. Let yourself be supported to completely surrender to calm. Let any emotions, thoughts, feelings, discharge into the mat, blanket, carpet, pillow, whatever is beneath your forehead. Imagine as though there is a hole drilled into your Third Eye Space (The space between your eye brows) that anything that is not serving your body, mind and spirit can leak out of. Some days you might feel it's difficult to let go and other days you'll feel things flooding out of you. Just stay connected to your breath and use each exhale to chose something else to liberate.
Try Child's Pose today. Stay as long as you like and let me know how you feel! Don't be shy, if you have any questions I'm happy to answer!




Namaste.

YogaCookingMeditation

This blog idea has been floating around in my head for almost a year now and I have finally found the confidence to publish it. The following is something I was inspired to write one day after making bread. It pretty much sums up the theme of the blog. Let me know what you think. :)
Inhale. Exhale. Kneed the dough. Inhale. Exhale. Detach from the end result. Inhale. Enjoy the process. Exhale. Give love. While kneading dough I got to thinking. I got to breathing. I got connected. Making dough may not be on everyone’s to do list in the kitchen, but I recommend it. We can spend a lot of money in the grocery store for prepared foods. From carrots that are already cut into sticks, premade bread, cookies, crackers, peanut butter, dinners, sandwiches, coffee and smoothies. We are charged a lot of money for these conveniences. But when it comes down to it, to make these things your self doesn’t take all that much time. And you save a ton of money! Do we really not have enough time? Or can we not find the time? I know “people are busy” but what I propose is to slow things down. First, we need to define what we are doing with our time. Where would we rather be besides be in the kitchen? I’m sure there are a lot of places. I know not every one shares my passion for cooking, however I think with the right ingredients, and most importantly, the right mindset we can transform that.
After you have named all of the places you rather be and the other things you’d like to be doing, let that go. Let it go. Seriously, you’ve got to cook dinner, right? Take a deep breath and just as we do at the start of a yoga practice, set an intention or something to guide your thoughts and focus on, to put your energy toward: however you want to think of it. For me, it is putting my love into action. The love I feel for my family, my friends, neighbors, whomever I am cooking for, the food that will be presented will nourish them from a place of love. For me, the entire act of cooking is love.
After that, we still maybe wish to be other places. Feeling our “time is too precious” to be stuck doing anything “time consuming” while “time is flying by” and time has taken over our thoughts. But, guess what. Time in the kitchen is still “your time”. You are still YOU even though you’re cooking. You are still here, focused on a task, that you need to eat and nourish you body. So really, in fact it is very much your time, very much something you have to do. It does take practice, and just like yoga, should be practiced every day, letting go of attachment to possession of time, helps. It comes in handy while washing the dishes, too. 
The final suggestion is to get connected to your food. Knowing that the bread you're eating is made of yeast, and water, and molasses and flour because you mixed and kneaded the ingredients, watched the dough rise and enjoyed the smell that filled the air when it was baking is an amazing feeling of accomplishment, love and flavor.
Yoga and food feed our bodies, in different ways but to the same end. In yoga we are feeding our bodies with warm oxygenated breath. Awakening tissues layers below our everyday consciousness, and in doing so our bodies feel alive, energetic, open, spacious and centered. The food we eat literally becomes the building blocks of our bodies. We are made of protein, the fats we eat cover nerves to allow synapses to fire regularly, fibers keep our digestive tract clean. Both yoga and cooking are ways of showing ourselves immense love so that in turn we can express love to all beings.