Nanci

Photo via iStock

Like most counselors, Leigh Weinraub was trained in the time-honored talk-therapy style: As the practitioner, she should position herself in a chair across from the patient, who’d be asked to lie down on a couch. “In grad school the professor would say, ‘People have to learn how to sit in their s—if they want to work through it,” she says.

But early on in her career, Weinraub kicked the couch to the curb. One day, while working with an anxious young woman in Chicago, the novice therapist impulsively decided to take their session to the place most conventional counselors would caution her not to: outside, in public.

“I took a big risk and said, ‘I know it’s 20 degrees, but put your scarf on and let’s get it in motion,’” Weinraub says, recalling the move that quickly earned her a rep as a renegade amongst her Northwestern University colleagues. “As soon as we got out of the elevator and took the first few steps, those jangly feelings totally subsided. She went from sitting in my office with her foot moving 100 miles an hour and her playing with her fingers to the picture of calm. You could sense that she was walking her way out of the parameters that she was stuck in in her life. And because we were side-by-side, we were solving problems together. There’s less of a power struggle, less awkwardness.”

A decade later, Weinraub has built a successful practice rooted in what she calls “Walk and Talk Therapy,” a method that was informed by her background as a top junior tennis player who later coached a Northwestern team to consecutive conference championships and a number-three national ranking. “All my problems were solved while I was moving,” explains the self-described “action-based therapist,” who also sees clients at the Miraval resort in Arizona, and who recently launched her own line of inspiring sportswear, Mind in Motion.

Having treated “thousands” of people in this way, Weinraub says she’s seen first-hand how “getting your mind in motion by taking a walk will get conversation brewing, improve communication, move you more toward truth, get you out of avoidance, get you unstuck—literally physically, physiologically—and simply, improve the quality of your life.”

It may also help save your life. Medical studies warn us that sitting increases our risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and a variety of cancers, along with early death. This is a big problem for a nation who’s on our backsides for an average of nine hours a day, zoning out in front of the TV, scrolling Instagram, and working at an office. That doesn’t even take into account the endless hours spent in our cars.

No wonder Weinraub waxes lyrical about the rejuvenating powers of fresh air: “The frequency of being outside, it opens our eyes up, opens our lungs up, it literally could open our hearts up.” She’s taken therapeutic walks with many a married couple.

“I do almost all of my couples sessions [that way],” she says. “At the end of our hour, I send them off for another 30 minutes [on their own]. I can guarantee they are closer at the end of the walk than they’d be if they were sitting in an office, arguing. Quite a few have said, ‘Now my partner and I don’t go a week without having at least two post-dinner walks, and our communication skills have improved tremendously.’”

It’s not just those in need of therapy who can benefit from getting on board with what Weinraub calls a “movement of movement.” She’s also worked with office-bound employee groups on team-building missions, as well as numerous clients who’ve come to her desperate to slim down. “One said, ‘I’m 50 pounds overweight and feeling terrible.’ I told her, ‘You do not need to hire some trainer and be miserable on an elliptical machine, or go a sit awkwardly in a class you’re not inspired by. Let’s start with walking.’ [We went] from 30 minutes, to an hour, to an hour and a half.”

Then there was a person who was chronically fatigued, suffering from fibromyalgia and depression, and who could barely walk. After starting slowly, “she now she walks [about] 15 miles at a time.”

A big reason why walking-and-talking is so effective: “Because you’re distracted from the puzzle you’re trying to solve,” says Jane Isay, a veteran publisher and author of the forthcoming book,Unconditional Love: A GPS for Grandparents. Isay invites her writers to join her on jaunts in New York’s Central Park, during which they converse about pretty much everything but the manuscript they’re working on.

“The most productive conversations happen when you’re walking with somebody—there’s something about the side-by-side that allows the flow to happen,” says Isay, who was turned on to this theory while working with the neuroscientist Antonio Damasio on his 1994 bookDescartes’ Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain. Damasio “argues that the emotions are essential to rationality and good decision-making, and they’re all in the body,” she explains. “If you’re staring at someone, you’re concentrating. When you’re being creative, you don’t want to be concentrating. Neuroscience and the anatomy of the brain have shown that the centers of creativity all light up when you’re not concentrating. That’s where your brain gets its renewal.”

Some suggestions for turning traditional sit-downs into more effective walk-and-talks? The next time you schedule a meeting with a work colleague or business associate, suggest getting together at a waterside walkway or running track instead of a trendy cafe. (“You’ll feel way more bonded afterward,” says Weinraub.) Or try doing a conference-call brainstorm while taking a few laps around the block.

“It’s about getting emotional fitness,” Weinraub says. “Take a minute and ask yourself: Who in your life right now is the type of person you want to go in nature with, feel the wind up against your face, and have a 45-minute delving discussion with—who you will know damn well by the end of that time? I promise, you are going to feel better; you’re going to process information; and they are going to push you to grow.”

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This piece is from wanderlust.com, originally published on Sonima.com.

Fasting is an exceptionally ancient, and powerful, approach to healing many common disease conditions. It allows the body to rest, detoxify, and to heal. During fasting the body moves into the same kind of detoxification cycle that it normally enters during sleep. It uses its energy during a fast, not for digesting food, but for cleansing the body of accumulated toxins and healing any parts of it that are ill. As a fast progresses the body consumes everything that it can that is not essential to bodily functioning. This includes bacteria, viruses, fibroid tumors, waste products in the blood, any build up around the joints, and stored fat. The historical record indicates that human beings are evolutionarily designed to fast. It is an incredibly safe approach to healing and the body knows how to do it very well.

The Physiological Changes of Fasting

Many of the most dramatic changes that occur in the body during fasting take place on the first three days of the fast. These occur as the body switches from one fuel source to another. Normally, the primary form of energy the body uses for energy is glucose, a type of sugar. Most of this is extracted or converted from the food we eat. Throughout the day, the liver stores excess sugar in a special form called glycogen that it can call on as energy levels fall between meals. There is enough of this sugar source for 8-12 hours of energy and usually, it is completely exhausted within the first 24 hours of fasting. (However, once the body shifts over to ketosis or fat as fuel, this new fuel is used to also restore the body’s glycogen reserves.)

