India, Land of 1000 Smells

This is the description my dear friend Noelle gave me of India and she was right on! Even in the hotel, going from room to room is a different olfactory experience! It's like a mixture of spices, body, bitter melon, and incense! Not altogether unpleasant--just different!

Day 2 was fantastic. This is a picture of my driver, Deva, who has been such a gift here in Chennai.

He picks me up every day and takes me wherever I need to go. A couple years ago, my yoga teacher and some other people from the KYM paid for a car for Deva so that he no longer had to drive a rickshaw. So now he's got a nice air-conditioned ride which is infinitely better because of street conditions like this:

and this!!!

I started my day by putting on one of my new outfits from Fab India, a great clothing store chain. I have several variations of this outfit:

It is not considered proper to show your legs or shoulders here. (You can't tell very well but I have long leggings on). Actually, you don't even see a lot of women in short sleeves! In fact, I was reading the newspapers (which are very well-written, honestly better than in the US) and read an article talking about the much-anticipated, scandalous and controversial movie scene that shows a man and a woman kissing! I read another article talking about whether a famous Bollywood actress, whose name escapes me, who is marrying a famous Bollywood film director, will or will not be acting until she gets married. Evidently her acting career is over after she gets married. So many things here make me realize how much we take for granted in the US.

Sunday morning, had a great breakfast starting with a nice Masala Chai Tea (nothing like the chain coffee shop's sugary Chai--this is thin, complex, and just a tad sweet).

Also, this was fun-- this horoscope was in the paper which I thought was spookily on the mark:

(No, JK Rowling hasn't taken on Indian newspaper astrology writing....I guess she's a Leo like me!!!).

After breakfast, we went to a gift shop where they sell beautiful figures (Gods, etc), jewelry, scarves/pashminas, fabrics, and rugs. Then we went to see a few temples.

A Ganesh temple (remover of obstacles)

A Krishna temple (Krishna's story in the Bhagavad Gita, the central text of Hinduism)

This last temple was really spectacular. This is a Shiva temple. (Shiva is the God of destruction and resurrection). I got out and walked into the temple. You leave your shoes at a little shack, then you walk through the door you see above. I immediately was struck by the similarities in many of their rituals to Catholicism. As they enter, they touch a sort of bump on the floor and touch their foreheads much like crossing oneself with Holy water....then there were many little enclaves or prayer rooms where people gathered to have a priest bless them with ashes on their foreheads:

As I walked around the temple, I got to get a better view of the intricately carved and painted roof:

Also these strange little chicken-like birds were walking around the temple:

Unfortunately, I could not go inside the temple as there were several sides that said "No Non-Hindus Allowed Inside." Oh well! I stood by the prayer candles (another similarity to Catholic churches) and gazed inside where it looked like they were chanting and dressing a god statue in flowers.

After that full day and still recovering from some jet lag, I was beat so I hit the hay early because I had the first day of class Monday morning!

School is at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram.

Every morning at 7:30, we do our asana practice in this room:

It has been interesting to see how they teach group classes here and how they sequence to build to peak poses.

After asana, we have a nice breakfast on the rooftop.

Today was a dosa, which is like a big thin potato pancake served with sambal, a chili-based condiment, and a coconut chutney--totally delicious but a little heavy for breakfast! Tomorrow, I think fruit.

After breakfast, we have Theory of Asana class, followed by Yoga Sutras and Chanting. Then we break for lunch for three hours!!! Obviously, this gives us time to nap/shop/digest before we get back into the yoga. Yesterday, I took my lunch at a restaurant at the New Woodlands Hotel. I had a 'leaf service' lunch. Basically, there is a banana leaf folded up at your seat. You open it up, pour some water on it, put your hands in the water, and rub the water around. I seriously don't know what a germaphobe would do here--talk about immersion therapy! Anyway, then they come and put globs of different foods on your leaf. The diner is meant to combine the foods and eat with their right hand (eating with the left hand is considered improper/rude/gross because most of the toilets don't have toilet paper provided--people wipe with their left hands then wash them down. I, for one, always have Kleenex with me and would sooner die. But hence the only eating with the right hand thing.) They gave me a spoon, which was nice. This was a $2 lunch and it was one of the most delicious things I've had here yet.

