Kale//Smoothies//Yum

After having quite the indulgant weekend, I decided to listen to my advice from last week and focus on nutrition. If you are like me and you are hungry ALL the time but also have issues with blood sugar, this will be good for you. I LOVE oats and oatmeal and granola and cereal and all that good stuff. With breakfast being the most important meal of the day, for many reasons, I usually try and eat some form of oats every morning. There is a downfall however, of eating that food group on its own. They say oatmeal is good because it has a low glycemic index, but ironically it spikes my blood sugar like none other and sends me into a quick hypoglycemic episode within twenty minutes. I have tried adding forms of protein, taking away added sugar, and even lowering my portion of oatmeal and piling it with chopped nuts. Still though it doesn't do the trick. I only have bad blood sugar issues in the morning so I decided it was time to play with options and still get my oats :) So that's where kale and a blender become your best friend. The following are my list of recipes for the week. They have completely changed the way I feel and think during the day....it's pretty awesome. Not only does my blood sugar remain balanced, but I also stay full longer and don't have cravings for pastries!!

Monday:

1 Banana, half an apple, half cup oats, 3 leaves of kale, part almond milk, part water.

Tuesday:

Half an avocado, 3 leaves of kale, 1/2 cup oats, 1/4 cup almond meal, 1 Tbsp raw honey, almond milk.

Wednesday:

Half an avocado, 3 leaves of kale, 1/4 quinoa, 1Tbsp raw honey, 1/2 cup blueberries, almond milk.

Thurdsay:

Ran out of Kale and made this guy. Half an avocado, raw cacao, handful of walnuts, 1/4 pepitas, 1 Tbsp raw honey, 1/4 coconut flakes, almond milk.

Friday:

1/2 cup raw oats, 1/4 cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds), 1/4 coconut flakes, 1/2 an apple, 1/2 an avocado, dash of cinnamon, almond milk.

Many people have asked how I blend it, and I just use a Kitchen Aid blender that has a "liquify" button on it. Super yummy! Please post comments if you have any questions! You can also email me at lionheartwholeliving@gmail.com.

Clare's Top 5 Components of Leading a Healthy Life

Lately I have been working on myself a lot to move towards what I think is a healthy life. Obviously "health" is relative, but there are definitely some constants to that are applicable to all. The end goal of what is healthy is also quite unclear, but I suppose the journey to getting there is all about figuring out what works and does not work for you. I've found that there some components of leading a more fulfilling life are superficial and not so challenging, and then the some that are so hard it makes you want to say "fuck it." The following list are things that work, naturally, weeding out those that don't. The most challenging one I'll leave for the end...


1. Nutrition. Eating healthy is always the best way to go. Over the past year and a half nutrition has become a huge part of my life. I cut out dairy for various reasons aside from "it's for babies," and moreso because it makes me feel disgusting. I have decreased the amount of sugar that I eat, and most recently, try to stick to nonprocessed sugars such as raw honey, raw almond butter, coconut oil, and dark chocolate. It's easier than I thought, but I still have froyo cravings :) I eat meat almost daily, because for my as a climber and yogi I need the animal proteins, but I try and stay to leaner meats and fish. And most of all, KALE SMOOTHIES and tons of fruits and veggies. A must, trust me. (Also, ps, pepitas are my new favorite ingredient so chop them up in a chopper/grinder and you can throw them in anything! Salads, protein pancakes, oatmeal, etc).

2. Exercise. So the one thing that I have noticed, is that when I am single I exercise WAY MORE than I usually do. Regardless of my relationship status I work out daily, but now I stack different methods of exercising to twice a day sometimes and then have a pampering rest day. I am a Thai Massage therapist, a very useful tool for trade ;) So I sat down yesterday and realized that I have SIX active memberships. Here it goes... The Dailey Method, The Denver Bouldering Club, Root Yoga, The Yoga Mat, Kindness Yoga, and Core Power Yoga... who needs that?! Certainly nobody, but when you are in a funk and trying to work through deeply rooted things in your life, it is really nice to have options. My suggestion is always going to be choose something that you like to do. If you don't like doing it you won't do it... that's what I learned from being a personal trainer. So my week now consists of climbing 4x a week, Dailey Method 2x, Yoga 3x, and if I'm feeling up for it then maybe a little cardio.... maybe. But it's cold outside... So if anybody wants to try rock climbing hit me up because most exercise is a total snooze fest and this is actually fun and kicks your ass.

