Feeling Happy

Every Sunday morning I wake up, turn on the TV, and listen to Joel Osteen. I find that to be the best day of the week. I used to try to avoid looking forward to Sunday because it is the last day off before I have to return to work. Joel is very uplifting and is filled with hope. Something we all seem to need a lot of these days. After 30 minutes of Joel I feel fulfilled and able to face the last day off before the week begins. He teaches me to not dread the day but live in it and give thanks.
I opened my Yoga Journal magazine the other day and they had an article on feeling happy. It is titled, Im so happy for you. It teaches you that by giving praise to others will help to lift your feelings also. It also discusses how we envy our lucky friends instead of taking delight in their good fortune. I felt like I was listening to Joel again. I enjoyed the article. It is much more calming to be delightful than to have to hang on to negative emotions. Instead of, "It's Monday again...try to tell yourself how much you love Mondays. Find the good things in the day. Tell your friend who has let you down how great they look and what a good friend they are. Focus on the positive and you will feel positive the rest of the day, week, or month. Keep your mind positive and good fortune will come your way. Just ask Joel Osteen and Yoga Journal.
P.S. I have also found that receiving monthly massages and practicing yoga daily has a positive effect on life also....

Detox /soup

Broccoli Soup
For serving of 4

•14 ounce of vegetable broth
•2 cups of water
•1 pound of broccoli, chopped
•1 cup of sliced carrots
•1 onion, sliced into rings
•1 teaspoon salt
•½ teaspoon of ground black pepper
1.Add broth and water in saucepan and boil it with high heat
2.Add broccoli, carrots, and onion
3.Add salt and pepper
4.Simmer for 30 minutes until vegetables become tender
5.To make it creamy, you can blend it in a blender

Client quote of the day

During the week we work like we're in control and at the end of the week we pray like we are in control. Amen to that!
That is why I became such addicted to yoga and massage. It gives me time to slow down and find out what it is like to relax and let go. We need to understand that we cannot control our situation at all times but we can control our reactions, thoughts and the way we live. Our choices and our thoughts are our lives. I found through yoga first what it was like to focus on one thing only and to let all the little irritations from the day just slip away. And then I discovered that massage does it better by giving me that free mind for many days after the massage. When the body feels good, so does the mind.

Another Great Detox Recipe

Cilantro Lime Hummus

Ingredients
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
14 oz canned chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup tahini
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
Juice of 2 limes


Directions
Combine all ingredients into blender, except olive oil. Start to blend and add olive oil slowly. Add a little lime zest. That's it! Enjoy! Serve with corn tortilla chips or pita wedges.

Per two tablespoons: 94 calories, 8 g. fat, 1 g. sat. fat, 6.7 g. carbs, 1.4 g. fiber, 1.7 g. sugar, 2 g. protein

Massage Quote of the Day

Yesterday while I was giving a client a therapeutic massage, he let his true feelings about massage release. He suddenly bursted out during the session, "I don't know how I lived my life before massage!"
I often feel the same way after receiving a therapeutic massage. After the massage, my body floats to my car and away I go. Suddenly, my mind and body are at ease. Nothing can stir my mind at that point. But it's not the same day that is so wonderful, it's also the days following the massage. For example, Monday morning when I began to work I realized my neck and shoulders didn't hurt anymore. Then it occurred to me that I had just received a massage a few days earlier. The massage lasts for many days afer receiving the massage. I always repeat receiving the massage one to two days per month. Who would want to miss out on the most relaxing day of your life?

Yoga & Weight Loss

I have been into fitness since the day I was born. My family promoted physical fitness and trained my mind well to stick with it all of my life. People tend to think that people who participate in fitness have no trouble dealing with weight or eating habits. This has been a proven misconception in my lifetime of fitness. It wasn't until I started practicing yoga in 1999 that I began to feel better about food and body image. After the first year, I started wearing clothes that fit my body and didn't hang off of me. After two years my husband said,"I know why you are staying so thin. It's the yoga." I told him of course, he was nuts but later proven wrong. My food choices have become lighter. Sweets aren't so tempting and I am more mindful about how much I eat and what I put in my mouth in one sitting. I tend to snack all day because feeling full makes me feel sick. Now I need to tell my husband he was right. I have read studies that even the simplest yoga class can help a person maintain weight and increase their mindful eating habits. It is important to practice yoga regularly to gain this type if sense about your body. Regularly means at least 3 times a week or more.

Warm Asparagus & Courgette Salad Detox recipe con't

6-10 hazelnuts
250g (8oz) bunch of asparagus
1 large handful of salad leaves
½ large courgette
salt & black pepper

For the Dressing:
½ tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp clear honey
juice of ½ small lemon
1 tsp olive oil

Chop the hazelnuts and then dry-roast them in a non-stick pan; when they start to smell toasted, remove the pan from the heat.
Fill a large pan with water and put it on to boil. Trim the woody ends from the asparagus and then discard them (they can go toward vegetable stock if you wish). Cut the remaining stems halfway along and put the thicker, lower halves into the boiling water for 3 minutes. Now add the rest of the asparagus to the pan of boiling water and cook for 2 minutes.
Make the dressing:
Whisk the mustard, honey, lemon juice and olive oil together until smooth. Arrange the salad leaves on a plate.
Meanwhile, make long strips of courgette with a potato peeler; discard any which are entirely peel and also get rid of the rather seedy core. Add the strips to the asparagus and cook for a further minute.
Drain and allow to cool briefly until the asparagus can be handled, and then arrange both the asparagus pieces and the courgette strips on top of the salad leaves. Whisk the dressing once more and drizzle it over everything, season with salt and black pepper and scatter the hazelnuts on top. Serve immediately.