I got really excited when I was doing some laundry and I saw a beach towel that isn’t too crazy that has about the right texture to use for yoga. I have a yoga towel! Woo hoo! I have packed a bag for yoga so I try showering after. I didn’t shower yesterday and I felt grimy and a little cold as I left. With all that sweat, showering seems like a more pleasant alternative. And I think I have time to shower and get home to do kid lunches and get them out the door. I can be home by 8am. I still feel a little shy as I go into Moksha. I have my new mat which I removed from the paper wrap in the car so I don’t look “new.” I have my beach towel and my water bottle and my bag. I take my wallet out of my purse and leave it locked in the car so I can take my purse in and keep my Prius smart key there. I’ll have to figure this out. There are no lockers inside, so I need a system for my stuff that doesn’t feel awkward. I get into the studio and lay my mat down. I had a hard time hearing yesterday so I try to get a spot closer to the middle. It is warm but I am looking forward to my time on my mat. I am looking forward to the time lying quietly on my back. I want the quiet and I want to see if my body relaxes again. I lie down and as before, I notice my lower back being a bit uncomfortable as I lie down. I am conscious of the gap between my lower back and the floor. Five minutes later, the feeling is gone. I feel supported completely by the floor. I feel solid, held and relaxed on my mat. I am able to do a few more poses this time and I remember...
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I have looked everything up on the internet. I am feeling nervous. Is my body too heavy, are my knees too weak? Will I wake up on time? I get up at 5:45 and get there by 6:15 for a 6:30 class. I rent myself a mat and 2 towels for $5 and pay for my 21 day pass. I get a card that I can collect stamps for each time I come. I find out I can get prizes. That is fun. The teacher of the class is the one checking me in and she tells me, “Yoga should never hurt. Go at your own pace. If you feel too hot or you feel uncomfortable at any time, lie down on your back and your heart rate will return to normal.” This makes me feel better, knowing I can take care of myself. I go into the room. It doesn’t feel as hot as I expected. It is warm. I lie on the floor. It feels kind of hard and uncomfortable. I lie down and start breathing. I experiment with my knees down and my knees up. I think about my low back and don’t want to injure it. As I have been training, I have had to pay some attention to my low back as I do weights so I avoid an injury. As I lie on the floor and breathe, the discomfort leaves my low back as I melt into the floor. The class I have chosen says it is good for beginners. I feel awkward but I start to do some of it. And then I lie on the floor and then I do a little more of it. At one point the teacher brings me a strap. “Use this as an extension of your arms,” she says. Oh, that helps! By the end, I am on the floor trying to stay cool most of the time. It feels really hot in my body and I am sweating. I never...
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I have decided to do some yoga. A few years ago, I met the owner of a local hot yoga studio called Moksha Yoga, in Dundas, Ontario–about 5 minutes from my house. It stuck with me and I have been curious about it ever since. Recently I stopped working with the trainer I loved, and found myself suddenly at loose ends for exercise. I knew the studio offered a 21 day yoga pass for $30 and I decided to dive in and do it. I am a sucker for incentives and prizes and they offer a free month if you do 21 classes in 21 days so I decide to commit to this wonderful and challenging journey. I signed up. I’ll be writing about my journey and sharing it with you every day. I hope you will share your stories in the comments section. If you are curious, I suggest you join in for your own 21 or 30 day challenge. Many studios offer a 30 day challenge. Feel free to make it part of your practice to post a comment or share each day. Like what you are reading? Sign up for a free membership (Tire Kicker’s Membership) to the Crucible Bookii and be notified about new posts. Want to read all the content on the site? Sign up here for founding membership ($9.95 per...
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I have always loved the look of eggplant; when else do we get to eat a purple vegetable? Lured in by its shiny skin and intriguing shape, I used to bring an eggplant home from the market, admire it from afar, and eventually throw it away because I wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. Then I discovered this recipe, which has become my favorite way to eat eggplant (even though by now I’ve discovered baba ghanouge and other eggplant-based recipes!) This is a delicious accompaniment to grilled chicken or seafood. Ingredients: Extra virgin olive oil 1 medium or 2 small organic eggplants, sliced & quartered 1 clove garlic, minced 1 white onion, chopped 8 organic mushrooms, quartered 2 tbsp high quality balsamic vinegar Preparation time: About 25 minutes Heat the olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat until it is quite hot. Olive oil has a lower “flash point”–or temperature at which it will burn—than some other vegetable oils, so you don’t want it to be too hot for long. Add the eggplant. Let the slices cook well on one side and then stir them so they can cook awhile on the other side. When the eggplant is lightly browned on both sides, add the onion and garlic. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the eggplant is soft and fully cooked. Add the vinegar and stir. Add the mushrooms and cover again. Serve when the mushrooms are...
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Buying things over the years… All of us buy a variety of things over the years. My customer experience ranges from wild joy at what I have bought to complete disappointment. These items are the ones I love so much I feel like I have a relationship with them. They make my life better in a long term relationship, and I grow more and more fond of them every day. I hope you will share some of the things in your life you love. 1. Vitamix Blender We bought our Vitamix a few years ago when I decided our family should try eating “raw” for a month. My previous blender lasted about 20 days and then was done. I really wanted a Vitamix. I had seen one in my 20’s and knew I wanted it. When the old blender broke, I looked at Mel and said, “What will I do?” and he said, “We better go buy you a Vitamix today.” Vitamixes are fairly expensive and he got some real points for understanding how important it was for me. We found one, bought it and I have been infatuated ever since with both Mel and the blender! Mel is fond of saying, “We are part of the Vitamix family.” It came with a video and that is how they talk about their customers. Hokey as it is, I really like being part of the Vitamix Family! 2. Kindle I have a Paperwhite Kindle and although I am not absolutely sure it is the best possible e-reader, I love it so much. I love that it clears my house of the clutter from my voracious reading. 3. The Art Quilt that hangs on the wall and says “YES!” My friend Catherine Schuler made it and I bought it as she was hanging her art show. I look at it from my desk and it reminds me how I want to live my life. 4. Cutco Knives I got these when the boys were little. They were pricey...
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These DIY “sun”dried tomatoes were easier than I expected and more delicious! My “sun” dried tomatoes are made in the oven. Since they take such a long time in the oven, I recommend you fill the oven with as many cookie sheets full of them as possible. My oven has 3 racks, so I do 3 sheets at a time. I tried both the convection oven and the regular oven as well as a dehydrator. I preferred the convection oven over both the regular oven and the dehydrator but use what you have, they will still be great. I tried this with both beefsteak and roma tomatoes. The roma tomatoes were substantially better than the beefsteak tomatoes from a cooking perspective and were what I was expecting to like best. The beefsteak tomatoes had an unexpected sweetness and could almost be eaten as dried fruit. I am looking forward to using them for some creative cooking! They are delicious. From a time perspective the beefsteak tomatoes take hours more. When I removed the roma tomatoes from the oven, I put the beefsteak tomatoes in the dehydrator for another 16 hours. 20 Roma Tomatoes per cookie sheet or jelly roll pan Parchment Slice the tomatoes longways and place cut-side up on parchment on a cookie sheet. Cook on your oven’s lowest temperature overnight. I removed the stems from the tomatoes but didn’t cut out the stem core. Cooking time at 170 degrees was about 16 hours on the oven setting. About 14 hours on the convection setting. After cooling, I used ziplock bags to store them. I cut the used parchment to create layers of them so I can grab a couple of tomatoes at a time from the...
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