There is no room for competition on your yoga mat...

 

I'm not competing... I hope we all win... 

It's easy to look at the mat next to you and think why can he/she do that and I can't?  Well... lots of reasons.  Number one being that he/she is not you and doesn't have your body.  Duh! 

None of us are created the same... our bodies have the same parts put together relatively the same way, but the relatively part is EVERYTHING.  Our bones and muscles, connective tissues and organs, how we process our nutrition, how our nervous system is functioning on any given day... it's all variable.  We aren't made the same way, we don't think the same way, we don't fuel our bodies the same way, we don't have the same experiences both throughout our days or on our mats, and we certainly don't move the same way.  And that's where the beauty of yoga lies.  It is your yoga! Yours! Got me?

This is one of the reasons I LOVE teaching kids yoga.  In a world that is so full of competitive sports they need a physical outlet where they can just be, move, breathe, and have fun.  The beauty of kids yoga is that they still have the innocence to not give a shit.  Kenzie isn't looking at Clayton with a mind full of comparisons... she's too busy barking like a dog.  Why can't we do that??

Let's take some notes from the kiddos and try to check our egos at the door and leave the competition off the little islands of our yoga mats.  After all, that little island is reserved for peace and growth, strength, balance and flexibility, there's no room for competition.

Here are some little reminders/tips to help get your head out of your ass and into the right place.

1. Remember the kids can do it, so... so can you.
2. If you're too busy comparing you sure as hell aren't focused.  Focus baby!
3. Forcing is bad!  What someone may or (most likely) may not be thinking of you isn't worth getting hurt over.
4. It's your yoga... never forget that.  Be aware of your body and do whatever the hell you feel like doing.
5. Nobody is judging you, and if they are it's because they have issues of their own. Just do you thing! 
6. The end goal is for you to feel better mentally and physically after class than when you walked in the door... and competing isn't going to help get you there.
7. Comparison is the thief of joy.
8. There is no prize.
9. You are all on the same team.
10. There's really no finish line.  You are a work in progress always.  Just because you can't nail something that you perceive to be super important today doesn't mean you won't tomorrow.  Or maybe you'll come to the realization that it actually isn't all that important at all.  Whatever. It's a practice... duh, again!

Sometimes our mind still goes there.  If none of this works and you still feel the need to compete, acknowledge and deal with those thoughts... 

1. Remember: thoughts are just thoughts and they can be changed.
2. Consider why you feel that way... hmmmm... there must be something you feel that you need to be practicing more.
3. Think of the person you are "competing" with as an inspiration rather than a so called "opponent"
4. Tune your focus inward to what you are feeling instead of what you are thinking.  Thoughts can be dumb, just feel.
5. Recenter yourself and just breathe... when in doubt always just breathe!

There's my two cents on that! Namaste, my friends!! 😉🙏🏻 

Balance... these are words to live by!

Are we really positively sure that I didn't write this?! #rachelbrathen took my words! 😉😂

#words #balance

 

Orange You Glowing Juice

I hope you all enjoyed your Easter!  

Did anyone make these cookies ??

I did… and I ate A LOT of them! 

I don’t usually eat any refined sugar…

BUT Easter and Christmas are for cut out cookies, at least that’s what Grandma always said, and Grandmas know!  So I ate my cookies… and I drank a little less water and a little more wine than usual... 

Needless to say, my tummy isn’t used to all that and I was feeling kinda gunky and like I needed a bit of an immune system boost.  My eczema kinda freaks when my diet is off so I needed some skin loving alphabet vitamins too.  So this gorgeous and delicious juice was born.  All that vitamin A, C and those antioxidants were just what I needed to rehydrate with! 

 

Orange you Glowing Juice

6 Carrots

6 Strawberries

3 Cuties

 

Juice it all and drink up buttercup! 

What the F is a chakra?! And why should I care?!

 

I did a post on mindfulness and apparently you all needed that in your life.  One of the ways I mentioned that I personally use to return to myself is through a chakra scan.  Like a body scan, but for your chakras.  This forces you to check into what you have going on physically, but also mentally and emotionally too.  (Which, in reality is probably the root cause of most of your physical ailments anyway.) I've been asked for more info on this since my post so I'll give you a quick chakra 101 so you can try it too!  I'll do a post for each of seven basic chakras.  There are an endless number of chakras, but let's not get ourselves overwhelmed here.  Start simply!  I'll fill you in on what parts of our bodies and lives they coincide with and give you some easy ways to keep your chakras happy. 

