November 13, 2012 · 5:33 pm

30-Day Yoga Challenge

Hey everyone! It has been a ridiculously long time since I’ve posted anything. Many of you know that in addition to teaching yoga, I am a private teacher for a 9-year-old boy named Charles and so I do a ton of traveling with him and his parents. The last 8 months have been a whirlwind of airports, lesson planning and teaching in an array of locations–both exciting and exhausting!

Recently, we haven’t been traveling as much, which is a much-welcomed reprieve. Most people, upon hearing what I do, tell me how lucky I am and how amazing it must be. And it is, to an extent. But those of you who travel a lot I’m sure can relate that after a while you just want to stay in one place for a while and not think about a suitcase! And so, the first few weeks of fall were glorious; I was able to catch up with friends, TV and sleep! However, the last few weeks of October, I found myself in a terrible routine of staying up late and waking up late, often sacrificing my yoga practice for my couch and The Daily Show and Colbert. While the saying may be that laughter is the best medicine, it appears it can only do so much because I ended up getting sick (and consequently spending more time on the couch!). Then Sandy hit and I officially hit my limit of down-time. I needed to get moving again, and my first step was to get my yoga practice back.

I used to be here...

I used to be here…

...and now I'm here :-/

…and now I’m here :-/

 

So here’s the deal: I will find time to practice every day, even if it ends up being just a few sun salutations. Then I will blog about my experiences here: where I practiced, the style of the class, and anything new or interesting that happened in my class and my own practice that day. Blogging about this challenge will not only help to motivate me more, since I have now shared my challenge publicly, but maybe it will also be helpful to some of you yogis out there! I’m looking forward to seeing where this challenge takes me both mentally and physically as I share these yoga “snax” with you all!

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February 21, 2012 · 11:21 am

A Good Sign

Many of you know that part of my gig as a yoga teacher is teaching children in the pediatric department at a hospital in Brooklyn.  This is thanks to the generosity of the Starlight Children’s Foundation, where I used to work.   I was (and am) so excited to be back working with Starlight, which does amazing work for seriously ill children and their families–such as providing yoga in the hospitals!

I was fully prepared for the emotions involved with working with sick children; I don’t think you ever get over seeing small children in a hospital bed (or crib for that matter).  However, what I had not been prepared for was the fact that it is virtually impossible to be prepared…at least, not in the way that I was familiar.  No day at the hospital is the same, so every week I am presented with any of the following: group classes, bedside breathing/guided imagery, private sessions with family members, teenagers, toddlers, and everything in between.

Oh the anxiety!

I spent the first few weeks feeling like a fake.  Thoughts of nervousness and doubt were constantly ambushing my mind.  Sure, I’m a yoga teacher and I get along really well with kids, but does that make me a great children’s yoga teacher at the hospital?  Not necessarily.  But how do I become one?  I just spent 20 minutes doing yoga with a little girl’s Barbies, how is that going to help her?  That group class was chaotic, didn’t flow at all, and the one little boy didn’t try any of the poses or breaths.  Why are you even doing this?

Then one day I was leaving, once again being overly critical of my teaching, when I saw a sign with this quote posted on the wall just outside of Pediatrics:

“It’s not how much you do, but how much love you put in the doing.”

~Mother Theresa

And it all clicked.  What I am doing is great, not because my teaching is perfect, but because my intentions are good.  In yoga, we always begin our practice by setting an intention; life off the mat is no different.  The mission of the Starlight Children’s Foundation is to brighten the lives of seriously ill children and their families–which is exactly my intention.  So if playing yoga Barbie brightened that little girl’s day, then that was successful.  Keeping this in mind has given me greater confidence in my abilities as a yoga teacher, which in turn has helped me to relax and just have FUN with it–because at the end of the day, seeing a smile or hearing that what we did felt good to a child is way better than teaching the “perfect class” (what is that, anyway?).

Who knows more about giving love than Mother Teresa?

