Shatkarmas and Snot Rockets

Yesterday I taught my TT's about the Shatkarmas, or "Six Actions", which are kriyas designed to cleanse and purify the body. My favorite one to teach is how to use the (jala) Neti pot. We were laughing all afternoon, and the best were the lessons "bloopers". I wish that I had been filming....

Those shatkarma which effect purification of the body are secret. They have manifold, wondrous results and are held in high esteem by eminent yogis.
(Hatha Yoga Pradipika 2:23)

1. Neti: nasal cleaning, including jala neti and sutra neti.

2. Dhauti: cleansing of the digestive tract.

3. Nauli: abdominal massage.

4. Basti: colon cleaning.

5. Kapalbhati: purification and vitalisation of the frontal lobes.

6. Trataka: blinkless gazing.

Cailin Callahan

www.cailincallahan.blogspot.com

Rainy Day Red Bean Chili

-1 16oz bag of Pinto Beans (red beans)
-Fresh Herbs: sage, rosemary, thyme, parsley (or cilantro)
-1 Onion (vidalia)
-2 Bell Peppers (red, yellow, orange or green), chopped into big chunks
-Garlic (the more the merrier!)
-1 jalapeño (optional)
-2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
-10 Roma tomatoes
-olive oil
-salt, pepper, cayenne, chili powder, cinnamon, cumin seeds, ground cumin

This recipe is my interpretation of one I came across by Jaime Oliver. He used canned beans and canned tomatoes for his, which if you're crunched for time then it's fine- but if you're going to do it, do it right...it's always better from scratch. Plus, it saves money and has better flavor ;) I was putzing around the house when it was pouring rain yesterday, so I did this recipe in pieces as I chipped away at my list of chores, and that's how I'll write it out...

*Beans: (or sub canned beans)
-Soak your beans overnight in water.
-Drain, rinse.
-Put in a pot, cover with water until the water is a few inches higher than the beans.
-A generous scoop of salt.
-Fresh thyme, rosemary, and sage.
-Bring to a boil. Cover. Cook til tender.
(Add more water if necessary)

Remove herbs. Drain
Set aside.

*Tomatoes: (or sub canned tomatoes)
-Cut tomatoes into quarters.
-Toss into skillet on med-low heat with a drizzle of olive oil.
-Season with salt and ground cumin. Be generous with the cumin, it's so delicious!
-Allow them to cook down and give them a good smashing and smooshing with your wooden spoon every now and again.

Both the tomatoes and the beans are great because once you start them you can just walk away and go about your putzing. I let the tomatoes simmer for nearly an hour, and the same with the beans. Easy peezy. You can even make these a day in advance if you want and just have them on stand-by.

*In your soup pot:
-generous drizzle of olive oil
-chopped onion, bell peppers and garlic (I like hearty, rustic chilis...so I chop the produce pretty big. If you want to you can dice it super small and bite size. Crests choice).
-caramelize
--add beans and tomatoes....then add water until it's a few inches above the chili

*In the oven:
- preheat to 400
- add peeled, diced sweet potatoes into a roasting pan
- drizzle with evoo
- season the shit outta them. You want to make them little bites of flavor. Lots of chili powder, garlic, salt, pepper, cayenne and CINNAMON.
- roast until tender

Add sweet potatoes into your soup pot of chili. You'll probably have to add more water to the pot at this point, again making sure that everything in the pot is covered with water. Season again- salt, cayenne, cumin, chili powder, cinnamon.

Variations:
-More fat? Add olive oil or a few scoops of ghee.
-More spice? Add in a jalapeño or more cayenne.
-Thicker? Scoop out a cup or two of the chili and purée in a blender or food processor and then add back to the soup pot.

If you want this more tex-mex, top with chopped cilantro, sour cream, and guacamole or sliced avocado. More traditional? Top with chopped flat leaf parsley.

It's soooooo freaking good, enjoy!

Rainy Day Healing.

