Because Yoga Doesn't Need Reason

"Reason is a finite instrument. It cannot explain many mysterious problems of life. Those who are free from the so-called rationalism and skepticim can march in the path of... realization." 

-Swami Sivananda Saraswati

To be honest, I don't find this quote very moving. I don't read it and think to myself, "wow, self, this is it. this quote explains the first 22 years of your life." That being said, it keeps coming back to me. I found it in a book called Yoga Jems by Feurstein, by accident- I had picked a different quote to read from this book before teaching a yoga class and when I opened the book as we all sat together, this quote came into my vision and out from my lips. Since then it keeps popping back in my head. This blog post is a perfect example- I wanted to write about yoga, because it is a topic that I have come to be very passionate about, but I had no specific topic or reason to write about it. This quote popped into my head, and I pushed the power button on my dirty, 4 year old laptop. Now here I am.

Yoga. Why is it an inspiration in your life? What draws you to your practice day, after day, after day? For me, my first yoga experience began as a questionable class that the kid in my philosophy class was teaching so I said I would show up. There was some weird breathing, a lot of slow motion movement that felt nothing like a work out, and a closing that required me to state this word, Namaste, which to me rang out as a calling from a cult that I wanted no part of.

Clearly, something changed in my mindset to bring me back to class. It took a full year and a move to Colorado to get me there, but regardless my second class occurred. So did my third. My fourth and fifth and sixth until one day, I woke up from my sweet, sweet slumber to a life that involved at least one class on most days. And that is the life that I live today. Why? Because it is an opportunity. An opportunity for me to grow, physically and mentally, together.  An excuse for release, so that I can come to my mat every day and find out something new in my life to influence where my day goes. So that I can reach an obstacle on the mat that mirrors an obstacle off of the mat, and let them both go with one fell swoop.  I am drawn to my practice everyday because it is one of the few things that I think of when I am not "doing" it.  My practice reminds me that there is no perfection and there is no failure... everything that I do  is somewhere on the spectrum of in between, and I have no control of where it is on that spectrum. All that I can do is put in the effort, try my hardest, and hope that I will feel nothing more and nothing less than fulfilled when I have decided to come to my final breath. 

If you have answers to these questions, please comment and let me know. I love to hear about other people's experiences with yoga. 

One breath together to seal our practice.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Namaste. 

The Troubling C's: Chocolate and Coffee

Let's face it: the two c's don't exactly have the best reputation. Chocolate is shunned by any Atkin's, South Beach Diet, or 

low fat/high protein diet follower. Both chocolate and coffee tend to fall under people's lists of "vices," "cravings," or "weaknesses." 

GIVE ME A BREAK!

Of course, moderation plays a very important role here, just as it does in most areas of a diet. But let us look at some of the great effects that both of these "vices" can have on our body so that when we do consume our fair share, we don't have to feel so badly about it. 

COFFEE: Coffee can reduce muscle pain by stimulating the necessary hormones and endorphins. It can ease asthma symptoms. By keeping dopamine levels high, certain diseases become less likely, such as Parkinson's. This also helps our concentration and mood, which can increase rapidly after consumption.  It can prevent memory loss, as shown in a two studies done with elderly participants. It can prevent Type 2 diabetes and help to treat breast cancer (David Grotto, 101 Foods That Can Save Your Life). Of course, coffee has some less-than-friendly effects as well. It can cause hypertension, stress, "the jitters", and adrenal exhaustion just to name a few. Consumed in moderation, maybe about a single cup a day, will keep the negative side effects to a minimum while still reaping the benefits. As always, be sure to listen to your body- if you get the jitters, and find yourself facing serious mood swings, it is probably not right for you to be consuming coffee. There are also better times to be having that much caffeine in one sitting either. Take the time, your body, your mind, and your intention into account, and then apply the decision that is right for you. if the decision is to consume a cup of coffee, know that it does not have to be a weakness, and that you are helping your body in many ways!

CHOCOLATE: Chocolate has been working up the reputation latter over the past few years, as the benefits of dark chocolate are becoming more well known. A couple of strong points when eating chocolate include healthier skin (this goes against a common belief, but the flavonols in chocolate can actually benefit and hydrate the skin), treatment of diarrhea, a cough suppressant, and even improved cognitive function, specifically in the verbal and visual memory. Chocolate has also been referred to as an aphrodisiac.  Of course, too much chocolate is not good because of its high calorie and saturated fat content. There are many chocolate flavored foods that you may want to steer away from as well, because those will include a myriad of other ingredients that are not going to allow for these benefits to influence the body, such as high-fructose corn syrup. The type of chocolate you consume determines how good or bad it is for you as well; white chocolate and milk chocolate are not the ones that I encourage. Try sticking to the chocolate bars with high cacao content, which have the highest antioxidant levels. 

