Monday 12 September 2011

Take time and listen






EN FRANCAIS AU BAS DE LA PAGE!

I am back. Not from a holiday, but from a nice summer of having and taking time
Time to practice Yoga.
Time to think.
Time to reposition myself and set my intentions.
Time to create.

I’ve been drawn to my yoga practice a lot over the past few months.
I was always practicing regularly (maybe every other day), but recently I have made the commitment to practice every single day.
It doesn’t have to be a 90min practice every day, sometimes it can be even just 20min, sometimes in the morning, sometimes in the evening, I don’t want rules, I just want to listen carefully to what I need, every day.
I want to adapt my practice to the day, and also to the natural cycles a woman experiences every month.
Believe me, so far it has been wonderful, a great challenge, on and off the mat.
Oh yes, there are times when I come back from a day of cooking thinking “how am I gonna even manage to hold a warrior”, but I always get energised, relaxed and it feels like my whole body is getting a shower from the inside!
Finishing with a few minutes in savasana (lying down) is BLISS, yes BLISS.
I then become aware of every cells of my body relaxing, and of the energy flowing again in my entire body.

Practicing yoga is my tool to stay grounded, focused, and calm. It makes my body and mind feel strong and alive, it keeps me energised and positive.
It also helps me remain in front of reality, and facing challenges (calmly…) rather than denying them.
That commitment in itself is a challenge, and a practice of everyday, on and off the mat!
It helps me be more compassionate and available to people.

Yoga has been a wonderful tool to teach me how to respect my body and to become aware of what it needs.
There was a time when I was not very nice to my body (thus to myself), and was denying its need of care, rest or food.
Being more in touch with it and listening carefully to what it has to say has made me want to take care of it.
Eating the right food, and the right amounts (for me) is for me part of my practice.

This is why I am excited to share with you today this lovely recipe, inspired from the book “Raw food, Real World” by Sarma Melngailis and Matthew Kenney .

I usually have fruit for breakfast but sometimes, I feel like I need a little something more substantial. This “Grawnola” fills the gap very well, I like to sprinkle some on top of a bowl of fruit, or simply eat it as a snack. You’ll need a dehydrator to make it. Once dried, it will keep a few weeks in an airtight container in the fridge.






Grawnola

2 pears
½ cup dried figs
½ cup dates
2 TBSP Orange juice
½ Cup Agave syrup
½ cup Sunflower seeds
2 ½ Cups Almonds
2 cups Pecans
1 ½ Cup pumpkin seeds
½ cup Goji berries
A pinch of salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 TBSP Ground ginger

Soak almonds, pecans, pumpkin seeds together in water for about 4h.
Soak the sunflower seeds for about 2h.
Soak figs and dates in water for about 1h, keep the soaking water.

Put the figs and dates in the food processor (with the S blade), process and add some of the soaking water until it forms a paste, add the agave syrup, cinnamon, ginger and salt.
Cut the pears in chunks and put them in the food processor with the paste. Add the orange juice. Blend well.
Remove from the food processor and reserve.
Put all the nuts and seeds in the food processor, Mix briefly, just to break them down. It should stay chunky.
In a bowl, mix the nuts and seeds with the fruit paste, add the goji berries.
Spread the mixture onto 2 teflex sheets and dehydrate at 115°F (40°C) for about 6h.
Then remove from the teflex sheet and place on the mesh screen, dehydrate for another 12h, or more, until crunchy and completely dry.

Break into pieces and store in an airtight container in the fridge.


EN FRANCAIS:
Me voilà de retour!
Non pas de longues vacances d’été, mais plutôt d’un été, frais, à Londres, à avoir le temps de prendre le temps.
Du temps pour la pratique du Yoga.
Du temps pour penser.
Du temps pour me repositionner, tirer et déterminer mes intentions et objectifs.
Du temps pour créer.