Affirmations

I had a great Nutrition class on Wednesday. (Wait. To fill you in, I'm taking a 6-week course called Nutrition 101 at Live With Spirit.) Okay, so it was great this week. The topic was Mindful Eating, ie. not letting your emotions dictate your eating habits. This is definitely something I think most people can admit to doing. Whether it's boredom, anger, or stress, just to name a few, I'm sure we can all say that at one point or another, we've indulged a bit too much when we're riding an emotional wave.

We began the class with our instructor, Pam Elek, leading us in a meditation to help us quiet our minds and relax after a long day. She then spent some time talking about positive affirmations. (If you're not familiar with the concept of affirmations, you may want to check out Louise Hay for some expert information.)

Pam had us choose something in our lives that we were currently working to improve. We wrote it down on a piece of paper, and folded it up for later in the class. Then we listened to twenty minutes of Louise Hays' "You Can Heal Your Life" book on cd. I found it to be really powerful stuff. Basically, the idea of positive affirmations is to change our thinking patterns. For most of our lives, we've had thought processes that were ingrained in us by our parents and others at a very young age. A lot of this is negative thinking, maybe stemming from that time a boy on the playground told you that you have a huge nose. So, since you were 6, you've hated your nose. Maybe you don't even remember why you hate your nose. You only know you have an ugly nose. It's all about breaking these negative and often destructive thinking patterns, so you can move beyond it to create your best life.

After we listened to the beginning of the cd, Pam had us go back to our piece of paper, and turn that goal into an affirmation for ourselves to use. For example, "I would like to focus on clean and healthy eating" can become "I respect my body, and I treat it only with love and kindness." Or "I need to get a new job" turns into "New doors are opening for me all the time." In choosing an affirmation, you have to be specific. It needs to be in the present tense and you need to revisit it (writing it and saying it aloud) many times a day.

Our homework this week is to spend 5-10 minutes per day meditating, and also to say and/or write our new affirmation at least 15 times per day. So far I've only been doing it for two days, but I've been saying mine aloud in the car and in front of the mirror, and I've written it on several pieces of paper and taped it up around the house as a constant reminder. As a personal goal for the rest of the summer (or longer if the habit sticks) I've decided to choose a new affirmation for myself each week. I'm very excited to do this, as this summer is a major time of self-discovery for me.

Hope you are all having some time just for yourselves this summer, and enjoying every minute of it!

Namaste,
ERIN

Coco Love

You can call me the Sparrow Foodie today, if you don't mind ;)

One of my fave things to do when I have time off is to experiment in the kitchen. I like cooking anyway, but it's so much fun when you've got lots of time to really make a mess and try something new. So when Adam and I are home with nowhere else to be, we cook.

This long weekend we've made Huevos Rancheros (you're missing out if you've never had these!), some delicious steaks (marinated for hours), Caprese Salad Bites (Thank you Pinterest), grilled chicken breast, goat cheese and strawberry salad (goat cheese pretty much makes anything delish), homemade pizzas (deluxe and margherita) and this morning's Oatmeal Pancakes. I've made these before and they are phenomenal.

I'm beginning to get more creative with my recipes, mainly because of my goal to eat healthier. One of my main switches so far, has been from using veg oil or canola oil, to coconut oil. The health benefits of coconut oil are abundant, and I began the switch when I read about how heating olive oil at a high temp causes the oil to become unstable and to produce cancer-causing free-radicals. For years, I've been cooking with olive oil. I realize now that it should be used as a flavour-enhancer after the cooking is over. Enter coconut oil. Organic, unrefined, cold-pressed is best of course. It's got plenty of cosmetic uses also, so you'll be getting your money's worth from that jar. Add to the fact that it's got a shelf life of up to two years, and there's really no reason not to try it out! Find it at your local health food store.

Now back to those pancakes... My recipe is adapted from Chef Michael Smith's "The Best of Chef at Home" cookbook (one of my faves). Keep in mind that the coconut oil will add a slight coconut flavour, and there's nothing wrong with that in my eyes. Next time, to make the pancakes even more tropical, I'll substitute coconut milk for my regular or almond milk (I just didn't have it on hand today). Here's the recipe for you, and feel free to experiment yourself :)

1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat, grain or almond flour
1 cup oatmeal flakes
2 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon or nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups non-dairy milk
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 tbsp honey
2 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a second bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients, and begin to combine them with the dry ones. Stir until smooth, but don't overmix the batter. Spoon the batter into a preheated skillet. Watch for bubbles on top; this will tell you when your pancakes are ready to flip. (Tip: You can get ahead of a hungry crowd by stashing the cooked pancakes on a plate in a warm oven.) I added sliced bananas and plenty of maple syrup to mine :) Happy Canada Day long weekend!

Now.

Just taking some time today to relax and just be.

