Clarity and De-Cluttering our Lives

photo by Ethan Eng-Tow

So much has been talked and written about in regards to our relationship with food, drugs, and things (clothing, shoes, etc.).  As we come to the end of the month, I'm curious how many of you have kept up with your resolutions.  Previously, I stated I was choosing a word for the year instead of a resolution. I'm happy to say that I have continued my focus on my word, which is CLARITY.

In reality there is a lot more to clarity than just figuring who I am and where I am going.  Looking around my studio, my house, my desk drawers, I realized that part of being clear for me was going to be about clearing out the things I don't need in my space, my body and my life. In my home I started with my closets; with my body, I started with a healthy cleanse; and with my life, I started with my livelihood.

Thinking back a bit further, clearing out started when I resigned from my teaching job this summer and continued through November when I completed my most successful food cleanse with a friend. I had started the process of clarifying way before I labeled it or was aware that it was happening. I credit my practice and the universe for leading me to where I need to be.

According to Candice Braun Davison we can start by getting rid of particular items. When we head to the trash can or eBay, there are certain things we forget to include. Here are the sneaky extras that clutter up the corners of our homes. Read more: http://www.oprah.com/home/Items-Every-Woman-Should-Get-Rid-Of#ixzz2rcwzk600

So I invite you, no matter where you are in your resolutions, to clean up your space. If you want to continue with the process, save the date and you can join me starting on September 1st in a group food cleanse.  More information.

Funny things we say

 In yoga class the other day, I said, "press your weight evenly into your hands." Of course, everyone was standing up. Because these students know me well, they laughed and reminded me that they were on their feet. Things like that happen all the time. Imagine a recording of all the silly things I've said while teaching. After 24 years, I imagine that it would be quite a reel.

I cue things like, "feel your psoas stretch in this pose; reach down through your sitz bones; feel your breath in your pelvic floor; and the list goes on." I'm laughing as I write this. Maybe it's not as funny to you, but I bet there are things you or your yoga teacher or any one for that matter have said that have made you laugh out loud.  I would love to hear them. Below is a very funny list I thought you might like.

20 Ludicrous Things Said By Yoga Teachers, “Flower your buttocks,” and other such helpful pointers. Luke Lewis BuzzFeed Staff

20 Ludicrous Things Said By Yoga Teachers

By YOGANONYMOUS

- See more at: http://yoganonymous.com/20-ludicrous-things-said-by-yoga-teachers/#sthash.wBKV1ELm.dpuf

20 Ludicrous Things Said By Yoga Teachers

By YOGANONYMOUS

We’re no strangers round these parts to cute words and crotchy phrases yoga teachers need to retire, or things yoga teachers should never say—even phrases yoga students should steer clear of.

- See more at: http://yoganonymous.com/20-ludicrous-things-said-by-yoga-teachers/#sthash.wBKV1ELm.dpuf

20 Ludicrous Things Said By Yoga Teachers

By YOGANONYMOUS

We’re no strangers round these parts to cute words and crotchy phrases yoga teachers need to retire, or things yoga teachers should never say—even phrases yoga students should steer clear of.

- See more at: http://yoganonymous.com/20-ludicrous-things-said-by-yoga-teachers/#sthash.wBKV1ELm.dpuf

20 Ludicrous Things Said By Yoga Teachers

By YOGANONYMOUS

We’re no strangers round these parts to cute words and crotchy phrases yoga teachers need to retire, or things yoga teachers should never say—even phrases yoga students should steer clear of.

- See more at: http://yoganonymous.com/20-ludicrous-things-said-by-yoga-teachers/#sthash.wBKV1ELm.dpuf

20 Ludicrous Things Said By Yoga Teachers

By YOGANONYMOUS

We’re no strangers round these parts to cute words and crotchy phrases yoga teachers need to retire, or things yoga teachers should never say—even phrases yoga students should steer clear of.

But we’ve got to call ‘em like we see ‘em and this round of ludicrous yoga teacher memes via Buzzfeed.com might just take the cake. Read ‘em, love ‘em, pass ‘em on:

- See more at: http://yoganonymous.com/20-ludicrous-things-said-by-yoga-teachers/#sthash.wBKV1ELm.dpuf

By the Light of the Moon

1st full moon of 2014

The first full moon of 2014 is tonight and it is a clear, bright night. The moon is glowing with a large, beautiful aura. I feel a sense of anticipation and expectation--for the new year, my new life and the new open spaces that need to be filled up. Now don't take this the wrong way, I have a pretty amazing life as it is, in this moment. With my new found freedom after resigning from my school teaching position this year, I have time to develop my yoga-related passions, cooking, mothering and writing.

