we're moving...
wordpress.com has been very good to Yogue, but in light of creating a more unique, customizable look, I have decided to move things over to a new site. Please click here for the new address which is www.yogue.net
namaste and many thanks for your support.
*photo by simplemoth
The Good Hotel at night
My partner and I are going to travel down to San Francisco this weekend. Our plan is to stop by the Yoga Journal Conference, hang with our friends at lululemon, see a few good yoga peeps and get a little dose (hopefully) of California sunshine before we return back to Vancouver for the chaotic emergence of the 2010 Olympic Games.
Sounds easy enough in theory? Yet travel is always a good yogic test, of staying calm amidst all the movement and stress, especially these days. Also, a question that I usually find perplexing is where should we rest our heads? What hotel, or b+b or vacation rental offers just the right mix of un-stuffiness, coolness yet not cold-ness, modern hipsterness without attitude and at least some sort of an eco sensibility i.e. does it recycle? – (common); use organic cotton bedding (quite uncommon); how integrated is it into a neighbourhood? And how close is it to public transit?
This time, I used the well-edited list at Tablet Hotels and discovered the aptly named Good Hotel in San Fran’s SOMA district. Why so apt? As Tablet points out, “That’s “good” as a noun, not an adjective. San Francisco’s Good Hotel is less about being a good hotel—it certainly is that, in its unassuming way—and more about doing good.”
With a location that’s definitely off the beaten tourist track, yet close enough to bus and trams, rooms that look like super-eco, reclaimed / recycled versions of Dwell magazine’s FSC certified, modern pages; i-pod docking stations to broadcast your favourite playlists, eco-mod furniture, free wi-fi, and free parking for hybrid cars, the hotel; one of the local San Francisco based chain of Joie de Vivre Hotels, which has taken over various old, derelict properties and given them new life and style; seems like its crafted for hipster, urban nomads without large pocketbooks – rooms while being close enough to the city, do not cost an arm or a leg.
Add in the front desk’s “philantropy” concierge, who will help you find last minute volunteering opportunities in the Bay Area, free bicycles that get you around town using your eco-friendly pedal power and an emphasis on reuse, recyle and refashion, this hotel seems like it fits right in with Yogue’s sensibilities: style and eco-living without a sky-high price tag.
The Lobby
i love these "lobby clocks"
a typical double bed room
MAC heaven, the biz centre
By next week, we’ll let you know if our Good Hotel experience is truly Good.
namaste.
We are witnessing some exciting times for the green style movement. This just in.
via Green My Style
2010 has been named The International Year of Biodiversity by the UN and in honour of that, it has joined forces with charity Green2Greener to bring together 500 leading figures from governments, international organisations and the fashion and cosmetics industries for the Eco Chic Conference in Geneva this week.
The two day conference will culminate in a fashion show and exhibition launch featuring international Eco-Couture and Sustainable Ready-To-Wear. The work of celebrated designers such as Diane Von Furstenberg and John Rocha will be shown alongside up-and-coming designers like Zhang Da and Alexandre Herchcovich, each briefed to create a sustainable show-stopping piece. Ready to wear includes Ethical Fashion Forum innovation winners Mia Nisbett and Lalesso as well as established names like Annie Greenabelle, Edun, Noir and Ciel.
Yogue is also thrilled that Deux Fm (a featured Yogue, eco-chic designer) will also be displaying her talents at Eco-Chic Geneva.
I know we’ve chatted a little bit about goals and goal setting this year already at Yogue, but the newness of this year is still with us and I’m happy to share some insights and experience from a fantastic writer, yogi, activist, eco-designer, enlightened dynamo and friend of Yogue, Kimberly Wilson, a.k.a. The Tranquil Hip Chick. Here’s what she has to say about the magic of the start of this year. Grab a pencil, notebook, a cup of hot tea and read on for some inspiration. Also, watch this space for a review of her books. Thanks Kimberly.
