My Yoga Immersion / AWARENESS

i'm in the process of doing a "yoga as therapy" program / advanced yoga studies training and this coming weekend is one of my immersion weekends. during these weekends i truly immerse myself in the yoga world. i met today with my mentor for a private 2 hour discussion and it was fabulous. we sat and discussed the philosophy of yoga as therapy and it gave me a lot to research and think about. now i'm sitting down with my books and thoughts and putting it all together.
one reason i'm doing this training is to continue to develop as a person in this world. to get the most out of the world and feel, see and experience everything that i can. yoga makes me more present. it increases my awareness of my thoughts, feelings, emotions, connections with people and so much more. it is through my deeper study of yoga that i want to go deeper into knowing myself. AWARENESS is the only way that i will learn more about myself. AWARENESS is the only way i can help my patients and clients learn more about themselves. i, as the teacher, need to help my students become AWARE of their body alignment, postural abnormalities, breathing patterns and more. through this AWARENESS we then work on making changes.
my focus this weekend is on AWARENESS- for myself and how to effectively teach my patients and clients AWARENESS.

namaste, kelly

My Little Chefs / Pics of Ice Cream

Owen and Mason are constantly helping me in the kitchen. Here are a few of our most recent creations and some fun pics.
you never know when there might be a flood in the kitchen!!


Another delish batch of my raw vegan nutrient-dense ice cream made of almond milk, sun warrior vanilla protein powder, bananas, soy lecithin or sunflower lecithin, vanilla stevia, vanilla extract, lucuma and mesquite. check out some old posts for specific recipes. i've been making this at least once a week lately!!

i love to eat it in my fancy glass and let it melt around the edges!!

our favorite crunchy salty snack (or meal sometimes!!)- KALE CHIPS!!! we eat these right out of the dehydrator when they are warm and yummy!!

namaste, kelly

Quote / Yoga Therapy Studies / Mentor

I saw this quote today, loved it and want to share it with everyone:
"It's not what we eat but what we digest that makes us strong; not what we gain but what we save that makes us rich; not what we read but what we remember that makes us learned; and not what we profess but what we practice that gives us integrity." Francis Bacon

As many of you know i love being a student for life. there is always something new to learn and experience. I'm in the process of doing an advanced Yoga Therapy Program and my 500 hour Yoga Training. I've been using Yoga Therapy in my practice for years now but want to expand my knowledge and build on my current experience. I have a very scientific mind and i look forward to going deeper into the energetic mind, body and spirit. there is more to healing than just the physical body. there are so many layers to open up and address in the healing process. yoga can help to uncover these layers, get to the core of dysfunction and allow healing to take place. i truly believe that EVERYONE can and should practice some form of yoga. so one of my goals of pursuing my 500 hour certification is to inundate myself in the yoga world for the next year or two and then forever.
I believe i will be involved in some form of training all the time. living my wellness is a journey i look forward to being on forever!! and learning ways to help others on their journey to wellness is one of my missions in life. people ask what is the purpose of life. one of my purposes in life is to help others be at piece with their body, mind and spirit.

i've studied with a variety of teachers and was searching for my next mentor. i believe its important to always have a mentor or mentors in my professional and personal life. i like having people to bounce ideas off of, discuss patients and clients with and just BE present with. so i'm excited to go even deeper into my yoga world. in an ideal world i would go away to india for a few months- but that won't be happening any time soon!!!
i'm excited for tomorrow- i'm making my crispy kale chips and arugula beet salad!! its on my mind already!!!

namaste, kelly

Daily Silence and Meditation

Every day i find time to be alone and breathe. Today when owen woke from his nap, i picked him up and he just melted into my chest (usually he is ready to go for round two!!). I sat on our comfy new sofa, closed my eyes and just let him and i be in silence together for over 30 minutes. it was an amazing experience. the feeling of his heart beating on mine, his breath on my skin and his little hands gently holding on to me. I rubbed his back and head and thought i never wanted that moment to end. This was exactly where i needed to be at that moment- no place to go, nothing else to think about, nothing else to do. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it.

i challenge everyone to find time everyday to just be. Be alone, be with your thoughts, be with your breath. This is a good technique to use if you are feeling frazzled-like life is just passing you by. we can get caught up in the mundane activities of every day living. or we can make each moment a brand new experience by being present in the moment.

Times of silence and meditation can happen in small chunks of time or large chunks of time. I catch a few minutes of silence in the car when i'm waiting to pick up mason from school. My long period of silence/meditation is right before bed when i reflect on my day and set intentions for the next day. Everyone can fit them in at some point during the day.

Namaste, kelly

Another Ice Cream!!!

This is mesquite powder. It is a low glycemic index sweetener that is both nutritious and delicious. It gave a wonderful rich flavor to my ice cream today!!!


ok- so i'm obsessed with healthy raw vegan ice creams lately. here is what i did today. I have no pics again because i blended it at 5 am this morning before work and had my nanny put it in the ice cream maker at 3ish so it would be fresh and ready when the boys and i got home. today's recipe tasted even creamier than yesterdays and even had a little coffee flavor from the mesquite. it was fabulous!!!

3 cups brazil nut milk
4 frozen bananas
3 scoops sun warrior vanilla protein powder
2 large tbsps mesquite
4 tbsps non-gmo lecithin
1 tsp vanilla extract
10 drops vanilla stevia
dash of sea salt

blend it all up and place in ice cream maker. ENJOY!!!

namaste, kelly