Once the liver’s stores of glycogen are gone, the body begins to shift over to what is called ketosis or ketone production – the use of fatty acids as fuel instead of glucose. This shift generally begins on the second day of fasting and completed by the third. In this interim period there is no glucose available and energy from fat conversion is insufficient but the body still needs fuel. So it accesses glucose from two sources. It first converts glycerol, available in the body’s fat stores, to glucose but this is still insufficient. So it makes the rest that it needs from catabolizing, or breaking down, the amino acids in muscle tissue, using them in the liver for gluconeogenesis, or the making of glucose. Between 60 and 84 grams of protein are used on this second day, 2-3 ounces of muscle tissue. By the third day ketone production is sufficient to provide nearly all the energy the body needs and the body’s protein begins to be strongly conserved. The body still needs a tiny amount of glucose for some functions, however, so a very small amount of protein, 18-24 grams, is still catabolized to supply it – from 1/2 to 1 ounce of muscle tissue per day. Over a 30 day water fast a person generally loses a maximum of 1-2 pounds of muscle mass. This conservation of the body’s protein is an evolutionary development that exists to protect muscle tissue and vital organs from damage during periods of insufficient food availability.

From the third day onward the rate of the breakdown of fatty acids from adipose or fat tissue continues to increase, hitting its peak on the tenth day. This seven day period, after the body has shifted completely over to ketosis, is where the maximum breakdown of fat tissue occurs. As part of protein conservation, the body also begins seeking out all non-body-protein sources of fuel: nonessential cellular masses such as fibroid tumors and degenerative tissues, bacteria, viruses, or any other compounds in the body that can be used for fuel. This is part of the reason that fasting produces the kind of health effects it does. Also, during this period of heightened ketosis the body is in a similar state as the one that occurs during sleep – a rest and detoxification cycle. It begins to focus on the removal of toxins from the body and the healing and regeneration of damaged tissues and organs.

Fasting and Healing

Fasting has been found to help a number of disease conditions, often
permanently. There have been a number of intriguing clinical trials and studies treating numerous disease conditions with fasting. Here are some of those findings.

* In one clinical trial of hypertension and fasting, 174 people with hypertension were prefasted for 2-3 days by eating only fruits and vegetables. They then participated in a 10-11 day water only fast, followed by a 6-7 day post fast in which they ate only a low-fat, low- sodium vegan diet. Initial blood pressure in the participants was either in excess of 140 millimeters of mercury (mm HG) systolic or 90 diastolic or both. Ninety percent of the participants achieved blood pressure less than 140/90 by the end of the trial. The higher their initial blood pressure the more their readings dropped. The average drop for all participants was 37/13. Those with stage 3 hypertension (over 180/110) had an average reduction of 60/17. All those taking blood pressure medication prior to fasting were able to discontinue it. Fasting has been shown in a number of trials like this one to be one of the most effective methods for lowering blood pressure and normalizing cardiovascular function. Blood pressure tends to remain low in all those using fasting for cardiovascular disease once fasting is completed.

* Fasting is exceptionally beneficial in chronic cardiovascular disease and congestive heart failure, reducing triglycerides, atheromas, total cholesterol, and increasing HDL levels.

* Fasting has been found effective in the treatment of type II diabetes, often reversing the condition permanently.

* Because of its long term effects on metabolism, fat stores in the body, leptin, and disease conditions associated with obesity, fasting has been found to be one of the most effective treatments for obesity.

* A number of studies have found that fasting is beneficial in epilepsy, reducing the length, number, and severity of seizures. Fasting is especially effective for helping alleviate or cure childhood epilepsy.

* In a 1988 trial of 88 people with acute pancreatitis, fasting was found better than any other medical intervention. Neither nasogastric suction or cimetidine were found to produce as beneficial effects as those from fasting. Symptoms were relieved irrespective of the etiology of the disease.

* A number of studies have found that fasting is effective for treating both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Fasting induces significant antiinflammatory actions in the body and researchers found decreased ESR, arthralgia, pain, stiffness, and need for medication.

* Autoimmune diseases such as lupus, rosacea, chronic urticaria, and acute glomerulonephritis have all responded well to fasting.

* Severe toxic contamination has been shown to be significantly helped with fasting. Clinical trials have found that people poisoned with PCB experienced “dramatic” relief after 7-10 day fasts.

* Poor immune function improves during fasting. Studies have found that there is increased macrophage activity, increased cell-mediated immunity, decreased complement factors, decreased antigen-antibody complexes, increased immunoglobulin levels, increased neutrophil bactericidal activity, depressed lymphocyte blastogenesis, heightened monocyte killing and bactericidal function, and enhanced natural killer cell activity.

* Other diseases that have responded to fasting are: psychosomatic disease, neurogenic bladder, psoriasis, eczema, thrombophlebitis, varicose ulcers, fibromyalgia, neurocirculatory disease, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, bronchial asthma, lumbago, depression, neurosis, schizophrenia, duodenal ulcers, uterine fibroids, intestinal parasites, gout, allergies, hay fever, hives, multiple sclerosis, and insomnia.

* The historically lengthy claim that fasting increases life span is beginning to garner some support in research literature. Regularly repeated 4-day fasting has been found to increase the life span in normal and immunocompromised mice.

* Although the use of fasting in the treatment of cancer is controversial, there is some emerging data SHOWING that fasting helps prevent cancer. Intermittent fasting (2 days weekly) has shown an inhibitory effect on the development of liver cancer in rats.

People Who Should Not Fast

Although most people can fast, there are a few who, because of special
conditions, should not.

* People who are extremely emaciated or in a state of starvation
* Those who are anorexic or bulemic
* Pregnant, diabetic women
* Nursing mothers
* Those who have severe anemia
* Those with an extreme fear of fasting
* Those with porphyria. Porphyria refers to a genetic metabolic defect that affects the body’s ability to manage porphyrins. Porphyrins are a group of compounds that combine with iron to produce blood, are involved in the control of electron transport systems, and, within mitochondria, are intricately involved in the production, accumulation, and utilization of energy. Porphyria can cause malfunctions in the liver, bone marrow, and red blood cells and produces a wide range of symptoms including seizures.
* People with a rare, genetic, fatty acid deficiency which prevents THE INITIATION OF KETOSIS. This is a deficiency involving the enzyme acetyl-CoA, a mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation enzyme, that is essential to ketosis. Those with this deficiency who do fast can experience severe side effects, including hepatic steatosis, myocardial lipid accumulation, and severe hypoglycemia.

A Note on Pregnancy, Children, and Fasting

Although many fasting texts suggest that pregnant women not fast, those that have been found to suffer side effects were also diabetic. Ketosis during pregnancy can seriously harm the fetus if the mother is diabetic. Fasting during pregnancy if a woman is not diabetic has not been found harmful to either mother or fetus. However, fasts for nondiabetic pregnant women should be no longer than 2-3 weeks duration and be monitored by a health care provider. Children, even infants, can also fast without complications if the fasts are of relatively short duration. For infants 2-3 days, children 1-2 weeks depending on age. These fasts should also be monitored by a health care provider unless of short duration. The need for infants and young children to fast is rare.

