Monday, March 22, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Twist and Shout!
In an effort to bring more love, joy and connection between people and their bodies this Valentine's Day I am offering private yoga lessons for the same price as my public workshop for one week only!
You and your partner (or good friend) can get a 2 hour private partner yoga lesson for $45 in your house or at another location of your choice.
The poses are for beginners and advanced yogis alike. Depending on your flexibility you can get a deeper assisted stretch or just as much as you want. You do not need to have yoga experience. I bring mats, blocks, straps, everything you need to have a safe, fun and relaxing time.
If you are interested please leave me a message here or nicole@sagepr.com. If you want something tangible I would be happy to provide you with a gift certificate. :)
Happy Valentine's Day!
Namaste!
Nicole
You and your partner (or good friend) can get a 2 hour private partner yoga lesson for $45 in your house or at another location of your choice.
The poses are for beginners and advanced yogis alike. Depending on your flexibility you can get a deeper assisted stretch or just as much as you want. You do not need to have yoga experience. I bring mats, blocks, straps, everything you need to have a safe, fun and relaxing time.
If you are interested please leave me a message here or nicole@sagepr.com. If you want something tangible I would be happy to provide you with a gift certificate. :)
Happy Valentine's Day!
Namaste!
Nicole
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Back to Reality, SWEAT, there goes Gravity
Accomplishments so far for 2010:
created GOALS group to help me stay focused on my bucket list (thank u, ladies, for joining me)
completed 24 days of 30 day yoga challenge (who knew expending energy would give me energy?)
completed 28 days of vegetarian diet (that's about enough of that)
attended MBA info session, found a way to pay for it (Bless you Hazelwood Act)
sorted out new student loan payments (based on my new, slightly less impressive income)
found new recipe for raw purple kale salad (lighter version of my Caribbean kale salad)
completed 2 days of a cleanse (it's not you, it's me. no, actually, it is you, you are too much for my already healthy body)
What is it that I can share with you about these exercises of human will and curiosity?
Don't plan to move a lot if you are doing a cleanse of any type.
DO NOT attempt a 30 day yoga challenge AND any form of cleanse. It hurts.
Start adding small doses of fiber to one meal a day. I'm going out on a limb here but I'd guestimate that 85% of Americans are not getting enough fiber.
Sweating IS really good for you. Not only physically but emotionally. I'm hypothesizing my own theory based on an article about a scientist at Rice who has drawn a correlation between sweat, smell and the release of emotion, http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/health/your-sweat-carries-traces-of-your-emotions_100163823.html
My theory is this:
For emotions that you have not completed (i.e. needing to cry or laugh out loud, but not wanting to in large groups, being shamed into stopping a cry or an excessive laugh, being "shush'd" while crying as an child) your body releases traces of these emotions through sweat, thus completing your grieving/happiness/emotive release. Similar to receiving delighted attention while in an emotive state, sweating can be a medium to channel strong emotions stored in our bodies.
Why Nicole, would you think this? Well, angel reader, because I have experienced strong emotions through sweating and have watched other people do the same. Something about heat brings instinctive reactions out of people and a default to animalistic tendencies. I've never seen so many people crawl to water as I have teaching hot yoga. Nor do I see as much animation in people's faces that in the hot yoga room. They can't help but snarl, roll eyes, frown, smile or furrow their brow!
The savasana time at the end of the class is your reward and perfect opportunity to mindfully release these emotions through your breath. So, next time you finish a yoga practice, lay on your mat for at least 5 minutes and release your mind in abandonment to your breathe and your heart. Don't deny anything that comes up and leave your senses. Observe any changes in your being-ness. Do you feel more/less connected to others? Is there a strong urgency to take refuge or to share yourself? Really sit and listen.
Then log on and share with me! I am really eager to hear what people have to say!
Gotta go teach now!
Can't wait to log more data!
Namaste!
created GOALS group to help me stay focused on my bucket list (thank u, ladies, for joining me)
completed 24 days of 30 day yoga challenge (who knew expending energy would give me energy?)
completed 28 days of vegetarian diet (that's about enough of that)
attended MBA info session, found a way to pay for it (Bless you Hazelwood Act)
sorted out new student loan payments (based on my new, slightly less impressive income)
found new recipe for raw purple kale salad (lighter version of my Caribbean kale salad)
completed 2 days of a cleanse (it's not you, it's me. no, actually, it is you, you are too much for my already healthy body)
What is it that I can share with you about these exercises of human will and curiosity?
