Big Sur, CA

Greetings and New Year Salutations!

I hope your holiday celebrations were joyous and you are invigorated for this moment, now. I spent the New Year at a most spectacular spot, Esalen in Big Sur, California. I attended a silent meditation retreat but honestly went AWOL at some point because I just couldn’t be in a room with my eyes closed when that was ocean calling. Nature is meditation and inspiring, at least for me.

One of the strong reminders I received at Esalen was my love of yoga & teaching. I took a yoga class every morning and it was great to be a student, for sure. And yet, I missed you all at YogaNow. Locations for the classes continuing in April are emerging and they will be announced soon. In the meantime, meet me on the mat, there’s yoga morning, noon and night at YogaNow.

What we focus on increases, we learn in yoga. So here is some good news from the Good News Network: The Surprisingly Upbeat State of the World.

Enjoy your choices.  Sending love and hoping to meet you very soon on the mat!

namaste,

Meta.

Greetings and very May Salutations!

Olivia Benson getting ready for the holiday weekend, always something to peck and explore.

How beautiful it is here in Albuquerque.  We are so lucky to have this weather especially when some parts of the country are experiencing tremendous turbulence. I was just on the phone with a beloved friend in Indiana, planning our June Grand Canyon adventure, and she had to get off the phone to take shelter as a tornado was quite possibly on the way. Oy gevalt. May all beings find shelter and safety. And may recovery be swift and bring communities together.

This weekend is a holiday weekend.  All the usual classes happen on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  On Memorial Day, Monday, there is just ONE class at 10 am – a Holiday class.  Begin your day with yoga and friends and a special treat.

Congratulations to all the takers in the Yoga Challenge.  You are awesome and I know you are feeling shifts along with inner and outer strength, congratulations as your day of completion nears. We will have another Yoga Challenge opportunity beginning in June…another way to dive more deeply into yoga, into yourself, details coming soon.

While picking up my delicious produce at Los Poblanos Organics I overheard a woman delight in the Napa cabbage saying, oh fabulous I’ll make just want I did last week.  So of course, I had to ask, just what did she make? She made kimchi and said I could easily find the recipe on the web. Well, I did, and that is one fabulous veggie dish from Korea, how did I get along without it?  I’ve posted it on our veggie recipe page http://www.vitalyogathebook.com/community-2/hey-yogi-whats-for-dinner-tonight/.  Oh my stars, this is a dish that just rocks, I heartily recommend it.  And the long description of how to make the very experience of cooking a meditative practice was inspiring.

A friend passed this along, How to Be Irresistible at Any Age and thought you might enjoy it too. A favorite excerpt:

We live in a benevolent universe and all you need is persistence and a little wisdom and your dreams will come true.

May all your dreams come true and May your holiday be filled with joy, the kind that keeps on giving,

with love and gratitude,

Meta.

It occured to me that in an awful lot of the recipes I typically post, ghee is an essential ingredient. Ghee, however, is also quite expensive if bought in the regular health food store. So, what better way to empower the chefs out there than to offer a great oven-method ghee recipe. I have been making ghee for years, with varying success. If nothing else, one learns a lot about butter, patience and presence through the process. Committing to the providence of ghee is truly quite yogic. Multi-tasking whilst tending the ghee is a big no-no. Even thinking about a thousand different topics while making ghee can make it a less than lovely batch. So, plan some time aside with your ghee and see if you can make it an offering rather than a chore.

Ghee may be thought of as essentially clarified butter, meaning that all the milk solids are removed from the pure oil of butter. It is a great alternative to other oils that do not offer a high heat cookpoint. The flavor is nutty and lovely and can be flavored differently during the cooking process by adding ginger, cloves or sesame seeds. In Vedic literature, ghee is refferred to as “food for the brain” and Ayurveda touts ghee as master digester. Ghee is appropriate for lacto-vegetarians but not for vegans. Be suspicious for “vegan ghee” and definitely look at the ingredients if you are buying over the counter. And, of course, moderation in all things will help to keep your relationship with ghee a good one. The following is a basic recipe, but you can add other ingredients during the simmer process to subtley flavor the ghee. Work on the basic recipe first until you get used to the process. For a super lovely treat, pour the hot ghee over dates and soak them for a couple of days. High energy treats for the week! Enjoy! Hari Om Tat Sat.

