(Nature Mandala “Abandon” by Flora Bowley, braveintuitiveyou.com)

Last night, I saw a brilliant, clementine/ fiery pink sunset over the walls of our little Bali house, where we’ve been ensconced since April 1 and I was reminded again of just how lucky we all are, despite everything negative, everything contrary, to be living right now, in whatever place we’re in and to be alive on this bountiful planet, that yep, we ought to save, cos, after all, as the bumper sticker says, isn’t it the only planet with chocolate?

This Earth Day, here are a few simple reminders to get you a little greener.  As you stop by and lead the charge, know that every little action does count, you know it does, you just gotta believe!

__________________________________________________________1. GREEN YOUR WALLET:

Simply put, put your money where your ethics are.  In fact have a little checklist.  Here is mine, maybe it will help:

Buy sustainable products, by that i mean, things that are made ethically all the way from inception to when you find them in your hands.  It’s called the “green loop” and now there are so many products that you can purchase from organic whole milk yoghurt to pasture raised meat, to bicycles, where you can scan a number onto a website and actually follow your purchase all the way from its birth, into your home or belly.
Purchase things that are made to last a long time.  Even with technology. Try to use your apple laptop even if it’s last year’s model, unless it’s desperately impeding the speed of your work (which if you are in Bali, doesn’t matter anyhow, since the internet is so slooooow)!
Buy Local: This applies to wherever you are.  Buy what is made right there if you can, it supports the local economy in ways no big chain store possibly can.
Buy Organic: This applies mostly to to food, and btw, i rank local higher than organic, since i don’t want to buy an organic apple that comes all the way from New Zealand when its out of season here.  And know that when you are supporting organic agriculture, yes, you are helping your own health, but more importantly, you are really allowing local, seeds to thrive in their locality, reducing the number of pesticides in our global food system and thus alleviating their impact on all the plants, animals and us humans that are impacted by the widespread use of these toxic agents.  It is better for us and for the planet, what could be an easier choice to make?
Buy Seasonal: Again, this applies mostly to food, but wow, celebrate the fruits and vegetables of each season and look forward to when they will be back.  I still remember savouring the taste of summer’s first mangoes as a child growing up in India.  They were so fresh you could immediately tell that they were from a particular mango growing region.  Who wants to eat produce that is stuffed in cold storage for months, when the fresh stuff tastes so much better!

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2. GREEN YOUR HOME:

Unplug:
Fact: 15% of our electric bill is consumed by vampire power, the electric power consumed by electronic appliances while in standby mode or switched off. Need i say more? Unplug the toaster when you’re done toasting your gluten free bread. Unplug that hairdryer before you leave for work.  And smile, knowing you’ve helped just a little bit.
Allow for Natural Airflow:
Turn the heat down, turn the A/C off, depending on where you are and use fans and natural ventilation as much as possible. There is nothing lovelier than sleeping beside an open window.  If you tend to run colder, wear layers at home.  This will be better for your skin as the dryness of the heat won’t impact you so much and you will save electricity.
Bring the outdoors in:
Bring some air purifying plants into your home or work space.  Even if you don’t have a green thumb, put seasonal branches or leaves and flowers, you don’t have to get fancy, less is more here, allow the beauty of nature to speak through a display in a simple, ceramic vase.  It will brighten your day and be a reminder of the beauty of green.
Use only Natural, Biodegradable Cleaning Products:
My old boss Chip Wilson at lululemon always said, “clean a kitchen countertop with an eco cleaner because you never know who will make a sandwich there.”  I say, extend that to your entire home.  The bathroom, the bedrooms, the living room.  With a little toddler in my life, I know that NOTHING is out of bounds.  I want my home to be squeaky clean (well as clean as possible), but I want everything he touches, that we touch to never harm us in anyway possible.
If you’re in the USA, you can look for products with the Green Seal on them, while the Eco Logo/Bio Vert logos are the ones to look out for in Canada. My favourite brands are Seventh Generation and BioKleen.  Of course, to be super-environmentally-friendly, you could just make your own cleaners with baking soda, vinegar, and water.  You’ll be surprised at how well they do their job.