3. Cleanliness. This might seem like a weird one, but it is so important. When I say cleanliness, yes I am definitely talking about hygiene, but I am also talking about your freaking apartment! When you keep things clean and tidy, even down to your floors and bathroom, your mental sanity becomes even. I think we can all agree that cleaning is a great distraction from being a productive human being, but that's not the point. You want to be able to maintain everything in your life, so making sure your apartment is clean and the clothes are folded means you will get things done on your to-do list!

4. Surround Yourself with Goodness. Weeding out people that are "no longer serving you" (as the yogis say), is so so important, but it is not just people that one needs to eliminate in times of personal reflection and growth, but also environments. Humans these days have a tendency to get into the same routine on a daily or weekly basis to the point where it almost becomes numb. I understand that this is a huge generalization, but to some degree we all do it. When the numbess of our jobs, friends, relationships starts to hit, that means reevaluating is in order. Numbess to me is a negative thing, an uninspiring place to be in your life. This year I had to get rid of a lot of relationships that were having a negative cause and effect syndrome. They started out interesting and quickly went stale. The stale factor is the worse because it makes you feel stuck. So get rid of it. I find that if you are in a position to be single than you should absorb every ounce of it because it's the best time to discover who you are and what you like and don't like. I think that in the midst of a relationship is when discovering your fullest potential is the most challenging, so as a single gal I'm soaking it up. Part of surrounding yourself with goodness is finding the ability to say "no." No to friendships, no to dating, no to extra shifts at your job, no to the same old shit. Start saying no and see how it can create a really honest way of speaking. My life has started to shift just because of the fact that I choose carefully very inspiring relationships. If you are not bringing anything to the table, I'm not interested. #sorrynotsorry (just for you Griff).

5. Break Patterns. I think this has been the most challenging component of leading a healthy life for me. Singledome has allowed me to be really aware of my habits that haven't really served me well in the past. Breaking patterns is hard because it makes for a really vulnerable state in your life where everything just seems generally heavier and harder. The past few months have felt really hard for me but I have recently gotten out of my "fuck you" funk and feeling much lighter. You know when you are seeing the effects of breaking a cycle when you move past the dark phase and things because light. At a young age you are cultured to be a certain way and then as you get older it's almost like you are reversing a lot of habits that were instilled so long ago. Choosing to operate at a different caliber requires being present at every moment. Being present to your actions and behaviors creates awareness. That is when change starts to occur. The biggest thing I have noticed about the particular changes I have made and patterns I have broken is that it has brought me a lot of happiness. I had a friend tell me recently that your life becomes complete and truthful when you think inside the realm of, "is this decision going to bring my happiness?" If the answer is yes, then that's your path. Coming into a new way of thinking that will bring you happiness will directly enhance the desire to break patterns... at least that's what I think :) #speakyourtruth

The Forrest Experience: Two

Saturday February 2nd: Forrest Yoga 10-12 @ Root Yoga. The follow-up to experience number one.

As I said in post one about meditation and spirituality, it's all still pretty new to me. In class yesterday Cheryl wanted to start with a few minutes of meditation. I wasn't scared or threatened by this, but I also didn't know what it really meant. "As you sit tall in your sit and close your eyes, I just want you to be with whatever thoughts come into your mind. Try and avoid labeling those thoughts with 'good,' 'bad,' or anything like that, just start to notice what appears." Cool, I can do that.

As I sat there on my block listening to my thoughts, the first thing I started to do was judge them. I got frustrated for a brief moment, and then realized what I was doing, stopped, and just let them be what they were, whether I was labeling them negative or postitive. I just said, "that's ok." After a few minutes of silence, Cheryl begins speaking. "Yoga is sacred movement." It was those words that made me know class was going to be awesome.

"Yoga is sacred movement."

The theme around sacred movement: Befriending Your Body.

Cheryl has a way of speaking that has an incredibly calming affect, and to be honest, I wasn't quite sure what her theme meant until the end of class and we were in head to ankle pose. But I'll get to that later. My first thought when listening to what we were going to do to befriend our bodies was that it brought me back to the very beginning of Ana Forrest's Book Fierce Medicine, which I have written about before. In that first section she advices you feel what's happening in your body instead of feeling wrong about it, like we are cultured to feel. So in class, whatever came up for me through my asana practice I decided none of it was wrong. All the bullshit that we deal with in our every day lives with friends, lovers, school, work, whatever, starts to store in our bodies and makes it a hell of a lot harder to deal with later if we allow it to build. So I made the conscious decision to start clearing out all the stuff that was weighing me down. First step, along with being open, was to not feel wrong for my emotions.

Yoga does a lot for our bodies. It clears the mind of emotional junk, opens up space for something new, and physically rids the body of pain and suffering. Cheryl made a clear distinction in class that for me, helped me understand how to connect mind body and spirit. She said, "Yoga is different from exercise in the way that it connects with the mind, which is very different from the brain." That distinction is what cleared up the link between mind and body for me.

