to infinity

however far we go, we can always go further. 

A task that seems daunting, overwhelming and stressful. But who set the bar for working too much, for loving too much? We did. We set it based on what we saw the world around us doing. We see how our parents loved each other and that formed how we loved in our life. We saw how many hours our parents worked, or lack of, and we set that forth as our standard of a work ethic. Somewhere along the path, that idea may of shifted and our standard was changed. So I ask you, how far are you willing to go in life? How much love can you give into this world? Set your own standard.

It is with a new mindset, a new outlook that I write this. Life can be as simple as a breath. It is from that breath that life was given to us. And everyday I continue to breathe, I continue to put my feet down and step into this life I was given. I approach each day as its own and I step into the possibility that I am here not just as a being occupying space in this world but that I was given a reason for being here. I am here to create, to love and to give all that I can each and everyday.

Here is to infinity, to the belief that when I change, the world will in turn will be changed. Here is to the belief that I am a work in progress, never finished growing, always open to new ideas, new challenges and new possibilities!

independent of labels

Gluten Free. Raw. Vegan. Pescetarian. Dairy Free. Paleo.

 (BULLSHIT!)

I feel like moving to Los Angeles bred this new philosophy about nutrition. Everyone had a special diet it seemed and I was stared at for eating a hamburger. I did start to investigate after several months of being grilled on the topic. Last year, I decided to do a 21 day cleanse that involved weaning out certain food groups. The first one being meat and dairy. I went 7 days vegetarian, 3 days vegan, 3 days raw, 3 days vegan, 5 days vegetarian (after going raw you can continue doing raw food, go back to vegan for the rest of the 8 days).

I stayed vegan for the following month adding caffeine back in almost immediately. I tried a juice cleanse and that lasted an entire morning. But I did notice a change in my diet after that. For the past year I have experimented with my food and I started paying more attention to how my body felt after I ate. I noticed that certain foods made my energy drop and I felt tired, while others (mostly veggie based) gave me more energy. I started writing down what I was eating, how it made me feel and started to discover a whole new side of eating. You can go ahead and label yourself all you want, but here is my new label anad it reads:

                                                              I eat to feed my body. 

I eat to heal and energize my body.

I eat to stay alive.

I realized I did not need to label myself into a category or explain to anyone what or why I was eating. So here I am, after trying every fad in Los Angeles, whether it was good or not, laying down the truth. Every single label (vegan, raw, gluten-free and so on) has a valid reason behind why people have those allergies or intolerances, some are choices and they all have nothing to do with you. Your an individual with your own set of rules, eating food is a choice, you can choose anything to eat. Question is, at the end of the day is it helping you to live a longer life or is it just making you full?


**Allergies to food explained: Lactose intolerance results from a deficiency of the enzyme lactase, which is needed to digest the sugar in milk. At least one out of 10 people worldwide shares this deficiency and develops bloating, abdominal pain and, often, diarrhea when consuming milk. Gluten intolerance is caused by an abnormal immune response to the major protein in wheat and some other grains.

the greens

I recently started making salads with this beautiful lettuce and have been in love ever since. As always I want you to see how nutritional it is for you and what is entering your body. As a yogi that practices everyday it is so important to know what is in your body and how your feeding the body that supports such a beautiful practice.

I like to prepare mine raw with red onions, heirloom tomatoes, yellow beets (for color, any will do) and my new favorite dressing (Zukay live foods salad dressing) I like the cucumber mint and red pepper cilantro. They are fermented, raw and gluten free so there are natural probiotics in them, raw enzymes and packed with vitamins and minerals for easy digestion. There is no vinegar in it as well for those of you with acid and low pH levels. So delcious and super nutricious! Enjoy yogis :)

to me.

This week had been a beat down. A let down not only of friends but of their ability to just let me be. I was surrounded by people who told me that there are worse problems in the world, in fact I told myself that. The fact was, everything that could go wrong was going wrong and as my defense I just could not speak. I had nothing to say and when I did it was filled with rage and anger. I had no time to get on my mat, to move my body and clear out the negative outlook I was experiencing. I relied on my yoga practice to heal me, to help me but I had no time to get on my mat.

I was granted this day to tackle these problems. They are mine. I own them. But that gives me the ability to change my circumstances. To let my problems rule me or to rule my problems.

I need time to feel furious in order to feel thankful. 

