Be in the Adventure.

It is already November and as the days seem to pass so quickly, I find myself searching out time, whether it be 5 minutes or 5 hours, to enjoy the fall. I flew to San Francisco over the past weekend to spend time with one of my best friends from college and to see one of my yoga teachers. It was a wonderful weekend, but an eye-opening one as well. When everyone gets busy in life, it gets more difficult to carve time for everything you want to do, but at different points life creates certain opportunities for us to slow down. When we get the chance to take time out and to reconnect, I think it is such a wonderful thing-- almost a magical one really, but it can also make you realize the passage of time. It can show us how things change, people change and perhaps you change. I hope that in some way as we get older we all become a little bit more of who we've always been. As we grow up and stop trying to please everyone, or be someone who we think we "should" be, I hope we come closer to ourselves. On Sunday, the last day of the workshop I had been in, my teacher started talking about something that both my mom and I had the same conversation about prior to the workshop. He said that our shakti, agni... that fire part of us, that soul part of us is always waiting for us, and my mom had said the very same thing to me just a few days before. They both were saying how we don't go looking for our soul, but that our soul is actually waiting for us, waiting for us to wake up to it, to listen to it, to realize it, feel it and follow it. I thought that was such an incredible thing to say and a wonderful way to view it. It's not about looking for something, it's about waking up to what already exists. It's waking up to everything we are, to who we are and to who we've always been and are meant to become. I feel so thankful to the practice of yoga, to all of my teachers, my incredible parents and brother, because they have always in some way been the ones who silently and gently shook my soul. As I sit here writing this, I can't help but feel very grateful to all the people, places and practices who in some way helped to wake me back up to myself. I am so thankful for my friend who lives in SF, for all the times she was there for me, especially in college and even though we don't see each other very much now and are very far away, I am so blessed for the times we have spent together. It is funny how life unfolds.... and as one of my teachers always says to me, be in the adventure, stay in it and let it take you where it may. I think the adventure is all about following our soul. We have no idea where it will take us, but if we have the courage to have faith and follow it, I believe it will lead us on the trip of a lifetime and you don't have to worry about losing yourself, because you already have everything you need. 

So go. Adventure. Ask for you what you want and don't go back to sleep. :)

Pumpkin Energy Bites

I found this recipe from Gimme' Some Oven the other day and I can't wait to make them today for class tonight! Here is the recipe if you would like to make them too!

Gimme' Some Oven:: No Bake Pumpkin Energy Bites

Ingredients

• 8 oz. (about 1 packed cup) chopped dates
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 Tbsp. chia seeds or flax seeds
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup old-fashioned oats (dry, not cooked)
• 1 cup toasted coconut flakes
• 1 cup toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Method

Combine the dates, honey, pumpkin puree, chia (or flax) seeds, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt in a food processor, and pulse until smooth and combined.

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, and stir in the oats, coconut flakes and pepitas until evenly combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Once the mixture is cool (and easier to work with), use a spoon or cookie scoop to shape it into your desired size of energy balls. (Mine were about 1-inch in diameter.) Alternately, you can line a small baking pan with parchment paper, and press the mixture evenly into the pan, let it cool, and then cut into bars.

Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. (Storing them in the refrigerator especially helps the energy bites hold their shape.)

(c) 2013 Gimme Some Oven. All rights reserved.

Ali’s Tip: If you feel like adding a little extra sweetness, these would also be great with some cinnamon or white chocolate chips tossed in.

A note.

It's funny how a simple note can make our whole day. This morning I woke up to one from Natalia in Moscow, a dedicated reader of this blog, and I felt so thankful for her kind words. Writing this blog, has always been one of my favorite things to get up and do... It serves now as almost a diary or journal noting the past 3 to 4 years of my life. I started writing this as a way to reach out, to share and to be a little more courageous when it comes to honesty with myself and others. Like yoga, it serves almost as check-in because I can only really write what I feel.

I just wanted to say thank you to Natalia for the sweet note, my friend Ransom for sending me a book last week, and all the other people in my life who constantly encourage me every single day to keep going...

Around this time last year, here are a few things I was writing about:

-Most Importantly
-Fear
-Courage

:) Wishing you all a lovely October day!

An adventure back to myself...

Hi there, I am happy to be sitting here writing. We are at the end of August, approaching the beginning of September and I can't seem to wrap my mind around it. This month has flown by and where to begin, I'm not even sure. My teacher, Maria flew into town from Yoga Ananda in Houston. It was wonderful to have her here in Arkansas and to show her Maitri, since Maitri would not exist without her and YA.

It is crazy how things can change so much within one year. At this time last year, I was still living in Houston, and trying to figure out whether to move to Fayetteville or not. Having Maria in town, was almost like showing her everything she has given me. Yoga truly gave me back my life in a way I could have never imagined the first time I stepped onto a yoga mat.

