On a Whim in Nicaragua

 Let's start with the recipes I make that happen to be in the cookbook.... Homemade yogurt, page 266.  It is so easy to make I don't know why I waited all these years.  I am lactose intolerant so I used lactose free milk but I want to experiment with nut and coconut milks.  According to the notes in the book, yogurt is pacifying for vata, neutral for pitta and raises kapha slightly, it's very beneficial for healthy gut bacteria and digestion...even people who have trouble with dairy may find yogurt easier to take.  I added my homemade mango jam and granola for a delicious breakfast.   There are a number of different chutneys I also make all time and have for years....the great thing about this cookbook is it tells you how your favorite items affect your dosha...so you don't have to be an expert to eat and cook ayurvedically.   Pacifying to all doshas cilantro and mint chutney, page 259 is as easy to make and very similar to chimichurri which ...

I have always been against Monsanto and it's chemicals as well as genetically modified foods.  I have tried to buy organic and local or grow my own for many years and it's in times like this it's worth trying to make change in an entire industry..so here goes. I have been inspired to write this because I am reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver.  So far I am on page 56 of 354...I see more of these posts in my future before I finish this book.   P.S. I love to garden and eat good food as well. My hope is that more and more people will go back to gardening and producing their own vegetables or at least be more conscious of what they are putting into their body and the nutrients the things they buy have or don't have.  Our bodies can only digest so much in one day so we need to be fastidious about what we put in on a given day if we do not want to be obese...are you nourishing yours? I urge everyone reading this to read the labels ...

This card feels appropriate in a few aspects of my life and none involve work....what about in your life? "This week, set your intention to determine what you'd like to express to the world before you embark on the task."  This is an important intention to set for me since I have few filters at times. "What does blueberry say to you?"  This is the question asked on day 2 of the week long journey into the card.  It asks you to look beyond blue and into the combinations that make blueberry and the meanings of those colors as chakras.  We are asked to be open to the universes feedback as we examine our personal expression in life. "The fifth chakra reminds us of the legacy we're here to share with others.  What is yours?  How will you know when you've succeeded?" The group exercise is one i'd like to do and will just not this week... The fifth day of 7 is a meditation...go within and release your inner mystic.  ...

2020 Cookbook Club Join me each month as we explore vegetarian, vegan and ayurvedic cooking. I have chosen a number of my favourite cookbooks and some new ones I haven’t tried, but all are renowned authors and respected experts in their fields. Choose your recipes to make and post pictures in the group of your creations from the books each month. Every Thursday will be throwback Thursday where you can cook from any of the books of previous months or your favourite cookbook, using the hashtag #tbt. In December we will vote on a book from the January favourites you used. The bonus book for the whole year is The complete book of Ayurvedic home remedies, Vassant Lad M.A.Sc. While this book does not have recipes it has extensive food lists, breathing, meditation and yoga suggestions. It is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in ayurveda written by one of the most respected experts on ayurvedic living. January: cook from your favourite cookbook and post a pict...

I was recently gifted this beautiful decks of oracle cards.  I am very privileged and grateful to have received such a gift.  I had always heard that you should be gifted your tarot deck so I didn't use the one I had purchased so much over the years but the interest has always been there. I have been practicing with this oracle deck for the last few weeks and I want to share them with you.... So here goes.... They are created by Tori Hartman and are of very good quality for the box and the cards.  The illustrations are thought provoking and I feel connected to the cards by "buzzword".  The word on each card alone sends me into neutral observer down multiple rabbit holes at once.   I think it says something that the picture I took for this post happened to turn up the  gratitude card.   Each week I will draw a card on Mondays and post it here with my questions and insights for you to decide how the card fits your week. ...

I am part of the Food 52 Cookbook Club and  a few others on Facebook.  I like these groups for the amazing food they post.  Out of a bunch of books they try in a year, I pick a few. This is one and I am glad I did...everything is delicious. Most of the recipes are very easy to make with few ingredients which are readily available most places.   It doesn't end there. This book completely changed my green herb game!!! I like a bit of fresh herb, but I had no idea that eating them all (dill, mint, culantro, parsley) fresh together in one salad with only lime, olive oil and kosher salt as the dressing was such a flavor sensation.  I took so much inspiration from the book that I am eating fresh herbs in everything now. Another memorable recipe is the tonnato.  In the book he uses canned tuna but I used our in house smoked mackerel instead....I make it all the time now and even add larger pieces to make it a smoked mackerel salad sandwich. I al...

Energy Healing: The Essentials of Self Care This one resonated with me. I could hardly put it down and that is unusual for me with a book in this genre. It all started for me on page 10 with a great composite view of different energy anatomies that had been explained in the preceding pages. For me, it really brought together the Chinese medicine, Thai massage, chakras and aura system in relation to each other. The healing stories through opening our connections to the energy fields of the universe were motivating and interesting to read. The first exercise I tried was the first one in the book "toe tapping". It's a pretty simple exercise so following the instructions was easy. I only kept it up for about a week but I believe I did start to feel benefits. I like to meditate and I am always looking for new ideas. This book provided. I still want to try the metta meditation and many of the other meditations that are throughout the book. I still have a numb...

