Breathe deep....

During this holiday season, it is easy to let go of that consistent breathing. We have also been under an air quality advisory here in the Twin Cities. So those of us who having breathing issues, asthma, sinus, shortness of breath, or just plain hold shallow breathing, this is a great time, to focus on breath. In Pilates we are trained to do our breath as in through the nose and out through pursed lips. We also spend much of that inhale breathing into our ribs to expand them. My theme this past week! As we learn to breathe side to side as we inhale, expanding our ribs as we do so, we expand our ability to take in more air, deeper breaths and utilize those secondary breathing muscles. As a yoga enthusiast and teacher, I find myself using this breath consistently in my own practice, it is a great crossover for those who love mind/body work. Peace and Light, Everyone!

Healthy Eating: what is it for you?

I have been on a journey for many years, to feel better, have more energy and eat well. Thinking all the time that I was doing exactly that! It took my body talking to me rather loudly and several trips to my doctor to find out that really most of my issues were food related. I tell many of my clients and those who I discuss nutrition with that it is a constant process.

I was hung up on thinking I was "eating healthy" when really I wasn't. Eating too many foods with additives, fake sugar, too many carbs and going over board when I went out to dinner. For me, it really came down to "feeling better" and what was going to help, but start to listen to my physician, and start to really read labels and think about what I was fueling my body with. How did I feel after I ate a protein/nutrition bar that had several ingredients that did not agree with me? Not so great. Ayerveda, books, and lots of observing other yogi's has helped me! I love food, and recipes and cooking, finding that I needed to be low gluten and dairy free, has been an eye opener! A good friend as well, is gluten free so she keeps me honest and challenges me when we have dinner together. In reality I was not "giving anything up" I actually gained, more energy, lost weight, and felt better, all the things that I wanted in the first place. If you are resisting changing your diet or trying a new food, or cooking more healthy, cause you don't think it will "taste" quite as good, try again. It will! There are no cookie cutter diets, it really is about what makes you feel and perform the best! Hang in there, make a change! Take a risk and let go of your resistance.

Healthy Eating Lifestyle: Tips-Cravings

One of the biggest issues around healthy eating is how to manage those cravings we all have! I have never been into chocolate to the point of craving it, but I love fruit jams in cookies, pastries or cakes. If anything will tempt me that will! Kind of funny, but we all have something. Notice if your craving is texture, taste, sweet, sour, whatever it is, take note. Our food cravings have a lot to do with our brain chemistry: reward, confort, pleasure. All these things can make our cravings hard to ignore. What to do? First, if you feel deprived, be sure to make time to engage in your craving, in some way, pick a healthy alternative, if it is chocolate: pick an organic high cocoa content bar, --these are delicious and there are so many picks! If it is potato chips, instead of greasy salty ones, pick a healthier, veggie chip or organic chip that is much lower in fat and salt. Sit and enjoy whatever you choose, taking the time, to enjoy your food is so important in feeling satisfaction! Next time your craving comes up, dive in, more mindfully!

Healthing Lifestyle Eating: Superfoods Quinoa

Quinoa, One of my favorites! I love this grain, it not only has a ton of nutrition but it is tasty, and easily digestible. I find it fascinating that we are using ancient(2000-4000 years old and used by early cultures) grains, most of these ancient grains are a more complex food, high fiber, higher in protein, nutrients and gluten free. It is versatile, and good for breakfast; make it a couple days in advance and have fresh from the fridge or heat it up with fruit and soy milk just like oatmeal. Salads, side dishes, etc. so easy to make and use! Nutrition: Nutritional value per 1/2 cup: Dietary fiber 7 g, Fat 6 g, Protein 14 g Vitamin B6(38%).49 mg, Folate (B9)(46%)184 μg, Iron(35%)4.6 mg, Magnesium(55%)197 mg, Phosphorus(65%)457 mg, Potassium (12%)563 mg, Zinc(33%)3.1 mg. Keep in mind I just hit the highlights with some of the nutrients. Enjoy! Stay tuned to my website www.moonlilyyoga.com for recipes and information on healthy lifestyle!

Superfoods for Healthy Lifestyle Eating, Blueberries

#2 on my list of Healthy Lifestyle Superfood's, are Blueberries.

I love blueberries and eat them everyday. Nutrition content: they are high in antioxidants, vitamin A, C, K and Folate Choline. Minerals: Potassium manganese and magnesium, in addition they will give you fiber as well! Superfood's always make the list when they have a nutritive content, when we add them to foods, we get a boost. Blueberries do that, eat them on their own, on cereal, in baked goods, salads and great with fish! They are in season now, so look at your supermarket, co-op or health food store and you may find them on special. and try the following recipe for Banana Blueberry Flax Muffins! Enjoy! Blueberry Banana Flax muffins Heat Oven 375, prepare Muffin tin with papers and/or cooking spray 1 ¾ cups flour (I do a combination of quinoa and spelt) 1 ¾ cup flax meal ¼ cup organic sugar (if you want no sugar you can omit) ¾ cup sunflower seeds 1 t salt 1 t cinnamon ¾ t baking powder ¾ t baking soda Mix all of the above ingredients in a large bowl In separate bowl or electric mixer Combine: 4 medium bananas mashed, 3 beaten large eggs ¾ cup milk: (sub coconut milk, soy or almond) 4 T melted vegan butter 2 t vanilla extract Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients until combined, fold in two cups of fresh or frozen blueberries. Divide the batter among the muffin cups (batter will come to the top of the cups) Bake until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. 25 to 30 minutes. Cool, if you spray the muffin papers, the paper will fall away naturally when you take it out of the tin. www.moonlilyyoga.com Peace and Light, Denise

Healthy Lifestyle Eating Tips

Healthy Lifestyle Eating Tips, as I continue down this road of Healthy Eating, and continually adjusting and tweaking my own eating habits and food, I thought I would share some tips with you! I hope as you see these posts, that you as well, start your own lists of good foods and tips for yourself that help you maintain: healthy energy, maximum nutrition and of course, joy in eating!