Don't plan to move a lot if you are doing a cleanse of any type.
DO NOT attempt a 30 day yoga challenge AND any form of cleanse. It hurts.
Start adding small doses of fiber to one meal a day. I'm going out on a limb here but I'd guestimate that 85% of Americans are not getting enough fiber.
Sweating IS really good for you. Not only physically but emotionally. I'm hypothesizing my own theory based on an article about a scientist at Rice who has drawn a correlation between sweat, smell and the release of emotion, http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/health/your-sweat-carries-traces-of-your-emotions_100163823.html
My theory is this:
For emotions that you have not completed (i.e. needing to cry or laugh out loud, but not wanting to in large groups, being shamed into stopping a cry or an excessive laugh, being "shush'd" while crying as an child) your body releases traces of these emotions through sweat, thus completing your grieving/happiness/emotive release. Similar to receiving delighted attention while in an emotive state, sweating can be a medium to channel strong emotions stored in our bodies.
Why Nicole, would you think this? Well, angel reader, because I have experienced strong emotions through sweating and have watched other people do the same. Something about heat brings instinctive reactions out of people and a default to animalistic tendencies. I've never seen so many people crawl to water as I have teaching hot yoga. Nor do I see as much animation in people's faces that in the hot yoga room. They can't help but snarl, roll eyes, frown, smile or furrow their brow!
The savasana time at the end of the class is your reward and perfect opportunity to mindfully release these emotions through your breath. So, next time you finish a yoga practice, lay on your mat for at least 5 minutes and release your mind in abandonment to your breathe and your heart. Don't deny anything that comes up and leave your senses. Observe any changes in your being-ness. Do you feel more/less connected to others? Is there a strong urgency to take refuge or to share yourself? Really sit and listen.
Then log on and share with me! I am really eager to hear what people have to say!
Gotta go teach now!
Can't wait to log more data!
Namaste!
Monday, January 11, 2010
2010, pronounced Twenty-Ten
November was Arthur's Ironman, Thanksgiving in Cancun/Cozumel.
December was Bobo's birthday, Christmas, visits with family and home renovations.
January is ME! :)
In 2009 I played a lot with unique veggies, raw food recipes and grains. In the Fall of 2009 Hannah, the awesome Body Ecology guru at PeopleFood, helped wean me off of red meat and chicken by subbing more veggies for the 6 meals she hand delivers to our house each week. It only makes sense then to take 2010 to the next level. So, I'm beta testing a 100% vegetarian diet for January. I shall call it the "Yummy Tummy Lifestyle" since I have fewer tummy issues and veggie food is so yummy!
So far so easy.
Mostly.
The true tests come when you are alone, out & about, with limited amount of time to eat and fast food everywhere. My litmus test came last week while at Best Buy, starving and a Chick-fil-A was staring at me from across the parking lot. I decided to follow my energy, play with this test and see what happens. Surprisingly I wasn't interested in any chicken, was happy with my waffle fry order. I smiled as I walked back to Best Buy. My true desire yielded a small serving of fried potatoes, not chicken. I didn't feel cheated or worried that I would be hungry again in a few minutes. This was plenty. It was abundance for my taste buds. I felt like I walked in excess a little, which is NOT hat I expected at all for January! Giving myself a little treat allowed me a big reward, confidence that I would not only enjoy this month but maybe be lured back to my Yummy Tummy lifestyle. (Historical note: I was vegetarian for 11 years in my teens-20's, got preggo, started eating meat again.)
Sweet!
In addition, I decided to take a 30 day yoga challenge. I'm practicing yoga every day for 30 days, ideally other people's classes, but sometimes the universe has other plans for me, I end up taking my own class. So far, again, so easy. My YMCA membership offers me classes with all levels of teachers, environments. Penny at Trotter YMCA has a nice flow that makes 1 hour feel like 20 minutes. San Diego blessed my brother Kevin & I with a private lesson from Gabriel, his magical yoga wall. If you are ever in Coronado go visit him at his candy shop in the basement at the corner of Loma and Orange Ave. His yoga wall is just across the street, not to be missed!