I think in some ways I have always been afraid to be seen, always been afraid to show up for myself and therefore couldn't really show up for anyone else. When I was 19 something happened, something shifted. I stopped trusting and I checked out. Although I was still walking around functioning, that's about all I was doing. I made decisions that were easy, I made decisions playing it safe so I would never really have to show up or get hurt. It took me a long time to take the disconnected parts of myself and mend them together. I've had many tears fall in yoga, along with lots of sweat and with the out and out resistance faced every single day on the mat, all of this led to slowly shedding the layers of armor I had built around myself. My yoga mat turned me inward so much so, that I little by little started grieving. Grieving for the past, all the times I had never stuck up for myself or fought for myself, grieving for the fear I've felt of vulnerability and slowly realizing how I've seemed to keep everyone at an arm's length distance. Maria, without even knowing it helped me to face all of these things on the mat and what came from it was forgiveness. Realizing that I couldn't have done any better than I did at the time. That forgiveness in many ways led to love, a self-love, which turned into courage and what came from that was Maitri. I mentioned this in a recent post, but at Maitri I am being "seen" every single day I teach. I've put my heart and soul into Maitri and everyone who walks through that door has a window into my humanness that I struggle with every single day. When I taught a class for Maria while she was here, I realized something. I didn't want to fail in front of her... and what did I do? I taught the worst class I've ever taught in my life, or at least, what I thought was the worst class. I cried after that class. I cried and I cried and I wanted to give up. But then I realized something that I hadn't thought about since opening Maitri, I would rather fail a thousand times over than never teach another yoga class. That day, I forgave myself again for being imperfect and I realized that there are so many gifts in our perceived failures. If I hadn't taught a shitty class, then I would have missed the gift, the gift of letting go of the approval from anyone. Maria, my mom, my dad, my brother, my friends, anyone...
Even though I have fear, even though I still have self-doubt and sometimes am very hard on myself, I am reminded to forgive myself, let go and to keep going, and that is what I will remind every person who walks through Maitri every single day. So, as we start to close out the end of August, I am thankful; thankful for each and every new beginning and the fear that reminds us to have the courage to live anyway. :) ::namaste::

Currently :: Loving

Hi friends! Hope you all are well. Life has been busy but good. The studio is going through lots of transitions as we work a new schedule into the mix, as well as new teachers. I am so grateful for all the growth, but it has also added a whole new level to owning a business. My teacher from Houston, Maria, from Yoga Ananda is coming on Sunday and staying for the week to help me out. I am so excited to see her and beyond grateful she is taking the time to come visit. It doesn't quite settle in sometimes that in fact live here in Arkansas and own a yoga studio. Sometimes I look back and think what happened? How did I get here? There are some remnants of what I sometimes feel was my "old life." Which felt much more glamorous than the one I'm living now. However, I am learning to trust where I am and trust the people who have come into my life. It's weird when you start realizing how much things have changed and I am constantly reminded of it living here. I think in so many ways I came back to deal with some things that I didn't deal with before. It's like I've come back to get that part of me that I left behind, hoping in some way to accept all the parts of my life. I have to work on it every single day. It is my yoga just to breathe into the present and let go of everything else. Easier said than done at times. However, I am thankful for the moment and am so blessed to teach this practice. Every single time I get up to teach, everything feels right and in that moment I am reminded that perhaps my life doesn't look like I thought it would, in so many ways it feels like I am exactly where I'm supposed to be. I really hope you all have a wonderful day. PS I am definitely hoping to start writing more and more, writing until anything that might be blocking me is gone!

I posted these three pictures because I absolutely love the fireplace in the first one and really want to add one in my house! I also love what Anne Rice says about writing and am currently looking for a pair of cute boots like the ones above. :)

That's all for today! Enjoy!

images via pinterest  

For the girls...

Dear Amazing Girl...

I read this a while back and it resonated so much within me that I came to tears just reading it and I thought I would share. Lately, I have felt somewhat off track, off balance, unsure and in the midst of everything... trying to make big decisions, run a business, be there not only for myself, but for every other person I come into contact with on a daily basis. I find myself sitting here writing and feeling tired. I haven't been able to sit down and write in a long time. Part of me says there's only so much I can say in one day and most of it is said in my classes, another part of me thinks that in some way, I should have it together by now, and by it meaning my life. The past week I have spent trying to decide on class times to add at Maitri, which wedding I should go to in August since two very important ones happen to be on the same day, while at the same time trying to merge two important parts of my life, a past and a future, and maintaing my sense of self. However, I am reminded on a daily basis that this moment, this moment right here, right now is the only one we're sure about, so when everything gets overwhelming, it is a simple reminder to just breathe and be.