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3. GREEN YOUR FOOD:

While the paleo diet has been all over the news recently, how complicated have you got to get about food? I think Michael Pollan said it best in his book In Defense of Food, “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”  I’ve touched upon the food topic above a little bit in the Green Your Wallet section of this post” but here are some great insights from Mr. Pollan himself, that make (to me) so much sense.

Interview with Michael Pollan about food. 

And take baby steps.  Eat whole foods, i.e. foods that are as close to their natural state as possible, without us messing with their intrinsic “ness, ” eat organic, eat local, eat seasonal. Commit to eating one vegetarian meal a week.  Or commit to always buying organic if not all your produce, at least the dirty dozen.  Join a CSA, get an at home organic delivery box service.  Eat colourfully, eat diversely and most importantly, take a breath and savour your food, either alone or in the company of friends.  ________________________________________________________________

4.GREEN YOUR LIFE

Green your transit:  Commit to biking, running, carpooling, taking public transit – whatever your possible option, make it happen, even once a week will count.  US commuters wasted 4.2 billion hours sitting in traffic in 2005.  Consider how much time you will gain with your new travel rituals.

BYOB:
This is such an easy one, if you aren’t already, start today in 2013. Make this the year when you keep a reusable bag on your person at ALL times.  I speak from experience.  I stash reusable bags everywhere now, in my son’s diaper bag, in my purse, in my laptop bag.  I always seem to have a use for them.  I also keep one in the car.  And honestly, there are still days when I go to the grocery store without a bag and leave juggling various jars and veggies in my arms.  So just do yourself a favour and keep a bag on you at all times.  You will thank me.

Take a Nature Appreciation Moment:
I am married to a Blissologist.  He says that by far, what fuels him the most and keeps him happy and balanced is connecting to nature.  For my partner it is wild nature that fuels him, the wild nature of the Northwest Pacific and the ocean.  But for most of us, connecting for a moment to the nature outside our city apartments will do just fine. Here’s how you can try it today.
Go for a little walk around the block.  Observe for a few moments, the light amidst the trees, or see a shrub growing through the sidewalk crack.  Or notice the colour of a flower, or a bee, or a bird, or take in the sky at sunset.  Resist your urge to instagram these moments.  Instead, just pause, look deeply, take a breath in.  Hold that beauty inside, then let it go.

HAPPY EARTH DAY!!!!

namaste,

Insiya

We are finally home – just for a few days – our home on the pacific coast, a small, sleepy surf town on Vancouver Island.  We left the sunlight of Southern California, for the dappled grey of the northwest, even driving through snow, up the mountain pass late last night, across the curved, winding ribbon that is Highway 4, all the way from the ferry terminal on the east side of the island, to our ocean ridge home.

What does home feel like?  Like a huge exhale.  This time, nothing fazed me, not the suitcases that need unpacking and organising, the laundry, the aftermath of the caffeine fuelled errand running all day yesterday in Vancouver.  It all passed.  The best part, our son, fell asleep so happily in his own room late last night and even slept in until almost 9 a.m. a first.

Today, I celebrated the small things, the knowing where everything is in my kitchen, the whisk to make him some scrambled eggs for breakfast, a surprise bottle of homemade blackberry jam from last summer that I had forgotten I saved, and a breath of deep, clean, ocean air.  Oh and the quietness, punctuated only by the sound of rain falling and the occasional foghorn, such a contrast from the urban orchestra of sounds that filled our Venice Beach life over the last few months.

I set about to cook a simple lunch, something I miss when we are on the road too much.  Here is the recipe: Zucchini Sweet Potato soup.  I love soups.  I definitely get my love of soups from my mother who learned how to make simple, french, country veloutes from my French aunt, so many years ago in France.  The key to making good soup, is fresh, ideally seasonal, organic vegetables, fresh herbs and good broth or alkaline water.  Also, a pat of butter if you are not vegan, or just good olive oil.  I hope you enjoy it.  We have a mantra at home, “what we eat should be just as good or better for our young toddler.” It makes life easy as we all eat the same food, there is nothing “special” i make for him.  He eats what we eat. Soups are the epitome of that, full of nutrients, nourishing and easy to digest, perfect for little tummies and ours as well.  And I should mention, an ideal meal an hour or so before a yoga practice.

