There is nothing more soothing to my soul than a long weekend trip to the west coast of Vancouver Island to explore the ruggedly beautiful beaches.
After a fun day exploring the PNW, sweet potato “fries” hit the spot.
Method
Enjoy
Earlier this afternoon my little Terrier, who had been running wild around a sandy beach at low tide with me, decided to chase after three huge Canadian geese.
Each goose was probably at least 10 pounds heavier than him so it was pretty funny to see him chasing after the large birds. My friend who was watching the shenanigans with me commented “I’m surprised the geese haven’t gone after him. He has no idea how small he is, does he?”
He made a good point since there were more of them, they were heavier than him and Canadian geese have been known to be fierce, hissing at and even chasing people who venture too close to them.
But I knew exactly why the geese ran from my little dog. My dog fully, unwaveringly, 100% believes he is an 80 pound pit bull. And, because of this, he has a huge, confident energy.
I’ve seen him go after large, powerful dog breeds and he never gets hurt. I think he believes so strongly in his power that other beings end up believing he is powerful too.
Imagine if we all had that kind of confidence; if we all believed that we had the power to influence our lives as much as my little pup believes. We would be unstoppable. We wouldn’t stay in less than loving relationships, we wouldn’t let our work be anything other than our passion and we would believe that we are deserving of all good things.
We would be courageous in standing up for others and ourselves and our confidence would shine. Imagine how much happier our existence would be. Add a little empathy and compassion to the mix and imagine how much happier and successful this world would be.
This thought brought to you be a stubborn, confident Terrier mix.
Throwing it back this Thursday to last summer’s beach yoga. Practicing barefoot in the mud during low tide took me right back to happily playing in the mud when I was a child.
And what is summer all about if not keeping your inner child happy?
Another thing that keeps my inner child happy is chocolate. Here’s a grown-up, healthy and vegan chocolate snack that will make your inner child smile and do your body good:
Choco Energy Balls
Yoga is not just repetition of few postures – it is more about the exploration and discovery of the subtle energies of life. ~ Amit Ray
Yoga is a light, which once lit, will never dim. The better your practice, the brighter the flame. ~ B.K.S lyenga
Yoga is the journey of the self, through the self, to the self. ~ The Bhagavad Gita
Namaste
I’m doing a chakra clearing meditation today. And any meditation is better when you’re getting a little healing tree energy at the same time.
Here’s what you do to clear and balance your first chakra:
Get grounded into nature ~ actually being in nature is best but you can do this at home too.
Tune into your 1st chakra at the base of your tailbone and imagine the bottom of your chakra opening up and a cord going deep into the earth from your 1st chakra. Now take a deep breath and think about all the old, stagnant energy that may be around this chakra that needs to go.
The first chakra is all about safety and security, so think of all of your fears around these areas, along with any old memories or painful feelings that surface, and imagine them leaving your body and going into the beautiful earth to be transformed. Keep going, imagining all of this old energy and old fear and sadness draining out of your body.
Make sure to honour any memories that come up in this process and stay with them as long as you need to. Don’t rush it. Let everything flow, knowing you can come back to this another day if you’re feeling a lot of emotion.
When the meditation is done, imagine the cord filling you up with energy from the earth. Then imagine closing the chakra and take three deep breaths to close the meditation, breathing in the new and sighing out the old.
This meditation could be done once or could be done every day for months, depending on how many issues come up for you. Repeat the meditation daily until there is nothing left to clear and then move on to do the same meditation with your second chakra, then third, then fourth etc. Expect amazing things to happen along the way.
And, after the meditation, I made a vegan, earth friendly snack that’s nutritious and delicious.
Blend together and top everything with coconut dusted blackberries.
This rich, yummy bowl is full of good fat from the avo, anti-aging antioxidants from the berries and good carbs, minerals and vitamins from the bananas.
Happy Earth Day
The feeling of freedom I get from doing yoga and meditating in nature keeps me balanced, happy and somewhat sane.
I practice yoga in a studio over the winter but when spring hits and I can do a few Sun Salutions gazing at the Pacific Ocean and the mountain range behind it, well nothing indoors can really compare to that. Going barefoot in the sand and letting my feet, usually imprisoned in some sort of high heel, sink into the cool, grains of dark sand feels better than the most luxurious spa treatment. And if you believe in earthing, it is better than the most luxurious foot treatment.
The beautiful ocean air, the sweet sound of the waves lapping the shore and my own little yoga practice on a deserted beach is my recipe for re-balancing and relaxation.
Then I like to go home, chilled out and stress free, to work on some other recipes.
This week I have a raw energy ball recipe that’s full of nutritious ingredients and easy to pack in your bag when you’re in the run. Clean eating approved and delicious, here it is:
Mix all ingredients together. Form into balls. Refrigerate.
Last Sunday I felt the need to unplug from the city so my pup and I headed to a sweet stretch of beaches a little west of my home and spent the day soaking up West Coast nature.
We ran through the slippery, slimy (but therapeutic) mud of low tide.
And then came home covered in salt and sand with a bit of an appetite.
The answer to that? A yummy Chunky Monkey smoothie..
2 bananas
1 scoop chocolate protein powder of your choice
1 T cacao (organic raw is most delicious)
1.5 cups almond milk
1 scoop ice cubes for a milkshake consistency
Well, not really heaven, maybe just climbing the stairs out of work out Hell.
I’m Grouse Grinding again next weekend and I’m determined to improve my time. Okay, only by five minutes but, still, it’ll be an improvement. How am I going to do this you’re wondering? By climbing the stairs to Wreck Beach as fast as I can and as much as I can before my climb.
Wreck is Vancouver’s “clothing optional” beach and has one wickedly long and steep staircase leading down to it.
Doing two sets of stairs takes about 20 minutes and will have your heart rate up in no time. The other sweet thing about Wreck is the beach at the bottom of the stairs.
I bet you thought I was going to say something about naked men but, nope, I’m not. If you going early enough in the morning, say 8am, you will find this:
A beach that is so far removed from the city you’ll feel like you’ve left town. Waves are crashing, herons are resting and the beach is deserted. It’s a place to do a little yoga, play fetch with your dog and run barefoot in the sand.
An early morning work out spot that’s good for your body and your soul. That will remind you how lucky you are to be right here, right now.
Mind Body Soul 