Well, we had a wonderful Eating Healthy seminar yesterday.

Our guide, Bethanne Kashkett, supported by her husband Kenny (shown here), led us through a tantalizing array of tasty recipes and healthy eating treats.

We started off with a special green smoothie with blueberries to keep us cool on this sun-baked day, and then we delved into an array of exotic salads, unique casseroles, and organic delights.

One of Bethanne’s favorites was this special mung bean pasta dish. That’s right the noodles were made from organic mung bean flour – that means they were not at all acidic like regular pasta and their consistency was wonderful, unlike some whole wheat pastas that can tend to be grainy. Then of course the dish was loaded with fresh veggies from both land and sea – and spiced just right! It was tasty beyond belief!!

After that we got into spiralizing!! See how, using a very simple hand-operated spriralizer (not expensive), we were able to make an ordinary zucchini into a beautiful, exotic shape and form. A great way to have a cool noodle experience during our hot Maryland summers.

Of course no dish would be complete without Bethanne’s great dressings and sauces! Anyone who has been to these programs before knows how quickly Bethanne’s dishes transition from the simple into the sublime.

See here how magnificently this dish turned out!!

Loaded with zesty herbs & spices, this carefully made tomato sauce (with no seeds at all) was a hot ticket on this summer afternoon!

In total we made seven different dishes for our lunch and dinner menu featuring legumes, veggies, herbs and spices and, of course, love and care.

Our main menu included these items: Not-tuna pate in collard green wraps,
Land and sea salad with mung bean noodles, Raw slaw with kale, Sprouted lentil salad, Corn and black bean salad with brown rice, & Raw zucchini pasta and sundried tomato marinara sauce. It was all quite delicious!!!

Everyone received a terrific handout / booklet that featured pages of recipes, shopping lists and key nutritional facts. Bethanne’s easy speaking style also allowed everyone to take lots of notes and ask many excellent questions during the program. And there was plenty of opportunity to help in cooking, chopping, slicing, rolling, mixing and more!

Then of course there was dessert: Sweet seed cookies (shown here), Coconut milk ice cream sweetened with agave, Sorbet sweetened with agave, Fresh luscious berries, Raw dark chocolate sauce made with raw cacao, and Chocolate chia cookies!

Everything was quite yummy – and everyone got to go up for seconds on dessert. We have secret photos of that on file!!

All in all we had a wonderful turnout and everyone left satiated, eager to try new recipes and food choices, and armed with lots of food packed up in containers for meals to come!

Healthy eating is part and parcel of our yoga practice and a great way to treat your body (& mind) right. Plus our food choices affect our environment, both locally and globally. Our diet plays such an important role in who we are and how we interact with our world. And Bethanne, as usual, proved to be a gentle, kind, knowledgeable, and sumptuous guide for this event.

Many thanks to Tessa Giannini who provided seamless support for a smooth-running program.

Hope you will all consider coming to our next Eating Health program next December!! Here is what we did last year during the holidays!!

Free Yoga Class!! ~ All Are Welcome!!

Fri, Jun 4 @ 7pm
Unitarian Universalist Church
333 Dubois Rd, Annapolis

Get Directions

Absolutely all are welcome at this free yoga event this coming Friday. The style will be slow & gentle (with maybe a challenge here & there!) – the class will be suitable for everyone. I do not teach up in the Annapolis area too often – please tell your friends & family, and invite all the yoga enthusiasts you know. All levels welcome – including those who’ve never done yoga before. All that is needed is a human heart – so come on in as we seek to spread the spirit of universal benevolence amongst one and all!!

Eco Yoga Day was a big hit, with both humans and bees. We learned about bees, tasted their wonderful honey, and in turn our friends the bees got new homes. See two of the finest shown here.

Our yoga practice segued into an Eco think tank led by Karen McDonald of SERC. She taught us all about bees native stingless bees and how they make their way in the world. Lots of fascinating material was presented and we do have extra handouts available. Just ask.

Then people of all shapes and sizes got to work constructing their bee houses – sturdy structures made of wood. Our gratitude to Bob Smith for creating these beautiful kits so on Eco Yoga Day even the youngest of participants was able to engage fully.

