Some like it hot… and I’m becoming one of them!

For the past three weeks I have been a faithful attendee of the 6AM hot yoga class at the Bikram Yoga Studio in Irvine, CA.  I had done a bit of Bikram Yoga this past summer, so I knew what to expect – 26 postures, each repeated twice, in a very specific sequence, bookended by two different breathing exercises, over the course of 90 minutes.  Oh, and the room is heated to 105 degrees and set at 40% humidity… Ya, I know, that’s what I thought at first too.  Read More »

What is the place where you experience that body, mind, spirit connection?  Is it through yoga, walking on the beach, running, Thai Chi?  What is the place where you are able to to connect your body movement to your breath, and engage the focus and concentration of your mind?

Today’s Observations
My yoga teacher (Kori Flechtner) is celebrating her 34th birthday and invited her students to join her tonight for a special yoga practice.  The core of the practice was 34 sun salutations in honor of each year of her life. It had been a looong time since I had been in a yoga class and I have to admit that I was a bit nervous going into this one.  As we sat in meditation at the beginning of the class, and I thought about my intention for the two hours that lie ahead, I realized that this was also my 34th day of being 100% raw.  Wow! The Universe blows me away with this stuff.  And how appropriate it was that I was celebrating it doing yoga with Kori because it was in January 2008, when I participated in a small intention group with Kori and a few of her students, that I first went raw and set an intention for my journey… Read More »

Today’s Observations
Today was the first day I tried my new morning routine.  I got up at 5:30 (the key is to NOT hit the snooze button), took a shower, reminded myself and my body of how good it feels to do sun salutations on my yoga mat (albeit a pretty rusty version of a sun salutation), made a list of the 10 things I am grateful for, and took my regular morning walk.  It felt great to start the day this way and I found that once my feet hit the ground, my body followed quite willingly.  It is really just my head that wants to stay in bed longer.

This was also the first day in… I can’t remember when… that I did not watch any television…. and I survived.  I survived not knowing who won America’s Got Talent.  I survived not seeing who got eliminated from Top Chef.  I’m not saying that I will never watch television, but it was a good reminder that I have choices over how I spend every minute of my day, and I’m glad for the choices I made today.

What does this have to do with going raw for 30 Days?  Everything… and more than I know.

Today’s Menu
Coconut, Mango, Raspberry Smoothie for breakfast
Macadamia Nut Hummus with red pepper slices for lunch
Snacks – apple, nectarine, grapes
Thai Salad with Creamy Thai Dressing for dinner

Today’s New Recipe
I got home late and needed to whip something up quick, because I was starving.  Of course I was tempted to forgo a new recipe for today and just eat an avocado – but I’m glad I didn’t, because I think I may have found a new favorite.  I love the flavors of Thai.  I’m one of those people who loves Cilantro – I find that it is one of those love-it or hate-it kinds of foods.  Anyway, this one is easy to throw together, and you can easily add to it or leave things out if you don’t have them in your fridge.  The dressing is killer and one I plan to keep on hand.  This is my modified version of the recipe in Everyday Raw.

Thai Salad (4 Yums)
2 handfuls of salad greens (I used 1 head of romaine, chopped up)
1/2 a handful of cilantro
1 cup pineapple, diced
1/2 cup soaked, finely sliced sundried tomatoes
1 avocado, sliced
1/2 red bell pepper cut into thin strips1/2 cup thinly sliced young coconut meat
1/2 cup chopped raw cashews
Sea Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, or arrange nicely on a plate and top with Creamy Thai Dressing to taste.  I just put it in a bowl and ate the whole thing!

Creamy Thai Dressing (4+ Yums)
This makes 21/2 cups, so you can easily cut the recipe in half if you want.
3/4 cup sesame oil
1/2 cup nama shoya (unpasteurized soy sauce)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup raw cashews
4 Thai bird chilies or 3 tablespoons red chili flakes (I didn’t have these, so left them out and it was still delicious)

Today’s Affirmation
I’m gonna try out a new thing here.  Rather than focusing on challenges, I’d rather create and share an affirmation for the day.  So here is today’s affirmation…

I consciously choose how I spend each and every moment of my day.