I also got to take an amazing and challenging class with Kristyan at Chula Vista Yoga Center, Kristyan is the only other yoga teacher I have encountered who uses silly voices like me during instruction. I loved his playful, light, yet intense spirit in class. Hopefully during my next visit to San Diego I can spend more time in the studio here. There is much to be learned here!
So, I will try to keep you up to date on my yoga challenge and what it introduces to my life. :)
The yoga challenge and vegetarian lifestyle all catapult towards victory in February for the Rock-N-Roll Marathon in New Orleans! Arthur & I will celebrate our 1st anniversary with a half marathon. Convenient timing for my January goals, eh? ;) Hopefully I will drop at least one minute per mile, ultimately shaving 13 minutes off my last half marathon time of 2:47. Good to have goals, right?
Well, my taxi will be here any minute to start my return trip home to Houston. Thank you San Diego for taking good care of my brother, providing a paradise getaway for me!
Namaste!
December was Bobo's birthday, Christmas, visits with family and home renovations.
January is ME! :)
In 2009 I played a lot with unique veggies, raw food recipes and grains. In the Fall of 2009 Hannah, the awesome Body Ecology guru at PeopleFood, helped wean me off of red meat and chicken by subbing more veggies for the 6 meals she hand delivers to our house each week. It only makes sense then to take 2010 to the next level. So, I'm beta testing a 100% vegetarian diet for January. I shall call it the "Yummy Tummy Lifestyle" since I have fewer tummy issues and veggie food is so yummy!
So far so easy.
Mostly.
The true tests come when you are alone, out & about, with limited amount of time to eat and fast food everywhere. My litmus test came last week while at Best Buy, starving and a Chick-fil-A was staring at me from across the parking lot. I decided to follow my energy, play with this test and see what happens. Surprisingly I wasn't interested in any chicken, was happy with my waffle fry order. I smiled as I walked back to Best Buy. My true desire yielded a small serving of fried potatoes, not chicken. I didn't feel cheated or worried that I would be hungry again in a few minutes. This was plenty. It was abundance for my taste buds. I felt like I walked in excess a little, which is NOT hat I expected at all for January! Giving myself a little treat allowed me a big reward, confidence that I would not only enjoy this month but maybe be lured back to my Yummy Tummy lifestyle. (Historical note: I was vegetarian for 11 years in my teens-20's, got preggo, started eating meat again.)
Sweet!
In addition, I decided to take a 30 day yoga challenge. I'm practicing yoga every day for 30 days, ideally other people's classes, but sometimes the universe has other plans for me, I end up taking my own class. So far, again, so easy. My YMCA membership offers me classes with all levels of teachers, environments. Penny at Trotter YMCA has a nice flow that makes 1 hour feel like 20 minutes. San Diego blessed my brother Kevin & I with a private lesson from Gabriel, his magical yoga wall. If you are ever in Coronado go visit him at his candy shop in the basement at the corner of Loma and Orange Ave. His yoga wall is just across the street, not to be missed!
I also got to take an amazing and challenging class with Kristyan at Chula Vista Yoga Center, Kristyan is the only other yoga teacher I have encountered who uses silly voices like me during instruction. I loved his playful, light, yet intense spirit in class. Hopefully during my next visit to San Diego I can spend more time in the studio here. There is much to be learned here!
So, I will try to keep you up to date on my yoga challenge and what it introduces to my life. :)
The yoga challenge and vegetarian lifestyle all catapult towards victory in February for the Rock-N-Roll Marathon in New Orleans! Arthur & I will celebrate our 1st anniversary with a half marathon. Convenient timing for my January goals, eh? ;) Hopefully I will drop at least one minute per mile, ultimately shaving 13 minutes off my last half marathon time of 2:47. Good to have goals, right?
Well, my taxi will be here any minute to start my return trip home to Houston. Thank you San Diego for taking good care of my brother, providing a paradise getaway for me!
Namaste!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Houston Half
Being my first half marathon I thought I would document my...TOP 10
2009 HOUSTON HALF MARATHON
MEMORIES
(in consecutive order)
1. waiting for race to start, the lack of worry or fear about running the longest distance I've ever run in my life. why was I so calm?
2. compression socks don't fail me now.
3. feeling like an ant. Gosh, there are a lot of people here. Good. I'm not crazy.
