Westernyogiblog
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What is a Western Yogi? This blog explores what it means to be a Westerner practicing yoga in a Western society. Although yoga means different things to different people, the essential elements of Mind, Body and Spirit are yoked/joined together and remain in the Western practice of yoga. Posts and articles under Body explore asana practice, diet and physical well-being. Entries under Mind address pranayama, meditation and the psychology of yoga, while those under Spirit relate to matters of the heart, nature and nurturing of the self.
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Superman (with a cape)
• This pose is a variation on warrior three and is less strenuous on the lower back but achieves similar benefits
• Begin in warrior one with back foot toes turned under, hips square facing forward
• Use back foot to propel forward as knee of front leg begins to straighten
• As you are hinging at the hips and balancing on one foot, bring arms behind you along your sides (the sides of the cape)
• Flex foot that is in the air and look back to make sure toes are pointing down to floor so that hips stay square in the pose
• Come out of pose by coming back through warrior one
• Repeat other side
• Benefits include strengthening and lengthening lower back muscles, mastering balance and strengthening hips
Tomato Red Pepper Thai Soup
2 TBS olive oil
1 TBS chopped garlic (4 cloves)
1-2 TBS lemon grass (one stock)
1 can coconut milk
1 jalapeno pepper (roasted, seeded and peeled)
1 red pepper (roasted, seeded and peeled)
1 and 1/2 cups milk
1 large can of chopped tomatoes
1 cup water or stock
salt
Broil peppers until skin browns. When cool, peel and seed. Whirl peppers in food processor until smooth. Add can of tomatoes with liquid to processor and whirl until you have a smooth consistency. Chop soft section of lemon grass finely and chop garlic cloves. Heat oil in large stock/soup pot. Add garlic and lemon grass and saute until they soften. Add peppers and tomato mixture, coconut milk, regular milk, and water (or stock). Bring to a boil and immediately turn down to simmer. Check soup to see if salt is needed.
New Year Resolutions
Here's to a New Year, a fresh start and a year of self discovery through our yoga practice!
A New Year with the promise of new goals and new directions. This month I have been hearing about friends setting new years "goals" rather than New Year "resolutions." Resolutions seem so demanding and inflexible. We resolve to make a big change and then if we fail or slip a little we are likely to give up for the rest of the year. A student told me she is setting shorter time frames for her goals this New Year. Rather then thinking we have to avoid eating dessert for twelve months for example, instead seeing if we can limit it for one month. Then if that month is successful we can keep trying for another month and so on. I like this approach because it seems more achievable to break it down into smaller time frames.
In our yoga practice we can choose to explore our inner goals and work on personal improvement, simply by giving ourselves the time to commit to a daily practice or consistent practice. Yoga is an inner exploration of the mind, body and soul. Overcoming the first hurdle (giving ourselves the time to set aside for a consistent practice) is for some a constant goal and challenge. But maybe if we break it down into more achievable increments (I will practice yoga 3 or 5 times a week for one month) we might find it easier to extend the goal and achieve our resolution. It works something like this.
We walk around in our daily lives disconnected from our bodies and the sensation of the inner workings unless something is hurting or injured or we are dealing with some kind of crisis. When we practice the physical asana we start to feel the sensations of stretching and strengthening our bodies including our toes and fingers. This requires the mind to be engaged in the practice and not wandering or thinking of other things. The mind is completely engaged in what the body is experiencing, where the opening or stretch is located and where it is tight or weak.
After awhile we begin to physically crave the sensation of yoga asana. We become more aware of how we feel in our bodies. This is the connection. As we continue to practice, the connection is made to other areas. We notice how we feel when we overindulge in certain foods or activities or our energy level after that second or third glass of wine. Because we are more connected to our physical state, we also become aware of our mental state. This comes later for most people, but is one of the most fabulous gifts of a yoga practice. The ability to examine our thoughts and gain control over the fluctuations in our mind is what keeps us grounded and centered and what allows us to achieve our goals, what ever they may be.
