yoga

You are the Sky, a practice to reveal the peace that already resides within you.

| Liz Thomas

Practice being the sky. Look up, breath in. 

Using the process of sense withdrawal, known as pratyahara, one of the limbs in the 8 limbs Yoga. 

Use this script to help develop a witness consciousness, an empowering practice to help us understand our true nature.

Be comfortable and breath slowly particularly on exhalation. an extended exhalation creates the relaxation response in the body. Notice all your senses as they take in the information, furthest sounds, the temperature, the textures of your clothes, scent in the room, close your eyes softly and withdraw from them and notice sensation in the body. Bring attention to any tingling, pain, comfort and any other sensation in the body. Move your attention away from this sensation to watch the breath move in and out of the body, in through the nose and out through the nose, relaxed one, natural, move away from attention from the breath knowing if discomfort or distraction does arise you can slow the breath by focus on a long exhalation. Notice your thought, watch it pass like clouds across the vast expanse of sky, allow thought without getting caught up, be kind to yourself should you find yourself attached, perhaps use a breath to let the thought pass. Rest now in silence and pure consciousness for 10-30mins.

Namaste

Liz

  

All your Veg Asian Slaw with Cashews and Crunchy Noodles

| Liz Thomas

 

 
The most delicious way to get your veg is to make a dressing that is hot, salty, sweet and sour. Fresh lime, chilli and ginger are the champs in this salad: chop it all up and stir it through the salad veg and voila! It tastes like a cross between a Thai and Vietnamese salad.

Clean out the crisper with this one. You can use any crunchy veg sliced up fine in any combination. Make up a huge container it stays crunchy for days without the dressing. You will look forward to your lunch everyday.

I used the leftovers of this salad to make a delicious kimchi-like wild ferment mmmm

Inspired by the recipe on the back of the noodle packet, this version is punked right up with big flavours. Enjoy making your own versions with whatever you have on hand. The most important part is to get the balance to your liking in the dressing which depend on the sweetness in your lime and the heat in your chilli, so taste it before you dress it.

lovely on its own or even better with some tofu marinated in soy, fivespice powder and seasame oil.

Salmon grilled, sliced steak, prawns or chicken also make this into a wonderful meal. Even a can of tuna, for a work lunch, is a good match.

Ingredients

Fried Noodles, handful

Cashews, dry roasted in a warm pan for a few minutes

Zest of two limes

1/4- 1/2 wombok, chinese cabbage or any cabbage, finely sliced

10 cavalo nero, black cabbage, stripped from the stem, very finely sliced

1 red capsicum/pepper finely sliced

1 green capsicum/pepper finely sliced

1-2 cucumbers cut into strips

1-2 carrots sliced with a vegetable peeler nd cut on diagonal

1 cup coriander or vietnamese mint or lemon basil or combo, roughly chopped

optional red chilli finely sliced

Dressing

1 tespoon seasame oil

2cm knob of fresh ginger, if you keep your ginger in the freezer its easier to grate

1 clove of garlic finely grated

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1-2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce or fresh chilli & 1-3 teaspoons sugar

optional fish sauce

2 limes squeezed, plus lime wedges to serve

Method

  1. Mix all the veg and lime zest together and refrigerate until ready to serve.
  2. Put all dressing ingredients in a jar and shake, taste and adjust to your liking so the flavours are balanced.
  3. When your ready to serve assemble all ingedients in a bowl reserving some nuts and noodles for the top, mix thouroughly and taste and adjust for balance.
  4. Serve with lime wedges, nuts, noodles and any additional protein of your choice. MIX!

There you go Yogis! This is one of our recipes from Monday Munchies, a little sharing of food love after class, this one was requested by Julia. Love my yoga friends.

namaste 

Liz


Spelt Oregano Crackers

| Liz Thomas

Go simple, easy and natural. This easy, very loose “recipe” will alleviate the salt-max-out that usually accompanies already salty cheese. And if you have chosen one lovely cheese, instead of 5 factory plastics, then you will highlight its unique characteristics instead of having a salt sandwich!
Rough instructions for cracker bread: to about a cup of spelt or another yummy whole organic flour, add some seeds like nigella, sesame, linseed, poppy etc say 2-3 tablespoons, large handful of oregano leaves (or other herb), good teaspoon of chilli salt or some other mineral rich salt, 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, and slosh of water. Keep adding small amounts of water and oil until it comes together. I refrigerated for an hour but that because I was going out! Otherwise roll it out to 2-3mm thickness and bake at 200 degrees Celsius for approx. 20mins. Keep an eye on it though. Delicious and very impressive for you party this silly season. mmmmmmm
Thanks to my fellow foodie friend Jan for the inspiration.

Namaste
Liz

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Fennel and Apple Salad

| Liz Thomas

A refreshing salad treat, ideal with fish.
This is the easiest recipe without doubt. If you have a mandolin it takes about a minute to prepare. I don’t really recommend making this more than a couple of hours ahead because both the fennel and apple will brown after a day even with the lemon juice on it.

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Ingredients
Fennel with its tops
Sweet apple like a pink lady
lemon juice
option parmesan cheese
Method
Finely slice fennel bulb and apple
dress with lemon juice and sprinkle the finer fronds from the fennel tops over the top
Option grate parmesan cheese with a potato peeler and sprinkle on top
eat

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