So back to yoga as sacred movement and befriending the body. Two very grounding concepts. As class was themed in the beginning, I wasn't sure how this was going to be accomplished, because I wasn't sure how I was going to do it. Cheryl cued the breath a lot throughout class as a way to befriend the body, but it wasn't until head to ankle pose that it made sense. Obviously I know how to breathe and get deep into poses, but it was more than that. It took a challenging and frustrating pose for me to realize that there was a lot of stuff I was holding on to. That pose was a direct reflection of what was going on in my personal life with my break up. I had been dumped and left in great confusion and heart ache. I've spent a lot of time being angry and frustrated with the situation, and even MORE time trying to figure out why. That is head to ankle pose for me. So I'm in this pose, and Cheryl says, "let your breathe facilitate communication with your body." Communication... that word was so strong. Communicate between your thoughts and your asana. I stopped struggling through the pose and I softened my mind, strengthened my breathe, and not only did the pose stop being frustrating, but I released a lot of anger that I had brought in off the mat. Essentially, I surrendered.

So I have decided that that will be my theme from here on out...

Surrender.

The moment you can surrender to what is happening in your mind, your practice, and in your life, you can start the let go and create space for something not only new, but serving.

At this point I have decided to be free of my last relationship, made a conscious decision to heal, and move forward with all the good things I have set out to do in my life.

Yoga helps me stay connected with what is present and true in my life, and Forrest Yoga gives me the tools to do that. I have a good friend, Brit, who is recently into Kriya Yoga and meditation and so it's something I am going to incorporate into my life... for the first time ever.

The Forrest Experience: One

Saturdays have started to look really similar week after week, not in the boring routine kind of way, but in the most interactive way a Saturday could be. I wake up, make my coffee, eat my protein pancakes (yum), and prepare for Forrest Yoga with Cheryl Deer from 10-12. They call it Yogi Playground. Sometimes if I am feeling ambitious I will take Lucinda's 8am at Core Power Yoga beforehand... on a good day. This past Saturday was an especially good yoga day. I'm trying to think back to my mood before I went into class and I cannot for the life of me remember how I was feeling. Your mindset always effects the quality of your practice. That is the very reason why I enjoy Forrest Yoga so much. The healing qualities of Forrest allow for an easy change to your mindset. To be completely honest about what is currently happening in my life, I recently lost somebody that I really cared about. You guessed it, a break up. When two people break up, a lot of negative emotions typically arise. Self-doubt, fear, sadness, shame, what have you. In this particular situation however, it has given me a lot of  strength to see my own true nature, and the true nature of other people. What I will put up with, what I won't, and the complete understanding that healing is a choice.


If you are somebody working on personal growth, or making the conscious decision to heal, the first step is to be open. Cheryl's class taught me so much about myself that I didn't know was possible. I have always rejected meditation as a way to connect with the mind, because I always just said, "it's not for me." Well, that actually doesn't make any sense. Meditation is available to everybody, if you want it. We started the practice last saturday with pranayama, breathing. It was a style of pranayama I had never done before. It's called bhramari breathing, or the humming yoga breath. The physical purpose of bhramari breathing is to reduce stress or fight/flight response. In the spiritual sense it clears the chakras in order to return to a balanced state. The word Bhramari comes from the sanskrit word bhramar or Humming Black Bee. Starting at the crown chakra, close your eyes, sip in air to the top, and then hum as you exhale. As you breathe in this exercise, focus your breathe to each chakra all the way down to your root chakra. It's a really calming pranayama and set the mood perfectly for class.

Last week Cheryl themed about connecting with spirit. As we breathe through our asana practice, and clear our energy, the more we can visualize our spirit and create wholeness. Let me just start by saying that spirituality is new to me. I say that because it is always something that has been there, but never really resonated with me... I am now understanding that it's because I haven't found something to resonate with. I grew up Episcopalian and went to church every week, and although it's something that my parents have chosen for themselves, it's not something that I have ever truly connected with. There is no bad or good in that, it's just personal. I have taken many Forrest classes with Cheryl, but this first introduction to connecting with spirit is what jumpstarted my own transformation to personal growth. I left that two hour class with this sense of deeper understanding for myself...almost like I really knew who I was and what I wanted/needed in life. I by no means think I am enlightened, but by allowing myself to be open to this new method, I can now work towards feeling whole and grounded. I can't take this blog post home yet and have it make sense to how I'm dealing with this break up until I write post number 2 of The Forrest Experience...being written....now.

It's Always At Starbucks...