Once the construction was done it was a-decorating- we go!! Builders turned into artists to create charming bee houses. Here is but one of the many designs that were put forth.

These bee houses are designed for native stingless bees and during the presentation Karen gave us all kinds of tips and strategies for ensuring they are able to live a comfortable life in these bee homes. After all, everyone in this universe needs a home.

And that was the overall theme of Eco Yoga Day: Creating a healthy human home by harmonizing mind and body, creating a sustainable home on earth by living in harmony with nature, and offering a home to some our friends the bees.

By this way all can find their place in this universe and live peacefully.

In follow-up to Eco Yoga Day, we will be doing a tree planting – complements of Greenstreet Gardens – this Saturday, May 1, at Galesville Hall – 9:00am!! All funds from Eco Yoga Day will go towards more plantings… Thank you everyone!!

Photos From This Year’s Eco Yoga Day -   Eco Yoga Day 2009

Had a wonderful program today at the Nat’l Breast and Ovarian Cancer Connection benefit at the Sheraton Hotel in Annapolis.

The 40 participants in my session were lively, contemplative, eager, and spirited all rolled into one. And their balance was terrific. Thanks for being such a great group.

Our session together was part of the annual Rejuvenate events in Annpolis. This was my 4th year participating and it always proves to be a great event.

This year was particularly good because the Sheraton supplied us with such an ideal space – a perfectly shaped and sized room with picture windows on two sides.

Many thanks to Beth Lennon, Pat Major, Nancy Long and the entire Rejuvenate team for this great occasion and wonderful opportunity. Look forward to next year…

A very warm and hearty thank you to Greenstreet Gardens of Lothian, Md for donating a tree and bumper crops for Eco Yoga Day!!

Greenstreet Gardens is a local, family-run business operated by Ray Greenstreet II.

Our deepest gratitude to the entire Greenstreet Family, and in particular to Ray for his generosity, and Gale Poudrier for being the perfect liaison.

We are looking forward to a very successful Eco Yoga Day event this year.

Eco Yoga Day is Sunday, April 25, 2p – 4p at Galesville Memorial Hall!!

Eco Yoga Day Info ~ Eco Yoga Day Theme

Eco Yoga Day is Sunday. April 25, 2010…see what’s happening.

Our main presentation topic will be bees.

So we will begin with yoga and then transition to this wonderful, hands-on seminar – led by Karen McDonald of SERC – about bees. And then we will have a meditation and sharing circle and hopefully a planting or two.

See here what great things Karen has planned for us….

An Introduction to Bees and Native Pollinators

Bees are an important part of nature, helping flowers turn into fruits and making gardens thrive. Come learn about these fascinating creatures. We’ll explore how they live in their complex hives, feeling their way through many different jobs from raising young, tending the queen, building comb, foraging for nectar and pollen, and making honey. We will also discuss how you can keep native stingless bees right in your own yard. Afterwards we’ll try tasting some different types of local honey and make our own bee box, for native orchard mason bees, that you can put in your garden.

Yesterday, Friday Feb 19, I had the wonderful opportunity to present a yoga session to all the librarians of Calvert County at the main branch in Prince Frederick. It was a 1/2 hr segment during their monthly staff training.

What a great group they were!! There were 40 or 50 of us in total, and just about everyone got on the floor, took off their shoes and socks, and joined in for yoga. Those in chairs were also very much involved in the program as well. Our session aimed at backcare, balance, stretching & relaxation. The librarians put forth a top-notch effort. They were a disciplined and fun-loving group! I look forward to sharing photos in the very near future.

And oh, if you have not been down to the Prince Frederick branch – it is really a site to behold. It is great to see such a magnificent public institution run and staffed by such a great team of people / professionals!

If you would like us to visit your workplace for a day – do let us know!

Yesterday, marked our first ever Restorative Workshop, and 23 participants braved the snow and made it in for the experience!

Restorative Yoga is the practice of bringing your mind and body into a state of balance through very gentle postures – supported by props – held for longer periods. It is a time to be still, quiet, and delve inside. Even then there is the occasional hurdle – as some will attest with regards to the standing/seated wide angle series! By and large though restorative yoga is a soothing program of restful poses that help to recharge oneself. In its totality it is a physical, emotional, mental and spiritual journey towards enhancement – with each participant having their own unique experience.