Stove Top Ghee (Sada Ghee)*

1. Place one pound of unsalted butter into a sauce pan. Melt over moderate heat while turning the pan so that the butter doesn’t sizzle or brown. Once melted, bring butter to a boil and produce a frothy foam. Once foamy, stir gently and simmer. Simmer uncovered and undisturbed, until white protein solids turn brown and fall to the bottom. There should be a thin crust on the surface of the clear, golden liquid underneath.

2. Skim crust off the top and observe the odor. If it smells like sesame oil, the ghee has been cooked too long, which doesn’t necessarily make it bad.

3. Remove form the heat and ladle off the clear, golden liquid into a fine seive or cheesecloth. Do not disturb the solids at the bottom. Once liquid is strained and cooled, put in container with tight fitting lid. Refridgerate in the summer but in the winter, the ghee has a great room temperature shelf life.

4. Some folks like to retain the milk solids at the bottom and mix them into hot cereals or sandwich spreads. Some others are okay discarding them. The world of choice is a wonderful thing!

*Lord Krishna’s Cuisine, Yamuna Devi

There has lately been a buzz around YogaNow about sharing vegetarian recipes. We thought we’d create a place for sharing ideas called….

Hey Yogi, What’s for Dinner?

check it out http://www.vitalyogathebook.com/community-2/hey-yogi-whats-for-dinner-tonight/ -it’s listed under the Community Heading.

And add your favorite vegetarian recipes.  Maybe you’d just like to eat vegetarian meals once a week – no problem, here’s a way to start!

Here is a wonderful vegetarian recipe for those of you who like chili. It can flavor on the warm side, but the seasoning may be adjusted for more or less spice. It is also easy to make in the crockpot with canned beans, if time is of the essence. Nutritious and filling, it keeps wonderfully frozen or refridgerated. Here, I have paired it with  Piquant Lemon Rice for a nice side or base dish*. Please enjoy! Hari Om Tat Sat.

Rajma (curried red kidney beans with Panir)

2 1/4 c. dried kidney beans                                       6 c. water                                                              1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp. turmeric                                                            1/4 tsp. cayenne or paprika                          1 tbs. ghee or butter

1. Soak beans in 4 c. water overnight at room temperature (or use canned kidneys, which will omit all bean preparation. You can skip to next section and remaining ingredients). Drain beans, reserve soaking liquid and add cold water to make 6 c. liquid. Put liquid and beans in medium pan with remaining above ingredients and boil to simmer for 1.5-3 hours. Mash 3/4 c. of cooked beans and set aside. There should be about 1 1/2 c. of cooking liquid. if there is more, remove beans with slotted spoon and reduce liquid to that amount.

remaining ingredients:

2 1/2 tbs coriander seeds                                             1 tbs cumin seeds                                                        1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1/3 tsp ajwain seeds (oregano seeds)                       2-3 tbs fresh minced ginger                                   1/2 c. water

1 tsp garam masala                                                           1 tsp turmeric                                                               1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tbs lemon or lime juice                                        5 tbs ghee or peanut oil                                            1 package of paneer (optional)

4 medium diced tomatoes                                              1 tbs butter or ghee                                                    1/4 c. parsley or cilantro, fresh chopped

2. Combine coriander, cumin, fennel and ajwain seeds in coffee mill or spice grinder. Reduce to powder. Transfer to a small bowl.

3. Place ginger and 1/2 c water in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into powdered spices with garam masala, turmeric, salt, lemon or lime juice and stir.

4. Heat 5 tbs of ghee (I usually half this amount) in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Fry paneer, if using, until browned nicely. Remove and set aside. You can also buy pre-fried paneer in the frozen section of Talin.