Those Who Should Fast Under Health Care Supervision

While most people can fast safely there are some that should do so only under the supervision of a health professional experienced in fasting for healing.

* Those with serious disease conditions
* Pregnant women
* Infants and young children
* Type I diabetics
* Those with insufficient kidney function
* Those who are extremely afraid of fasting yet wish to do so anyway
* People with a high toxic contamination level of DDT. DDT is stored by the body in a highly concentrated form in fat tissue. Fasting can release huge levels of DDT into the bloodstream as the fat stores are released. This can be quite dangerous.

Written by Stephen Harrod Buhner of Gaianstudies.org

PREP TIME10 minsCOOK TIME25 minsTOTAL TIME35 mins

Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS

• 1 2-3 lb. spaghetti squash
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp clarified butter/ ghee
• 2 yellow onions, peeled and sliced into longer strips if possible
• 1½ cup mushrooms
• 1 cup kale
• ¼ tsp rosemary (I used fresh, but dried would work too)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Optional: parmesan cheese*

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Slice squash in half, remove seeds and place on baking sheet.
3. Brush 2 tbsp olive oil on both sides of the squash (1 tbsp per half) and then place face down in the oven.
4. While squash is roasting, melt butter and last 2 tbsp oil over medium-high in a large skillet.
5. Add onions to skillet, stirring occasionally. After 5 minutes, add mushrooms.
6. After approximately 10 minutes, the onions should start to caramelize. If they look like they’re burning at all, add an extra tablespoon of oil.
7. Add kale to skillet and continue to stir everything together until onions turn a nice golden brown color.
8. After 25 minutes, remove squash from oven and allow 10 or so minutes for it to cool off.
9. Once slightly cooler, use a fork to remove “spaghetti” from squash and place in a skillet; add rosemary, salt and pepper and stir everything together.
10. Add parmesan cheese if you wish and enjoy!

NOTES*I didn’t use cheese, but feel free to add it–I’m sure it would be delicious!Recipe by  The Almond Eater

Photo by wearetherealdeal.com

“Your body is precious. It is your vehicle for awakening. Treat it with care.” ~Buddha

Diets are extremely seductive.

We get lured in by the promises they make:

The temptation of a smaller jeans size.

The possibility of having a beach-ready body.

The idea that everything would be better if you just weighed ten (or fifteen, or twenty…) pounds less.

When you’ve overloaded yourself with sweets and feel horrible about your body, it’s easy to get sucked into attempting a diet as a quick-fix to your weight issues.

In my own life, I struggled with gaining and losing the same sixty pounds for about twelve years. I would start over on Monday, swear off sweets and dessert, and then be knee-deep in a gallon of ice cream by Friday.

If there was a diet out there, I tried it. Cleanses, detoxes, Paleo, South Beach, Atkins, The Zone Diet, Weight Watchers, and even diet pills.

Even though I was continually seduced by the promise of weight loss, I never kept it off. I would inevitably end up failing miserably, but would still be seduced by the promise of “well, next time, I’ll really stick with it!”

So when you’re seduced by the promise of weight loss and tempted to start another diet, let me save you weeks of frustration and tears with what I learned in my twelve years of dieting.

Here’s why another diet is never the answer:

Diets fail 100 percent of the time.

Diets fail because there is an “on” and an “off.” If you go “on” something, at some point in time you have to go “off” of it. Yes, you may lose weight initially. You may drop a size or two from not eating carbs. But in six months, a year, or five years, has the weight come back?

No one can sustain the “I’m eating only fruits, vegetables, and chicken” diet forever. When you rigidly restrict what you eat, eventually you’ll get to a point where you give in. This inevitably leads to a slippery downhill slope of overeating and then “starting over” the next day.

Diets are never successful long term. Failure is built into the very nature of a diet. When you start a food plan, something will come up where you’ll desperately want something not on your diet. And then you feel like a failure because you broke the diet.

Diets always measure “success” in days, weeks, or months, because the reality is, it never lasts long term.

Diets set you up to crave even more sweets.

When you tell a toddler he can’t have the green crayon, what does he immediately want? The green crayon. He throws a temper tantrum if you won’t give him the green crayon. After a while, you get so sick of him screaming about the crayon that you give it to him so he’ll stop his tantrum.

And so it is with dieting. You tell yourself you can’t have cake, cookies, bread, or chocolate, so what do you think about all day long? The cakes, cookies, bread, and chocolate. You’re consumed with it, you dream about it, and you fantasize about ways you can eat one a piece of cake without having it “count.”

Your forbidden foods seem to be consuming your thoughts and soon, you’re so sick of fighting an internal battle and thinking about cakes and cookies 24/7 that you give in so all of the fighting stops.

The nature of something being forbidden means you’re much more likely to want, need, and crave it.

Diets take you further and further away from learning to listen to your body.

Diets work in direct opposition to intuitive eating. They’re based on strict rules and foods you can’t eat. There isn’t room to check in with your body, allow your needs/wants to arise, and nourish your body accordingly.

“Success” is based on adhering to a system that’s prescribed. If there are rules you have to abide by, you can bet that the diet does not encourage listening to your body. Instead of learning how to tap into your body’s own intuition, you only eat what’s on the list of “acceptable” foods.

Lasting weight loss requires that you are in touch with your body, that you understand what it needs and wants, and that you pay enough attention to yourself that you are aware of how/why you use food. And when you diet, it takes you farther away from listening to your own body’s wisdom.

Diets create a sense of separation from yourself.

Because diets operate on strict rules and guidelines, it creates a sense of separation from your body. Your body becomes this “thing” you’re fighting against. You wage war on it, you deprive it, and you punish it.

The sense of separation grows as you work against your body, attempting to punish it into a place of weight loss.

A diet is essentially a battle with yourself, and the more you diet, the more the distance you create between you and your body. The way back to hearing your body’s messages is through listening, honoring, and nourishing yourself (which dieting will never do for you!)

Remember that dieting never brings about the results you truly want. Lasting change begins with awareness, love, and self-compassion as you start to understand your food patterns and behaviors.

Blog by Jenn Hand

This is the big letting go, the final completion, the cutting it loose.

We are weary of the fight, the blame, the crisis, the judgment, the debt, being victims, feeling owed, the anxiety, worry, and stress.

We desperately wish for a gentler more compassionate way of beauty and balance and are finally willing to do whatever it takes to get there.

Forgiveness is a big piece we are working with this month and in the months to come. The actual definition of forgiveness is to give way so something can be free to move forward. Without forgiveness there is no moving forward. To the extent that you are not able to forgive yourself or others for what “they have done to you”, “you have done to yourself, or, ”you have done to others”, you are holding yourself and others hostage and no one is free to move forward. We are in a time of tremendous potential for movement forward and the raising of consciousness but if we cannot forgive, we go nowhere.

