Category: Uncategorized

Rebooting

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First let me start off by apologizing for my hiatus. Literally the day after I posted my beautiful picture of me in a headstand, I got into a little accident that led to a concussion. My doctor recommended that I take bed rest and really allow myself to relax and recover. Me? Rest? Ha! Funny! I like to relax but rest, what is rest? Clearly, this concussion was (and still is, since it takes time to heal) a signal or even blessing from the universe indicating I really needed to rest. 

I love to take care of everyone and feel that it is my responsibility to take care of people but at the end of the day, if I allow myself to get depleted how can I really be effective? These past few weeks have really been a struggle for me. I am always sleepy, spaced out with headaches, dizzy, nauseated and just overall exhausted. What bums me out is that I can’t get back into a headstand for a while! I know, where are my priorities right? I love the feeling of being upside down! It’s so free and it is one of the few moments when I do not think! 

I just got back to work this week and after two weeks off I am having a hard time. I can barely focus (this blog post has taken me a few hours to write), my attention span is ridiculously short and I have to take frequent breaks since I get so many headaches. Even though I am really frustrated with myself, I realize this is my time to reboot and recharge. My brain is rebooting and relearning, warming back up and all my programs are reinstalling. I am learning to slow down and take deep breaths often. Even though right now I would love to jump into inversions, go crazy with my yoga poses and get back into Zumba, I have to put my healing first. I instantly hear Billy Joel singing to me, “Slow down you’re doing fine, you can’t be everything you want to be before your time.” 

In honor of my reboot and slowing down, here is Vienna by Billy Joel. Let it remind us all to slow down, unplug, recharge and reboot when we need to. 

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I felt like sharing my moment of humility, the moment I felt not only invincible but vulnerable. These incredible feelings arise from my immense love and devotion to learning more about this asana. I am incredibly grateful for my body for the strength to endure this physical challenge.

“The headstand can lead to a symbolic upheaval of perspective. Turning the world upside down can create a bigger vision. Instead of being rooted in the Earth, we can see ourselves as a mystical peepul tree, whose roots grow in Heaven. Rather than being attached to survival, status and concepts that have arisen through our family and conditioning, we can instead attach ourselves to the Divine and ask to be nourished by insights.”- Elephant Journal

Chakras and Crystals

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Last weekend I dedicated time to education and empowerment. I signed up for a Chakras and Crystal workshop at my yoga center (which has sadly closed down…I shall find a new home soon enough). Though I have practiced yoga for quite sometime I am not fully familiar with the chakras and how their blockages or even being overly open influence the body. I do know that these incredible energy centers help us in yogic practice to become more balanced, aligned and wholesome beings.

“The chakra is a doorway. These are doorways that lead you into other dimensions. But you have to focus on them to the exclusion of everything else.”- RamaQuotes.com

Though I am open to a lot I am also a skeptic about many things. I have moments where I question everything and really wonder what the rational explanation is for it. I made the conscious decision to be open to the experience especially since I was feeling exceptionally drawn to the workshop. I am in the process of trusting the universe and opening up to receiving the messages my intuition provides. Interesting, right?

“Each of the seven chakras references different dimensional planes. It is a turnstile that leads us into different dimensions. As the kundalini rises, the knowledge and powers of those dimensions will begin to come to you.”- RamaQuotes.com

So this class was not only filled with an immense positive and healing energy, it was doused in the energy of willingness to learn. I walked in and instantly felt empowered. I have always been interested in crystals. I have so many in my room with NO idea what they are for or what they could do.

I volunteered to have stones laid upon my chakras and found out areas I need to work on. How cool is that? Having these stones placed upon my body sent this cooling sensation from my toes to the crown of my head. I felt calm, safe and surrounded by love and healing. I left the workshop feeling more aware of my body than I was before. I have always know that I am sensitive to energy but now this is clearer than ever.

I am promising myself to be true to my intuition, to listen to my body and to check in with myself to find out what exactly I need.

“When your mind is clear and your third eye is open, you can see and know things that are taking place thousands of miles away from you.”- RamaQuotes.com

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Peace, love, light and No beef.

Guramrit 

Vegan & Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Muffins

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I don’t know about you but I’m obsessed with pumpkin. Pumpkin cookies, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin soup, pumpkin candles. I know…crazy. My obsession is real. I have had a craving for pumpkin spice muffins (not that I have ever had one…aside from the one from the farmers market that I had a couple weeks ago, thank you to Las Delicias). I wanted something that was sweet, healthy and a cinch to make.

Check out my adapted version of this recipe from Peta.org. I made it gluten free and excluded most of the sugar for the sake of my stomach and health.

Pumpkin Muffins

What you need: 
2 cups brown rice flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. allspice
1 1/4 cups puréed pumpkin (or 1 can)
1/2 cup nondairy milk (I use almond milk)
1/3 cup coconut oil
5 Tbsp maple syrup
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

How to make it: 

1. Preheat oven to 375°F and lightly grease a muffin pan. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, nondairy milk, oil, and molasses or maple syrup. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix.

3. Spoon the batter into the muffin pan, filling each cup to the top.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

4. Remove muffins from the oven. When they’ve cooled to room temperature, frost them (optional) and devour!

Variation: Add a cup of chopped nuts, dried fruit, or vegan chocolate chips to the batter.

Makes 12 muffins

Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

What you need: 

1/4 cup vegan margarine, softened
1/4 cup vegan cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

How you make it: 

1. Place the vegan margarine and cream cheese into a bowl and combine with a handheld mixer.

2. Slowly add the sugar in 1/2-cup batches. When the mixture is smooth and creamy, add the vanilla.

3. Keep the frosting tightly covered and refrigerated until ready to use.

Enjoy my pumpkin spice lovers! 

Peace, love and no beef (just more pumpkin),

Guramrit