a tall drink of tea

I was just at a little yoga sojourn in Chicago, invited by a lovely lady teacher with a seriously hot body. When asked by a fellow yogi if she had done her asana (physical practice) that morning prior to teaching she replied that she no longer has much of a corporal routine, but has a strong daily meditation practice that she did in fact carry out before arriving. This piqued my interest. I asked her about it over mac and cheese, crudo fish tacos, and candied whipped yams later that evening and she described how she prescribes herself physical poses to equalize any imbalances and does only postures as her body calls for them.

Sure, she lifts weights, hikes, runs and whatnot to keep her girlish figure, but she is also known to put away three desserts a day and does all this through a profound knowledge of self. She has uncovered how to listen to her own body and she has sharpened this skill through yoga. Her bustling classes are always in awe of her lean and muscular physique and amplified yoga poses, but the secret lies not in her body, but in figuring out your own.

Days ago, I proclaimed it my mission to lower my sugar intake, and while I have not been "successful," I have learned about myself in the process. I am instead committing to letting go, realizing that becoming attached to not doing something is no different than the attachment to doing it. They are two sides of the same coin.

Gossip Girl

One of the oldest and most common means of sharing, infamous for its invalidity, usually of trivial nature .... it's GOSSIP: idle talk or rumor about the private affairs of others.

"Before speaking consider whether it is an improvement upon silence." -Swami Kripalu

I like to keep life drama-free, and am fairly adept at staying unawares of the affairs of others. I admit, though, that when one-on-one with an old friend or on the horn with a distant playmate I can lose all abilities to edit. The words spew out in every direction, often interrupting the poor soul on the other end, with adamant and open opinions on everything. For myself, it's often a repercussion to bouts of isolation and nothing comes out that I wouldn't say to someone's face, but it is unnecessary and by no stretch of the imagination an improvement on the blissful sound of silence.

LOVE the show, though

Gossip "empower(s) one person while disempowering another" -Hafen

Yoga gives us the ability to make space before reacting, to rise above the babbling, to fall in love with sitting in stillness, but most importantly, to operate at a frequency where gossiping doesn't exist, a state where we do not attract drama. I have been there, it is where I belong, and I will return there.

There are times when silence has the loudest voice.

Like being a good listener in order to be a great friend, moments of quiet in a yoga class are doorways to learning, not empty spaces to be feared. "When people come to yoga, they come to empty, if the teacher is filling up too much space with talking, too much music, or too many stimuli, it makes it difficult for people to empty." -Cyndi Lee, founder of OM Yoga Center in NYC. For all the Clevelanders- OM yoga can be found at Evolution yoga in Eaton!

palm reading

Palm reading can help you see where you are and where you want to be going. It allows you to establish what your innate talents are and where you might want to improve. It's nothing to be afraid of, just getting to know yourself a little bit better.

Some say that by comparing the left and right hand you are seeing what you were given and what you did with it, respectively. Most palm readers agree to read the dominant hand and use the other hand as a supplementary guide. Others say to read the right hand if you are under thirty and the left if you are over. And even others say it depends on what you want to know and whether you are male or female (left side is female, emotional right side is male, practical.)

Bobbing for apples

Apples float because 25% of their volume is air.

After a few weeks of regular feasting and plans to augment the consumption of this delectable fruit, an ode to the apple is due.

Lately I'm eating my seasonal Pink Lady and Braeburn apples

~with whipped cream cheese

~with Trader Joe's raw almond butter

~grated into oatmeal

I aim for an apple a day. The larger the better.

With an apple, I will astonish Paris.

-Paul Cezanne

Las autumn, my mother and I watched in disbelief as our Parisian pastry chef gobbled down not just one, but often two or three portions of each and every confection he completed. Over a civilized french lunch my mother politely inquired how he ingested such massive amounts of french sugar, flour and butter without becoming ill. That's when he revealed his secret: Un kilo de pommes par jour. 5 apples per day.

In Hollywood, the women are all peaches. It makes one long for an apple occasionally.

-W.Somerset Maugham

Must Read

mad cow, cash cow, prize cow, sacred cow

Holy cow!

What kind of cow are you?

A prize cow or a sacred cow?

~The prize cow is a reflection on its owner. Fenced in and powerless over its circumstance. The prize cow wins competitions for its keeper, is judged upon its appearance, glorified for its milking abilities and sold to breed.