Enjoy.

Insiya’s Zucchini Sweet Potato Soup

Serves 2 as a meal, or 4 as an appetiser.

Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 small carrot, diced
2 sprigs fresh thyme (we have some that survived the winter, yay)
2 small zucchini or 1medium sized zucchini, diced
1 sweet potato, diced
Olive oil, 1 tbsp
Pat of butter or ghee, or coconut oil if you are Vegan
2 cups Vegetable broth if you are vegan/ vegetarian or chicken broth, preferably homemade, simmering on the stove until warm.

The how to:
1. Heat the olive oil with a pat of butter, ghee or coconut oil in a medium sized cooking pot until hot.
2. Add garlic, shallot and carrot and thyme.  Turn heat down to medium and cook until the garlic releases its aroma, and the shallots and carrots are soft, this will take a few minutes.
3. Immediately add a splash of apple cider vinegar and stir a little bit longer.
Add the zucchini and sweet potato and pour in the warmed broth.
4. Bring to a boil, then allow the soup to simmer for about 15 minutes.  Check that the vegetables have softened, but are not mushy.
5. Blend the entire soup in a vitamix or good blender.  If you are using the vitamix, just one zap should be fine.  Be mindful that the soup is hot when you are blending, so maybe do a small amount at a time.
6. Voila, the soup is ready to serve. Pour it out into a pretty bowl, garnish with minced chives and relish the simple goodness.

This soup is wonderful accompanied by a salad and a piece of good, crusty truly whole grain bread.  We love Florin the bakers dense peasant bread in Vancouver at Beyond Bread, made from organic non GMO wheat.

Namaste.

Life has been busy and my challenge (always) is to stay grounded. Here are 3 easy and effective Ayurveda rituals that are part of my daily practice, that I would LOVE to share with you.

Check out the full post here on Align Yo, where you will be able to read lots of Ayurvedic insights from me.  More soon. Lots of travel coming up, so gotta keep working on staying clear, grounded and present.

Namaste.

Insiya

I’m a bit reluctant to admit this, but lately I’ve had insecurity about what I wear to yoga class.

Since the birth of my beautiful daughter a little more than two years ago, my penchant for style has translated into building my little girl’s wardrobe through 40% off sales at Old Navy or scooping up low-priced basics from Joe Fresh.

Fact is, if there’s no coupon to hand over or no grocery cart to toss it in, chances are I haven’t bought it for her or myself. This means my yoga clothes are now pretty well…worn out.

While many of my yoga contemporaries are showing up to class in the latest looks from brands such as Tonic and Karma, I now sport the same old black tank top and capris each and every time. Of course, the enlightened part of me is fully aware that what I have on for yoga is largely irrelevant to the quality of my practice, but I seem to have fleeting moments of doubt when I find myself surrounded by such fashionable yoginis.

I’m often amazed at how incredibly beautiful (and functional) today’s yoga clothes are: There’s patterned yoga wear for new-age hippy types (think Prana), there’s sleek gear for the athletically inclined (hello Manduka and Lululemon) and there’s even threads for serious sartorialists:(Toyoga comes to mind).

Things have come a long way from when I started practicing yoga in the late 90s. Back then, folks would show up to class in a pair of gym shorts or a basic tank top. It was simple, pared down and definitely not pretentious.

Not so anymore, it seems. The catwalk has engulfed the mat walk. This may not be a bad thing, but is all of this yoga lifestyle clothing really necessary? Are we potentially trivializing the inner beauty of yoga with a new emphasis on outer beauty? Simply put, my answers to both questions are no.

Why?

Because judging the appearance of others (or ourselves) for any reason is not just very yogic.

I need to stop feeling envious that I’m not as stylish as some of my peers. I must resist the urge to judge others and make hasty assumptions about their values. It’s like a mirror that gets turned right back on me. That’s the difference between being Self-conscious or self Consciousness.

