Beach Yoga

BEACH YOGA began YESTERDAY (Sunday), and it was beautiful!! But, because of a slow start, I'm going to just teach Thursdays and Sundays until Fathers Day weekend. So hope to see you all this Thursday, 7am, on 41st Street Beach! 

Noble Rot

Noble Rot is a beer from Dogfish Head that I have been DYING to try! I first read about it in Food + Wine magazine, so when Rochelle brought an ice cold bottle of this over last night I was jumping for joy. I could tell you all about it, but I think that the synopsis on Dogfishes' website does it justice:

Hmmm. We wonder if anyone will buy a beer with the word "rot" in the name?

This saison-esque science project gets complexity and fermentable sugars from two unique wine grapes sourced with our friends at Alexandria Nicole Cellars in Prosser, Wash.

The first addition is unfermented juice, known as must, from viognier grapes that have been infected with a benevolent fungus called botrytis. This noble rot reduces the water content in the grapes while magnifying their sweetness and complexity. The second is pinot gris must intensified by a process called dropping fruit, where large clusters of grapes are clipped to amplify the quality of those left behind.

"This is the absolute closest to equal meshing of the wine world and the beer world thats ever been done commercially," says Dogfish's Sam Calagione.

Noble Rot is brewed with pils and wheat malts and fermented with a distinct Belgian yeast strain. It has a spicy white wine body and a dry, tart finish.

This is a spectacularly unique and delicious beer - which tastes particularly great after a hot day. Buy a bottle, no - SEVERAL bottles, and enjoy with good friends.

Summer Days

Was out of the house at the crack of dawn and surfed for a solid hour with my friend Marc @ the south side of the 59th street pier in OC. I was super grateful that he guilt tripped me into getting out of bed, because the waves were perfect and we were the only two in the water. I jetted out of the water and sped down to 9th street to teach my 8am vinyasa. I only had 3 people in class, a big drop from last weeks crowded room, but hopefully it'll pick back up come the full swing of summer. After my class I had to substitute a class in Margate at 10am. On the way home I figured that I'd check the waves, even though I knew that they wouldn't be that good. In Jersey you have a small window of opportunity to get good waves. I'd surfed the HIGH tide at the CRACK of dawn...and magically when I got to the beach at dead LOW in the middle of the afternoon, it was still perfect. Magic! That NEVER happens! Surfed the waves all by myself for well over an hour and then passed out on the beach. No caffeine, no food, and a full morning - I was beat up. Woke up nearly two hours later (so much for just closing my eyes for a minute...) with a gnarly sunburn on my whole backside. Oops. Got home and am now enjoying a (fresh) clam feast with my family: Mom, Dad, Brad and Ro. Clams casino, clams on the half shell and steamers. Boom. Life is good and I am GRATEFUL for having a night off. Hug your families and tell them that you love them....

Wave Sliding Wednesday

Yesterday was a glorious day from start to finish. Taught my 9:30am flow class at the Ocean City Zen Den {922 Asbury Ave} and had 9 beautiful women in class. It was especially great because my friends Bridget, Kaitlin and Megan were able to come - and probably for the last time until Fall {they all work round the clock in the summer}. There were some new faces in class: Erin and Jess, and some previous (amazing) ZenDenners: Shelby and Angela, and then a special surprise were my friends Brooke and Lorraine (Brookes mama) who happened to be in town. Beautiful, magical morning. 

After class Bridget, Megan, Kaitlin and I headed to my favorite place in the worlddddd (or should I say favorite cafe in New Jersey?): Who's on 1st Cafe. It is simply the BEST, and Mila (the most spectacular beautiful kind and wonderful Barista) was working which always is a plus.  We had 3 lattes and I had the most spectacular grilled cheese with asparagus on it and fresh pesto. Holy shitballs, it was ammmmazingly finger-licking-good. 

I had my board with me...which has been no easy task . As soon as the girls left the cafe, I got a text from a friend saying that the waves were super fun. It was pouring rain, but the air was warm and I had my wetsuit in the truck. I headed to Delancey and surfed for over 2 hours with just 3 other guys out. Wave after wave after wave after wave....nose ride after nose ride. The rain maintained a steady downpour throughout the session, but that couldn't shake the smile from my face. There is nothing, truly nothing, that beats a surf session like that...where your whole body and soul just seems to be in alignment with the universe. Hallelujah.