But first of all... what the F is a chakra? This word is gaining some notoriety and I love it!!  Our society needs to become more attuned to what's going on on this level.  We live in a go go go and go faster world, and all that's getting us is sicker and stressed and dead faster.  No thanks!  We inhale fast food, forget to consider what it is or even chew it.  We don't sleep well or enough, hell we don't even take time to breathe.  Some of us try to manage all the stress.  We go to yoga, eat right, schedule massages, but we are still sick and tired and sick and tired of being that way.  This was me.  It's because there's so much more to you than just your physical body! Hello!!

I don't want you to think I'm preaching here, because I'm not.  Yes I have faith in religion, but this is not religion... it's science baby! 

And as a scientist, of course I believe in energy! Every single thing is made of energy.  So think of your chakra system as the anatomy of your energetic body.  Because you have an energetic body, remember everything is made of energy, that includes you and all the atoms that make up your cells, that make up your tissues, that make up your organs, and finally that make up YOU!  Just like the anatomy we are more familiar with, different parts of our energetic anatomy have different responsibilities and locations.  It's really that simple. Think of each chakra kinda like its own individual organ system, except it's an energy system.  In fact each chakra works in tandem with certain organs and glands.  More on that later... keepin' it simple for the moment.  For now just visualize your chakras as energy centers in your body.  Certain places where energy spins at its own frequency.  Like the colors in the rainbow... in fact a certain color represents each chakra just for this reason.  It's all physics!  Sometimes these energy centers are balanced and their rpms are right on target, other times their check engine light might come on and they need a little bit of a reset.  Many things cause this and this also causes many things.  Considering all the whats and whys can give you a lot of insight and healing in all aspects of your life.  So let's start considering!

I'll start with the root chakra and we will work our way up.  We will discuss what physical, mental, and emotional areas each chakra governs, and some fun ways to keep them happy. 

You don't even have to believe all the science behind this.  I wasn't sure how I felt about all this at first.  But considering that the solar plexus chakra is the center for digestive issues and also self esteem and I am a gutsy girl with a really sad eating disorder back story... I couldn't deny that connection or argue with the science.  You might get there too, might not, either way just decide considering more than just your physical self is important and use this as a road map for checking in with ALL areas of your life.

Stay tuned for this journey through your chakra system! Any questions you know where to find me!  

Mind full or mindful?! 10 ways to bring some mindfulness to your life starting right now!

 

If y'all are anything like me you have times where you are sure you are running on too many cylinders and you feel like you can't idle down.  Well get it together! 

Remember, taking care of ourselves mentally is just as important as physically.  Trust me, I know, I have colitis! If you don't take anything else from this post please just learn from my experience that stress literally destroys your body.  And at that point it doesn't matter how well you are eating or moving, stress is ruining all that hard work.  

Practicing mindfulness is a fabulous way to return to your self so you can be present and aware of all aspects of your fabulous being!  Here are some easy ways to get started...

1. Mindful breathing: I'm always gushing about the importance of breath work.  Taking a few minutes to simply focus on controlling our breath works wonders.  Breathe however you want, just focus on the inhale and the exhale.  This makes your parasympathetic nervous system so much happier and that in turn calms your whole nervous system and thus your whole body. 
2. Mindful stretching:  I wake up and be a dog and a cat... always!  Do whatever stretches feel glorious to you, and pay attention to how it feels in that moment.  Still feeling glorious everywhere? Where are you holding tension? Where are you tight? Any pain? 
3. Mindful eating: First of all I hope you are all eating breakfast! And when you do... don't inhale it, remember to chew, don't check your phone, don't play with your tablet, and for goodness sakes don't watch the news.  Focus on your nourishment.  Check in with your senses and really enjoy your first meal of the day.  The taste, texture, bright vibrant color of your smoothie or fresh fruit, the temperature, the smell... savor it all!
4. Senses aren't just for food: Become present in your own body and tune into the stimuli that are surrounding you.  What sounds do you hear? Can you smell anything? How does the weather feel? 
5. Acknowledge your thoughts without judgement:  Our minds wander, and that's ok.  Let the thoughts come and see them for what they are, just thoughts, then let them go.
6. Mindful gratitude: this is another of my faves.  I find it works best if I actually document it in a gratitude journal.  Take time to think of at least 3 things you are grateful for in this moment.  There's always something to be grateful for!
7. Body scan: Start at your feet and SLOWLY work your way up your legs, torso, arms, neck, and head.  Check in with each part of yourself and say hey, how you doin?
8. Chakra scan:  The same as above but for your energetic body.  I like to keep this simple, but you do need to have some general knowledge of your chakra system for this to work.  Start at your root chakra and work your way up through your sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye, and crown chakras.  Consider both mental and physical properties of each chakra as you go.
9. Mindfulness listening: I'm pretty for sure we are all guilty of responding without actually listening.  Pay attention when people speak to you. It's good for you, it's good for them.  This goes for music too.  How often have you listened to one of your fave songs and all of a sudden it's over and you don't remember hearing the second verse?  You love it... why would you not pay attention? You just missed out. Listen!
10. Mindfulness yoga:  you probably knew this was coming out of me! Next time you practice make sure you listen to your instructor.  Breathe when you are supposed to breathe.  And check in with your body.  How do you feel in that lunge.  Do you need to make it more challenging? Tone it down a bit? Listen to your body! 

