After visiting San Francisco about 5 times in the past 2 years knowing fully well about Cafe Gratitude, I finally made it. And it was more than worth the wait.

cut to today: walking about 20 blocks, taking the Bart and 2 buses, I arrived. I am here.

it’s no wonder it’s such a challenge for people to stay healthy, and especially raw, while traveling. Most people won’t endure the above trek in order to achieve a healthy meal.

After arriving… again after ordering, and while eating…and once again after I am finished: I feel such gratitude.

I feel thankful for this beautiful food, for the love and intention that goes into every bite and sip, for the gracious and kind staff, for small details such as the Question of the Day (today’s: What are you devoted to?) for The Present Moment, and for my deep awareness of my body and my health to bring me to such a conscious place for lunch.

Here’s what I ordered: ‘I Am Healthy” Green Veggie Juice, followed by “I Am Giving” Asian Kale Salad with Teriyaki Almonds, sea vegetables and sesame seeds. For dessert (you can’t skip dessert when doing a review for a restaurant-it wouldn’t be fair) I had the raw Pecan Pie called “I Am Perfect” with Pecans and Dates and a Macadamia nut crust. mmmm. Afterward, while walking around the beautiful store, letting my food digest and my heart absorb my surroundings, I sipped on a cup of mint green tea with ginger and spices. (“I Am Charmed”)

I consider it a treat to be in such an amazing environment. I definitely don’t take it for granted. Every time I walk in such a place, i feel humble and gracious.

I feel at home here. I can sit Indian style like I would at home. I can ask questions that matter to me and know that they will be acknowledged and respected. There is a lot of love being felt here… the staff just had a group hug, for example. This is exactly how life is in my bubble, in my head, in my heart.

For now, all i can say is that until I can create my own sanctuary, my own yoga studio-juice bar-restaurant-safe place…

I’ll be venturing to Cafe Gratitude to fulfill these desires.

This weekend I went to a music and yoga festival in Tahoe called Wanderlust. 

One theme kept recurring in my head: Spirituality. 

I use this word a lot: “I’m very spiritual”, “I wish he were more spiritual”, “let’s be one and connect with our spiritual self.”

But, in all actuality, how do I define spirituality? And how do others? The interesting thing about this weekend is that I learned this word means different things to each individual person. In all actuality, although some use the terms religion and spirituality interchangeably, they are very different to me and not synonymous. 

I believe I look at spirituality as a way to tap into my true self. To connect to the internal spirit, and disconnect from material, external world. Spirituality is a very personal and subjective concept. I get very in-tune with my emotions and feelings when I have a spiritual experience. 

I realized after this weekend that everyones experience is unique to them. Yoga is my gateway to spirituality. I’ve been saying for years that “Yoga is my religion, yoga class is my church.” Yoga elicits the breath, which takes me inward. It takes me out of the physical body and into my internal self. Meditation and taking time focus on nothing is powerful. And finally, seeing people in the community is also a huge part. Humanity

Music is a way for many to reach a spiritual place within themselves. After listening to Andrew Bird yesterday at Wanderlust, laying on a grassy hill on the top of an 8,000 high mountain top, the sun shining on my warm skin: i tapped into my spirit. I closed my eyes, and felt the music take me inward. 

Many things took me to this moment. Hiking up the mountain (seeing 2 natural water falls and gathering water from them to drink), attending two yoga classes (one kundalini one flow) and being in nature. Eating food from the land (raw, organic), being with loving souls around me (my best friend from childhood)…etc etc etc. I guess my point is this: spirituality means different things to different people. 

Find your personal way to venture into your own spirituality. Go out in nature on a hike, or out at night during a full moon. Try a new yoga class-Kundalini is incredibly powerful. Listen to live music, preferably someone that has a great, healthy message. Volunteer with those less fortunate than you-homeless, the hungry, the sick. Travel alone, some of my most intense spiritual experiences happen when I’m alone, especially in a new environment. And share your own personal journey’s with spirituality here! 

Celebrate the Union of Sita and Ram!

Sita Ramm Sita Ram 

Jay Jay Sita Ram

O sita O Ram! Hail, hail Sita, Ram!

This mantra is the Hindi language sung ecstatically all over India by the devotees of God in the form of Lord Rama. Rama and his wife, Sita, embody the aspect of the Divine called dharma, or our capacity for “right action,” which simply means choosing the course that is most uplifting for oneself and others in any given situation. The stories of Rama exemplify dharma for others to follow. On an even deeper level, Ram and Sita are names for two fundamental aspects of the Divine. Signing these names celebrates the beauty and power of God and Goddess expressed through human form.

INTERPRETED BY CHRISTOPHER D. WALLIS, A SANSKRIT SCHOLAR AT UC BERKELEY (yogastana.org)

What is a Mantra?

Mantras are energy based sounds. Just like any word, when you say something it produces an energetic physical vibration. When we repeat these energetic sounds, they create an energetic thought wave. The human consciousness is a collection of separate states of consciousness. These separate states exist throughout the physical and subtle bodies. Each organ has a primitive consciousness of its own.

Mantras start a powerful vibration which corresponds to both a specific spiritual energy frequency and a state of consciousness in seed form. Over time, the mantra process begins to override all of the other smaller vibrations, which eventually become absorbed by the mantra. After a length of time which varies from individual to individual, the great wave of the mantra stills all other vibrations. Ultimately, the mantra produces a state where the organism vibrates at the rate completely in tune with the energy and spiritual state represented by and contained within the mantra.

At this point, a change of state occurs in the organism. The energetic being becomes subtly different. there is a direct relationship between the mantra sound, either vocalized or subvocalized, and the chakras located throughout the body.For more in-depth reading on mantras, check out wikipedia. 

Having a small mantra you repeat to yourself can really help you quiet the mind and give you energy (prana). 

**Share your favorite mantras and mantra stories on here!**

Why Cleanse?

There are so many reasons to detox or cleanse. Some people believe in completely fasting: eating and drinking nothing for a certain amount of time.

We believe it’s imperative, to aid in the cleansing process, to consume raw foods to receive an ABUNDANCE of nutrients… saturating your body in health instead of depriving it.

Cleansing and fasting regimes are multi-faceted experiences that have been practiced by an innumerable amount of people ranging from Christian saints to Buddha. These cleanses purify the mind, uplift the heart and heal the body.

In our every day life, we experience many different exposures to toxins. From environmental toxins (pollution) to emotional stresses to the food we eat, our bodies experience this stress daily. There are and always have been stressors in life and today there is no doubt an increase in a multitude of new toxins and stressors that have never existed before.

To restore your health and wellbeing, it is essential to detoxify the accumulation of toxins that absolutely affect each and every cell of your body.

We offer a unique experience by using raw, organic food, superfoods, herbs and supplements to provide a personalized program for you. After having an initial consultation we create a customized juice and/or food cleanse ranging from 3 to 30 days, depending on your needs and goals. You can combine any cleanse with our yoga classes or personal one on one training to get the most out of your detox process.

We look forward to sharing this experience with you!