Beat the Heat with Watermelon-Strawberry Pops

This summer has been a sizzling hot & humid summer and many people have enjoyed their Fan or Home Air Conditioner.  Another way to keep cool is to stay hydrated.  Eating foods rich in water, and making refreshing juice is always a bonus.  This weeks juice was a Watermelon-Strawberry Juice.

Watermelon is high in Vitamin A, C and B6, while strawberry is an amazing source for Vitamin C.  Many of you have seen my youtube channel where I make yummy juice recipes, well what about taking your juicing to a whole new level for the SUMMER?  I used the pulp for making Raw Vegan Burgers before, but this time, we made Watermelon-Strawberry Pops.  Pour the left over pulp from the juice into a popsicle tray, add the sticks (in our case spoons because someone threw out the sticks) and wait till they freeze.  After, Voila, and amazing healthy, refreshing summer snack for everyone to enjoy!!!

Life exists in our breath

We live in a world that is constantly moving, where our time is bombarded with so many obligations, distractions, memories, joy, pain, escapes, fantasy that at times we forget to come back to stillness.  Yet, stillness is one of the most natural things for us to be.  The constant marketing tactics of magazines, internet, and corporations, with subtitles of promises and illusions, are all just a distraction from the real title which is YOU.

"The sun and moon create time in the form of day 

and night. Sushumna (the central passage along

the spine) is the consumer of time, this is the revealed secret. "

- Hatha Yoga Pradipika 4.17

Many people look to meditation for freedom from these external and internal distractions.  We must accept that any external distraction is one that we internally allowed.  In meditation, we do not need to limit our focus, rather expand our focus to the greater picture that exists in our breath.  Our breath is the most basic function of our daily life.  Have we ever focused on it during yoga asana, while we are preparing a meal, while we are enjoying a beautiful view of nature?  If yes, we understand the bigger picture, and we truly experience time as it is meant to be experienced, we become truly connected.   This experience of becoming one with our breath, allows freedom to take place.  Now we can ask ourselves have we ever become focused on our breath during an argument, during a passionate exchange, during a time in our life when the person we trusted abuses that trust?  This times may be more challenging to focus on our breath, however, if we do we experience the reality of freedom in a magical way. No longer are we limited in our beliefs, no longer do we cling to vicious patterns of behavior, no longer do we feel this awful concept of separateness, instead we become one with our Universe.

"Those who aspire to the state of yoga should seek the Self in inner solitude through meditation" ~ Bhagavad Gita

There will always be moments when we think, analyze, or evaluate an experience or perhaps we just enjoy the natural flow of just being present.  When we allow ourselves to be present, there is no distinct between yesterday and tomorrow, no need to compare, no need to digress, and instead we are one with our reality.  Becoming one with our reality with acceptance is the true essence of meditation.

"I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live" ~ Ezekiel 37:5

In our meditation practice, lets look to become one with our breath.  In Hinduism, breath or prana is life force energy.  For Christians breath is life (Ezekiel 37:5, John 20:22, Genesis 2:7).  If we live our life in a panic state, always short of breath, or holding our breath when stress arises, we are living a limited life.  Despite common views on meditation that we need to clear our mind, instead we need to fill our mind, expand our mind with attention on our breath.

"He breathed on them and said 'receive the Holy Spirit'" ~ John 20:22

Many health care experts like Dr. Oz recommend patients to practice meditation, which is an ancient practice.  Amazing Gurus like Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Baba Ramdev invite yoga aspirants to experience liberation through Yoga Kriyas and Pranayama.  Scientists like Dr. Gerson who realized the power of healing disease through juicing, for the purpose of providing more oxygenation to the body, cells and blood by the use of prana rich food sources.  