It’s that special time of the year where you may take a step back to evaluate where you are, where you’ve been, and where you’re heading. Each year I love to list my past year’s highlights, lessons learned and dreams for the new year. This offers an opportunity to take stock annually to ensure movement in the right direction. Pull out your journal, kick up your heels, grab a mug of tea, and let’s indulge in a dose of reflection.
Can you bring them together in visual form? Collect photos from your adventures and make a collage or desktop. Doodle the highlights, mindmap, or simply list them. A few of my 2009 highlights include learning about mindfulness-based stress reduction, spending 10 days in Paris, leading retreats in Costa Rica and New York, returning to school to pursue MSW, Tranquil Space Foundation’s film festival, celebrating Tranquil Space’s 10th year, penning Tranquilista, releasing a 4th yoga to go CD, and celebrating 5 years with my supportive beau. All in all, a productive, blessed year.
You know the ones – those ongoing “opportunities” disguised as “challenges.” What lessons are you taking away from your experiences this year? For me, I plan to keep working with my 2009 word of the year “spaciousness” and remember it when over-scheduling or over-committing, declutter daily, savor the simple things (lesson brought back from Parisians who you’d never catch with a to-go cup). Keep these lessons in a prominent space that you can reference often.
What do you want 2010 to hold? When you ponder what you want your life to look like December 31, 2010, what do you see? A new career, an adopted pet, a new city, a continued relationship. Take a moment to collage, draw, dream, or paint it. Cover your new planner with images that speak to your vision.
A few of my dreams include: More strategic use of time and energy. Design new e-course based on Tranquilista or living your yoga. Set up my etsy store. Daily meditation. Host monthly dinners at chez moi. Return to dance. Daily sun salutations. More you tube videos. As we cross the threshold into a brand new decade, I wish you oodles of tranquility. Raise a glass to 2009. Honor your efforts.
Relish in being uniquely, fabulously you. As Buddhist monk Pema Chodron reminds us, you are perfect just as you are. I like to think that we can simply add dashes of enhancements (like the boosts we add to our smoothies at a juice bar) through practices of reflection, intention, and action. Let your life sparkle and shine in 2010.
To learn more about Kimberly and her hip yet tranquil endeavors, please visit: www.kimberlywilson.com
While Dream Designs’ Commercial Drive store has long been an eco-shopping destination, I was curious to see how they transplanted that original boho-chic aesthetic to their recent West-Vancouver digs.
No longer so boho, but definitely chic, the space is light-filled with off-white walls, an easy foil to colourful locally made yoga bolsters, printed fabrics from India, clothing, a beautiful in-house line of organic linens, eco-baby wear and a general smattering of interesting objects for your home – all with a sustainable bent. I also noticed new pieces by some of my favourite lines including Stewart + Brown and Preloved.
unisex, organic cotton pajamas
The store also boasts a “Chakra lounge” where you can sip tea, take a yoga class or an ayurvedic consultation. While eco-linens do set you back a pretty sum, January is a good time to swoop up some bargains. The annual bed-linen sale is on now.
silk duvets
Dream Designs Retail Locations
956 Commercial Drive
Vancouver, BC
Canada V5L 3W7
t: 604.254.5012
193-1277 Lynn Valley Road
North Vancouver, BC
Canada V7J 2A1
t: 604.929.3318
1502 Marine Drive
West Vancouver, BC
Canada V7V 1H8
t: 604.922.8325
chai: photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/uteart
Contrary to popular belief, an oh-too-sweet chai latte at Starbucks is really not the same as a cup of home-brewed “masala” chai, which is what I grew up drinking in India. At tea-time, my mother’s kitchen in Bombay simmered with a brew of warming spices like cardamom, cinnamon and pepper that made milk taste like nectar.
Today, I find chai to be a tasty, balancing brew that’s perfect for a cold winter day – and best of all, it is really not that hard to make. But just like all things in life that are worthwhile, it requires focus, presence and a little bit of time – oh yeah, and the anticipation of deliciousness!