This is my way of telling the world that I am human. I can feel every emotion. I need to feel betrayed in order to feel loved. I need to be down in order to experience the richness that life has to offer. We have to FEEL, we have to experience all these range of emotions and life experiences. I am still becoming me, I am still a student and I am still trying to find my way. When we surrender the outcome and enjoy the journey, this week of a beat down will be forgotten. Staying true to myself, speaking from my heart I write this week.

soak up the green!

One of the most interesting aspects of chlorophyll is how closely it resembles our red blood cells. The hemoglobin of the red blood cell and the chlorophyll of the plant are virtually identical in molecular structure, with the only difference being the center atom. Chlorophyll is even often referred to as ‘the green blood of plants.’ Which is why I find it so important to write about increasing the intake of chlorophyll in our diet.

The extreme similarity in the molecular structure is what makes chlorophyll so beneficial to our health because it’s such a powerful blood cleanser and blood builder. Chlorophyll delivers a continuous energy transfusion into our bloodstream, replenishing and increasing red blood cell count. And since hemoglobin carries oxygen to our cells, increasing hemoglobin thereby increases the ability of red blood cells to carry oxygen and delivers us increased levels of oxygen – and this is a very good thing.

Disease-promoting anaerobic bacteria cannot live and thrive in the presence of oxygen. It’s also known that disease can’t thrive in an alkaline environment either. Chlorophyll is both a potent oxygenator and helps alkalize our blood, it thus helps our bodies fight off disease. All these benefits direct effects on strengthening our immune system and enhancing overall energy levels and wellbeing.

Healthy blood flow and an abundance of oxygen also help the body to cleanse itself of toxic impurities, lending to chlorophylls detoxification properties. Chlorophyll has also been shown to improve the detrimental effects of radiation, and has also been linked to cancer prevention. Chlorophyll binds with toxins like heavy metals and helps remove them from the body. Chlorophyll can also stimulate bowel movements and is a great aid in colon cleansing.

The numerous health benefits of chlorophyll:

• Cleanses and oxygenates and builds the blood
• A powerful detoxification effect on the body
• Rich in enzymes that promote quick rejuvenation of our cells
• High in Amino acids
• Extracts toxins form the liver and improves liver function
• Regulator of calcium
• Helps break addiction
• Alkalizes the body
• Anti-inflammatory
• Wound-healing properties
• Fight infection
• Anti-oxidant – neutralize free radicals
• Promotes healthy intestinal flora
• Helps reverse protein-deficient anemia
• Protection from cancer
• Helps skin disorders

Essentially, any green plant that you consume contains some level of chlorophyll as this is what gives it its green color. But some foods are higher in chlorophyll than others. Generally speaking, the darker the green color, the more chlorophyll, so dark leafy greens are a great source, especially dino kale and other kale varieties, swiss chard and darker greens like arugula. Adding herbs like parsley and cilantro are also great ways to spruce up your salads and increase chlorophyll content in your diet. Blue-green algae such as spirulina and chlorella are also especially high in chlorophyll, as are all sprouts. Wheatgrass has one of the highest sources of chlorophyll available. Juicing it on a regular basis can have powerful detoxification effects.

So eat, drink and soak up all the green you can get! 

Blood Battle

I am a firm believer in listening to your body. I was sitting outside people watching, listening to children as they walked by, some complained, some cried. One refused to eat. I had just picked up this article about eating for your blood type and so I went home and re-read the article. I thought about when I was a child, all the times my parents would make me eat certain foods because they are good for you. I, of course, thought that candy was a food group and sour patch kids was a great appetizer for all meals. I would eat those, then eat oh about two bites of food and then leave to go outside and play. 

So I looked at the article at my blood type. I am O positive, fairly common blood type. Here is what it said:

Character Traits: Focused, leader, energetic 

Diet: Animal Protein 

What to eat: Lean beef, lamb, turkey, chicken or fish (bass, cod, halibut, sole or rainbow trout are good examples), kelp, seafood, and salt (in small doses).

What to avoid: dairy, eggs, gluten, wheat germ, beans, legumes, cabbage, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and mustard greens.

Workout: Running, swimming, cycling and weight training. You thrive on intense workouts and sweating, it also helps to regulate any stomach problems or ulcers.

Personality: Known for leadership skills, extroversion, energy and focus. If you skip on your diet, stop exercising or slip into a negative mindset, watch out! You become angry, hyperactive and even manic.

After reading this, I went back to my childhood. Growing up in Michigan with uncles that hunted regularly, I was priviledged to a generous amount of meat. I never saw anything wrong with eating meat until I moved out to Los Angeles in the land of Raw, Vegan, Paleo and Vegetarian. I was looked at strange because I ate meat and taught at a yoga studio. And even today when I tell people I am eating meat again I get looks and glares of all sorts. 