What people do not realize is that the choice to not forgive can actually create karma. If you have the option and the opportunity to forgive something or someone and you do not take it, choosing instead to hold someone or something hostage in your expectation of a payback, you can create some karma for yourself in the withholding of that freedom. Some food for thought….

Forgiving something does not mean that you agree with it or condone it. The action or situation can still be very wrong, but forgiving it cuts it loose so that the energy of it is no longer attached to you.  You neutralize the charge so that you are no longer hooked into the debt of payback. Sometimes we hold onto old grudges for years and years and maybe even lifetimes, not even remembering exactly what started it. On a greater more global scale there is a need for forgiveness between countries, races, the masculine and the feminine.

Blame, grudges, judgement, hopelessness and depression are all symptoms of an inability to forgive. We hide behind the bad parents that did not love us the way they should have, or the boss that never saw our potential and wasted years of our talents, or the relationship that never gave us what we wanted, or all those that took advantage of us without the proper honor, payment or acknowledgement. These are all the logjams in our psyches that are keeping us at a lower vibration and from being free to move forward.

If you forgive those who “done you wrong”, you are not only freeing yourself but freeing them as well. And if you don’t truly forgive them, you may be stuck with them on the karmic wheel for future lifetimes. It is better to clean it up now.

This goes for situations as well. I was recently involved in a real “cluster” dealing with a large bank around a mortgage. I found myself in blame, anger, frustration, occasional rage, and conjuring up all kinds of ways I was going to make them “pay”. And then in a moment of clarity I thought, “I am just buying into this whole lower vibration of dysfunction and it is really no one’s “fault”. These people are just trying to do their job and no one really knows who to blame anymore. So I decided to forgive the situation, cut it loose and give it over to spirit. It is not resolved yet but it sure feels much better. There is a sense of freedom there and I am definitely functioning at a higher level of vibration.

The key to forgiveness is not to be attached to the outcome, reactions, or end result after you forgive. You don’t forgive your parents so that they will love you more, and you don’t forgive someone who has mistreated you so that they will change. You also don’t forgive yourself because someone else expects it of you. You forgive from the heart with no strings attached. Only in this way can you clear the decks for your own creativity to blossom and for spirit to bring you something new and wonderful.

Forgiveness is a tall order sometimes but easier than you think. Just remember that you cannot move forward unless you forgive and either can anyone else. This is not giving up, it is giving into the wisdom and maturity of becoming neutral about our past so that we can be free to create the future we want.

How the month shows up:

YOU PERSONALLY

Sometimes the biggest challenge is to forgive ourselves for what we perceive to have done, not done, failed at, not lived up to, been blinded about, wrong about and irresponsible about. We worry about how we show up and whether we will make the grade. Our fears run us and we can sometimes despair about our inability to “fix” our lives.

Cut it loose, forgive it, let it die, release and move on. Self-judgment, self-pity and the attachment to the long suffering unsatisfied life of servitude just does not work anymore. Even if you are not as extreme as this in your experience of life, this is still a good month to evaluate where you are still blaming yourself or regretting something from the past; some decision or opportunity not taken. Forgive yourself now for all that is past and focus instead on your dreams and intentions for the future.

This is a good month for beauty. You may be inspired to create more beauty around you in your home, on your person and in your community. When you have been too focused on and burdened by the negative, it is difficult to tap into your own creative potential and to see the beauty all around you. This is a good month to remind yourself that there is beauty in the world and that if you can forgive what is not of beauty, true beauty will manifest.

RELATIONSHIPS

This is a big area for forgiveness as relationships are usually at the core of resentment, blame and the attachment to an unforgiving attitude. Since we are moving as a planet into a time of relationships being more important than perhaps getting to the top of the heap no matter who you trample on the way up, it makes sense to look at forgiveness as a way to reset the foundation of how we relate to each other.

Intimate relationships, families and close friendships will be affected most by this opportunity for forgiving the past. Especially relationships that still carry deep wounds of betrayal, disappointment, abandonment, abuse, neglect, violence, oppression or control, be it from this life or a previous one, will have the opportunity to work with the energy of forgiveness as way to move past what keeps them from moving on. One of the biggies is the feminine forgiving the masculine and the masculine forgiving the feminine. This is a topic full of land mines and will be an ongoing theme for months and maybe years to come.

But we can start now by forgiving our own feminine and masculine within, allowing them both the freedom to get into balance with each other again.

Another big area is to forgive all the disappointments in your life having to do with your relationships and how they may not have shown up in the way you expected. Disappointed expectations are often at the bottom of most things unforgiven. Remember you cannot change anyone else. But if you forgive, you will surely free yourself and move to a better place.

HEALTH AND THE PHYSICAL BODY

For those of you who have struggled with any kind of physical issue, be it weight problems, discipline, chronic pain, injuries, chronic illness etc., this is a good month to forgive your body for the challenges and the lessons it has provided you with. If you find yourself irritated with the body and its function, remember that the body is an elemental and takes direction from you. If you forgive yourself and forgive your body, you have a chance for some new direction and a reset.

Especially those of you who struggle with addictions, self- destructive tendencies or greed, you need to be able to forgive yourself before you have the freedom to move on to a healthier experience of life. The body may go through periods of deep exhaustion this month due to the grueling pushy relentless energy of the last few months. We need some softness, compassion, understanding, acceptance and love.

ENVIRONMENT

There is not much to say this month about the environment except that the theme of forgiveness is one to be worked with in forgiving ourselves and others for what we have “done to the earth”. The same concept of not being free to move on is as true with regards to the environment as it is with a person. If we can forgive the whole situation, whatever we perceive to be the very negative aspect of unconscious choices and harm to the planet, we can free up some energy for creative solutions and moving forward in a good way.

Forgiving does not make it right or agree with or condone any action. It simply clears the way for something new to come in so we are not looking at the same old problems with no response but anger and negativity.

If you have been remiss in taking care of your own environment, forgive yourself for that and then make a new commitment to improve this tending in the future.

BUSINESS/PARTNERSHIPS/PROJECTS

This is a very good month for businesses and partnerships to spend some extra time communicating, clearing the air, collaborating on good ideas and stimulating each other’s creativity and expansion. It is an expansive time and it can be taken advantage of provided you forgive whatever may have been an obstacle in the past to that expansion and movement. Perhaps there was someone in your business that is no longer there that you need to forgive for their part in something not working well. Or perhaps there were some bad decisions made that have affected your productivity or abundance. Rather than dwelling on or resenting or regretting, forgive it instead and be inspired by what is possible now.  Focus on what is working, on the beauty and the blossoming of your projects and ideas.

It is a good time to start something you have been dreaming up for a while.  See if there is something you need to forgive first.