With bolsters abound, straps around, blankets covering, chairs side by, and eye pillows on top, we step by step embarked on our endeavor. It was new to some of us, like seeing an old friend for others, yet in the course of things we all experimented and found renewal and peace in our practice.

As a facilitator, it was a joy to partake and I also walked away with new and better ways of doing for next time.

This is something we do wish to offer more of and I hope everyone will come out and experience first-hand the joy and serenity inherent to a restorative yoga practice.

Well what a Yoga Day we had!!

View all the photos…

There was yoga (of course), great music performances by our local elementary schoolers led by their music teacher Ms Cheryl Logan, a raffle extraordinaire (thanks to all of you!) and other joys like yogi tea (thanks Michelle!), frosted vegan “yoga day” cupcakes, certificates & organic apple juice which we totally forgot to serve – that’s how much fun we were having!!

All in all more than 100+ people stopped in for Yoga Day!

Our gentle yoga class got it all going at 8am – 20+ participants were on board and ready to set sail in their yoga journey. We calmly progressed through our moves and sequences. Some of the attendees were new, some were experienced, yet all moved together. A neat start to the morning – bending, breathing, extending & ideating.

After class we talked for a moment about nandan vijiana (aesthetic science) and how to make the world beautiful through artistic expression – including music.

And then – amazingly – our 4th & 5th graders from Lothian Elementary and Shady Side Elementary performed!! And you can hear some of what they did by listening to the podcast below.

(Right now I can only get one sound file into a blog post – I have 14 short sound files and I will continue to try and get more up onto the site .)

Suffice to say here that our young musicians. were AWESOME!

There were strings, flutes, clarinets – all for our listening enjoyment. They did great…They more than deserved their certificate of participation and vegan “Yoga Day” frosted cupcake.

After that it was back to our yoga practice with Yoga for Strength and Fitness. And what a turnout we had – 30+.  There were newbies, oldbies and ones in between and everyone worked hard, played hard, rested hard, and then again lunged forward and did their best. Shavasana, meditation, and a story about a boy saving the starfish reminded us that with inspiration and coordination all kinds of problems can be solved.

Then we were treated to another musical performance by 3rd – 5th graders from Lothian and Shady Side featuring clarinets, flutes, and strings, followed by a grand vocal performance by first and second graders from the aforementioned schools. And how beautifully they sang! Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the performances – which were followed by more cupcakes and certificates!

Then came the free raffle – a raffle like no other!! Special thanks to all those who donated a most unique array of items.

Teresa Crofoot of 1 Tree Yoga: Two Yoga Bags, Glass-Beaded Bracelet; Karen McDonald of SERC: Amarylis Plant; Patti Sachs:  Hand-Made Mahogany bowl & 2 rocks from Alaska; Lisa Oswald:  Homemade Jam (2) and Apple Butter;  Michelle Drake: 2hrs Face Painting; Janel Boises: 3 hrs of Creative Child Care; Dona Haske: Silpada Jewelery Gift Cert $25; Holly & Kerry Pierce: Annapolis Symphony CD, Hot Cocoa Kit, Wall Clock, Candle; Laurie Morin of Health, Prosperity & Abundance: Skin Care & Wellness Gift Package;  Nancy Bateman: Karma Free Gift Set featuring Washes, Creams, Soaps, & much more; Kirk Johnson: Hand-Made Hinged Cutting Board; Sharon Brewer of Green Violet Herb Farm: Balms, Salves, Teas, and Lavender; Holly Ross: Candle Holders; Renaissance Yoga: 2 CD’s,  Monthly Yoga Pass.

I think all the winners thoroughly enjoyed their prizes as there were a lot of ooohs & aaaahs!!

That’s right – after an exciting free raffle like that it was time for our relaxation segment of the morning. We did a guided seated meditation followed by a lying visualization, complemented by a personal journey of peace and tranquility.

There were some who even stayed for the entire program!

