  Ayurvedic Recipe of the Moment Hello everyone! I recently planted kale in the garden and I am shocked at how hearty this little plant is. It has at least tripled in size since it pushed itself out of the earth. I intended on juicing most of the vegetables that I am growing, but I decided to try something different today and it turned out really good! I think that kale chips are my new favorite snack. I hope you like them too! A Little Information About Kale Many nutritionists consider kale to be the most nutritious vegetable among all the other green leafy vegetables in the world. One cup of kale contains 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber, and 15% of the daily requirement of calcium and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), 40% of magnesium, 180% of vitamin A, 200% of vitamin C, and 1,020% of vitamin K. It is also a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus. Kale’s health benefits are primarily linked to the high concentration and excellent source of antioxidant vitamins A, C, and K -- and sulphur-containing phytonutrients. Carotenoids and flavonoids are the specific types of antioxidants associated with many of the anti-cancer health benefits. Kale is also rich in the eye-health promoting lutein and zeaxanthin compounds. Beyond antioxidants, the fiber content of cruciferous kale binds bile acids and helps lower blood cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease, especially when kale is cooked instead of raw. Click HERE to learn more about kale nutrition. The Recipe - Kale Chips Kale Chips have become wildly popular over the past few years, and for good reason. They’re super easy to make, and since kale is available all year, it’s a great way to get greens into the most reluctant greens eaters! The simplest way to make them is with a dehydrator, but if you don’t have one, they can be prepared as described below and then baked in a moderate oven (300 degrees F.) until crisp. If you’re using the oven method, you need to turn them several times as they cook to allow them to dry thoroughly. Prep Time: 25 Minutes Drying Time: About 6 Hours
YogaWasi Students are Amazing Yogis Let your yoga practice be your guide...Practicing and teaching I’ve experienced resistance on various levels in myself and have observed it in the students I assist on a daily basis. Sometimes the resistance we face comes across quite clear as it screams at us for attention. Other times it sneaks up without a warning dressed in disguise. Resistance. It’s always around lurking. I’ve been fascinated with the topic particularly since I’ve felt it on a personal level over the past six months. It seems to run in cycles often making itself known more prominently at certain times than others. What I have found is acknowledging its presence no matter how much you wish it wasn’t there, even in the midst of feeling it... to simply show up... takes every bit of energy you have, but there is an opportunity for growth in the struggle. Afterward, when the clouds have cleared a wellspring of growth and expansion usually awaits on the other side of it. Allowing what is to be is one of the most arduous of internal practices we face on and off the mat. After we have experienced our honeymoon period from attaining the “goodies” of a constant yoga practice we notice that the feeling begins to wear off and then we become aware that some of the most extensive work is about to begin. This is the yoga. The goodies only give a small taste of the true experience. A fractional glimpse into the eye of the proverbial storm, but we have to go through the storm at some point and resistance is part of that storm. Not all situations will be ideal. There will be days our bodies will feel stiff, and our minds will feel as if it sits within the depths of hell. In turn, we may experience apathy and boredom as we are seduced by our expectations of how things should be. Of course, this is the play of the mind and the craving of the ego. There is really is no need to judge when resistance crops up because it is inevitable. However, what will we put in its place? A question worth contemplating. I know for me the practice has evolved and changed over the years. In the beginning there was an abundance of excitement and enthusiasm. Everything felt new and every challenge was something that motivated me to tread forward. I still feel this to some extent but more and more the focus rests in the quiet unchanging part of myself, because after awhile I realize that the body is in a constant state of flux and then ultimately impermanence is experienced. Change is always happening and acknowledgement of that makes the ride all the more graceful. The important thing to remember is the effort and steadfastness we put forth to practice as we rest in this quiet space of awareness is more important than any of the postural goodies we can acquire. Even in the midst of injury, apathy, boredom, fatigue, and depression, all these struggles must be faced head on and there is really no need to wish it were different. Everything in time passes. Grace happens when we let go of the need for it to be any other way. As a teacher it can be one of the most honest discussions I can have with a student. No, it won’t always be easy, and no it won’t always be fun, but I will tell you, it will be worth it. ~Ashley Cruz Originally posted on my Blessed Yoga Blog - 01/26/2015  Nishkama karma (nish - without + kara desire : karma action) is an action performed without a wish or desire for the "fruits," or results, of such action. The ultimate yogic ideal is to perform all actions without desire for personal gain, and to offer instead the fruits of all actions to God. Performing actions with the mind directed towards results increases ego and keeps us bonded to the idea of "I" and "mine," while offering the fruits of actions to God leads toward surrender to the divine will and liberation from the idea of a separate self. YogaWasi Students are Amazing!Promociones / PromotionsThese promotions are only until May 1st! You only have 1 week left!  Taller / Workshop Join Claire Beiersdorf at YogaWasi and learn a variety of pranayama techniques. We will explore breathing techniques to boost your energy, clarify your mind, cleanse your body and exercise your mind.
