This week you find me in the laundry room, up to my third eye in washing! I'm on Easter holidays from yoga classes at the moment and holidays mean that all the mats and blankets get washed. There are approximately 48 blankets and 37 mats! Washing them is no problem (if a little time-consuming), as they go in the washing machine for a 15 minute cycle, but drying them is a little more challenging, especially with these April showers! The Studio is full of temporary washing lines and my fabulous Pulley Maid drying rack is continuously draped with multi-coloured yoga kit! But oh, it's a lovely feeling when they're all done, clean, dry and perfectly folded ready for the new term.
The Easter holidays haven't been all chores though. I've been up to some interesting adventures - as I'm not living according to my class timetable I can be a bit more spontaneous. I've enjoyed some yoga classes myself - it's lovely to be the student for a change and be told what to do. I went to Red Hot Yoga in Guildford and I'll definitely be going back. Situated centrally, just off North Street, they have a full and varied timetable of classes to enjoy.
I've been running in the evenings too. For years I've run first thing in the morning as my body definitely feels lighter and more energised when I run before eating, but I've been out a couple of times now at about 6pm. It was lovely and peaceful down at Bookham Common, with a different light and energy. I noticed lots of things at that time of day that I wouldn't usually have seen - lots of herons sitting on their nests high up in the trees, the swans swimming silently on the ponds and the early evening light shining on the silvery down of the pussy willows.
My running is rarely competitive but on Sunday morning I was up early to participate in the Richmond 10k race. It was nice and flat (!) and took me along the path by the side of the Thames. I really enjoyed the new perspective and the extra boost of energy and adrenaline that running in a race offers.
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| Did it! And got the T-shirt! |
Having two sick family members is heightening my awareness of just how precious life is. It's making me want to go and see lots of places and do lots of new things because you just never know what's around the corner - figuratively, as we cannot know for certain what the future holds, and literally as I found out on Sunday when I did a tourist walk around Little Venice in London. I've lived in and around London all my life, yet I'd never walked along the Regent's Canal. It was a very interesting guided tour where I learned many things about the canals and waterways of the UK. And I saw views I've never seen before too. I'm definitely going to do some more of these tourist walks - there are lots of them. You can take a look here at www.walks.com to see the weekly schedule if you'd like to discover more about London too.
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| View of Little Venice looking towards Regent's Park |
I like this proverb which tells us that it doesn't matter what we choose to do to with our time on this planet as long as we keep moving along our own path. We are all different and like doing different things - we don't all want to climb a mountain. But what is important is that we don't stop looking, learning and exploring this amazing world and our precious life:
Our journey through the chakras continues with the spotlight this week on the third eye centre, Ajna chakra.
The sixth chakra is located between the eyebrows, and it connects us to our insight and intuition. When off balance there may be moodiness, daydreaming or mistrust. When in balance we feel open and focused. We feel a deep spiritual connection, strong morality and we can easily determine between truth and illusion. Physically, Ajna Chakra is associated with the pituitary and pineal glands. The pineal gland secretes melanin and seratonin, necessary for a good night's sleep. It has a similar structure to the retina of the eye and new research suggests it might be photo receptive and able to sense light. The pituitary gland orchestrates all the other endocrine glands to do their jobs of producing hormones.
The mantra of Ajna Chakra is Aum and its colour is indigo. It's affirmation is:
I am calm and clear. I open to the wisdom that is within me. I trust my intuition and follow it. I am connected to my higher self. I am the witness. I envision a world of peace and beauty. I release all attachments to wanting it my way. I see.
Your questions answered - what is a mantra?
A mantra is a word or sound that is repeated over and over again to help with concentration during meditation. Mantras can be repeated silently to oneself, or spoken or sung out loud (scroll down to listen to Tina Turner and even further down for Deva Premal). They are soothing and repetitive and encourage relaxation of the nervous system. They help to quieten the mind by giving it something to focus on. Some yogis are given a mantra by their guru while others choose one which particularly resonates with them. Whilst many mantras are Sanskrit words, such as Om, Shanti, Shanti, Shanti (which means Om, peace, peace, peace) or Gate gate, Para gate, Parasam gate, Bodhiswaha (which means Gone, Gone, Gone beyond, Gone utterly beyond, Oh what an Awakening), you might prefer to choose a simple English phrase such as "love and light", "I breathe in, I breathe out" or "health and happiness" to repeat to yourself during your meditation.