DATES AND TIME FRAMES

November 1-7: The theme of completion around the New Moon on October 30 is still influencing us this week. Some completions are easier than others and some will require forgiveness as part of the letting go. What are you still working on completing? In the New Moon update we mentioned working with Death as an ally to give some permanence to your completions. The Spirit of Death is a powerful ally that can also help you to forgive.

Death brings about the ultimate freedom from all the lessons and experiences of the physical plane. When someone leaves the planet it is often easier to forgive them. Once they are gone it is harder to hold them hostage to some expectation of them somehow righting the wrongs or providing a pay back. Using the Spirit of Death as an ally can assist you in adding a finality and permanence to your forgiveness of people and situations especially ones from many years past.

Use this week to identify what you are still needing to complete for yourself and if forgiveness is in the picture, add it into the mix.

For those of you in Daylight Savings Time zones, remember to set your clocks back one hour at 2am on Sunday, November 6 to reset to Standard Time.

November 8-15: This is a good week to nurture and take care of both your physical and emotional body. We are desperate for relief from stress, anxiety and our own worries. Notice what is falling into place in your life and what is supporting you. Practice gratitude for who you are, what is coming in to support you, your physical body and all the opportunities you have in life to be creative and in love.

For some, this time frame may bring a feeling of depression or low energy. This is the body’s way of saying “slow down and take some time to assimilate all the stimulation you have been thrown these past months. If you have been working too hard with no time for yourself or your practices, forgive yourself for it. If others are a part of this too, forgive them as well.

It is a good week for contemplating what is changing in your life, what needs to change in your life, and what you need to forgive yourself for. It is OK to take something off your plate and relax a little. Allow yourself to heal in whatever form that needs to take. Forgiveness is probably a part of it.

November 14: Full Moon is Monday, November 14 at 6:52 AM Mountain Standard Time (MST). This is a good moon to anchor and ground a new vision. It may even be something that has percolated just under the surface of your conscious mind, and now suddenly you have some clarity about it. It is an expansive, inspired time where you actually may be able to see how something you thought improbable is suddenly very possible. This will inspire you, uplift you and bring some positivity to your day.

November 17-22: In this time frame we are likely to face our own fears. Who are we without our suffering?  There is resistance to change that is irrational. Even if we have the opportunity to make changes that will enlighten and free us from the prison of our emotional debt, we hesitate to embrace the unknown. We would rather stay with what is known even if it is full of suffering and not at all fun. Why forgive when we are so attached to our wounds and what others “owe us”?

So we complain and are confused and know we need to do something but cannot quite get the clarity or the motivation to follow through. This is a volatile time. We could have some emotional and physical upheaval in the world and in our own lives. It is important to stay grounded during this time period and to know what your priorities are. Work with the concept of courage as you contemplate forgiveness. Have the courage to forgive something big, and big change could follow.

November 23-30: We have the opportunity here to uncover some more of our wounding and to forgive it. This could come about through crisis or aggressive energy that pushes something up and out of us to be forgiven and released.  It could be a painful time of healing but euphoric at the same time as the awareness of something big and expansive hits our center of truth. We are moving as a planet from a paradigm of senseless action to one of mature wisdom as our base of operations. This is a frequency shift, a change of vibration that requires a whole new energetic ‘wiring”.

Old attachments, especially to suffering, are no longer congruent with this new vibration. We may experience fear when we cannot identify clearly who we are as we are in transition as a human race. During this time frame we may have more questions than answers but if we just keep forgiving whatever and whenever we can, we will accelerate the change.

November 29: New Moon is Tuesday, November 29 at 5:19AM Mountain Standard Time (MST). This is an important moon for building community, sharing yourself with others and not holding back on your unique self-expression. It is a good day to anchor a commitment to learn something new or to pursue a new area of interest or a new relationship. Anything that you put into motion today gets some juice for gathering support.

It is not a day to be alone, secretive or asocial. Share yourself and enjoy the company of others even if it is just reaching out for a few moments.

Have a great month!

Lena

Blog by thepowerpath.com

As we enter February we encounter good influences that will take your choices and decisions and feed them with some momentum allowing for action, manifestation and flow. There are two elements that are necessary for this to happen: Commitment and discipline. Commitment to the choices and decisions you have made will ensure that you get the most out of them. It is a message to spirit that you are truly serious about what you have chosen and intended, what you desire and wish for.

This is not a month to be sitting on the fence or to regret your choices or to think the grass is greener on the other side. This is a time to be committed to your life and the choices you have made in a way that leaves no room for ambivalence and no back door. This will be challenging for those that have difficulty with commitment, tend to change your minds frequently, have a need for freedom, or never trust yourself and your own intuition. The best choices are often made from a place of “knowing” that has nothing to do with the rational mind but more to do with the intuition of the heart.

The themes for 2016 support developing and trusting your intuition. Work with this theme by questioning the motivation behind your choices. Were they made to please someone else? Were they made from a place of fear? Or did you choose based on an inner knowing that it was the right choice?

(For more on the influences for 2016, get TRENDS 2016)

You may need to revisit some of the choices you are entering this month with to see if you are in the right place with them. This also refers to choices you may have made to feel a certain way around what has happened to you over the past couple of months. Everything is a choice. You can choose to feel angry, victimized, vengeful, trapped, inadequate, depressed and resentful, or you can choose to be accepting, inspired, hopeful, resilient, flexible, grateful and trusting. The key here is to infuse your choice with a level of commitment, as COMMITMENT is the energy that the influences of February will grab onto and work with.

Where does Discipline fit in?

Discipline is what you will need to insure the commitment stays in place. If you signed up for yoga classes and paid your money and put it on your calendar, you have committed. The discipline is that you actually have to attend the classes to receive the benefits. If you have committed to your choice to leave a relationship that you know has ended, the discipline is to follow through with what it takes to do that. The discipline may also include not listening to the rational arguments of the mind or of others mental arguments, and to follow your own intuition around a choice you may have made that “does not make rational sense”.

You will be tested this month. Especially around the new moon and full moon times, the energy may be a bit squirrely causing you to question and revisit your own motivations. More than ever these times will require the discipline of follow through on your commitments. The rewards will be great and you will definitely feel a momentum empowering your intentions if you are committed.

The opportunity for making committed choices will be ongoing throughout the month giving you plenty of chances to anchor new directions, new relationships, new ways of showing up and new bids for power. Once you have committed to your choice, it will gather momentum and support you in moving forward.

There is an aspect to the month that continues to place the unexpected in front of us at unexpected times. This can support change or it can throw you off your focus. Be flexible and resilient and incorporate whatever is new into your plan instead of resisting it. Chances are it will only enhance and motivate something wonderful. We are still not able to “see around the corner” so much of the month requires trust that everything is moving in the right direction.