Tip #1: Serving size, this has been one of the most helpful things for me, that is to REALLY look at how much I was eating, reading labels, noticing actual content of food and then eating accordingly. Serving sizes also help me track nutrition, fullness scale, and changing my habits. Notice how much you eat of a particular thing, if it is several servings, no worries, no judgement! Just use it as a helpful awareness exercise and move on. Enjoy your healthy lifestyle eating! Peace and Light Denise

Superfoods for healthy lifestyle eating: Spinach

Spinach is at the top of my list of healthy lifestyle foods because, it is so versatile, and it makes a big punch into healthy eating. A 1/4 cup of Spinach, can give you a gram of fiber, and 4 grams of protein, in addition it is high in: Vitamin A, C, E, K and B6, in addition it carries minerals: Niacin, Zinc and Potassium to name of few. It is also a complete protein, which means it carries the main amino acids. Amazing right? And how versatile, I put it in all of my smoothies, salads, stir fry's, and sandwiches. Every day! it is an amazing food, see how much you are eating it, and start experimenting!

Superfoods and Your Eating Lifestyle

Such a catch phrase these days, "super foods" What is a super food? It is a food that can offer you top nutrients, taste and anti oxidants. I have perused many lists of super foods, some the same and some different. This past year, I have experienced major changes in my own eating lifestyle,(not diet), due to physical issues, and energy issues. When I was 25, 30 even 40 years old, I had energy that was never ending. That has changed, being able to sustain energy, positive thinking and just plain feeling good has been more of a challenge. My schedule has different elements like everyone, it is like a book shelf: there are many volumes of things that ask for my attention on any given day and my work is my passion(which means I work more because it is amazing). This also means that my energy level has to meet the demands and also the physical changes and needs of my body and spiritual health. That means developing an eating lifestyle that works for me. Look forward with me, to exploring the super food list that I have found is amazing, yummy and flexible.(you can do many things with these ingredients) I look forward to exploring it with you. Stay tuned......

Finding Balance

My theme for this year, is to create balance for myself. Immediately as a yoga practitioner we think of a balance pose! Great place to start, how about Tree Pose or Half Moon Pose! Both my favorites! Practicing these poses assists the mind in bringing balance into the rest of my life. I think of areas where I need more "balance" work vs personal life, play vs work and so on. For me, I looked at a broader picture, what in my life have I not done enough of? What else do I want to do that will serve my practice, and help me feel more fulfilled. The first thing is exploring yoga more deeply, I teach a great deal, which I love, BUT :) what brought me to yoga was love of the practice. Finding yoga workshops and trips that will also support me, and that I find fun! Amazing! I also want to travel, so combining these two, with a long time yoga friend and inspiration, and put together a trip to Costa Rica next year! We are in the planning stages and I am so excited. Stay tuned! The other area of balance is food, winter is a great time to explore, mindful eating, when it is cold and I feel like a bear wanting to crawl into a den, it actually doesn't help to eat heavy food, which used to be a go to thing for me. Keeping it light, lots of veggie's which is very grounding, and fruit, to keep the feeling of sun and lightness, helps me a great deal. I have found I feel better, and have more energy to deal with the extreme cold that we have been experiencing this year. But then again, another great reason to be a yogi in winter, we have so much to spin and do inside. Getting to my mat, is exciting, and focusing on a new pose or sequence helps me move through my day. Balance....Namaste' Denise

New Year, New Intention

Hello all, I cannot believe it is already a New Year and 2014! I do always like to start my year with an intention or focus. Something I feel I need for the year. It always helps me to focus and realign myself spiritually as well as setting an emotional tone for the year. This year for me is Balance. If I manage to create balance in my life, I am content, happy, peaceful, stress free and everyone around me is feeling the peaceful energy. Everything in our life needs some sort of balancing element. For instance, scheduling work and home life. In today's culture I find that so many people not just those of us in the fitness world, work at odd hours solving this or that problem, or being called into work to trouble shoot something. Our lives are 24/7 with the added technology that we have and it also means we need to take time to offset this tone of life. I always take 1.5 hour break from my phone during the day. At some point, I am free and relaxing, before I move on with my day. And it is not when I am asleep! I make the time mid day when I need the down time, to just take a vacation. This small thing, brings some balance back to my day, otherwise, my radar is always on, and there is always something to hear, read or see on my digital device. Now I will say that this device has helped me streamline and organize myself so that I am much more efficient and it is easier getting things done, but I still need that break. Other areas that need balance is food, knowing what to eat, when to eat, how it will feels and help my day, also keeps me balanced and light. Especially in winter when we tend to eat heavier food, it helps to still keep some lightness in our diets. I love experimenting with vegetarian and vegan recipes to maintain the lightness. Think about what may balance you, what is going on and what is the exact opposite? and then find the happy medium. And of course, Do Yoga! The more we move in Winter the more we can focus on what we need, try working on your yoga practice this month. Stay connected to community through other yoga teachers and classes, we all love creating community and providing helpful tools to each other, check out #31daysofyoga with Laura Erdman Luntz. And stay tuned for helpful tips and creating intention in your life. Happy New Year! Namaste' Denise