"And the Lord formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living soul" ~ Genesis 2:7

Discover the secret to living a full life, free of limitations and take some time to breathe deep. ~ Om Shanti

Ashtanga Yogis explore Anatomy & Ayurveda

Welcome to the new group of 200Hr Certified Ashtanga Yogi's in 2012.  It was such an honor to share in the journey of these wonderful people in Los Angeles.  While the original plan was to be with this group from day one, I was only with them towards the last few weeks.  Big thanks to my friends Deon & Deona that invited me to stay in their beautiful home & borrow their car for my commute to Beverly Hills.  Deon (a phenomenal drummer I have been friends with since meeting at Berklee College of Music) is actually on a juice fast, after self educating himself with films like "Food Matters",  "Food Inc.", "Fresh" and many more.....in his own words, he is not anti meat, he is anti meat industry.  In just 9 days, Deon lost 14lbs, feels so energized, and notices the changes in his body....that is right, just with an adjustment to Diet!

The irony of me having to drive in LA traffic daily was amazing for me, as I have enjoyed being a NYC pedestrian/subway commuter for very long, and I have been in multiple car accidents.  This was yet another opportunity for me to face my fears, and in such a beautiful setting.....Los Angeles you are a gorgeous place!

Back to the Ashtanga Yogis....Thank you Caroline for inviting me to be a guest teacher in your Training!  This amazing group of people from all over got together in Beverly Hills for daily Ashtanga Training.  By the time I met them their bodies were ripe with purification, their spirits were open to self exploration, and their minds were eager to learn more.  I was so happy to share with them Anatomy, Chakras, Ayurveda and Yogic Diet.  The funny thing I realize from every experience of teaching is that the student teaches the teacher so much.  This particular group was very receptive, ready with questions and optimistic about sharing this new light with others. 

The responsibility of a Yoga Teacher is one that I feel should always be addressed in any training.  We are not doctors, we are not therapists, we facilitate a compassionate experience for a student to explore their mind, body & spirit through this amazing practice of Yoga.  Without attachment to their reaction (praise or otherwise), we must always be a witness to their experience.  Thank you all for allowing me to share your journey!  I wish you so much Love & Light as you share this ancient practice with others. 

"In the light of dispassion, or non-attachment, the aspirant attains freedom from his desires, whims, ambitions, and anxieties." ~ SWAMI RAMA

Temple of Joy & Happiness

"To enter the temple of JOY & HAPPINESS, you must first face the monsters blocking your way and deal with your fears." ~ Oracle Cards.

Sometimes the monsters are from our past, sitting deep withing our unconscious, not made of anything but wounds and past traumatic events.  These wounds are barriers and in many ways they allow us to "react" in a protective way.  Soon, they become patterns, in our relationships, and in our yoga practice.

I just returned from an incredible weekend of meditation and enlightenment in NYC.  I am grateful to have learned and shared so much with an incredible group under the brilliant sunny sky.  Even as a teacher, we learn how we ourselves have our own barriers, and when we recognize them and accept, so much liberation takes place.  Can we come to the understanding that our JOY & Happiness is actually our creation, that everything, good & bad is our creation.  This Universe is just a reflection, like a mirror of our thoughts.  The monsters & Temple of Joy are all part of our unconscious belief system.  While the goal of our practice is to elevate our consicousness, do we take the time to observe our unconsciousness?

Though I was scheduled to go straight from NYC to LA, to be a guest Instructor for a month long Training, I had to rush after news of my Aunty's rapidly declining health.  At her bedside, I took all the revelations of my magnificent weekend in NYC and applied them with her.  Yoga off the mat.

I learned that this existence is all a mirror.  Once I used to think....why would someone lie?  why would someone allow greed to dictate their choices?  I would think that way, because I don't do that.....But I learned to ask.....why would I allow this energy into my vibrational circle.  And most important, why would I ignore my intuition over charming words, or the facade of the title of Yogi.  It is balance.  Now, another revelation......Stop asking why......and instead learn to accept.

And perhaps the person who is the liar may see it is perfectly fine, that is their Karma, their pattern.  It could be from lifetimes prior.  The beauty is when we can Dance in these patterns, face these patterns and evolve.

It is much like when we practice, and there is someone who is talking.  It is our choice to focus on them or focus on our breath.  That being said, what is it deep within that makes us focus on the other, rather than our breath? What allows us to enable the hurt, enable the fear?  Sometimes, we must take the time to dig deep, and discover the root of these patterns.  In order for us to listen, we must learn to be silent.  And in those silent moments, on and off the mat, we discover the path to our Temple of JOY & HAPPINESS.