I hope these ideas help you get less mind full and more mindful! Any suggestions? Leave them here! 

To the waitress who made me need to take a breather...

A scale of fakeness from my night at Brandy’s...

 

Your blond hair... probably fake, although you did seem pretty clueless 

The leather on my leggings... most likely fake

The smile on my face... it's probably pretty obviously that that was definitely fake

The sizable tip you would have received had you not been an ignorant and uncaring human being... totally not fake

My dietary needs... most definitely NOT fake

It took me a while to come up with words to address the way you made me feel.  I didn't even want to share any because at first they were way too mean to say, and that’s just not me.  If you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all right?

 

Wrong!

 

 

I'm only speaking a little bit for me.  I have a fabulous tribe of gutsy girl and guy followers, I have kiddos with food allergies, I have a lot of people in my life that share this issue with me... and you better believe my fierce protectiveness over all of them is not at all fake. 

 

I carried my Tito's martini that the super helpful bartender (thank you for being a light in the dark!) mixed me carefully over to our table.  Before my ass hit the chair you judged me.

 

Maybe it was my skinny ass in those fake leather leggings, those super cute shoes I got on clearance, or simply the way I carried myself.  As soon as I opened my mouth you did not take me seriously.  You thought I was one of those girls who fakes food allergies to keep their figure.  Those girls exist, but I’m not one of them.  Do they frustrate me? A little.  You?  I’m sure.  But regardless, you are a waitress, they are the customers, this is your job.  When a person goes into a restaurant they are paying you for a service.  They should get what they want…. Or NEED. 

 

I am as chill as I can possibly be when I go out to eat.  Honestly, you probably have people who can eat like a normal person who are much more difficult than me.  I told you I would eat whatever the chef made me as long as it was carefully made gluten and dairy free, and I meant it.  I don’t complain, I just appreciate being able to eat.  I would eat a plain grilled chicken breast and steamed broccoli and rave about how it’s the most wonderful thing and your restaurant is so good to me.  You are the one who made it harder than it needed to be because you wanted to sell me something expensive.  So you acting like I was a pain in your ass was completely unwarranted.

 

You told me I could have a steak, and I knew you had no clue if that was true or not.  So yes, I had questions.  What’s in the marinade, rub, etc.?  Soy sauce? Worcestershire?  You told me you use Lea & Perrins, but when you went to verify that was not the case.  So yes, I have even more questions.

 

You literally said “Ugh… if I have to keep going back there with these questions he’s going to kill me.”  And for lack of better words…. What the actual fuck?!  If he actually said that then shame on him too, but I don’t know if I believe that.  When I said I wasn’t comfortable eating anything because you and/or the chef weren’t focused on making sure I was safe you didn’t bother to try to fix that. You snipped at me that yes he is focused, he has been doing this for 40 years and he is focused on all THESE tables… a whole ten of them, some of which were vacant.  You probably thought no big deal this girl probably makes a habit of not eating.  Well, in the words of Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman… Big Mistake. Big. Huge!

 

 

I eat, well, and a lot.  I am faithful to the restaurants who are faithful to me.  And I have lots of people in my corner.  They are also fiercely loyal to me.  I talk/write and people listen and trust me.  I bring in big parties of big tippers, regularly.   So, yes, big mistake. big. huge!

 

These are some things that I hope you learn from your mistake…

 

1.   People with special dietary needs deserve a social life too, don’t make them feel otherwise.  You must not have had anything like this touch your circle, but if/when you do you will get it.