How the month shows up

YOU PERSONALLY

Who are you? This is the big question this month. You have an opportunity to explore yourself in new ways and commit to choosing what is important to you regardless of what others may think. One of the most important choices you may need to make is around how much of other people’s energy and drama you are still willing to carry. How much of your old story are you willing to hold on to? What are you willing to give up to finally lead the life you always wanted?

These are big serious questions and processes and you may need to get some help to dig through the layers of what is “not you” in order to reclaim your authentic self. But first you must make a committed choice that this is important to you and that you are willing to be disciplined about what it takes to get there. You have a lot of support and if you choose wisely, you will be rewarded.

The tests may come in the form of energy leaks, distractions, doubts, and unexpected events that threaten to throw you off course. Take a deep breath and trust your choices and your commitment. They will pay off.

RELATIONSHIPS

This is a powerful month for relationships. Choices to begin, to end, to commit, to change, to restructure, are all on the table. It is a good month to finally end those relationships that have been in a completion cycle way beyond their useful time. This will take a committed choice and if you are still on the fence about a relationship, it may become clear during one of the “testing” times which way you need to choose. Make sure you trust your intuition rather than the arguments of your rational mind.

On the other hand, this is a great time to anchor and commit to relationship choices around cooperative endeavors, projects, collaborations, groups, and community. It is a great time for new connections, new friends and new romantic interests (provided you complete the old ones first). Open yourself up to trusting new support and find the inspiration and excitement in reaching out towards others in a new way.

Perhaps the most important committed choices will be around the relationship with yourself. What committed choices will you make this month to better take care of yourself, to improve yourself in some way, to honor yourself, to support yourself, to heal yourself, and to love yourself?

HEALTH AND THE PHYSICAL BODY

The commitment here is for better self-care. Those of you who have experienced recent health issues and/or physical set backs, this month gives you the opportunity to improve your situation. If you are committed to improvement, the support for it will show up. You will meet the right people, find the right program, and connect with the right solutions.

The physical body needs a regular discipline this month. There is a lot of energy that has been log-jammed from last month’s retrograde cycle and it needs to be expressed. Walking, jogging, swimming, yoga, exercise class, or any physical movement of the body that is regular and disciplined will help to ground you as well as provide a good container for manifesting your intentions that you have commitment to.

If you have been putting off medical or dental procedures, this is the month to commit to scheduling them. Put yourself first.

The challenges health wise are more psychological and emotional than they are physical. The physical choices will be clearer and more straightforward. The psychological and emotional ones are in murkier territory and more difficult to get clarity on. Trust your intuition and your heart. You “know” what is right and what is good for you and what is not.

ENVIRONMENT

This is a good month for general commitments to the environment. Look for positive initiatives to finally get votes, for politicians to voice “commitments” to the environment and for individuals to make choices and commitments around recycling, use of water, green building, and other more conscious practices.

There is also the commitment to take care of your own environment such as choosing practices that will enhance where you live and work. Some of you may be faced with choices around relocation. Perhaps you have been ambivalent about a necessary move and have been procrastinating making that choice. This is the month to make that choice. If you do, the universe will support you provided you have truly committed.

Weather patterns continue to be unpredictable from one day to the next and extremes are possible. Be flexible and accepting in your plans as well as in your attitude. Think of moving out towards and into the power of the storm to collect some of its energy rather than resisting, hiding and resenting how your plans have changed.

BUSINESS/PARTNERSHIPS/PROJECTS

This is an excellent month to put into some kind of action plan and committed intention ideas and inspirations you may have had over the past couple of months. Especially if you can involve a collaboration and partnership with others, the momentum of the month will support your commitment to explore something new.

If you have a business that has been going through changes, restructuring and a reset, this month you can commit to the choices that were involved in those changes. It could be a very busy month that will yield much success if you are disciplined about showing up and doing what it takes.

Projects that are important for the right reasons will get support and show momentum and progress. There may be times you feel overwhelmed with the momentum and the chaos of the “test” times but remember to get support and help from others. This is a time when doing it alone is no longer viable.

DATES AND TIME FRAMES

February 1-7: This is a time of questioning, choosing, committing and making plans. What is important? What is not important? What needs to be completed before I move on? What relationship does not serve? Where should I put my energy? What idea keeps coming back around, looking for support? What do I need to do to take better care of myself? How can I be more disciplined?

Make an inventory of your answers, look for the choices they provide and then make a plan to commit to the choices that you do end up making based on your insights. This is an internal time where you are anchoring and grounding the resets of January by actually choosing what is happening or wanting to happen in your life. As we approach the new moon time, if you feel scattered or chaotic or confused about what you should be choosing or doing, look to synchronicity, where you are being supported and where the energy wants to flow.

February 8: New Moon is Monday, February 8 at 7:40 AM Mountain Time (MST). The time around this moon can be testy especially around unexpected events and changes you did not plan on. This is also the beginning of the Chinese New Year and we are entering the year of the fire monkey. The monkey is one of the allies for the year and can be helpful if used well. (For more on the monkey as an ally, get TRENDS 2016)

Make sure to honor this New Moon with a commitment to your intentions by making an action plan of disciplines that will support your choices.

February 8-14: This is a time period of manifestation and movement. There is palpable momentum in all areas of you life and you can witness things coming together with ease and grace where you have committed choices provided they are for the right reasons. Be disciplined during this time to keep choosing from your intuition and your heart. Trusting that spirit is handing you the right thing at the right time will go a long way in supporting your commitments.

If you have periods of doubt and frustration it is likely to be related to something not being in resonance with you. You may experience the resistance of others around some choice or decision you are making for yourself. Remember others may be attached to your story as well, especially if they have a big role in it.

If you are in the fallout of some unexpected event or situation, accept it as an opportunity to strengthen and empower your own path in an unexpected way.

February 14: Happy Valentines Day! Make sure you put yourself at the top of the list of important recipients of your attention and love. Spend it with important community members and loved ones that have your best interests at heart.

February 15-21: This is a time of much processing, reshuffling, refining and fine-tuning. By this time you should be seeing, feeling and experiencing where your choices are taking you and whether or not the disciplines and action plans need some refining. There may be some culling or releasing of what you realize is not working for you. If it has been a struggle way beyond a normal discipline, chances are that the choice needs to be changed or refined or eliminated.

This time period will require patience, forgiveness, acceptance and trust. Stay out of regret, judgment and blame. If something or someone is truly not working out, let it or them go and move on. Beware of the temptation to hold on to something that is not right just because you have put a lot of energy and time and possibly even money into it. The freedom you will have in letting go and the energy you will have to put into a new choice and commitment will far outweigh any past investment.