When I started on this path, a different one than I could have ever imagined or dreamed of, I didn't realize that at the beginning of it, I had to make a decision and that decision was the hardest one I've ever made to date and that was to let go of any life I had planned out for me. The boy, the college, the career, all of it. I flushed it and I left. I left because in the midst of the plan, I lost myself. I didn't realize it of course until years later when things started making sense again, but I essentially had to go out and get myself and it wasn't until I had myself that I could ever return home here to Arkansas. A lot of you who know me or might read the blog, know that it has been the hardest transition I've ever made. What's coming up for me now is the fact that I am "seen" just about every single day, and lately I have been struggling through some things. Every day I get up to teach I've thought to myself, can they see it? When I teach I often take whatever comes up that day and in some way share it with every one in the room. But what happens when I might be experiencing the feeling of anger? I think, "shit," I'm a yoga teacher, zen, zen, zen, but then I turn that into fake, fake, fake, so my only option is to show up and be forced to be authentic. Some how that is the only way I know how to teach. You may think that this isn't a big deal, but for a perfectionist, it is. My saving grace is that as soon as I walk into Maitri there is always a huge wave of relief that comes over me because I know I'm safe. What I'm realizing now or learning now is how to be vulnerable yet safe. I used to think that if people truly saw me, my fears, my wounds, my scars, my doubts, my insecurities, that I may not ever be loved. What is crazy to me is that somehow this fear even gets instilled into us. At what point do we forget that we are human? At what point do we forget to forgive ourselves? At what point did we ever think it's not okay to feel and express how we feel? I think somewhere along the way for the longest time, I forgot how to ask for what I need. I am slowly, and I mean very slowly learning how to now. I always have attached asking for what I need to hurting someone, or letting someone down... how I do not know. Perhaps it was easier to be quiet and it became so much easier that I lost my voice. It's taken me a long time to get it back. Lots of therapy and yoga, but every day I try to honor myself a little more. I think as girls we have to stick together. To remind each other to take care of our own hearts, minds, bodies and souls. I was sitting around talking to two of my friends after class today, although we have all had very different experiences, the way that we've felt at one time or another has been the same. One thing that yoga gave to me that has been invaluable is my own self. It has given me courage and still does give me courage every single day to keep going... to keep making the decision each and every day to choose myself. So, my dear amazing girl, I will encourage you to do the same.

The path, the road, the trail, the journey isn't easy. I'm not sure if it ever really will be, but each day I hope we encourage each other to be there for each other, supporting and learning that it's okay to lean on someone, to trust that there are some people in your life who come in and who are in your corner, and the ones who aren't, it's okay to let them go. After all we make the choice and it's a choice every single day. Choose yourself. Love yourself. Trust yourself. Embrace who you are, where you came from, what you've been through and recognize that you are amazing. :)

love and light friends.
::namaste::

Happy

Have you all seen it?? I watched this documentary last Sunday and it is excellent. It takes you through different places, showing you how people live and what makes people truly happy. Scientifically only 10% of happiness comes from material wealth... so where does the other 90% come from? Watch!

It is so good and makes you reevaluate priorities just a little. :)

Happy day, all! 

Inspired Entryways

My house is slowly but surely coming together. My parents gave me a lot of furniture just to start out with so I didn't have to go and buy a lot right off the bat. Slowly I've started adding my own little pieces here and there. Right now, I am inspired by these entryways and want to do something similar. What do you think? When decorating your space did you buy everything all at once or slowly add things as you found them?


images via pinterest :: my favorite spaces

Having Faith.

Happy Tuesday, all! Hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. For the past 10 days I have been helping out with a teacher training boot camp, along side some other studios. It was absolutely incredible and I feel so grateful to have been a part of it. Last night, Maitri had its first new teacher. This may not seem like a big deal, but it is!! Moving here has been challenging, an adjustment not only in lifestyle, but also in starting a business, not knowing whether or not anyone would show up, much less if anyone would ever want to share Maitri and teach there too. I've just had to have a lot of faith, and take big leaps even though I haven't been able to see the whole picture. This week was a really, really healing one for me, just because it's really hard for me to accept support. But last night, watching my friend and fellow teacher up there teaching, my heart was so happy I wanted to cry. God, the universe, whatever you would like to call that thing that's bigger than us, always has it. Things are always working out even when we can't see it. We just have to keep following our hearts each and every day and let the rest go, knowing that everything will be just as it should be.

Sending you all lots of love today. Hope you have a great week!

Market Fresh

One of my favorite things about spring is all of the fresh produce. Here are some great recipes for fresh takes on veggies and fruits this season, just click here: 10 Foods for Spring and enjoy!