This month I am doing an ayurvedic cooking workshop that embraces the seasonal changes in our diet and gives specific information like shopping lists and tables that help you change an "everyday" recipes into a seasonal one. Flexibility is a spectacular item to have in your toolbox. My first attempted recipe from the book....Everyday dosas.  They are like a tortilla but instead of corn are a combination of rice and mung beans.  They are fermented which gives them a great taste that you don't find in a tortilla. I have also tried the everyday chia pudding and I love that it's blended.  It really made the texture more pudding like and less jelly like.  I also wasn't really a fan of the whole seeds so blending is a win win for me. There are a number of great recipes in the book and we will have a chance to try these at the workshop on May 12. The workshop turned out well and the food was delicious even though we questioned how some of the flav...

This year I have been expanding my horizons on every level. I did a 21 day mantra challenge with Deva Premal and Miten.  It took me more like 28 days but that's cool, I completed it.  Not only completed it but actively went looking for more.  That brought me to the gayatri mantra which I have chanted enough now, that it came to mind as I woke up this morning. I didn't recite it a 108 times but I am a firm believer in starting small.  One of my favourite quotes is "If you build it they will come." from  Field of Dreams..circa old.  I can feel the energy building and while it is scary it is also very positive. Got my first 12 hours of shiatsu training last month....at Casa Ananda right here in Las Peñitas! I remember first being introduced to shiatsu in Vancouver in the late 90's.  I can add it as a compliment in my thai yoga massages because I am already pressing most of the points and I can add a couple extra.  I have been practicing on m...

Not sure where to begin....this has been a year so far... I still have not found a yoga teacher.  More and more I really miss a couple of the excellent teachers I have had.  The first was in Vancouver in 1998 at a community center I don't remember her name but I remember her style.  My favourite song of Deva Premal is still purnamedah  which always reminds me of the teacher I had at the Y.  His class was Sunday mornings and I always felt better for it, even the day I cried through the entire class.  Another memorable teacher was in Guelph where I took my first 100 hours of yoga teacher training.   Her walking meditations changed meditation for me. It was money well spent and a memory I am grateful for.  The teacher I had in Nicaragua for 500 hours is the one I got the tongue scraper, blue pendulum, mala beads and journaling habit from.  She taught me alot.... I am finally connecting in a meaningful way with who I am, through ...

And we have publicity!...I am getting better at this. This month we are going to delve in The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook .  I will create a menu over the next week and post photos of some of the recipes I am trying. This workshop will be primarily vegan although ayurveda does allow animal products, dairy and eggs.  That being said your ayurvedic diet is ruled by your dosha and within that things that digest in your body well. Let me know some of favourites.  I would love to try them.

Last year closed out with a numerology reading at a wellness fair I attended.  Long story made short, I am a bunch of sevens and this year is my 8th in a 9 year rotation...the eighth year is meant to be the year that all the hard work of the last 7 start to come to fruition.   Last week I was approached by a group of Nicaraguan women in workout garb requesting use of my space.  Entonces, this week we will start offering Zumba classes in OnaWhim, monday-friday at 4pm.   Last week marked the beginning of a new journal.  That is 2 that I have completed in less than 4 years...lol...I have unfinished journals spanning my whole life but now I have 2 that are full.  I have started a new one for the new year.  Who knows if its completion will coincide with the end of this year.  I change the layout so often its hard to calculate.  I also baked cookies on Friday and Sunday of last week...they were both so delicious they soldout...very exci...

For me reading is a form of listening so this month I am going to listen to the my intuition, while following the written instructions of famous chefs and cookbook authors, to make delicious treats, sweets and meals for our Hotelito family. The part where I always seem to substitute something....usually honey for sugar will be my intuition as are the times I skip the salt.  I am always changing some ingredients because I just can't get everything for the North American and European recipes here in Nicaragua. My culinary passion is baking, cookies, pies, cakes or muffins...as long as its a sweet I am in.  Since being a part of Dulce Mareas I have upped my savory game too...although that can include chorizo bread pudding or beef pot pie. My planner side said I needed a list of inspiring cookbooks I have on hand in Nicaragua and in my ever growing digital library. Check and ready! Milk Bar Life: Grandma's Oatmeal Cookies My most used cookbook is definitely the Pur...