February 22: Full Moon is Monday, February 22 at 11:20 AM Mountain Time (MST). This full moon provides an opportunity to be proud of your accomplishments and your disciplined commitments. If you are faced with situations that test your choices, remember to be true to yourself and to put your own self-care first.

This full moon may also bring something unexpected. You can be proactive with the unexpected by expecting the unexpected to be supportive, inspiring, exciting and new.

February 22-29: Look for ideas, efforts, projects, and anything new that you have been focused on or working with through your committed choices to be well supported during this time frame. It is also a time for manifesting, clarity and greater ease around daily tasks and action plans. There is great synchronicity possible and it is suggested that you also do something to support higher centered experiences.

Be around beauty and inspiration as much as possible and give yourself somewhat of a break from the hard and disciplined work you have committed to doing. Do something fun and enriching for yourself, be with others that inspire you, and spend parts of your day enjoying the simple things in life.

If you are feeling just the opposite of support, ease, inspiration and clarity, you need to go back and revisit whether your choices were made from the right motivation and for the right reasons. It is never too late to make a change.

Have a great month,

Lena

Forecast via www.thepowerpath.com

If you have always felt that success is elusive, perhaps it’s time to try something new. Here are 5 success mantras that are useful tips in all that you do.

#1 Forget Luck, Live by Intent

Sadhguru: A few things may happen by chance. But if you wait for the chance, good things will happen to you only when you are in your grave because things may take their time. Even quantum theory says that if you try, you can actually walk through a wall once in a “zillion” times because there is a pulsation of particles happening and you may walk through. It is just that before you reach that one zillionth time, you’ll have a cracked skull. When you live by chance, you also live in fear and anxiety. When you live by intent and capability, it does not matter what is happening or not happening, at least you are in control of what is happening to you. It is a more stable life.

#2 Stop Fixating on Failure

Sadhguru: For a committed man, there is no such thing as failure. If you fall down 100 times in the day, it is 100 lessons learnt. If you commit yourself like this to creating what you really care for, your mind gets organized. Once your mind gets organized, your emotions will get organized because the way you think is the way you feel. Once your thought and emotion are organized, your energies and your very body will get organized. Once all these four are organized in one direction, your ability to create and manifest what you want is phenomenal. You are the creator in many ways.

#3 Work with Clarity

Sadhguru: What a human being needs is clarity, not confidence. If you want to walk through a crowd of people, if your vision is clear and you can see where everybody is, you can just walk through the whole crowd without touching anyone. If your vision is not clear but you have confidence, you will walk over everybody. Because there is no clarity, people think that confidence is a good substitute. It just cannot be. Let’s say you make all the major decisions in your life like this: get yourself a coin, flip it. If it’s heads, it’s one way, tails the other. It works 50% of the time. If you are right only 50% of the time, there are only two professions that you can keep – either a weather man or an astrologer. You cannot keep any other job on this planet.

#4  Embrace the People and Things You Dislike

Sadhguru: To handle different kinds of situations in our lives, we need different kinds of identities. If you are fluid about it, if you can change from one to another gracefully, then you can play your role to the hilt and still have no problem with it. But for most people, their personality is like a rock. It sits on them all the time and makes them suffer anything that does not fit into its ambit.

If you have to break that, you have to do something in reverse. This is a simple thing you can do: team up with somebody that you do not like.Spend time with that person, very lovingly, joyfully. Learn to do things that you do not like, be with people that you do not like, and still live your life sensibly, lovingly and joyfully.

#5 Drop Your Calculations

Sadhguru: There is no need to aspire to greatness. If you make the focus and ambit of your life well beyond the concerns of who you are, you will anyway be a great human being. If you look at certain people, greatness happened to them not because they were seeking to be great, but because their way of looking at life was way beyond “what about me?”

If you just drop this one calculation, “What about me?” from your head, and function to the best of your ability, in some way you will be great because you will naturally be looking at, “What can I do about all the life around me?” So, you will naturally enhance your capabilities because there is so much to do!

-Written by the Isha Foundation

Get ready for power bowls, spiralized veggies, ancient grains and more.

 Some of the trendiest foods that are popping up on Pinterest and appearing on 2016 food trend lists may just help you eat better in the year ahead.

Here are six food trends to get on board with in 2016:

1. Power bowls

Bowls are the new plates. All sorts of creative one-dish meals are being served in a bowl with various monikers – protein bowls, Buddha bowls, broth bowls, quinoa bowls and globowls – for globally inspired bowl meals. The same rules apply to breakfast bowls, which are being dubbed smoothie bowls, acai bowls and Banzai bowls. Just do a search on Pinterest, and you’ll be bowled over.

For lunch and dinner, power bowls are edging out the entrée salad. Served cold or warm, bowl meals combine all sorts of vegetables with whole grains such as quinoa, farro, brown rice or soba noodles and a protein source, including grilled meats, eggs, beans, nuts, cheese or tofu. Sliced avocado often makes a starring appearance on top. One of the best parts: Instead of a creamy salad dressing, power bowls are dressed up with a flavor-packed sauce that ties it all together. In the morning, breakfast bowls can help you check off fruit, yogurt and whole grains in one easy meal.

2. Spiralized vegetables

There are lots of tools available now to transform vegetables into pasta-like noodles. These nutrient-rich pasta-imposters are a tremendous way to eat more vegetables – and, of course, they can help you cut down on calories and refined grains, if that’s a goal. You don’t need to invest in a large spiralizing machine (although I love mine). The less expensive julienne peelers work just fine. Some of the best vegetables to turn into noodles are butternut squash, carrots, turnips, beets and zucchini – known as zoodles. Top with marinara or pesto sauce, make an Asian-inspired noodle bowl or use as a base for a salad or casserole.

The good thing about this explosive trend is how you can now find packages of ready-made spiralized vegetables in some supermarkets, and they’re showing up on more menus and salad bars. Cookbooks and blogs are devoted to spiralized vegetables, so you’ll never be short of recipes. This is a trend that definitely has staying power.

3. Ancient grains

Isn’t it great that what’s old is new again? All sorts of whole grains with ancient pedigrees are being embraced by restaurants and are more widely available in supermarkets. Quinoa darted to the top of the heap, but 2016 will be a time for other ancient grains to shine – including teff, millet, amaranth, spelt, kamut, kaniwa, freekeh and farro.

Ancient grains definitely deserve a spot on your plates (or bowls) in 2016. Rich in fiber, protein, B vitamins and other nutrients, ancient grains can be swapped for pasta or rice in dishes, added to salads and power bowls, and prepared like oatmeal for a warm breakfast bowl topped with fruit and nuts.

