Apanasana

Apanasana ~ Wind-Relieving Pose

Apana: Down Breath.

Apana is one of the five main vital energies located in the lower abdominal/pelvic floor region. It's energy is downward, contracting and expelling. Apana is responsible for elimination.

Stretch your back and aid your digestion with Apanasana. It is the perfect counter pose after a set of backbends and an antidote to intestinal discomfort or menstrual pain. Push your knees away from your body into your hands for a greater back stretch or pull your leg(s) in passively and close to the body to massage your organs.

Keep the back of your neck nice and long using a pillow or blanket if necessary. Pull both knees in together and/or one knee at a time keeping the other leg straight.

Adho Mukha Vrksasana

Adho Mukha Vrksasana ~ Handstand

Adho: Downward
Mukha: Face
Vrksa: Tree

Type of asana: Inversion

Press down to lift up. The main obstacle in this pose is the fear of falling. I find a good way to overcome this anxiety is to step out of the yoga studio and onto a soft plod of grass where you can kick up hard and fall on purpose dissipating any fears of the unknown.  (Spoil Alert: You'll probably end up in wheel and it will probably feel amazing.)

Do a lot of down-dogs to prepare yourself for handstand.

This pose relieves stress and mild depression and improves your sense of balance and strength.

Do not cramp your neck when gazing at the floor, if your heels are against a wall feel free to look into the middle of the room.

Adho Mukha Svanasana

Adho Mukha Svanasana ~ Downard Facing Dog

Adho: Downward
Mukha: Face
Svana: Dog

Type of asana: Standing/Forward Bend/Inversion

Calms the brain, relieves stress and mild depression. Stretches back body, arches and hands. Strengthens arms and legs. Improves digestion. Therapeutic for sinusitis.

This pose requires a lot of strength, flexibility and alertness. Do not let it's commonality in classes fool you: this is a very difficult pose! It may be the first you will learn and the last you ever "master."

Support your head on a pillow or block for a soothing version.
Stay in the pose five minutes if possible, pump your legs if you like.

Feeling it in your shoulders? Bend your legs and press back with your hands. Your legs do not need to be straight, they may never be straight! Your heels do not need to touch the floor. Wrists in pain? Place your hands on a wall about hips height, step back and drop your chest towards the floor.

makes you wanna scream!!!

OK, enough cleansing and cleaning--- it's time for ICE CREAM!!! and other goodies...
This post is about finding what you love by trying new things, but balancing new things with tried and true favorites. Step out of your comfort zone once in a while, but don't waste too much time or energy on anything you find sub-par. It's a big world out there and it is meant to be enjoyed. Know thyself but never stop asking questions. This is also a reminder - in the midst of a few cleansing posts - not to take things too seriously and NOT to create a food dogma, which can be limiting and confining: the opposite of yoga. Today I returned to a Yoga class I know I adore, but haven't made the time to attend in a long while. Perhaps I was a little too busy trying new things. It's amazing when old standbys never fail to satisfy.

Here are the Kirschenbaum house favorites, what are yours? What's their story? Make your own Best-Of list. And share it in the comments!

Best Ice cream:

Haagen-Dazs (a made-up word by the founder in the Bronx) Vanilla.
amazing with chunks of very ripe mango.

Best chocolate chips:

Ghirardelli 60% Mini-Disks.
love the size, love the darkness, love them alone or in cookies.

Best peanut butter:

Smart Balance Omega Natural Peanut Butter
even my european family is hooked.

Best Popcorn:

Trader Joe's Microwave popcorn, not the fat-free kind.
buttery, but not too buttery.

Best sandwich style cookie:

Trader Joe's Vanilla Joe Joe's
the vanilla ones (yes, I even surprised myself on this one.)

Best yoga in La Jolla:

Anne West, La Jolla Yoga Center

Trust those who seek the truth, doubt those who have found it.

April Showers with a sugar scrub

    Abhaya Mudra. Hand gesture for fearlessness. Use for protection and peace. 

SUPPLE SWEET SUGAR SCRUB
an at-home recipe for face and body

1 cup sugar; brown, white, whatever you have.
1/3 cup olive oil; or almond or any cold-pressed.
10-20 drops vanilla extract or essential oils such as lemon, orange, grapefruit, lavender. Optional.

Combine into a mason jar and rub all-over in the shower. The scrub will leave a luxurious layer of oil that will make you wonderfully impenetrable without feeling slick.

glamourpuss

OK princess, time to clean out the castle!

