The Power of Ritual

hands with tea and lemonWhen I was younger, my family was deeply steeped in Jewish ritual and family tradition. We were kosher. We went to temple on Fridays. We celebrated holidays with candles and Challah and Matzoh and prayer. And we went to my Grandmother’s house for a meal every Sunday. Sometimes these rituals felt like a pain. We were tired. There was too much to do. We had to get up early the next morning…There always seemed to be a reason to skip the ritual. But we didn’t.

As I got older and moved away from home and into my career, these rituals faded a little, leaving me feeling disconnected and forlorn. Recently, I began structuring my time around these gatherings again. READ MORE >

A Touch of the Rebel

confluence hanumanasana b

Photo: Tom Rosenthal

I am very traditional about my yoga. I’m an ashtangi after all. We do the poses in a specific order, on specific days, in specific ways, staying true to the lineage that has gone before us. I often liken ashtanga yoga to Bach, or scales in music. It’s classical, steeped in tradition. Orderly. But even though I deeply believe in the system, even though I honor all the little details of the ashtanga yoga, I find there needs to be a little wiggle room, just like with my diet, just a tiny bit of rebellion to keep me going. READ MORE >

Your Ivory Tower Has No Legs

In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not a big fan of rigid rules and restrictive protocols. Diets are never really sustainable. They’re endured…for a time. Cleanses can be useful resets or jumpstarts, tools that can help you tune in and find your hull speed, but they aren’t meant to be a lifestyle.  Rules and formulas can’t hold up forever because they’re not organic. You may have resolved to be healthier but you can’t fuel that resolve with will power and nothing else. At least, I’ve found I can’t. READ MORE >

Finding ‘Hull Speed’

Scan 131260001From as early as I can remember, I’ve always loved boating. It was my parents’ main passion, and every sunny day off in the summer, we’d find ourselves motoring off somewhere. Often, my mother wanted to go faster than my dad. She’d get a little bored with the puttering and ask him to “let it out a little.” And often he’d indulge her, taking us on a short but fun, super speedy ride.

Dad, on the other hand, wanted to go even slower than he usually did. He had always wanted a trawler, a boat that’s meant to go that slow (but my Mom wouldn’t give in on that point). 

When I asked him why not just go slower if that’s what he wanted, he explained about ‘hull speed’. READ MORE >

A Fall Soup to Ease Summer’s Passing

It’s fall. Yep, I mean, there are still summery days, but fall is in the air. I refuse to wear socks, or boots, yet. But I admit it. I love fall. It’s so awesome to be able to throw on a scarf and walk in the crisp air, it really makes my heart sing. But it’s always a little sad to say goodbye to the easy breezy summer lifestyle. Salads with fresh tomatoes. No need to turn on the stove. Flip flops and a sun dress.

This soup will ease the blow. It’s creamy and comforting and about as fast as a home-cooked meal could be. It may be the easiest soup of all time, and it’s about as delicious as any I can think of. READ MORE >

Smart Snacking For Sports (Plus a Sweet Recipe)

I had a little problem this weekend, and I am so glad it’s Monday so I can get it off my hands. I made these amazing little chocolate bites, and they were just too good. A little addictive. Maybe more than a little. I even froze them in self defense, but it turns out they’re great straight from the freezer. READ MORE >

Can a yogi drink wine? Or, musings on judgement.

Have you noticed that although I profess to write a blog about food, wine and yoga, it almost always ends up being about food? It’s true. I’m often more creative with my food than anything else. So perhaps it’s time for some wine-ing. Or some yoga. Or hey, both at once?

Here’s the funny incident that prompted this post. I was sitting at my favorite restaurant last week, at the bar, with a book, about to order a glass of wine. And let’s just stop and examine that sentence. This in itself is actually a wonderful thing in a way! For so much of my life I was too shy and nervous and concerned about what others thought of me, I’d never have been caught dead alone at a dining establishment! I would rather have starved! But there I was, having made myself a healthy meal and needing some “out in the world” time for some reason and I just headed out on my own. This is huge progress. And I attribute it to yoga. I have only recently begun to just be whoever I am, both on the mat and in the world, rather than trying to shape myself to fit a certain situation. Man, it’s taking a long time!

