YouTube Video

Check out my YouTube channel!

http://www.youtube.com/yogatrish9

Check out the Video bar at the bottom of my blog.

The video on the far left is on my "senior fox yogis." Mona and Jean are 70+ and just started yoga in the Summer of 2008. Their testimonials are at the end of the video. The others are other video resources from YouTube.

Mom's glorious strawberry cake

strawberry roll cake

My mom makes the most amazing cake. It is a light sponge cake that is filled with whipped cream and sliced strawberries. Here is the recipe:

Preheat oven to 375. Line a cookie sheet or sheet pan with parchment paper and spray with non-stick spray. Set aside.

Whip 4 eggs with 1/2 C sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla until the eggs are fluffy, and creamy yellow (approximately 5 minutes). Mix together 1/2 C all purpose flour and 1 teaspoon baking powder and a pinch of a salt. Fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Spread the batter on the parchment lined pan and bake in the oven for 12 minutes or until golden brown.
While the cake is baking, take a clean tea towel and sprinkle it with powered sugar. When the cake is done, remove it from the oven place it next to the tea towel. Grasp the paper by the edges and flip the cake onto the sugar dusted towel. Carefully peel the paper off the back of the cake and quickly roll the towel up to roll the cake into a log shape. Be sure to roll the towel with the cake so it separates the layers. Cool the cake for a while. In the meantime, whip 2 C heavy cream and 1/4 C sugar and 1teaspoon vanilla until soft peaks form. Spread the cream on the cooled cake and layer some strawberries or raspberries. Roll the cake into a log shape (mom says this is a little tricky so be careful. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. EAT!!! Picture to follow shortly (me eating it of course!)

Video night

Nickolas helped me, he actually did it all.. He edited the Silver fox yoga video I took of Mona and Jean back in January. Check it out on YouTube!

Exploring the Mudras

I picked up a copy of Tathaastu magazine. It's interesting and has a lot of Indian Master teachers and physicians who contribute to the magazine. Check out this very informative article on the Mudras. The magazine has a lot of good info, linger around the site for a while:)

http://www.tathaastumag.com/index.php?hid=1756

Bitter soup!

That New York Times recipe did not mention the bitterness of the dandelion greens. Wow! Make this at your own risk! I have to admit that I do take culinary risks, (the dormant chef in me) I love to try new recipes and try new foods at restaurants. This one takes the cake!

Ann and Tricia's dining adventure.

We had lunch at the Red Pepper Deli in Northville. I had the burger and the cheesecake. For raw, vegetarian food, I was floored. I was stuffed after half of my burger but couldn't put it down. It tasted so good! The cheesecake was amazing. Dairy and wheat free never tasted so good! I have to admit that was a little skeptical, but always open to new experiences helps me to keep a fresh perspective.

Question of the week

Does using my own quote, that I live by make me narcissistic? I don't think so, because I like to share my energy with others. If I sit in a room and keep it all to myself, I will not benefit anyone else and will not serve God.

Quote of the week

Live in Love, for when you do,
everything else will fall in place.
Tricia Ptak

A glutton's breakfast

My sis and I split a baked French toast and veggie omelet at the Breakfast club on 10, East of Haggerty. Needless to say I was stuffed beyond belief! The French toast was not too sweet but really flavorful.

My new fairie garden

My sister and I both have two sons, so we get to share the girlie stuff with each other. One example is last year my sis and I took an indoor faerie garden class at Heavenly Scent Herb Farm (http://www.heavenlyscentherbfarm.com/) and the result was a little too big and clumsy to display. For a while, I've been looking for a replacement container. I love the look of verdigris so this was a great catch. Vic sculpted the foam base for me and I put it together after Garrett's LAST basketball game. We're finally free on Friday nights! If you get a chance to check out Heavenly Scent Herb Farm, it's worth the time (go in the Spring or Summer). Downtown Fenton is close by and French Laundry has great sandwiches. I love the big barn at HSHF, I've told the owner that I wanted to move in. I love the hydrangeas in the front, they are massive white mop heads (at least a foot across). They have greenhouses with unique plants and a huge outdoor faerie garden, it is sooo cool! Find a little time to be creative this weekend.