Living in the present is not an easy thing me! I'm a planner. A list maker. A worrier. An imaginer. I spend so much time putting together my vision for the future, that I often miss out on the NOW. I'm hoping that I can learn to just concentrate on the present without putting so much effort into planning for things that may or may not happen. I'm so afraid that I'm going to wake up one day and realize that I wasted all these great, young, tight years of my life worrying about being greater, younger and tighter, while I was actually perfect just the way I was, and it slipped away from me.

I'm going to use this (beautiful, sunny, amazing) long weekend to cherish the moments that I have right now, rather than stress about next week at work, or other foolish things that I have no control over. And really, you tell me which sounds like more fun?

Enjoy your time with loved ones and know that tomorrow will bring you exactly what you need.

Namaste,
ERIN

Grad

Hi there,

So it's official. I've graduated from my RYT200 Yoga Teacher Training course!!! It feels so great to be finished, although if there's one thing that I've learned, it's that you're never really done learning... Already, I'm searching for my next course to take to increase my knowledge, and my creativity when it comes to teaching.

Luckily, I've been blessed with a few teaching opportunities already. I'm so happy about this, because it means that I've already got a bit of experience to help me on my way. I've been teaching 3 classes a week for a couple of months now, and it's helped me tremendously (especially with my nerves!). I'll have a bit of downtime this summer, and I'm really looking forward to working on my own practice, and making some big life decisions over the next 2 months.

I'm also super-excited about my upcoming trip to LA this summer! Going with the hubby, and planning to spend some time together just enjoying the view (literally and figuratively). I've already tracked down some yoga classes for us to attend, including a daily outdoor yoga class in Runyon Canyon, overlooking the city. There is also tons of great hiking and (obviously) beaches. We plan to explore, reflect, discover and reconnect. CAN. NOT. WAIT.

Hoping you all have some opportunities to enjoy the view this summer as well.

Namaste,
ERIN

Link Love

This is a short and sweet article from MindBodyGreen called Don't Try Yoga Until You Understand These 3 Things

These are definitely things I'll pass onto any of my friends and family who are thinking about getting into a yoga practice... just a heads up!

This Too Will Pass...

This has been a bit of a crazy week. Last weekend, I had Teacher Training Weekend #8. There was a lot of introspective discussion and personal growth activities to help us to look inward at the direction of our lives. For some reason, I found this to be a particularly difficult weekend to handle, and all the self-discovery really made me quite emotional. On Monday at work, we got some terrible news about a friend of a co-worker. Also, our courier informed me that his cat (whom he has had for 15 years) was in surgery and things didn't look good for the outcome. These two things, combined with my emotional state left over from the weekend, made me feel very down. All of a sudden, a good friend of mine, and former co-worker, walked through the door for a surprise visit! That was all I needed to completely break down into tears. We ended up having a nice visit, but the first day of my week was mostly not a happy one.

The week ended up getting a bit better - my husband, brother-in-law and his wife came to my Tues night class at Live With Spirit, so it was great to have some happy support there with me. I had asked the class to send out some positive and healing energy to someone who they knew who might neeed it, and my sister-in-law later informed me that she had sent hers to me! I think it worked because by the end of the class, I felt very strong and grateful.

The rest of my week went quite a bit better. I taught my 2nd private class, had a nice visit with my Grandparents, picked up a new purse, and enjoyed some unseasonably warm weather.

For anyone wondering, the private class I began teaching last week went really well, and seems like a nice group of women. I think I'll enjoy watching their practice week after week.

Here's hoping this coming week is better than the last!

Namaste, ERIN

Nerves Abound

So, I have had many new opportunities come my way since I last posted. For one, I am now teaching on a regular basis at Live With Spirit in Brooklin. Let's call it Long-Term Temporary, since the original teacher is still off recovering from an injury. I have a small class there for a Core Power Class. I am desperately trying to put all of my education to work, but still find I have plenty of nerves accompanying me to class each week. I try to be prepared, to help ward off some of the nerves that come from the unknown of teaching a class. I still can't help but wonder each week how many (if any!) will show up to my class...

Secondly, I have been offered a chance to teach a private class at a corporate office in Whitby. I know zero details as of yet, except that it will be a one-hour Power Yoga Class... and they don't like "yoga" music! So, in preparation for this week's first class, I have spent a few hours tonight creating my class plan, and also a new playlist with some modern songs, which I really hope will help to keep the students motivated and energized. I feel pretty good about both, but only time will tell.

I have such a hard time with nerves, especially when taking on something new. I have also been struggling with a lot of negative self-talk lately and that really doesn't help the whole confidence issue! I have been trying to find some useful articles and quotes to help give me a push in a positive direction, so I will just keep on reading (and re-reading) those until my first new class on Wednesday night is over!

Wish me luck!
Namaste,
ERIN