Raw Soul Yummies!

As I have been educating myself more and more in the area of nutrition, food etc, I have come across many books about Raw Food. After meeting with a client, I was drawn to a lovely restaurant in Washington Heights called Raw Soul. This restaurant offers an amazing array of Vegan Raw Foods that will amaze your palate. I met a lovely young lady in their named Dawn, and she shared how she is a Raw Food Vegan for years as well as a Bikram Yogi. Meeting a strong woman with a vibrant spirit like Dawn, who is truly dedicated to her health was so inspirational. She was kind enough to snap a photo, while I was eating the most delicious Squash Cabbage soup, capturing my pleasantly surprised expression. The mouth watering soup was followed by a spouted crust personal pizza which was also crazy delicious. Every cell in your body feels good after eating this food. After realizing that the food tastes so wonderful, I decided to take the Strawberry Shortcake to go...WOW WOW WOW!!! The desert was practically sinful, it was so delicious that it was hard to believe it was healthy! Raw Soul has a wonderful menu, an array of juices, offers catering, and on-going classes which I hope to take in the new year to further learn about this yummy approach to healthy eating. Thanks Dawn for the lovely conversation, it was a pleasure to have met you! ~ Peace & hugs, Ambria

P.S if you are someone you know want to go to a delicious healthy restaurant, check out Raw Soul, you will wind up going back for more...it's that Yummy! It's at 348 West 145th Street.

OM for the Holidays

As the year is wrapping up, we are enjoying the festive Holiday season. Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and whatever may be the celebration of choice, we all are enjoying the lovely lights, wreaths on doors, snowmen, etc. Early before my Yoga classes at Bamboomoves, I decided to draw a picture for the kids to color during meditation. The picture is a wreath (the letter "O") and two people in downward dog (the letter "m"), with a caption "for the Holidays" underneath.....so basically it is OM for the Holidays. The kids enjoyed my illustration, and did an amazing job of coloring it. Happy Holidays!!! May the holiday season bring you joy ~ peace & hugs, Ambria

Yoga for Kids with Aspergers

Aspergers Syndrome is an autistic spectrum disorder. Often times kids have difficulty with social interaction, and can be a little clumsy with body mechanics. Emotional empathy is hardly displayed. As I love to work with Kids with Special Needs of any kind, I jumped on board when asked to sub a special needs Yogi Beans class. There were four vibrant young girls in the class. All were on various levels of the spectrum, and enthusiastic to do Yoga. We did sun salutations, balance, action songs, and a dog tunnel where one girl had her moving toy hamster crawl through our tunnel. Throughout the practice all the girls support each by cheering each other on. They each made up a Yoga pose and taught it to their friends. The most touching point of class was when we came to a close, and all 4 girls dedicated their yoga practice to something they hold dear to their hearts (family, friends, school etc). One of the young ladies dedicated her practice to all the teachers, specialists, and especially Yoga teachers who have helped her come far and join into mainstream activities. At the end she told me she loved the class, and that my class helped her to relax and find the calmness that she needed for a good night. Her eloquence and sincerity were so touching. Yoga helps kids with confidence, motor skills, social skills and so much more. I am so thankful that I had the experience to work with this lovely group of brilliant young girls.

Yogini Kitchen: Compassionate Apple Crumble

With all this talk of having more compassion for animals and better awareness of the food industry, I am willing to acknowledge that healthy eating can seem more costly at times, but the long term health gains are worth it! Along with that, many people have asked about taste. Once you ween yourself, and your tastes buds off the chemical laced food that we in America have become used to, you will enjoy the benefits, tastes and energy packed goodness of healthier options. As for tastes, I have tried this recipe, it's yummy, easy and great for your health. To satisfy a sweet tooth try an Apple Crisp:

APPLE CRISP

Serves 4 to 6

• 5 or 6 apples
• 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
• cinnamon to taste
• 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 cup oatmeal
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Chop the apples and place them in a lightly oiled 8- × 8-inch baking pan. Cover the chopped apples with the maple syrup and sprinkle with cinnamon.

In a bowl, mix the flour and oatmeal. Then add the applesauce and brown sugar. Mix until the flour is just moistened.

Spread the oatmeal mixture onto the apples. (Don’t worry if all of the chopped apples aren’t covered.) Bake for 30 to 35 minutes and serve warm.

Recipe from: www.cok.net

Feel free to substitute agave nectar or stevia for the brown sugar

Quote of the Day - Mahatama Gandhi

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated"

~Mahatma Gandhi

Know Your Food - Food Inc.