Image and recipes via The Glitter Guide

Aim True

Hi everyone, I hope you all are having a wonderful day. The weather is perfect here in Arkansas today. Blue skies, the birds are singing and the sun is out. I am soaking up every minute of it. :)

Over the weekend I went to OKC for a workshop at Soul Yoga with Kathryn Budig. Have you all ever taken a workshop with her? She is awesome. If you haven't experienced her classes yet, they are available on Yogaglo. :)  The first day she sat us down and talked to us before the actual practice. If you have been to her then you probably know what I'm about to talk about...  her motto in life and in yoga is Aim True. She took us through a journey in her shoes, talking about things she's been through and her life in general. She made some really good points, that hit my so hard I felt like being there had to have been a God thing. She basically told me everything I needed to hear. Through this process of starting a business, putting down roots, everything that I've been doing the past 6 months, it's been a very big leap of faith. I've had to follow my heart every step of the way, not knowing how everything will really turn out. It can be exhausting. Some days I just feel like crying, and going back to Houston, but most days I feel like no matter what as soon as I walk into Maitri (the yoga studio), something happens. It's like magic, because all of my fears, doubts, worries go away and I know I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. I think when you find something you love, when you find something you want to share, you feel this great push and pull because there is so much risk. However, Kathryn pointed out, that often times when we find our path, we know we're going the right direction because we will be tested. We may not feel like it is the easiest thing in the world, and that's because we have to figure out how much we want it. There was a post I wrote a while back, about the worst class I ever taught, or what I thought was the worst class I've ever taught, I made a decision that day, right then and there to no matter what share this practice. It doesn't matter if I stumble over my words, as soon as I recognized that I could share this practice without having to be the perfect teacher, I gave myself permission to keep going. That was what this weekend was about for me, the strength to keep going and letting go of what others think and what others say. When you have something you want to share from the heart, it is always wonderful and this goes for in your jobs, relationships, everything...
Give yourself permission to be true to you no matter what; to live your life from your core with no regrets. I have given up and given in on too many things in my life. As soon as we start aiming true, loving ourselves, and knowing that we're worth it, that's when we keep going and that's when we are a true success.... when we honor ourselves above all else and have the courage to be who we are and share it with others.

So today, this week, this month, this year... keep going. Share yourself. Aim true and stay true to you because you're worth it. 

Always leaving. Never staying.

Hi everyone! Hope you all are having a wonderful weekend. I just wanted to take some time, since I actually have some, to write a little. Earlier today I went for a run, and got to thinking about the idea of "the grass is always greener." Since I've graduated from college, I've spent a lot of time, moving around to different places, figuring out what fits, what doesn't. When I moved to Houston two years ago I had no idea what to expect, but I loved it. I loved the people, and the city itself, but I missed my family. I often missed out on parties, family Sundays, hanging out... when my lease came up in October it was the hardest decision to move here to Arkansas. Part of me was saying stay, part of me was saying go. It was easier to stay, I wanted to stay, but there was another part of me that wanted to put some roots down somewhere, and since I didn't have family in Houston, I didn't necessarily want to sink into Houston. I think I was afraid to, so with that I took the leap and moved to Arkansas. It has been, I believe the hardest transition I have ever been through anywhere. On top of moving, as some of you know, I opened a yoga studio. I knew if I moved to Arkansas I would have to bring a big part of myself that was nourished in Houston with me and that was the yoga. I think I've always felt like moving to Arkansas would be a loss in identity, like if I moved back to where I came from then people believe you to be a certain way, you have memories of what was, and although parts of it might feel familiar it is all very foreign, because things are different. Things change. I feel so blessed to be able to share what I love every single day through the practice of yoga, and I love my house. Being able to have a house is incredible, but this whole 6 months or so of living here, I feel like I've been holding a very long, breathtaking yoga pose and all I want to do is run out of it. However, I say this in yoga all the time and believe it's the same for life, we have to go to the places where we resist the most without running, hiding, moving, leaving, but just sit and breathe, because that is where the healing is, that is where the release, the surrender, and the magic happens. It is always in the moment, no matter where we are, because where we are is exactly where we are meant to be, learning what we're meant to learn. It is much easier to leave... than it is to stay, at least for me. I know I have carried around with me some pain that I experienced not only in high school, but after school, that took place in Arkansas. What my yoga practice has become is facing it, instead of running from it. Everyday, I wake up and breathe through it, because something brought me here that was bigger than me. So sometimes, I think we just have to trust life and trust where we are, because life is always teaching us something and it's constantly reminding us who we are, and bringing us back to ourselves. We just can't resist it, no matter how much we want to step out, leave or run, the sooner we face our self, in a place where we experience resistance, the sooner we let go, and become free. It is almost as if we have to reclaim parts of ourselves that we may have left behind and recognize that before we can leave, we have to learn how to stay. Once we get to the other side, and have worked through it, we can go where ever we wish to go, and enjoy exactly where we are in the moment.