Last week, I had the opportunity to have  a second session with a little boy who I’d met the week before.  Then, he had limited mobility, so he stayed in bed and we had the most wonderful session of guided imagery; the places he went and the things he saw were truly heart-warming.  This time, I was glad to see that he was up and walking about, with just a slight hunch in his shoulders.  I asked him what he would like to do and he said, “I think I should do some stretching since I can move around more now.”  We ended up squishing ourselves into the only space we could find.  A few months ago, I probably would have been stressed out because the space was not ideal and limited what we could do.  But this time I kept Mother Teresa’s words in mind and, together with his mom, we breathed deeply as we did basic seated stretches, twists, heart openers and some standing balancing poses (his favorite).  We giggled as he renamed Cobbler Pose “peanut butter and jelly” (because your feet touch like a sandwich), and encouraged mom when her hips weren’t as open as his to move into a pose.  When we were finished, he stood up and his mom pointed out how much taller he was standing.  He had a huge grin on his face and told me that he felt more relaxed, which in turn made me feel wonderful.

When you put all the love into the doing, it comes back to you many times over.  All it took was a sign on the wall for me to realize it.  What signs have you been given?

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February 11, 2012 · 1:39 pm

Saturday Snax: Avocado Toast

What is better than avocado?  Avocado spread on toast!  One of my favorite things to eat is the avocado toast at Cafe Gitane  on Mott Street in NYC.  And while I’m lucky enough to work in the neighborhood, this treat is just as easy to make from the comfort of home!

A perfect snack.

What you need:

1 Ripe Avocado (Has some give when you press into it, outer skin has darkened)

2-4 slices whole wheat bread (depending on how much avocado you like)

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Pinch of Salt

Sprinkle of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

To make:

Toast the bread.  While it’s toasting, peel and pit your avocado.  This is done by cutting into the avocado and running your knife all the way around the outside.  Twist the avocado and pull open.  Using a larger knife, remove the pit by swinging the bottom of the blade down onto the pit (it’s all in the wrist!), then twisting to loosen it and remove.  Use a fork or spoon to scoop out the avocado meat into a small bowl.  Mash up the avocado with the fork.  Add the lemon juice and salt and mix.  Spread the avocado mixture onto your toast, then sprinkle on the red pepper flakes to your liking (just remember not to touch your eyes after handling the red pepper flakes!  Not that I have done this…).

Then…enjoy!  Bon appetit!

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February 9, 2012 · 12:04 am

Stop, Collaborate, and Listen

This weekend I visited my 94-year-old grandparents (but you didn’t hear their age from me).  They are both amazing–still living in the house my mother grew up in, my grandmother cooks and cleans (lugging a vacuum cleaner up and down the stairs) and my grandfather takes walks and swims after a quadruple bypass 8 years ago.  Both still drive, both have amazing memories of names of people, places and events from over seventy years ago.  And both grew up in a time very different from today–at least in terms of social norms.

Those are some good-looking 94-year-olds.

So, needless to say, I was taken by surprise when during the visit, my grandfather asked me how I felt about gay marriage.  Anyone who’s met Harry knows he’s made some comments that only a 90+ year old could get away with these days, so what was even more surprising about his question was that he was genuinely interested in what I thought.  He wasn’t bringing it up to start an argument, but seemingly to get a new perspective in order to see all sides.

I told him what I thought–that any couple who loves each other and is committed each other should be able to get married, no matter their gender.  When he asked, “But what about the children being raised by gay parents?” I responded that, in my opinion, a home with two loving parents is better than one where the parents are constantly fighting and creating a toxic environment–regardless of gender.  Not to mention the numerous financial and legal benefits that come with marriage that many same-sex couples haven’t had access to.

I heard his side too:  That it was something he was never exposed to (that he was aware of) for most of his life, so it certainly wasn’t part of his social norms.  Furthermore, he worried about the children of homosexual couples and if they would be affected (having had a difficult upbringing himself, he is always worried about children in any situation).  For the most part, he told me with a thoughtful expression that he “just couldn’t wrap his brain around it.”

In the end, I’m pretty sure I didn’t change my grandfather’s mind on the issue, but that wasn’t my goal, nor was it what I took from our conversation.  Rather, it was really refreshing to have a civil conversation about this controversial issue.  In a time where people post their opinions on issues and current events in social media (such as…what I am doing in this blog…) the art of lively, face to face conversation, the exchange of opinions, and debate has become a rarity.  Instead, it is replaced by “likes,” retweets, and short comments that may or may not support the posted opinion.  In this forum, you don’t really have to listen, tone can be misinterpreted, judgements made, and debates can escalate to arguments or end abruptly in silence.