When we do get back to the school at 3:00, we do a pranayama (breathing) practice followed by Application of Yoga class (my favorite) and finally, meditation which actually involves lots of movements and chanting.

It is such a gift to be here in this place where the lineage I study began. The teachers are fabulous, my classmates have been wonderful--very welcoming and kind to me, and the chance to do so much yoga in a day is a special opportunity. I'm so glad that I came here to experience this place, culture, and the people.

I'm in Chennai, Trick!

Well, I'm here! It was a loooooong couple of flights but really easy, actually. I boarded the plane to Singapore Thursday night, watched a couple of movies, knocked myself out at 2 AM, woke up 8 hours later feeling fantastic, watched 3 episodes of Game of Thrones (newest obsession now!), and was there (Saturday morning!) Then I moved quickly through the Singapore airport which was pretty interesting. Huge candy stores (I suppose everyone is addicted to sugar), and odd stands like this one that was selling stuff that looked like candied beef jerky? If anyone knows what that was, please comment!

The flight to Chennai was fun. The flight attendant offered me watermelon juice, which I happily imbibed. Then, to get in the Indian mood, I ordered an authentic breakfast.

It was good! Just ate the rice and lentils...the rest was rather uninteresting.

Flying into Chennai, I was struck by what a huge city it is. Here was my view:

The airport is definitely different from any other airport I've visited. Unsurprisingly, very bare-bones. There was a huge group of dark-skinned men (nationalities unknown) who came to the city without visas trying to get tourist visas last-second. They were all pushing up against each other and waving their visa applications in the air--wild. The lines were long but I made friends with a nice Australian dude named Warren who gave me some good tips and walked with me after the immigration line out into the madness of hundreds of taxi drivers hoping to take a willing tourist for a rickshaw ride...but I quickly saw my driver, Deva, waiting for me with a smile and a sign with my name on it. What a relief! Driving through the city is complete mayhem. There is absolutely no order at all. Thankfully, they don't go that fast, so I was not scared--just fascinated. Here are a few pics:

The city's big mall, Express Avenue
One of many fruit stands

Lots of food shacks on the streets
Busy busy roads

I believe this is this woman's home. Striking poverty.

Stray dog that kept rubbing itself on whatever it could.

There are really funny street signs here! I passed them too quickly to take any photos, but they read things like, "Save Rain Water" and "Don't Spit Here."

After I checked into my hotel and showered up (Ahhhhhhh) withOUT singing in the shower, (!!!new for me!!!) Deva took me to Fab India where I bought 4 tops and 3 bottoms for $80! I will wear these when I'm here as typical American clothes aren't considered appropriate or respectful as they are mostly too tight and show a woman's form, a no-no here. I love them! They're colorful and comfortable. Then we stopped at the grocery store to guy water, Gatorade (it's really hot, so I've got to be careful), and Tide so I can handwash my clothes in the tub.

I went downstairs around 4:00 for dinner (clearly I'm not on schedule yet). I ordered carrot cinnamon soup with a little goat cheese toast and pesto fish with roasted vegetables and red pepper coulis. Not exactly authentic native cuising, but I figure I can ease into it a little....I wanted something comforting, familiar, and safe for my first dinner. And so now I am just biding time to ichat with my husband and go to bed! I'm going to try to make myself stay awake until at least 8:00 or so to try to get myself on Indian time.

Everyone so far has been very accomadating and kind. Deva is going to take me for a day of shopping tomorrow. I hope to pick up some fun jewelry, fabrics, and who-knows-what.

More to come! The adventure begins!

Suz

India, Here I Come!!!

Hello my Haute Health Hotties! I have lots of exciting news to share!

• I just completed the Yoga Therapy Rx Program at Loyola Marymount University, Levels 1 and 2. I am now a Certified Yoga Therapist. What is yoga therapy?? Yoga Therapy is a method of treatment that uses a Holistic (whole-person) Yoga model to heal injuries, diseases, and other problems physical, mental, and emotional. If you know anyone who needs yoga therapy in the LA area (and really, who doesn't!?!?), please send them to my website.
• I am about to go to the SYTAR Conference in Monterey, CA through the International Association of Yoga Therapists. Presenting are yoga therapists and medical professionals at the top of their fields doing cutting-edge, ground-breaking work with yoga in relation to health and healing.
• Right after that, I am headed off to Chennai, India (formerly known as Madras), to study at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram. This is where T Krishnamacharya himself (the Grandfather of Hatha Yoga) lived and taught. His son, TKV Desikachar and his Grandson, Dr. Kausthub Desikachar still live and teach. This is where yoga therapy really started as well. This place is the 'Mothership' studio of the yoga which I practice and teach these days. I will be studying Asana (poses), Pranayama (breath work), Meditation, Chanting, the Yoga Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita. I will be there for a little over three weeks and will be blogging about my experience while I am there. If you'd like to be notified when I post, please follow my blog (just add your email address on the home page), Like me on Facebook, and/or follow me on Twitter. It's going to be a life-changing trip for sure and I am delighted that I will be able to share all that I will be learning and experiencing with all of you!

Hear Ye, Hear Ye, an Update from the Long-Lost Blogger!

Helloooo, my fab followers! How are you?? I haven't been around much, I do admit. I've got LOTS of exciting stuff to share with you, though! So, here goes:

-I chopped my hair off! Having some trouble with pictures, so I will have to share a pic at a little later...but think Michelle Williams.

-I have been doing a lot of cleansing. I am currently doing this one. I highly recommend this book even if you don't want to cleanse right now. It's full of great information about toxins, the environment, and the effects on the body. Buy it here.

-I have been practicing Viniyoga, which is pretty different from the Power Yoga I was practicing and teaching for the past several years. Viniyoga is Desikachar's lineage, which approaches yoga in a much more gentle way. It incorporates elements of gratitude, visualization, and sound into the practice. I find that I am making room for meditation and simplicity in my practice and in my life, and the effects are astounding. I feel less likely to get angry or frustrated--or if I do, those feelings don't last as long. I feel calmer and happier throughout the day. And I am most excited to report that my relationship around exercising and eating has changed. I truly want to eat what will be good for my body instead of eating purely for vanity. I want to exercise because I feel better and I know what good it does for my health and well-being. It's really exciting and all really positive, so I wanted to share that with you. If you're interested in doing Viniyoga, look to see if there are teachers in your area.

-I attended Michael Bernard Beckwith's church, Agape International, yesterday. I go there from time to time because I feel so good when I leave! Just FYI, you can stream the service live every Sunday on their website for free. Anyway, Michael was talking about how our true nature is Love, and that if we deviate from recognizing that in ourselves and others, then we reduce our personal power and wisdom. He had us hold in our mind's eye a person with whom we have had a strained relationship--an enemy, an ex, someone who hurt us at some point. He said that if we were ready for the 'Advanced Course' in Love, that we should shower them with blessings in our imagination. Wish for only good things for them. Wish for happiness and success and love and everything good for them. It was hard--it took a lot of concentration and intention, but I did it. And it felt good. But it wasn't enough for me. I wanted to get rid of this feeling in myself once and for all. This person was that one in my life that I just couldn't forgive. I just felt that they were so wrong and I had done nothing to deserve what I got and I just held onto it like I held onto Bubba, my doll, when I was a child. It went everywhere with me. It collected dust and got dirtier and uglier, but I just kept it close by, as if it had meaning. So, I went a step further and wrote an email last night. I did something I never thought I'd do--I apologized. I wrote something to the effect of "I am so sorry for what I did to hurt our relationship. I truly regret that. I hope that you can forgive me." And I clicked on Send. And something changed within me. (Cue Wicked music). Something was not the same. OK, I'll stop. (My musical theatre geek friends are laughing right now...or rolling their eyes....). Anyway, I felt better. WAY better. I was wronged....and I apologized for the loss of the relationship....and I feel better. Ta-da! The power of a loving intention. Perhaps you'd like to try it???

-I am having a Vision Board-Making Party this Tuesday night. If you don't know what a Vision Board it, it's just a tack board or poster or whatever that you put lots of inspirational images, quotes, or what-have-you on that incites and reminds you to become or receive everything you want in your life. My girls and I are eating some Vegan food and doing some cutting and pasting on Tuesday. Why don't you throw a vision board party? I think it's nice to do something social with friends that doesn't involve heels, fake eyelashes, martinis, or french fries....once in a while. I like that too. ;)

Til next time, Lovelies!

xoxo,

Suzanne

My Life in Food

I read a beautiful article recently written by a woman who was accounting her life in food experiences. I had of course heard the phrase “You are what you eat,” but I had never really put much thought into my life being a number of food-related experiences which shaped who I am and who I am becoming. So below is a partial list of the foods that I associate with certain people and experiences of my life. Please note the people listed have been singled out because they are particularly food-related in my mind. I love all my friends (and readers)!!!

My brother: Teddy Graham sandwiches (I tried to play an April Fools Day trick on him by replacing the frosting of some of the cookie sandwiches with tooth paste but he called my bluff and said “You eat one.” Knowing that if I didn’t, I’d blow my cover, I thrust my hand in the bag, hoping to grab an unadulterated one. Of course it wasn’t. He still wouldn’t eat one...), Clown ice cream cones from Baskin Robbins (with a gumball for a nose and frosting for hair) after trips to the zoo, hot chocolate with marshmallows after building forts in the thick Wisconsin snow, Raspberry pie (when he was smelling his pie, my mom pushed his face in just a little, and a raspberry stuck on his cute little nose. So adorable and hilarious and perfect.)

My father: Famous Amos cookies he keeps in his office, Chuckles (he’d always share), Wisconsin brats on the grill, helping him make Pina Coladas (and he’d let me have a little sip...don’t tell Mom), boiled hot dogs in a piece of whole wheat bread (when my mom was not home and he had to feed us kids), apple pie (his favorite), my lunch at the 95th in Chicago when he took me out of school for a special father-daughter day....I still remember they molded the butter. I thought it was the fanciest place in the world. I had filet mignon.

My mother: Rosemary Chicken, Potato Chip Chicken, Chicken Chop Suey, Chicken Noodle Soup (it’s no wonder I think of chicken as comfort food), Vegetable sandwiches from the Groundskeeper Cafe, French Dip, Bacon-wrapped anything, Fruit paired with savory (you’ll notice a lot of these types of recipes in this blog. I love this combo--her influence for sure). I smile when I read this list--she has that affect on people.

My husband: Pesto pasta, fried calamari (our first date), sushi sushi sushi (he’s a little obsessed), taco night gluttony, Emeril’s Birthday lasagna, rum milkshakes by the pool in Hawaii, Il Cantinori date nights in New York, Piccolo date nights in L.A., Cuban Corn and Huevos Rancheros every weekend in New York, Hefeweizen and giant pretzels on the beach, Father’s Office regrets (yet we keep going back....BEST burger in LA...), Farmer’s Market omelets, Valentine’s Day disasters (one year, the grill caught on fire...the next he cooked the scallops and lamb to near-eraser toughness. I still liked it cause he made it.)

College: Pita Pocket, Patti’s salty beef cubes over instant rice, Easy Mac, Lauren’s guacamole, Brownies, Phish Food, endless turkey sandwiches at the food halls, hungover waffles with whipped cream and strawberries, hungover greasy deli breakfasts (Bagel Diner), hungover toast, being too hungover to eat....

Johanna: Rice and beans, Rose wine, pork of any kinds, steak taco nights, lots and lots of salads (we are the ladies who lunch...and occasionally drink)

Emily: apples with cheese, sausage strata with cheese, more cheese, wine, some more cheese (everyone should have this friend...well, pretty much everyone is friends with this girl, actually.)

My Grandma: Saltines with Butter. Black olives (I’d put one on each finger...)

Mona: Golumpki, boiled carrots, mixed nuts, Asti Spumante

Dziadzia: Swiss steak (his specialty), carrot cake

I could go on and on....but I won’t....this is probably only interesting to me. :)

But as I look over the list, it’s so funny what things stick out in my mind. I mean, boiled carrots from my Grandma (Mona)? But I won’t judge it. I love her boiled carrots. They remind me of Thanksgiving dinners and her orange apron and ‘wild goose hunts’ the other kids and I would make up for each other while the adults did boring stuff.

I hope that some of my readers have food memories of me. I would love to know what they are!

This reminds me how important it is to try to make an event of each meal instead of eating over the sink or a Power bar in the car. Sometimes when I think of the number of meals I have left in my life, I get depressed! I’ll NEVER get to eat all the things I want to eat! Don’t worry--I won’t let you down, readers. I will eat and eat and eat. And eat. And work out. Then eat some more.

A Gift of Love

I always called her Grandma. Never Granny or Nana or any other repeated syllable. She was just Grandma, plain and simple. I loved going to Grandma’s house. She was the best. She’d serve me 7up in a wine glass and let me prance around in her high heeled shoes. She smelled like Aquanet and Certs and Revlon lipstick. She had curly, short, thin blonde hair and wore shiny track suits in bright colors. I liked to touch them because they felt silky.

I’d go to Grandma’s house for the whole day if I was sick. She’d let me watch as much Sesame Street as I wanted. She also let me dip my finger in the sugar bowl. And she made me the dish which elicits more warm and fuzzy feelings than any other food that I ever have or ever will eat.

She was known for her skills in the kitchen. She was the mother of three boys and my mother, the wife of a hard-working doctor, and worked part-time in his doctors’ office, too. Yet somehow she always got the standard 1950’s meal of meat, potatoes, and vegetable on the table every...single....night.

Yet I don’t remember her famous pot roast. I don’t actually remember ever having a proper meal at Grandma’s house. What I remember is Saltine Crackers with Butter.

Oh, Saltine Crackers with Butter. Crispy, salty, flaky crackers topped with a good schmear of soft Wisconsin butter. Boy, that was love on a plate. I’d eat my crackers with butter and we’d play cooties on the card table. All we needed was a couple dice, a pad of paper, and a pencil. I think she let me win. And I knew she loved me as much as a person could.

As an adult, I once wondered to myself why, if she was such a good cook, would she make me crackers with butter? Couldn’t she have whipped me up a nice homemade hummus with crudite or a little homemade granola? No, I realized. She couldn’t. She had had a grand mal seizure when I was four which left her with little dexterity. The only thing that meant to me at that age was that there was silly putty to play with in the little red plastic egg on the kitchen counter. She made for me what she could, and somehow I knew it was special.

It makes me wonder if my cooking as of late has been a little bit too much about pomp and show, eliciting ooh’s and ah’s as I bring out the hand-cranked pasta or homemade Valrhona chocolate souffles. I’m still at the age where my contemporaries are not really into cooking so I am often called the ‘Martha Stewart’ among my group of friends. Hey, I admit to really enjoying that reputation. Honestly, I think that in and of itself, it’s not bad. I like to cook. I’m pretty good at it and I like to be recognized for it. But I think what would really please Grandma is if I presented each dish as a gift. A gift of time, a gift of effort, a gift of love from me to my guests. Epicurus said, “We should look for someone to eat and drink with before looking for something to eat and drink.” After all, why cook for people at all? Surely, they can get enough sustenance, enough fuel to make it till their next meal without any effort on my part. The point is not to fill bellies. The point is not to show off some fancy sauce I learned in cooking school. The point is to show people that I love them.

Some people’s favorite food memories are their Grandpa’s famous homemade sausages or their mother’s grand Sunday feasts of succulent roast chickens and fresh biscuits. I’d hear these stories and sometimes be envious of those amazing dining experiences they had growing up. But now, I don’t think I’d trade those Saltines with Butter for the world.

Hey, maybe I’ll serve them as an appetizer at my next dinner party. And I hope that Grandma, wherever she is, will see that and know that she touched my heart with that snack at the card table in her kitchen.

Detoxing

When walking through Whole Foods in January, you might find a whole display dedicated to the 'Master Cleanse.' If you've never heard of this, here's what it is: Mix a concoction of water, lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper--then drink this (and only this...no food) for 10 days, or more if you can stand it. Angelinos just rave about how amazing it is and how well it works. It boggles my mind that people find this amazing. You're stressing out and starving your body...of course you lose weight!!! There are several problems with this: 1) You are not actually changing the habits that caused you to gain weight in the first place, so you'll get fat again (and probably even fatter than where you started) ; 2) Combine this with exercise and it gets pretty dangerous (since, again, you are starving your body); 3) it's nonsense. (More on that here).

OK, so we've ruled out the Master Cleanse. There are still hundreds of other detox programs out there. I believe that some can be great and some are just scams. So how do you know how to judge a detox? Use common sense. First of all, I believe you should be eating food. Second of all, you should be eating food with nutritional value (think fruits, vegetables, etc.). That's really it. There may be some detoxes out there which require you to drink juices made from fresh fruits and vegetables instead of eating them...I think these are probably fine as well.

I do think that there is great value in detoxing. Detoxing, for me, is getting the sugar, alcohol, and artificial sweeteners out of my body...and then eating only whole, natural foods. When I do this, I feel great. My skin changes within a week. Cellulite vanishes. My whole body starts to shrink within a couple days. Maybe this is due to flushing out of excess water I've been holding onto...maybe this has to do with minor food allergies to gluten, wheat, or dairy that cause me to bloat....maybe I'm just eating less calories than when I am eating processed foods. Whatever the reason, I always feel great and lose excess weight super fast.

My first cleanse was the Fat Flush 11-day program. It's 10 days of eating very strictly and a one-day fast of a mixture of water, fruit juices, and spices. I always felt really faint and got really pale during the one-day fast. I did not feel that it did anything for me other than reduce my calories for the day (much like the Master Cleanse). So now, when I detox, I just eat super clean. I generally set out to do it for two weeks but end up continuing it because I love the results and how I feel when I'm eating this way.

So I'm going to take you through a few days of typical eating when on my cleanse. This is not perfectly in line with any one diet/detox I've tried or have read about. It is the method that I use based on trial and error and that I have found the most realistic and effective. Please note that I am not a Doctor, a Dietician, or a Nutritionist. Always consult with a doctor before beginning any diet/exercise regimen. That being said, I've tried a lot of diets and believe this to be the healthiest, most efficient, and most effective diet/detox out there.

Breakfast Options:

Always 1 cup of hot water with lemon

-3 egg whites with 1 cup spinach and a couple spoonfuls salsa

-2 eggs, any style

-Chopped vegetables of any kind, cooked in water or broth until soft, then add 2 eggs, scramble

-3 egg whites and 1 vegetarian breakfast patty, scrambled

-1 cup plain, fat-free yogurt with berries

Snack:

-1 piece fruit (or 1 cup chopped fruit)

Lunch Options:

-Any kind of salad green with 4-5 oz lean protein (chicken, turkey, salmon, tuna, etc),

as many vegetables as you want on top. Top with a combination of apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, and either flax or olive oil

-Soup (homemade) with reduced-sodium broth--with as many vegetables as you want, combined with a lean protein like chicken or lean beef

Snack Options:

-Another piece of fruit

-1/2 cup quinoa with lemon juice and a drizzle of flax or olive oil

-1/4 cup hummus with fresh vegetables

Dinner:

-4-5 oz lean protein with as many steamed green vegetables as desired

Drink all day:

Combine a large bottle of water with a splash of 100% cranberry juice (NOT Cranberry Juice Cocktail)

After dinner drink:

Hot herbal tea with lemon

Avoid: Sugar (in any form), sweeteners (except Stevia), Alcohol, Nuts, Cheese, Milk, Bread, and any processed foods.

I am starting this way of eating tomorrow. I encourage you to try it (adjusting for more calories if you need them by adding whole grains/more food in general) if you feel like you have already blown your resolutions or just want to see what it feels like to eat 'clean.' The first few days might be hard, but I suspect you will grow to think that the plan is easy after the first week. Please let me know what you think!