Threw the Looking Glass

Lets just get it out there now, this year has been horrible. Most of the people that I talk to have agreed with me on this point. There has been one or sometimes two major events in everyones lives this past year that have had  a made major impact on the quality and tone of everyday living. Even with all of the stress of the past year I can say that I am truly enjoying the ride so far. I get up in the morning and wonder at what the universe has planned for me for today. There are so many things to be excited by and in wonder and amazement of that I can't sit around and feel sorry for myself for too long. 
After this past weekend in Asheville I am seeing things in a new and fresh way. I can see that there are opportunities just around the corner that I haven't even dreamed up. Some of it will be hard and I am willing to accept that. I have never been one to back down from a challenge, perhaps change tactics and sneak up on it but not back down. 
Once we realize that there is more than what we can see with our eyes or feel with our skin we can really begin to feel alive and feeling alive is great!

Falling in Love with Fall

I love fall! Who doesn't really? The landscape changes color, the air gets crisp, and you are almost willed to be outside to soak up the last bits of summer. When the sun begins to set around 6 pm I am usually astounded to find myself still awake since the rest of the natural world has gone to bed. This year I have noticed the shift to fall was a bit more dramatic than I remember it being in the past. It almost seamed like I went to bed one night during the summer and the next morning it was fall. There the thought also occurs to me that we seem to be working in opposition with nature since we create our "busiest" season just as nature is telling us to take a break and relax a bit.Since we are a over connected, ultra caffeinated society we must keep up the busy pace that we set for ourselves during the summer right threw to January. 
I am of course not immune to the hectic scheduling of the holidays but this year has been one of hectic scheduling. I almost don't know what to do with myself if I'm not bouncing from one thing to another at this point so I am looking forward to trying to slow down and maybe take some time for myself. I have a feeling that my practice will grow in leaps and bounds threw this fall and winter. One of the side effects of being inside so much more is that I am one of those people that "needs something to do". I often find myself jumping up and wondering around the house usually aimlessly. If I have something to do that can calm that inner restlessness then perhaps I won't find myself wondering aimlessly.

Stepping into your courageous heart

As I am going threw this second weekend of my immersion I am realizing that there just isn't enough time to discover and learn everything that I want or need to know in this setting. This weekend focused more on upper body with particular attention to the shoulders. My shoulders have been giving me some problems lately and I have been stuck as to how to work with freeing some of the blocked energy. I have been trying to find the connection of the shoulders moving down the back and the expansion of the heart. Keeping the shoulders safe has been a big issue for me since I have had some shoulder injuries in the past that have been very debilitating at times.
Recently in class I decided to give some prep for handstand. The response was interesting, the part I love is that the majority of my students say they could never do handstand because there arms aren't strong enough. When they come into L pose at the wall they are able to hold themselves up, arm strength isn't the real issue with these students. The real issue is that they are afraid. Fear holds them back. Fear can be a big motivating force but when not properly balanced it can be very debilitating. Being courageous in the face of fear will lead to greater freedoms.  Since the theme for this weekend is shoulders and upper body my thoughts have turned back to the message of courage. Apoaching the difficult aspects of life with a courageous and open heart working towards a balance, learning to dance with the divine.

Practice, practice, practice...

What 8 year old hasn't been told countless times to go practice the piano (tuba, guitar,or what ever instrument of auditory torture it happens to be) and given the traditional eye roll and "Oh, Mom". Then sits down and begins to hammer out some scales and perhaps a bit of a piece of actual music while being reminded that "Practice makes perfect". My question is does it make perfect? What is perfect any way? Who's measuring stick are we using to determine perfect. In some areas my measuring stick may seem inadequate to some people. Let's redefine perfect as continual practice. Everyday get up in the morning and practice being kind to yourself. Practice being kind to other people. Practice patience, love, caring, understanding.
In my yoga practice I sometimes get frustrated with my far from perfect body. My hip that gets bound up somewhat easily. My hamstrings that sometimes seem too short to allow me to move into a pose that I have been working to achieve. My arms that at times seem too short. This is the instrument that I was given and I have to learn to be patient when things seem to be beyond my grasp. I suppose that the thing that I most practice is opening to Grace. Following the first weekend of Immersion this idea of open to Grace was utmost on my mind. As we head towards the upcoming second weekend I am still coming back to that first principal. It is the first principal for a reason. I am beginning to wonder if it shouldn't be the third, fifth, seventh, and ninth as well. Not to say that the five Principals of Alignment need to ne tampered with but just that the first principal has become more pervasive in everything I do.
So tomorrow we practice everything! Perfection is everything!