Whole Cardamom Pods – 6 to 7
Whole Black Peppercorns – 4 to 5
Cinnamon – ½ “ stick
Cloves – 2 or 3
Fennel – few seeds
Star Anise – optional 1 pod
Fresh Ginger – ¼ “ grated or thinly slicked
2 – 3 cups water
Organic milk – 2 cups or Organic Almond Milk if you’re vegan or milk intolerant
Tea – Robust English Breakfast or Assam Tea – 4 tsp
Roiboos tea is a nice option if you prefer to drink a de-caf version of chai, and Green Tea works well too for a milder taste.
To make:
Crush the spices in a mortar and pestle. Add spices to ginger and water and bring to a boil. Upon boiling, let simmer for 10 minutes at least ten minutes. Add milk, let simmer for five minutes more. Finally add tea-leaves, bring to a rolling boil. Strain and serve. You can add pure maple syrup, raw, organic sugar or a bit of agave nectar to sweeten. The sweetness helps bring out the flavor of the spices.
Serve in small tea cups with a garnish of a pinch of freshly ground cardamom or cinnamon powder.
Notes:
For spices, I prefer using organic, non-irradiated spices: Whole Foods / Capers or any organic grocery store should have them. I also love shopping at the South China Seas Trading Company on Granville Island.
For tea, try the perfect blends at The Urban Tea Merchant, now with a new downtown location.
And if you’re just itching for some home-made chai that you didn’t slave over yourself, my favourite chai in the city is still at East is East with locations in Kitsilano and on South Main. However, here, I recommend tasting a sample first, as the chai varies each day.
Do you have a favourite chai recipe? Please feel free to post it here!
namaste.
Perhaps it is the long dark days here in Northwest BC that have been getting to me, or perhaps it is simply that that this time of the year is one of darkness, contemplation and introspection.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the passing of time and our rituals to mark the passing of time and even though this calendar we follow is purely arbitrary, and really a new year could be any day of these 365 days that mark our circumnavigation of the sun, there is something powerful about a collective people celebrating this start of something new.
To me, the year’s end and new beginnings are an embodiment of the vinyasa we speak of in yoga, the shedding of the past and renewal of what is to come. It is an exciting, creative time, once you can really come to peace with the letting go of the literal and metaphorical old. Out of the dust of the ashes come new possibility, but you have to go through your process.
It is also a time to think of think of our cyclical cellular regeneration. Think about the incredible regenerative capacity of our human body. Did you know that we breakdown and replace over 24 billion cells a day? Or that every component of every cell in our body is replaced totally within a nine-month cycle? We’re literally bodies in a state of flux – of dynamic evolution.
It’s not easy, yet if you open yourself to it, and begin to believe how vast our capacity is to remake ourselves, create new habit patterns, embrace new ideas and more positive thought / behavioral patterns, you’re almost halfway there. It sounds new-agey I know, but seriously, if our cells regenerate themselves continuously, don’t you think we’re capable of mentally and emotionally creating shifts? We’re all capable of evolution, we’ve been doing it for centuries.
Writing our goals down is the first step. A simple way to tackle them is to divide them into three categories. Personal, Health and Professional.
One of mine is to get even a mini- yoga practice in each day, so here I go.
Namaste. Light + lightness for the new year.
Yes I hear you, the holiday season does come only once a year and with it delicious and rich food, friends, family and wine. If you’re feeling a little post-indulgent today, don’t worry, know that you’re not alone, help is on its way. And it does not require switching from indulgence to asceticism overnight, something our society so loves doing.
Here’s an alternative. Boost your nutrition plan over the next few weeks by introducing key, nutritional powerhouses a.k.a. super-natural whole foods, so that you can effectively balance your body and mind especially in light of the excess of this season. It is all about balance. In fact, isn’t everything? 