~The sacred cow is free and liberated. The sacred cow can do no wrong and is deemed perfect as it is. The sacred cow is a living symbol of mother earth.

We are all meant to be sacred cows.

How can you act more like a sacred cow if you feel you lost your way? Know that you are already full, there is no need to stuff yourself with anything else. Who you are and what you do is not about other people. You are accountable only to yourself. Everything that should be will be. There is no searching or weighing options. Opportunities arise on their own. The path is cleared automatically. You already have everything figured out. Just be with it.

In the West we glorify the fenced-in, farm owned, stuffed and shackled "prize" cow and interpret the sacred cow to be a person or thing unreasonably held immune from criticism. Is it ever unreasonable to exempt yourself from criticism, questioning, and opposition? The West disapproves of showing the sacred cow too much respect. Can you show yourself too much respect, reverence, understanding, and compassion? What horrible thing would happen if you did? Are we afraid of becoming complacent? You cannot be a bird. You are a cow. You can be a prize cow or a sacred cow. The choice is yours.

inner space

Kicking the sugar habit is no walk in the park. Certainly not the piece-of-cake I expected and I have been less than even merely successful. From first-hand experience I can hence deduct that this "sugar is addictive theory" is no "theory" at all. It's not science-fiction. The proof is in this blonde pudding.

Yoga is a science (not a religion) and you are the experiment, the test subject and the scientist. You create the parameters, "control" the variables, and analyze the outcomes. This leaves for some pretty messy experiments in the lab of life.

Rumi of Fashion Toast

Do not be an alien to yourself.

Anytime you feel overwhelmed or anxious, come back to the body. Sit, watch your breath and notice if any areas of your body call out to you. Feel what is going on in those spaces. Send the breath to those regions. Become intimate with yourself. Get to know your body and try to give it what it really wants. Before making any decisions on what to reward yourself with or deprive yourself of, push the ego aside and come back to the body. Only you are in charge of what you put into your body. What does the body want?

Dwell not on the past, and do not attempt to predict the future. Stay present to this moment alone by making one choice at a time.

decrease your sugar intake

Many nutritionists liken sugar to heroin and claim that the former white stuff contributes to more deaths than the latter. Sugar and the taste of sweet stimulate the brain by activating beta endorphin receptor sites. These are the same chemicals activated by heroin and morphine.

"Recent behavioral tests in rats further back the idea of an overlap between sweets and drugs. Drug addiction often includes three steps. A person will increase his intake of the drug, experience withdrawal symptoms when access to the drug is cut off and then face an urge to relapse back into drug use. Rats on sugar have similar experiences. Researchers withheld food for 12 hours and then gave rats food plus sugar water. This created a cycle of binging where the animals increased their daily sugar intake until it doubled. When researchers either stopped the diet or administered an opioid blocker the rats showed signs common to drug withdrawal, such as teeth-chattering and the shakes. Early findings also indicate signs of relapse. Rats weaned off sugar repeatedly pressed a lever that previously dispensed the sweet solution." (Leah Ariniello, Brain Briefings, October 2003)

The sugar industry claims that similar effects have been reported for rats given solutions that tasted sweet, but contained no calories.*

oy vey

Is it impossible to say no to sweet foods?

Have you ever gone out of your way to get a sweet treat?

Have you ever lied about how much sweet food you eat?

Have you ever tried to cut down or control your consumption of sweets?

Have you ever binged on sweets?

Do you get upset when you have to share or when someone eats your sweets?

Have you ever had a sugar hangover?

Sound familiar? For me- check! check! check! all of the above...

Than you may want to:

Eat more greens.

Eat more protein.

Drink 'sweet' teas (milk thistle, licorice...)

Eat 'sweet' foods (fresh fruit, sweet potatoes, roasted vegetables...)

*But no sugar substitutes. It perpetuates cravings.

My birthday is November 21st. I'm thinking no sugar until then.

Bond

Greg Bond. Sent from my iPad.

Mangia Poco Ma Bene

Quality versus Quantity

BRUNCH

Panettone Bread Pudding

For two people: 1/4 a Panettone loaf and two eggs. Multiply as necessary.

1. Tear up Panettone, place is baking dish of appropriate size.

2. Let sit out over night to stale (optional).

3. Whisk or blend together eggs and milk as you would for scrambled eggs.

- I like to go heavy on the milk for lightness. A generous half-cup milk for every egg.

-Use any milk you like: Hemp, Soy, 2%...