Seeing things with new eyes

My first taste of yoga was at age 17. I don't remember much of what was taught during those early classes but what stuck with me was the feeling of accomplishment that I had. Fast forward about 10 years and yoga came back into my life. There was a feeling that I had after class that made me hungry for more. The more I learned and began to discover what there was left to know the more I felt I had been called to find this path. Last year I began a teacher training class that really left me with more questions than answers. Along the way I began to deepen my physical practice which lead to a deeper spiritual practice and helped to open my eyes to the wonders of my everyday life. There have been so many instances where I have thought that had I not found this path of yoga I would have reacted so differently under the same circumstances. 

This past weekend was my first step on my new path to more fully discover who I am and why I have been dropped down in this place at this time. I began an immersion into Anusara Yoga. Anusara speaks to me in so many ways it is difficult to articulate all of them. For most of the students by the time they reach the phase where immersion is the next step they have already cultivated a depth of learning that far surpasses most peoples willingness to participate. The thirst for knowledge is intense.  The desire to spread this knowledge into the community is equally powerful. It's also really fun to be able to talk to someone who has the same level of commitment and understanding of why you get really excited when you really figure out that "If I move my little toe like this, the power of that micro movement frees my entire leg to be stronger and more grounded." Multiply that excitement by 30 people and you have an immersion underway!


I have had a couple days to reflect on my weekend and have discovered more depth of understanding than I originally thought. Finding my self back at home and trying to unravel all of the information that was conveyed only creates more desire to return to my mat and see what new things I can discover, what new way can I see the world that I didn't know existed. When you approach the world with an understanding that there is an innate goodness to be found it makes everything that much sweeter. Suddenly the traffic doesn't seem quite so horrid, the mountain of laundry seems more like a hill, the sound of my birds fighting seems less obnoxious. Having the willingness to look for the good and seek it out creates more lightness and joy.

In a Pickle

Pickling is one of the oldest and easiest ways to preserve foods. Anything can be pickled. Fruit pickles! Veggie pickles! Pickled fish! Pickled pork! Pickled beef! Pickled eggs! Ok you get the idea  anything can be pickled. Once you start pickling things you may not want to stop experimenting.

Generally when we think of pickles we thing of the ones from the grocery store where every bottle tastes the same as the next. Real pickles, homemade pickles have the bite of vinegar the crunch of the cucumber, slightly salty, slightly sweet. The true taste of a pickle is the one you make. When you make your own pickles you can substitute different types vinegar,  kick up the heat by adding a dried chili to the jar before you seal them.  Have a sweet tooth, make some super sweets. Want to make a crowd pleasing topping for deserts how about desert pickles?


All this pickle talk has made me think of one question. Why do we refer to pickles as only cucumbers? The reality of the situation is that the liquid that the cucumbers is put in is the actual pickle, the result is a pickled cucumber. The real champion of the equation is the vinegar. Vinegar's preservative powers are top of the class. The high acidity of vinegar makes it an unwelcome environment for just about all micro-organisms, which is why we have to add some spices and maybe some sugar to the mix to make the pickle taste less like window cleaner. There are some tried and true combinations that have been handed down over the years. Pickles are probably only limited by your imagination. So get out in the kitchen and get yourself into a pickle! It won't hurt I promise.