Now that you have cleansed your body, your other temple needs tending to. Here's how to detox your sacred space:

DETOX your KITCHEN, tips from Raw Food Detox Diet author Natalia Rose:
~ Remove all food from the kitchen/pantry.
~ Throw away the crap (edible food-like substances).
~ While the food cupboards/storage spaces are empty wipe them down clean.
~ Put the great stuff back in, wiping every item in the process.
~ Maybe transfer grains/snack to clear glass containers for a pretty look and easy-access.

Apparently, most of us wear 20% of our wardrobe 80% of the time. DETOX your wardrobe and be ruthless. CLICK for tips. Except: hang or fold like items together (t-shirts, cardigans, yoga pants...) and color-code. Do not organize by outfits, as this article suggests, that's just ludicrous.

Natalia Rose revelation: Clutter can cause weight gain, since people tend to eat to avoid a task. By clearing out your junk and making your space a highly functional part of your life, you and your body will be all the more inclined to follow suit.

When your person is clean and your environment is pristine; this blank canvass is an invitation to get GLAM. On your body and in your surroundings allow only the most beautiful things. Things of high quality that look and feel rich.

 Yes, we can be clean, green yogis and all the while glam too:
"Opposites by their very nature are extreme and therefore inherently glamorous." -Scott Joyce


Of course, like all great things, true glamour is no easy task:
"Part of being glamorous is taking risks." -Jay Jeffers

one-day cleanse

Let Spring in with a one-day cleanse!

The Hippocrates Health Institute philosophy is founded on the belief that a vegan, living, enzyme-rich diet — complemented by exercise, positive thinking and non-invasive therapies — are integral to optimum health. Brian Clement, PhD, LNC, from Hippocrates Health Institute in West Palm Beach Florida is one of the leaders in the field f natural and complementary health care and education. Dr. Clement believes a weekly 1-day cleanse, combined with a pure diet and an exercise program, is the best means of self-maintenance at our disposal.

This one-day cleanse is adapted from Super Cleanse, Detox Your Body for Long-Lasting Health and Beauty by Adina Niemerow. This "One-day Wonder Cleanse" will reset your body and re-calibrate your palette. It's a raw food extravaganza!

MENU

Throughout the Day ~ Hot water with lemon

Breakfast ~ Heavenly Green Juice

Mid-morning ~ Watermelon Salad with Pumpkin Seeds

Lunch ~ Chunky Green Gazpacho

Dinner ~ Sassy Sausalito Salad

In Adina's version you would choose 3 of the 4 meals above, but I had it all... If you don't have a juicer omit the juice, have the watermelon for breakfast and then continue your day with the gazpacho and salad.

Sip hot or warm water with lemon through-out the day and aim at imbibing about 1 liter of water per every 30 lbs you weigh or 3 liters at the very least! Feel free to add a pinch of cayenne pepper to your water a-la Master Cleanse. 

Heavenly Green Juice
1/2 head celery (four large sticks)

6 leaves rainbow chard or beet greens

1/2 apple

2 cups pea sprouts*

1 small cucumber

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

There's nothing better than Green juice to give you energy, get your digestion going and to calm unwanted cravings. This is the only part of the day that I didn't find that tasty. Drink it anyways.
* My Jack Lalanne juicer doesn't love sprouts, but I love my Jack Lalanne juicer. You can eat the sprouts in your soups and salads later if, like mine, your juicer doesn't do well with small entities. Check out the benefits of sprouts here CLICK.

Watermelon Salad:

2 cups chopped watermelon

2 cups arugula julienned (i used a bunch of parsley, dandelion greens would be good...)

1/4 cup diced jicama (optional)

1 tablespoon raw pumpkin seeds (I used at least 2 tablespoons.)

toss with combined:

2 tablespoons flax oil

1 teaspoon lime juice

pinch of salt

Get your vitamin C and A from the watermelon plus so much more...

Chunky Green Gazpacho (Adina calls it "Blissful Blend Broth")
1 cup water (the good kind)
1 cup spinach
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
minced garlic clove
1/2 cup cucumber
1 cup sprouts, any
1/2 large avocado (whole if your hungry)
handful fresh herbs of choice (parsley, basil, cilantro...)
salt, cayenne, lemon juice and hot sauce to taste

Blend, but leave a little chunky. This soup is pretty amazing. I was weary when piling the layers of raw veggies into the blender, but man this stuff is good. After a small taste, J said he would eat a whole bowl of it and looked a little disappointed I didn't make him extra. Tip: include those around you on your cleanse... these recipes do not have to be taken alone, they will have lots of benefits when supplemented with a regular diet. J would have enjoyed a cup of the soup as a snack for sure.

