Category Archives: Yoga
Karma Yoga
Wow – what a beautiful start to the week!
Several hundred yogis, practicing on top of a high-rise in the middle of the city, at sunset, to benefit breast cancer? Couldn’t think of a more awesome place to spend my Sunday evening.
An insane weather swing with freakish wind and cold almost kept us indoors, but a majority vote to brave the breeze led us out onto the balcony for an amazing Karma Yoga session.
After the class, Sarah and I decided to split a roll of raffle tickets. It turned out to be a great call – we both were lucky winners:
Sixty minute therapeutic massage – come to mama.
Sarah had her eye on the Ritz Carlton picnic basket from the minute we started checking out raffle prizes. When I heard my numbers called for the basket, I slipped her the ticket and we both started jumping up and down like 9th graders getting asked to the prom. Throughout the night, at least five people came over to joke with the girls who were flipping their crap over a picnic basket!
Soon after, we ducked over to Cityfish to grab a late dinner. I picked the only vegetarian option on the menu – a variety platter with a crunch roll, a hand roll and vegetable nigiri.
The veggie nigiri were awesomely unique, but I could have done without the pickled carrots. Those bad boys were funky!
Here’s to hoping some of the luck and karma from last night stick around for the rest of the week!
Are you a lucky person? Ever win anything at a raffle or sweepstakes?
Martin Luther King Never Put His Foot Behind His Head
Thank you, Kelly, for a beautiful class last night!
My studio is focusing this week on restorative yoga classes. In yoga – and in life – it seems so simple to listen to our own cues and practice accordingly – but actually doing so is a true challenge. We push ourselves into an advanced modification because we were able to achieve it in a previous class or because we see our neighbor floating into it. We drop deeper into a warrior pose because we want to push ourselves to a new level of strength. We totter into an arm balance because we’re interested in seeing just how far we can go without falling. We do these things even when they don’t suit us. Instead of pushing 100% to the max, this week’s classes are focusing on restoring whatever might be sore, weak, painful or uncomfortable by being happy in exactly what is comfortable right now, right where we are.
It’s one thing to accept where you are in your life’s journey – it’s another entirely to be proud of it. It’s easy to shrug and resign yourself to circumstances, but why should we stop there? Why not fully embrace exactly what we’re working with? Why not be proud of the tools we do have and use them to our full advantage, enjoying exactly what they can give us?
As Kelly humorously shared with us, Martin Luther King never put his foot behind his head. {Not to our knowledge, at least}. Does that make him any less inspirational? Any less powerful? Any less influential? Not in the slightest. It didn’t suit his purpose, so he never made it happen.
Let’s focus on the things that suit us, and wring out the things that don’t. Let’s invite in the thoughts, feelings, emotions, people and experiences that are going to contribute to our happiness and well-being…and let go of the things that don’t. Let’s focus on identifying the things we need and work on providing those things for ourselves – nothing more, nothing less.
After that long-winded, pseudo-philosophical rambling, I think breakfast is exactly what I need!
Pancakes haven’t been on the menu for ages! Scrambled eggs have been the dominant breakfast craving around here for a bit, but a sweet start sounded great this morning.
PSA: defrosting strawberries, then stirring in maple syrup and smashing the two together yields an unimpressive, gloopy strawberry sauce. I didn’t mind the smushy sauce, but the flavor of the frozen berries was just lacking. I’ll be waiting for summer’s fresh berry crops with open arms!
Lots of work to accomplish {and some important correspondence to obsessively check my email wait for} – have a wonderful Tuesday y’all!
Any philosophical realizations/lessons/etc to share with us? Maybe something you picked up in yoga/church/song lyrics/a random conversation?
Last Florida Day
Yesterday, I learned that there is life before coffee! And it doesn’t suck!
Turns out, my neighborhood is actually kind of pretty in the early morning {in an “I reaallllly hope there isn’t a creeper watching me from behind that tree sort of way}. Walking Haley in the pitch black was a bit scary, but some of the nicer areas are even more gorgeous before sunrise.