Open to Grace

"What does open to grace mean to you? "This question creates many different thoughts and feelings that come rushing to the surface. Open to grace means to soften to the unknown, to surrender all of your pre-made plans when things don't turn out just like you want or expected. To climb to the highest mountain and accept that the reason you came up was to step off the edge to spread your wings and fly. Understaning that the next step you take maybe terrifying but you take it anyway not to prove anything to yourself or anyone else but because it is the right thing to do. When you open to grace you connect more fully with your inner truth.

Reflections on the recent past

It has been about 6 weeks now that I have been teaching regular yoga classes and in that short space of time I have discovered the freedom of non-planning. I began by meticulously planning each class and trying to create a theme or an idea that all the poses were based around. I then began to look at my own practice. I didn't plan anything when I went to the mat I just did what my body was calling for. During my practice I might begin thinking of sequences to share in a class or thoughts arise that maybe pertinent to other practitioners. Most of the time I keep these things to myself because the class doesn't seem to be asking for that information. Sometimes it is difficult to tell if the students are truly understanding what  I am talking about especially when I ask them to move a part of there body that they may have never thought about before. It does seam that most yoga instructors have the same difficulty with this, always wondering if the students understand what they are talking about. 


So far I have gotten numerous reviews of "great class" and even more since my lack of planning has created more freedom to try to tailor a class to the students who are there at the time. Sometimes this works out very well and sometimes the students leave with looks on there face that tell me they have no idea what just happened. 


Well I think I will just continue to experiment and let things flow.

Canning Success!

The sound of jar lids popping in the kitchen is a sound that every canner wants to hear. The last bit of air being forced out of the jars as they cool means that the jar has successfully sealed. Being able to share this knowledge with others and hearing of there success in there own kitchens is wonderful. This past Saturday I got to share that with some friends. We made Strawberry-Mint Jam, Strawberry-Lemon Marmalade and Lemon Curd. Listening to there stories while the jams were being made and watching with amazement as they got there first taste of jam making made the afternoon fly by. 


Knowing where the food you feed your family came from and how it was produced is one of the biggest pieces of information that I felt I could provide. As someone who is somewhat skeptical of mass produced foods, not knowing what was really in my food was always bothersome. Being able to share in the local food movement and provide information about local farmers who produce some wonderful fruits and veggies is great. Why send your money off to the other side of the world when you could keep it here and help your local community to prosper is a feeling that has been very rewarding to me. 


Now everyone together A la Cusine!

Adventures in Strawberry Preserves

My attempts to make strawberry preserves are turning out a little frustrating. I have tried a couple methods for them and instead of coming out as jars of strawberries is syrup they are jars of syrup with some strawberries in them. My first attempt created a very watery syrup and the second created a very think overly sugary goo. Strawberries seem to go from nice and firm to soft and mushy in a blink of an eye. Trying to catch them before they become mush has been the tricky part. Luckily I can reprocess the the syrup and make some sort of jam out of it so it's not a total waste. 


The adventures in the kitchen are intriguing and have got me wanting to experiment more and more trying new and different combinations of this and that. Experimenting with different techniques and making new discoveries. 


Off to the kitchen with me then...

At the Farmers Market

Farmers Market season is in full swing now. It is wonderful to see all of my favorite growers and getting there advice about what to grow and how to solve problems in the garden. Getting share the excitement of the growing season with others in canning classes is thrilling as well. I'm looking forward to the season of canning that starts this Saturday with strawberries. I am hoping to try some new recipes out and add to my ever expanding stock of inventiveness by using what is local and fresh. 

Part of getting to know the people that grow the food you eat is getting to ask them questions about how they grow the food. Most of them are more than welcome to share there secrets and tricks. They are also more than welcome to share recipes for some of there more unusual ingredients. There is a great little farm in Chickamauga, GA Called Mahada Farms. They have some great eggs and if you are willing to take a drive out, you can pick up some free compost. My garden thanks Dianne this season for suppling fresh compost for a new garden plot. 

How does your Garden Grow?