I get it. Going to local coffee shops is awesome and sitting at the hipster joint with your espresso is the cool thing to do.... I know because I was that way for a long time too. I didn't touch a Starbucks for 3 years. I was the anti-Starbucks snob. Liberal arts colleges can do that to you. But if you want to get real with it, Starbucks not only has great coffee, but it also attracts every type of human being you have ever seen walk this earth. Moms, hipsters, jocks, the elderly, kids, punks, and bums. It's cuz it's good, k? All those people you are bound to run into somebody interesting. The point of this is not to rant about my love for Starbies, but to be a segue into my awesome day.

This weekend I was in Keystone enjoying the mountain air and getting over a cold. It's beautiful there. I started nutrition school two weeks ago at Nutrition Therapy Insitute and haven't really done much to be honest. I got sick during my second week, but thank the lord all the notes and homework is online and I know what to do. So I tripped it up to the mountains and hit up a Starbucks to catch up on homework and reading (one of my assignments is to read Biology of Belief by next week, like what? the whole book? yeah). So I walk into the coffee shop, and of course its crowded and every table is full, so I turned on my social skills and asked a really nice looking lady who had a table for two if I could share with her. She said yes. We made some room, I got my coffee, and I laid out all my books preparing to get work done. I had just bought notebook paper, a Hello Kitty binder (shut up, it's awesome), and new Pilot pens and was ready to take notes for chapter 2. Then some guy behind me asked me, "Oh wow, 'Quantum Healing' huh? Is it good, because I have been wanting to read that!" Of course I haven't started that book yet but his snooping at my table started a great conversation. Not between the man and I, but the nice lady with whom I was sharing the table. She has read all of the books I had out, except the Tao of Physics, because nobody has read that book. Her name was Kimmy, but I didn't find this out until later. She said she was an integrative nutritionist, among other things. We got to talking and I asked her what other thing she did. Wow. Let's see, Reiki, massage, energy healing, intuitive reading, chakra work, and more. So obviously we had a lot to talk about.

I told her that I was a Thai Massage Therapist and Yoga instructor and was going to school for holistic nutrition but I wasn't quite sure what I would do with it yet. I explained to her that I have a big interest in chakras but don't know where to start. I took down some names and after that the conversation just flowed so effortlessly. After about ten minutes of chit chatting about what we did and how we got into it and where we were from, she closed her laptop, I closed my book, and time got lost.

For two hours we talked about our beliefs around food, our childhood, her oldest child who has recently developed some unknown health issues, what I thought of that situation, my relationship with my sister, her new husband, and hopes and dreams for both of our small businesses. Somebody I have never met before, a complete stranger, and she tells me "you are so comfortable to talk to, I feel safe with you, you are compassionate, and that is why people will come to you." Some seriously kind words. Going to get some homework done in a public environment turned out to be one of the most authentic experiences I have ever had. Talk about taking your yoga off the mat. This woman didn't just give me an authentic connection though, she relit my desire to want to learn about nutrition on a deeper level and what my purpose around it is. I gained so much from that conversation, a rare day that will never happen again.

We exchanged information and decided to keep in touch. It's interactions like these that make me remember why I have made all the decisions in my life and that where I am is exactly the right place.

Wow...another month has gone by.

It's December 4th and I am writing almost a full month later. I wish I could spend the whole post justifying why I have not written, but that isn't necessary. It's human. I haven't been reading much, and I have been quite distracted with my life. My parents flew into Denver for Thanksgiving which was a real treat considering I almost never see my family. I come from an incredibly active family. I grew up playing sports in school, competing in every one as well, and on the weekends my family was either gardening, roller blading, and taking camping trips that always involved a strenuous hike. Half the time the only way my mom could get us up the mountain would be to hold a few Jolly Ranchers in her hand and once we noticed them dangling in front of us we would race up to them, make up for lost time :) So the moment they flew in we drove up to Red Rocks to get our work out in... never mind the altitude change and dehydration factor, it was beautiful so it didn't matter. That week, aside from the copious amounts of shopping we ended up doing, we ate a lot of really great food, my parents took their first hot yoga class, and we had a lovely nontraditional salmon Thanksgiving. It's nice having my parents around because it keeps me grounded. They have been married for 31 years and have done a fab job of keeping the family together. While I am here in Denver, no family, I get caught up in every element of my life, trying to make things work, how do I pay rent this month, what if my business (Thai Massage) isn't successful... all the downers that make you forget who you are. When I hang out with my family we tell story, remember the good times, laugh, and I realize that I am a happy healthy strong individual with a lot to offer. Life isn't so bad.

