Sink in and slow down

I spent the last 5 days relishing in the teachings of John Friend, the founder of Anusara Yoga, for the first time.  I'm blown away, mostly because as my yoga teacher Bernadette put it this morning in class, it's like he's talking directly to you. She's says most of us have this experience with him, and it's because his teachings are so universal - they touch each of us, deep in our heart.  It's amazing, profound and I'm in "lawe" ~ a little slip of the tongue John made this weekend as he combined the words "love" and "awe" ~ perfectly said.

The depth of his teachings are impossible to cover in just one blog post but one of his greatest gifts this weekend was, "To be able to find the extraordinary in the ordinary, you have to slow things down."  Woah, yes.   Since I've been back on this side of the globe, life seems to be moving at an amazing accelerated rate and I'm not finding many quiet moments to see the beauty in between the madness.  I took those words to heart and at the added inspiration of Bernadette's latest blog post I went into the woods yesterday.  The leaves are just starting to turn and I haven't been around for the beautiful bliss of the northeast autumn in two years.  I walked through the woods with my dog and literally felt spirit running through the trees.  It was exhilarating.  I remember thinking, "I need to do this EVERY day."  There is a kind of magic amongst nature that is so alive and potent.  I never did things like that before yoga entered my life, like EVER.  I wasn't into it.  But now the pull to retreat in nature is powerful.  And get this, I felt more gratified and satisfied from the hour walk through the woods than having checked anything off my supposedly important to-do list.  Imagine that - slowing down was more gratifying than speeding up.

Towards the end of the path I came across a streaming river and a wood bridge.  I took a seat and let my feet drape just over a small waterfall and looked up at the sun shimmering through the golden yellow leaves on the tall trees.  Breathe this in, I thought.  The sight, the sounds, the smells.  Truly inspired and profoundly grateful for all my teachers, I'm sinking in and slowing down.  

Love to each of you. 

 

Sweet potato bliss

I just discovered yams, or sweet potatoes.  You'd think growing up in an Irish family where the potato is a staple of every meal we'd eat every form of potato, but no.  Recently I started reading about the nutritional rich value of yams (a complex carb, great source of fiber, B vitamins, antioxidants, vitamin C, and beta carotene) so I wanted to give them a try....and boy, they are good.  I'm consistantly amazed at the flavors of mother nature, without any chemical processing or additives, it's already SO good! 

So here are a couple ways to cook 'em up that are quick and easy, also vegan (without dairy or any animal product) and I encourage you buy organic when available.  (btw, my recipes are not exact - add a little and add more if you feel to)

Mashed~

2-3 large yams - wash, peel, and cut into small pieces

Boil for about 10 mins until you can stick a fork through

Strain, and mash - add a little coconut milk, ground a little ground ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon, salt and pepper.

Absolutely delish.

Roasted~

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2-3 large yams - wash, peel, and cube

Lightly coat roasting pan with olive oil

Soften 2 tblsp of Earth Balance butter alternative (fantastic!) with some olive oil and a tblsp of organic maple syrup (in season and awesome right now), salt and pepper

Place cubed potatoes and dressing in a plastic container and shake until potatoes are coated.

Pour in roasting pan and bake for 15-20 min.

Amazingly delish.

Lunch today was lightly sauteed zucchini with the roasted sweet potatoes topped with fresh romaine lettuce....full of nature's colors and nutritional goodness. 

Get your health on!

Peace, love & veggies