Love. this. post.

I was drawn to Elephant Journal to read an article, and happened upon this post.

It's an article a yoga teacher wrote to her beginner students.
 

And it's lovely.

sfb 

Too good not to share

One of the most calming, enjoyable things for me is spending time in the kitchen making delicious food.  I spent a heavenly weekend in the kitchen doing just that.  It's a rare thing for me to try so many recipes, and for all of them to be so successful!   It always helps when a recipe comes highly recommended, as many of these were.  So, since I feel that the recipes I stumbled upon are sooo good, I just had to share. :)

Friday night, I made one of my yogini friend Misty's staple dishes she's posted about on her food blog, Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce. She described it as "budget friendly, easily adaptable, simple to remember".  And remember it I will!  Served with a loaf of bread from my fabulous new bread machine. It was carb-tastic.

And I had plenty of leftover sauce from the recipe, so the hubs and I had it again last night for dinner.  I'd forgotten how much I loved the bite of farfalle pasta, and glad to have had a reminder with this dish.

Saturday morning, I made trips to both the grocery store and the downtown farmer's market.  And when I got home, I made the Best Blueberry Muffins in the World.  Without eggs!

Oh wow.  

I consider myself a more competent baker than a cook, but I honestly did not know I could bake something so simple, that would taste like I bought it from a high-end bakery (n.b.: the recipe is actually from a fancy bakery, according to Erika's blog).  My muffins turned out the exact same as Erika's pictures, and disappeared just as quick.  I love to read Erika's blog, In Erika's Kitchen.  She has a way with words about food, and we appreciate food in a similar way.  Check her blog out!

I halved the recipe, but I used a whole pint of blueberries, greek yogurt, and they only needed 20 mins in the oven.  If you use as many blueberries as I did, they may feel super squishy in their baking cups when you remove them from the pan - let the doneness of the tops of the muffins be your guide - as long as they're golden brown, you're good.

Still on a pasta kick, last week I'd found a lovely baked fettuccine recipe from Giada of the Food Network that I just had to try.  I was looking for a dish to use some of the fresh thyme I'd gotten from the farmer's market the week before, and this dish looked to fit the bill.  Also, with Dad's Day coming up, I knew that if this recipe was a winner I'd need to make it for him, as he loooooves him some fettuccine.  Stumped on locating the creme fraische for the better part of last week (Fresh Market, y'all), my desire to try this recipe was even more heightened.

Fettuccine isn't exactly the healthiest dish to eat - so portion size is key.  I halved the recipe, and Brandon and I only ate half of that.  I served it with grilled chicken breast and a spring mix salad.  After trying Giada's recipe, I'm fairly sure that in order to make the real, artery clogging kind of fettuccine I look for, you need to bake the dish.  Baking really helped to thicken the sauce, giving that rich, cheesy bite.

Sunday, we decided to invite some friends for a cookout.  Feeling the need to lighten up the fare after two days of pasta, I broke out the veggies.  

I made some homemade salsa (tomatoes and red onion from the farmer's market along with some fresh lime juice and cilantro) and guacamole (avocado, red onion, tomato, garlic, cilantro, fresh lime juice, and some salt and pepper).  

I skewered three colors of peppers, pineapple, squash, red and white onion, and some small red potatoes (parboiled)) for the grill.

And I made this lovely recipe from another Food Network gal, Marcela Valladolid.  It's a grilled zucchini and bean salad.  The simplicity of this recipe really contrasts with the big flavor it packs - I was a wimp and only used one serrano pepper in the dish - and so I didn't get any heat from the pepper.  I will definitely use a second serrano the next time.

Our cookout friends brought some fabulous spinach and onion polenta, and burgers topped with crumbled bleu cheese, bacon, and grilled apple slices.  It was a feast!

And one last dish to add to the pile - that I had just last night.  I had a bowl full of peaches from the Saturday market that were beautifully ripe - and I needed to do something with them quick!  So I started with Erika's blog and located the perfect peach cobbler recipe.  So quick and easy!  I substituted the butter for the oil, and sour cream for the yogurt (because that's what I had on hand), and I really liked what it did to the biscuit dough - made it more like a tart crust.  Don't forget the vanilla ice cream. :)

On the studio theme of create . . .

This May at Barefoot Works Yoga Studio we are exploring the theme of create.  I shared with Sharon the following thoughts I had on the theme, and she was kind enough to put them in the studio's newsletter.  For those of you not on her mailing list, enjoy . . .

I recently read a great article by Ronald Alexander called “Six Techniques to Ignite Your Inner Creativity and Passion.” He starts off this article with this, “Most of us were taught that creativity comes from the thoughts and emotions of the mind. However, the greatest singers, dancers, painters, writers and filmmakers recognize that the most original, and even transformative, ideas actually come from the core of our being, which is accessed through an ‘open-mind consciousness.’”

So what does that mean? When I think of this type of consciousness, I go to the idea of flow.  In college, I read a fabulous book called Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Csíkszentmihályi.   Basically, his theory is that people are most happy when they are in a state of flow— a state of concentration or complete absorption with the activity at hand and the situation. The idea of flow is identical to the feeling of being in the zone or in the groove. The flow state is an optimal state of intrinsic motivation, where the person is fully immersed in what he or she is doing.

So, which one comes first, creativity or the flow?  I think they both feed on one another.  So how to get a little more of both of these in our lives?  Well, there are six techniques, thank you for asking!

Alexander’s book, Wise Mind, Open Mind, outlines these techniques.  Here they are, and with a little commentary from me:

1) Mindfulness Meditation Practice

From Alexander’s article, “One of the most effective ways to become creatively toned and start accessing core creativity is through a mindfulness meditation practice. Mindfulness allows us to listen and pay attention to what we might otherwise overlook, whether it's a fresh idea or a new way of perceiving a situation, enhancing our creativity and letting go of our obstacles to innovation.”