Much like our yoga practice, we must learn to take responsibilities and face our fears.  Like Sri Dharma says to approach some asana with  "Angry Determination".  If not, we just continue to repeat patterns, cycles, blaming everyone and everything but ourselves.  In fact, it is never an issue of blame, but rather acceptance of balance.  It is the dance of Lord Shiva.....Dancing in a Ring of Fire, never to be burned, and shinning in both masculine & feminin energy, united with all patterns and evolved without being burned.

Next time you go to your yoga mat, ask yourself what is the monster in the way to your Temple of JOY & Happiness?  Are you allowing a person to occupy space in your heart, to bully you, to lie to you......perhaps the real monsters, are you allowing these things to go on.  Love yourself, and let every breath be one of gratitude. 

Autism, Ayurveda and Ignorance

Recently I came across a photo on Facebook that depicted the incredible changes to vaccines for kids in the past decades.  When I saw this picture, I clicked "Share" because I found the picture informative, and I think it is important to be informed.  Much like "meat eaters" do not always like to be informed of the topic of factory farming, the topic of vaccines can easily stir up an emotional reaction in people, in parents, and health care professionals.  On FB people can click "Like" or "Share" or "comment" and it allows people to be respectful and share, since it is an open forum.

Usually I post motivational quotes, comics, or upcoming yoga events of my fellow yogis or myself, but this particular post was different.  I was very proud of my beautiful cousin, who immediately wrote an eloquent response, which in my view takes more courage than speaking behind someone's back.  If only we take the time to calmly communicate, to respect and listen to each other, then and only then, can we learn and grow together.  Being that she is studying to be a health care professional, she was very quick to point out the endless hours of research, medical studies, and medical articles on this topic. 

While I agree that there may be no evidence linking infant mortality rates to vaccines, I also believe that their is no substantial evidence linking the incredibly high doses of vaccines that are administered by mandate today, for better health and disease prevention of kids.  If a new vaccine is administered nearly every year, how much sufficient testing has truly been done?

WHAT does this have to do with yoga?  Well it has to do with our body, our sense of unity, and Ayurveda.  For those who study Ayurveda, an ancient science, that inspired modern day medicine, they will understand how each unique body is diagnosed by it's individual prakriti or constitution.  When the individual is out of balance it is treated according to its dosha type.  For me, this makes me question the concept of mandating tremendous doses of vaccines in every child, when every child is different, unique and therefore has the propensity to react differently.  Much like various people react different to different antibiotics, Much like in Yoga certain dosha types resonate better with certain styles of yoga, because each of us are unique.....if we are in fact unique, why should we assume that it is appropriate to administer 3 times the amount of vaccines in 2012 as opposed to a few decades ago?

I did share a story of two of my yoga students in NYC who had healthy, vibrant children and immediately after they had their vaccination, their children reacted and had a form of autism.  There are a growing number of cases like this that spark the debate today about vaccines, and concern in parents.  Does this mean that Autism is caused by vaccines? I am no one to say so, but from an Ayurveda perspective, it is possible that not every child will react the same to each vaccine.  I also shared the story of my Godmother/aunt who took the flu shot and is now slowly becoming paralyzed.  Every vaccine comes with a disclaimer of potential harm to a small percentage of people, in her case potential paralysis, she is now that 2%, and yet we administer these shots & promote them.  These are not in medical journals, these are personal stories of people close to me.

Today a lovely fellow yogi and former student posted a brilliant post, "Autism is not a Tragedy, Ignorance is"...This is true.  It is sad when people would look at autism as a tragedy, but then again everyone reacts to situations different, and for some parents of Autistic children, they may view it different, especially depending on the place on the spectrum that the child is on.  I have been blessed to share yoga & work with Kids with Autism, Aspergers, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, and Willams Syndrome in India, NYC and Canada extensively, and they teach me more about JOY and Yoga than anyone I have encountered in my life.  The only tragedy is when people fail to realize how AMAZING these kids are!  Ignorance is a tragedy, so stay informed....Ask Questions.