Flying High with Acro Love Acro Yoga has become the newest tool in my teaching tool belt.  It is up there with teaching kids gymnastics something I did once upon a time.... You can't help but find your inner child....I have even found myself skipping once or twice.... I went to my first class at The Surfing Turtle Lodge in 2017 and then a second class at the same place a few months later.  It was the start of a beautiful thing.  Acro Yoga Weekend Workshop:  Teaching Intensive October 2017 ....what a fantastic group of ladies and gents to learn with.  We learned so much and had an amazing time doing it.  I have taken workshops before and this one ranked in the top percentile of grrrreat.... I have since started teaching a class on Wednesday mornings from 9-11 in my studio.  I also teach a class on Saturdays from 9-10 in Leon for Yoga Leon Nicaragua. And then came the workshops......February and April 2018....I couldn't attend...

Book Club will be a continuing series culminating with an overview of the book on May  27.  We will be exploring the chakras using The Wheels of Life as a guide.  Our Journey begins March 4 at 9:30 am with the opening meditation for the first chakra followed  by a restorative yoga class focusing on the muladhara chakra. March 4:  Chakra 1 March 18:  Chakra 2 March 25:  Chakra 3 April8:  Chakra 4 April 22:  Chakra 5 May 6:  Chakra 6 May 20:  Chakra 7 May 27:  Overview of book The theme of my classes will follow with this program for the next 2 months...using the tools I have and those I find in this book as inspiration.  

I started the month with a Bach Flower Remedy Workshop given in Spanish.  Two for one..yay me.  An interesting topic that has applications with a number of other interests I enjoy.  The fact that I kept up in Spanish is a huge accomplishment for me. It kick started some research into ayurveda again...always an interest of mine with aromatherapy.  For March and April I will offer chakras themes 2 weeks at a time using the Wheels of Life by Judith Anodea as a guidebook...ending at the end of May...what to read in June? It encourages me to try other courses...like the red cross lifeguard course.....it is Saturday afternoons with a swim to Poneloya...a prerequisite for the life guard certification, if I understood in Spanish correctly?  Followed by Sunday mornings rescues and first aid I think.  They also swim in Leon from 4-6 in the morning...I thought 6 was early when I was a kid...I cant imagine being up that early now or ever...to swim. I love to bak...

As a new year starts..a review begins..and then the updates roll in... My mission statement and profile in general have not changed in a couple years, but I sure have. The cooperative I teach with in Leon was also asked many months back about a mission statement.  How do 7 people make one mission?  Do all 7 people know their own mission?  Where do we start? Right at the beginning of course..... Yoga means to come together; to unite.   "To attain what was previously unattainable" The Heart of Yoga by T.K.V. Desikachar has given me some very valuable insights into who I've become, what I want and how to get it.... "we can begin practicing yoga from any starting point, but if we are to be complete human beings we must incorporate all aspects of ourselves, and do so step by step." "Purusa denotes the position from which we can see;it is the power in us that enables us to perceive with accuracy."  p12 Svadhaya means; self study or ...

  Week 1:  The quieter you become, the more you can hear.  Ram Dass. Week 2:  before you speak, listen. William Arthur Ward Week 3:  The earth has music for those who listen.  Shakespeare Week 4:  LISTEN=SILENT This word met me in different ways this month... an intensive Acro Yoga weekend filled with communication....where I learned that when I am listening to my body I have trouble speaking at the same time.  I also attended a workshop on Bach Flower remedies in Spanish, I understood almost all of what was said, but it takes immense focused concentration to keep up.  I have learned how to listen intently.... The other way listen hit me this month was right in the jaw....I wasn't listening closely enough to my body and got a sinus infection that spread into my tooth....surgery ouch...antibiotics worse....almost recovered and paying close attention for signs my body is sending.

I like to choose a word each year and see if I can embody and embrace what that words stands for in the coming year.  This year I have decided that I will use an acronym that will give me 4 words to work with but before we get into that..... Let's look back briefly at the stats from last year: taught 83 yoga classes gave massage 16 times made 9 blog posts bujo 9 months This year I strive to: teach 160 classes write 12 blog posts bujo 12 months give 52 massages These are the tangibles.  Now back to the words of the year and my intangible goals. Listen and educate without ego, adventure and play without limits is my mantra for the year.  I expect I will not arrive at the end of this journey by the end of the year but a worthy goal has been set. Using one of these words each month I will explore what it means in the different areas of my life and share those insights in future blog posts this year.  I am going to start the journey in the yoga sutra...

A very interesting journey began for me in April.  I started a bullet journal in a composition book pictured in the bottom left corner.  By August I was ready for the real thing and moved into the A5 size Pentalic Sketch dot grid.  In November I expanded and changed to add an A4 Pentalic sketch dot grid.  The evolution has been substantial...... I had lots of supplies and I thought I had arrived at planner peace after 5 months...who was I kidding? This is where I am in a homemade 40 cent planner/padfolio turned rogue traveler's notebook.  Its too big.  I want something smaller, a pocket size with wallet insert, perhaps...... Now to decide where to get it.  So far I have looked at Galen Leather , Sunday Leather Craft and Chic Sparrow .  They are all beautiful and I am having a very tough time pulling the trigger and making an order. For the rest of the year I have had 2....the A4 I walk around with that contains my day to day, w...