So maybe giving ourselves the time to practice yoga consistently and regularly being fully engaged, can be our goal for the next month and perhaps our other goals will be more easily obtainable and last longer.
Nameste
Chair Twist
Chair Twist is a pose of strength and stamina, and provides opening in the upper back and chest. This pose is appropriate for beginners. Advanced variations are noted below.
• Standing with insides of feet touching, come into chair pose.
• Bend at ankles, knees and hips, keeping back straight and tail moving down and in (avoid arching low back).
• Place palms of hands together in nameste, taking the left elbow to the outside of the right knee.
• Press edge of elbow against knee to lift left shoulder and open upper spine.
• May be able to take left hand down to floor, and raise right arm up in the air.
• Repeat other side.
Butternut Squash ravioli w/sage butter
one small butternut squash
18-20 fresh sage leaves, slivered
4 Tbs parmesan cheese (plus more for topping)
4 Tbs milk
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup butter
2-3 large shallots chopped
3 Tbs truffle oil (or olive oil)
2 Tbs olive oil
salt and pepper
Heat oven to 400. Cut squash lengthwise, scoop out seeds. Spray oil on cut sides. Place cut side down on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in oven for 45 minutes and check to see if cooked all through. Saute shallots in 1-2 Tbs of olive oil until slightly browned. Scoop cooled squash from shell, into food processor, add sautéed shallots, milk, parmesan, salt and pepper. Pulse until blended.
Bring to a boil a large pot of salted water for raviolis. Assemble raviolis with one tsp of squash filling, wet corners and fold into a triangle. Set on lined tray until all are assembled. Place half or a third of raviolis into boiling water. Cooking for a minute longer once they rise to the surface. Scoop out raviolis one at a time with slotted spoon onto serving platter. Repeat until all are cooked. Heat butter and truffle oil in saute pan and add sage. Watch so butter does not burn, stirring until sage begins to crisp. Pour sauce over ravioli. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts and parmesan.
Potato Report
Unfortunately, the side pockets that were advertised as a convenient way to harvest mid season, turned out to be not as handy as I had hoped. It was difficult to feel the potatoes in the limited space where my hand could reach, and I felt as though I was disrupting the shoot. I decided to wait, and harvested two of the four bags one week, and the other two a couple weeks later. I harvested the last week in August and the second week of September. The picture is of one harvest (two bags). I ended up dumping the entire bag on a tarp to make sure I got them all. The fingerlings did not do as well, size wise or quantity as the Russian Reds.
I saved the soil in the bags and have stored them in the green house. I will definitely try it again next year, but will probably stick to the red new potatoes.
Tree Pose
Tree is one of the basic balancing poses with a lot to offer. Not only does it open the hips, and help us to find balance, it grounds us and lengthens the spine and arms making us feel tall and strong like a tree with solid roots. Because it is a balancing pose, it requires us to bend and move throughout the pose, to find our center point
• Begin by standing at the top of your mat in mountain.
• Lift your toes and spread them wide apart, placing them back down on the mat.
• Stand with the weight distributed evenly on the soles of your feet.
• With a slight bend in the left standing leg, bring the right foot up placing it on the inner left thigh.
• Contract the muscles on the inside of the standing leg as you press the right foot firmly against it, to get the foot to stay.
• Begin to lift the arms up with palms facing each other.
• Bring forearms in line with ears and lift through your pinky fingers, firmly pressing through the standing foot
This is a pose of counteraction. The foot presses down as the arms and fingers move in the opposite direction. The foot presses into the thigh as the inner leg resist by pressing back against the foot.
Modification
Can be done against the wall to build strength and practice the counteraction of the pose, until comfortable with the balance. The bend in the knee of the standing leg helps in preventing rigidity which is necessary to balance in Tree.