We will start off the workshop with a gentle yoga practice and move into our pranayama practice. Finishing our practice with a yoga nidra (yoga sleep). Please message us with any questions. We hope to see you all there! 50 soles. We are offering a 40 sole price if you sign up ahead of time! Namaste! FACEBOOK EVENT RESERVATION LINK 
 A Fond Farewell from Bre A fond farewell. To all of my students, I write to remind you that in this life we must practice many things. The most important practice; however, is the work we do within ourselves. It is my hope that over the past eight months I have ignited within you a passion to be yourselves. A passion to follow your instincts, to do the work, even when this is hard. This work I must do now for myself. The decision to part from YogaWasi and all of you was not by any means easy. I hold many memories of us with a smile. For now, I will take a trip to the US, a place I have not been back to for four years. I am not certain where the yoga path will take me and my teaching, but I sincerely hope you stay in touch. My Instagram is @namastebre, my email is [email protected]. I’ll be with you in spirit on the mat. Best, Bre A Letter from Ashley about Changes I opened YogaWasi in August of 2017, and with that opening, many of you have gotten the opportunity to experience classes with Bre, as well as with a variety of other lovely yoga teachers that have come to Cusco to share their knowledge with you. However, as you may have read or noticed in the above schedule, YogaWasi is going through some changes of its own. For example, we are no longer able to offer classes at 7 am with Bre due to a lack of attendance. However, for those of you that were disciplined enough to attend a 7 am class, Mariana is still offering her beautiful and inspiring Kundalini Yoga class every Monday and Wednesday at 7am. I hope that you will give it a try. Kundalini is empowering and very energetic. It's perfect for starting your mornings out strong and centered. Also, as you have probably read, our lovely Forrest Yoga teacher, Bre is no longer able to offer classes at YogaWasi, as she has an adventure of her own that she needs to explore. I understand that change can be a bit scary. We get used to a certain class or person, and as a result, sometimes our reaction to change is negative. I'd like to talk to you now about that, about our plans at YogaWasi, and about my hopes for you and this studio in the future. For years, I was reluctant to teach yoga, always feeling I didn’t know enough. Even though those feelings are still present, after continual urging of students and yoga teachers, I finally began offering classes of my own in 2005. And now as of 2017, I offer to you and beautiful Cusco, YogaWasi… an organic unfoldment of my own practices, insights and reflections. As a normal woman and yoga teacher, I have found that the fullest expression of yoga is not just within a pose but within every aspect of life. Yoga exists within each action and every spoken word, and it is expressed through every thought. I suppose that many of you began to learn this while in classes with Bre, if you were lucky enough to take her class. It is our hope that you will continue your yoga journey in and out of the studio and that you will continue to allow us to guide you. Over the years, I have come to believe that a yoga teacher’s inner experiences, combined with an understanding of the deeper significance of yoga, creates a vibrational frequency that attracts students of a similar resonance… not to mention teachers. And here you are before me. And to me, you are all a blessing because without you I couldn’t manifest and create YogaWasi. We met for a reason. Me and You. Bre and You. You and the other teachers. I believe that reason is to continue to inspire each other in all ways. Among yoga’s other blessings: We learn balance within the polarities of opposites. As we learn the art of bilateral integration within the body, we also learn the same in life. We do not seek approval or cower under disapproval, real or imagined. As teachers and as students, we learn to stay centered in the midst of attachments and aversions, praise or blame, criticism or compliment. Through asana, we