So here we are well into spring and I am ready to go. I am anxiously awaiting the time when I can plant more things in the ground. I put some veggies out late in the season hoping that they would survive the winter and be good early season food. They have proven them selves worthy. They survived the hard winter we had with three heavy loads of snow. I did dig up a new section of my yard this year to expand my veggie possibilities. Now to figure out how things are going to fit into the new space and play well together.

Of course there are many questions that I still have about a successful veggie garden but I have some good hands on experience from the last couple of years.

Also on my mind is canning all of the goodness that comes out of the ground in my small yard to make the winter less dreary. I got a pressure canner for Christmas this past year so I'm excited to get to experiment with that. At least I know I will be able to eat something during the next winter.

Canning Classes Announced

Canning Classes are now posted and ready for your inspection and reflection. 

Do you need an excuse to Souffle?

I had a really bad excuse to make a souffle, I had a bunch of egg whites in the freezer that had been calling to me lately to do something with them. So feeling in a bit of an odd mood I made a French dish with Irish cheese. It wasn't as hard as I was expecting and tasted fabulous!

It did fall pretty quickly after the picture was taken but I was sort of excited that it rose as well as it did. 

For the Brussel Sprout lover in you!

I have discovered there are so many things that as a kid I probably would not have even contemplated eating and actually enjoying. Brussel sprouts are one of those things, but pare them with sauteed mushrooms, bacon and onions and a little cheese and you have yourself quiet a tasty dish.

It is a bit difficult to give an actual recipe with measurements since I have stopped using recipes when I cook. I usually just go by feel and see what happens. This was about 1/4 lb of brussel sprouts and a handful of shiitake mushrooms, half an onion, one and a half strips of bacon.

Give Brussel sprouts a a chance.

The Marmalade Incident

I like orange marmalade. Since I am trying not to buy things that I can make for myself I haven't had orange marmalade in quite some time. Oranges are not commonly grown here and I don't  think I have ever seen them at the farmers market so I did have to buy them from the grocery store. So I set out to make my marmalade and first you cut up the oranges, the peel and some water, let this simmer for 5 min. then cover and let sit over night. So check those steps off. Yesterday at the end of my 12 hour wait I start adding the sugar and cooking the marmalade. I cook it until what I thought was the gel stage, it was getting think and it had been boiling for a while so I start putting it in jars. Immediately it is apparent that I don't have enough jars. The recipe said it would make 7 half-pints but what I ended up with was 5 pints, 6 half pints and 5-4oz jars. After processing all those jars the marmalade didn't set.

Today I went and got more jars and lids and opened all of the jars I processed yesterday and tried to re-cook the marmalade. I think that it worked this time. Orange Marmalade at high temperatures is like having a vat of bubbling hot lava on your stove that spits hot sticky goo on you. I have a few burns but I also have Marmalade!

New adventures

So I have been given a new opportunity that could either fizzle out or take off and become something new and exciting. Since Jan. my hours wt work have been cut down to almost nothing and I am beginning to wonder how the bills are going to get paid. Then I thought why don't I teach canning classes. People want to learn how to do that and they want to save some money on food bills. It's a win-win!

More info to come as I get something finalized and figured out.

New Year, New Me?

So here it is the first day of the new year. I always think about what I'd like to accomplish in the year at the first of it but generally those ambitions fall away after a few months and I have settled comfortable back into my old routine and made no progress. So rather than thinking of things that I need to change I'd like to think of things that I can improve. One thing is food, which is already a huge part of my life. I would like to continue the trend of buying food from the Farmer's Market and shunning the grocery stores. I would also like to continue to prepare most of my food myself. This should be easy since I have lost most desire to eat out and most pre-packaged food tastes horrible to me. My bigger picture accomplishments are that I need to have more confidence in my self. I have recently been able to see how I have a lot to give but because I feel shy or inadequate or what ever reason it is that fits the situation I don't feel confidant is my ability.

Hopefully in the next year I can continue this path of self discovery that will lead to a new understanding of who I am and who I can be. The year is wide open and what I make of today is the most important part. So Cheer's to you New Year I'm ready for an adventure.