Birthday Yoga & Kirtan

Lammer asked me what I wanted this year for my birthday and after a few moments of thought I confidently said with a huge smile of excitement, "I want a backyard yoga party at our house. And I'm asking my friend Lisa who teaches yoga to teach it and then lead a kirtan afterwards!"  I invited some of my closest friends and all 14 of us (there were actually many that couldn't make it!) enjoyed a beautiful morning class, delicious eats and a kirtan together.  It was beyond ideal and I couldn't have asked for anything more.  I think I've started a new birthday tradition!

Mrs. Forney came to enjoy the morning, such a treat!
Her birthday is actually May 21st, the day before me.

I know I'm a huge Martha Stewart dork, but I made these cut-out
paper yoga pose ornaments for all of my guests to take on their way out.

All 14 of us fit comfortably in my backyard, next time maybe even more!

After yoga kirtan.  Click HERE for a snip of it!

The lovely Lisa B. and her doggie, Oreo.  She lead us through a beautiful yoga class
and finished us off with an amazing kirtan.

Me, piggin' out on some of the yummy eats.

Sing a Happy Tune

Sing a happy tune, or any tune— not only does singing decrease cortisol levels, but belting out a ballad is a more effective stress reliever than just listening to one. Why? We’re creatures of rhythm, so anything that introduces rhythm to our lives calms us down. We have comforting memories associated with songs, and singing distracts you and breaks you out of your worry loop. 

Do this: Turn up your favorite tunes and sing along in your car or while cleaning the house. With any luck, the traffic—and maybe even the mess—will soon feel less like a big problem and more like just another little bump in your daily road.  Need some suggestions on tunes?  Turn on some Bob Marley. Reggae music mellows out even the most stressed person and singing along to Marley's positive lyrics is a sure way to brighten your day.  Or, create a Soul II Soul playlist in Pandora...trust me, you'll totally start to groove wherever you are and should be able to happily sing along!  

Post-It Note Wisdom: Take care of MYSELF.

It's really easy to take care of others and neglect ourselves.
Begin to schedule in time for YOU into your calendar and treat yourself
the same way you would another person that you care about.  

Finding Harmony

Balance is a tricky subject for many people. We have careers, partners, kids, family commitments, charity work, classes, hobbies, worship time – plus, big desires to improve our health (at least I hope you do if you're reading my blog!). How can one person possibly balance so many things?

I’m going to let you in on a little secret here…you can’t!

“Harmony” is an easier goal than balance. Harmony means everything is co-existing in a spirit of cooperation. But whatever you want to call it – harmony, balance, or “fitting it all in” – there is a secret to doing more of what you want and less of what you don’t want. I just need to warn you that although the equation sounds simple, it actually takes massive willpower to execute. It also requires that you get absolutely clear on what you want your life to look like, and what you do not want in your life.

Okay, take a moment to ponder these thoughts (FYI: they contain the secret to a harmonious life):

First ask yourself what isn’t serving you:  What doesn’t need to be in your life? 

What is dragging you down? Keeping you awake at night?

Have you identified a few things? Now get rid of them (or fix them - now). 

Next, ask yourself what you want in your life – or in this week or day? 

What do you want to accomplish? What do you want to do? Who do you want to be with? 

Focus your energy on these things. 

Anything that doesn’t fit into this larger scheme… let it go (or learn how to say “no”).

Now that you have the awareness from thinking about those questions above, changes can happen.  Give these tips a try and see how much more harmonious your life can be. 

No balance required.  

Remember to be patient with yourself and focus on one tiny step at a time.  

Simple Cashew Cream

Creamy, sweet goodness:  Simple Cashew Cream

Ingredients:
1 cup raw cashews
approx. 1/2 cup coconut milk
approx. 1/4 cup 100% grade B maple syrup
2 pinches of sea salt (or more to taste)

Directions:
Soak raw cashews in a bowl of water overnight.  Be sure there is plenty of water covering the cashews, because they will soak it all up!  (If you are in a rush and need to get this done sooner than later, pour boiled water over a bowl of cashews and let them soak for 3-4 hours).  Drain and rinse the cashews and pour into a food processor or a great blender (I swear by my NutriBullet for this!).  Add in the coconut milk, maple syrup and sea salt and blend until smooth.  Add a splash more of the coconut milk if it seems to be a little to dry, you want it to be nice and creamy.  Taste test to see if you need more sweetener, or more sea salt.  Adjust until you get this cream right where you want it to be. Spoon out into a dish and place in fridge (covered) to chill.

How to use it:
I love using this cream to make a morning parfait (in place of yogurt), or even for a desert parfait.  Dipping fruit into it is just divine.
It goes wonderfully with black bean brownies and a little fruit salsa (Chop fresh, organic strawberries and throw into a bowl with organic blueberries. Stir a little maple syrup or honey into the berries until coated.  Take a small handful of the berries and blend quickly in a blender or food processor, then pour back into the berry mix for a fresh fruit salsa.)
Top a pumpkin pie (or any pie!) with a dollop of it in place of whipped cream.
I also enjoy placing this cream in between fresh baked chocolate chip cookies for a whoopie pie!
Get creative with it and use it wherever you need some sweetness on your plate.

Rama, Rama, Rama

Today is Lord Rama's birthday.  Gandhi's personal mantra was "Rama." As the story goes, when he was very little, he was very afraid of the dark, and a servant in his house told him to repeat the word "Rama, Rama, Rama" whenever he felt afraid. The mantra made him feel so much better, so he used it his entire life.  In fact, after he was assassinated his last word was, "Rama."  Every time I think of him uttering the Lord's name in his last breath I get the chills.  So beautiful!  

With the recent Boston disaster and the scary man-hunt that is going on today, maybe we can all chant Rama, Rama as we go about our day.  

Look younger and feel better by...

Ain't that the truth!?  Smile, smile, smile!

This picture was snapped at a place called Woody's Burgers in Port Antonio, Jamaica.  It was the sweetest little burger joint run by a lovely woman.  She whipped up the most delicious burgers for Lammer and I (yummy veggie options of course).  I couldn't help but snap a bunch of shots while we waited!  I left so inspired.