4. Add Vanilla extract and cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice to egg mixture.

5. Pour over bread, push bread down into mixture.

6. Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes until bread pulls away from edges and bounces back to touch.

Serve with Raspberries, Trader Joe's Chevre with Honey* Log, real maple syrup, fresh cut flowers, and a little almond champagne.

* Forget not to read the "fearless flyer."

bon voyage

The weekend getaway is the vacation/staycation hybrid that I cannot get enough of. After falling in love with Vegas and Laguna in two consecutive friday to sunday stints, these 72-hour expeditions are nearly addictive.

Treat a weekend foray like a major trek:

-Prepare a refreshing return: clean out your fridge and prepare your home as though you will be gone for the whole summer.

- Get excited: plan, read-up, call knowledgeable contacts, make reservations, and watch movies depicting your destination. LA-Pretty Woman, Vegas-The Hangover, Aspen-Dumb and Dumber etc... or bring and watch the movies while you are there, I LOVE doing this.

-Pack in advance, let the anticipation build, relieve any last minute stress.

How a small junket differs from a lengthy tour:

-If you forget to clean out the fridge or leave stones unturned at home, no biggie.

-You can go so last minute that you don't have any plans and it won't matter because you of your fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants attitude of positive anticipation that will make whatever you end up doing amazing. Not to mention low expectations are the easiest to meet and exceed.

-Often you are taking the car, which makes packing a no-brainer.

Givenchy Jacket: my Santa Monica/Beverly Hills/LA signature look this past weekend

Packing for three days:

Have a signature look or color scheme. Even channel a celebrity or movie character. For example, a the flashy jacket above that works both days and nights. "Signature look" is the cool way of repeating something special and awesome. Choose something eye-popping or racy. You get a lot of use out of a loved item and make a "I'm here!!! to have fun not be a slave to my stuff" attitude.

Bring enough shoes. In three days we tend to cram in three weeks worth of activities or more. You will be moving and walking a lot and will want to vary footwear to prevent aches, pains, blisters and bunions. Think boot, flip-flop, flat and stiletto. Taking inspiration from Vivienne, below left, and this season's runway, pack your thigh highs.

Leave the computer and ipad at home. Unplugging is the true essence of vacation. You are unlikely to have time to read either, except for information on the place you are visiting. As always, make use of soft layers, jeans, black leggings, LV overnight duffels and cool accessories. Bring a suitcase 3/4 empty, dirty clothes grow and shopping is fun.

the primped and pampered pet

How do you talk to yourself?

Mind chatter can be the healer or the destroyer. Pay attention to how you talk to yourself. Create breathing room between the present and your beliefs about the present. Treat yourself as you treat others or wish others to treat you. Treat yourself as your own pet. Talk to yourself with respect, tenderness, and love. Feed, water, and cloth yourself with care and affection. Primp, caress, pamper, and spoil yourself.

Dana's Favorite Weeknight Brownies!

because they are delicious and easy to make

they are also CAKE LIKE

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1) Melt 1/2 cup butter.

2) Remove from heat, and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

3) Sift together remaining ingredients then add to the wet.

4) Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes in a greased 8-inch square pan.
Thank you Angie and allrecipes.com

I also just re-made and am still obsessed with "Chocolate Chip Cookies for the student." I love their tangy-ness.

The quality and form of the chocolate chips (in everything) is circumstantial y muy importante. For these cookies (click! not for Dana's brownies above,) where the chocolate is the star, or say, a banana bread, where the base is dense, 60% Ghirardellis or any DISK shaped chocolate chips add dimension and professionalism. The chocolate, where present, must be concentrated and substantial. Chocolate chips are shy, chocolate disks make a statement.

Astrid and Julian Kirschenbaum cut the cake

Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.

-Carl Gustav Jung

hard rock candy mountain

A bird does not sing because it has an answer.

It sings because it has a song.

-Chinese Proverb

TADASANA / MOUNTAIN POSE

promote confidence

improve posture

create space

hold your own

Tadasana principals can be used in all other poses for intuitive alignment. Master tadasana and be aligned for a lifetime.

Tadasana is an ACTIVE posture. Strong legs, active arms, alert spine, and an open heart create an energy of confidence, posture, and personal space that will oscillate into all areas of your life.

Today: Stand in Tadasana (click!) for thirty breaths with your eyes closed.

And then Tadasana for the rest of the day...

There are many paths to the top of the mountain,

But the view is always the same.

-Chinese Proverb