2) Dabbling In The Arts

What do you like to do?  Write poetry? Sing? Paint? Knit? Dance? There are so many different ways to dabble in the arts.  Feeling a little nervous about this?  Craft shops have kits that can help you jump start in the arts.  I’ll admit, this is one I struggle with because I am such a perfectionist.  But the honest truth is, it is so much fun to create art – don’t forget, you’re creating for YOU.

3) Immersing Yourself In Nature

When you close your eyes, and think of a place in nature that inspires you, are you on a sandy beach? A wooded mountaintop? Perhaps in a flower-full garden?  Reconnecting with nature is a surefire way to tone your creative muscles! And if resources are scarce to make the actual trip, are there sights/smells/sounds that you could surround yourself with?  For example, I have a friend who keeps a bottle of coconut scented lotion on her work desk to remind her of the beach.  Perhaps finding an audio recording of waves lapping against the shoreline or crickets in concert in the woods would do the trick.

4) Entering Sacred Space

From Alexander’s article, “In ancient times, sacred spaces, such as churches, temples and sites for group rituals, were built on land whose features evoked a sense of spirituality . . . sacred spaces can exist wherever you feel a sense of spaciousness and connection to the creative, life-supporting forces of the universe. Arranging the space in your home or office to bring in light and nature will help you feel expansive and access your core creativity as you open up to your important role in all of creation.”

5) Seeking Out Creative Stimulation

Visit a place that inspires you – it could be in your backyard, in your city, or a road trip somewhere great!  Visit somewhere new - are you inspired by music performance? Architecture? History? Let the internet do the heavy-lifting, and then GO!

6) Mindful Movement

Many forms of physical movement can be an entrée into open-mind consciousness. Of course, yoga is just one activity that you can do to cultivate mindful movement.

Feel free to share with me any plans you have for our theme for the month of May, create!

Living in the World

Beautiful quote from Swami Satchidananda that I shared in class tonight:

If I know how to have a proper relationship with everything, everything is fine.  It's my improper relationships that bring me problems, bring me enemies, likes and dislikes.  But if I am neutral, no problem.  And that lesson you learn only by living in the world--getting tossed, fried, roasted.  You have to be fried well to become eatable.  You have to be properly matured, ripened.  Nobody wants to eat unripe fruit.  Maturity comes only in the field.  There you face challenges.  Facing challenges brings you inner strength.  Life is a challenge.  Take a seed, put it on your altar, worship it daily, and pray, "Seed, please grow."  Will it grow?  No.  Dig a hole, put it in there, and it gets a challenge.  Then it begins to sprout.

Retreat

I had a lot of fun planning my retreat last night . . . here's what I've planned -

Prepare my space - burn some sage, light candles and incense, put on some quiet music, get out my yoga props, journal, and other supplies, and a big glass of water

Asana practice - about an hour (not timing it though), in a style that feels appropriate, using as a theme the quote I used in my last blog post from Marianne Williamson.  Slow, deep breathing, heart opening poses, observing my energy flow and listening closely to my body, and a long savasana, and if I nap a little that's ok. :)

Meditation - goal is 30 min. (or more) - Starting and ending with mudra for trust, and using the mantra: "softening my heart to the creativity, abundance, and joy within."

Journal for ~30 min. - begin with anything that I noticed in asana and meditation practice.  Goal is to stay in the moment with what I'm feeling - try not to jump ahead with what I'll be focusing on later in the retreat.

Chakra balancing/meditation - 45 min. guided by recording from Alan Finger - going to pause recording at each chakra and spend more time with each than the recording does.

Optional Journal here, and then eat a healthy snack.

Spend at least an hour with creating a hopes and dreams for 2011 list, and also a fun poster that breaks down the tools I will use for achieving the list!  So I will put things under each of the four areas- spiritual, physical, mental/emotional, and intellectual.

End with a little yoga yelling, by singing along with someone fun, like krishna das!


I'll be retreating this coming Saturday afternoon.  I'll let you know how it goes . . .

2011 Inspiration

In the Mind of God, there is a fully created image of you at your most creative, abundant and joyful. And there is a divine blueprint by which this image would take form in your life. It is not something you can make happen, but it is something you can allow to happen, by making the softening of your heart your primary goal. This is the meaning of spiritual surrender.
~Marianne Williamson

Inspired by my dear friend Sharon, I am going to take a mini-retreat to get clear on my hopes, dreams, and wishes for 2011 this weekend. It will most likely be a retreat within the walls of my home, but a retreat nonetheless. I feel the need to self-direct this one.
**although if you are looking for a retreat to plan 2011, Sharon is offering one this Saturday at the studio, that I know will be fantastic! (I attended last year, and loved it!)

2010 was such a good year for me. Many beautiful things began ~ the beginning of a new decade of my life as I turned 30, my jubilant wedding day and my marriage to Brandon, yoga retreating and teaching in Tulum, and a new career at UK with a brand new initiative that has me working with people and topics I'm passionate about.

I am feeling very full, and very ready to keep the love and energy rolling into 2011. I am wanting to work towards something - to study - myself and yoga more deeply. But as the quote above reminds me, I may need to think about less "doing" and more "feeling". . . or at least finding a good balance between the two!

Looking forward to my retreat!

today's teaching inspiration

Silence

A day of Silence

Can be a pilgrimage in itself.

A day of Silence

Can help you listen

To the Soul play

It’s marvelous lute and drum.

Is not most talking

A crazed defense of a crumbling fort?

I thought we came here

To surrender in Silence,

To yield to Light and Happiness,

To Dance within

In celebration of Love’s Victory!

-Hafiz

*photo by Martin Husch