The Flavor of Yoga

Since the beginning of the New Year, there has been an influx of new students showing up to the mat.  Yea!  One of two things may be driving this:  My nagging is finally paying off...people are hauling their friends and neighbors to class to shut me the hell up OR a lot of people penciled in "try yoga" on their list of New Year's resolutions.  Either way, I'm a happy girl.  

More and more people are discovering the myriad of health benefits that having a regular yoga practice provides.  From managing stress and anxiety, to improving strength and flexibility to helping prevent cancer, the research and findings are vast, and as such the popularity of yoga is on the rise.

Are you one of those people that resolved to try yoga this year, but due to the multitude of choices, aren't sure where to go or what class to try?

Yoga is readily available at a many venues.  The first and most obvious being a studio.  Yoga studios usually offer the largest selection of classes on a daily basis, which makes it easier to find a class that works with our over-scheduled lives.  But having the convenience of schedule does not always come cheap.  The drop-in rate for a single class can easily be fifteen dollars or more depending on the size of the city in which you live. However, studios usually offer class packages or monthly memberships making the cost of yoga more affordable on a per class basis.

Many gyms and fitness centers offer yoga, in addition to several other group fitness classes as a benefit of membership.  This is a great way to sample yoga without making a large financial commitment to a studio.

Great yoga teachers can also be found teaching in church basements, community centers, in neighborhood clubhouses, and even at Lake Norman Taekwondo on Monday's at 10:15. (hint, hint!)  

If group fitness is not an option for you, many teachers offer private instruction or small group instruction.  The going rate is $50/hour and up, with an average of about $65/hour.  Again the price depends on the city in which you live and the experience of the teacher.

A good resource for finding classes near you is:  www.yogafinder.com.

Okay.  That handles the where, but what about the what?

If they can do it, you can do it!

Even if you have never tried yoga, even if you cannot bend and touch your toes, even if you are well into your retirement years, THERE IS A YOGA CLASS FOR YOU.  Look for a class titled:  Beginning yoga, Gentle yoga, Restorative yoga, Chair yoga or look for the words, "good for all levels" in the description.

On the flip side, even if you are a hard core athlete, even if you run marathons or do cross-fit, THERE IS A CLASS FOR YOU.  Look for a class titled:  Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Hot, or Power yoga if you want to lose five pounds in sweat every time you practice.  Or, look for a class titled:  Yin yoga if you want to go past the muscle, deep into the fascia as a complement to heavy weight training.

Last summer I sat amongst a group of women and listened as they chatted about their protein shakes and wheat germ diets.  The conversation quickly turned from diet to exercise as each proclaimed, "Yoga is soooo boring."  WHAT!?  Obviously they haven't been to the right class...for them, for their lifestyle, for their personality type.

Like Baskin Robbins with 31 Flavors, yoga types and styles are many.  If you try one flavor of yoga and it's not to your taste, don't spit it out and walk away.  Sample another flavor.  Because like ice cream, yoga is delicious once your discover the flavor you like best!

AN OVERVIEW OF POPULAR YOGA STYLES:

• AcroYoga:  A combination of yoga and acrobatics that utilizes partners to perform various aerial yoga poses. 
• Ashtanga:  A vigorous, athletic flowing style of yoga comprised of six different pre-determined sequences, which students progress through at their own pace.  Considered a pre-cursor to vinyasa and power yoga, it heavily influenced the way we practice yoga today.
• Bikram:  The name Bikram was trademarked by living yoga master Bikram Choudhury.  It is a series of 26 yoga poses completed in a ninety minute period in a room heated to 104 degrees fahrenheit with 40% humidity.  The classes begin and end with a prescribed breathing technique and always follow the same sequence.
• Hatha:  The term "hatha" encompasses all styles/lineages of yoga.  When you practice, Iyengar yoga, you are practicing Hatha yoga.  When you practice, Ashtanga yoga, you are practicing Hatha yoga.  When describing a class,  Hatha typically refers to a style of yoga  practiced where each of the poses are held for several breaths, rather than moving quickly from pose to pose.  For this reason, Hatha yoga is good for beginners.
• Hot:  Any style of yoga performed in a heated space.  Bikram yoga is hot yoga, but hot yoga is not Bikram yoga.
• Iyengar:  The focus of this style of yoga is precise alignment.  Its founder, B.K.S. Iyengar is credited with being the first person to utilize yoga props (straps, blocks, etc.) which are now commonplace in most yoga classes/studios.  Props are used to make yoga postures accessible to all body types and assist the practitioner in finding proper placement of joints and skeleton.
• Jivamukti:  A physically intense practice where each class has a theme that is explored through yoga scripture, chanting, meditation, asana (poses), pranayama (breathwork) and music.
• Kundalini:  Kundalini yoga is rich in tradition and ritual, with its' devotees often dressed in flowing, white (or light colored) apparel with their hair covered in a turbine-like dressing.  Kundalini sequences, called Kriyas, usually consist of rapid, repetitive movements performed in conjunction with a designated breathing method or holding a pose while breathing in a particular way.  It goes beyond the physical performance of poses with its emphasis on breathing, meditation, mudras and chanting. 
• Restorative:  Relieves the effects of stress by alternately stimulating and relaxing the body to move toward balance.  Considered "active relaxation", this form of yoga relies heavily on the use of props, such as:  blankets, blocks, bolsters, and straps to put the practitioner into the pose and leave him/her for several minutes.
•  Thai Yoga Massage:  Often dubbed "lazy man's yoga", TYM involves two people: a "giver" and a "receiver" whereby the "giver" performs yoga on the "receiver".  It is a healing art that utilizes Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine along with yoga and focuses on balancing the physical and energetic bodies of the "receiver" while following his/her breath.  This is a great option for people with very limited mobility including but not limited to practitioners with arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and paralysis just to name a few.
• Vinyasa:  One of the most popular styles of yoga, Vinyasa simply means to flow from one pose into the next.  It is very similar to Ashtanga, but the sequences on not predetermined.  It can be found in varying degrees of difficulty and intensity depending on the teacher and/or studio.  Typically a more intense vinyasa will be labeled "power" yoga.
• Yin: Most of the styles of yoga described above are yang in nature, meaning the practitioner is moving through a series of yoga poses (asana) and typically staying in the pose for 2-30 seconds.  Yin yoga incorporates approximately 25 poses, seated or reclined, and each pose is held for 2-10 minutes.   Yang yoga targets muscles where yin yoga targets fascia.  This is a popular choice with the cross-fit community.  

If you're in the Charlotte Metro area:  Mooresville, Cornelius, Huntersville, Statesville, Concord or Davidson and would like recommendations for a yoga teacher or studio, please feel free to contact me.   Through my yoga teacher training, I have met some of the best in the area and would be happy to make the connection.

Chewy Coconut Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I have a confession to make:  I am not a vegan or even a vegetarian.  I am not gluten-free, nor am I an avid consumer of organic-only products.  But a lot of my yogi (and non-yogi) friends are.  And therefore, when confronted with, "How do I show my love and appreciation to them during this holiday season?"  I decided to bake them cookies; not your average Christmas cookie, but a chewy coconut oatmeal raisin cookie made with only organic ingredients.

As a non-organic, non-gluten-free carnivore, some of the ingredients were completely foreign to me, but I was able to source all of them at either Whole Foods or Walmart.  Yes, Walmart!  They actually have a large selection of organic products in their baking aisle.

MODIFICATIONS:

• The original recipe called for 2 cups of sugar.  The person who shared the recipe with me notated that she only used one cup of sugar.  I also only used one cup and then changed the recipe to reflect that.
• The recipe called for 2 cups of Almond Flour.  I used one cup of Almond Flour and one cup of Coconut Flour.
• The original recipe did not call for the addition of water, but my mixture was too dry to roll into balls.  I added about 6 tablespoons of water and all was well.
• To make this recipe fit for a vegan, cornstarch or an egg substitute can be used in place of eggs.
• To make this recipe fit for a person with tree nut allergies, substitute the almond flour with coconut flour and omit the pecan pieces.
• To make this recipe gluten-free, use verified gluten-free rolled oats.
• If you don't like cinnamon or raisins, leave them out.  They are not crucial to the overall taste or texture of the cookie.