Orlando Power Yoga has yet to disappoint – their Power Sculpt Class was a challenging mix-up of traditional yoga and reps with light free weights. Our instructor, Cortney, was also a former Pilates instructor, so she threw a few of those moves just for fun.
I specifically chose to get the workout out of the way in the morning to free up the rest of my day for a few pre-vacation activities. A work luncheon was scheduled just in perfect time – it would’ve been such a shame to have been out of town and miss out on the company lunch!
Our managing editor brought us to NapaSorn Thai for a delicious meal away from our desks. I’ve always been a yellow curry lover, but I was convinced to branch out and try something out of the norm. The Thai Green Curry caught my eye thanks to the huge number of vegetables in the description, so tofu in green curry it was!
{Kudos to NapaSorn for offering a brown rice option and tofu as one of the “meat” selections!}
Served with a petite side salad and a phenomenal peanut dressing:
Another one of the company’s editors introduced me to Thai Iced Tea as well.
The thai tea was a fun, unique beverage to sample, but so sweet. The creaminess was helpful to wash down the spicy curry sauce though.
After work, I got to meet up at Fresh Appeal in Downtown Disney with one of the blog readers who is in town vacationing at the parks. {Hi, Gabriela!} Sticking with the green theme from lunch, I ordered a chopped salad with what has to be the hugest variety of vegetables ever offered on a menu.
Don’t let the basic appearance fool you – that bowl was packed with broccoli, zucchini, tomatoes, amazing marinated mushrooms, carrots, onions, asparagus, beets and cabbage {plus the obvious lettuce, of course}. Gab’s falafel burger was just as supremely awesome as the vegan pumpkin chocolate chip bread I scored at Babycakes:
Note the substitution of a generic bakery-front picture rather than the cake itself. It was gone by the time I’d gotten back to my car. Hey – it was a long walk!!!
Time to put the last items in my suitcase and get this vacation on the road in the air!
Are you a Thai fan? Do you have a go-to Thai dish or do you switch it up?
Early Morning Yoga
The early bird can keep his freaking worm if I can just be back in bed right now.
Oh wait – turns out the bird would rather have his sleep too. No deal, Howie.
Please don’t hate me for the stupid jokes that seem riotously funny at 5:30 AM. I promise once caffeine has hit my blood stream, I’ll think that reference was just as stupid as you do. However, since I’m in a state of early wake-up call induced delirium, we’re going to publish it as though it’s a brilliant pun on entertainment. Or something like that.
Less talking. More vinyasa-ing.
While I’m getting my “power sculpt” on, enjoy a real-people breakfast for me. A bagel with cream cheese would be nice. Or a mushroom and spinach omlette. Something other than a smoothie.
Slightly melodramatic “I hate mornings” shpeal aside, I really don’t know how you crazy awesome morning people do it. I briefly flirted with morning running before realizing it didn’t work for my body – and apparently, now I’m voluntarily rekindling my morning workout affair in the name of yoga?
Hohboy. Here goes nothing!
If you had to choose one for the rest of your gym-going days, would you pick a morning workout or an evening workout?
Not Even Remotely Hardcore
Have I ever told you about the time I got pulled into a mosh pit?
About a month ago, my friend Nikki and I went to a big rock festival in Jacksonville, and we decided to squeeze way up front for one of my all-time favorite bands – A Day to Remember. Let’s establish a few things right off the bat:
- -This band is not death-metal-Cannibal-Corpse (yep that’s a real band name)-I-hate-life-RAAAAAAAAAAAAAGE. They’re more, “hey, let’s get pumped up and sing really fast with a killer guitar riff”
- -I’ve seen the band in concert twice before – no major hijinks. In fact, the craziest thing that happened the last time I saw them was the lead singer hopping in a giant inflatable ball and skipping across the crowd. Tame enough, right?
