Malas

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Super Simple Sushi!!

This is my new favorite quick meal! I prepared a cup of sushi rice in the evening and then used it for lunch the next few days. Once the rice is ready, the meal required hardly any prep and is ready in minutes!

1. Lay the sushi nori on a sushi mat

Nori can be found at health food stores and is extremely nutritious. It contains protein, iron and is a natural source of iodine.

2. Spread an even layer of rice on the nori

3. Lay your favorite fillings in the center of rice in the same direction as the bamboo

I used avocado and sweet potato (I baked the sweet potato slices at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes)

Other filling suggestions: carrots, tofu, asparagus, cucumber

4. Roll!

Place your thumbs on the back of the mat and roll away from you

5. Slice, serve and enjoy!

Letting Go

Let go of doubt and fear!

Embrace courage and adventure!

It's so much easier to let negative emotions carry more weight than positive.

I often wonder why our brains take us there first...

It will take a little extra practice to break old habits and commit to a life of positivity, but eventually one can replace old patterns with the new!

1. Gently recognize when your brain takes you to a negative place // You are not trying to control your thoughts, simply allow them to be but do not encourage them to sink in // Thoughts will always come and go - there is no permanence

2. Take a few breaths // On the exhale, envision the negativity leaving the body // On the inhale, envision peace, stability and joy entering the body // You are right where you need to be

3. Take a moment and develop awareness // Notice if your thoughts have shifted to a more peaceful place // Allow yourself more breaths if that's what the body needs - there is no judgment 

4. Beyond the chatty mind is a place of peace // After some practice, one can shift the patterns of the mind and allow that place of peace to illuminate

"The thought manifests as the word; The word manifests as the deed; The deed develops into habit; And habit hardens into character. So watch the thought and its ways with care, And let it spring from love born out of concern for all beings." 
~ Buddha

Who would have thought...

Today I picked up my hula hoop and realized what this little circle has connected me to in my life... 

How many people I’ve met and experiences I’ve had through this object. 

I am by no means a great hooper and definitely not a naturally skilled dancer. I just have fun with it and allow my body to feel the flow and the energy that is created. 

The first time I picked up a hoop was at my cousins house. My cousin - who is my heart. The hoop was made by my yogi accomplice - I did not know her at the time as I connected with the hoop she poured her creativity into. A friend who I would later study yoga with and create endless memories. 

Two months into my hooping journey, my oldest and closest friend bought me my first poly-pro hula hoop for my birthday. She knew nothing about hoops or the fact that I had been desiring one. From that moment on, this light, collapsable hoop went everywhere with me! And the fact that it came from her was so special. 

A few days after my first hoop experience, I met someone at my new job who happened to mention her hula hoop. We were instantly inseparable - with each other and our hoops. We would explore the city with our hoops in hand - finding ourselves performing outside a jazz club, being featured in a Philly blog, allowing a bride to use our hoops in her beautiful white gown... The memories are countless. We eventually started building hoops with our own two hands and sold them at musical festivals, making a little extra cash when we could. When the music played, it was just us and our hoops. Nothing besides the music radiating through our bodies existed outside of our small circles. 

That summer we went to workshops and spent time watching YouTube videos to learn all of our favorite tricks. One day our workshop teacher suggested that I try out yoga to help with my pelvic tilt. Yoga?! But I can barely touch my toes! I took her word for it and you can guess how that has affected my life… so I can thank my hula hoop for somehow... in some twisted way... opening up this yogic journey in my life. It helped me grow as a creative soul, as someone who was seeking confidence and needed to find a spiritual path to allow growth.

One small journey can open a path to several more… and the more paths you take, the more likely you are to find yourself. What is the most unexpected thing that has vastly affected your life?

The Best Lettuce-less Summer Salad Ever!

Ingredients:

Cube the avocado, pepper and tomatoes.

 Toss in a mixing bowl with the lemon, lime, chopped green onion, parsley and S&P.

Scoop mixture into the avocado skin to serve.

Eat outside and enjoy!

Today....

Thank you for checking out my first post!

I can't wait to share random thoughts, postures, recipes and photos.

Yesterday I was perusing a used book store and happened to come across The Bhagavad Gita. As Gandhi says, this book is a spiritual dictionary. I will leave you with this....

“We are not cabin-dwellers, born to a life cramped and confined; we are meant to explore, to seek, to push the limits of our potential as human beings. The world of the senses is just a base camp: we are meant to be as much at home in consciousness as in the world of physical reality.”