Just thought I would share those thoughts...
Happy weekend. Enjoy. 

May days

Happy May, everyone! Guess what? It snowed last night here in Arkansas. Isn't that crazy? I couldn't believe it when I woke up this morning. I hope you all have been doing great. Since we spoke last, I have been to North Carolina for a friend's wedding, teaching yoga, having a guest teacher visit, teaching more yoga and today, I am taking a break. One thing I really miss all the time is writing. My fingers literally start to ache for the computer at times. I know, weird right? I think so too. But, it's always been a part of my life. I've realized that once you dive into something like starting a business, it can be challenging to find a balance. And I know I have mentioned this a lot, but I'm still working on it and realizing that taking time to do yoga myself, or run, get a massage... whatever it is... it isn't really a luxury, it is just a part of keeping me sane! Something that I definitely need to find time for, or I can't really teach yoga. I think sometimes when we do things for ourselves we might think of it as selfish or that we should be doing something else for someone or something else, but I've come to realize that it is just as important to take care of yourself. Anyway, I just wanted to share that and say hi. I will probably blog later today. I have time! :)

Sending you all lots of love. Have a great day! If you're in Arkansas, play in the snow? 

Hello my dears. Long time, no talk. I have been crazy busy the past two weeks, teaching seven days a week. I just about had a mental breakdown yesterday. Alas, this morning, I let myself sleep in a little and have been taking the day to take care of some things around the house. I actually find cleaning and cooking to be very grounding. I also planted some flowers. :)

Yesterday I was thinking a lot about perspective and contentment, in the midst of me feeling overwhelmed and everything else, the news came on about the Boston Marathon. I couldn't believe it. I felt absolutely speechless. I then immediately started to feel a heavy heart. This world seems to be shifting. There is a lot of fear and it seems to be growing rather than lessening. It's important to keep an open heart. No matter what. Otherwise, we just become stuck in our fears. It's easy to get stressed in life, it's really easy to lose sight of ourselves and our own contentment. But it's important to keep going. Keep believing and keep trying to make the world a better place. No act of kindness is too small.

So be kind. To yourself and to others.

Lots of love.

The space in between

Hello friends! I am writing my first post as a 27-year old. It feels a little odd being 27. It sounds older to me, but I don't feel older in any way. With birthdays often comes a little bit of reflection... I often think about what was, and what I hope will be. Lately, I have been feeling a little caught in between past and future. I feel myself thinking about all my friends, my best friends that I had when I was younger. I grew up with tons of guy friends, had a serious boyfriend in high school, and I have always remained pretty close with all of them, until the years have passed on. With relationships, and everything else, we have all slowly drifted and I am reminded that we are getting older. Things change even though on a day to day basis it feels like nothing changes. I have a habit of looking back. Wondering about things. Did I make the right decisions? But, when it comes down to it, we can't worry about those things. We make the decisions that are right at the time. Sometimes I wonder how I got here and then looking back I know exactly how I got here with every conscious decision that was made. I have always been one to go with my gut, to follow my heart as much as I can. I guess when it comes down to it that's all we can really do in life... follow our hearts and not really worry about the rest. I posted on Maitri's facebook page, that we will get there, when we are supposed to get there, not a moment sooner. The key is having patience with all things. Not comparing our journeys to others'. If I closed my eyes and couldn't compare my life to someone else's, I would say that I am exactly where I am supposed to be. It is only when I get wrapped up, in what I think life should look like or be, or what other people are doing, that I lose sight of the gift... that is now. Learning, growing, finding my way and not being afraid to let go.

The thing is things change. That is a constant. Our life is a moving, shifting, changing every day type of thing. It isn't stagnant. Sometimes we want to hold on for comfort, but we can't be afraid to let go and let our lives take us where it may. 

I love this Hopi Elders Prayer:

"There is a river flowing now very fast. It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold on to the shore. They will feel they are being torn apart and they will suffer greatly.

Know the river has its destination. The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water. See who is in there with you and celebrate."

I wish you all a wonderful day! Don't be afraid to lose sight of the shore. :)

I love Sundays.