In the beginning, I felt this angst; this feeling like I had so much to catch up on. As I become more comfortable with time and setting up routines, I find my yoga practice has grown and continues to deepen. A different, new space has opened up. Articulating how I'm feeling is a bit of a challenge, but I feel at peace, at home within myself, alive, emotional, and it's all great stuff. So, as I look outside over the mountains at the glowing orb in the sky, I feel light and full at the same time. I think of Yoga Sutra 1.36, vishoka va jyotishmati. When I focus on something filled with light, I become filled with light.

We were chanting this last Saturday in class when I realized that light can mean something different to each person. There are the usual definitions of light, energy, waves, to ignite, illuminate, make visible, not dark; and then, there are those that we perceive because of our experiences in life, like courage, love, beauty, heat, fire, knowledge, brilliance, a spiritual guide and the list goes on.  What does light mean to you?  What does it mean to be filled with light? Can we be full and light or filled with light?

So I don't want to be busier and to fill my life with stuff.  I have enough to do and enough stuff.  I want to fill  my self, my life with light, positive energy and love and I want to be able to see things differently.  Yes, I want abundance, but I want abundance of these things I've listed and I want to share them with the other living things in my life.  So as Patanjali explains, if we focus on the light, we will become filled with light.  I want this.

Enjoy the energy and light of the full moon; bask in the raw emotion it evokes. Let it guide you to try a new sound, a new move, a new thought because all of those things are energy.

I realize that I've posted a number of mantras.  My idea is not to have you try a different mantra each week, but to find a mantra, a sound, that resonates with you and to stick with it.  Ideally, you have a teacher that you work with and can ask questions about these sorts of things (what mantra and/or meditation is good for you).  I have found that I get the most benefit out of practices that I repeat over a period time.  I did spend a good part of my life trying new things, relationships, jobs, not giving them time to work and then moving on to something new.  It doesn't work.  Trying some thing for a minimum of 10 days or times is a good start.

And of course, if you have questions, please ask me.

Yumminess: favorite winter recipes from Yogic Renewal Workshop

During this holiday season, I held a Yogic Renewal Workshop and promised my students that I would post my recipes. So all the recipes from the workshops are here. Enjoy! Feel free to share your favorite recipes as well because I am always looking for new cooking ideas. Thank you to all the chefs whose recipes I've shared.


Veggie Entrees

Tridoshic Dal
1 c split mung dal
8 c water
2 c summer squash (yellow crook and zucchini) cut into large cubes
1 c carrots chopped
1 c onion chopped
1 c celery chopped
1/8 t hing
2 T ghee (can be replaced w safflower or olive oil)
1 1/2 t tumeric
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 t salt
1/2 T fresh minced ginger
1 1/4 t cumin seeds
1 t black mustard seeds
1 t fennel seeds
1 t fenugreek
2-3 hand fulls of spinach

1. Rinse dal. Wash and chop all veggies.
2. Heat ghee in large pot. Cook hing, tumeric and lemon juice for 30 seconds.  Add mung dal and saute for 1-2 minutes.  Add all veggies (except spinach) and cook for 3-4 minutes stirring.  Add water, ginger and rest of spices; bring to a boil.  Lower heat, cover and simmer for 60 minutes.  Add kale at end.
Serve with rice or quinoa.  Garnish with chopped cilantro and/or scallions.

Adapted from, The Ayurvedic Cookbook, by Amadea Morningstar

Pumpkin Saag
1 medium-sized cooking pumpkin
3 T olive oil
1 large onion chopped
4 cloves minced garlic
1 1/2 t garam masala (Eastern Indian spice)
1/4 t cinnamon
1 t salt
1/4 t cayenne
1 c water
1 inch ginger finely grated
3-4 handfuls of kale
juice of 1 lime

1. Split and seed pumpkin and bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes, face-down on cookie sheet, lightly coated with olive oil.  Let cool.  I cooked the day before and chilled in fridge. Peel away skin and chop into large chunks.
2. Heat large pot and oil.  Saute onions 5 minutes, add garlic for a minute.  Add pumpkin, spices and water until heated all the way through.  You may need to add more water.
3. Add lime and kale. Stir and continue heating on low heat for 10 minutes.
4. Let sit for a while before serving.
I serve with a grain-quinoa, brown or basmati rice.