2.   Use this as a learning experience, it won’t be the last time someone asks you about allergy friendly options, and I can’t really believe I was your first.

3.   Don’t judge a book by the cover.

4.   No, gluten is not “ummmm, like, sugar.”  You sound like an idiot, educate yourself in your field… Food! 

5.   Jack Daniels is not a bourbon and brands matter… a lot.

6.   Celiac disease is not a life threatening food allergy per se, but you will encounter those too.  I hope to God you treat those people better than you treated me.

7.   Customer service is not that hard, just care a little and be kind.

8.   The golden rule says treat others the way you want to be treated.  I wouldn’t treat my worst enemy the way you treated me.  Never have I ever been so disrespected.

     9.   Reminder, you work for tips.  I’m      wondering where you got the money for the fake hair.

10. And finally, karma is a bitch, just like you were.

 

Ok, so apparently my words were still a little mean, but still not as mean as you were.  I sincerely hope that this was just me, I struck a chord in you for some reason, that you don’t make a habit of treating people like this.  I hope you were just having a bad day.  That you are not that unhappy with yourself that you can’t even find it in you to be nice, not even to the people you are working for, and not even when they are clearly dealing with a not so pleasant condition.  I want to remind you that there are kind people in this world, hopefully someday you can be one of them.

 

And finally, I want to remind my readers that despite people like this woman you can still live well and happy with dietary restrictions.  Don’t ever let anyone make you feel otherwise.  For every bad apple there are whole trees full of good ones!  Find the good ones!  Which is just what I did when I finished that cabernet and strutted my skinny, leather-legging-clad ass right on out the door of Brandy’s that night and headed to Mi Margarita! 

My fave holistic nutritionist's Lentil, Sweet Potato, and Swiss Chard Curry Over Quinoa!

 

Guys!!! How good does that look?! 

I am so beyond excited to have a guest blogger today!  Her name is Ariel, and she is quite literally the shit!! 

Not only is she an awesome yogi, but she has a farm where she grows all kinds of organic produce, she is my favorite holistic nutritionist in all the land, AND in addition to all that she is an awesome friend and fab tea and wine tasting sidekick! Can you tell I love her?!  You will too!

 

When she shared that picture of this recipe I was like my gutsy girls and guys NEED this in their lives... So I'm giving her the stage!! 

 

HI, I'm Ariel Zimmerlein!  I'm a holistic nutritionist and farmer/owner of AZ Farm & Wellness. I use my farm and B.S. in Human Nutrition and Dietetics to support, empower, and educate others to build their health and happiness through whole and local foods, while supporting the wellness of the environment and fostering community.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did! 

Lentil, Sweet Potato, and Swiss Chard Curry Over Quinoa

By Ariel Zimmerlein

 

Ingredients:

½ tsp. of onion powder

½ tsp. of garlic powder

1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced

1 Tbl curry powder

1 ½ tsp. garam masala*

½ tsp. turmeric

4 cups low- sodium vegetable broth

2 medium sized sweet potatoes, cubed

1 ½ cup red lentils

1 cup quinoa

¾ cup plain vegan yogurt

Juice of 1 lime

2 cups of baby swiss chard and/ or spinach mix, chopped

1 tsp of Pink Himalayan Salt

Black pepper to taste

*** Can’t find garam masala? Make it like this:

Garam Masala

-1 Tbl ground cumin

- 1 ½ tsp ground coriander

- 1 ½ tsp ground cardamom

- 1 ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

- 1 tsp ground cinnamon

- ½ tsp ground cloves

- ½ tsp ground nutmeg

Directions:

• Take a medium sized pot and use just enough water to cover the bottom. Place on medium heat.

• Add ginger, onion powder, garlic powder, curry powder, garam masala, and turmeric. Stir to fully combine and cook for about 2 minutes, only adding water as necessary.

• Add broth, sweet potatoes, and lentils. Stir to combine. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cover again, leaving the lid open a crack. Simmer for about 20 minutes.

• Cook quinoa according to package. Adding 1 to 2 cups more water or broth than recommended to make it a softer more rice-like texture.

• When lentils are tender and the liquid has decreased, add yogurt, lime juice, and chard. Cook chard until the chard is just wilted and remove from heat. Serve warm over quinoa.

Let me know how you guys like this!  Hopefully I can convince her to share more of her magic with us here!  In the meantime check out my gorgeous friend, Ariel, at our website   You can see what she has happening, get her contact info, and schedule a consultation with her too!