Good class, bad croissant

Nikki and I went to Corrinne's Yinyasa class today. I love her style, voice and energy. We were starving and I told her about the awesome croissant that I got from Hiller's yesterday. We checked if Whole Foods had Zingerman's products (My sister told me about a Bostock {almond orange gazed bread} from Zingerman's). They did not, but had almond croissants. We decided to get those instead of going to Hiller's too. Well, they were not good at all, way to sweet and had hardly any almonds. We got caramel lattes to go with the croissant and it was sugar rush city! I'll go back to Hiller's to get the good one next time!

My lovely CPR manikins

I had to renew my CPR certification yesterday. 4 hours of training with these two, and a AED defibrillator. My wrists are killing me today.

Soup recipe from NY times

In France this simple, nutritious soup is made with wild greens that you might forage on an afternoon’s walk, such as nettles, watercress and dandelion greens. If you must use one green, I recommend Swiss chard.

Recipes for Health
This series offers recipes with an eye towards empowering you to cook healthy meals every day. Produce, seasonal and locally grown when possible, and a well-stocked pantry are the linchpins of a good diet, and accordingly, each week’s recipes will revolve around a particular type of produce or a pantry item. This is food that is vibrant and light, full of nutrients but by no means ascetic, fun to cook and a pleasure to eat.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 leeks, cut in half length-wise, sliced, rinsed of dirt and drained on paper towels
4 garlic cloves, sliced
6 cups chopped greens (leaves only), such as Swiss chard, dandelion greens, watercress and beet greens
1 1/2 quarts water
Salt, preferably kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 large eggs
4 thick slices country bread, toasted and rubbed with a cut clove of garlic
Grated Parmesan for serving (optional)
1. Heat one tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot over medium heat, and add the leeks. Cook, stirring, until tender, three to five minutes. Add the garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about one minute. Add the greens, and stir until they begin to wilt. Add the water and salt to taste, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the greens are very tender and the broth sweet. Add pepper, and taste and adjust seasoning.
2. Beat the eggs in a bowl. Making sure that the soup is not boiling, whisk a ladle of it into the beaten eggs. Take the soup off the heat, and stir in the tempered eggs. Brush the garlic croutons with olive oil, and place one or two in each bowl. Ladle in the soup, sprinkle on some Parmesan if desired and serve.
Yield: Serves four
Advance preparation: You can make the soup through step 1 several hours before serving.

Calming Actions

Wow, 300 posts so far, or rather 300 glimpses into me. I had a request today from a wonderful yoga friend to help her understand how to relax. I reviewed many techniques and the importance of the breath. Here is a "list" of a few calming practices that help us to become present so we can focus on the breath and control restless bodies and racing thoughts.

1. Adopt the mindset that you deserve some time for yourself, carve it out and protect it. Life will always spill in if you let it.

2. Learn to use your breath as a tool. It is exactly that, a tool to learn to concentrate and eventually meditate. Focus on the inhalation that enters the base of the nose, and the exhalation that exits the base of the nose. That is it, just focus on the breath. Every time a thought or sensation develops, simply exhale it away.

3. Unplug yourself for a while. Turn off everything electronic and just sit in a quiet place. This is a luxury and only 5 minutes will make a difference. Just gaze out the window, admire a pretty sunset, close your eyes and take a mental break. Meditation takes many forms and can be beneficial in any capacity.

4. Take a shavasana for anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes. Lie down or recline your car seat (when your are parked and the car is off of course) and close your eyes. I shared this car shavasana idea with the class today as I often arrive at my children's school early and spend a few minutes refocusing on me.

5. Sit in a chair and rub your palms together for a about a minute and cup your palms to your eyes and breath. Allow the good energy you have generated to sink in and relax.

6. Sit or lie down and beginning with the crown of the head, visually scan the body down to the toes. Notice your breath and the fluctuations in the body. Allow the body to relax completely.

7. Acknowledge that we are ultimately in control of a small amount of our lives and that if we can't control it, don't sweat it.

8. Spend time taking a nice, long hot bath , and or luxuriate over sipping tea and reading a book.


More to come later.

Yummy day

I had my detox soup again for lunch. Surprisingly I am not sick of it, it's really tasty. I really fell off the wagon and ate a bunch of chocolate. It tasted so good! For dinner I had a roasted sweet potato and a alfalfa sprout wrap (whole grain wrap, cream cheese, sprouts, tomato, salt, pepper and ranch dressing). I'm really hungry so I'll grab a banana and a cup of chamomile tea. I'm really loving the sun, it is so nice to see all my flower babies creeping toward the rays. The lillies are about 3" tall and the echinacea are also beginning to grow. Good night!

