"The Hook" Yoga Pants by Alex Lanau

If you have ever talked to me about Yoga then you know that I can't say enough about my yoga school, Pavones Yoga Center. In 2012, I was the very first student to arrive for the inaugural 200 hour teacher training hosted by Indira Kate Kalmbach, the Founder and Director of PYC. I arrived about a week earlier than the rest of my peers, because I was blessed to receive a scholarship, part of which included work trade prior to the start of the training.

It wasn't long before I met Alex Lanau, amazing artist, super fun surfer dude and husband of my dear teacher, Indira. I got to work helping him to paint the student rooms as they had just finished construction on the facility. We spent hours painting, cleaning and fine tuning details of the house, and yoga studio. It was in this time that I got to become friends with Alex.

When I saw Alex's artwork I was completely blown away. As an artist myself I deeply appreciated the bright colors, detail and positive vibes that emanated from his pieces. He told me about his murals, how he painted Ugg boots, and surf boards, what's more the canvases in homes around the world! So it came as no surprise to me when he launched his wearable art brand.

As soon as the yoga pants were available I had to get my leggies in them! Thanks to my multi-talented boyfriend, we were able to capture some photos of this fantastic leg wear. I'm rocking "The Hook" Leggings in size Medium. They are super light weight and comfortable, not to mention super cute. I'm a fan! 

 

Can Dogs Be Vegan?

I have been a practicing Vegan for a little over 2 years and gave up meat completely over 5 years ago. If you know me, or read anything I write, one of the biggest reason I have chosen this lifestyle is because I love animals and I can't bear the thought of contributing to their suffering. I believe that we vote with our dollar and every time chicken breast, bacon or burgers are purchased the industry is bolstered and sustained.

My beloved Dende and I have been together for about six years and I planned and prepared for a solid year before we met so that I could be the most best, amazing and perfect Dog Mom there ever was. I studied diets and holistic health and decided to feed him a raw meat, that's what he would eat if he were in the wild right? The problem was, that every time I went to buy him meat I felt guilty. Almost like I wanted to tell the cashier, "Oh this is for my dog, I don't support the meat and dairy industries" HA! Unfortunately, whether it's for Dende or not, it's coming from the same factory farms that cause so much destruction and pain.

Over the years, I have experimented a lot with Dende's diet. From BARF, to homemade rice/veggies and varieties of kibble, to Trader Joe's brand kibble (when I got lazy, sorry Dende) to Sojo's dehydrated raw and combinations of the aforementioned.  I have also seen his weight fluctuate as a result. Overall he has always been an active healthy pup, but it was when I got lazy that he started to look a lil porky. (Side note, extra human food treats from the boyfriend did not help Dende's cause)

Chunky Dende :( - Dec 2016

Fit, Trim, Healthy Dende :) (Today, 10/10/17)

Within the last 9 months, I started him on dehydrated raw food which was much less gross for me. Then I started mixing 1/2 of the dehydrated raw food with 1/2 Vegan Kibble from V-Dog. For the last 6 months I have phased out the raw food and Dende is now about 90% vegan. I still feed him some treats that have meat or eggs on occasion but overall he is a successful practicing vegan and I couldn't be more proud.

It took a little while to figure out the appropriate portions, and it's important to hydrate the kibble with water for about 10 minutes, but Dende has never looked better, fit, trim and full of energy! I feel confident that he is getting all the nutrients he needs, and he loves it! Plus, he is suddenly very much in love with fruit. Watermelon, cherries, apples, melon, he really loves watermelon and it's one of the funniest thing to watch. It's nice to be able to give him these whole food treats. 

So, yes! Your pup can be healthy, happy and meat free. Just like everything in this Universe, if you believe in it, it can be done! Maybe if Dende were a wild critter roaming the plains then he would hunt and eat small game, but since he is snuggled up happy as a clam with me at home, Vegan dog he must be (in my Yoda voice) 

July Yoga Challenge? #OpenUpSoakItIn

Hey Hey! Thanks for checking out more info on this Instagram Yoga Challenge. This is the third challenge I have hosted so far with the lovely Brandee from Siesta Yoga and it's always so much fun!

If you have never done a Yoga Challenge before here are some tips:
1. Take a screen shot of the flier so you always have it for quick reference each day when you need to see what is the pose. 
2. If you don't have anyone to take a photo for you and you find using the timer to be too tricky, try taking a video of you moving into the pose, you can post a video or take a screen shot of the video and post it as a photo!
3. Set aside a little bit of time each day to breathe and stretch before moving right into the pose.