By that time it was time to pack it all in – and what a morning it was! Lots of free yoga, great giveaways, wonderful music, and your spirited participation.

Plus we also raised a healthy sum of $150 for the Haitian Earthquake victims which was donated to Doctors Without Borders via their on-line donation program on Sunday, Jan 24, 2010 .

Thanks to all for coming in and attending!! We look forward to seeing you there next year!!

Here is a list of all of our musicians:

Shady Side Elementary: Melissa Witte, Sarina LeCroy, Destiny Smith, Morgan Stueckler, Delaney Sancomb, Kate Gott, Ellie Broglie, Joshua Baker, Greg Smith, Katie Bedard, Caterina Grandi, Emilee Williams, Fin von Schilcher, Paula Duck.

Lothian Elementary: Jennifer Potter, Caitlin Brumley, Aaliyah Allen, George Carney, Abby Adey, Grace Barber, Ashely Liston, Madison Collins, Ciara Tongue, Shaun Butler, Sarah Webster, Ava Wishnow.

Podcast: Play in new window
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Yoga Day Schedule of Events

Sat, Jan 23, 8am – Noon

Galesville Memorial Hall

All  below classes & events are FREE!

8:00am Gentle Yoga

9:20am Music Performance by Shady Side & Lothian Elementary Schools. For more info contact: clogan@aacps.org

9:45am Yoga for Strength & Fitness

10:45am Voice Performance by Shady Side & Lothian Elementary Schools. For more info contact: clogan@aacps.org

11:15am Meditation Circle and Relaxation

Noon: Closing Ceremony & Thank you!

Also Featuring:

* Free Yogi Tea * Raffles * All T-Shirts 1/2 Price

* Yoga CD 40% Off, just $10 * All of You!!

A Call for Raffle Items:
We are accepting give-away type of items to raffle off at this event. This is a great way to promote your business and/or personal skills as well as bring a smile to someone’s face. No item is too small. Please do consider sharing something…Thank you!!!

We held our first-ever Eating Healthy seminar yesterday – and what a great success it was – all credit goes to our chef Bethanne Kashkett, her husband Kenny, and all of you who attended.

Quite amazing – on a dreary, rainy Sunday – all 27 of our registrants came out – that’s right, perfect attendance!!

After a short, staggered intro by yours truly, Bethanne neatly led us in a moment of silence to connect within and create a sentient space without. Thereafter it was not long before Bethanne got us going with all kinds of tasty edibles accompanied by great information and instruction. Everything was based on organic, vegan / vegetarian fare.

The event was structured around a mock day: Breakfast -> lunch -> dinner -> dessert. And what a day it was – quite yummy indeed.

Breakfast featured a variety of raw foods such as sliced apples with raw almond butter, soaked oat groats with fruit, frozen banana and berry smoothies, coconut milk yogurt, freshly baked blueberry tea scones, crispy rice cereal bars, mochi (traditional Japanese food of steamed, pounded brown rice) and jam. Along the way we all tried rice milk, hemp milk and almond milk.

As if that was not enough, we all got to try these delicious breakfast quesadillas: sprouted corn tortillas with soy cheese and mixed chard greens.

And that was just breakfast!! And believe me when I say there were a few items I neglected to mention.

Then Bethanne segued us into a wonderful lunch and dinner combo. At that point things got a little more participatory as various people came up to help steer the ship. They cut, stirred and engaged in other elements of food preparation.

Here is Bill Whitman, husband of Elsie, giving Bethanne a hand with things. Others who came up to help included Lindsay (she was gracious to share LOTS of time), Denise, Steve, and others.

The lunch / dinner combo included a variety of tastes and samples from a wonderful immune building soup spiced with turmeric, ginger and a host of health-supportive herbs and flavorings plus a variety of greens such as a kale / tahini salad and cultured veggies.

The grand buffet bar at the end included a wide array of main dishes from around the world including, but not limited to: coconut brown rice with cauliflower/ potato curry, tortilla pie (wheat tortilla layered with refried beans, quinoa, black beans, salsa, and veggie mix), whole grain pasta with tempeh marinara, veggie fried rice, sprouts, holiday wild rice salad w/ pomegranate dressing, kale salad, and salad crunchies (sprouted buckwheat, sunflower, sesame, and hemp seeds).