After surf I headed to my friends Jay + Marthas house to use their outside shower and to hang out for a bit. Martha has two art shows coming up so it was great to get a peek into her studio and see what she's been working on. All of her artwork is inspired by her travels in Europe this past winter with her husband, and she's also painted me playing music into one of the pieces! 

I still had some time to kill before I headed to the Zen Den (in Margate) for my 5:30pm Yin, so I bopped in and out of a few thrift shops, picking up some treasures. Taught Yin and then headed to Northfield to teach my third class of the day: another Yin class @ Living Well Holistic and CrossFit Center. Living Well is owned and operated by Dr.Adonis Alejandro, an amazing chiropractor and CrossFit coach. I love Living Well, I love Dr.Adonis,  I love all of his CrossFit clients and I love teaching Yin here. After class we went back to Chris Paisleys house for a late "paleo" dinner (grilled steaks and lots of vegetables). I did some thai massage on everyone, Dr.Adonis did some adjustments on my body - working specificially on my meniscus and hamstring, and all around it was just a mellow ending to an amazing day.

Beach yoga starts this Sunday, and I have a lot of amazing classes planned for this weekend - so I hope to see you!! 

Memorial Day Madness

...And so another summer in South Jersey begins! My many odd jobs remain the same {more or less} : waitressing (but at a new restaurant, Sunset Pier), teaching yoga (just a lot more than the previous 3 beach classes), singing (at the same 3 spots: Dead Dog, Buschs and Stone Harbor Golf Club), personal catering (for the same wonderful family), Thai Massage, and freelance graphic design. I've removed cleaning houses from the repertoire, because quite frankly it sucks. The money is good, but it drains my energy and my soul!! So that's how I've been able to add in several more classes. Honestly: this was the longest, most painful Memorial Day weekend that I can remember. All of my jobs were great, and I love Sunset Pier, but this was the first summer that I've gone into after a winter at home. Usually I fly home the DAY BEFORE Memorial Day Weekend from wherever I was overseas, and I hit the ground running. I'm excited to work, excited to be home, and excited to replenish my funds (because at this point I already have the next travels planned, and only have to be home for 4 months before jetting off again). A long winter home, and no promise of spending next winter away...well, I just didn't have the same 'umph' that I usually have going into the start of summer. All throughout the weekend I had customers at the restaurant ask me what school I go to, because clearly anyone who waitresses must be a student right?? {I am a pretty easygoing person, but this question really irks me!!}. When I tell them that this is my life: work work work work for four months and then plaaaaaayyyyyyy, the response is always the same: "Well, what do you DO when you travel?". I believe that this is what's wrong with most travelers, particularly with American travelers. They always have to go for someTHING, or someONE, to experience a certain place or sight. I can't really tell you what it is that I do, because when I'm traveling I just am. I just relax into the present moment, enjoy my present company, and just take each day as it comes with all that is has to offer. I can describe my travel experience as satori...

A story about SATORI:

When I was reading OSHO's "Tantra" last night he told an anecdote about Satori that I really would love to share. It's long, but it is a beautiful story that I hope you read, digest and enjoy:

In my childhood I used to go early in the morning to the river. It is a small village. The river is very, very laxy, as if not flowing at all, and in the morning when the sun has not yet arisen, you cannot see whether it is flowing, it is so lazy and silent. In the morning when there is nobody - the bathers have not come yet - it is tremendously silent. Even the birds are not singing, in the early morning, no sound, just a soundlessness pervades. And the smell of the mango trees hangs all over the river. 

I used to go there, to the furthest corner of the river, just to sit, just to be there. There was no need to do anything, just being there was enough; it was such a beautiful experience to be there. I would take a bath, I would swim, and when the sun rose I would go to the other shore, to the vast expanse of sand, and dry myself there under the sun, and lie there and sometimes even go to sleep. 