Hello again! Yes, time has passed, almost a month! I can't believe I'm sitting here and it's March. Spring forward, flowers, transitions, new seasons... are all upon us. I hope you guys have all been well. My life has been pretty good. I went to a bachelorette party last weekend, which was a much needed little break. Finding balance between the yoga teacher self and the 26 (almost 27) year-old self can sometimes be a little challenging. On the weekends I find myself tired and needing sleep, while at the same time wanting to go out and see friends. I have more people come up to me that know me as the yoga teacher now, than people that know me simply as Sarah. I guess I feel that is both good and bad. Mainly good, hopefully. It's interesting to be in this place. This place between wanting to give myself completely to my career and also a place of wanting to have it all (which sometimes I wonder if it's an illusion). I think a lot of us girls now a days don't want to choose between one or the other. I know I don't. No one ever really tells you that your 20's are hard. It's a process of finding your place, your voice, starting to let go of what others want from you and doing things that work for you. I think that for awhile, I was focused on approval. Now I'm saying screw approval I can't take that on. All I want is for my life to feel good... A life that fits for me. I think that's what we all want to find... a life that feels good.

I started another blog, one for the yoga studio (Maitri Yoga), and although I thought about letting this one go, I've decided to keep it going... for the 26, almost 27 year old self, that would like it as a place to still bring my own thoughts, worries... a place where I can simply be Sarah. :)

Wishing you all a wonderful Sunday.

image via pinterest

Happy Monday, Happy Tuesday

                                                         

Hi all! Happy Monday... Happy Tuesday! Monday slipped away from me a bit and by the time I was ready to sit down and write a post, it was already time to get up again. I hope you all are having a wonderful week thus far. I came across this recipe today for a yummy bread that not only sounds delicious but nourishing. It is also cleanse-friendly, woohoo! 

Here is the recipe:

The Life-Changing Loaf of BreadMakes 1 loaf

Ingredients:
1 cup / 135g sunflower seeds
½ cup / 90g flax seeds
½ cup / 65g hazelnuts or almonds
1 ½ cups / 145g rolled oats
2 Tbsp. chia seeds
4 Tbsp. psyllium seed husks (3 Tbsp. if using psyllium husk powder)
1 tsp. fine grain sea salt (add ½ tsp. if using coarse salt)
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
3 Tbsp. melted coconut oil or ghee
1 ½ cups / 350ml water

Directions:
1. In a flexible loaf pan combine all dry ingredients, stirring well. Add water and mix until everything is completely soaked and dough becomes very thick (if the dough is too thick to stir, add water one or two teaspoons). Smooth out the top with the back of a spoon. Let sit out on the counter for at least 2 hours, or all day or overnight. To ensure the dough is ready, it should retain its shape even when you pull the sides of the loaf pan away from it it.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C.
3. Place loaf pan in the oven on the middle rack, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove bread from loaf pan, place it upside down directly on the rack and bake for another 30-40 minutes. Bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool completely before slicing (difficult, but important).
4. Store bread in a tightly sealed container for up to five days. Freezes well too – slice before freezing for quick and easy toast!

For more great recipes from My New Roots, click here.

{happy weekend}

Happy Friday! I hope you all have a wonderful, wonderful weekend! I was talking to one of my friends in class last night who also owns a small business. She was asking me how I've been doing with everything, and I frankly told her that I have good days and bad days. Days where I feel energized and then days where I am exhausted. Usually, I am exhausted after teaching. I get home about 8:30, make a little something to eat, sit on the couch, turn on the tv and just relax/zone out... but she made an interesting point to me last night. She told me that sometimes it's more energizing to make yourself do something fun. I got to thinking about that and she is probably very right. Since, I've started the yoga studio, I haven't made a ton of time for hanging out with friends or anything else! So... I am going to try to mix in a little more fun. Maybe even get my nails done, which I haven't done since I lived in Houston... October! I also think I am going to take time to do some things around the house. Fun things, of course!

Wishing you all a fabulous weekend. Do something that makes you "Oh so happy!!" :)

images via pinterest

Oh, so true

Hello my dearest. Hoping your week is going great. We have only been on the cleanse for a few days now, and although, I myself am thinking, what the heck did I start? I am happy to hear all the great feedback from everyone on it. On another note, the past couple of days, I have been plagued by the what ifs? Ever get them? What if I would have... done this, done that, been this, had that. I've been thinking a lot lately about how things unfold. Sometimes it can be hard to really believe that you are exactly where you should be. During this time of fashion week in NYC, I look back and wonder "what if I would have stuck with it?" But then my memory shoots back to my NYC days. I stopped loving fashion, loving getting dressed in the morning, I didn't like the late nights or social aspects of the whole thing and I constantly felt exhausted. There was nothing I could do to change it, although I definitely tried to. We don't always know why our soul goes in a certain direction. I always thought that I would live in NYC and work for a magazine and now I am teaching yoga... in Arkansas. I know there is nothing in the world I would rather be doing and I know everything I have been through in my life has been leading me here, but there are still times when I look back and grieve... for what was and what never will be. And you know what? I think that's okay. We can't get caught up into the idea of what we wish for our lives in our heads and we also can't get wrapped up into thinking that everyone else has it so much better. I think that we have to above all things listen to what our hearts say, and forgive ourselves.   Forgive ourselves for wishing we could be something different.