There were so many tantalizing tastes, unique food combinations, interesting ingredients – all prepared with an experienced hand and a loving heart.

And then there was dessert – wow! – which was an event all its own. To say there were six different desserts would be an underestimation. Let’s see now there were: ginger snap cookies with holiday pumpkin/soy cream cheese dip, gingerbread, tea poached pears, jam bars, crispy rice balls, alternative ice cream, beat cake, as well as a candle to celebrate Elsie’s birthday!!

Amazingly, the entire event neatly fit into the 2:30p – 5:30p time frame and everyone got to take home plenty of food in their tupperware containers.

Certainly there is more to say about the program so I heartily welcome those in attendance to share their thoughts and experiences.

Of course, all readers, yogis / yoginis, foodies, and members of our universal human family are invited to share and comment.

Bethanne please do correct me on any errors, either of commission or omission, with regards to the names of the various scrumptious dishes that were presented.

Finally, thanks so much to Krista for helping serve & clear and taking photos, and to Alisha for her tireless and good-natured support in the kitchen. While I lazily strolled the hall with a dish rag over my shoulder as if I was really working(!), Alisha kept everything in order: neat and clean.

Thanks again to everyone for attending and I look forward to seeing you for the next round in the spring!!

Please watch for the gallery of photos from this event soon to be posted on our website.

Every day has its own special beauty and charm, however yesterday was particularly wonderful.

I got the opportunity to do 4 yoga events in three counties with 4 vastly different populations. The day served as a great reminder of how yoga has so many things to offer to so many people in so many ways.

That’s a lot of so many’s, but it’s true.

I started at 8:40am in Calvert County with a challenging Yoga for Strength and Fitness class (complete with arm balances, lunges, inversions & more) with my regular Thursday morning team followed by an event with the Calvert County Garden Club. The date with the Garden Club was months in the making – nearly 10 months! About 50 people were on hand for this gathering. It was a most lively yet also reflective and interactive session. We paralleled the worlds of gardening & yoga; discussed the inner significance of the lotus; quizzed one another (they passed!); did chair yoga; laughed and joked plenty; reviewed and practiced balance poses and yoga and back care; and concluded with a relaxation session and story, followed by Q & A. The Garden Club members were quite the crew – gracious, bendy, inquisitive – & not at all shy, I can vouch for that!

Then it was a short respite for lunch and off to Prince George’s County for my afternoon engagement at Bishop McNamara High School. There are around 20+ active participants in the school’s yoga club and we get together every Thursday for yoga instruction. Most of the club members are 10th & 11th graders – yes all girls!! As you’d expect, they are fast learners and very ready to dive in. Yesterday, in their first go at it, they all made it nicely into half moon pose. But they are not just in it for the physical challenge – they’re after the quieter side as well. As one young lady,  the club’s founder, told to her friend in the hallway after the first class, “During the corpse posture at the end of class, I did not even know where I was!” . It has been a real joy – we’ve done 2 sessions thus far with many more to come!

Then it was “hurry up and wait” as I got onto the beltway only to sit in traffic and crawl my way onto Rt 50 – where things were only moderately better. Ultimately I made it to Anne Arundel Community College in time for my evening seminar on Yoga and Back Care. We had a packed house and everyone showed great interest in the topic. During our hands-on session we dialogued and moved through a nearly 2 hr practice (yes I went over as usual!). The theme revolved around establishing and maintaining lordosis – and the many ways that yoga supports back and spine well-being. Everyone was highly involved in the practice and keenly followed the closing story. All participants left with a folder of info and a practice cd.

It was almost 10pm when I finally made it home – just in time to rest and prep for the next morning’s class.

Upon reflection throughout the day and thereafter, I realized how wonderful it is to share the many gifts and joys of yoga with so many different people, and watch them all experience the benefits. Both young and old expressed great interest and eagerly absorbed all they could from our sessions together.

Between the vastness of yoga and the sheer joy of being & sharing with others, it is no wonder why my busiest days are some of the most inspiring!