When I came back, my mother used to ask, "What have you been doing the whole morning?" I would say "Nothing", because, actually, I had not been doing anything. And she would say, "How is it possible? For hours you have not been here, how is it possible that you have not been doing anything? You must have been doing something." And she was right, but also I was not wrong.

I was not doing anything at all. I was just there being with the river, not doing anything, allowing things to happen. If I felt like swimming - remember if I felt like swimming - I would swim , but it was not a doing on my part, I was not forcing anything. If I felt like going into sleep, I would go. Things were happening, but there was no doer. And my first experiences of satori started near the river; not doing anything, simply being there, millions of things happened. 

But she would insist, "You must have been doing something." So I would say, "Okay, I took a bath and dried myself in the sun," and then she was satisfied. But I was not, because what happened there in the river is not expressed by the words I took a bath; it looks so poor and pale. Playing with the river, floating in the river, swimming in the river, was such a deep experience. To simply say, "I took a bath" makes no sense, or just to say "I went there, had a walk on the bank, sat there.", conveys nothing at all. 

If whatsoever you have been living can be conveyed by words, that means you have no lived at all. 

And so SATORI is my state of being when I travel. Every day is magical and can't really be expressed in words, or else it would sound like nothing at all. But for all of those customers that need an answer, I tell them I jumped off a waterfall, or swam in a lake, or ate some exotic food. And they smile at me, sometimes in awe or jealousy or confusion, and I smile to myself because I know how wonderful the moment truly was. 

Coffee. A proper, delicious, hand crafted, strong cup of coffee. Hallelujah. 

Was super grateful to spend the morning with my Dad today while he enjoyed his breakfast

Put the cap on my truck today so I can store all of the necessities for my 20 jobs....

Putzing in the garden. 

Zen Den OC Epicness!

  

So....the turnout to The Zen Den's new studio in Ocean City has been amazing!!!!! The new spot on 922 Asbury Avenue is perfect! The entrance is down the alley way which makes it cute, quaint and best of all - quiet! I had nine amazing friends come out to class on Friday, and I had a dozen students this morning (most of which were people that I didn't know...yeeewww for new friends!). Tomorrow I teach at 9:30am and I'm already looking forward to it! Thank You, Thank You to everyone who came out to my classes this weekend: Jennifer, Lara, Michelle, Leslie, Susan, Martha, Katy, Jill, Marybeth, Rochelle, Chris, Shelby, Collette, Katie, Toula, Lori, Lisa, Christine, Garrett, MaryEllen, and Kelly. It's going to be a great summer!

This has been my motto since I was a kid...and it's paid off  :)

Come and check out a class at the *NEW* Ocean City Zen Den @ 922 Asbury Ave!

USA Yoga.

I fought it and I fought it - and then I finally broke down and bought myself some damn (expensive) Lululemon yoga gear. It's super expensive, but considering that I spend most of my day, everyday, in yoga clothes - well, it breaks down to costing pennies per each wear. Around here you mostly see Lulu stuff in the classrooms, but in when I was in Encinitas at Yoga @ Bergamot, I noticed that most people were wearing Beyond Yoga. Most yogi's seem to be pretty brand loyal - they are Lulu wearers or BY wearers (or theres the few that really don't give a shit and are probably thinking to themselves right now "Who is Lulu?"). I decided to do some research and this is what I discovered: Lululemon is actually a Canadian brand - which started out small with just one factory in BC but now most of their clothing is made overseas (China, Taiwan, South Korea, Peru, Israel, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam).  I do love Lulu, and I know that they are taking the time to inspect and audit their factories and making sure that there workers are treated well. BUT, Beyond Yoga is made here - in the USA...which is very rare for nearly everything that we surround ourselves with (Bananas from Costa Rica, Dog Food from China, Car Parts from Japan, Clothes from Cambodia...). And, since the price is nearly IDENTICAL, I would much rather fork over my dough for something American made, after all that is why the damn yoga pants are so expensive to begin with. Why is Lulu's so expensive if they are manufacturing overseas? Probably because of the insane amount of advertising that they do. If it's going to be made abroad then I would rather less advertising, cheaper prices. Anywho, just some food for thought for any of my fellow yoga-clothes-crackheads out there. I just bought a few things from Beyond Yoga and can't wait for their arrival.....

