Vegan Coconut Agar Jellies

INGREDIENTS

1 can (400mL ) of Fair Trade Organic Coconut Milk

1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 tsp. rose water 

3 cardamom pods crushed

3 tsp. Agar powder - Pacific Harvest Brand

METHOD

1. Heat coconut milk, with all ingredients except agar.
2. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 10 minutes to let flavours infuse.
3. Strain the crushed cardamom pods out, add the agar and mix well with a whisk.
4. The mixture starts to thicken up after a couple of minutes. 
5. Pour into a glass dish, or mould of your choice, can be made into individual servings.
6. Allow to sit at room temperature until the mixture cools down, then place in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours. 
7. Cut into squares and have as a snack to nourish your skin, hair nails and digestive system or have as individual dessert servings. Store in the fridge.

You Are Enough

Enough...

How often do we feel in our busy lives that we are not quite cutting it? In one or more areas of our lives we feel that we are not enough. We have so many roles to fulfil, that of parent, child, sibling, friend, volunteer, worker, employer....the list goes on.

The other day I was at my children's swimming lesson and next to me I noticed a brother and sister having a little fight. There was some pushing and shoving and the squabble came to a climax when one called the other a "dick face". In that moment my entire being literally flooded with a sense of relief. Here were kids I know are great kids and their mother is someone I look up to and admire and those kids were behaving just like mine do from time to time.
Maybe just maybe I am not epically failing as a parent. Witnessing those kids that day gave me permission to accept that no matter what I do, no matter how hard I try, kids are kids, siblings are siblings and sometimes they are going to call each other "dick face". Parenting and life for that matter can sometimes feel like a minefield where we feel the potential to do it wrong, to somehow fail or let someone down feels like just one wrong step away. As a wife, mother of three, yoga teacher, daughter, sister, friend, employee... I most definitely have that feeling from time to time.

Fortunately, my yoga practice and my yoga mat have been my sanctuary, my place to restore balance, to retreat from my busy mind and come back to the breath and the wisdom of my body. A place to accept myself just as I am, to forgive myself and let go. My yoga practice has helped me to heal body, mind and spirit time and time again. It is my wish for all yogis to feel when they come to their yoga mat, to their practice for the first time or the thousandth time, to a yoga studio, gym, hall or the comfort of your home, that you feel, you are enough.

Let us create a community of yogis, a movement in our yoga today where we let go of judgement, comparing and competition and instead whole heartedly invite in acceptance, support, love, healing and permission. It doesn't matter what you wear or how you look in Lycra, if you can stand on your head or touch your toes, if you can breath you can do yoga.

Let your yoga mat be your sanctuary. Every time we step on our yoga mats we can come to a place where we arrive in our bodies, we find our breath, our minds ease and we begin to reconnect with ourselves and our truth. 

Welcome yourself just as you are, you most definitely are enough.

A huge thank you to the many inspiring teachers in my life. Namaste x

Written by Liz Hoare

Oil Massage for Youthful Skin

Daily Oil Massage

An ancient ritual of self-care for keeping skin youthful, strong and supple.

For this season where skin can dry out easily, use this ancient Ayurvedic ritual to help with lymphatic flow, circulation and supple, soft skin. 

1. Before showering warm coconut oil in  a glass bottle in a hot water bath for 5 minutes with a few drops of your favourite essential oil. 
2. Using upwards movements to support the lymphatic system, apply oil from the feet going up each leg, each arm, on the back in upwards strokes and on the digestive organs in a clockwise motion. 
3. Then have a luke-warm shower, your skin will feel soft and well hydrated after.

To learn more about how to keep your skin at its youthful state check out Selina's Natural Beauty Workshop.

Black Forest Raw Chocolate

INGREDIENTS

1 cup Cacao powder

1 cup Cacao butter

1/2 cup Rice Syrup

1/2 cup Raw Almonds

1/2 cup Raw Cashew nuts

3/4 cup Freeze Dried Blackcurrants

1/3 cup Raw Cacao nibs 

METHOD

1.  Melt Cacao Butter.  Place the cacao butter in a glass bowl and then put the glass bowl in a bigger bowl of warm / hot water (but not too hot!).  It will take about 15 minutes to melt into a liquid slowly.

2.  Add rice syrup and cacao powder to the melted cacao butter.  Whisk until smooth with no lumps.  

3.  Pour chocolate mixture into a bowl containing the mixture of nuts and blackcurrant.  Mix until the chocolate covers all the nuts and blackcurrants.  

4.  Pour the yummy chocolate mixture into a paper lined slice tin (or you could use silicon moulds if you would like small chocolates).

5.  Place into the refrigerator for an hour to set.  Break/cut into pieces and enjoy!! 

Note: You could use maple syrup, coconut nectar, honey, or agave nectar instead of rice syrup as the sweetener.

Selina's DIY Winter Face Mask!

As the weather gets cooler – our skin can get drier; instead of needing to purchase a new product try a homemade facemask that can be customized for your skin! The spirulina is nourishing while the yoghurt exfoliates the skin with Beta-Hydroxy-Acids (BHA’s) – an acid naturally occurring in dairy products. The addition of avocado will help to nourish a drier skin, whereas the Bentonite clay will help to absorb excess oil and brighten up the skin too; the aloe vera gel works well if skin is dehydrated

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Spirulina and Yoghurt Face Mask

Mix ½ tsp. of powdered Spirulina with 1 tsp. of Organic Yoghurt (full fat yoghurt works best), scoop out the thicker part of the yoghurt.

Mix well and apply to the face and neck in a thin layer, taking care to avoid getting this on your clothes. Leave on for 5 - 10 minutes and then wash off with warm water, use a face cloth soaked in hot water to gentle steam the face afterwards.

Use this mask 2-3 times per week to brighten and nourish the skin.

*If you are vegan substitute the yoghurt with either coconut yoghurt or mashed avocado.

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Optional Boost to mix into the base mask:

Dry Skin: add 1 tsp. of mashed avocado or ¼ tsp. avocado oil

Dehydrated Skin: 1 pump or ½ tsp. of Aloe Vera gel

Blemishes/Acne prone skin: ¼ tsp. Bentonite clay

Oily Skin: ½ tsp. Bentonite clay

The Perks of Pregnancy Yoga!

Get in Touch!

Get in touch with your body

Physically pregnancy yoga is a great way to bring awareness to your body as it transforms throughout the pregnancy journey.  It helps to bring balance to the body by releasing any lower back tension, relaxing through the hips and pelvis, building strength through the lower body, and realigning the spine.  

Through the pregnancy from week to week your body is continually changing which has a effect on your body alignment and body functions like breathing. As the weeks roll on your breath capacity will decrease, as your diaphragm will begin to be pushed up, creating more space for your developing baby and less room for your breathe. During pregnancy yoga, breath work is one of the main points of focus which can help to assist with creating some space within your body. Most importantly, the breathing exercises you’ll learn during pregnancy yoga can help to relax your nervous system, not only during your pregnancy but these tools are also important for your labour. The breath can allow you to surrender and is used to channel the mind, to keep you present, and to keep you calm. 

Get in touch with your baby

You’re now sharing the space within your body with another being and getting onto your mat and taking some quiet time to connect with this being can be a wonderful experience. While physically you may be extremely conscious of the fact you're pregnant, mentally it can be easy to forget that in actual fact there is a bundle of life growing inside of you, that you can choose to connect with well before the due date and even before they are snuggled up in your arms.

Get in touch with yourself

Gurumukh in her book Bountiful, Beautiful, Blissful explains that yoga can ignite within you your own innate knowingness.  Of course, each person is different, each pregnancy is different, each child is different; so often it is acknowledging and listening to that innate knowingness, that gut feeling, your intuition, that will help to direct you. This direction is helpful in life, helpful in pregnancy, helpful during labour and of course helpful when it comes to raising another human being who looks to you for answers and for guidance. Those answers sit there inside of you but it can be very easy to get distracted and to let the mind and what is sometimes perceived as “logic” over rule, even when deep down we realise we should have listened to what we already knew. Too often we find ourselves only responding to this feeling in times of crisis but with practice we can utilise this inner guidance to help us through the motions of life.

Get in touch with people in the same boat!

Best of all you are not alone! Joining a pregnancy yoga class is a wonderful way to connect with other mums to be. You may find that some of what you might be experiencing during your pregnancy is something someone else is experiencing too. It’s a great place to find people who can relate to the changes you’re enduring and who you can share some of the experience with.

Written by Nicole Ander

The Lunar Effect

The connection made between the moon and its effects on human and animal behavior, has been coined with the term the “lunar effect”. While it is a subject which has remained relatively unstudied, it is something there is no denying is significant to us. There are numerous articles out there which detail how the moon effects certain animals and insects; however, with regards to human behavior it is really something science is only just starting to scratch the surface of; with that being said, there are countless police stations and emergency departments who all seem to vouch for some particularly odd behavior around a full moon, hence the term ‘lunatic’ which was derived from the latin word lunar, meaning moon.

If the phases of the moon are not something you’re about to bury your head in a book and read about, then there are at least two moon phases that are worth acknowledging; the new moon and of course the full moon. As we peer into the depth of the night sky, we see the moon overhead; you may look above and only see a sliver of a shimmer or a big beaming beacon, both of which are just different phases that you have caught the moon in.

The new moon comes around every 29 days and occurs when the earth comes between the moon and the sun creating a shadow; you can expect to see a very delicate cresent floating amongst the stars at this time. Traditionally, a new moon signifies new beginnings and emotionally you will generally feel more uplifted and motivated; therefore, it’s the perfect time to start planting seeds for a new project, idea, or vision. It is a time where you should stop and take a moment to consider your wants and your needs and to harvest that extra motivation to get things started.

While the focus of a new moon generally revolves around outward development, the focus of a full moon is usually more introspective, emotional, and personal. The full moon appears two weeks following the new moon and is in the opposite point of its orbit; hence, here on earth we get to see her beautiful face fully lit up. It is a time when you can expect to see all the ideas and visions you created around the time of the new moon, begin to blossom and flourish. Emotions around the full moon can frequently feel more exaggerated and overwhelming, this can be due to the sense of wrapping up of events that comes with a full moon. With every end there is an opportunity for a new beginning, so take time to compare what you consciously and subconsciously yearn for. Instead of letting yourself get too caught up in this transition, just allow yourself to flow with it and use this time to set new intentions that are on a more intimate level.

You possibly don’t believe the moon has any effect whatsoever on us earthlings, yet still regardless it can be a really nice reminder to acknowledge what it is we do want, on both a superficial and a personal level. Studying how the moon effects human behavior can be tricky with so many variables coming into play but it can be interesting to observe for yourself any common patterns that arise around these times.

All in all, it is hard to believe that something as great as the moon, which controls the tides of the ocean, doesn’t have something to do with our emotions.

Written by Nicole Ander

Sadhana

“The one who does Sadhana builds himself such a powerful personality he can conquer anything!”- Yogi Bhajan

Our days are filled with distractions; there are always things to do and people to see but what about creating moments of stillness that we don’t try to fill with unnecessary “stuff”? These are the moments we need to make our own; the moments we need to utilize to feed our soul.

Sadhana is a spiritual daily practice; a self-discipline practice of the mind and body that is done daily in order to benefit the spirit. It is during Sadhana that we notice patterns that lead us astray from getting in touch with our true selves.

Starting a Sadhana practice doesn’t have to be complex; you may decide to start with 5 minutes of breathing followed by a few rounds of Surya Namaskar or perhaps you choose to practice a meditation that you resonate with. What you choose to do should be the same each and every day. Although the point of a Sadhana practice isn’t so much about exactly what it is you are doing, it is the devotion to the single practice you have chosen to do and to the time you have set aside to fill up your own bucket.

Set aside an amount of time that is manageable for you; it may be 10 minutes or it may be 2 hours, either way you will benefit. Make your Sadhana practice personal and stick to it! One of the key things is consistency.

Before starting your practice make sure that the environment where you practice is quiet, calm, well ventilated and at the right temperature for you. You want to avoid interruptions, so it is important to make sure that you are comfortable. Once you’ve decided what you will do for your Sadhana, try to perform it at the same time each day and in the same place. This helps your body and your subconscious mind to get into a rhythm and once you are in this rhythm you will be more likely to keep it up.

Habits take time to form and break. It is said that it takes forty days to break a habit and ninety to establish a new one, so sticking to and mastering a spiritual practice may take time but it is all about taking steps up the mountain, as opposed to trying to heave yourself up it.

Of course, don’t forget the point of your practice. You’re a unique being with your own world full of ideas, aspirations, and interactions; which are all easy to get caught up in. Develop your own Sadhana practice to untangle yourself and to re-connect to your true inner being.

Written by Nicole Ander

Home Practice

It can take a lot of courage to trust yourself to be the guide of your own practice; while it is not for the faint hearted, sometimes getting to the studio isn’t always possible, particularly at such a busy time of year. For those days when you can’t make it into the studio, take it as an opportunity to dive into your dolphin pose in the comfort of your own home and begin to develop a home practice!

Put yourself at the top of the list

We all too often put our own needs last but it is time to put yourself at the top of the list! If you can’t make it into the studio then chances are this is a time you need your practice most, so don’t neglect it. Set aside some time and more importantly commit!

Roll out your mat

So you have set aside some time and now you must roll out your mat. Consider your environment. Think about how much space you have around you, the temperature, and the amount of distractions nearby. Do your best to make the space as comfortable as possible and try to get into the habit of recreating that each time.

Arrive on your mat

Start with your breath. Come either seated in a comfortable cross-legged position or lying down on your back and before doing anything take a moment to observe your breath. Bring your right hand to your belly and your left hand to your chest. Take a nice deep breath into your belly and feel your chest rise as the breath fills you up; expanding your lungs. Acknowledge the brief moment of stillness between the inhale and exhale; release your breath slowly and feel your body melt into the support of the earth, as your chest falls and your belly concaves. Let any thoughts that pop into your mind, leave just as easily as they arrived. Really take this time to stop and indulge in the present moment. If your thoughts take you hostage then come back to the focus of the breath; on the inhale think of the word ‘I’ and on the exhale think ‘am’. Bring yourself back to the present linking this mantra “I am” with your breath.

Work with what you know

By what you know I don’t necessarily even mean the knowledge you may have acquired from a studio or a teacher. What you know, might simply be an inner knowing of what is right for you at this point in time when arriving on your mat. When coming into a pose feel out whether or not that feels right for your body and allow your inner guru to guide you to what your spirit needs at this point in time. Of course also use the knowledge that you have gained on your mat in previous times and base your practice off that. Starting with some sun salutations is a good idea and from there you can delve into any other poses that come to mind.

Get out of your head and into your body

Just like we wake up in the morning and have a big stretch without too much thought, try to adopt the same tendency with your yoga practice. It really isn’t all about how it looks but rather about exploration of your body, remaining present, and enjoying the process.

If all else fails...

Return to lying on your back and listen to your breath. Whatever came up through your practice, let it go. Whatever your practice amounted to, let it go. Come back to the present moment, show yourself compassion, and be grateful to yourself for making the effort to nourish your soul. 

Written by Nicole Ander

Setting Intentions

“If it is important enough to you, you will find a way. If it is not, you will find an excuse.”-Ryan Blair

To truly get the most out of the year ahead and out of your life in general, set some intentions and don’t just leave it there but be proactive in making your dreams and goals come to life. If you really want to achieve something, you must participate in the process of making it happen.

Sometimes the hardest part about setting intentions is knowing or figuring out what it is that you really want. We often have fleeting bursts of inspiration, where we imagine starting something we think we will love or we imagine cutting something out that we think will make us a better person and while having these bursts of inspiration is great, it isn’t alone enough to achieve these aspirations; however, it is a good place to start.

So, what is it you want?

Step One - Brainstorm

On a piece of paper draw a big circle. Inside the circle brainstorm and write down everything and anything you want; use your intuition to guide you and just pour words from your heart into the circle. Don’t be afraid to dream BIG. It doesn’t have to be neat or concise in anyway and you don’t even have to believe you can make it happen; at this stage you just need to determine whether or not you want it, and if it is going inside the circle you have just drawn. Simple.

Now, on the outside of the circle write down what you don’t want. People tend to have some certainty about what it is they don’t want, which can be really helpful when it comes to figuring out what it is you do want, as at least you know what to steer clear of.

Step Two - Create Goals

Create some of your own steps! Whether it is something you consider a big dream or not there are always going to have to be steps that you must take in order to get there.

Dissect the words that you have written inside the circle and consider how broad or defined they are. Be clear about what exactly it is that you want and from this point create some goals that you will aim to complete within certain time-frames.

Divide a separate page into three; in one column, place goals you want to achieve within the next year, in the next column place goals that you want to achieve within the next 3 years, and in the last column put the bigger goals that you wish to achieve within the next 5 years. A lot of the goals in the first and second column may be goals that work towards the bigger goals in the third column.

Step Three - Create a Vision

Really consider if you want to or are willing to put the energy towards the steps that will get you to that final outcome and even ask yourself if the outcome is going to be worth it. What are you going to gain from this? Because the end result will be the driving force, so it has to be something that continues to inspire you to push through times of doubt.

Once you’re sure of what you want and you’ve taken some time to consider what must be done to achieve it, then keep it in mind! Create a vision board or journal. Actually take a minute each day to visualize or look at what it is you’re aiming for and keep aligning yourself with what must be done in order to get there!

Finally, be conscious of your efforts and don’t keep putting these things you want on the back burner. This is your life, go and live it!

Written by Nicole Ander

The White Tantric Experience

On the 7th of October, nine people from Golden Yogi, including myself attended the White Tantric event in Sydney. In total 258 people made it for the day. After all, Yogi Bhajan says that one day of White Tantric Yoga is equivalent to meditating in a cave, day and night for 10 years!

We sit in lines face to face with a partner and our facilitator explains that the energy travels diagonally between participants. Using this Z energy, it is then said that Yogi Bhajan (through the course facilitator), directs this energy to cut through the blocks of the subconscious mind, to bring more success to every area of your life and is the path to personal awareness and freedom. The lines must remain unbreakable and if we must use the bathroom, we raise our hand so a volunteer can come and take our place in line! In total we had 7 meditations ranging from 31-62 minutes each and at the beginning our facilitator said “My loving advice is once you’ve settled into a position, don’t move”.

We are squished like sardines and as the day unfolds, I become acutely aware of little annoyances; my neighbour’s elbow knocking me during warms ups, the pain in my back and legs from sitting in our first 62 minute posture, the people around me mispronouncing the mantra…

And so this is the work of the day, dragging the mind away from focusing on pettiness, distractions, intense physical sensations, and instead back to the meditations; to those moments of depth and connection as I look into my partner’s eyes, to those moments where time stands still and all seems clear as our individual efforts all work toward a collective goal.

We finish our last meditations; the energy is euphoric- we achieved something that seemed impossibly hard at the start, and I feel a deep sense of community. We cheer, laugh, some cry, we hug our neighbours and finally find out their names!

White Tantric for me quells my human tendency to self-sabotage. Inherently, we each know what we have to do but more often than not lack the grit and wisdom to execute it. White Tantric gives an experience of endurance and the ability to focus on a still point i.e your goal and what you’re are doing in the present moment to attain it, amidst the “noise” of self-limiting beliefs around you.

Tempted by Tarot

Once a card game, now a divination tool; it is unclear when this change occurred, as the history of tarot is rather hazy but it is believed these intriguingly mysterious cards came about in the late 14th Century.

A standard tarot deck will have 78 cards, 56 of which are called minor arcana cards that are divided into 4 suites and 22 major arcana cards, which form the foundation of the deck. Each card has its own meaning and with different spreads (layouts) the meanings of the cards can draw a whole new picture for you depending on where the cards are positioned.

Whether you believe that the cards you choose in a reading are just by chance or you’re adamant it is fate, either way, how you choose to interpret them and relate them to yourself or situation can give you a world of insight. I once read somewhere that it is like your subconscious mind brainstorming and I believe it's this brainstorming that allows you to get in touch with what is happening within at deeper levels; when you do readings for yourself, that is often what it feels like.

In a reading some cards will resonate with you more than others but as with anything you must just take what you can from them. Personally, I have often found that the cards that make the least sense to me at the time, end up making the most sense to me down the track; if I go back and reflect on a reading that I have done, I draw new conclusions with a refreshed perspective based on what has now been and gone, which I can then learn from for furture readings.

I know there is a bit of a stigma around tarot readings and some seemingly scary looking cards but at the end of the day if you get in touch with your intuition and you’re honest with yourself, then deep down what you need to know will already be there with or without the cards. Sometimes though it is nice to have a tool such as tarot cards, which suggest other avenues that you may not have considered or explored within your own mind yet. 

Written by Nicole Ander

Unpacking the Core

Core strength in yoga is developed from conscious awareness of two basic actions. The first is the drawstring, which engages the transverse abdominis by drawing the belly in below the navel and towards the spine. The second is the zip up, which engages the rectus abdominals by drawing the belly up under the ribs. These muscles work in conjunction with the diaphragm and pelvic floor. This action is often referred to as pulling in the bandhas and can be activated through pranayama (breath work) and asana (pose).

Engaging the core in this way protects the spine and relaxes the psoas, in turn your lumbar spine will feel more spacious, less stiff and it will help alleviate back pain. For this reason, I teach core pranayama and abdominal work at the beginning of class. Additional benefits include toned abs, improved digestion, elimination and an increase in circulation to the organs.

On a deeper level our core includes the enteric nervous system or your ‘gut brain’. The gut brain is vast, housing over 500 million neurons, and every class of neurotransmitter that is found in the brain, these include serotonin & dopamine; your feel good hormones. It houses our innate fight or flight instincts, our intuition, and our sense of identity. Working the core in yoga creates a physical sense of strength and stability, whilst allowing for the release of deep emotions. It helps us ‘digest’ and integrate our emotional experiences, it also strengthens our resilience and our ability to deal with the challenges of daily life. 

Courage is the ultimate 'jewel' within the core. Learning to physically support and connect to yourself, empowers you to act in ways that are true to who you are. It gives you the ability to face your fears, take action, follow your dreams and live a truly authentic life.

Written by Janine Croft

Props are a Gift

Many a wise yogi have said, "Using props is a sign of intelligence, not weakness".

If you are lucky enough to have access to props such as blocks, bolsters, blankets and straps for your yoga practice, then you are truly blessed. Props can enable you to access poses that may have previously been inaccessible, or unsafe in your body.

Props can help bring space to the body in a shape where without them you may have felt squished and blocked. 

I love the shift that I see happening in yoga as we learn more about skeletal variations; there is now more importance placed on how the body feels in a shape instead of how a body looks in a pose.

In poses like Trikonasana (Triangle pose) or Parsvakonasana (Side angle pose) we often have the belief that if our hand touches the ground, we are somehow better yogis. In terms of alignment however, lower isn't always better. Our ego may feel better if we have our hand on the floor or touching our toes, but if it is at the expense of length through our spine, or clean long lines of energy through the body and most importantly the breath, then is it really worth it?

If you feel like a wet, hot mess in a pose, try the support of a prop, you might just have discovered a new found love in your yoga practice. Listen to the options your teachers give you and also listen to what feels right for your body; consider a block to rest your hand on in certain standing poses, a strap around the balls of the feet in seated forward folds, or even try sitting on the edge of a blanket or bolster to help give you more length in your spine and ease in your shape. The support of a bolster in almost any yin shape is heavenly to me. 

In our yin balancing practices we're especially really looking for the body to melt into a shape, to let go of holding, and the support of props can really help to facilitate that release of the body and subsequently the mind. 

One of my yoga idols Bernie Clark says, "We don't use our body to get into a pose; we use the pose to get into our body.”

Embrace your props, get into your body, and bring a little TLC onto your mat. 

Written by Liz Hoare

Fermented Foods for Health

Digestion is essential to every process in our body, and plays a huge role in how we feel. Fermented foods are abundant in natural probiotics that help us balance our bacteria - a crucial step to optimal health. ‘Probiotic’ literally translates to ‘for life’.

Fermented foods help us with digestive function, energy production, and nutrient absorption. Nearly every culture has a version of fermented foods that dates back centuries: yoghurt, miso, tofu, tempeh, and fermented vegetables such as kimchi, sauerkraut, and pickles, as well as drinks such as Kefir, Kombucha, Beet Kvass amongst many others.

Probiotics found in these fermented foods and drinks introduce different strains of bacteria into your digestive system. While bacteria is often associated with something that makes you sick - we are in fact made up of lots of bacteria; our human bodies are believed to be about half bacteria cells and half human cells. However, the bacteria cells in our body only makes up about 2% of your body weight.

Aim to add fermented foods into your daily diet to enhance digestive function, boost your energy, and create a healthier micro biome to assist with nutrient absorption. Most fermented foods and drinks can be made easily at home, with some requiring minimal effort and some which can be a bit more laborious. These can also be readily purchased in health stores and some supermarkets.

If you want to start with something easier than try Kombucha, a delicious, fizzy, probiotic rich tea. If you know someone that already makes Kombucha then ask them for a SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast) and the rest of the ingredients you are likely to already have at home.

A happy gut equals a happy mind, so get fermenting and reap the benefits!

Written by Selina Singh ND

Raspberry Orange Bliss Balls

INGREDIENTS 

1 Cup (35g) Freeze Dried Raspberries (Fresh As)

1  1/2 Cup Cashew nuts

1 Cup Almonds

200g Dates (fresh) or Trade Aid Medjool Dates

Zest of 1 Orange 

Juice of 1/2 Orange

1 packet (35g) of Freeze Dried Raspberry Powder (Fresh As) to roll the bliss balls in

METHOD

1. Grind up Raspberries into a rough powder in the food processor. 

2. Add cashew nuts and almonds to the food processor with the raspberries and process until the nuts are ground into a powder. 

3. Add de-pitted and roughly chopped dates, orange juice, and orange zest to the food processor and process until it forms a dough. 

4. Shape into balls and roll in the raspberry powder. Store in the fridge until serving.

Enjoy!

Servings: 15 - 20 bliss balls.

Observing Self-Talk

I recently attended a workshop here at Golden Yogi, which was run by Erin O’Hara. The workshop was focusing on the power of vision boards, meditation, and manifestation. During this workshop something that stood out to me, is the strength of words and the effect they can have on us.

Of course growing up we learn that there are things we cannot do, simply for safety, and morals, and getting along in society; however, often there are also unnecessary limitations put on us, which we take on board; they begin to trespass and seep deep into our thoughts, which then harbor in our mind, and before we know it they become part of our self-talk. These limitations have the power to shape our thoughts, of how capable we think we are, or how possible we think something is, which in turn can begin to hinder us; but…only if you let them.

Since this workshop I have begun acknowledging and observing my own self-talk. Thoughts so regularly come in and out of the mind, and because our brains filter through so many, it can sometimes be hard to catch yourself, before you’re then distracted by the next. While it isn’t always easy, it is possible to stop those negative thoughts in their tracks, and in the week following the workshop, I did just that. I have come to realise a lot of my “limitations", aren’t in fact limitations at all; they’re merely just negative self-talk, that I have unknowingly been overlooking.

So from one student to another, I encourage you to tune into your own self-talk and inspire your mind to harvest more empowering thoughts; leaving behind any thoughts, that are restricting you, in any way, from day to day.

Written by Nicole Ander

Healthy Snacks Guide

There are lots of great snack ideas on our Healthy Treats page ... we will share some of them here too, along with some savoury options as well. Happy snacking!

In between meals is usually the time when unhealthy choices slip into our diet.  Green juices and smoothies are great snacks to have for your mid morning or afternoon snack. Other great ideas include :

 - Fresh Dates

-  Orange or Mandarin

-  Piece of Fresh Fruit

-  Green smoothie or juice

-  3-5 x Olives

-  Cup of Herbal Tea

-  Bliss Balls or raw truffles

-  ½ cup unsweetened natural yoghurt

-  Small hand full of raw nuts or seeds

-  ½ Avocado on raw or wholegrain crackers

-  Raw or wholegrain crackers with hummus, sauerkraut, tomato and sprouts.

-  Vegetable Sticks with Hummus or fresh pesto

Yoga Nidra

Yoga Nidra ~ "Yogic Sleep"

Yoga nidra is a practice of deep relaxation in which you are systematically guided to relax your body and mind. Aspects of the practice include sense withdrawal, relaxation of the body, breath awareness, the awareness of sensations, guided imagery, and visualization. Many benefits are associated with the practice and its associated levels of relaxation.

Yoga nidra roughly translates to “yogic sleep”. Although you are not actually sleeping during the practice, you are in a deeply meditative state between the worlds of waking and sleeping. In this dreamlike state you gain conscious access to the unconscious mind, giving you the ability to plant the seeds of intention deep into your subconscious. In Sanskrit, intention setting is known as “Sankalpa” meaning to initiate or conceive. Therefore yoga nidra can be a powerful tool for transforming and re-creating your life.

Yoga nidra is a deeply healing and restorative practice. Some schools of thought suggest that a session of yoga nidra is equivalent to four hours of sleep. With the body and mind so deeply relaxed, the parasympathetic division of the nervous system takes over. This aspect is responsible for regulating the unconscious aspects of the nervous system which include digestion, restoration and healing, and the immune and endocrine systems. Yoga nidra is therefore very beneficial for bringing balance to high stress lifestyles where the sympathetic nervous system, often known as “fight or flight” and survival mode, are most often at the helm.   

Some of the other reported benefits of yoga nidra include relief from insomnia, chronic anxiety, and PTSD. Yoga nidra is generally practiced lying down which can make it more appealing to those intimidated by the more physical forms of yoga, or even for anyone who may have physical limitations; regardless, yoga nidra could be an extremely valuable practice to incorporate into your life, wherever you’re at.

Written by Jessica Mackie

The Hum of the Universe

The word which encircles all sounds and is said to be the tone of all creation. Om represents universal consciousness.

“OM”

Om is a Sanskrit word, which arose from Hinduism and is known as a ‘Bija’ sound, which is a seed sound. Seed sounds are sounds that when said aloud can initiate renewal or transformation.

Om is made up of three syllables A, U, and M; which virtually encompass everything.

These three syllables individually represent:

• The waking/conscious, the dreaming/subconscious, the dreamless/unconscious

• Birth, life, death

• Past, present, future

• Body, mind, spirit

These syllables are heard when Om is chanted but there is a fourth sound which is heard afterwards, and that is silence; silence being the vibration beyond words that resonates within you. It is the sound of everlasting consciousness.

Om, the core of all creation brings into awareness the physical; both your body, and that which surrounds you, as well as, the currents of the mind which involve emotions, thoughts, and beliefs, which flow in and out, continually changing and evolving.

There are many benefits to chanting Om; it helps to slow breathing and decrease anxiety, it clears the airways and supplies the body with more oxygen, whilst also improving blood circulation and concentration. Research has even found that chanting Om can help to strengthen your spinal cord.

Om is often chanted at the beginning or the end of a yoga class, though it doesn't have to be limited to yoga. The word yoga itself comes from the word yolk, which essentially means union; when we unite in a yoga class, chanting Om together can be a powerful way to create harmony, not only within ourselves but also between one another.

Next time you chant Om, completely immerse yourself in the experience, and take the positive effects of Om with you off your mat, and allow them to touch the lives of those around you.

Written by Nicole Ander