- -I AM NOT HARDCORE. In the slightest. I’m a small, preppy blonde chick – usually with sparkly fingernail polish, diamond earrings and BCBG heels – who just so happens to like rock music. No big deal.
But back to the concert.
One second, Nikki and I are all “oh hey, that guy kind of looks like Justin Beiber in five years” – and then next second, we were clutching each others’ arms, all “HOLY BLEEDING EARDRUMS DON’T YOU DARE LET GO OF ME OR ONE OF US IS GOING TO LOSE A LIMB.”
After what was probably six seconds max of getting sloshed around (with my eyes wide shut and my free hand over my face), we pulled ourselves out of the mayhem and into a saner (read: WAY THE EFF AWAY) place to finish out the set.
Moral of the story: I am not even remotely hardcore (as much as my taste in music indicates otherwise).
So when I got the bright idea to go hardcore with my workouts yesterday, completing a short but speedy run/strength session/hot power yoga session all in one evening, we should have known things were not going to turn out well.
I felt adequately hydrated and fueled before the first workout, and re-fueled with a peanut butter and banana smoothie between the run and the yoga class:
{Hot yoga on a full stomach is a bad idea, and my body responds best to something lighter like a smoothie}
However, halfway through the class, I started getting tingly and dizzy. My body started sending stronger and stronger “something is not kosher here” signs, so I began taking easier modifications of poses and eventually sank into child’s pose. I initially didn’t feel comfortable “wimping out” on the final poses, but as my head stopped spinning, I knew the choice to dial it back was the right call. Feeling hardcore can feel awesome when your body is up to it, but knowing when the smart thing to do is to stop is even more important.
I’d originally decided to go to the 6 AM class today, but just to give myself ample time to recover {definitely err on the safe side!}, I’m sidelining myself for this class and opting for a moderate elliptical session after work. As much as I’d love to be a hardcore athlete with a body that’s down for hours on hours of strenuous activity, that’s just too much – and there’s nothing wrong with knowing when to wave the white flag!
Since I’m not rushing out the door, there’s more time for a leisurely {and more filling} breakfast.
Two scrambled eggs and cheddar-style Daiya on a Starbucks bagel; I thought about adding raspberry jam, but I just can’t get on board with fruit and eggs!
Plus an opportunity to pack a balanced, homemade <<<{emphasis on homemade, ahem} lunch:
Spaghetti with Gardein and Italian-style steamed green beans.
Bring on the rock playlists to make today’s assignments fly by 
What’s your definition of “hardcore” – in music, life, fitness, you name it!
Top Five Health Trends for 2012
Yesterday’s Orlando Power Yoga class worked up a HUGE appetite! I’m usually not hungry after a hot yoga class – and last night was no exception – but this morning I woke up ready to eat my arm. I couldn’t even wait for natural lighting to hit my porch – it was an “eat now or die” situation.
Lavash wraps are the only bread product I have on hand right now, so I made a breakfast quesadilla with 2 eggs, scrambled and cooked into a patty, plus some slices of Teese non-dairy mozzarella.
Teese isn’t a bad cheese alternative, but Daiya is definitely better. I missed the melt factor!
While enjoying breakfast, I saw a rundown of the top 5 health trends for 2012. Apparently, this year, we have in store:
- Natural energy drinks (with ingredients such as dates and green tea)
- More sleep
- Flexitarian diets (consciously reducing meat consumption without making a full leap to vegetarianism)
- Digital motivation to stay healthy
- Fitness apps
While I’m amused at the oxymoron of both energy drinks and more sleep making the list of 2012 health trends, I love the direction this is going – I see a trend towards personal responsibility for our own health, as well as sensible approaches to diet and fitness {it’s nice to see that no hardcore/restrictive diet made the list}.
Let’s power through the next 8 hours – I’m hoping to make the OPY yoga “happy hour” this evening to end my work week on a fit note!
Which 2012 health trend are you most excited about? Any trends you’d like to see on the list that aren’t there?
World’s Oldest Yoga Teacher
Whatever excuse you have for not working out today, trash it.