Below you will find all the info about this challenge and how to participate, but always feel free to DM me or comment on IG if you have questions.

For this challenge, set the intention each day to open yourself to something new. New people, new food, new possibilities? Maybe be open to receiving love, growth, forgiveness? What are you open to today? For 11 days (July 1-11) we will explore variations of some of our favorite poses with arms, extended, open and ready to receive all that the Universe has to offer. Along with your photo, each day we invite you to share something you are opening yourself to for the day.


How to Participate:
Follow these simple steps to participate and be eligible to win our fabulous prizes!!
Repost this flier to your IG page using the hashtag #OpenUpSoakItIn and tag 2 friends to join
Follow all Hosts: @siestayoga @iamemileebee AND sponsor: @bhogabalance
Post daily your version of the pose + tag all hosts and sponsors
Share in your comments what you are opening yourself to today.
Make sure your profile is set to "Public" for the duration of the challenge so we can see your beautiful photos and engage with your new community by liking and commenting on fellow participants' posts!
One winner will receive an Alignment Mat from Bhoga Yoga!!

Blessings, Love and Light to all!!! 

How to Choose a Yoga Challenge?

Since starting these yoga challenges I have come across a ton of different ones each month and I have sorted out a formula for how I choose the ones in which I participate. For starters, if the flier announcing the challenge does not CLEARLY show each pose per day of the challenge with an image of the pose I almost immediately lose interest. I like to be able to have a very quick reference each day before I practice and take my photo. If you are a host I suppose the upside to this could be that you are daily driving traffic to your page as people check each day for the pose. So maybe this criteria will change once I start hosting. We'll see...but probably not.

(#HolidayLoveAndLights was one of my favorite challenges and perfectly met all my criteria plus the added playful bonus of including twinkle lights in your photos )

Another thing I look for in challenges is a reasonable number of hosts and sponsors. Generally 2-3 hosts and two, no more than three, sponsors feels to me to be the winning combination. I've seen many challenges with 5 or 6 hosts plus another 5-7 sponsors and it's just too much. Too many to tag in each post, too many to follow, too much everything. I prefer simplicity and ease of access.

When it comes to length of challenges I really like for it to last most of the month, 20 days or so, but not the entire month!This past January I completed #DOYOUYOGAin2017 which was every single day and I just felt rushed to find my Febrary challenge and didn't have time to reflect on the success of the last one. Challenges shorter than 2 weeks are not of as much interest to me and I will generally pass.

A final piece that I appreciate but don't require for my participation is if there is a giveaway or winner(s) at the end of the challenge. This just adds a little more incentive and excitement! So far I have completed 5 full challenges and I'm having the best time with it! It's a great source of continual content to feed my social media monster, it keeps me inspired to maintain my practice, creates community and it offers new experience of my body from a visual perspective. 

(The one that started it all with #TheGratitudeChallenge...and still the most likes I've ever gotten on a photo to this day :)

If you've thought about jumping on the yoga challenge band wagon then I hope this helps you make your choice. If you're looking for challenges try @IGYogaChallenges and @YogaChallengeWorld or search the hashtag #YogaChallenge and you should find quite a few. As with everything in Yoga choose the one that resonates with you and feels good to your Spirit. I will continue to keep you updated on which challenges I'm hopping on and as always check me out at @Yogibee8 for the most up to date everything. One Love and Positive Vibes Only.

New Year New Yoga Challenge

Happy New Year! We're twelve days into the new year and as such, twelve days into my first #YogaChallenge of 2017. This one last all month long and is hosted and sponsored by @DoYouYoga! Challenges that don't require me to follow and tag a hundred people are always a good pick in my opinion.

So far nothing overly exciting to report at this almost half way point. The poses have been pretty basic, nothing that I haven't practiced before. Some of the poses have been repeats of postures from previous challenges which has been a great way to apply changes in alignment. For example, my Downward Facing Dog pose (Adho Mukha Savasana) from the #YogEmojiChallenge which I wrote about here  needed improvement.

In reference to the photos below (aside from the obvious difference in the quality of the photos, there are a few key alignment principles to point out)

1. Uddiyana Bandha, the navel lock is engagement of the abdominals, lifting your navel towards your spine. In the first photo my tummy is clearly less tucked than in the second image.

2. #YogEmojiChallenge down dog has a rounded lower spine, probably in part because I have not appropriately engaged my core (point #1 above) and also because my stance is a little bit too short. In the #DOYOUYOGAin2017 photo I have put more space between my hands and feet in order to lengthen my spine. This in conjunction with a strong navel lock creates that nice long line.

