Back To Yoga in Miami

  I won't lie, I was scared, would my body hold up, would I strain myself, push myself?? Well I decided to wrangle out of my routine and give it a go! I'm talking about getting back into yoga after 6 years!

In my late 20's I discovered the power of yoga, in Miami at that time Madonna was practicing with a teacher and making yoga cool, that's not exactly why I tried but hearing yoga in the NEWS here and there interested me. The yoga I began practicing I can best describe was showy, I know that sounds weird, so I'll explain. The mostly women in class were blessed with outstanding bodies and since it was Miami wore little to cover those bodies, our ( also Madonna's ) teacher who became quite notorious was quite the character, completely full of his own ego, he controlled his classes with a strange sexual energy spiked with obscenities. I truly doubt he was like that with Madonna, she wouldn't have dealt with any one else's ego, and to be honest after a dozen or so classes I'd had enough myself. 

I flowed in and out of yoga classes for the next decade and a half from Hot Yoga ( Bikram ) power yoga, flow yoga, alignment yoga, on and on, settling mostly into Power Yoga, a vinyasa based yoga that is done repetitively and quickly enough to bring on a serious sweat, develop a nicely toned body especially arms and back since you are basically doing a series of modified push-ups. 

At the same time I was injuring myself frequently, pushing myself too hard, looking at other students in class wrapped up like pretzels and trying to duplicate with painful consequences. It was my Ego this time, instead of being in my own space and enjoying my own yoga practice I allowed myself to quietly compete with other students, who could stretch further, wrap further, stand still longest. How embarrassing and ridiculous looking back now, but hey that was then today I'm older and wiser!

 I had a baby five years ago and even during my pregnancy didn't practice yoga for fear of miscarrying, I had miscarried a year before my son was conceived at 43.

So to make a long story short I decided to begin my new foray into yoga with a wiser approach to my body that I am determined to take care of and nurture through yoga instead of torture. 

The class was amazingly beautiful, easy to follow, and yet I felt relaxed, strong, confident, and aligned.

If you're ever in Miami check out the Green Monkey Yoga Studios, Allaine Stricklan is my teacher for Alignment Yoga, Love Her!

Another Day in Paradise

The other day I was at my sons elementary school picking him up early when I started talking to another mom, as we were walking towards our cars she said something like, "what a beautiful day" that's when  said, "yes it's another beautiful day in paradise" and she said, "paradise"?? I'm not sure we live in paradise. I kind of shrugged and got into my car, I didn't think too much about our short conversation until a couple days later, when I was driving on our beautiful Miami Beach causeway over turquoise water under a stunning blue sky, hmmm I thought, isn't this paradise ??!!

 Ok this city isn't perfect, sure I get that, I was raised in the northeast, surrounded by beautiful country side , horses, cows, farms, acres of land, and bitter cold winters that went on and on, I dreamed of living in a place like Miami Beach when I was a kid, and here I am now, I feel pretty lucky! 

Besides that I started to think about what else makes this place paradise, maybe it's not just the place but the gifts, the blessings we are afforded that create the paradise?

So I started to make my list, here I go again....

I didn't need the list at all this was easy, paradise is having people to love and who love you back, good health, and well all the other stuff is icing on the proverbial Cake, so yes it's true, another Beautiful Day in Paradise.

Going Green with Kale

The core foundation of happiness stems from better health, with that said my first experience with kale over fifteen years ago was not a pleasant one. I was new into juicing and with my juice for life book in hand I read about the huge benefits of kale, not only was this a super food but the only food that helped get rid of cellulite! Any women with even the mere hint of a cellulite ripple would have done what I was about to do upon reading such facts, so off to the health food store as they were called in those days to buy myself some kale I went. Well to make a long story short I juiced the kale, gagged and never revisited the green until a few months ago.

Kale is everywhere these days or so it seems so I decided to give it a try, again, at a Restaurant this time, I chose a simple very finely chopped kale salad with lemon, salt, and pine nuts, I was nervous but dug in anyway. To my astonishment I loved it I actually finished it and did the finger swipe around the bowl to get the last tiny bits, in that moment I became an official Kale Fan. 

Kale is a superfood, and just one cup of this green goddess of vegetables provides health benefits well beyond flavor and satiation. Here are the top five reasons you should add kale to your diet.

1. Strong antioxidant powers: It's high in vitamin A, C, and K as well as flavonoids and carotenoids.
2. Great source of essential minerals: It's a good source of calcium and magnesium, and per calorie, it delivers more iron than beef.
3. High in fiber: Delivering five grams of fiber, kale helps with digestion and makes you feel fuller on fewer calories.
4. Very low in calories: It's just 36 calories per serving with essentially zero grams of fat.
5. Anti-inflammatory functions: With omega-3 fatty acids, kale can help fight against arthritis, asthma, and other autoimmune disorders.

Citrus Kale Salad with Cranberries and Toasted Almonds

Makes: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• Pinch freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large bunch kale
• 1/4 cup whole almonds
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, orange juice, honey, salt, and pepper.
2. Remove the tough stems from the kale and tear the leaves into bite size pieces. Rinse in cold water and dry with a paper towel or run through a salad spinner to remove the excess moisture.
3. Place the almonds in a skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan often to prevent burning. Heat the nuts until they are browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Once toasted, remove the pan from the heat to allow the almonds to cool, then give the nuts a rough chop.
4. In a large salad bowl, toss together the kale, almonds, cranberries, and half of the prepared vinaigrette. Pour in more of the dressing until there is enough to coat the kale without oversaturating it (the amount of dressing needed will vary since kale is sold in bunches of varying sizes; the ones I’ve been buying lately have been huge!). Add additional salt and pepper to taste.

