Laura Erdman-Luntz

What's for Dinner: Baked Olives

Originally uploaded by yoshiko314

I made this recipe for the Saturday Muse Meeting.  They were devoured! So, yummy!

• 2 c Kalamata olives
• 1/2 c red or white wine
• 3 T olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, 1 sliced, 2 minced
• 1 bay leave
• 1 t oregano or marjoram

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Rinse the olives if salty and put them in a baking dish large enough to hold them in a single layer.
3. Add the wine, half the oil, the sliced garlic, and the bay leaf.
4. Cover and bake until they are fragrant and swollen, about 45 min.
5. While they are baking,make the minced garlic and herbs into a paste. You can use a mortar or I just pressed them with the back of a spoon on a cutting board.
6. When the olives come out, if they are pitted, poke them with a fork, then stir in the garlic-herb paste and the remaining oil.

Baked Olives @ Group Recipes

Let Your Brain be Passive

Lately I have been reading BKS Iyengar’s classic, Light on Yoga.  It was the second book on yoga I ever bought, 17 years ago, and it is well-loved.  I always find it intriguing to pull the classics off the shelf.  What did I find fascinating or intriguing enough to underline last time? 

Anyway, in one of the first pages, Iyengar tells us that the brain must remain passive.  “During the practice of asana, it is the body alone which should be active while the brain should remain passive, watchful and alert.  If they are done with the brain, then you will not be able to see your own mistakes.”

I have been playing with that idea on the mat ever since.  I hadn’t realized just how active my brain was!  Constantly critiquing, assessing, (dare I say, “judging”?), evaluating, and also thinking about how I would teach my experience to a student.  So, my work right now is playing with quieting the brain on my yoga mat...allowing my body to lead.

(You can read of my journey through Mr. Iyengar's book on my blog: anandaville.  I am just getting started, would you like to join me?)

Join me on a yoga retreat

 

I am off to Costa Rica the first week of March for an amazing and restorative yoga retreat...come join me!

More information

What's For Dinner: Yummy Coconut Curry Sauce

White Rice
Originally uploaded by Brave Heart

I love this recipe!  I created it one night when I was craving the sweet taste of coconut curry.  I found a recipe but only had the following ingredients.  It was delicious!  And, so, a family favorite is born!

• 1T olive oil
• 1/4 t - 1 t curry powder (depends on the strength of your curry and how hot you want it.)
• 1/2 c coconut milk
• 1/2 c soup stock (I have used water before and then added salt. A tasty stock is better but the water was okay, too.)

1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet.
2. Add the curry powder and stir for 1 minute.
3. Add the coconut milk and the soup stock.
4. Heat.
5. Add put this over rice and golden tofu.
6. Seriously yummy!

Coconut Curry @ Group Recipes

Jaw Clenching

(98/365)
(Originally uploaded by lemonjenny)

Need some relief from tension in your jaw? Jaw clenching and teeth grinding can be exasperating habits since you often feel powerless to fix it. Since most clenching occurs unconsciously, it is much harder to make the change. The tension is particularly problematic when it leads to migraines or injuries to your teeth from grinding. Luckily, we have yoga!

We have an energetic connection between our jaw and a major muscle in our body, the psoas. The psoas muscle runs from the front of the lower vertebrae (the deepest part of your abdominal cavity), through your pelvis and attaches to your upper, inner thigh. (For more information about the psoas, you can read a previous post here.)

Another interesting aspect of the psoas is it is located in our fear center, the gut. If you have ever felt your stomach seize when you feel fear, that is your psoas you are feeling (along with your stomach doing loop-di-loops!). The connection between the jaw and the psoas means that when you grip the psoas, the jaw grips as well. The psoas often retains its tension unless you purposefully release it so the jaw also remains tense. Doing psoas relaxation exercises can improve the tension in your jaw.

Here is a series I did for a workshop I teach. I have suggested this recording to several students recently who have received significant benefits. One even said she is sleeping much better! At the very worst, you will be more relaxed so it is worth at try! Enjoy!