Great Chocolate blogs and sites: www.intentionalchocolate.com

                                                      www.bodybychocolates.com/xo/gs/enter.htm 

Dark Chocolate, Dark Coffee Strawberry Breakfast Smoothie

From John La Puma, Chef M.D.  (http://www.chefmd.com)

Ingredients

1 cup low fat strawberry kefir 
4 ounces cubed lite silken tofu 
1 cup frozen organic strawberries 
½ cup brewed filtered coffee (at room temperature or chilled) 
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder---look for Scharfennberger, which is not Dutched. 
2 small scoops (1/8 teaspoon total) stevia powder

Preparation

Place kefir and tofu in a blender container. Cover; blend until smooth, about 15 seconds. Add remaining ingredients. Cover; blend until smooth, about 30 seconds.

Substitutions

Frozen blackberries or raspberries may replace the strawberries and 1 tablespoon agave nectar, such as Madhava brand may replace the stevia powder. Look for lowfat kefir, such as Lifeway brand and lite silken tofu, such as Nasoya brand in many supermarkets and at Whole Foods Markets.

REASONS TO LOVE PORTLAND, OREGON

I am a new member of the Pacific Northwest Community.  Specifically, I am a new Portland citizen as of May 23rd, 2009. 

I WHOLE HEARTEDLY ENJOY IT. 

A big believer in "everything happens for a reason," I am certain that many of the occurrences in past year that have led up to this day were supposed to happen in my life. A little over a year ago, I was meant to have my first night shift as a server so that I could bring the two timer combo to then a stranger, now my boyfriend, best friend, significant, roommate... insert any other word that involves a loving relationship as you wish.  I was meant to walk into a yoga class two years ago, where I would fall in love with the ability of the body and mind to move together, so much that I decided to make it one of my life passions. It is no coincidence that my college graduation would bring a rare gathering of much of my family, including my lovely cousin who encouraged me to go through with the nutrition program that I am enthralled in today. 

Most of all, I was meant to move to Portland.  Initially moving north to follow love, I had no idea that I would find a city that spelled out opportunity for yoga and nutrition, with a few added ingredients: gorgeous hiking, a myriad of local farmers and talented artisans that have established daily farmers markets, biking everywhere you turn, delicious cafes and restaurants at every corner, a music scene that never stops. I could easily keep going, but rather than giving you a simple summary of the city built on peace, love, and fixies, I want to give you readers a chance to see what I mean. Here is a long list of links that I think you would benefit from checking out if you live in Portland, have plans to visit Portland, or have no interest in Portland at all... because these links will change your mind.

Delicious Restaurants and Cafes: Toro Bravo, Blossoming Lotus, Ken's Artisan Pizza and Bakery, Milo's City Cafe, Palio, The Farm Cafe, Tin Shed, Screen Door

Yoga Studios: Yoga Bhoga, Onesong, Yoga Pearl, Corepower Yoga, Yoga Union, Private Yoga Lessons

Local Artisans: Papaver Jewelry,  Saucy Jewelry,  Spoonman Creations,  Lonely Dinosaur T-shirts

Portland Farmers Markets

Portland Food Carts

THE FOUR STAGES OF HATHA YOGA

In ancient texts such as the Hatha Yoga Pradapika and the Siva Samhita, the belief is that there are four stages of yoga. 

STAGE ONE: The State of Beginning. Arambhavastha.

Here we begin to understand the body as an entire entity rather than separate parts of a whole. By teaching awareness that the foot is connected to the ankle, which is connected to the calf, so therefore the foot is connected to the calf as well, the intelligence of the body moves from a divided concentration to a single concentration.

STAGE TWO: The State of The Body. Ghatavastha. 

At this stage, we begin to incorporate the motion of the mind with the motion of the body. The mind is no longer the observer, but rather a part of the single concentration. The mind begins to feel action as well.

STAGE THREE: State of Intimate Knowledge. Parichayavastha.

This step involves introducing the body to intelligence. Thought disappears when the mind no longer has to work hard to move the body into posture, as the body is working at a high level of intelligence on its own. 

STAGE FOUR: State of perfection. Nispattyavastha.

In this stage, the presentation of the asana allows for the mind, body, and intelligence to move in the same direction. Patanjali says that the yogi's body should move as fast as the speed of the soul. When all moves in the same direction at the same speed, freedom from the limits of the body are attained. 

I am just beginning to learn and understand these stages, so if anyone would like to give me more information about this topic, I would love to hear it!