Chewy Coconut Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Servings:  48

Preparation time:  30 minutes

  

• 1 cup coconut oil, softened
• 1 cup organic whole sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 organic soy-free eggs
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 2 cups almond flour*
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 scant teaspoons Himalayan pink salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 2 cups dried, unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1 cup pecans, chopped
• 5-6 tablespoons water, as needed* 

Uncooked, golf-ball shaped cookies, pre-flattened

1.       Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2.       Line cookie sheet(s) with parchment paper.

3.       Cream coconut oil and sugar in a large bowl, add eggs and vanilla.  Set aside.

4.       In a separate bowl, mix the oats, almond flour, baking soda and salt.

5.       Stir the wet and dry together, then add cinnamon, raisins, coconut, and pecans.

6.       Roll into golf ball sized cookies and flatten***   Space approximately 1” apart.

7.       Bake 8-12 minutes until cookies are golden and fragrant.

8.       Let stand to cool.

*You can grind your own almond flour by placing whole almonds into a blender or food processor until a fine meal is produced.

*You can substitute almond flour for coconut flour.  I used 1 cup of almond flour and 1 cup of coconut flour. 

**If mixture is too dry to combine, add water until it sticks together.

Finished and fragrant!

I have another confession to make:  I'm not usually a fan of oatmeal raisin cookies, but these were delicious!  I ate way more than I should have, and while they are gluten-free, they are not calorie free!  Enjoy!

Confessions of a Coke head: Week One Update

Despite being headache-y the first few days, I successfully managed to curtail my diet coke intake to 4 cans per day.  Now I'm working on whittling down to three cans per day and it's going well.  By early afternoon, I've usually filled my quota so today I made cucumber infused water.  Refreshing!  And the best part is that all of the cucumbers were harvested from my own backyard!

Cucumber Water

Thank you to everyone for the encouragement and sharing your own experiences with me last week when I announced my desire to end my more than two decade love affair with soda.  I'll keep you posted on my progress and am looking forward to sharing any changes or improvements I observe once my body is no longer dependent on the bubbly, artificially flavored and sweetened, caramel colored syrup.

Confessions of a Coke head

I just finished another weekend  of yoga teacher training (my ninth!) with Holistic Yoga Therapy Institute and it never fails.  Each day when we break for lunch, I am the only person who orders a diet coke as my beverage of choice.  Plenty of people place orders for water with lemon, water without lemon, iced tea, hot tea, and even the occasional glass of wine or Sunday brunch mimosa--but never soda.  I'm the only one.  And I know why--artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners--they're not good for me.  They know it and I know it, but I'm an addict...and not just to the caffeine but to the bubbles.  What is it about the bubbles?  And now, my thirteen year old son seems to be heading down the path of addiction as well...so if not for my own health, definitely for his...

I hereby publicly denounce the further consumption of soft drinks.  I don't plan to quit cold turkey.  That would be asking for failure.  Caffeine deprivation would surely lead to migraines and as someone who suffered from stress-induced migraines for the first quarter-century of life, I cannot knowingly inflict such pain upon myself.  I will, however, incorporate the less painful, less stressful method of weaning myself off the drug.

On any given day, I probably consume the equivalent of six cans of soda.  So, beginning today and for the rest of week one of "Operation Confessions of a Coke Head," I plan to drink no more than four cans of soda per day decreasing by one each week.  Therefore, next week I will drink no more than three, the following week two, and so on.  If my math is correct, I should be coke-free in about 30 days--approximately the same amount of time it takes to form new habits or break old ones.

I recently read an article about chemicals in foods that are banned in other countries but still allowed to be used in the United States.  It proclaimed citrus flavored sodas and sport drinks contain Brominated Vegetable Oil, a flame retardant ingredient used in the manufacture of plastics.  Yikes.  And to think before I was a Coke head, I did the Dew! 



So, let's raise a glass...of water with lemon...to new habits formed and old ones defeated!

Cheers!