Adapted from Veganomicon, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero

Brown Rice with Mushrooms

1 c short grain brown rice (can use various grains)
2 c water
1 T olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic
1 T minced ginger
1/2 c largely chopped snow peas
1 1/2 c mixed sliced mushroom caps (shiitake, baby bells, porcini, etc)
2 T mirin
1/4 c chopped scallions
1 T Bragg's
1/2 c veg stock
fresh ground pepper to taste

1. Cook rice in 2 c water. Bring to boil uncovered. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 40 minutes or until all water is absorbed.
2. Saute garlic, ginger, pea pods and mushrooms in oil 2-3 minutes.  Reduce heat, add mirin, cover and cook for 2 more minutes.
3. Combine all ingredients in large pot.  Cook uncovered until all stock is absorbed.

Adapted from If the Buddha Came to Dinner, by Hale Sofia Schatz

Soups
Year round I love hot and yummy soups, but I especially love them when the weather turns cold. Nothing seems to warm me to my bones like soup. Some of my favorite recipes come from my very old and tattered, Moosewood Cookbook, by Mollie Katzen. There are so many soups I like in that book and have made my own such as: the lentil soup, carrot soup, split pea, and the mushroom barley.  I will post soups in a separately because they deserve their own space.

Juice
I use this on days I need a boost and on days I'm giving my digestive tract a break.

1 cucumber
4-5 stalks celery
1 large handful of kale
small bunch of parsley
2 cloves garlic
1 inch slice of ginger peeled
1 apple cored
After putting through juicer, I squeeze in 1/2 lemon.
It's refreshing, boosts my energy and tastes amazingly good.
Adapted from, Green Tonic, in Super Cleanse, by Adina Niemerow

Desserts
My new quick easy and nutritious dessert comes from my friend Heidi O.
Date-nut balls
1/2 c walnuts, 1/2 c pitted dates with 1/2 t pumpkin spice combined in a food processor until still chunky.  Roll into balls and chill.

Sun Ball kind of Sweeties
1/2 c and 2 T toasted (lightly salted ok) sunflower seeds
1/2 c unsweetened shredded coconut (plus some extra to roll balls in)
1/4 c ghee or sunflower butter
3 T maple syrup
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 t coriander
1/2 t cardamon

Grind sunflower seeds to a coarse meal in food processor.  Mix all ingredients in bowl.  Roll into 1 inch balls.  Roll in extra coconut.  Chill.

Adapted from, The Ayurvedic Cookbook, by Amadea Morningstar

Resolution or not

Iceberg, how much is below the surface?

Should we make a New Year's Resolution?

According to Webster, a resolution is strong determination, a formal statement or a course of action decided upon. Each day I set an intention upon rising and usually again in my practice. And, like so many others, I evaluate where my life is at and how I might like it to be different. After working with some students to remove obstacles of 2013 and invite something new for 2014, I sat down to figure out what it is I wanted to do.

A friend had worked with a single word all year long in 2012.  After a short discussion and a look at the creator's website, I decided to try something new, The Word of the Year, by Christine Kane. Choosing one word to focus on throughout the year was quite the challenge, but her worksheet made it almost painless. As I said in a previous post, intention is every thing. Once we put our thought out to the Universe, the process begins. Interestingly though, if we continually change that intention in our thoughts, our prayers, our meditations, and our conversations with others, the Universe doesn't know which intention we are most serious about. Kane describes it as going into a restaurant and continually ordering different entrees in the same sitting.  So, my intention and focus for the next year is set.  I want to see how it goes before I share what my word is.  Regardless of the results, I will share eventually.

Why would we do a practice over and over or delve into one area deeply (like one word)? You can look to Patanjali in the Yoga Sutra, 1.13, When we give effort to a practice [any practice], our mind will stay there and we will move towards our goal. In Yoga Sutra, 1.32, he tells us to dig one hole deeply. We can examine our experiences. I have practiced the same yoga practices for a period of time repeatedly over the last years. My teacher suggests sticking with a new practice for 90 days before making changes unless the practice is creating some sort of disturbance in our lives. I have benefited from discipline and one-pointed focus.

On the other hand, I have been tormented by a flood of choices and wracked by indecision; recalling that saying, that insanity is repeating the same thing over and over and expecting different results. I have observed many people in my life who have chosen positive and negative practices to repeat over a period of time and they are moving towards their goals--long distant running, drug use, practicing a sport, working out, eating habits, etc. Results vary, yet most people move towards their goal.

In Psychology Today, Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D. discussed the suffering connected to willpower and offered: Five Things You Can Do Instead of New Year’s Resolutions. In the article, her suggestions allow people to look at the past and move with awareness into the future. Various religions and 12-step programs have people do an inventory of their lives. We need to understand where we've been, to know where we want to go.

My question is should we make a resolution?  We are all moving towards something in our lives and the clearer we are as to where we want to go, the more likely we are going to get there.  When and to some extent how, we choose a resolution and evaluate our lives is not important, but that we do have a clear understanding of where we are and where we want to go is.