I love my kale salad as follows: 1 serving

Chop up 2-3 handfuls of Kale as fine as you can, make sure you remove the spine (the hard part, this tastes bad and hard)

Cut a quarter lemon ( remove the seeds ) or so and squeeze on the finely chopped kale

Add a half teaspoon or so of olive oil, virgin cold pressed is best

Add either a small handful of pine nuts ( 2-3 tablespoons ) sunflowers seeds, or any nut or seed

If your nuts or seeds are salted you don't need to add salt or if so just a touch

Add kosher or unrefined salt to taste ( the salt somehow relieves the bitter taste from the kale )

Mix well and enjoy!

Kale, also known as borecole, is one of the healthiest vegetables on the planet. A leafy green, kale is available in curly, ornamental, or dinosaur varieties. It belongs to the Brassica family that includes cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, collards, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts.

Dressing Your Age?

What does Dressing Your Age mean anymore anyway?? In my moms day it meant one thing but today the lines are very blurred and often unclear. I think it's more about dressing for our body type, being realistic about what looks good on you, where your comfort level is, and confidence for that matter. I'm tired of old school " fashion horses " telling women what they should wear at what age, like anyone who's offending these bubble-living "Fashionisto's" would listen anyway. 

Before my son was born five years ago I worked out 3-4 days per week and was very, very confident about my body, I would wear tight skirts and body con style  dresses as de rigueur, today I won't. Don't get me wrong it's not because I'm a mom or something like that, it's because my muscle has turned softer than I like since I just haven't found the time for the gym in between raising our son, and growing our business with my husband. So I dress for my comfort level, I do try and eat pretty good and limit excess fats and so on, so I'm a skinny bitch but just not muscular, there will come a day when I go back to the gym, yoga, or Pilates, maybe when my son goes into kindergarten later this year, then You better believe I'll be wearing a body-con dress ( please God let them be in fashion then) leg baring shorts and skirts!! Hey if Tina Turner could do it in her 60's I can do it in my 40's and 50's!

This is me dressing for comfort and personal style, age 49.

My body ICON 

Oil Pulling For Health

Oil Pulling with Coconut Oil

(From the ChalkBoard Blog)

OIL-PULLING IS A SUBJECT that has come up around our offices now and then. Who’s tried it, who doesn’t get it. Here, Diana Ryu, editor at the addictive shopping site Beso.com, and a HuffPo Style and LuckyMag contributor, revives the topic for us. Oil-pulling is the ancient practice of detoxifying the body through the mouth. Oil, traditionally sesame oil, is swished in the mouth til toxins are absorbed from the saliva and spit out. Hours of Google research isn’t as effective as the word of just one girl who’s tried it, stuck with it, and loved it!

I GARGLE WITH COCONUT OIL. Everyday. Each morning when my alarm clock rings, I hold my breath and beeline for the kitchen to shove a heaping spoonful of coconut oil into my mouth. I wait for the lard-like consistency to melt, pushing the stuff through my teeth, over my tongue and from cheek to cheek for twenty minutes before I spit and start my day.

I’ve always been the type to catch every contagious sickness lurking around the office — even a simple coffee date with a flu-ridden friend would lead to my quick demise and render me helpless in a matter of days. God forbid if I stayed out a little too late, or stressed about a deadline, because there would undoubtedly be an excruciatingly painful canker sore the next morning. When I saw my cousin a year ago, her skin was dewy and from-the-inside glowing. Her secret: swishing with coconut oil for twenty minutes every morning, which she claimed had jumpstarted her immune system. I balked. Oil? For how long? She assured me that it goes fast (just hop in the shower and when finished, it’s time to spit) and so, intrigued, I hopped online to do my own research and to my surprise, I found a devoted community that swore by the amazing aftereffects.

Oil pulling, or oil swishing is an ancient Ayurvedic technique, touted by yogis as a natural way to strengthen the immune system by killing toxic yeast that makes its way from your stomach to mouth while you sleep. The science seems to stand sound: our mouths can determine non-oral health issues and unsurprisingly, dentists can diagnose acid reflux, diabetes and heart disease just by symptoms seen during normal check-ups. I was convinced and headed straight for my local specialty grocery store to invest in a jar of virgin unrefined coconut oil. You don’t have to use coconut, but I prefer it in lieu of sunflower and sesame because of its natural antifungal properties (and honestly, it tastes like a candy bar). Be warned: coconut oil comes semi-hardened so you must melt it in your mouth.

I felt results in a matter of days. My sinuses drained as I swished, I felt energetic and alert, and my gums and teeth felt much cleaner than with my normal brushing routine. (I should also mention here that you must scrape your tongue after you spit out the oil, or else you’re just swallowing oil residue with toxins in it). I’ve been doing this for a year and I’m ecstatic to say that I haven’t had one canker sore, nor gotten the flu or cold, even with the scare this season. The skin around my temples cleared up which, according to face mapping is a sure sign that there is something amiss in your stomach. Plus, I swear by it as a hangover cure: It’s a much healthier option than my usual greasy breakfast burrito. By all means, do your own research before you start oil pulling, but I can fully attest to how amazing the benefits have been for my annoyingly delicate constitution. Anyone out there willing to give this a try?