Juice Feast Begins!

I'm back and I'm starting a juice feast tomorrow morning. For the next 21 days straight I plan to only drink vegetable and fruit juices, courtesy of my new Breville Fountain Plus juicer (a Christmas present from my husband). I will take a weekend break when I visit the Sivananda Yoga Ranch and evaluate at that time whether I will return to the feast the following Monday. I started this evening with the following juice:
1/4 inch of ginger
4 carrots
1 apple
It's delicious! More details to come tomorrow morning!

My Yoga Classes at Baltimore Yoga Village

I thought that Baltimore readers might be interested in checking out the Traditional Hatha yoga classes that I am teaching at Baltimore Yoga Village . My classes are appropriate for students of all experience levels. Plus, most of the classes (the one hour classes) are only $10 and you can always just drop-in. Baltimore Yoga Village is located in Hampden at the Mill Center (3000 Chestnut Ave, Building 15 Baltimore, MD 21211). There is a parking lot on Mill Rd. for students. Please send me a message if you have any questions. Hope to see you soon!

My classes are listed below.

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday

Traditional Hatha Yoga 7-8 AM

Before you begin the busy day, this hour long class will bring balance, flexibility, and relaxation to the body and mind. Including pranayama (breathing techniques), Asanas (steady postures), and a long final relaxation, this class is taught in the tradition of a disciple of Swami Sivananda, Swami Vishnu Devananda, who brought hatha yoga to the West in the early 60s. This is a simple and meditative practice.

Wednesday

Traditional Hatha Yoga all levels 9:30 - 11 am

A class based in the Sivananda lineage of traditional hatha yoga - teaching proper breathing, relaxation, and yogic exercises for stretching and strengthening mind and body. This class is appropriate for beginners as well as experienced yogis. Come only with an ready and open mind.

Thursday

Traditional Hatha Yoga all levels 6:15 - 7:45 pm

This class will explore the 12 basic asanas including inversions, forward bends, backward bends, and twists - as well as some variations of the postures to create a challenging and meditative class.

Friday

Traditional Hatha Yoga all levels 12-1 PM

Including pranayama (breathing techniques), Asanas (steady postures), and a long final relaxation, this class is a simple and meditative practice for bringing health to the body and mind.

Kitcheri, Ghee, and an Ayurvedic Consultation

On Thursday afternoon, I visitied Melissa DiRito at Seed's Wellness Center for an Ayurvedic Consultation. I had been on the raw diet for a few days and it was working well, but I needed more dietary guidance. I was also curious about which vitamins and herbs were best for my needs. Melissa spoke with me about my physical and mental condition and examined my tongue, eyes, and pulse. She determined that my Vata was elevated and causing my Pitta to also rise, which was causing some of the symptoms that were concerning me at the time.

One of many helpful suggestions made by Melissa was to follow an Ayurvedic diet. Since my Vata is agitating and increasing my Pitta, she counseled me to follow a Pitta-Vata diet. She also gave me a kitcheri recipe from the Ayurvedic Institute website and suggested that I eat kitcheri for lunch and dinner, and drink a breakfast shake (almonds, flax, banana, mango, sunflower seeds) in the morning for three days, while I transition back to some cooked foods. Here is a picture of my first Kitcheri creation:

I spent Sunday afternoon preparing the Kitcheri and the Ghee. Making Ghee was another first time experience. Ghee is created by heating unsalted butter in a special way. Here are a few of the benefits of ghee, according to the Ayurvedic Institute:

"Ghee is a digestive. It helps to improve absorption and assimilation. It nourishes ojas, tejas and prana. It is good for improving memory and lubricates the connective tissue. Ghee makes the body flexible and, in small doses, is tridoshic."

You can check out both recipes through the Ayurvedic Institute's website here.

Raw Food, Ayurveda, and Kris Carr's Blog

I've been feeling pretty blah lately and I have a hunch that it has to do with my diet. I've been going a little overboard with candy, cupcakes, cookies, and any other form of processed sugar or baked good imaginable. This weekend was the worst sugar crash I've ever had. I needed a clean slate, so I decided to start a raw food diet (for at least a week).

Of course this diet started with a trip to Whole Foods to pick up some veggies, dried and fresh fruit, raw food bars, and hummus (which is already cheating because the chick peas are cooked, but I had to make this exception). There are a lot of resources on the web for raw food eating. Here are a few I've been checking out:

Raw Food Life
Living and Raw Foods
We Like It Raw
The Sunny Raw Kitchen

Its been a little over 24 hours raw and so far, so good. No sugar crashing today. I'll keep you posted.

On another note, I've become quite interested in Ayurveda (the sister science of Yoga). Since arriving home from the ashram, Ayurveda is everywhere I turn. If you are curious about your dosha (, Deepak Chopra's website has a helpful and quick dosha quiz. I have spoken with individuals who follow Aruyvedic practices and found it life-changing. I'm also very insterested in Panchakarma, which according to the Ayurvedic Institute is "...a cleansing and rejuvenating program for the body, mind and consciousness. It is known for its beneficial effects on overall health, wellness and self-healing." There are five daily Panchakarma treatments, practiced for five to seven days. If you would like to learn more about Panchakarma, click here.

Lastly, I can't get the documentary, Crazy Sexy Cancer out of my head! Since watching the movie, I've felt more inspired to ditch harmful products and foods that most people don't think twice about eating or using for personal care (I know I didn't!). Kris Carr's blog is packed with insights that will challenge your everyday habits. Its easy not to notice the harmful chemicals in the lotion, soap, and mascara a lot of us use everyday. Carr makes a thought-provoking point about these habits when she notes in her blog, "Check this out, the largest organ in our body is our skin. What you put on your body, you literally absorb. So if you wouldn’t drink a bottle of Jergens, then don’t put it on your body because your skin literally drinks it in." The website is filled with inspirational and helpful information too!

Crazy, Sexy Cancer on TLC

I just caught Crazy, Sexy, Cancer on TLC and it was an incredible documentary. Totally inspiring and mind-boggling. Here is a small blurb about the film:

"With experimental treatment as her only option, Kris searched for answers where there were none. She traveled throughout the U.S., interviewing experts in alternative medicine as she tenaciously dove head-first into a fascinating and often humorous world of holistic medicine.

Along the way, she met other vivacious young women determined to become survivors. She also met cameraman/editor Brian Fassett; they soon began a romance that finally culminated in a September 2006 wedding. As Kris' amazing journey unfolds, she realizes that healing is about truly living rather than fighting."

Her journey repeatedly touches upon the philosophy of mind, body, and spirit found at the Sivananda ashram. I was a crying mess at the end, not out of sadness, but from pure admiration and naked truth. Just watch it! Click here to learn more.

The trailer is fantastic too! Click here to watch.

Smart Woman Articles

I have scanned and uploaded my Smart Woman articles to a web album here. There will be a new issue on stands very soon!

I'm Home!

It was an amazing month at the Sivananda Yoga Ranch. I will be updating the blog soon with some of my journal entries. I've been home for a couple weeks and I finally feel clear-headed enough to write. And I miss writing! My goal is to eventually divide my time between writing and teaching yoga. This means that I am going to be more proactive about finding new writing opportunities and working consistently on my novel. The past couple months have provided a lot of writing material. I'll end this entry with a picture of me on my head in the Catskills. It sums up my experience pretty well...


PS- I teach at Baltimore Yoga Village on Monday Tuesday and Wednesday 7am, Wednesday 9:30am, Thursday 6:15pm, and Friday 12pm.