I woke up at 5:30am, ready to conquer my VERY long 'to do' list. I rose, washed my face, brushed my teeth, neti'd, and then sat for pranayama and meditation. Okay- ready to kick ass and power through my list. First thing up: clean my room. The first thing that I went to tidy were my books. Now you should know- I hoard books. I love them. I wish that I could read all day long without getting tired eyes or having other obligations to tend to. Amazon and I are the best of friends, and 'he' sends me packages once a week...filled with books about spirituality, breathing, asana, and also bottles of Woodstock Almond Butter. Anywho, I order books that I know I won't have time to read, but I take comfort knowing that they are on my shelf-- ready for when I need them. Because that's the relationship that I have with books- they are there in the background, just ready and waiting- and when my mind is ready for them they jump out, demanding to be devoured. And so it was this morning with Blue Truth by David Deida. This book was recommended to me by one of my teachers during a Tantra training in India. Today was the day for it to be opened. Perhaps if I had opened it another day I would have put it down, gotten bored with it, or set it aside. But this morning as I sat on the floor and opened it up for a glance I simply couldn't put it down. I was frantically underlining nearly every sentence in the book, scribbling notes alongside, and marking my favorite lines with asterisks and hearts. I was crying, laughing, reading and re-reading. Needless to say, I didn't clean my room. But fuck it, it's MY room and I certainly don't mind the mess. Plus, I can always clean it tomorrow. Really though, noting on the list got done. I needed some time on my mat to digest all of the mornings reading. I was thankful that Stephanie Pazzaglia was teaching at our OC Zen Den. She's one of the new teachers and I dig her. Her classes are only an hour, they are straight and to the point without any fancy bells or whistles. She doesn't talk too much with the exception of some verbal cues and a reading at the end after savasana. I have taken her class a few times now and I love it because it allows me to get into MY body and have MY practice. Sometimes ill add a whole flow into one pose that she's instructed us into. I get to play with how MY body feels at that moment. The whole practice I do with my eyes closed and I so so enjoy the journey that I end up taking into myself.

I got home from class and figured that I've blown off my list thus far, why stop now? So I putzed in the kitchen, prepping and preparing food for whomever might walk through my door and need nourishing. In walks Lisa Mott. I'm not sure where to begin with Lisa, but she's a goddamn gift from above. Her knowledge of the physical body is endless. Add into that all of the understanding that she possesses of the emotional body and you have yourself a five star healer. Seriously though, I'm moved to tears when I think about how lucky I am to have come across her. She's not someone you go to for a measly massage to feel better or just feel good...you go to her to be *healed*, on both a physical and emotional level. We began working together because I had pain in my knee. After a "consultation" with her it turns out that my knee pain is caused by and reinforced by a weak core. Go figure! Also, my stance throws off nearly every limb in my body, and my shoulder pain is actually cause by a combination of deep seated grief and pain in the upper back (which she fixed through working on my armpit and side body). She is teaching me how to heal myself through rolling out [on foam rollers and balls], and she very patiently explains to me HOW and WHY this and that hurt, and best of all- how to fix it. True healing is a process, not a one stop shop. After years of visiting chiropractors, orthopedic doctors and holistic gurus...I'm grateful for Lisa.

If you have an ailment, ache, pain, or anything causing you discomfort- I would happily pass along Lisa's information. I feel like I want to sing and dance on the rooftop after my afternoon session with her. So grateful for her wisdom and full power healing hands and mind.

Shakti Yoga Journal

Sharesten Kerry is a good friend, an amazing healer and teacher. She is currently based in Colorado, though she's a woman of the world. To share her love and light she created Shakti Yoga Journal, a magazine jam packed with insight and inspiration. If you could take a second to pledge a few dollars to this endeavor it would be greatly appreciated. You can pledge $25 and receive a year subscription, though I pledged $108 and also received a beautiful handmade mala! Do it right now. ;)

Http://igg.me/at/shaktijournal

Fall Food....

It's freezing out!!! And the crisp weather of fall makes me crave warm fall foods. I was inspired by some of the flavors that I had been introduced to while in Italy, so I decided that the chilly weather was grounds for some experimentation in the kitchen! I made roasted red skin potatoes with fennel seeds and rosemary, faro with roasted veggies and white beans. All the dishes were a hit with my dinner guests and they offered up flavors that warm you to the bone. But the highlight of the night wasn't necessarily the meal....it was the breathtakingly beautiful sky as the sun was setting. Mother Nature is truly the greatest artist....

Roasted (Red Skin) Potatoes with Fennel + Rosemary:
6 medium red skin potatoes cooked (in microwave) and sliced (into wedges)
Salt
Pepper
Fennel seeds
Fresh rosemary
Olive oil (good quality!!!!!)
Roasted in the oven on 350 for an hour or until crisp.