In yoga, we practice non-judgement: of ourselves, our yoga practice, and others.  Of course, the key word there is practice, and that effort can make a huge difference in our outlook on ourselves, others, and the world as a whole.  When it comes to issues like gay marriage, those who disagree with it can lose sight of the fact that the decisions surrounding it affect real, live people.  If those on the opposing side of an issue really stopped to see the full picture, and even ask questions like my grandfather, they may just find that the people they are judging are not so different from them.  Take Ellen Degeneres, for example.  This week on her show, Ellen responded to critics of her JC Penny partnership (who are against it simply because she is gay) by saying, “I stand for honesty, equality, kindness, compassion, treating people the way you want to be treated, and helping those in need. To me, those are traditional values. That’s what I stand for.”  That sure sounds like someone I would want representing my company, doesn’t it?

This week brought great news to gay marriage supporters in California and Washington, with Prop 8 being ruled unconstitutional and the gay marriage bill being passed, respectively.  As support continues to grow, I hope that more conversations happen, whether face to face or via media, which foster genuine interest  in differing perspectives and debate without judgement.  Total agreement on every issue is not what our country needs; practicing those traditional values that Ellen talked about–equality, kindness and the Golden Rule–is what will truly bring people together.  My relationship with my grandfather is proof of that.

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December 24, 2011 · 10:56 am

Sweets Who Shall Not Be Named

This time of year, there is so much to be done…shopping, traveling, gift-giving…and of course, baking. Baking is one of my favorite past-times, and I do a lot of it, especially during the holidays. Cupcakes, cookies, brownies, breads…You name it, I’ve probably baked it. My friends and family love my baking…But I’ve been keeping a secret. A secret that only a few people know about, that just became easier not to mention because of preconceived notions.

I’m a vegan baker.

There. I said it.

There have been times when saying the word vegan in front of people has felt equivalent to Harry openly saying the name Voldemort. Instead, I’ve used the phrase, “Dairy-free” to describe my baked goods…if anything at all. I do get it; the unknown can be scary. And don’t get me wrong, I’ve tasted plenty of vegan baked goods that left much to be desired. But when done the right way, deliciousness results. So rather than keeping everyone in the dark, I’m going to shed light on my baking practices. You may be surprised by how easy it is and want to give it a try yourself!

1. It’s easy to “veganize” any recipe. For the most part, you’ll just be replacing the butter and eggs. Earth Balance is the best alternative to butter, it’s a margarine that uses non-hydrogenated oil.

2. Depending on what you are baking, there are several options for egg replacements. Cakes and breads are the easiest, because you can just use bananas or (my preference) applesauce, which makes for an extremely moist, delicious cake. For cookies and brownies, there is a miracle product called Ener-G Egg Replacer. It is a powder that, when mixed with water, turns the consistency of an egg white. It’s sole purpose is for binding, you wouldn’t fry it up in a pan to eat like an egg. But the results in baking are fantastic. It can be manipulated in all kinds of ways, depending on the kind of eggs needed in the baking (i.e., egg whites or yolks instead of whole eggs).

Decked in an amazing 70s design, this box is the secret weapon to Vegan Baking.

3. Using egg replacer is also wallet-friendly. Rather than having to buy eggs each time you decide to bake, you can keep this box in your cabinet forever for under $5. Depending on how much baking you do, it can last well over a year.

4. For recipes calling for milk, there are a number of options: soy, rice or almond milk. “Buttermilk” can be made by adding apple cider vinegar to a milk alternative to create a curdled effect.

5. An even bigger bonus of baking egg-free? You can eat the dough without worries of salmonella making you sick! And trust me…it’s just as delicious. Not to mention the health factor that less eggs and butter gives these recipes.

Now that you’ve got the basics, I’ll share my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. I gave a container of them to my mom last week, and my dad only managed to get one before they were gone. That said, if you have your own favorite recipe, try veganizing it!

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup Earth Balance, softened

3/4 cup sugar (I like to use raw sugar)

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 tsp vanilla extract

Ener-G Egg Replacer for 2 eggs (see box for mixing directions)

2 cups chocolate chips (Bakers and Ghiradelli both offer dairy-free options…just check the labels and make sure there’s no milk. Cocoa butter is fine)

1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda). Set aside.

3. In a larger mixing bowl, cream together the Earth Balance and both sugars until well incorporated. Stir in vanilla extract.