Sassy Sausalito Salad
1/2 head of romaine, chopped
1/2 cup endive
a few cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup arugula (I did not have any and put in some parsley.)
1/2 avocado chopped (Of course, I am a trash-compactor so I used a whole one.)
2 tablespoons raw almonds (I use the raw almond butter incessantly so I substituted raw pistachios.)

dress with combined:
2 tablespoons flax oil
juice of one lemon
minced clove of garlic
salt

Make extra if you are dining with others this salad is great with a meal as well. Because I am a pansy when it comes to cleansing, and a monster when it comes to eating I snacked on a little avocado, a handful of raw nuts and some extra watermelon throughout the day.

THERE'S MORE
Adina's book Super Cleanse contains different types of cleanses of different lengths–– eg "Urban Revitalizer" 5 day cleanse, "The Three-day Face-Lift Cleanse"––  that all involve juices, salads and/or soups: a gentle, but powerful way to cleanse accessible to us all. The above cleanse can be repeated as much as once a week and, like Dr. Clement of the Hippocrites Health Institute, many health practitioners believe one day a week is more effective maintenance than lengthier cleanses in less regular bouts. 

 

Cher 's main thrill in life is a makeover, it gives her a sense of control in a world full of chaos. You will feel the same way about this detox. 

Alicia Silverstone is a Vegan. 

i wear my rose-colored glasses at night

Wrinkles and depression be gone! Great for skin, uplifting the mood and improving circulation: rosebud tea soothes and calms.  Use 2 tablespoons of buds per cup, soak in just-under-boiling water for 4 minutes. 

Aspen Magazine

Happy first day of Spring! J and I were engaged one year ago today. 

You can click and zoom on the pic for the article... or I included it below. A better digital version of this page to replace the above photo is coming soon–– but I couldn't wait!  Aspenmagazine.com for a copy. 

Kindred Spirits

Astrid Parker & Julian Kirschenbaum

 Who? A pair of high school sweethearts from Cleveland who met at a school dance at age 15. They moved to Aspen straight out of college, Astrid working as a yoga instructor at O2 Aspen, Julian as a ski instructor for Aspen Skiing Company. The two now live in San Diego (while Julian attends Law School) but hope to return to Aspen as soon as an opportunity arises.

Where? The Ceremony took place at Ajax’s summit, with cocktails at the Aspen Mountain Club and dinner and dancing at the Sundeck–– all catered by The Little Nell.

What? A three-day extravaganza with a different theme for each day: Aspen Chic, Rustic Elegance, and Wild West. Thanks to the faultless planning of Astrid’s mother and events planner Jason Burns, Astrid claims that her engagement and wedding were one hundred percent stress-free.

            Aspen Chic materialized as an evening of pure glitz and glam at the Nell–– mountains of caviar, free-flowing champagne, an oxygen bar, a huge floating monogram in the pool, and fabulous fireworks to round off the night.

            Rustic Elegance, being the big day, demanded classic black-tie elegance on top of the mountain, with a dreamlike palette of creams and pinks coupled with sheer white cloth draping and tea-light chandeliers. However, the bride’s stunning pink, cream, pale yellow, and gold plaid dress kept things fresh and unpredictable.

            At the start of the ceremony, a fox came right up to the couple and quietly watched their nuptials from start to finish before scampering off into the backcountry, at which point Julian turned to the congregation and said, “Astrid is one foxy lady!” The newlyweds believe that the animal was the spirit of those who had recently passed–– Astrid’s father and Julian’s grandfather–– coming back to join them for their special day.

            The final day, with its Wild West theme, threw formality to the wind with a boot-scootin’ hoedown at the T-Lazy-7 Ranch. But the lowering of the pomp certainly didn’t equate to a lowering of standards: a well-known bluegrass group, Ryan Shupe & the Rubberband, kept the party alive well into the night. 

yoga off the mat

The awe-inspiring Carmen photos and enlightening poster are courtesy of yogadork.com

...And here we (you) thought it was all about the poses. The exercise, the asana, flat abs, perky yoga butts, push-up Lululemon bras and acrobatic handstands; that is yoga, right? Well, yes, but it's not even the tip of the iceberg.

Trying to describe the many dimensions of yoga beyond the gumby moves and clean smelling sweat is no easy task, but the above chart does so beautifully. The physical movements are one of many limbs to eternal bliss. 

Check out my favorite yoga books here, CLICK!

"Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality. Be active, be energetic, be enthusiastic and faithful, and you will accomplish your object. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson