Scott’s All Levels Yoga Class

December 30, 2008 at 7:08 am (Yoga Adventures)
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Woof!  I went to Scott Howe’s Monday yoga class, the 5:30pm class at Quantum Health in La Conner, and he kicked our butts!  That’s yoga speak for an awesome class.  It was 83 degrees, and I felt more flexible than usual, and a bit more slippery, too.  Scott provides towels!  During Savasana, Corpse Pose, Scott talked to us the whole time, taking us deeper and deeper.  I heard some soft snoring, which is certainly a sign of deep relaxation (was it me?).

Scott will have a web presence in 2009!!  Right Scott?!

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Gluten Free Yam Pancakes

December 26, 2008 at 11:17 am (Original Recipes)
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Gluten Free Yam Pancakes (serves 2)  These tasty pancakes will amaze even your gluten eating friends and family.  

Ingredients

1 largish yam, cooked, peeled, and somewhat cooled or cold.  About 1 1/2 cup when mashed.  Roasting gives a dryer yam and better texture to the pancakes.  If you boil it, be sure to drain very well.

4 eggs

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup ground flax seed

1 tsp baking powder

oil or butter for griddle

Directions

Mash the yam well with a fork or masher.  Don’t use a blender, as it makes the batter too thin.)

Mix flaxseed, baking powder and salt, and add these and the rest of the ingredients to the yam.  Mash with fork or use an electric hand mixer.

Allow the batter to sit for 10 minutes for the flaxseed to work it’s glutenous, gluten-free, magic.

Pour three inch pancakes onto a heated, oiled griddle or pan.  Spread them out to about 1/2 inch thin or less.  When the bottoms are slightly browned and the pancakes are cooked enough to hole together, turn with a spatula and a fork.  The fork helps hold the pancakes on the spatula.  These take a longer cooking time than flour pancakes, so check the middle of the first one before you turn off the heat.

Serve with butter, cinnamon, maple syrup.

Give thanks for the fruits of the earth, the plentitude of eggs, and the miracle of a tongue that tastes.

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Oatmeal Flaxseed Cookies

December 20, 2008 at 8:40 pm (Original Recipes)
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Oatmeal Flaxseed Cookies – reasonably healthy and still scrumptious.

Ingredients

1 stick butter (unsalted)

1 cup Sucanat (or brown sugar)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 c flour 

1/4 cup ground flaxseed  (I have a coffee grinder dedicated to grinding flaxseed for many baking uses.)

2 tablespoons whole flaxseed

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

3 cups old fashioned oats

play with additions: 1 cup chopped walnuts, 1 cup chocolate chips, 1 cup raisins, 1 cup dried cherries

1. Heat over to 375.

2. Beat together butter and sugar until creamy.

3. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat well.

4. Add combined flour, baking soda, salt, ground flaxseed.

5. Stir in oats and your chosen addition (s).  Two cups total of additions is plenty.

6. Arrange rounded tablespoons of dough on ungreased cookie sheet.

7. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.

8. Cool one minute on cookie sheet; remove to cooling rack.

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Aspiration in Half Handstand

December 18, 2008 at 6:05 pm (Blessings)
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Blessing:

Sitting comfortably and steadily, bow your head to your heart, and honor the many seeds of aspiration there.  May this practice give us the guidance to recognize our highest dreams and aspirations.  May the breath of the Universe expand our vision.  May our practice give us the strength and devotion to live our aspirations, wisely and compassionately, for benefit of all.  May we act wisely and compassionately, without grasping at result, without attachment to the fruits of our actions.

Ardha Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Half Handstand at Wall) with Muscle Energy and Shoulder Loop

Start in a short Down Dog with heels at the wall.  Inhale and expand with possibility.  Be sensitive to the seeds of aspiration in your heart, your heart’s deepest desires.  Draw strength from the earth into your fingertips, up your arms and into your heart.  Curl the bottom edges of your shoulder blades into your back to support the back of your heart.  Float your chin a little to open your heart’s desires even more.  Spread your toes to hug your leg muscles firmly to the bones.  Contain the energy in your legs with your leg muscles.  Keeping that, step your feet up the wall to make an “L” shape.   Draw strength from the earth up into your heart. Hug your legs together to contain and channel your energy.  From the highest aspirations in your heart, curl the bottom edges of your shoulder blades in and extend your heart’s desires to the earth.  Strongly extend through your legs to expand even more.  Let the breath of the Universe fill you.

Keeping the strength in your arms and legs, smoothly step back down to the earth.  Step forward to Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend).  Bow to your heart’s desires.  Listen.  Soften any hardness around your aspirations.  Just do your best, and release any attachment or hardness around results.  That’s yoga.

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Gratitude in Savasana

December 18, 2008 at 5:13 pm (Blessings)
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Savasana  (Yoga “Corpse Pose”)

Lie Down. Align your body symmetrically on the floor to align with it’s natural flow to renewal.

Take a deep breath and release into the solid support of the earth. Pause

Receive the breath and soften.   When we soften to our humanity, when we soften to our vulnerability, we are truly open to receiving.  When we are truly open to receiving, the Universe finds specific ways to assist us.  Our open hearts fill with gratitude.   Pause

Release and relax into the comfort and safety of your yoga friends and teachers. Pause

On your next breath, imagine a wave of gratitude flowing over you, starting from the top of your head and flowing all the way down your body, down your legs to your feet, and the tips of your toes.

Receive the warmth on your face and soften. Pause

Soften your heart in appreciation, easily, naturally. Pause

Relax in gratitude, calmly, peacefully. Pause

Every breath takes you deeper and deeper,

Breathing in peace with every breath. Pause

Offering your inbreath to your outbreath

And your outbreath into your inbreath. Pause

Deeper into softness. Pause

Receiving…. Pause

Releasing Pause

Easily Pause

Naturally……..

Silence until time to emerge from Savasana.

 

 

Coming out of Savasana

And now, while your body is still relaxing on the floor, prepare to come out of Savasana.

Take a deep breath and relax, calmly, slowly, gently. Pause

Your body is completely loose and relaxed and soft.

Remember all the gifts,

Take another deep breath. Pause

And notice where the stretch might want to start.

Now go ahead with a gentle stretch,

Moving the stretch all the way to your fingers and toes. Pause

Bend one knee and then the other. Pause

Keeping the softness, roll to your right side for several breaths Pause

Feel the support of the earth, and let your heart soften in gratitude. Pause

Slowly, gently, keeping your neck relaxed and using both hands, press up to a sitting position. Long Pause to allow for movement to sitting.

Now from the bottom of your heart, if it feels right, gently release the fruits of your practice, offer the merit and virtue of your practice to those near and dear to you, to friends and acquaintances, and to beings you haven’t met.  Offer your practice to your family, and the world.  May we all live the gift of deep gratitude.

I give thanks to all my teachers, and my teachers’ teachers, and to all present here and now.

May our gratitude soften and open our yoga.

From the light in my heart, I bow to the light in yours.

 

Namaste                         Kit Muehlman  11/20/08

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Balanced Action in Down Dog

December 18, 2008 at 4:52 pm (Blessings)
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May we open to the present with softness and strength.  May we relax to the present moment, especially if it’s not the moment we expected.

May we use our strength with kindness, our discipline with flexibility.  May our efforts be in service of joy, beauty, and happiness for all.

Asana: AdhoMukhaSvanasana – Downward Facing Dog

From “hands and knees”, come into the general shape of the pose, and upside down “V”.  Slightly bend your arms and legs, and find the softness inside.  Moving from softness brings joy and beauty to all our efforts.  Keeping the softness inside, straighten your arms and legs, slowly, kindly…….Bend your arms and legs again, and as you move, just notice your consciousness, find the floatyness of your upper arms………With a soft heart, straighten again, making a generous shape.  Float your chin slightly to soften your heart.    From your heart, send your appreciation for your body down your arms, into the earth.  Draw the support of the earth back up your arms, re-soften your heart.  Lengthen through your tailbone and extend with strength through your heels.  Breathe into the spaciousness of the moment, and softly, slowly, come back to hands and knees.

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http://alexisbrittonyoga.com

December 18, 2008 at 12:32 pm (Uncategorized)
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Alexis Britton, a Certified Anusara Yoga Teacher, holds workshops near La Conner.   She is a vibrant yogini, and  a fantastic resource in Skagit County and beyond!

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seattleyogaarts.com

December 18, 2008 at 12:04 pm (Uncategorized)
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This is my OM away from home.  This studio on Capitol Hill in Seattle has a variety of class levels, from Gentle to Get Crazy with Rainey.  Denise Benitez and Rainey offer Anusara Immersion and Teacher Training, and this is where I completed 200 hours of teacher training.  There are also regular workshops with other fantastic and gifted Anusara yoga teachers.

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anusara.com

December 18, 2008 at 12:00 pm (Uncategorized)
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Find my listing as an Anusara-Inspired teacher, John Friend’s schedule, books, CDs, DVDs, and Anusara articles.

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Kit’s new classes in La Conner

December 13, 2008 at 11:19 am (Announcements)
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I am so happy to be working with Scott Howe at La Conner Quantum Health and yoga in Skagit County.  It’s a small yoga studio connected with Scott’s Health Enhancement business, and I join Scott and several other yoga teachers.

“My” classes will start January 3, 2009.  

Kit’s Schedule at Quantum

  • Thursday, Level 1-2, 8:30 to 10:00 am
  • Thursday, Donation/Community Classs 4:00 to 5:00 pm
  • Saturday, Gentle, 10:15 to 11:30 am                                                                  Read the rest of this entry »

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