It doesn't matter if Bill Gates, Donald Trump, Jenny McCarthy, Popular Medical Journals, Famous Yogis, Brand New Yogis, myself, my cousin or anyone online says a perspective about something, it DOES matter if we as individuals inform ourselves, educate ourselves, especially if the topic is of debate and affects our health and the health of the future generations.

Kalaripayattu - Indian Martial Arts

During my visit to India, I was fortunate to experience the beautiful ancient art of Kalaripayattu.  In my daddy's hometown of Kudduthuruthy, I walked to the Kalari Payattu center to watch, learn, and discover this incredible art form.  This is the oldest known form of martial arts that is said to have derived from ancient Vedic Times, and has its base in Kerala, India.  Tracing back over 3,000 years the name translates into "field of battle". The style if martial art is said to have inspired Kung Fu and most every other style of battle.

Students are required to find the raw power from majestic animals like the lion, tiger, elephant, wild boar, snake and crocodile, in the art of Kalari payattu.  The entrance of every Kalari establishment faces the East, the South West area is the "poothara", is a 7 their platform meant to house the guardian deity, and be an place of worship and prayer before every lesson.  Students touch the ground, the poothara, and the Guru's feet to symbolize respect and submission to their Guru.  The Teacher is also known as the Asan guides the students to develop the 4 powers of the practice.

· Meikaruthu: power of the body.
· Manakaruthu: power of the mind.
· Ankakaruthu: power to combat.
· Ayudhakaruthu: power to wield weapons.

The four stages of learning are meipayattu or maithari (body), kolthari (sticks), angathari (metal weapons), verumkai (without weapon or empty hand).  Students learn how to wield over 13 different types of weaponry.  Though the movements require committed practice and determination, I quickly realized I need more time to study this art, and I was teaching and studying yoga at the time, so it was not going to happen.  It was amazing to watch how this discipline is still being taught my my fathers local hometown.  

Vedic Astrology

On the wave of the recent Super Moon, I am reminded of a really fun experience I had in India with an incredible Vedic Astrologer.  For those who missed the super moon, and or are unaware, it is when the moon is the closest to the Earth's orbit.  This recent Super moon was the biggest in over 20 years, and appears 30% brighter than normal.  The Super moon was in the sign of Scorpio, and the sun was in Taurus, and said to destroy negative patterns to make room for rebirth into the positive.  It is a time for transformation. Traditionally, yogis would adjust their yoga practice according to the sun and moon.  Even today, Ashtanga yogis maintain a practice that faces the sun, and that abstains from practicing on moon days.  Since ancient times Vedic Sadhus would monitor the patterns of the moon, the stars and planets to determine what the future would hold.  The reason why this science cannot be argued with is because for centuries many of these sages could not be proven wrong and prophetic tales have been handed down through the Vedas.  Even today in India, massive undertakings like marriages, building projects, and business ventures consult the planets before any action is taken, due to the accuracy of this ancient practice.

For some, the tradition of reading the stars and planets have been handed down.  According to Vedic Astrology, the planets, moons, stars are all in a specific alignment and help to create a framework of an individuals life path.  The difference between Vedic astrology and western astrology is that it actually focuses more on an individual's moon sign.  The chart analyzes the alignment of planets, moons, stars all at the time of an individuals birth.

For me, I had my chart analyzed by an amazing individual who is famous in India and throughout Europe for reading peoples individual astrological chart.  He enlightened me with his time and wisdom.  While for many years I knew I was born under the Sun Sign of Aquarius, I did not have any awareness of my moon sign, or rising sign, or how the planets lined up at the time of my birth, until now.  It was fascinating to learn how each planet has a specific affect on our journey.  The information in my chart was the most accurate review of my life of up to date. It was amazing to see how things in the past line up with my chart, and I am looking forward to the amazing things in my future.  Thank you Jai Krishna for your time and wisdom.  If anyone is ever interested in finding out the alignment of planets, stars and the moon at the time of their birth, this is the astrologer to go to.