4. feeling like a GIANT. I got some dirt on my shoulder, could u brush it off for me?
5. rocking Blue October, singing along, sometimes dancing and jumping to the music. Basically, not giving a s&*t anymore. this is too much fun!
6. making friends along the run with Ryan, an overweight 30 year old, who I gave my last GU to, had a full-on conversation with about his breakfast that morning, his HH training, his dog. I would never be this nice on the track. Who am I? Ahhhh...endorphins are being released, making me more pleasant. Note to self, run away.
7. stopped to use the restroom in a completely murdered port-o-potty. not happening. holding till the next set of port-o-pottys. moments later...Damn, that is the only set of port-o-pottys. Damn, which one did I go in last time? damn, damn, damn. holding again.
8. drink. drink. drink. meditate. listen. decide. run. repeat.
9. Thinking to myself at mile 12, "I will totally do this again." Same exact relaxed, sensible sentiment I had moments after giving birth. Am I a glutton for punishment or what?
10. Walking down the stairs about 2 hours after finishing, praying for my knees. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Look for me next year, New Orleans Rock-N-Roll Marathon.
Half or Full?
Weigh in!
Wanna come?
:)
Spicy Fall Stew baked in a Pumpkin
I found this fabulous recipe in Vegetarian Times, October 2008 edition, made it for the first time last Fall for my Thanksgiving with Alex Rosa, Rogelio Rendon, Ed Onecic. Appealing one meal to 3 men is not easy but this stew made everyone agree, It's a Hit!
Recently I brought it to a Fall themed dinner party the night before Halloween. Despite using a traditional pumpkin, it's carcass collapsing a bit, resulting in an oozy mess and inability to transfer to a more decorative serving dish, people still liked it so I feel like I really must share this recipe to ensure memorable Fall meals for everyone!
Beware! Children may NOT like this. It is spicy, very smoky flavored. Gia, my 9 year old, deems it too spicy for her seasoned mouth. Proceed with caution!
If you can't find a pumpkin or squash, bake this stew in 2 smaller ones.
2 tbs. olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, diced (1 cup)
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch dice
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
1 tsp. chili powder, pref. New Mexican
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 lb. tomatillos, husked and quartered (1 1/2 cups)
1 15-oz. can hominy, rinsed, drained (get the best brand you can find, it really does make a difference. I like Bush)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 3-4 lb. pumpkin, either sugar pie, cheese, red kuri, kabocha, or buttercup squash
2 oz. grated sharp Cheddar cheese (1/2 cup packed) (if you want the vegan version just skip this!)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat 1 Tbs. oil in pot over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Sauté 7 minutes, or until softened. Stir in chili powder, cumin, and oregano, and cook 3 minutes more, or until spices darken.2. Add tomatillos, hominy, ı/2 cup water, and salt. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, partially covered, 10 to 12 minutes, or until tomatillos are softened. Uncover, and cook 5 minutes more to thicken stew, if necessary.
3. Meanwhile, cut top of pumpkin around stem to make lid. (SAGENICOLE NOTE: IT'S A LOT EASIER TO CUT THE STEM WITH AN ELECTRIC KNIFE! PICTURE OF MINE ABOVE TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF WHAT TO USE.)
Scoop out pumpkin seeds and strings. Rub inside of pumpkin with remaining 1 Tbs. oil, and sprinkle generously with salt. Sprinkle cheese in bottom of pumpkin.
4. Fill pumpkin with stew, then top with pumpkin lid. Place on parchment-covered baking sheet and bake 1ı/2 to 2 hours, or until pumpkin flesh is fork-tender. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes.
5. Scoop stew, including pumpkin, into bowls and serve hot, topped with Poblano-Cucumber Salsa (Click here for recipe).
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
This weekend almost killed me
If I don't have another beer-battered, fried piece of food for another year I think I may be able to reconcile some of the damage I did to my cholesterol this weekend in South Padre Island.
God love em, people in love. But why is it that we throw sense out the window when we fall in love? Celebrating a friend's pre-nuptials my boyfriend and I headed down to South Padre for a weekend of fun and frolicking with a few other couples. Could I have fore-shadowed my own alcohol consumption I would have laughed out loud. It's true, you are allowed to have 8 mixed drinks at Schlitterbahn and yes, you will still walk out of there. Drinking, fried foods only seems to enhance the experience, as evidenced by our combined $500+ spent on debauchery at the water park.