4. Add egg replacer about one egg at a time, mixing well after each.

5. Slowly begin to stir in the dry ingredients until just incorporated-don’t over-stir.

6. Add in the chocolate chips and nuts (if desired).

7. Drop tablespoons of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 9 minutes.

Yum!

8. Let sit for about 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

9. Enjoy!

They may be missing eggs and butter, but they are definitely not missing delicious flavor!

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November 24, 2011 · 2:27 pm

The Wisdom of Coach Taylor

Extremely grateful for this love muffin.

“Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.” One of the greatest lines from a TV show if you ask me. But when you really think about it, it’s also a great perspective to take in life. In yoga, we dedicate our practice to emptying the mind and filling the heart in order to see more clearly and live more deeply. Coach Taylor would probably scoff, but he is quite the yogi.

I have been feeling this mantra even more deeply in recent months. My heart is so full of gratitude for all of the incredible changes and amazing opportunities that have come my way. But even more importantly, I am so thankful for all of my family and friends, who have been such an amazing support system along the way. Thank you will never be enough to express how I feel about all of you.

While I won’t be with my family today for Thanksgiving, I am fortunate to be able to spend it with my friend Ashleigh at her family’s alpaca farm! Extremely grateful to have such hospitable friends all over the country.

Wherever you are and whomever you are with today, I wish you all a healthy, safe and delicious Thanksgiving….and of course, clear eyes and full hearts.

 

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November 10, 2011 · 4:26 pm

Taking This Yoga on the Road

Traveling is one of my passions; the feeling of landing in a new city, trying the local food, having crazy adventures. It’s one of the main reasons my new job was so appealing to me. But kind of travel I do is usually pretty hectic, and now it is going to be much more frequent with work travel thrown in he mix. Between long flights, lugging around heavy luggage and lots of walking around exploring the area and culture, my body can take a beating. Yoga is a great way to take care of yourself while your travel. But classes are not always accessible and yoga mats may not fit in your luggage, especially if you’re packing light. So what’s a yogi to do?

Fortunately, there are a few fantastic options that allow you to take your yoga with you, no matter what. There are travel mats that are super thin and able to fold up like a towel, making them extremely suitcase-friendly. Manduka has a fantastic mat (I got mine as a gift from my sister last year and I love it!). It is a thin, no-slip rubbery material that I can take anywhere.

If you want to go even lighter, Gaiam sells gloves and socks with rubber on the palms and soles so you can literally do yoga anywhere. These are also great to use with a mat if your hands tend to get sweaty and prevent you from getting a good grip.

Finally, if you don’t feel comfortable making up your own practice, there are several free podcasts that you an download from iTunes. Yoga Download and Yoga Journal are great. If you’ll have your laptop with you, websites like Yoga Today and Yoga Glo offer full-length classes. Yoga Today has one free class each week, but is only $10 per month for unlimited access to all of their classes.

Hopefully these tools will help you maintain your yoga practice on your travels so you can keep up your energy for your adventures and still feel rested when you get home. Bon Voyage!

20111110-202248.jpg

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October 29, 2011 · 2:54 pm

Saturday Snax: Butternut squash soup

Since we’ve time-traveled right to January today, I thought I’d share with you one of my favorite cold-weather recipes: butternut squash soup.  It is quintessentially fall and the perfect, hearty soup to warm you up on a cold (wintery-feeling) autumn night.

I didn't make this particular bowl, but my soup looks a heck of a lot like it!

Just a slight disclaimer…I tend not to really measure things, so the amounts I’ve listed below are estimations.  Trust your taste buds!

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash

2 tablespoons olive oil

1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled minced

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups vegetable stock (you may need more or less depending on the size of the squash)

1-2 tablespoons cinnamon (but really I don’t think you can go overboard here)

1 tablespoon allspice

1 tablespoon nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup heavy cream (or soy creamer–it adds the thickness without making it super heavy)

toasted hazelnuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Cut the butternut squash in half and scoop out the seeds (you can set these aside and toast them later!)  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with some salt and pepper, then place the halves of squash face-down and roast for 30-40 minutes.  Remove and let cool before handling.  Peel the skin away and cut into cubes.

2. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the minced ginger and garlic.  Saute for about 2 minutes until fragrant.  Add the veggie stock, let it come to a slight boil then turn down the heat and let it simmer for a few minutes.