Those who can afford the stylish duds should not be viewed as anything greater or less than anyone else. Further, if the ultimate goal of yoga is union of body, mind and soul, I say wear whatever helps you feel inspired along the way. Get dressed in Spring 2013 or Fall 2003. It doesn’t really matter. Just show up on the mat and keep breathing.

 So I’m stopping the comparison game right now.

Hello! I know, I know, it has been a while, almost two months to be exact. I haven’t exactly been hiding my head under sand, though at times I have felt tempted to do just that. No, mostly it has been about trying to stay as gracefully in flow with what I call the rolling river of life. A river that sometimes feels relentless and roaring while at others it is gentle and gracious.

I know that I have shared with you some of my challenges over the last months of being a new mom and balancing that with my life and work. I had one of those moments today – this feeling of ineptitude – of wondering why am I not out saving the world and helping women in my homeland of India via teaching yoga or in some other way or why am I unable to even get out of the house some mornings before 11 a.m. And then I had to stop and remind myself. I have a young son. I am his primary caregiver. Not necessarily completely by choice, but definitely by circumstance. I am trying to walk that fine balance of working from home and parenting a child in an integrated, holistic way that speaks to our values and lifestyle. I also believe, as I know so many of you do, that investing this time at this stage in our son’s development is going to allow him to thrive and embody his fullest being. It means that he will feel love and feel cared for by those he is closest to at this young age and I know it will inform the quality of his life ahead specifically his ability to withstand and thrive amidst the challenges and curve balls of life – haven’t you noticed how our obstacles become stronger, the older we get?

One of my favourite Sunday routines is reading the New York times weekend edition. There are so many days however, when I am stunned and deeply saddened by what I read. From the coverage about the gun shooting at sandy hook elementary school – in which an article inferred that the perpetrator was distant and not able to express himself to those closest to him i.e. his family; to another story about how a young man died because of his addiction and abuse of ADHD drugs –which he was able to get by faking symptoms at his college medical clinic; to another piece about how the N.R.A. directly targets youth to create future gun owners.

After I rolled through the emotions of sadness, despair and anger, I finally arrived at a place of questioning. I began to question why as a society, we have become so easy to self medicate, so adept at pulling a trigger and yet so shocked when these things happen, even whilst the signs that they are happening are all around us.

I think we’re dealing with these situations because we’ve forgotten a few simple life lessons.

1. We’ve forgotten how to communicate when we’re upset or sad or down.
In fact, most often when we are upset, we don’t allow ourselves to be with the sadness. We try to distract ourselves, be it by going shopping (there’s a reason it’s called retail therapy), or we watch TV, or we call a friend, or we have sex, or we go on a 20 mile run. There’s different methods of coping yet none address the issue that’s deep within. I try to work through this in the way I parent. If my son is upset about something, e.g. today we were walking home and he wanted a child’s truck behind a garden fence. I tried to explain that it didn’t belong to us and we could not take it. He did not agree. He is two. He cried and cried and was red in the face. I tried to stay firm and calm and just repeated what I had said. We reached home and I held him in my arms and let him cry a little while longer until he calmed down. He did. He went down for a nap with a sweet, tear stained face, but he worked that emotion out through his body somehow. He was peaceful.

Body Mind psychotherapist Susan Aposhyan calls the stuffing up “emotional constipation.” It’s an apt analogy. We have to keep things moving, or we get rigid and hard and crack open all too easily, while really we are meant to be supple, pliable and adaptable. Yoga helps me to work things through my body, so does a run albeit in a different way. If you have a practice that works for you, cultivate it. It will allow you to keep the channels open and not get stuck.

2. We believe that a pill is a quick fix.
We can procrastinate all we want, but somehow a pill is going to get us through those med school exams or give us the confidence to ace an interview. I am in no way referring to situations where medicine can be essential to surviving and thriving because of real learning disabilities – what I find hard to swallow is our cavalier attitude towards pills – we are so happy to pop them and allay our symptoms instead of addressing the heart of what may be wrong.

Whatever happened to actually cultivating the passion for doing something that fulfills you deeply? Or being able to unplug from the digital world enough so you can cultivate true focus and concentration instead of living in a hyper stimulated world where you cannot think? When was the last time you truly unplugged, got quiet and stopped?

