Month: March 2013

Let’s Play

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“If we see a child who is two or three, we find a free human. Why? Because this human does whatever he/she wants to do. The human is completely wild. Just like a flower, a tree, or an animal that has not been domesticated – wild! And if we observe two year olds, we find that most of the time these humans have a big smile on their face and they’re having fun. They are exploring the world. They are not afraid to play. They don’t worry about the past, don’t care about the future, and only live in the present moment. Very young children are not afraid to express what they feel. They are so loving that if they perceive love, they melt into love. They are not afraid to love at all. That is the description of a normal human being. Our normal human tendency is to enjoy life, to play, to explore, to be happy, and to love.” – don Miguel Ruiz (The Four Agreements)

Dairy-free Goji Smoothie

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This smoothie is easy to make and provides essential healthy fats, some protein & a superfood punch. To make, you’ll need: – x1 frozen/fresh banana (when freezing, remove skin and cut up into chunks) – handful of frozen/fresh berries (I used raspberries today) – sprinkle of raw mixed nuts – some hot water (I don’t like my smoothies too cold as it’s not good for digestion & is a shock to the system. *It’s only necessary to use hot water if you’re using frozen fruit, otherwise just add cold) – x1 tbsp organic coconut oil – sprinkle of goji berries – 1/2 tbsp ground flax seed – 1 tsp organic raw cacao powder Add all the ingredients to the blender and bam, you have a damn fine tasting smoothie!

Township Yogi

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I am so excited to be getting involved in this amazing initiative, headed up by Producer Elle Matthews from Green Shoot Films, an eco-friendly film production company. Township Yogi is a documentary about changing the lives of HIV Aids sufferers in KwaZulu-Natal through the power of yoga. Research shows that South Africa has the highest incidence of Aids in the world, and nearly 40% of the HIV Aids population live in townships in KwaZulu-Natal. The documentary will be shot over 6 months and will follow the lives of five people living in Inanda township as they embark on a journey of transformation through the practice of yoga. This will be the catalyst for establishing yoga studios within townships and to further train locals so that they can go out and teach yoga to the people suffering in their communities. This is exactly what we need here in SA! Christine Withiel from the Jivananda Centre (featured in the trailer above) will be training the initial 5 students to be documented in the film. Also, we have already begun teaching weekly …

Dear Yoga,

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Oh how I’ve missed you. I’ve missed your sweet embrace, your warmth, your release. It’s been too long… It feels good to be back, even though it’s on new terms. Thank you for teaching me acceptance and how to let go – of my ego and my self-limiting beliefs. Thank you for teaching me patience. And for the gift of being present and totally at peace, breath by breath, moment by moment. Thank you for showing me my strength and my inherent ability to heal. Oh it feels good to be back :-)

Just Do One Thing

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(Art print by Kyle Andrews) “I just can’t meditate lately. I’m over thinking things and my mind is a mess,” I found myself saying to a friend (aka Jacob/healer/all-round-amazing person) yesterday. I know that what I really need to be doing is meditating so that I can quieten my mind but it’s just not happening for me lately. And trust me I have tried. I have this ever-increasing list of things that I want to do every day but just can’t seem to get to, including: – spend 40 minutes walking in nature (one day I’ll be running) – practice yoga – meditate for 15 minutes – spend time in rampages of appreciation and do focus wheels (Abraham Hicks) – blog – spend time visualising I want to do all of these things but in essence I’m actually doing nothing. And so as I was explaining this to my amazing friend Jacob, he reminded me to take things slow… slow… slow. One step at a time. And in his words of wisdom, he said, “For …

Let Yourself Be Seen

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I saw this talk by Brene Brown years ago, it’s such a beautiful message that I had to share. I’ve always known that I struggle with vulnerability, but I didn’t realise just how much until recently. I can now see this pattern that has filtered through my life and the effects on a physical as well as mental level. But we start to heal when we become conscious, and every day is an opportunity to open up a little more, especially when I feel like closing down. “This is what I have found: to let ourselves be seen, deeply seen, vulnerably seen; to love with our whole hearts, even though there’s no guarantee – and that’s really hard; to practice gratitude and joy in those moments of terror, when we’re wondering, “Can I love you this much? Can I believe in this this passionately? Can I be this fierce about this?” Just to be able to stop and, instead of catastrophizing what might happen, to say, “I’m just so grateful, because to feel this vulnerable …