I think the concept of realizing that life isn't so bad comes from having compassion for yourself. Yesterday I took a Forrest class (my new addiction) at Root Yoga and my teacher was theming this idea of compassion the whole time....for two hours. But what a great reminder, right? The way she tied the theme into class was amazing. ACTIVATION. With every posture you come in to, full activation. Where can you have compassion for yourself and engage everwhere, fill your cup by not neglecting parts of your body. For me this translated directly to the feet. I have a tendency when I practice yoga to not practice what I teach. "Press through your big toe mound, ground down through all four corners of your feet." So I have found the solution through the Forrest method to lift and spread all ten toes in every posture. Warrior 1, Warrior 2, dancers, tadasana, bridge pose, everything. It has completely transformed not only my practice, but has also built this amazing internal self confidence and love. There are so many parts of the body that could be more fully activated in each pose. I recommend the next time you practice to lift your toes, press through your heels, and see what happens.

Activation builds compassion. Why? Because you are treating yourself to the gift of self love. It creates the desire to be more complete and fulfilled. Ana Forrest says that "holding on to anger, fear, or resentment can cause physical pain, but when we heal our emotional pain, our physical pain often subsides." This works both ways. Working on our physical pain through activation can heal our emotional pain and result in more compassion. Try it... see what happens.

Healing Is A Choice

Wow... it's been a few weeks since I have written a post. I woke up this morning feeling badly about the fact that I had neglected this new thing that I love so much. But when I asked myself why I was so irritated by this I found that it was my pride that was allowing me to be frustrated. I have had an issue with pride my whole life. I think most people do... but I am pretty sure I know where mine is rooted. Growing up I struggled with learning disabilities that started me on medication in second grade. From there all the way through college I had to work harder than everybody else. I saw tutors regularly, went to before and after school help, spent hours with my parents doing homework, you get the idea. Long story short I was constantly battling everyone just so I could stay in the private school I had been attending since a young age. It hasn't really been until recently that I have started recognizing my pride and admitting that I have an issue with proving myself to others. Let's just say it's a tough habit to break.... especially when you are a competitive person. So to the point, I have finally put down Journey Into Power by Baron Baptiste and picked up Fierce Medicine by Ana Forrest. I have been hearing amazing things about this book and that it is intense and perhaps may change your life. You can get it on Amazon for $10, by the way. I have not gotten too far into it only because it is one of those books that drains you with visualizations and stories so vivid that you cannot read too much at a time. At least that has been my experience. I have taken a handful of Forrest Yoga classes and it's probably one of the most healing practices I have taken yet. It is essentially a practice blending Native American medicine and yoga. I believe the word healing is interchangeable with personal growth. You do not need to be getting over a break up, or repairing your heart from loss, or anything too sad dark and morbid, you can simply just want to change. For me and my healing, it is changing the way I have been doing things for a very long time.

I have titled this post Healing is a Choice because it is. There are a lot of people that float through their lives with no awareness of their being and no desire to better themselves. Simply just recognizing that you are a certain way is fine, but does it really truly provoke change with only realization? I don't think so. I think it is a daily effort. The small things contribute to a lifetime of personal growth. Me for example. I am rather flighty, hyperactive, I love change, I meet new people every day, I like to learn and do new things, love adventure etc. Those things are all great, however the downfall is that those qualities translate over to my relationships and my jobs. Being Vata (my dosha in Ayurveda), has its challenges. I recently started the Wellness Cleanse at Core Power  Yoga, and last night we had a lecture on Doshas, something I actually know quite a bit about, however, learning it in this very moment was a different experience. When my teacher was explaining the nature of a Vata person, everything about it was me. She then went on to talk about how you can create balance in your Dosha's, if you are too Vata, what can you do? What foods can you eat to create balance? That's not to say that eating certain things will change your personality, but it can help ground you. So the first step to personal growth is recognizing and understanding the things you want to change. Step two is finding out how you are going to execute the process. Dosha's, Chakra's, Buddhism, whatever, they are all tools to help understand more about you. When you can articulate what it is you want to change, then it starts happening.

Reformatting the way I have been doing things for 26 years is not easy... but guess what? I kinda want to have a long and healthy relationship, and I kinda want to stay at my job for a long time because I love it. This act of accepting where you are and realizing that it is good and letting go of the need to find something else, is very healing in and of itself. I know that I can have adventure and see the world and attend workshops in the mountains of Colorado and stay on the beach in California and climb and cycle and do yoga every day, while at the same time maintaining love, relationships, and money. It's just a matter of how. But I think if you are willing to put the effort into working on yourself the only reward will be a positive one. More to come about Ana Forrest and her book, but as for now, you have a taste of why I am reading the book in the first place.