3. We’ve forgotten that it does take work.

Even though Malcolm Gladwell reminded us so eloquently that successful people have been doing whatever they’re so successful at for at least 10,000 hours, we don’t seem to “get” it. I know I’m guilty of this. There’s a reason a writing practice is called just that, a “practice.” It implies you have to do it consistently – ideally every day. Poet Ellen Bass reminded me of that when I took her inspiring writing workshop at Esalen.

My biggest challenge personally has been getting back to my pre-baby strength and fitness. I went through a roller coaster ride last year of being inconsistent with my yoga practice and running, using the baby as an excuse for the lack of time in my life, until it finally hit me, I have to focus on my health so I can be a better mother, partner and person. I have to do this everyday, because it takes work to make it my practice once again. It has made a difference. I do feel different, I feel stronger, more calm and I notice how much happier I am around my little one as well.

I’m not exactly sure why I went down this train of thoughts today, but I hope that these words inspire you to think about how you spend time with your family, your friends, your loved ones, how you nourish yourself; and whether you allow yourself time to process and digest emotion and experience.

I love how yoga is analogous to living life mindfully and what i keep returning to today, is how we need to keep creating the conditions to sow down deep roots so that we can support ourselves and our communities as we reach up through both the challenges and light filled moments that make our lives complex, rich and fulfilling.

Thank you for reading.

I have some interviews that i am going to post soon with some inspiring women as well as a guest post by a wonderful writer. Stay tuned.

NAMASTE and have a lovely rest of the week.

Insiya

It’s been an interesting time for us here in California this winter.  Our little pre-schooler has caught honestly every flu bug that has been out there and of course, I have also been down with a flu twice already this season, yuch! I finally took him to the doctor this past week.

The good news, however, is that he is recovering.  The additional good news is that all these events have prompted me more than ever to cook really simple, whole foods at home to help with the healing process.  Most of that has been seasonal soups, stews and khichadis (an ayurvedic rice and lentil dish that is slowly simmered with spices and any other vegetables you may want to add).  (Recipes to come this week on Yogue).

It has been both an interesting and a really good time to eat simply.  I am savouring food that is both light yet nourishing and realising how eating like this makes more sense than ever during the holidays, when we are typically surrounded by so much rich food and flavours.

Have you ever asked yourself why the holidays are all about excess and the new year is all about detoxing from that excess?

How about moderation as a new habit over these holidays.  How about moderation so that you can actually enjoy and savour all the delicious treats – in small amounts – and feel good after?

One suggestion, eat simple foods at home so that you can savour a cookie or dessert at a holiday dinner; and remember that you will feel so much better if you save another helping for another night!

I’ve decided that holiday baking is not going to serve us this christmas, unless you count home made granola.  Instead, what I am whipping up are these super simple, healthy, superfood infused, not too sweet and might I say delicious Bliss Balls.  Here is the recipe.  They are as delicious as truffles and so good for you and I have to say, they definitely satiate my chocolate sweet tooth.

I hope that you enjoy them.

Happy Holidays and much warmth to you and yours.

Here is the recipe:

Holiday Bliss Balls

Basic Ingredients

• 1/2 cup raw cacao
• 1 cup raw organic walnuts, almonds or cashews (or a mixture)
• 1/2 cup shredded organic coconut
• 1/4 cup raw organic coconut oil (softened)
• zest from 1 organic lemon
• healthy pinch of sea salt
• handful of mejdool dates (3 – 4) (or other soft dates) de-seeded and soaked for 15 minutes at least
• 1 Raw Vanilla Bean scraped
• 1 – 2 tbsp Almond Butter (raw is great)
• 1 tbsp Chia Seeds (ground)
• 1 – 2 tbsp Maca Powder

Optional Ingredients

• pinch of Cinnamon Powder
• pinch of Cardamom Powder
• pinch of Cayenne Powder
• pinch of Ginger Powder
• Goji Berries
• Lavender Seeds
• Raw Cacao Nibs
• Raw Honey

Directions:
Chop the dates coarsely. Blend all the basic ingredients in a food processor until the mass reaches a smooth yet somewhat granular consistency – it is up to you to decide how much texture or bite you would like in the bliss balls, I prefer them with a bit of crunch! You may add some almond milk if the dough has become too thick and clumpy.  Scrape it out into a bowl or a plate – you will need a good spatula for this. Place a small amount of the bliss ball dough in the palm of your hand.  Roll it into a little ball.  Set aside a plate with a sprinkling of shredded coconut and roll the bliss ball in the flakes which will cover it to look like a snow dusted holiday treat.  Place on a plate and repeat.