Breath

The Science of Breath is an excellent book that explains the different breathing techniques that are available to use to strengthen and improve lung function. I have been practicving many of the exercises and have noticed a difference in my lung capacity. I just read an article that yoga helps to lessen the severity of symptoms of menopause. Literally every day I am learning more and more about the health benefits of a yoga practice. It is important to realize that the best results are achieved when one practices the "yogic life style" that encompasses all attrbutes of healthy living, thinking and yoga.

Soup detox

I made a massive (2 gallon) pot of soup with a myriad of veggies in it. I told Vic that we are doing a soup detox, he asked "how long?" My reply was "until the pot is gone." This weather is perfect for soup and salad, tea and fresh fruit!

Detox soup
all organic ingredients if possible

Prep and set aside:
1 bunch of kale, leaves stripped off the rough stems and finely chopped
4 carrots, peeled and cut on the bias into small 1/2" pieces
3 large leeks, cut off root end, quarter and slice up to 8 or 9" from white end into green, slice into small 1/4" pieces and place in large bowl and blast with water to loosen sand. Soak and swish them around and pull leeks from the water (they float) the sand will remain at the bottom. Set aside

Saute the following in a large pan
4 T olive oil
1 large onion chopped
1 celery heart chopped in small pieces
8 cloves garlic, minced

Add in the following:
1 large can of chopped tomatoes
1 jar/ can of (6oz) tomato paste
1 quart vegetable stock
1 gallon water
1 bunch parsley
2T sea salt, finely chopped, leaves only
*add in the kale, leeks and carrots from earlier prep

Boil all the above for a 1/2 hour, add the two below and simmer for 40 minutes
1/3 c brown rice (rinsed)
1/3 c pearled barley (rinsed)

season to taste with pepper, herbs and spices to your liking

sleepy day!

I am really sleepy today. I have had a crazy busy week (attended two hockey games, taught 12 yoga classes, finally cleaned up the spent perennials in the front yard and have had a headache for two days). My nephews spent the night last night, my sister and I were finding songs on ITunes and then had a blast with the kids. We watched dance videos on Youtube (followed along of course) and did the Napoleon Dynamite dance (disco light and everything). Don't ask why I have a disco ball...the kids won it a Luckys. I made a humongous breakfast and poof..it's almost 3pm. We're going to Grandma's for Grandpa's birthday today. I can't wait for summer. I miss the sun and blue skies! I'm going to try to make it to a few more classes this week, as I have been a little bit of a slacker lately. I've been so tired lately. Gotta catch more zzzzzs.

dance party!

We're having fun!

Spring cleaning!

My Spring cleaning bug has hit and I'm delving into the deep recesses of my closet and retracting goodies to donate. I have too many things to deal with and need to clean out some of it so I can be free to play more! Stuff is a burden! I am only shopping for songs on Itunes and food! I read about this group of people in San Fransisco who made a pact to purchase nothing new (except for food) for one year. I wonder how it went, honestly? I guess they could shop at resale shops and the such. I am cleaning out my room and then moving onto the basement and mudroom pantry. I have to eliminate at least 30% of this stuff and then I will get to the essence of what we really need and use. I'm hoping that I can be done soon, before the weather breaks. Once Spring is here I won't be in the house much!

Trust

The essence of trust is to have faith in something or someone. Trust is like an essence of comfort. We trust others to do what they commit to, to be dependable or to be honest. How much do we trust ourselves to make the right decisions for our lives? What guides us? When you really think about it, we are kind of on autopilot. Milling about with our activities of daily living; wake up, eat, shower, work, practice yoga, cook, clean, sleep...and over and over..with a few derivations throw in. How present are we and how much do we trust God to guide us? God guides us? Absolutely, when we let him. We have interactions, meet people, make decisions and act according to a set of rules or laws that are socially acceptable. These guidelines did not appear from thin air. Do you live your life or does your life live you? Be honest and trust yourself to make decisions, make them with consideration to goodness. Make desisions with a sense of faith and trust in God. A long time ago I was chatting with my brother in law about religion and said that I "just feel okay, I feel that I am taken care of." My faith and trust in God give me a sense of support that I am not alone with my decisions. His new baby has opened a sense of awe and wonder for the glory of God, I can hear it in his voice. A little miracle that brings new life and love. Don't let opportunities to trust yourself and others escape your attention.

interesting take

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/vegan-before-dinnertime/?em

check out this article