I think that is what we have to do. Forgive ourselves for wishing we could be any different and recognize our own life unfolding in a perfectly imperfect way. :)

Anyway, I just wanted to share that. Hope you all have a great evening. Off to teach class! 

New Month and a Fresh Commitment

Happy Monday my dears. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Mine was pretty good and pretty low key. Although, I am getting a little bit better balancing everything, I still feel quite tired on the weekends and lean more towards my couch than doing much else. Oh well!

This week kicks off a 21-day challenge that Maitri is doing. I have to say that people were asking me if I'm excited because I am the one putting it on, but my answer.... it is going to be just as hard for me as it is for everyone else! I love my morning coffee. I look forward to waking up, fixing a cup, sitting at my computer with it in hand. However, this morning I just decided to make a new tradition. I brewed some lemon ginger tea, and have actually found it to be equally satisfying. I know coffee is really acidic in my body. I can feel it. So, I am curious as to how I'll feel without it! Also, I am addicted to crackers. I love Nut thins, and all things with a little bit of salt. Lately since I am going, going, going a lot, I eat crackers with almond butter and then for dinner I'll eat more crackers or cereal and that will be it. Yea... not that healthy. I think this 21-days will be a nice, fresh start. I am hoping that it will be time for everyone to press the reset button, but to also notice where our habits are... and the ideas of what we "need" to function.

This is really my first cleanse ever. I have talked about it before and done it halfway, but never fully committed. We shall see how this goes! I will keep you updated. Lots of love and light!

images via my new roots

Finding Compassion

Good morning my dears. I hope all of you are doing well. The past few days, I have woken up feeling more like myself, than I have in months. As I have started to settle into everything.... a new town, new house, and a new business, my heart is feeling light again, instead of plagued by heaviness. I teach yoga every day or almost every day and I have to say that there is nothing in the world I would rather be doing than what I am doing right now. Pretty cool, huh? I don't think I have ever really felt this way before. I saw a sign the other day and it said, if you had all the money in the world, all the time in the world, and all the resources in the world, what would you do? My answer that I silently said to myself... I am doing it....

However, even though I have known this, there was something keeping me from fully enjoying it. I would get home from classes and sometimes cry and replay back all the things I did wrong in class or I would find myself worrying about the business. But, the past week or so, I have slowly let go of my attachment to the classes. I no longer bury my head and cry (I mean sob) after class, and think of all the things I did wrong when I get home... I have realized that there is no possible way I will be able to control what people think about the classes. Each and every person who does yoga is looking for something different. I have a certain teaching style and am learning to have the courage, strength and confidence to just let it be, and not try to change it. I talk a lot about having compassion for who we are in class and you know what? I think I am finally learning to have compassion for myself, as a very imperfect human being and teacher. All I can do, is put my heart and soul into each class, give my all... and then, let it go.

Isn't that all any of us can do? Give it our best and let go of the results? It's a lot less stressful than worrying so much and it gives us permission to enjoy. Enjoy the experience. Enjoy the journey. The only thing required: is to show up, for yourself and your life and to notice when you are happy.

So right now, I would like to acknowledge the fact, that I have put my heart and soul into this yoga studio, and I am so blessed  to go there and teach every day. I wouldn't have it any other way...
Thank you to all of those who have supported me in this and who have been there in class breathing, helping me to let go a little more each and every class. I am not really a teacher... just a co-creater of this practice and I feel honored each and every time I'm given the opportunity to guide a class.

Anyway, I just wanted to share all of that. Lately, I have just been a little depleted and once I find myself some space and time at my computer I have been tending to sit here like a bump on a log not knowing what to share. This morning, I woke up with a very different feeling, not one of depletion, but instead one of sheer and utter happiness. :)

{Happy Friday!!}

 Funky designs for sports bras from lotus eater yoga! :) They are so cute!!! 

I absolutely love this mission statement from Sarah Barrow! She is awesome to work with and I feel so blessed have her help! 

 This was taken after a very sweaty class last weekend!! Amie, from Yoga Ananda came up to help me teach! :)

Very blessed have support near and far. These flowers were sweetly given by my bff in NYC. 


Hello my dears! Happy Friday! I hope all of you had a great week. Things are starting to slowly calm down and come together with the yoga studio. Even though, everything has basically been done, I have still been working on getting some fun things going-- designing tote bags, postcards, and my friend is also making hand-dyed yoga clothes, made just for the studio, which is awesome! It is great to know where the clothes are coming from and that they are being made with lots of love and intention. Thank you, Rebekah and Sarah and to all the other people who have been so supportive from the beginning of all of this!