Faro with Roasted Veggies:
3 cups faro (I cheated and used Trader Joes 10min Faro)
To the faro, I added diced, roasted....
-zucchini
-red pepper
-red onion
-fennel (not the bulb, but the stalks)
Season with salt, pepper, garlic and fennel fronds
Drizzle with generous amount of olive oil
Juice of one juicy lemon

Umbria-Inspired White Beans
16 oz bag of white beans (cannelini) soaked overnight
In a soup pot, sauté diced
-red pepper
-garlic
-red onion
And then add in soaked, drained white beans
Cover with water
Add tablespoon of salt, fresh sage, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme,
Bring to a boil and cook until tender
*add crushed red pepper to taste
Garnish with flat leaf parsley



Thanks to Central Italy for the inspiration!

Sale for Tayrona !

One week special sale on my Tayrona trip begins today and ends on October 15th. If you put your deposit down this week then you save $520 if you book with a friend, or $950 if you're traveling solo. Fresh juice, healthy meals, yoga, outdoor adventures in paradise..what more could a yogi ask for?!

Master Class

I'm teaching a 3 hour "master class" this Friday from 6-9pm at the Zen Den. We will dive deep into asana, pranayama and meditation, with the flow inspired by Ashtanga Yoga. No music, no craziness...just pure, unaltered yoga! It's $50 and you *must* pre-register with me (text, call or email me with your cell phone number as a confirmation).

200 Hour Teacher Training LOVE.

I am so obsessed with this group of trainees that Ari and I have for our 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training Certification. We have 16 *goddesses*. The energy in the group is fantastic, and everyone is so very eager to learn...to deepen their practice, their spirituality and their connection to the Divine. So, so, so in love. It is an eclectic mix of backgrounds, ages, and relationships to asana- which is what makes the group so *rich*. Yesterday, Faith (who is a chef down in cape may) brought us all quinoa salad (with sesame oil, fresh ginger, and fresh herbs!) and a finger-licking-good Lima bean hummus with local organic veggies. Kat is taking the time to make us a Facebook group, Carol lead everyone into a seated meditation, and Jackie had some great book recommendations for us. The sharing, the love and the camaraderie amongst the group is moving. I am so grateful to be part of such an amazing group. Another mind blowing addition is teacher Sarra Kaufman to the group. She is teaching the anatomy section to the students, but she offers so much more. I have more free time than I did this summer, so lucky me - I'm participating in this training not only as a teacher, but also as a student! I stayed for Sarra's anatomy lesson yesterday and was blown away by her introduction to such a (dry) subject. The body must be read as a whole....all the little pieces are what allow the bigger pieces to move; it's all connected. So she started out the lesson with a talk about Citta, showing us how it's all connected in the spiritual realm. I've never seen a teacher do this before and it was captivating. I have never seen an audience in "yoga anatomy" hanging on every word that the teacher said. Sarra wove in bits of Ayurveda as well, piecing all the fragments together to form a whole.

I'm looking forward to all of the learning that lies ahead....!

Come Away With Me....

...to the Caribbean coast of Colombia! Stay in a gorgeous villa in an Eco resort right on the beach! Enjoy 3 healthy meals a day plus fresh juice and smoothies along with yoga twice daily! December 2nd-8th. www.paraisoadventures.com

Zen Den Fall Schedule

Not Yet...

My dad loved the movie Gladiator....LOVED it. We must have watched it dozens of times over the years. In the movie, Maximus (the gladiator), has lost both his son and his wife. He carries around two little figurines of them and speaks to them in his prayers. 

Every morning I wake up and sit at my altar, just taking some time for silence before I start my day. Sometimes I sit for two minutes, and sometimes it's closer to two hours. I drift between silence and stillness, to contemplation and prayer. On my altar are some things that mean the most to me...a mala from India that I wore, a photo of my Dad, a statue of a peacock (symbolizing transformation and rising from the ashes) and hanuman (the monkey god who displays that anything is possible when moving from a place of pure love), and some crystals that I have been gifted over the years. In these peaceful moments of the morning I have been talking to my Dad. I tell him about my day, my life, my frustrations and my celebrations. I tell him about my relationships, my morning surf sessions and about what's on my mind. I always remind him that I love him and that I miss him- and I tell him that I know that I will see him again, just not yet. 