Try a few different variations e.g. You could do Vanilla and Orange Zest, or you could do Lavender and Lemon, You could also do Ginger and Cinnamon, or Ginger and Cardamom, or just Lavender, the possibilities are endless.  You can also make these without the Cacao powder for non-cocoa Bliss Balls.  In that case, you might up the amount of vanilla that I suggest here and use only cashew nuts in the balls as they have a lovely delicate flavour that partners beautifully with vanilla.

For nutritional information on all the awesome superfood ingredients, here are some great insights from Navitas Naturals Superfoods. I love their raw cacao btw.

Raw Cacao Powder: Cacao is a great source of antioxidants, and it contains an abundance of magnesium and iron, as well as high amounts of calcium, zinc, copper, sulfur, and potassium.

Raw Cashew Nuts: provide an impressive profile of beneficial oils, including an ideal ratio of healthy saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats. They’re also a good source of plant-based protein, iron, and trace minerals.

Cardamom:  What’s not to love about this beautifully aromatic spice that is widely used in Ayurvedic cuisine.  It aids digestion, soothes the nervous system and has recently also been touted for it’s anti-cancer benefits.  I love this spice and it somehow finds its way into so much of my cooking!

Cayenne: minimizes inflammation, relieves pain, reduces blood cholesterol, acts as a decongestant, boosts the immune system, prevents stomach ulcers, lowers risk of Type 2 Diabetes.

Chia Powder: Enjoyed for centuries by ancient cultures throughout Central America as a food and medicine, the chia seed is an abundant source of omega fats, protein, antioxidants and dietary fiber.

Cinnamon: Another warming spice according to Ayurveda, Cinnamon aids digestion, relieves nausea, vomiting, diarrhea; has antiseptic properties; beneficial for the heart, lungs, and kidneys; aids insulin’s ability to metabolize blood sugar.

Dates: Rich in natural fibres, this superfood from the desert contains several vitamins and minerals including calcium, sulphur, iron, potassium,phosphorous, manganese, copper and magnesium. Dates help in balancing digesting, preventing intestinal disorders, provide stamina and sustenance.  Dates are not super low on the glycemic index but when combined with nuts or another protein do not provide a fast sugar rush.  I love using them as an alternative to sugar as they have such a rich and nourishing sweetness.

Goji Berries: A staple of Traditional Chinese Medicine for hundreds of years, Goji Berries are a surprisingly strong source of protein and contain a wealth of antioxidants and over 20 vitamins and minerals.

Ginger: aids digestion; decreases arthritic swelling; destroys bacteria and viruses; lowers blood pressure; aids circulation.

Maca: Maca is a root that has been grown for over 2,500 years high in the Peruvian Andes – it is in fact the highest-altitude crop on earth. The conditions in which maca grows are extremely harsh, and the plant needs to be incredibly resilient to survive and thrive. Although it resembles a large radish, maca is a member of the cruciferous family of plants (just like broccoli, cabbage, kale etc).

Maca is an “adaptogen” meaning it has the ability to balance and stabilize the body’s hormonal, nervous and cardiovascular systems. For this reason it is particularly effective for improving libido. Maca also has the ability to help us cope with stress, and stabilize our moods and energy.  Boasting 31 minerals and trace elements, maca is a nutritional powerhouse and a stress-relieving, healthy addition to many foods.

The flavour of maca is kind of malty and sweet. Some people taste vanilla and butterscotch as well, but most would agree that it is quite strong and can be overpowering if used frivolously. Start with small quantities, like one teaspoon, and work your way up to more. Remember that taking a little maca every day is better than taking a lot at one time once in a while.