Here is what I learned about drinking & eating in South Padre Island, with a group where no one else really gives a damn what's going in their pie hole, or sometimes, what comes out:
-DON'T be the annoying person who refuses to indulge. No one likes an anchor of guilt sitting next to them when they order 3 beers at lunch. Roll with the punches.
-DO drink water after every drink so you are not the other annoying dip-shit that got too drunk and pissed somewhere you shouldn't have. Like on the bed. This may also prevent you from having ill-fated heart-to-hearts and royally upsetting your peeps. If you can't carry on a conversation stop drinking. :)
-DON'T mix spicy food, beer, liquor AND fried foods unless you want to sleep in the restroom. It will hurt no matter how "badass" you think you are. Hot wings count for 2=fried and spicy.
-DO get your punk ass out of bed in the morning so you don't miss critical beach time. It could be the only time of the trip you were not too drunk to see all of the nice, normal people building Hogwart's worthy sand castles in the sky.
-DON'T be ungrateful to your event planner. There is one on every trip. The person who brought it all together and kept you from playing Skip-Bo all day in your rooms. This person doesn't usually claim themselves because they secretly are planning everything THEY want to do anyway, but you don't have to think very hard or entertain, so be happy. That's vacation. Hugs and drinks are usually good payment but if you feel so inclined a handwritten note or shout-out on their Facebook page will do nicely, thank you.
And finally, do something YOU want to do. One thing. At a minimum. Take that walk alone. Sketch at the beach. Watch a movie in bed. Drive around looking at architecture. It will be your memento memory when you get home.
FYI, we came home and cleansed ourselves at Central Market then I made a RAW dinner using my new Japanese slicer! Zucchini spaghetti, tomato, red pepper, cilantro, garlic, green pepper, basil, oregano, olive oil, salt, pepper marinara. YUM!
Happy to be home.
God love em, people in love. But why is it that we throw sense out the window when we fall in love? Celebrating a friend's pre-nuptials my boyfriend and I headed down to South Padre for a weekend of fun and frolicking with a few other couples. Could I have fore-shadowed my own alcohol consumption I would have laughed out loud. It's true, you are allowed to have 8 mixed drinks at Schlitterbahn and yes, you will still walk out of there. Drinking, fried foods only seems to enhance the experience, as evidenced by our combined $500+ spent on debauchery at the water park.
Here is what I learned about drinking & eating in South Padre Island, with a group where no one else really gives a damn what's going in their pie hole, or sometimes, what comes out:
-DON'T be the annoying person who refuses to indulge. No one likes an anchor of guilt sitting next to them when they order 3 beers at lunch. Roll with the punches.
-DO drink water after every drink so you are not the other annoying dip-shit that got too drunk and pissed somewhere you shouldn't have. Like on the bed. This may also prevent you from having ill-fated heart-to-hearts and royally upsetting your peeps. If you can't carry on a conversation stop drinking. :)
-DON'T mix spicy food, beer, liquor AND fried foods unless you want to sleep in the restroom. It will hurt no matter how "badass" you think you are. Hot wings count for 2=fried and spicy.
-DO get your punk ass out of bed in the morning so you don't miss critical beach time. It could be the only time of the trip you were not too drunk to see all of the nice, normal people building Hogwart's worthy sand castles in the sky.
-DON'T be ungrateful to your event planner. There is one on every trip. The person who brought it all together and kept you from playing Skip-Bo all day in your rooms. This person doesn't usually claim themselves because they secretly are planning everything THEY want to do anyway, but you don't have to think very hard or entertain, so be happy. That's vacation. Hugs and drinks are usually good payment but if you feel so inclined a handwritten note or shout-out on their Facebook page will do nicely, thank you.
And finally, do something YOU want to do. One thing. At a minimum. Take that walk alone. Sketch at the beach. Watch a movie in bed. Drive around looking at architecture. It will be your memento memory when you get home.
FYI, we came home and cleansed ourselves at Central Market then I made a RAW dinner using my new Japanese slicer! Zucchini spaghetti, tomato, red pepper, cilantro, garlic, green pepper, basil, oregano, olive oil, salt, pepper marinara. YUM!
Happy to be home.
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