Preparing to Cleanse

The time has come to do another cleanse!  Henry and I had attempted to do one together at the start of fall, but it wasn't very successful.  Cleansing is personal for me I guess and I do better if I focus on just my own cleanse instead of worrying about my husband too haha!

Why cleanse?  Many great reasons to cleanse!  Everyday we are constantly around toxins.  Cleansing gives the body a chance to get rid of toxins and re-energize itself.  Cleansing helps aid in liver and kidney function.  Eliminating processed foods and certain foods that are harder for your body to break down, your system has a chance to rest and feel nourished.  The skin also benefits from a cleanse as well, becoming more radiant.  The body can return to a balanced state.  After a cleanse it is easier to maintain healthy habits.

Creating a sense of ritual & relaxation through cleansing helps soothe the soul.  This time while cleansing I will focus on a whole mind body purification.  Starting the day with seated meditation, light yoga and warm water with lemon & honey.  Treating myself to dry skin brushing to help with circulation and detoxification.  Doing self massage after the shower with body oil.  Sometimes cleansing is not just about what we drink and eat, but also looking at our lives and realizing where else can we do a little clean up.  Maybe reading more, spending less time online.  I will of course update my blog, but I plan to try my best to limit my time sitting in front of the screen.

My cleanse will begin on November 1st and will be a 2 week long cleanse.  I will be using the Whole Foods 14 day cleanse kit again (same one I did in the spring) which has a fiber pill, laxative pill and liver detox pill.  I ordered some organic roasted dandelion root tea to enjoy along with some other teas I have on hand, as I will not be drinking coffee.  No processed food, sugar, dairy, alcohol...super clean eating here I come!!! 

Holiday Feasts and What to Eat

Ah the holiday time is quickly approaching!  I love getting together with family and friends to enjoy a wonderful meal and be thankful for all we have.  The past few years I have been making some side dishes to bring along.  I like to take a twist on fresh cranberry sauce adding in another fruit to lighten up the sugar needed.  Last year I decided we need a sweet potato dish, so I added caramelized sweet potatoes alongside our standard mashed squash.  I also put my adorable corn cob cast iron molds to good use making little corn bread sticks.  This year I am planning on adding some delicious vegetarian main dishes to the table.  I have been looking at stuffed squash recipes.  Leaning towards making a squash stuffed with wild rice and cranberries & pecans!  Martha Stewart.com has some good looking recipes on her Everything Thanksgiving: Meatless Thanksgiving Recipes.  People ask me all the time how can I be a vegetarian and what do I eat....well there's so much to eat!  I love fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, grains!  After being vegetarian during high school and even dabbling in being vegan when I lived in NYC, I then fell of the wagon in my mid twenties.  I battled with my need to control my weight from my high school days of dancing into my early twenties when I always felt the pressure to look a certain way.  NYC amplified that for me and it became a bit of a problem, but that could be a whole other blog...so anyway, after I moved away from the city I sort of gave all that up and it became a free for all!  Of course I gained weight and felt more sluggish.  Then came the time to realize things and come back to the person I wanted to be.  One filled with compassion for animals and focused on healthy living.  Personally I can no longer enjoy eating meat and feel better living my life as a vegetarian.  My journey deeper into yoga and deciding to train to be a yoga teacher guided me back to my veggie self.  Something just clicked, and while it is not easy to say no to some of the things I used to enjoy, it is harder to get over the thought of eating an animal.  This blog is by no means to be taken the wrong way, it is everyone's personal choice whether or not to eat meat.  I'm just sharing with you my choice of not eating animals and some insight of why I chose not to and what I enjoy eating instead.  Thanksgiving for me will be filled with stuffed squash, green beans, corn bread, potatoes & vegetarian mushroom gravy, cranberry sauce, and maybe a piping hot serving of leek bread pudding thanks to Martha Stewart!  And don't forget apple & pumpkin pie are vegetarian too!!!  With much love and gratitude to all beings, wishing everyone a joyful holiday season!!!

Glowing Practices

Why black light yoga you ask???  Isn't everything better when you glow?!  That's what I think!

Doing yoga with the soft glow from black lights is not only fun but also opens up your practice to a new dimension.  You can let go of judgement, instead all you see is the beautiful glow from everyone's white or neon clothes!  Something magical happens when you put music, movement and the "glow" all together during a yoga practice.  You can reach a more meditative feeling by flowing through some continuous Sun Salutations.  A black light practice can also create a fun atmosphere, wearing glow bracelets and tapping into our child-like spirits.  Finding laughter as we challenge our balance in the dark.  Maybe even bouncing a little in downward dog to the music!  Get your glow on!!!