Yoga Frog on Frog Pose

Frog Pose (Mandukasana)

If you want to free your hips and really let go of stagnant energy surrounding the hips then you must try frog pose. I have been working on this one all week in my personal practice as well as in my classes. One thing I observed is that frog pose sure makes me sweat!! I really felt the joy in it today, 2 days ago I felt a lot of anger, stirred up a lot of emotion for me and didn't want to stay in ...the pose (but I did), very resistant! Today I was finally able to release deeper and felt like I was on the other side of those emotions, pure joy, love and release. Also on a physical level the subtle discomfort that comes and goes in my right hip for the last 6-12 months hasn't been bothering me this week. Nobody ever said yoga was easy and it's not meant to be but it's so worth the hard work.

Link to video of dude doing Frog Pose

That's it, breathe through it, big man! There are a few different versions of frog pose and I wanted to find a reference for the one I've been doing and (I can't believe it) this is the best one I found. I think it's great and shows that an...yone can do this pose, unless you have issues/injuries with your back, knees or hips. You can use pillows under the knees, folded blankets or towels (as shown in video). When coming out of the pose use any method that's most comfortable for you, I bring my feet together and move my hips towards my heels and go straight into child's pose. Enjoy your happy hips.

The Blissology Project

One of my Christmas gifts this year was The Blissology Project by Eoin Finn.  Eoin refers to himself as a blissologist.  The blissology project is a set of 6 DVDs that includes yoga and meditation.  The blissology project has 6 big easy bliss commitments: 1) yoga, 2) meditation, 3) food awareness, 4) nature appreciation, 5) gratitude, 6) wild card (which changes every week and is posted on his website).

Each DVD has 2-3 yoga practices, one is a "quickie" version running about 30 mins and the others are a longer practice from 45 to 60 mins, depending on disk.  Each disk also includes a meditation.  Five of the disks are titled Bliss Monday- Bliss Friday and the 6th is Bliss Weekend.  If you would like more information on this DVDs or the Blissology Project please check out Eoin's website Eoin Finn Yoga + Blissology.

I haven't had the chance to do all the yoga practices yet but the ones I've done are great!  I've always enjoyed going to Eoin's classes and the DVDs do not disappoint.  Even the quickie sessions leave you feeling lighter and blissified.  I've even used some of the sequences in my yoga classes when I teach.  The great thing about the DVDs is that he only charges $49 + shipping!  Or you can buy the video download version for the same price, no shipping.  For the amount of yoga and meditation you get it's a great deal!

Namaste

New Year Resolutions

I don't really believe in new year resolutions.  I don't ever remember making them so I don't have any experience or any attachment to them or feel the need to make them.  This year I have made so many healthy changes in my diet long before New Year's that I don't need to reiterate them as a resolution.  I'm already doing it.  I suppose I could make an "I plan to exercise more" resolution but I already do that too, for the most part quite regularly.  I will admit that I have been on a 3 month hiatus from my exercise routine but looking back I think it was because of my diet changes.  Now that the new diet has acclimatized itself, I'm ready to get fit again. 

I've always liked the expression "never say never".  This is a good place to insert it.  Not that I ever said I would never make a New Year's resolution because over the years I've learned not to say never.  I just never planned on making any...but this year I think I am going to make an official new year's resolution.  I came across a status update on facebook on Jan 1st that caught my eye "any grudges or ill will you have towards someone, leave it in 2010.  Let's all start 2011 with love in our hearts."  The author is Eoin Finn, the infamous blissologist from Vancouver, BC.  I have one relationship in my life that is not the best it could be and I feel helpless because there is nothing I can or can't do to make it better or (hopefully) worse.  As they say the only person you can change is you.  So my new year's resolution is to leave my grudges behind and with effort move forward without any expectations or attachments to this someone.  Is indifference a negative word?  I hope not.  And for the record I don't have any ill will towards this someone and do my best to approach them with compassion because I only have room in my heart for love these days.  I can see how holding onto negative feelings towards someone can have a negative affect on your own health and that is my motive, to be free of negativity.

BVCE (Best Vegan Christmas Ever) Dinner

We hosted Christmas dinner again this year and since there were only 6 of us we did it on a smaller scale.  I was the only vegan and my wonderful step-MIL, Maris, went out of her way to help out and make her dishes vegan too!  Bryn decided to made his wonderful Roasted Goose for the omnivores, since there was no need for a giant turkey.  Amazingly everything was vegan except for the goose!

The menu: Roasted Goose stuffed with oranges and lemons, Festive Chickpea Tart, Maple Glazed Sweet Potatoes, Baked Apple Stuffing, Miso Gravy, Whipped Potatoes, Broccoli, Carrots, Cranberry Sauce. 
Dessert: Ginger Cookies, Fruit, Chocolate Pumpkin Pie with Macadamia Maple Butter Cream.

I made some appies on Christmas Eve...

Walnut, White Bean & Spinach Phyllo Rolls 

(from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan)

Photo By Bryn

Photo by Bryn

photo by Bryn

Then I made the Festive Chickpea Tart (from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan Blog)

photo by Bryn

Photo by Bryn

The end result, delicious!

photo by Bryn

OK, I had to add at least add one picture of the goose.  Bryn did such a great job, as usual.

photo by Bryn

The table is almost ready...

Nom nom, My Vegan Holiday Feast! 

photo by Bryn

photo by Bryn

Sparkled Ginger Cookies

photo by Bryn

(from Vegan with a Vengeance)












Chocolate Pumpkin Pie
(from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan)

photo by Bryn

 Chocolate Pumpkin Pie with Macadamia Maple Butter Cream (both from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan).  I really wish you could taste this!

photo by Bryn

I hope you all enjoyed your festive holiday meal as much as I did!  I know I'm looking forward to the leftovers tomorrow!

White Bean Hummus

I was never a big fan of hummus, this is until I made it myself.  Prior to my epiphany I never understood what the all the fuss was about.  I loved all the ingredients that went into hummus: garlic, lemon, chickpeas and olive oil...but for some reason it just never tasted any good.  If I remember correctly most of the hummus I tried was probably store bought but even the odd homemade batch did nothing for me.  It didn't make any sense to me so one day I decided to try making my own.  I found a few recipes and from these made some adjustments according to my person preferences and came up with my hummus recipe.  This is when I fell in love with hummus and understood the attraction, I had been missing out!  I found out I prefer my hummus less garlicky and more lemony and now that I know, I can make it this way.

Once I had discovered a passion for hummus there really was no need to mess with perfection but I couldn't resist and I ask you, why can't there be room in one's heart for another hummus?  I remember two summers ago when Bryn and I went out for dinner on our anniversary we had a number of different tapas as an appetizer and one of them was a white bean hummus, it was amazing!  In one of my new cookbooks Eat, Drink & Be Vegan, Dreena Burton has a whole section dedicated to hummus and one of them happens to be for white bean hummus.  It was fate.  And I now have a second hummus love.  Dare I expand my hummus love even further with the black bean hummus?  (you bet I will)

White Bean Hummus with Fresh Thyme & Basil

*photo by Bryn*

If you're interested in trying it yourself, you can find the recipe here on Dreena's blog.