If we have a brand new Mercedes Benz, we would be sure to put premium fuel in it, and the best oil because we know that diesel fuel would do damage to our lovely car. In the same manner we should know what the food is that we put into our bodies. For many people who practice yoga in the West we come across the debate to be Vegan, Vegetarian, Eat Meat, Eat Fish etc. In India many people practice a Vegetarian diet because Yoga originally was a Hindu practice, and in the Hindu faith they abstain from eating meat. Many yogis also avoid the consumption of meat for the principal of Ahimsa or non harming.

While most of my life I ate a primarily vegetarian diet, I have also eaten meat. Growing up, I was used to fresh, farm meat (we actually had our own chickens) at the dinner table. Along with that, on my many trips to India, all the meat served was fresh, never from a grocery store refrigerated package, rather from the backyard. The meat was small or I should say normal size, compared to the turkey size chickens that are filling the grocery store meat sections today. While the meat may have been healthier when from a non GMO farm, my love for animals was the reason why I gravitated to the vegetarian dishes.

Getting back to the topic of knowing your food...whether you eat meat, or not, it is important to know where your food comes from. Educate yourself on the reality of factory farming in the West. If it doesn't bother you that animals are manufactured in the way that they are, at least you can make an informed choice. You should know your food before you put it in your body. People may not want to admit publicly that there could be a link with our genetically modified meat products and the rapid rise in various diseases, because this is a billion dollar industry that has a lot of government support. However, it is every individuals right to investigate, educate and then come up with the best decision that meets their health goals. Here are some excellent resources that can better highlight the Western food industry:

• Food Inc. (a brilliant documentary)
• Eating Animals, By Jonathan Safran Foer (a novel style account of the food industry)
• The Omnivores Dilema, By Michael Pollan
• In Defense of Food, By Michael Pollan

When we do things with a purpose, our lives are better, and our world is better. In the same manner, when we eat with a purpose, our bodies are better and our world is better. Perhaps I could tell everyone to drop the fast food burgers, fried chicken, decrease salt and sugar intake, and replace it with fresh veggies, fruits, legumes, and advise people read the labels avoiding the excessive soy, soy lecithin, high fructose corn syrup products...but I think it is better for people to make the choice on their own, but it should be an educated choice. Treat your body, like you would your Benz, and use only the best! ~ Peace & hugs

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! Although giving thanks should be done everyday, in America we commemorate the day that the first Thanksgiving meal was shared today. We are very fortunate and have much to be thankful for. The aftermath of my recent cold has been my new sultry/congestion voice, and since that was all, I woke up and headed to The Missionaries of Charity in the Bronx. Every year, I like to help out at this wonderful soup kitchen in NYC, because since I was a little girl I have had a fondness to the actual Mission. The Missionaries of Charity was founded by Mother Teresa, and here in NYC they provide food, shelter and hospices to the needy people of the community. The Sisters that run the mission are familiar with me as a volunteer, and remembered that I was in the impromptu play last year, so this year again, I was quickly cast in the new play. Alongside the hidden talent of the people who come to the shelter, myself and two sisters from the Mission put on a new original Thanksgiving play, which echoed the biblical theme of "The Stone that the builders rejected, has become the corner stone". I was cast as a builder, and arranged the stones, which were actually the people who come to the shelter dressed in cardboard boxes. This year, I was amazed to see the new volunteers that came and shared there kindness of heart. The continued generosity of spirit of the Sisters and the Volunteers was enough to find a reasons to give thanks.

I have mentioned this volunteer opportunity to many people, and this year was the first year that another person came along. Special Thanks to Hank, who faithfully attends my 6:30 am yoga class at Bamboomoves! I had mentioned casually what my plans were for Thanksgiving after our Monday morning class, and told Hank to google the Missionaries of Charity, since I didn't have the address on me at the time. When I got off the train this morning, and walked in the direction of the Mission, there was Hank in his car honking and waving. Initially, I waved backed, thinking it was another random person in NYC that likes to honk and wave at female pedestrians, until he rolled down the window and called my name. I was so happy! Often times the men who volunteer wind up lifting the big cooking containers with food, and I was so impressed with how Hank immersed himself into the volunteer experience. While I had fun in the play and doing the clean up. It was so great to have another person I know come along to experience a different type of Thanksgiving! It is great to give thanks, and sometimes when we give, we find more reasons to give thanks! Thanks Hank for sharing your time with the needy people of NYC.

Later, I was able to feast on some yummy vegetarian Indian food with my friends here in NYC. Personally, I have so many things to be thankful for...faith, family, good friends, shelter, music, yoga, food, and as I am typing I realize I could probably go on for hours.....Giving Thanks is awesome! Happy Thanksgiving! ~ Peace & hugs, Ambria