Monday, April 28, 2008

Update: Yoga, Juicing and Corporate Wellness

hello everyone,

So much has been going on since i wrote last. i've done a few different yoga workshops which have helped me to continue to progress my personal yoga practice. i believe that we should all be life-long students and i love being a student and learning new things. the key is to keep a "child's mind". be open to new things every day. Annie Carpenter from California was in DC a few weeks ago and she conducted three days worth of fabulous workshops. if you get a chance to take a workshop with her- do it. she is very knowledgeable and is able to really get you to understand different body sensations and movements. this past weekend i did a two day workshop with stan andrzejewski who is a physical therapist and yoga practitioner located in Baltimore, Maryland. it was great to get his viewpoint on the use of yoga as physical therapy. I love spending an entire weekend doing yoga and getting deeper into my mind, body and spirit.

I continue to juice every single day. i'm addicted. i honestly can't imagine a day without my juice. i drink 32ozs per day of my juice of choice which has been:

6-7 stalks of celery
2 cucumbers
5 carrots
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch parsley
a few handfuls spinach
a few handfuls chard
a few handfuls kale

I eliminated the apple to decrease the sugar and i simplified it compared to what i was doing before. this juice tastes fabulous and is light and refreshing. i do add apple for my son who drinks this out of his sippy cup.

for dinners lately i've been doing a one bowl mixture of:

chopped cucumbers (without seeds)
a variety of greens (watercress, herbed mix, baby greens, arugala etc)
a variety of sprouts (clover, radish, alfalfa, broccoli, arugala etc)
sundried tomatos (sometimes- it gives it a fabulous taste)
1/2 avocado
sprinkle of kelp and other sea veggies (nori, dulse)
each night i do a different nut butter (tahini, hemp, sunflower or pumpkin seed butter)
the dressing is: hemp oil, apple cider vinegar and a little of the sundried tomato water


This is a wonderful dinner that gives me good fats and protein and i don't feel too full afterwards. i hate the feeling of eating too much. i like feeling light and energized after eating. remember, you are eating for energy!!

I conducted two new corporate wellness programs last week. one was focused on holistic nutrition and practical ways to incorporate holistic nutrition into your daily life. the other program was focused on balanced living and how to create daily rituals that will help you balance all your primary foods (all your passions in life). both were successful and well received. i love conducting workshops and getting the word out about healthy living to groups of people.

April 19th i celebrated my 32nd b-day and my son mason celebrated his 18 month b-day. B-days to me are a time to celebrate everything you accomplished and reassess goals and life for the future. however, one of the most important things i do is set the intention to focus on the present. to be more mindful and live in the moment. to stop multi-tasking and focus on the activity at hand. i'm currently reading "the power of now" by eckhart tolle (can you believe i have not read this yet). remember to inundate yourself with everything you can on the subjects you love.

Now that spring is here remember to enjoy the variety of amazing fruits and vegetables coming into season. Chew each bite thoroughly and enjoy. shop at organic markets and buy from local farmers.

Be Well,
kelly