learn to give up goal orientation, to give our all to the present moment, and then to release it, as we learn to release in Savasana. We learn to let go of the past and come into the present moment within our classes and within our lives. So, regardless of these changes at YogaWasi, it is my hope that you will let go of any desire that things would not change, but instead, will be open to exploring new styles of yoga and new teachers that come and go through YogaWasi. As a teacher, I found that if I took on many classes and responsibilities and did not have time to deepen my own practice, it was possible to become dry inside and weary in body, mind, and spirit. I was feeling that weariness many years ago, until I was reminded by Mr. B.K.S. Iyengar: “Practice twice as much as you teach”. As I began to implement his advice, I discovered a wellspring of love and a true desire to serve. These words arose out of the depth of my soul: “To love is to go on teaching forever without growing weary.” You probably noticed that Bre had a very strong personal practice of her own. It showed in the way she taught and in her very being. On and off the mat. And now, she needs to leave to continue her own practice even further. She has expressed that she hopes you will continue yours as well. This is why I beseech you all to take advantage of all the other classes offered at YogaWasi, as well as the teacher workshops that I have arranged and intend to continue to offer weekly or bi-weekly. We are all in the flux of change; nothing is solid. And I ask you for your feedback and comments. Let me know what is working and what is not. Let the teachers know what they are doing well, or where they can improve. This is your studio, too! Through the practice of yoga, we can let our hearts convey our love of all humanity and the Divine essence of all creation. We do this when we caress our feet upon the earth in standing poses, when our toes and heels reach for the center of the sun in inverted poses. We can let our love for the Divine reflect in the ceremonious offering of our upper to lower body in forward bends. Asanas reflect the art and beauty of the communion of Self with the Universal. They help us release the impediments that shroud the light that is always shining. We are not “becoming One with” but realizing the Oneness that already is. This is the Union of Yoga. Blessing and pranams to you always, Ashley We Love Our YogaWasi StudentsUna Carte de Rosario Estimados Yoguis!! Me siento muy agradecida y honrada te tomar el asiento de Bre!! Desde mañana lunes 16 de abril compartiré mis clases con todos ustedes a las 9 am. Soy estudiante de Anusara Yoga y mis clases se basan en una filosofía tántrica, que afirma que todos tenemos una bondad innata y que no tenemos nada que buscar fuera; todo está dentro de nosotros y nuestra práctica será una expresión de dentro hacia afuera. Anusara Yoga no tiene una secuencia o secuencias fijas, los profesores estamos entrenados para elaborar secuencias por objetivos por lo que cada clase resulta una experiencia nueva. Los tipos de secuencias pueden ser por: Postura pico (toda la secuencia se diseña para lograr la máxima expresión de una postura específica), temática (toda la clase podría tratarse por ejemplo, de posturas de aves o animales en general), zona del cuerpo (la clase podría diseñarse para enfocarnos en abrir o fortalecer una parte específica del cuerpo), por Principio de Alineación (la clase podría diseñarse para enseñarle a los alumnos a entender un principio biomecánico específico de Anusara). Tenemos mucho por aprender, así que si tienes algún tema en específico, postura que te interesa, pídemela!!! Lo trabajamos!!! Te espero con el corazón abierto!! Namaste Rosario Taller/WorkshopTHIS WORKSHOP IS IN BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH.   Promociones / PromotionsThese promotions are only until May 1st! You have two weeks left.  |
Author's MessageEl amor es la esencia de nuestra vida. He escrito este blog con amor, y te lo ofrezco, querido lector, con la esperanza de que las sugerencias que se ofrecen aquí se conviertan en una parte vital de su autocuración y bienestar continuo. Categories
All
Archives
December 2023
|
RSS Feed