Italy was amazing for me, and it was the strongest that I have felt [emotionally] in a long time. It felt so empowering to do what I do best, in a beautiful place, and to be able to share that experience with my mom. When we arrived at the Colosseum in Rome we both got a bit weepy. We couldn't be there without thinking of Gladiator, which of course brought a bit of sadness to our hearts. In the movie he says to his wife and child...."I will see you again...but not yet...not yet..." As I held my mom outside of the colosseum, I heard her whisper this to my Dad...

And so here I am at the Mediums home. She is the one that my mom went to many months ago when she talked to my Dad. He had weighed in on everything from his experience in the after life to the colors that she was painting the walls. I sit here now, my throat tight with anxiety, sadness and excitement. I hope that my Dad is here. I reminded him this morning of the place and the time. I hope that he hears my morning rambles and today I suppose ill find out if he does. There's no expectations really, nothing that I need to know or questions that I have to ask. I guess I just want to make sure that he's happy, and that he's still around me....Wish me luck. 

Cailin Callahan

www.cailincallahan.blogspot.com

Autumn Stuffed Squash

A friend posted a picture of a squash stuffed with wild rice on Facebook, and it sparked my interest. I headed to Santoris, picked up some Acorn squash and meditated on it for a bit. I ended up with the following creation....a first attempt that was actually a super success!

Autumn Stuffed Squash (for 4)

-2 acorn squash
-1 cup quinoa (soaked and rinsed)
-2 cups chicken broth or veg broth
-5 spring onions
-1 small zucchini, diced small
-fresh sage
-large handful kale (sliced fine)
-sundried tomatoes
-cashews
-salt, pepper, garlic, red pepper flakes
-tahini
-lemon juice

1. Slice the acorn squash in half. Scoop out any seeds. Place in a roasting dish, face up. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic, and a touch of nutmeg. Drizzle with oil (coconut or olive) and pour 1/2 cup of chicken broth into the bottom of the roasting dish. Cover with tin foil and roast at 250 for about 2 hours. You want the squash to be tender, but not mushy.

2. After soaking (best if soaked overnight, but a few hours will do) and rinsing the quinoa, pour 1 1/2 cups chicken broth into pot with quinoa and bring to a boil. Hit it with salt and garlic. Boil for a few minutes then put it on simmer for 15 minutes with a lid covering it. Take it off the heat, cover the top of the pot with a papertowel, put the lid back on and let it sit for five minutes. Fluff with a fork. Season with some red pepper flakes.

3. In a skillet, sautée diced green onions, zucchini, kale, sundried tomatoes, sage and chopped cashews. Salt, pepper, garlic, red pepper flakes.

4. Toss quinoa and diced veggies together and then use this to stuff the squash.

5. Place this under the broiler or in the oven to warm and bring it all together.

6. The dressing: tahini, lemon juice, hot water (to thin it to right consistency), garlic, and salt.

Hit it with a dash of salt and serve a little salad alongside. Boom.

So damn delicious. Enjoy.

Quinoa Porridge

In the past I had posted a recipe for a lip-smacking quinoa porridge. This recipe I'm posting today is a bit different, made with quinoa *flakes*, and therefore has more of an oatmeal consistency. I was forced to create this because it turns out that I have a stomach ulcer (my nutritionist said that its probably from the emotional stress of this intense 2-year cleanse that I'm on, combined with the stress that the strict change made to my body...also,
Pepper in some stress of every day living...). He recommended that I add oatmeal and okra to my diet...two foods that will help coat and protect my stomach, helping the healing process. Oatmeal is out because I am (mostly) grain free and totally gluten free on this cleanse. So: quinoa (flake) porridge. You can buy these flakes at any health food store or online, and they even carry them at the Shoprite here in Marmora.

One cup hot water
1/3 cup quinoa flakes
Generous sprinkling of cinnamon
Pinch of Celtic sea salt
Drop of vanilla extract (alcohol free...Frontier makes a great one!)
Small scoop of Ghee (the healing properties are endless)
Sweeten with Xylitol

All you have to do is boil the hot water and pour it over top and the mix mix mix. Voila. You like thin porridge? Use more water. Thick? Use less. If you're not on the candida cleanse feel free to jazz it up with dried fruit or fresh fruit and some honey!