I will tell you that eating meat (all organic is a must!) has made me feel content. I feel satisfied and I feel ready to tackle my workouts. I am careful as to how much meat I eat but I will tell you that I am back to eating meat (sorry to disappoint) and that there is truth to eating true to what your body craves, and how your body was designed to function at its highest capacity.

**More to come about other blood types. If you are interested in learning more about this topic, pick up the book "Eat Right 4 Your Type: 4 Blood Types, 4 Diets" By Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo

BiG

 I always imagined that I would do something BIG. I would be important. I would change the lives of others. But what defines BIG? Why was it so important to me? Why did people tell me to dream big? And, if we all do something BIG, is it still BIG?

I started writing this in my journal last week. I was reflecting on goals that I had even as far back as childhood. When I was 9, I wanted to be an Olympian. When I was 13, I wanted to be a federal agent. In college I was studying to be an accountant. In this current moment, I am teaching yoga, writing a blog and enjoy living by the beach with amazing friends. 

Big goals are great to set and even more when they are achieved. But what am I doing today that will impact that goal tomorrow? I think we all want to make a big impact in the world, there is nothing wrong with that. Yet, each day I need to set out and let the little steps take me towards the larger goals. If I cannot inspire one person today how will I ever inspire millions of people in the future.

Your ultimate purpose is to be. To be present, to be aware, to be loved. And to show that to others in return. That is why my blog exists. To share. To inspire. To grow. To one person, and then to hundreds, thousands, millions, billions and then to infinity. And it started with one simple mission.

Give.
Live.
Love.
The End.

popeye wins!

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food." --Hippocrates

I was asked the other day what the difference was between spinach and kale. Never really paid much attention to the difference but would alternate eating them in my diet. So I looked it up.

Kale

36 Calories

2.6g Fiber

2.5g Protein

93.6g Calcium

296.4mg Potassium

6% DV of Iron

Spinach

41 Calories

4.3g Fiber

5.3g Protein

244.8g Calcium

838.8mg Potassium

36% DV of Iron

While they are both GOOD for you. I am all about getting the most from what I eat. I think kale is a little harder for my body to digest and thus expending more energy to process it. I think of nutrition the same way I look at life. You have to mix up your diet all the time. You need to eat a variety of foods, complete your diet with a balance of veggies and fruit, protein, carbohydrates and fats. You can eat your piece of cake and spinach too! 

Please hold....

The ebb and flow of life. We live for the highs. Love when things go our way. When the universe seems to hear our every thought and answers it better than we even asked for. It is the valleys, the moments of stagnation and holds. It tests our patience, it refines who we are and what we stand for if we are willing. It is hard to be in that space. We get tired, restless and wonder when things will change. It is in those times that we learn the most, we set goals, say things will change. What happens when you are put on hold, stuck with no escape?

There is no way to remain the way you are now: you either become more rigid and crystallize, or you break out of patterns and transform. In yoga, you never achieve a pose, you start to find out how a posture works, you work at that and then continue to break out of old habits and discover better ones. Our bodies change, mind changes; we change. The pose never changes, we change in the pose. We change in this world. We develop to the pose and find ourselves awakened to the body, mind and spirit of each asana and to each situation in our life. 

I firmly embrace this philosophy that we are always changing. With that said there is a space that we must hold, embrace the stagnant movement, feel secure in that space and then move forward. Holding in the asana practice builds strength, challenges the mind and breath. You must develop attention, focus, edge-playing, levers and lines of energy in order to fully grasp a pose. Even then, you must continue to practice, to grow on the mat, to live a life that embodies growth and change even in a stagnant place. If I am not willing to change in the times of holding, why would I change when things are flowing?

We all have a "limp" that keeps us from our full potential. Find what your limp is in the hold. What hurts, why are we irritated and miserable. Fix it! Then embrace that all good things are coming when you live with arms open, heart open and eyes fixed upon your goals!

everyday be.

"Your duty is to act, not to seek a reward for what you do." --Bhagavad Gita

I am going to make this short because it deserves no explanation. Wherever we place our attention, we naturally overlook other things. Set you sights on what you want. Set your attention to the goal. No complacent energy. Withdraw from ordinary distractions and focus on the goal(s).

Everyday Yoga.

Everyday right living.

Everyday smile.

Everyday forgive.

Everyday eat clean food.

Everyday live fully.

Everyday sweat.

Everyday love.

Everyday be you.