I looked to a good friend, a highly qualified and positive, Whole Foods Nutritionist Judy Chambers for her key tips to strengthen our immunity using super-natural foods, so we can ease into the new year feeling rested, rejuvenated and excited to meet January in our optimal power. No starvation necessary.
Here’s what Judy recommends:
1. Consume Probiotic-rich Fermented Foods
plain probiotic rich yoghurt
The best way to boost immunity is to introduce naturally fermented foods into your diet. The probiotics (beneficial bacteria) found in these foods are far more effective than any supplement.
Examples of Probiotic Power Foods:
2. Pay Attention to Your Vitamin D
Vitamin D influences immunity and is best taken in a supplement form in conjunction with food sources such as organic butter, eggs & wild fish. Adequate intake of vitamin D has been strongly associated with proper immune function and better outcomes in studies.
Prevention Strategy: - 1 tsp. of filtered/wild fish oil such as Antarctic Krill Oil - 2,000-5,000 IU Vitamin D3 per day during the winter season
3. Eat a Healthy Whole Foods Diet and Avoid Sugar
A bounty of fresh local greens even during the west-coast winter
Super natural immunity begins with the bounty of nature (whole or unprocessed). First choice should always be what’s fresh, local and seasonal. Word to the wise… remember to limit the white stuff as well, 1 tsp. of refined white sugar has been shown to suppress your immune system for up to 5 hours!
Foundational Foods Checklist:
4. Get Plenty of Sleep and Reduce Stress
or go surfing with a posse of friends
A good night’s sleep strengthens your adrenals. Strong adrenals are essential for creating the energy to run your body on each day, managing stress and support balanced immune function.
Keys to Balance:
5. Support Your Body’s Natural Detoxification Systems
lemon and water
There are many benefits to cleansing toxins or pathogens naturally. If you feel like your system is rundown or blocked perhaps its time to refresh.
Flu Fighting Foods:
Another few suggestions, keep your choices as local and organic as possible and eat seasonally, as a wise farmer once told me, eating from the land is the best way to boost your immunity.
To learn more about Judy and to sign up for her Super Natural Immunity Class on Feb. 3, 2010, visit www.dynamicbynature.com
More resources on Whole Foods Nutrition:
Namaste!
Yogue.
I am back in the Pacific Northwest, where the ocean wears a dusky blue-grey cast and today the sun though low to the horizon is shining that ethereal golden light, the light that cinematographers cherish. I feel so blessed and grateful to have some quiet time these holidays and I hope to spend much of the next week writing, journaling and reading. This morning, while reading the Upanishads I was reminded again of that source of everything, the Brahman, the persona-less, personality-ness, animating force in the universe that gives rise to what eventually gives rise to the animating spirit… In this Northern Ocean-abutting world, that force is present. Here in the pair of eagles I see circling up high, the sparrow that seeks food on our deck, the plants that survive this arctic wind and frost and still bear buds, everywhere life is fresh and persistent and keenly alive.
Whether you are celebrating this holiday season with family or friends or in solitude, I hope you have some time to breathe deep and feel the peace that makes this time so special, even in times of chaos, war and strife.
On that note, here is a video sent by a friend that I found sweet and powerful.
Enjoy this time of slowing down and savoring time with loved ones.
namaste.
As we know, the holi”daze” are coming up and food and the sharing of food takes on a central role in so many of our lives.
From Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson
I was looking for inspiration and yesterday, while browsing through the cookbooks at Finlandia pharmacy in Vancouver yesterday, I found a lusciously photographed cookbook by a writer / chef/ blogger and photographer Heidi Swanson called Super Natural Cooking, which in turn, led me to her fantastic website 101 Cookbooks.
Part journal, part whole-foods nutrition bible, and all delicious, the recipes she posts are seasonal, natural and healthy, perfect for the holidays.
Ginger Chip Cookies from 101 Cookbooks
Check out at www.101cookbooks.com
These ginger chip cookies are looking pretty yummy.
Do post your comments if you try some of the recipes.
Thanks for reading!
Yogue.
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