So anyway, back to the evening. I was sitting there with my wine menu open and a yoga teacher I know and love walked in and came over to say hi. What did I do? Immediately slammed my menu shut! As if to cover the idea that I was going to drink wine.

She did what any normal, adjusted person would do. She laughed and hugged me and sat down at her own table. To “sneak out and indulge in a huge pile of pasta,” as she put it.

But after she left me, I had a good think. Why do I still feel this need to justify my choices, to anyone at all?

Here’s what I feel about wine: I like it and I’m not addicted to it. I have never ever been a big drinker. In fact, as a younger person I didn’t binge drink or even really go out to bars because I just could not handle my liquor and was too embarrassed to be a liability or to even try to use a fake ID.

I only grew into my love of wine while helping my Dad run his wine shop. And I know a lot about it. I drink it reasonably, not too often and not too much. But I do enjoy it. Is that so bad? No. the problem I have is not with overindulging in alcohol, it’s leftover judgement from the early years of my yoga obsession (now that’s something I’m addicted to). When I first started practicing, I decided certain things were good (austerity) and certain things were bad (wine, coffee, chocolate,  enjoying anything too much). It’s like if it wasn’t austere, it couldn’t possibly be yogic, present. Actually, I’m kind of embarrassed to say that ‘out loud’, so to speak.

It took me a long time to get over most of that. I had to go back to the beginning and rethink the point of yoga. I had to examine the philosophy in detail, for myself, rather than looking at things in big sweeping statements or from other people’s perspectives.

But certain vestiges of this remain, obviously. As in, “drinking is not yogic.”

And in that moment at Fragole, I decided to let the sweeping statements drop  away.

Guess what, I like a great glass of wine. Enjoyed slowly. With great pleasure. From time to time. I realize that clouding one’s life experience with substances is not a way to be truly present. But I also think aversion is the flip side of attachment. Life is an ebb an flow. And rocketing from extreme to extreme isn’t the way I want to flow. I’ll take the gray areas thank you very much.

So, I’m going to share with you  the really special wines I find. That doesn’t mean I encourage YOU to drink. Especially if you have a problem with alcohol. There are some things that you just can’t conquer with mindfulness and “everything in moderation.” I’ve known a few alcoholics, and can say for sure that moderation is not possible there. Getting help is absolutely necessary. For me, the addictive, sticky substances are different. Food, mostly. But I also got help. Some issues just require a helping hand.

What I want is for you, everybody, to examine your thoughts and make sure they’re your own. Also, check in, are you judging yourself more than you’d like, and hence also judging others? Maybe it’s time to drop the judgments and get back to a more connected, compassionate, really present way of going through the days and making decisions.

It’s not easy, in these human bodies in this crazy world with minds that think they are ‘everything’ and try to run the show. You’ve gotta still those swirling thoughts a little, step back from the world a little and drill down to what’s true. And that’s the yoga. It’s no easy feat. It’s certainly harder than learning a sun salute or (for me) putting  your leg behind your head. But it is possible.

And by the way, that hour with a simple glass of Montepulciano was maybe one of the best times I’ve had in a while. After I got over my own “stuff” and got out of my own way I thoroughly enjoyed that barstool and book in a way I might not have done if I were at home. I didn’t click around the internet or keep checking my phone, I just tuned in as I slowly sipped. Mindfulness in action, I’d say.

Whatever your issue, I encourage you to do the same: slow down, tune in, and get out of your own way.

After all, It’s hard. Living in these human bodies. This business of consciousness thrown together with matter with swirling mind stuff, it’s gets cloudy and confusing. But I think it’s possible to work it out. I strive to get better at it. And I raise a glass to the idea of fully embodying this human incarnation, all the quirks that make me me this time around.

 

 

Office Efforts: Avoiding the Candy Bowl

I work in a pretty cool office part of the week. I am part of a welcoming creative team who support each other, and I get to write puns all day long. Also, the best compliment anyone can give me for my work is “that’s so cute!” It’s a lot better than making widgets.