Psoas Relaxation

Feel Good Friday

Happy Friday, Everyone!

Finding Time for My Practice

Have you ever had the problem of not being able to fit your spiritual practice (whatever it may be) into your life?  My husband and I have noticed that when life gets crazy (as it often seems to be), our spiritual work is often the first to go.  Yet, interestingly, there is little that is more important than our spiritual work.  It is, in fact, why we are here on this earth. 

Over the past 8 years, since becoming pregnant with my first child, finding time for my practice has been a constant "battle".  (Perhaps not the most positive word, but the one that describes it best.)  I would cycle between gung-ho inspiration and then judgment when I "failed" again.  (Resonate with anyone?)

I had an interesting wake up call a few months ago.  The message was, "loving myself enough to take care of myself."  I had heard versions of this one before but this time I realized what it mean to me.  I wasn't loving myself enough to create the time for my practice.  Phew! 

Since I have been actively working on loving myself more (and worrying about my practice less).  I began Louise Hay's suggestion, telling myself "I love you."  Really!  I look in the mirror, directly into my eyes, and lovingly say, "I love you, Laura".  The first few times were incredibly awkward.  I would like to say the awkwardness came from talking to myself, but I do that alot.  No, the awkwardness came from saying those words to me.  Now I am pretty darn good at it and even wink!  :-)

I also began a practice that comes from my spiritual path.  It is called, "Practicing the Presence."  I imagine I am with my spiritual guide all the time.  You can imagine being with God, Jesus, the Buddha, whatever spiritual great you have in your life.  I have also heard of others using people who loved them unconditionally in their life such as a parent or grandparent.  When you imagine yourself with someone who loved you, you love yourself more.

Now that I feel more love for myself, I am not as hard on myself and although I still find it hard to create time for my practice, I do know I am getting closer...

Birthday Musings

Once I lived in a group house that had a fabulous tradition.  When it was someone’s birthday, those at the birthday dinner asked the celebrant one question about the previous year and one about the upcoming year.  I still love the tradition and thought I would muse the most common questions we asked for myself:

 

Last Year:

 

What was my best experience?  I just returned from my first 2-week vacation in 15 years.  Ahhh...I highly recommend it!

 

What was my greatest challenge?  Learning how to receive...interesting how challenging that is for me in certain areas of my life.  I feel so responsible for everything...I forget I can just be the recipient sometimes...

 

What was my most embarrassing moment?  I didn’t have one!  Really!  I don’t embarrass very easily!

 

What do you wish you had done?  Things I wish I had said, but didn’t.  Things I said and wish I hadn’t...I have a few of those this year.  Fifth chakra rears its head!

 

 

Next Year:

 

What are you most looking forward to:  This is the first day of the best year of my life so far...really.  I have many new exciting things planned and I am looking forward to how it unfolds...

 

What are you committing to doing?  I am committing to self-care, perhaps even extreme self-care.  As a part of that commitment, I am going to up my yoga practice and take my body where it hasn’t been before.

 

What will be your greatest challenge?  Overcoming the momentum of the old consciousness.

 

What do you want to say you did by September 23, 2010?  I learned how to flow more with life, more relaxed, and having even more fun than I am having now!

Inspirational Words

A Thought: Feeling Secure

          

I taught forward folds tonight in class.  We worked on strongly using the legs and core to support the body, especially the back.  Using a block between the thighs in Tadasana and carrying it into Uttanasana helps engage just the right muscles.

The insightful comment from one of my students was, "I feel so secure in the forward fold this way."  YES!!  You feel secure because you are strong in your foundation (which are your feet and legs in this case.)  The stronger you are on your feet the more you can "lean out" over your feet without feeling a strain (as I am in the photo.)

The stronger you are in knowing who you are, the more you can "lean out" over your base and still feel strong.  The stronger your foundation, the greater you can grow.  Use your yoga practice to gain a stronger foundation.  Use your standing poses and really work your feet and legs and just feel how much stronger you become...