3. While your gaze in down dog is meant to be directed at your belly button your head should rest between your upper arms. In the first picture, my head is hanging down, in the corrected version, you can not see my ears as my head is appropriately aligned between my biceps. 

Downward Dog is an amazing and constantly evolving pose from minute to minute, let alone day to day so enjoy your exploration. Photos and mirrors are great to be able to see exactly where improvements can be made but remember to rely on the way the pose feels in your body. Try coming into Down Dog with your eyes closed once in a while to really feel the subtleties.

And as always stay tuned for more Yoga Challenge updates. I think I'll be picking up one more this month. Two at a time? Gotta Go Hard. Love and Positive Vibes Only!!!

My Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Wings!!

After many attempts at trying different recipes I found online and from my Mom, I have finally adapted all of these recipes to create my very own, which results in the perfect, crispy, savory delicious Buffalo (and/or Barbecue) Cauliflower wings. They are  #BoyfriendApproved and "meaty". As much as that adjective goes against my vegan vocab, I think it helps those non-vegans out there to relate so maybe they will start to see the light.

Anyway, here is the recipe!!

Yield: About 20-25 wings: approx. 2 servings
Ingredients:

• 1 Head of Organic Cauliflower - cut into approximately silver dollar sized pieces, depending on how large the head is you will probably only need to use 1/2.
• 1 Cup Chickpea Flour - If you have a #Vitamix or high powered blender you can make this yourself by blending raw, dry chickpeas until it becomes a flour like consistency, which is what I do, but I believe you can also buy it at health food stores.
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 2 tsp garlic powder (or more, it's up to you)
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper (like it super spicy? Add more!)
• 2 tsp paprika (seems like a good amount, but hey it's your food!)
• 1 TBS nutritional yeast
• 1 TBS breadcrumbs
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 1 Cup almond milk (or any other non-dairy milk that you prefer)
• 2 TBS vegan butter (I use SmartBalance Light with Flaxseed Oil)
• 1/4 Cup Franks Red Hot (I have yet to try it with the Franks Buffalo Sauce but am definitely going to try it soon)
• 1/4 Cup your Favorite BBQ Sauce (Assuming you want a variety of flavors for your Vegan waaangs :)
• 1/2 Cup Vegan Ranch (Because I use a lot, you may need less - I use Follow Your Heart Brand)
• 3-4 Green Onions - cut small 
• 2 Celery Stalks - cut into stix
• 1 red bell pepper - cut into stix (or Broccoli is good too!)
• 2 TBS oil (I use grape seed but olive oil works)

Process: (Sorry I don't have step by step photos - maybe one day :)

1. Wash and cut your cauliflower and set aside
2. Wash and cut your raw side veggies and place in water in the fridge
3. In medium mixing bowl add Chickpea flour, Cornstarch, Garlic Powder, Cayenne Pepper, Paprika, Nutritional Yeast, Breadcrumbs and the Salt/Pepper. Whisk until evenly mixed and set aside
4. Turn your oven on BROIL. I don't know if this is unconventional or not but this is how I do it :)
5. Add Almond milk to the Chickpea Flour mixture and whisk until combined to create batter.
6. Grease baking sheet or large pan (that can go in the oven) with your Oil
7. Dip cauliflower pieces into batter and completely coat each one and gently tap off any drippys or extra but it should be pretty thick to cover each piece.
8. Place wings on cooking pan/ baking sheet/ whatever you have and make sure they are not touching each other
9. Broil in oven for 15-20 minutes until the side touching the pan is completely crispy, dark golden brown and then flip each one and put back in the over for another 10-15 minutes. BUT PLEASE monitor your cauliflowers!! I am a bit of a haphazard cooker and don't always pay attention to exact times, these are my estimates, so please breathe and be mindful :) #YogiChef
10. While wings bake...Get your sauces ready. You'll need two saucepans if you're doing the 2 flavors, 1 TBS of Butter in each.
11. As soon as your wings look brown and crispy to your liking take them out of the oven. Turn your burners on and melt the butter than add your Franks to one and BBQ to the other mix well then toss your wings in your sauces.
12. Plate with your raw veggies and side cup of ranch topped with green onions. And a nice salad goes good too :)
13. Be Blissful in Buffalo. Mmmmmm. Shhhhh. Quiet now. Just eat.

 Thanks for reading!! Let me know how it goes for you!! Much love!! Peace!!