Birth Control: Effecting Your Mood and Sex Drive

The pill. The ring. A shot. The patch. Whatever your "drug" of your choice is, there are many women that are putting hormones into their body on a daily basis to prevent the creation of another human being. Let me preface before I write anything else, that I am not saying people should not take birth control. It is really important that no babies are born that are unwanted, and the pill is not something I am unfamiliar with. In fact, the reason for me writing this blog is because the more I tune into my mind and body, the more I realize that the pill makes me feel... a bit funny. For me, I get dizzy spells and lose touch with my emotions. I am naturally an enthusiastic person who sometimes, and I know a few people will vouch for this, is almost too happy and energetic about life. When I go on the pill, I feel dulled and I victimize myself often. What I would normally feel excited about, I have a hard time looking forward to because I am focused on the stressful ifs, ands, or buts. So I thought I would do some research and bring a little light to the situation, for those who also feel nervous about altering the levels of estrogen and progestin in their bodies.

According to an article on health.com, "Depression or mood swings are widely reported, and some say the Pill lowers their sex drive. 'For some women, the Pill does affect libido,' says Hilda Hutcherson, MD, an ob-gyn professor at Columbia University." For Some women, their libido increases while others state a decrease. A study done at Monash University in Australia found that women taking the pill (Envoid specifically, the first pill established as a means for birth control) scored a 17.6 on a depression scale, compared to 9.8 for the non-users (Burnett-Watson). Both groups had no historical background of depression.

These are just two websites that I visited that commented on different studies reporting a correlation between depression and birth control. If you google mood, birth control, you will have hours and hours of fun filled reading. Lesson to learn from this blog: if you are looking for a form of birth control, and by all means if you are sexually active but not ready for babies I encourage it, think about what form you are going to work with. Talk to your doctor and try the pill, but if it at all alters your state of mind, consider a different method. There is no reason to feel sad if the only trigger a pill.

Burnett-Watson link* http://www.aphroditewomenshealth.com/news/hormones_depression.shtml

WHOLE WHEAT HONEY BEER BREAD

Whole wheat bread is healthy. Beer bread is delicious and moist. Honey is a sweetener that most moms won't disagree with, especially with its myriad of enzymes to help the body function on a day to day basis. So what shall we do? Combine them all of course, to make a healthy bread irresistible!

1 3/4 cups of whole wheat flour

      1 cup white flour

      1 tblsp honey

      1 1/2 tsp salt

      3 tsp baking powder

     12 oz of wheat beer my recommendations are Sunshine Wheat (New Belgium) or Blue Moon

Sift both the white and wheat flours into a bowl. Sifting the flour makes the bread much fluffier and less dense, which can be an issue with beer bread. With the whole wheat flour, you will find that there is some grain left over in the sifter. simply pour that on top and mix the flours together. Add in salt and baking powder, mix well. Add honey. Add beer, slowly stirring it into the flour. Feel free to add a little more than 12 oz. You do not want the dough to be runny, but a little extra will make the bread especially moist. 

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 more minutes. Serve as sandwich bread, or alone with a little Ghee or homemade jam. 

      Enjoy!

Love: The Key Nutrient for Growth

Hello friends! I want to share about how lucky we have been in growing our garden in our small, one bedroom, second floor apartment. One of the first parts of Portland that Ben and I fell in love with was the strong establishment of "locavores". People who grow local, eat local, breath local, love local. I feel confident in saying that Portland is one of the few places that has atleast one farmer's market every single day of the week during the summer. Naturally, we wanted to be a part of this local culture, so our first purchase was basil, mint, and a tomato plant. Heirloom, to be specific. We propped them out on our fire escape and slowly, day by day, our plants and our garden grew. Note: our fire escape ends with our level. There is no ladder down to the ground, so therefore we thought that we had no other choice but to give it purpose:). An eggplant, two more tomato plants, cilantro, sweet banana peppers, and beets were added to our green family.
I am going to leave out the part where a squirrel, or quite possibly a tree rat, decided that she or he was more worthy of our first, ripe heirloom, as well as a handful of other pre-pubescent tomatoes. We built a net fence and all is well, so we now dedicate our energy to loving the lucky ones than to dwell on the lost.
The picture above is the first, delicious tomato that we ate from our garden. With a touch a salt, the tomato made our taste buds sing out and the corners of our mouth crawl up to our foreheads. Even better than the taste, however, was the fact that it came from our garden. I would advise anyone and everyone to try growing a single edible plant. There are plenty that can be grown inside, with the right care, if you are not lucky enough to have a defect fire escape or a garden. Organic food is delicious and nutritious for your body. Local food is a great answer to the question of how to give back to a community that has given you so much. But when the food comes from a living organism that you planted in soil, that you watered, that you greeted in the morning, you know that what you are eating was brought up with happiness and love. What better nutrient to consume?