On the other hand, it’s really not a healthy environment. Never mind the sitting, the canned air and fluorescent lights, my fellow ‘creatives’ are just not on the healthy living path. And, seriously guys, if you’re reading this, I love you! But you do weave a wicked web with all those candies and chips and fries and such. There are bowls and bags and boxes of candy, ‘chocolate’ (mostly wax and fillers), cookies, donuts, fries and the like, sitting almost next to my desk, all day long. In fact, the rest of the office visits our area just to get their “fix’.

So if I were really a perfectionist, an all or nothing kind of eater, this would be no problem. I’d take a snooty moral stance and that would be that. But I feel tempted, just like anyone, because, hey, I’m human. Sometimes those fries smell good! And no, on a normal day I wouldn’t even think about a “treat” filled with corn syrup, artificial flavors and colors, waxes and chemicals and gums. But just add a dollop of stress, and there’s the possibility I could cave. Not often, not happily, but once in a while.

What do I do? Well, sometimes I bake healthier treats to share, and try to convert my coworkers to the ‘green side’. This works pretty well, but I don’t always want to be eating even “healthy” treats. Plus, I can’t bake every single night!

Like the Boy Scouts, I say “be prepared”. Here’s what I keep around:

  • Cucumbers, Carrots and Bell Peppers. These hang out in the fridge all week for the munchy moments when I’m not really hungry but need a fix. They fill me up with fiber and water and infuse my system with micronutrients. And they take a long time to chew, keeping me busy for a while. If you’re not just munchy but actually more hungry, add hummus or guacamole or sunflower pate for a denser snack.
  • Seaweed Snacks. Ever seen them on the shelf? They come in nifty flavors like sesame and sea salt. And no, they’re not perfect. If you made them yourself you could use healthier oil. But in a pinch I think they’re ok. Plus, for people working long days, I can’t imagine them getting up early to brush nori with oil and bake it, cool it and chop it into squares. Sometimes cheating is necessary.
  • Kale Chips. Yep, the raw kale chips are expensive. I admit it. But again, how many of you own a dehydrator and are taking the time to make kale chips? The ingredients themselves are expensive enough to make the cost difference very slight. Buy a box and crunch your greens baby!
  • 85% Dark Chocolate. Very little sugar. Organic. A hit of antioxidants. Deeply satisfying. No, I don’t want to eat it all day long, but then, I don’t need to. This stuff is so dark with so little sugar, it won’t send you into a frenzy. You’ll be able to stop with a few squares. And hey, in those previously mentioned moments of high stress, you don’t want to reach for ‘chocolate’ covered peanuts. This is better. Not even much of a splurge.
  • Teechino. It’s barley/chicory drink that tastes a little bit like a flavored coffee or mocha. And, it’s now available in tea bags so you can stash a few in your desk. These are so much better than the non-organic, chemical-laced coffee options at the office. Even the decaf isn’t good for you there, especially if you’re using one of those nifty new devices that shoots hot water through a plastic pod. Replace coffee and decaf with teechino. You can add a tiny bit of hot water to steep, then fill with cold water and ice for a more refreshing option. Keep some almond milk around to make it super satisfying.
  • Green juice. Low sugar juice made with mostly greens can be a much better pick-me-up than coffee or sugar in the late afternoon. I admit I struggle with this, since it’s so expensive to buy ‘out’. But I think the health trade off is pretty great. And since I like to drink at least one green juice a day, I’ll often make my own breakfast smoothie but buy a few cold pressed juices (the kind that last a few days) and keep them in the fridge to infuse my afternoons with nutrients. If you’re not near a juice bar that sells the Norwalk pressed juices, you could order a pack of greens from an online cleanse company (rather than getting a packaged cleanse) and have them delivered to fuel you through the week. A post about some of these companies to follow!

And that’s that, so far. But perhaps I’ll come up with more over time. What are your favorite healthy snacks to keep on hand? Let me know in the comments.