Two Bean Salad with Garlic Croutons
5-6 large handfuls of green string beans, ends removed
1 can of cannellini beans drained
1 cup of cherry tomatoes cut in half
3 thick slices of bread, cubed
2 tablespoons fresh basil slivered
Juice of one lemon
3 tablespoons olive oil plus 4 more for sauté
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon of Annie's chipotle ranch dressing
2-3 tablespoons of elephant garlic (less if using regular)
Garlic powder
Salt and pepper
This bean salad makes a great side dish for summer parties and has enough flavors and textures to make it appealing to kids too!
Make croutons by heating one tablespoon of butter and two tablespoons of olive oil in skillet. When hot, place bread cubes in pan and turn to coat evenly with oils. When bread begins to brown, sprinkle garlic powder over cubes and continue to turn and stir till cubes are browned evenly. Set croutons aside.
Make dressing with lemon juice, three tablespoons olive oil, and chipotle ranch, salt and pepper. Set aside
Heat 2 more tablespoons of olive oil and one tablespoon of butter in same pan. When hot, add green beans and continue to stir. As beans begin to brighten in color add chopped garlic and continue to stir till beans begin to soften slightly but still maintain a bright green color. Remove pan from burner to cool for 10 minutes
Assemble salad with cannellini beans, green beans and tomatoes. Stir in dressing and place in fridge for at least two hours. When ready to serve, sprinkle basil and croutons on top.
Crabbing in Puget Sound
This has been one of the more prolific crabbing seasons I can remember, and one of the busiest seasons too. Never before have I seen so many crab buoys and boats in Puget Sound, all in search of dungeness crab. I guess it was a surprise, to read in the Seattle Times that it has also been a year of record fines against poachers with people taking undersized crab, females, and large numbers of crab exceeding the five per person limit.
It is frustrating to read about poachers of any kind, and disturbing on several levels. Not only does it harm the population and the environment, it also ruins it for everyone else. It is like the troublemaker in school who makes everyone miss recess all because he can't control himself. I can't help but wonder why the need to poach, when the season has been so good. There have been an abundance of oversized, male crabs for the taking and five crabs per person is really quite a lot of crab, certainly more then anyone can eat in one sitting. As we see resources decreasing and populations increasing, the greed of human nature shines through in all of its ugly forms, not only in crabbing but in all areas of our lives.
People from the Northwest love their dungeness crab. My dad loved crab, in fact I think it was his favorite of all the Puget Sound treasures. If asked to choose, he would pick a dungeness crab over a Maine lobster every time. Since it was a favorite, I remember having crab often growing up. I learned how to pick a crab at an early age using just my hands and one end of the crab claw. Only recently did I discover crab scissors and mallets that make the task slightly quicker.
Five crabs per person is enough for a great meal and enough to freeze for enjoyment in the months ahead. It will take you a good hour plus if no one is willing to help, just to pick the crab, and longer it you snack along the way. I have recently started making crab sandwiches. This is a favorite 1970's recipe from my childhood. Although it is so simple, it was a standard when we had company. The simplicity allows the amazing flavor of the crab to shine though and magically makes it fancy enough to serve to guests!
2-3 crabs picked
Paprika
3 English muffins, split and toasted
1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
Serves 4-6
Place toasted muffins on lined cookie sheet. Set oven to broil. Divide crab evenly over muffin halves. Sprinkle tops with paprika and top with cheddar. Place under broiler, watching so it doesn't burn, but cheese starts to bubble and brown. Serve with a light salad and enjoy!
Boat Pose
This is one of the standard abdominal poses in yoga.
• Begin with feet on ground and both knees bent.
• Grab behind both knees with both hands and begin to lean back, with both arms straight as feet come off the floor.
• If hamstrings are tight, both knees stay bent, but shins are parallel to floor (lift heals).
• Lift chest and bring shoulders back and down (do not let upper back round). You are making a V shape with your body.
• Try with legs straight, holding onto shins or big toes.
• Hold for 5 breaths.