3. Combine the squash and the veggie stock in a food processor or a blender (depending on the size of the squash, I often have to do this in two batches).  I also recommend slowly adding the stock so you can achieve the desired thickness.

4. Once it is blended and smooth, return the soup to your pot and place back on the stove over medium-low heat.  Add your spices, to taste.  Just as you did with the stock, slowly add the cream until you reach the desired consistency.

5. Serve with hazelnut garnish and your favorite thick-toasted bread on the side.

Enjoy!

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October 26, 2011 · 4:45 pm

The Universe is all Green Lights

Over the past few months, I have had the opportunity to make some pretty significant changes in my life:  first by becoming a yoga teacher and getting to teach to real, live people (adults and children!) and then getting a new job that not only affords me the time to teach yoga, but is also going to give me incredible travel opportunities and challenge me professionally.  Right about now I would have to say my life is pretty grand.  I keep asking myself, how the heck did this happen?  Am I just a stupidly lucky girl who was in the right place at the right time?  Maybe.  But I believe it’s a little bit more than that.

Less than three months ago, my life was still pretty great.  I was pursuing teaching yoga and had a fantastic job teaching preschool with wonderful teachers and students.  Yoga was really starting to take off and I was getting a lot of opportunities to teach.  One such opportunity was teaching children in a pediatric unit at a hospital in Brooklyn.  Amazing!  But all of this happened while I was on summer vacation.  How could I make this work with 8-hour school days and an hour commute to and from work each day?  I knew that I was going to have to make a change; I began thinking that yoga would have to wait a year, and then I’d figure out another way to do it.  I considered leaving New York when the school year was finished.  I even submitted a resume to a school with a better commute and shorter hours, thinking that would solve everything.  Not only was I thinking these things, but I began voicing my concerns to friends and family.  “How great would it be to be able to teach school while having time during the week to teach yoga?” was something that I often thought to myself and aloud.

Then one morning I was having brunch with several girlfriends after teaching a yoga class, and one of them asked if I’d be interested in a new opportunity as a private teacher traveling with a family.  My initial thought was, sure, that sounds amazing, but I can’t do that, I have a job.  But as the day went on, I continued to think about it until I said to myself, “But really, why not?”  Over the next few weeks, I talked to my friend about the job a great deal more until I finally came to the conclusion that it was an opportunity I just couldn’t pass up.

Perhaps it is all luck.  I just happened to be in the right place at the right time with the right friend who had this opportunity for me.  There is definitely some truth to that.  But there is another factor, or rather, factors.  The first being: me.  My willingness to bring change into my life.  And with that, an open mind.  Just putting something out into the universe isn’t going to give us exactly what we want (because if that’s the case, money would be raining down from the sky all over the country).  No, once you put something out there, it’s important to be open to the fact that sometimes what we want comes to us in a completely different package than we were expecting–like this job, which I wasn’t looking for but turned out to be exactly what I needed.  And other times, we don’t get something we thought we wanted because something even better, that we really need, is right around the corner (For example, that other school I applied to?  I never even got an interview.  At first I was disappointed…but now?  Really grateful.).

Recently, a friend shared with me this saying: “The universe is all green lights.”  Meaning, whatever we put out in the universe is what we will get.   If you are a person that says, “I always lose my keys,” then…you will always lose your keys.  But if you say, “I am learning to remember where I put my keys,” then maybe, just maybe, you will start remembering (my friend says this has really worked for her!).

It’s not about being unrealistic.  It’s about being willing to make changes and having the ability to recognize the open doors, even if they’re where you never expected to find them.  I am extremely grateful I saw the green light and walked through my door.  Have you found yours?

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September 1, 2011 · 7:35 pm

Happy Yoga Month!

 Hello Yogis!  September is National Yoga Month, which was started as a way to bring awareness to the practice of  yoga and healthy living.  In honor of this occasion, I am offering a free private or semi-private session to anyone  interested, whether you are brand new to yoga, are interesting in deepening your practice, or just want some quality Colleen time.  It’s never too late (or early!) to start, and what a better way to do it than a free private session?

If you’re interested, you can visit my contact page to email me.  Please include your contact info and whether or not you’ve ever practiced yoga, and what you’re looking for in a private session.

Feel free to spread the word!  I look forward to hearing from you.

Shanti!

Yoga is possible for anybody who really wants it. Yoga is universal. –Sri Krishna Pattabhi Jois

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