Lululemon Wunder Under Crop $68 - $78 : Made in Cambodia

Beyond Yoga Gathered Legging $48 - $68 : Made in the USA

Ocean City.

So as you all know, I'll be teaching a fair bit in Ocean City. My beach yoga classes are in their 4th year, and it will be my first year teaching at the Zen Dens new location, as well as being one of the four instructors at this years Yoga on the Pier. When I went to Ari's SWEAT class yesterday, one of the women, whom has taken a few of my classes, approached me for some chitchat. I told her that I was super excited to be starting classes in OC, and she responded with a "Well, good luck. Just so you know, that town is very religious..."  Her words sat with me all through class. It took me a while to figure out what exactly she was saying. And then I realized that she was kind of warning me to "tone it down"...leave out the "shitballs" and "motherfuckers". It made me anxious at first, thinking of how I'd have to tone down who I am...censor and whatnot. The thoughts stayed with me as I taught my own Yin class at the Zen Den after Aris. And the more it sat with me, the more that I realized that I will always be the 'shitballs' and 'motherfucker' yoga teacher, because quite frankly that's who I AM. Two of my regular students, who never-miss-a-class, are two of the most religious people that I have ever met. And they have told me that my classes have helped them to feel a closer connection to God...more close than they have ever felt before. So in order for me to teach an authentic yoga class, that is true to me and true to the yoga that I live - then censoring and toning it down just doesn't make sense. Sure, there are some square, conservative people out there who might not like my class - but that's the beauty of having an array of yoga instructors. It's like the perfect pair of jeans -- you have to try a bunch on before you find a pair that makes you look amazing, feel amazing, and you want to wear every.single.day.  What works for one person spiritually, physically and emotionally won't work for another. So, I'm sure I'll offend a person or two in Ocean City - and they are more than welcome not to return to my class (though I surely Hope that I don't offend anyone! It's not my aim). But I know for a fact that my authentic, from-the-heart approach to teaching will connect with a few, and that is a beautiful thing. So, if you don't like F*bombs then maybe my class isn't for you, and that's okay. Until then, namaste motherfuckers...I love you all! 

I am one of the 4 instructors at this years summer Yoga on the Pier. You DO NOT want to miss this amazing event!!!

Shiitake Tacos.

I try not to eat much meat, and if I do, I try to be sure that it's something my parents killed. In the fridge I had a package of shiitake mushrooms so I figured that I'd make some Shiitake Tacos. 

Ingredients:

One package of Shiitake mushrooms (there were about 20 mushrooms)

1/2 vidalia onion

1 clove garlic

salt + pepper

Red cabbage

Sprouts (I used alfalfa)

Avocado

Cilanktro Hank Sauce

Blue Corn Tortillas

I sliced the shiitake mushrooms and onions and sauteed them with salt, pepper and garlic til they were good and cooked. In another pan I cooked up Blue Corn Tortillas. 

Assemblage: 

Tortilla + Thinly sliced red cabbage + avocado + Sprouts and then a generous dousing of Cilanktro Hank Sauce. Boom. EPIC. Meaty (without the meat) and totally delicious. 

Dog Sitting...

...is so much better than baby sitting!!! Haha. But really, Barley is the bestest dog in the whole world. I was SO stoked when Bridget said that her and John were headed to Philly for a wedding and needed me to dog-sit. We had a fun time running around outside in the afternoon and then crashed pretty hard and cuddled on the couch. Life is good.

Family Day on the Back Bay.

Blackberry Mint Julep

I LOVE THAT IT'S ALMOST SUMMER!! After living in Costa for a few years I have grown accustomed to HOT weather, like 90degrees-in-the-morning type hot. Thank GOD it was a mild winter, otherwise I would have lost my damn mind, or just turned into a depressed drunk. Ha! Speaking of cocktails: my favorite thing about summer is not the beach, not the shoobies, not the madness...but hanging out in my parents back yard, grilling, eating and drinking and laughing. We are professionals. And better yet, I love being able to throw on one of my (3,000) dresses. I hate clothes, and I don't know how to dress for the cold. So summer time is MY time. Last night I made a spread of: 

• Blackberry Mint Juleps
• Grilled Summer Squash w/ Bagna Caruda + Fried Capers
• Grilled Broccoli with Lime Butter and Parmesan
• Dill Biscuits
• Smoky Eggplant Anco-Spread
• Grilled Shrimp + Scallop Skewers

and some plain rice. 