It has been really hard for me to gather my thoughts lately and just sit down and write. I don't know if it's because I try to give as much of myself to my students and then once I'm done teaching, I'm completely spent, or if I am just not sitting down long enough to focus. Either way, I really do hope to get back to a normal blogging schedule. :)

Yesterday, I taught my 6:30pm class with the intention or the theme of stepping out of your comfort zone. And you know what? That is exactly how I have felt lately... Not with the teaching part, but just in starting something... I don't think I have ever really put myself out there like this and I do completely feel like I am out there... on a ledge. Naked! Almost like my heart and soul are out there for everyone to see. Which is great, but at the same time it makes me want to freak out! So, I ask you to bear with me during this transition. I'm having to dig deep for lots of courage, faith and compassion for myself at this time, simply because it has been very easy for me to get in my head and get  discouraged. I think with anything different... we all have to have is faith, because you never know how things are going to go. Right now, I have to completely let go, and let God with this and trust that the decisions I have made, have been the right ones.

Today, this week, this weekend... give yourself a break. Let yourself have room to grow... even if it means stepping out of your comfort zone, and I will try to do the same!

Lots of love to you all!

Task of the day:

... to just enjoy it! To slow down, take a deep breath, and realize that everything is going to be okay.

"You are more than a series of experiences. You are the light that surrounds them.
And if you’re too busy to stop and actually look at what it’s all adding up to, then that’s what you should be busy with."

Wishing you all a lovely day. :)

 image via a ribbon at a time

Creating Space

Hi all! With lots of things going on, I feel like I am trying to keep my head above water and am finding it challenging just to find space and time to breathe. However, I did sign up today for Baron Baptiste's 40 Days to Personal Revolution. It is completely free and comes with practices, meditations, diet, basically everything I need in my life right now! Even though it has been a little hectic and a little crazy lately, I am feeling very grateful and extremely blessed. My friend Amie came in town to host a workshop with me and it was fantastic. We had the perfect amount of people in each class, which just happened to work out. It was really wonderful. :)

I am very thankful to everyone who came to the workshops and for all the support!

I hope you all have a great week!

And if you wish to do the 40 Days with me, you can sign up here: http://www.regonline.com/Register/Checkin.aspx?EventID=1173289

You will get emails during the week, along with practices, meditations and principles to cleanse the diet.

"The greatest power we have over ourselves is our ability to change our minds about ourselves."

- Baron Baptiste

Hi all! Happy Tuesday. I hope all of you are having a great week so far. This is the first week that the yoga studio is "officially" open. I say officially because now I have a website, facebook page and a proper system set up to run a business. Woohoo! However, I have to admit that the overwhelming wonder if I have done the right thing by moving here, definitely seems to have me trapped in cement. I know it doesn't really matter now, because I'm here, but there is some part of me that wonders if I have the strength to do this. In some ways, I know I have already made the decision, but every now and then, something will pop into my head. Some doubt or fear about who I am as a person, and a facilitator of this practice. But, then something inevitably brings me back to the intention. The intention of simply sharing what I've been given through this practice. 

So today, I am going to wrap my arms around my inner self, and whisper that it's all right, because I believe, I have faith and I know that there must be really something great in this because I am scared shitless. 

Anytime, we have fear I think sometimes it us being fearful of it all. The success, the failure... everything. When the fears come up, come back to the intention and let everything else go...

Wishing all of you a wonderful day! 

Lots of love and light. 

[wow]

So, I have been slacking terribly on my blog and I have to say that I'm sorry! I was planning on posting a bit more, but time just got away from me. I have been working and working on hashing out some details for the studio and the blog has been falling by the waist side. However, this is an important outlet. One in which allows me to share and gives me a place to quiet down, listen to myself and process. In the midst of being with family, friends, sometimes it can be hard to hear ourselves. Although the winter holidays are one of my favorite times of the year, they can often go by in a flurry and when everything starts to settle it almost seems like I have to be integrated back into "real" life. When things calm down it often seems like I am left with myself and a plate of leftover cookies. But, it's nice... nice to take a deep, long breath and just be. After this long, deep breath, I got to thinking about 2013. What do I wish to give? Receive? What are my resolutions? Then, it kinda hit me. Sometimes I feel like we can get really wrapped into what we can do better. Eat better, look better, do better, work better... all of these things. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if someone came along and just told us that we are okay, exactly as we are, where we are right at this very moment. What would we do? I would argue and try to convince them that I'm not... But, what if we accepted ourselves a little more? Loved ourselves a little more and had a little bit more compassion for who we are? Hmm... would we have more fun?

Anyway, I just wanted to share that thought. I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday! Happy New Year from my heart to yours. Lots of love, lots of kindness and whole lot of blessings I'm sending your way. :)

image via The Queen of Re