4. Pulses

Beans, peas, lentils and chickpeas are getting new respect. The United Nations has declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses, which will bring broader awareness of these dry seed crops for their stellar nutritional profile and positive impact on the environment. Let’s hope the celebration will inspire more people to build meals around pulses.

One of my favorites is the humble chickpea. Perhaps best known as the primary ingredient in hummus, chickpeas are gaining fame beyond this iconic Lebanese dip. Trending recipes include roasted chickpeas as a snack, chickpea curries and stews, pilafs, salads and falafel – which many trend-trackers believe will be a break-out star in 2016. Chefs are also cooking more often with chickpeas. In fact, chickpeas are up 290 percent on restaurant menus since 2005, according to Dataessentials’ MenuTrends report.

5. Healthy fats

Fat may fully shred its devilish reputation in 2016. Now there’s scientific consensus that the type of fat we eat is more important than the amount. So instead of low-fat, the focus is on healthy fats – the unsaturated kind that’s found in olive oil, fatty fish such as salmon, olives, nuts and seeds. Perhaps the biggest beneficiary of the healthy fats trend has been the avocado – chocked full of monounsaturated fats.

One avocado trend that rises above all others is avocado toast – smashed avocado on toasted bread, often sprinkled with hot sauce or topped with a fried or poached egg. The avocado and egg combination will continue to be big in 2016 – avocado egg salad, avocado deviled eggs and baked eggs in an avocado half. Other trending avocado recipes outside of the classic guacamole include baked avocado fries, avocado sushi, hummus, pasta sauce and salad dressing. Popular sweet applications include avocado in puddings, smoothies, brownies, cheesecake, ice cream and mug cakes.

6. Plant-based meals

The mega trend for 2016 will be the glorification of vegetables. And I couldn’t be happier. This is not about turning vegan or demonizing meat. Instead, it’s about appreciating a new view of veggies. Now vegetables have become the star of the center of the plate, not simply a side dish. In fact, at Al’s Place in San Francisco – which was Bon Appetit’s top restaurant of the year, and is one of many new vegetable-forward eateries – the meat is considered the side.

Now “steaks” of roasted cauliflower or butternut squash are standing in for rib-eyes. Mushrooms are subbing for ground beef. Lasagnas are being layered with spinach and eggplant. Vegetable cookbooks are best-sellers, Pinterest boards are dedicated to meatless meals and some of the most popular blogs specialize in plant-centered cuisine. So you’ll have lots of veggie inspiration in the year ahead. Be sure to check out some of the vegetables predicted to be popular in 2016: kohlrabi, kalettes, parsnips, purslane, colorful squashes, broccoflower, rainbow carrots and seaweed.

Blog by: Janet Helm, MS, RDN, is registered dietitian/nutritionist who specializes in nutrition and culinary communications. She’s the author of a book with Cooking Light magazine: “The Food Lover’s Healthy Habits Cookbook,” and is co-founder of the Nutrition Blog Network and Healthy Aperture. You can connect with her on Twitter @janethelm and through her blog Nutrition Unplugged.

EASY, 10-ingredient vegan lasagna roll ups made with a flavorful, protein-rich tofu filling rolled up into roasted eggplant slices! Healthy, rich in whole foods, and so satisfying.

Prep time30 minsCook time45 minsTotal time1 hour 15 minsINGREDIENTS

• 2 eggplants, sliced into 12 1/4-inch slices lengthwise* OR 12 lasagna noodles, boiled

TOFU FILLING
(Can substitute tofu for, soaked overnight sunflower seeds, almonds, or cashews if you are trying to stay away from soy)

• 2 lemons, juiced (~1/3 cup)
• 1 12-ounce block extra firm tofu, drained and pressed dry for 10 minutes
• 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp dried oregano
• 3-4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Salt + Pepper (~1/2 tsp each)
• 1/4 cup vegan parmesan cheese (optional)

FOR SERVING

• Vegan parmesan cheese
• 2-3 cups favorite marinara/red sauce (here’s mine!)
• Fresh basil, chopped (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Salt eggplant slices on both sides and arrange in a colander in the sink to remove excess water/bitterness for 15 minutes. (If using lasagna noodles, boil, drain and set aside.)
3. Rinse salted eggplant slices well and dry thoroughly between two clean absorbent towels. Lay a baking sheet on top and place something heavy on top to absorb excess moisture.
4. Arrange slices on 1-2 baking sheets in an even layer and bake in a 425 oven for 13-15 minutes. Set aside and reduce heat to 375 degrees F.
5. While eggplant is baking, add all tofu filling ingredients to a food process or blender and pulse to combine, scraping down sides as needed. You are looking for a semi-pureed mixture with bits of basil still intact. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding more salt and pepper for flavor, nutritional yeast for cheesiness, and lemon juice for brightness.
6. Pour about 1 cup marinara sauce into an 8×8 baking dish (or similar sized dish) and reserve rest of sauce for topping / serving. Set aside.
7. Scoop generous amounts (about 3 Tbsp) of ricotta filling onto each eggplant slice or lasagna noodle and roll up. Place seam side down in the sauce-lined baking dish. Continue until all filling and noodles or eggplant strips are used up. Pour more sauce down the center of the rolls for extra flavor (see photo).
8. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 15-23 minutes, or until sauce is bubbly and warm and the top of the rolls are very slightly browned.
9. Serve immediately with additional vegan parmesan cheese and fresh basil. Leftovers keep for a couple of days, though best when fresh.

Notes*Eggplant cutting tip: Slice off the bottom and top of eggplant and sit it upright. Then use a sharp knife to make thin slices, about 1/4 inch thick. Alternatively, use a mandolin.
*Adapted from my vegan stuffed shells. Feel free to add sautéed veggies to the filling mixture for more fiber / nutrients. My favorite is sautéed zucchini.
*Tofu inspiration from Whole Foods.
*Eggplant inspiration from Food Network.Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1 roll up Calories: 155 Fat: 8g Saturated fat: 1.5g Carbohydrates: 17.4g Sugar: 8.8gSodium: 314mg Fiber: 6.1g Protein: 6g

Recipe by Minimalist Baker

Photo by Bed and Chai blog

Join Kevin Naidoo for this incredible 14 day Yoga Retreat on the beaches of Varkala, South India, ending on the roaring streets of Mumbai for the famous Ganesha Chaturthi festival! JAI GANESHA!

This life changing retreat offers some of the best India has to offer, and the chance to experience it with a truly special teacher. Kevin Naidoo is a traveller at heart, has a load of love for mother India, and is extremely devoted to his practice of yoga in all aspects. Combine that with his passion to create light through his teachings and you’re in for a beautiful journey, inside and out!

Check out our website for more information:

www.breatheinlife.com/trainings/india/welcome