If a 91 year old great grandmother can teach yoga classes and swim laps, we can muster up the energy for a few minutes on the treadmill or a set of triceps dips.
I can only hope that when I’m in my nineties, I’m as awesome and inspiring as Bernice Bates, world’s oldest certified yoga instructor. She’s been teaching yoga for 30 plus years, and she still powers through eight vinyasas before she even gets out of bed. Rock it out, B!
While Bernice was over in Pinellas Park doing downward dog, I whipped up a smoothie to start my day.
The blend came out extra thick (thanks to my mostly-empty carton of soy milk), so into a bowl it went! The mint chocolate Silk and chocolate granola made it extra festive.
Since I still can’t get yesterday’s gorgeous lunch out of my head, it’s quite possible that today’s lunch will also be an Eden Fresh creation. Just look at all of the vegetable goodness:
Something tells me Bernice would opt for the colorful salad too!
Tell me: When you’re 91, what do you hope to still be doing with your life?
Did Someone Say Peanut Butter?
In the middle of the afternoon, I got a sudden, strong urge for onion rings. I’m not entirely sure what prompted the craving, but for a solid hour, all I could think about was a huge plate of the battered, fried deliciousness.
I had big plans to come straight home from work and use this little fella to fulfill my craving:
…Until I realized that following through with my fried onion dreams would mean showing up to my first yoga class in months (and a hot yoga session at that) smelling like a men’s dorm room.
Oh onion rings…I will come back for you.
Until then, a little peanut butter smoothie to get me through class.
I was having a hard time thinking of anything else that sounded appetizing – until I came across my nut butter shelf. Thankfully, peanut butter is always sure to sound amazing!
Time to jet – I’ve got to beat traffic!
Question of the evening:
Do you have a go-to meal for when nothing else sounds good?
When Ten Minutes is Ten Minutes Too Many
I’m sure you’re familiar with the quintessential workout compromise: “I don’t feel like hitting the gym today, but I’ll make myself go and if I’m not into it after ten minutes, I’ll call it quits.” It seems like this sentiment appears at least once per day in the healthy living community, almost always the blogger enjoyed the first ten minutes and decided to push through…
Yesterday was NOT one of those days!
Even the birds knew better than to stick around!
Not only was Orlando grossly overcast, but I started to feel a nagging side stich coming on after only four blocks. I knew that chugging along further would only make me feel miserable, so I circled around and headed back for my apartment.
A power yoga podcast in my living room was definitely more of what my body had in mind!
I definitely had some shaky yoga legs going on – I had been at least two months since I’d done yoga of any kind. Downward dog had never hurt so good!
A big, bright dinner was in store despite the gloomy sky.
I gave the disappointing raspberry chipotle sauce a second chance drizzled over a serving of Gardein beef tips. It still wasn’t mind-blowing, but it was a great improvement from the ill-fated tofu dish!
Paired with greens + Earth Balance-smothered carbs for good measure…
I almost wish I could say I spent the rest of the night on productive things, but sometimes a girl just needs some Harry Potter and oatmeal cookies. It does a soul good!
When’s the last time you set out for a workout with the intention of quitting after 10 minutes if it sucked…and actually headed home instead of pushing beyond the original deal?
Gnocchi and Brussels Sprouts with Lemon Butter
Good morning! We made it through Monday! Anyone else a little too excited by that?
I have the promised “feared veggie dinner” coming right up…
But first a little chat about emotional yoga!
For the vast majority of my life, I never was much of a crier. (I was definitely more of a screamer and door-slammer, but that’s a different matter entirely!) Throughout high school and college, I rarely cried. I can probably count on one hand the number of tears I shed prior to 2010. I had a lot of unhealthy ways of dealing with stress, and I realize now that I internalized far more emotions than I should have.
Fast forward to now. I cry a fairly good amount. I have realized that it’s a healthy way of letting out some of the frustration, sadness and irritation that would otherwise be floating around in your body as all sorts of ugly negativity. I don’t necessarily like crying – to me, it still feels awkward and dramatic – not to mention I am not a dainty crier. I’m talking Rudolph nose, swollen face, mascara dripping everywhere as I blubber…cute, huh?