Look for maca at health food stores and gourmet grocers, sold as the dried, powdered root. Make sure that the product you are purchasing is 100% root – not other parts of the plant. Store in a cool dry place. (This is a great description that really gets at the benefits of Maca and I took it from one of my favourite holistic cooking blogs: My New Roots).  

Vanilla Bean: Soothing and aromatic, the scent of vanilla alone can have a stress relieving response.  I love vanilla.

Do let me know how they turn out and if you have some pictures, i’d love to post them on the Yogue Facebook Page.  Namaste.

The winter solstice is here.  It is the perfect time to pause.  To become aware of our turning from the dark days of winter here in the Northern Hemisphere towards a journey back into days of more and more light.  I also think it’s the ideal time to take stock of the past year, of the events both in our own lives and in the larger world, the tragic and the hopeful.

One of the things I plan to work on tonight is to write out all my fears and anxieties that are holding me back. The next step?  To burn those fears, to allow them to dissipate and be cleansed. The last step, to replace every fear with a wish, a hope and a goal to take me into the new year.  See more on goal setting here.

Simple, cathartic yet very effective.  Fire is such powerful energy and at the solstice, we welcome more of it’s warmth and light back into our lives and a good way to begin is to use some Fire to help us gain more clarity in our lives. Post those hopes, dreams and goals up where you can see them or put them in your diary or journal, keep them close to refer to them often.

Make this your ritual tonight if you can.  Light a candle, get quiet, get clear.  It doesn’t have to be a very long list, you may only have a few limiting thoughts, or you may have many.  Whether you believe in the prophecies of the Mayan calendar or not, I am hopeful that if we are stepping into the new age, we will experience a shift in our global, collective consciousness.  There is so much hope, especially if you believe, as I do that our inner joy and wisdom and love can overcome everything if we allow it to bubble forth without encumbrance.

Here are two quotes that I read recently that inspired me this week.

From radiant yogini + consciousness raiser Shiva Rea, a quote from Leonard Bernstein:
“This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.” Leonard Bernstein

and via Semperviva Yoga
“The more we sweat in peace the less we bleed in war.” – Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit

Today’s juice was part of my morning pick me up after being up way too late packing for this weekend’s trip to Toronto. I also managed to squeeze in a Dailey method class thanks to my sweet husband taking baby A to the park to run off some energy. On that note I am hoping he will sleep on the flight, crossing my fingers and toes.

So the juice is another green juice and I have to tell you I am now officially craving my fix everyday, it’s becoming like yoga to me if I don’t get a little bit in each day life feels as though something is missing! It also helps counteract the one too many cacao bliss balls I nibbled on yesterday

Here’s the recipe:
1 bunch of kale
2 small Fuji apples
1 orange
1 bunch of cilantro

Wash, chop and juice.

Enjoy and happy weekend! Namaste

The biggest one for me has been how we self perpetuate the craziness, how the rituals we partake in right now echo some sort of ancient rites of communal gathering.  Something that can be both wonderful and not.

My way of finding balance: making sure I slow down for even a few moments, say 5 minutes… I’ll post more about this soon, but in the meantime, here is a way I do find some meditative calm, in prepping and chopping the veggies and fruit for our daily family juice.  My son has been down with a second cold of the season – I’m attributing it to the newness of bacteria down here in LA – we’re surrounded by more people, exposed to more germs I suppose… and so we’re drinking our ginger fortified juices, warm herbal teas and lots of vitamin C and D…  Here’s hoping that you are staying healthy and balanced right about now.

ps. This juice is super delicious.  Do try it.

Today’s juice tastes as delicious as it looks.  It fortified me through a Dailey Method Class, where I have been going as they have childcare!!!  Nothing quite so wonderful as knowing your child is happy and safe while you improve your posture and your tush at the barre – seriously, why don’t more yoga studios offer childminding?  It is such a beneficial service.   This was followed by a madcap day of balancing mommying with a million other things.  Every time my husband is away, I have an awful lot of respect and compassion for single parents.  It’s a lot.

Hope you had a beautiful day.  Peace.