5. Pour spice paste into ghee and fry for 1-2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cook for 8 minutes, until tomatoes have reduced to a sauce.

6. Add the beans, mashed beans, fried cheese, 1 1/2 c. of the cooking liquid (or water/broth if using canned). Simmer 15 minutes. Add remaining butter or ghee before serving and garnish with fresh herb.

Nimbu Bhat (piquant lemon rice)

1 c. basmati rice                                    2 c. water                                                1 tsp salt (or less)

3 tbs ghee or sesame oil                      1/2 c. cashew bits                               1 tsp black mustard seeds

1/3 tsp turmeric                                    1/3 c lemon juice                                  3 tbs cilantro or parsley, chopped

1/4 c. grated coconut for garnish

1. Bring water to boil in medium saucepan and add rinsed rice, salt and 1/2 tsp ghee. Reduce to simmer and cover. Cook for 20-25 minutes until fluffy.

2. Heat remaining ghee over medium heat. Drop in cashews and brown lightly. Remove with slotted spoon over rice.

3. In same fry pan, fry the mustard seeds until they sputter and pop. Pour into rice along with turmeric, lemon juice and fresh herb. Mix well.

4. Serve garnished with coconut.

As promised, the recipe for that not-too-sweet coffee cake filled with little black seeds that sometimes appears on Sunday morning…the recipe is an amalgam from The Joy of Cooking, not the current edition with many changes (highly disapproved of by my family who knew the original author, Erma Rombauer Becker, as a neighbor and are sure she’d disapprove) but here’s the idea:

Large mixer combine:
3 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 package active dry yeast…combine with

2 1/2 cups warm water
1/2 canola oil …beat 2 minutes

add 1 beaten egg and 1 cup flour…beat til smooth, then add 3-4 cups flour.

Knead until smooth and elastic (that’s the fun part), put in oiled bowl, turn and let rise about an hour.

PREPARE Poppy Seed filling:
grind a bit 1 cup poppy seeds, but in top of double boiler and add 1/4 cup milk, 1/3 cup brown sugar and 2 tablespoons butter.
then add 2 egg yolks.  heat until mixture thickens, stirring constantly.  Then cool and add 1/2 cup ground almonds and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

When the dough has risen the first time, divide in half.  Roll each to a rectangle, spread half mixture and roll up, then shape in a circle.  Cut the roll and open each cut to show the poppy seed.

Let rise again and bake about 25 mins at 375 degrees.

Cool and eat!

Enjoy some kitchen warmth with that warm oven.

First 2011 Greetings to you All!

The New Year, New Decade is within us now and the New Moon is tomorrow. Yet another opportunity to begin anew, each moment of course, actually offers us that. The New Moon can signify an auspicious beginning, a transformational moment and a leap into a new experience.

We have a special gift for students at YogaNow: This month of January when you purchase a 20 class bundle, you receive a free facial at our warm-hearted neighbors on Gold, Great Face & Body.  I received a facial there in December and it was divine, so delicious.  They make their own lotions and potions, no picking and prodding and no burning masks, just that oh so fine feeling.

Here is their description of the facial:

The most popular facial in the world! Step into one of the most relaxing and nurturing facial ever created. Forget the outside world and let us introduce you to true pampering and anti-aging. We take harvest fresh fruits like pumpkin, orange, and pineapple to soften your skin, reveal a fresh dewy complexion and enhance your outer glow. You’ll feel your worries melt away during our foot massage… leaving you refreshed. You’ll feel taller, lighter and maybe even years younger. Wonderful aromas of mandarin, pumpkin, spearmint and more take you on a sensory journey. Naturally luxurious. Customized for your specific skin type and issues. Valued at $125 for up to 50 minutes, but here it’s a Gift to you with a 20 class bundle.  505-404-6670, 105 Gold Street SW, Albuquerque, NM 87102, www.greatfaceandbody.com

I am so grateful to you all, all the students of YogaNow, for a wonderful holiday season!  Both Christmas Day and New Year Day classes were brimming with happy and alive yogis.  I will send a post soon with the recipe for the Poppy Seed Coffee Cake served on New Year’s Day.  Promise!