I'll post all of the recipes at another time, but for now I'll just focus on the Blackberry Mint Juleps. I have been obsessed lately with classic cocktails - with a little twist. Traditional Mint Juleps are Bourbon, simple syrup, and muddled mint. I kept that recipe the same but added on some muddled blackberries, used agave nectar and a bit of powdered sugar instead of the simple syrup, and topped them with a splash of club soda so we weren't just sipping straight bourbon. Good times on the regular. 

Letting Go.

I really needed Ari's yoga class this morning. Physically I've been feeling horrible, which in turn has me feeling a bit down. My joints have been aching - mostly my hands (knuckles, wrists), elbows, and knees. Then there was the whole drama in Avalon with my job. And, something that always weighs heavy on my mind, my Dad. Ari's class was still super challenging, but she added a lot of forearm postures into the mix as well as a forearm stand, which my wrists and I were very grateful for. Knowing that I've been holding onto a good amount of anger, frustration and sadness, Ari started out with a little story to start our practice - which I held with me throughout my practice {and even after!}. I found a version of it online, and it goes like this:

Life offers up a heavy load to carry....Let Go.

Two monks, going to a neighbouring monastery, walked side by side in silence. They arrived at a river they had to cross. That season, waters were higher than usual. On the bank, a young woman was hesitating and asked the younger of the two monks for help crossing the river. He exclaimed, 'Don't you see that I am a monk, that I took a vow of chastity? I cannot help you woman.' "I require nothing from you that could impede your vow, but simply to help me to cross the river,' replied the young woman with a little smile. 'I can do nothing for you,' said the young monk. 'I will help you' said the elderly monk. 'Climb on my back and we will cross together.' Having reached the other bank, the old monk put down the young woman who thanked him in return. She went on her way and both monks continued their route. The young monk complained and carried on, scolding the elder monk saying, 'You shouldn't have carried that woman on your back. I cannot believe it! It's against our rule!.' 'This young woman needed help and I put her down on the other bank. You didn't carry her at all, yet she is still on your back,' replied the older monk.

LET GO. That is the lesson of the story here. Though the young monk never once held the woman, he was still carrying her - all the way from the river to the monastery. What is it that you are carrying with you? I always say if something isn't lifting you up - then its dragging you down. If something or someone does not serve you physically, emotionally or spiritually - then LET GO. And so my mantra during savasana was:

I let go of my anger, there's nothing I can do to enlighten her. 

I let go of my sadness, holding on to it doesn't help him. 

I let go of my physical pains, they are only temporary. 

I let go of anything that doesn't lift me up. 

I am vulnerable, I am available, I am celebrating.

I left class feeling much lighter than when I walked in, having gotten rid of all that I've been carrying around with me lately. Big gratitude to Ari Green for another enlightening and uplifting class, and to all of the yogi's that I share the classroom with every week.

Not Today.

I have been OBSESSED with Game of Thrones, a series on HBO. It's a fantasy/medieval show that is totally addictive. Season Two is on right now and they're about half way through it. I only starting watching a few weeks ago, and for two days I holed up on the couch and did nothing but watch back episodes. This series in an adaptation from the book series written by George Martin, which I've just ordered and cannot WAIT to devour! Mom and Dad love the series as well, and since I love beating things that I enjoy to death (Twilight, which I've watched a thousand times...), I've watched each episode at least twice. Dad has a hard time following along and remembering so he's always game for a repeat episode with me. Our favorite quote we've taken from it...? Little Arya was working with a swordsman and he said to her, "When death comes knocking at
your door, you respond NOT TODAY". So today we are at HUP, and when dad sat in his chair for his infusion he said, "Not Today". Amen to that!