"To choose is also to begin." -Starhawk 1982

That's it.

The first step is always to make a choice. Pick one, whether it's a color, a flavor, a career or a path. And GO FOR IT!

I CHOOSE to eat healthy. I choose to pick the honest course of action. I CHOOSE to work out today/go to yoga/meditate/take time for myself.

My friend and I were talking about this exact thing the other day: decisions.

The word decision comes from the latin word"decidere" which means to "cut off".

as if to choose sides or to cut off an option. This is such a negative way of looking at something. Let's change the word decision in our every day lives.. lets swap it with the word CHOOSE.

Because this is not to say you can't pick again. We can always choose again! But we've gotta start somewhere. :)

Today, in honor of the day devoted to love, take the love promise: 

"I open my heart to more love today, more love of myself and those I meet in my day. I commit to giving without worry about receiving."

Lay down on a yoga mat or the floor.

Take a moment to put your attention on your heart;

expand the space around it internally as you inhale,

and perceive the vastness of that space even as you

exhale.

Each time you manage to do this even for a few moments,

you've healed something within yourself, you've

slowed down time for yourself and likely others around you,

and you've most likely selected a response

(rather than reacted) to a pressing situation.

Then notice what changes in your life as a consequence.

After watching my mother go through her fight with Stage 4 breast cancer last year, I learned quite a bit. Reflecting on the past 12 months, I have created a way to stay grounded through one's cancer treatment (or any difficult journey).

Calm your Breath

Become more aware of your breathing in general. Notice when you hold your breath, when you hold onto tension. Make an effort to focus on your inhalation and exhalation. Try and lengthen each breath, especially in stressful moments.

Meditation

Find some time to meditate. This can mean something different to everyone. Maybe it means you take 5 minutes in the morning or before bed to lay down and close your eyes and focus on nothingness. Maybe you take 20 minutes to have a "proper" seated meditation. Either way, take some quiet time for yourself each day to help calm your body and mind.

Create a Posse 

Think of your team of doctors, nutritionists, yoga teachers, massage therapists, acupuncturist, friends and family members as an invaluable wellness support group.  Looking back on my mom's chemo and healing process, I see the faces of each and every person that helped make the process easier for her (and all of us).

Make Food a Loving Expression

Think of preparing your own food as an expression of self-love and appreciation. Every time I visit the farmers market or prepare a fresh juice or dish, I really take deep breaths with appreciation and love. When I'm preparing a cleanse, I turn my cell phone off to connect & fill the food with all the love in my heart. It makes a huge difference!

Plan for the Future, but Live in The Now

No one can give you permission to live the way you want to, except you.

Find your healer within and tap in!

Reporting in from Maya Tulum, Mexico

As Baron Baptiste, the great yoga teacher and guide would say, life is about two things: expanding and contracting. We are either opening up, or closing down. We are becoming larger, growing, evolving, transforming. Or, we are becoming smaller, hiding, lessening ourselves.

The key to living your life in a truthful, open, expansive way is to live authentically.
What do I mean when I say authentic? In existential terms, authenticity is relating to an emotionally significant, purposive, and responsible mode of human living. But how does one live an authentic life? This quote always seems to do the trick for me:

“Be as you are, not as you should be.”

There are no “shoulds” in life.  There is no universal right or wrong for how you should be, except to do your very best in every possible situation. You don’t need to be a certain color or flavor or change a single thing, unless you want to. Unless it’s a part of your own growth and expansion. Authenticity is genuine. It doesn’t require force, and in fact, if you attempt to force it, you will fail. Forcing anything just makes it more difficult on you and anyone or anything else involved. Try to drop your expectations of others and eventually you will drop your expectations of yourself: with the “shoulds” right along with it.

Another really wonderful part about being authentic in your life is that you give others permission to be their most true self as well. You open the door to expansion in the most powerful way. So not only are you improving your own well-being and truth, you allow others to do the same.

Don’t expect this to happen over night, because it probably won’t. Begin taking steps towards this way of living. Be patient and compassionate with yourself, this is a lifelong process that will actually get easier with time. Take off your mask, letting it reveal the true you. I find being in nature and/or on the yoga mat is a great way to start this process.

Try and drop your judgments of others, again, to attempt to drop the judgments of yourself. Open your heart to accepting that: You are perfect exactly as you are.

Check out this recent article on fasting from NPR!

For thousands of years, beginning with philosophers like Hippocrates, Socrates and Plato, fasting was recommended for health reasons. The Bible writes that Moses and Jesus fasted for 40 days for spiritual renewal.

"Glycogen is necessary for thinking; it's necessary for muscle action; it's necessary just for the cells to live in general," says Dr. Naomi Neufeld, an endocrinologist at UCLA. Neufeld says most adults need about 2,000 calories a day. Those calories make energy, or glycogen. Neufeld says it doesn't hurt — it might even help the body — to fast or stop eating for short periods of time, say 24 hours once a week, as long as you drink water.

"You re-tune the body, suppress insulin secretion, reduce the taste for sugar, so sugar becomes something you're less fond of taking," Neufeld says.

Eventually the body burns up stored sugars, or glycogen, so less insulin is needed to help the body digest food. That gives the pancreas a rest. On juice diets recommended by some spas, you may lose weight, but your digestive system doesn't get that rest. Mark Mattson, a scientist with the National Institute on Aging, says that when we convert food into energy, our bodies create a lot of byproducts we could do without, including free radicals. "These free radicals will attack proteins, DNA, the nucleus of cells, the membranes of cells," Mattson says. "They can damage all those different molecules in cells."

And even if you don't fast, Mattson says that simply limiting the calories you consume may be beneficial. He points to studies where rats and mice were fed every other day. Compared with those fed normal daily diets, there was a reduction in disease among the rats that were severely restricted in their food intake. Mattson says those findings hold promise that humans could also benefit from partial fasting.

Mattson thinks partial fasting has numerous benefits, from improving glucose regulation, which can protect against diabetes, to also lowering blood pressure. Some animal studies have also shown that partial fasting has very beneficial effects on the brain, protecting against Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and stroke.

Partial fasting may even extend lifespan because eating less sends a message to the cells of the body that they should conserve and use energy more efficiently.

"When they're exposed to a mild stress, [the body's cells] sort of expect that maybe this is going to happen again," Mattson says. "So maybe next time I may have to go longer without food, so I'd better be able to deal with that when it comes on."

Proponents say small, short-term studies find that complete fasting lowers blood pressure and reduces cancer risk. But Dr. Naomi Neufeld worries that complete fasting could be harmful. After the first few days of liquid only, the body uses up all its stored glucose to make energy. And then it turns to other sources, including fat and muscle. (juice/smoothie fast ensures you get all the nutrients you need while still obtaining the benefits mentioned above)

check out the full article here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16513299&sc=nl&cc=es-20071223&sc=emaf

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!