Listen to Tina Turner sing the Peace Mantra "Sarvesham Svastir Bhavatu"
Om Sarvesham Swastir Bhavatu,
Sarvesham Shantir Bhavatu
Sarvesham Purnam Bhavatu,
Sarvesham Mangalam Bhavatu
May auspiciousness be unto all;
May peace be unto all;
May fullness be unto all;
May prosperity be unto all.
This week's recipe is for Thai Red Curry. It comes from Cookie and Kate, a wholefood blog that posts lots of healthy vegetarian recipes.
To serve 2 you will need:
- 1 cup brown jasmine rice or long-grain brown rice, rinsed
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil
- 1 small white onion, diced
- Pinch of salt, more to taste
- 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger (about a 1-inch nub of ginger)
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 red pepper, sliced into thin 2-inch long strips (this recipe is quite heavy on the peppers, so you could use less and add in something else like baby sweetcorn)
- 1 yellow pepper, sliced into thin 2-inch long strips
- 3 large carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal into ¼-inch wide rounds
- 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste bought from the supermarket
- 1 can (14 ounces) full-fat coconut milk
- 1½ cups packed thinly sliced kale (tough ribs removed first), preferably the cavolo nero variety if you can get it
- 1½ teaspoons coconut sugar or turbinado (raw) sugar or brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce (I used reduced-sodium tamari)
- 1½ teaspoons rice vinegar
- Garnishes: handful of chopped fresh parsley or coriander, optional red pepper flakes, optional sriracha or chili garlic sauce
Instructions:
- To cook the rice, bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the rinsed rice and continue boiling for 30 minutes, reducing heat as necessary to prevent overflow. Remove from heat, drain the rice and return the rice to pot. Cover and let the rice rest for 10 minutes or longer, until you're ready to serve. Just before serving, season the rice to taste with salt and fluff it with a fork.
- To make the curry, warm a large skillet with deep sides over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add a tablespoon of oil. Add the onion and a sprinkle of salt and cook until the onion has softened and is turning translucent, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, while stirring continuously.
- Add the peppers and carrots and cook for until they are fork-tender, 3 to 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the curry paste and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.
- Add the coconut milk and kale to the pan along with ¾ cup water and 1½ teaspoons sugar. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the peppers, carrots and kale have softened to your liking, about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Remove the curry from heat and season with rice vinegar and soy sauce. Add salt to taste. Divide rice and curry into bowls and garnish with chopped fresh parsley or coriander and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, if you'd like. If you love spicy curries, serve with sriracha or chili garlic sauce on the side.
In the garden, I'm continuing to tidy up and do some much needed weeding. I'm also starting to dig up plants that I want to move to different flower beds and there are some perennials that can be divided to make more plants. Today I've cut a deciduous grass in half! It sounds harsh but it will be just fine - it will flourish and thrive! It had got too big for it's spot and by dividing it I get a new plant for free!
I dug it up carefully with a fork, took off all the old dead foliage, then I cut it in half with a saw. Then I replanted half back into it's original hole and put the other half further along the border. I watered them in well and they're now ready to sprout fresh new spring growth.
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| Before.... |
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| During... (although that looks like another tuft of grass in the bottom right corner, it is in fact my supervisor, The Furry Guru, checking I'm doing it right) |
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| ,,,, and after. |
This week's musical offering it a track I regularly play in class. It's called Gate Gate and it's by one of my favourite artists, Deva Premal. It starts quietly and builds to a slow rhythm - a great track to do some warming up and a few rounds of Sun Salutation to.
And finally, this week's inspiring video comes from Soul Pancake. It's about making connections... I love it!
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