Regardless, crying happens. I don’t mind letting myself let go of being scared or upset and crying it out.
Cry it out is exactly what I did…last night on my yoga mat. Twice.
Working on our ugai breathing, the instructor has us breathe in aspects of the person we wanted to be and breathe out the negativity and the labels that didn’t serve us any more. He asked us to use our breath to smooth out our insides. While I’ve never been one for the calming/spiritual/mind-body aspects of yoga (as opposed to the physical side,) I found myself really getting into the breathing exercise, welcoming in positive adjectives and pushing out the disparagings labels that I’d fought with for years. Chubby. Not good enough. Not talented enough. Not pretty enough.
Although I am blessed to have worked through the self-esteem issues that haunted me and caused my eating disorder, thoughts like that are always able to sneak back in. Moving beyond an eating disorder does not mean that you will magically love yourself every minute of every day. Sure, you may no longer allow insecurities to trigger self-destructive havits, but on some level, there’s always the opportunity to harbor less-than-loving thoughts towards yourself.
In yoga yesterday, as I pushed out all of the ugly words that I didn’t even realize I’d been holding on to, the emotions came rushing out. I was good enough. I realized that I have never been anything less than enough, and that all along, I have been strong, pretty, intelligent, ambitious…I am good enough. Not just me, though: every single woman in that room, in this city, on the other end of the computer screen…we are good enough.
And just think – a simple little breathing exercise unlocked all of that in my brain! Who says yoga isn’t therapy?
After an emotionally intense practice, I was quite ready for an easy, delicious meal by the time I got home. Luckily, there were leftovers from Sunday’s dinner!
Do you have time for another antecdote? I’ll make it quick, I promise. As a kid, I was forced to eat a ridiculous amount of Brussels Sprouts. (Who wasn’t, it seems?) In my seven year old mind, they were NASTY. Bitter, slimy, weird-textured…and although I don’t remember much of a flavor, my parents were quite fond of frozen veggies straight from the bag, so I’ll go ahead and guess there was little taste to the odd green balls of veggie-ness.
As I became a vegetarian, I became a much more adventurous eater. Things I never cared for or outright disliked found their way onto my plate – mushrooms, peppers, onions, zucchini, you get the picture…except for brussels sprouts. I was still convinced that they would be GROSS.
After finding a great sale on them at my market, however, I had to give them a go…childhood aversions or not!
Thankfully they were drop. dead. fantastic.
Lemon Butter Gnocchi and Brussels Sprouts
Vegan, Serves two
Ingredients:
- 1 bag whole wheat potato gnocchi
- 10-12 large Brussels Sprouts
- 4 cups water
- 4 tbsp Smart Balance Light (or other vegan butter substitute)
- 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- 1/2 tsp lemon pepper seasoning
Directions:
- Cut your brussels sprouts into quarters (or halves if you would prefer larger pieces)
- In a large pan, warm the olive oil and drop in your brussels sprouts, sauteeing until lightly browned.
- Bring the water to a boil in a medium pot. Once the water is at a rolling boil, add in your gnocchi, cover, and reduce to medium heat. Allow the gnocchi 3-5 minutes to cook; once they float to the top, they’re ready!
- Drain your gnocchi and add to the saucepan with the brussels sprouts.
- Stir in your “butter” and seasonings – serve warm!
This dinner was the perfect fresh, tangy, spring-y plate of deliciousness packed with vitamin A, C and K…not to mention a hefty dose of folate and fiber!
Folks…you have just witnessed the official Brussels Sprouts conversion in the Lovely as Charged kitchen.
Perhaps…just maybe…they’re so delicious that I could cry?
Have you ever cried during yoga?
Do you have any foods that you swore up and down you would hate until you tried them? What about a food that your childhood ruined for your grown-up self?