Many blessings, much love and oh, that fine feeling,
namaste,

Meta.

Happy and Glorious New Year to you all,

As 2011 approaches, a new decade begins, and we are all given yet another opportunity to create, re-create, re-envision our lives, our ultimate work of art.  Yesterday I went to see monks of the Drepung Loseling Monastery sand paint a spectacular mandala at a rug store in Sante Fe, SERET & SONS Rug Gallery, 121 Sandoval St.  This is free an is open to the public daily.

Monk at Work.

Sand and instruments (on the right) for sand mandala

The Rinpoche spoke after the day’s work at 4:30 pm and he talked about how we are all equal, we all want to be happy, we all try to be happy, none of us wants to suffer. And we all create, with our minds, our world.  And our job is train our minds so that we can be happy. The monks then chanted in the amazingly deep and rich-throated vibration.  If you can make a trip to see this work, I think you will enjoy it.  On New Year’s Day it will be brushed away, reminding us of our impermanence.
The sand that is used is taken from stones that have been “prepared” by keeping them in a sacred cave and then removed for crushing. Below are some of the sand paint colors.

Below is  a small section of the nearly complete mandala, this one symbolizing prosperity and abundance.

portion of mandala, the black area will be filled in by the New Year

You are invited to join together for a yoga class on New Year’s Day – 10 am – rejoicing in the beginning, sharing yoga and community (and even some nosh). I will play a recording of the monks chanting for the New Year’s Day class. Please join us.

Also, the lost and found will be taken to a charity this weekend so please check for your things.

I am deeply grateful to you all and for our shared space of yoga,
With love, passion for yoga and you, and the knowledge of our fleeting moments, like sand in the mandala,
Meta.

The past week, I have been sharing some pumpkin chocolate chip bread after classes and have promised to share the recipe as well. I got the recipe off the web from a cute little couple at Two Peas and Their Pod: the Cooking Couple. Let me preface, this recipe is NOT low-fat, gluten-free, low in sugar or any of the typically healthy caveats we might look for, so best to bake some today and enjoy it before the new year! Hope your holidays are beautiful, everyone! Hari Om Tat Sat.

(viewing note-if the print is too small in your email, click the underlined title and that will take you to the web site where the size should be very readable)

Greetings and Snowy Salutations!
New Mexico got moisture! This is big news for us and it is so lovely. I hope you are all warm and toasty, or at least running in the snow and warm with your inner heat.

Here is a fun short lesson on health and wealth that I thought you might enjoy  (thank you to my brother for sending it to me): http://www.wimp.com/countriesyears/

The Solstice is coming (ah the days will soon shift direction and move toward more light) and this is a special one:  Even NASA is impressed:

Dec. 17, 2010:  Everyone knows that “the moon on the breast of new-fallen snow gives the luster of mid-day to objects below.” That is, except during a lunar eclipse.

See for yourself on Dec. 21st, the first day of northern winter, when the full Moon passes almost dead-center through Earth’s shadow. For 72 minutes of eerie totality, an amber light will play across the snows of North America, throwing landscapes into an unusual state of ruddy shadow.

The eclipse begins on Tuesday morning, Dec. 21st, at 1:33 am EST (Monday, Dec. 20th, at 10:33 pm PST). At that time, Earth’s shadow will appear as a dark-red bite at the edge of the lunar disk. It takes about an hour for the “bite” to expand and swallow the entire Moon. Totality commences at 02:41 am EST (11:41 pm PST) and lasts for 72 minutes.

If you’re planning to dash out for only one quick look -­ it isDecember, after all -­ choose this moment: 03:17 am EST (17 minutes past midnight PST). That’s when the Moon will be in deepest shadow, displaying the most fantastic shades of coppery red.