Tea for Me.

Kelly, hard at work.

The delicious, candida-friendly spread.

I looked at my friend the other day and started to cry. "Whats wrong, Cailin?", he said. And I responded, "I just want someone to make me tea...". Well, Kelly not only made me tea - but she made me dinner. With three small kids and a very busy life, she managed to make it to my workshop and then prepare me the most deeeeelicious (candida-friendly) spread. She used Gwenyth Paltrows amazing cookbook, "It's All Good" (I definitely need to add this one to my repertoire). She was texting me throughout the day asking "Can you have this? And how about this?", and as I continually apologized, she continually reassured me that it was NO problem and that she was super excited to cook for us. After the workshop we headed back to her house, tucked her kids into bed and enjoyed a peaceful dinner filled with conversation, conversation, and conversation. To cap off the evening...she made me tea. It was so nice to just sit and receive, and I went to bed last night feeling so incredibly grateful for my amazing friend and delicious meal. I woke up this morning feeling nourished - physically and emotionally. Sometimes all you need is someone to make you a cuppa tea....(or a kickass dinner!).

Food Restrictions

 

My friend Kelly is having me over for dinner tonight and I feel super obnoxious because she has to keep texting me to ask "can you have this?", "how about soy sauce?", "are almonds okay?". I've gone from being the girl who is open to eating absolutely anything, to being that girl with a thousand and one restrictions. Oye Vey. No one said that healing myself would be easy.....

Blueberry Ice Cream

I've been craving ice cream lately, and that is a major "no" on the Candida cleanse. So, I froze some blueberries (the only fruit that we are really allowed to eat on this diet).  

• One pint frozen blueberries
• One cup Kefir
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• Sprinkle of Stevia

Put it in a VitaMix and give it full power. You can eat it with a spoon or put it in a Popsicle tray and freeze it. So delicious, so nutritious. 

What is Kefir?

One dairy product that not only offers a wide range of vitamins and minerals, but also provides a variety of probiotic organisms and powerful healing qualities, is kefir (pronounced /kəˈfɪər/ kə-FEER).The word "kefir" is derived from the Turkish word "keif", which literally translates to the "good feeling" one has after drinking it.

 

Kefir is a fermented milk product that originated centuries ago in the Caucasus mountains, and is now enjoyed by many different cultures worldwide, particularly in Europe and Asia. It can be made from the milk of any ruminant animal, such as a cow, goat, or sheep. It is slightly sour and carbonated due to the fermentation activity of the symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast that make up the "grains" used to culture the milk (not actual grains, but a grain-like matrix of proteins, lipids, and sugars that feed the microbes). The various types of beneficial microbiota contained in kefir make it one of the most potent probiotic foods available.

Supply and Demand

My 4th of July headstand....

Apparently yoga on the beach is super awesome. So now I will be teaching TUESDAY and SUNDAY on 41st street beach from 7-8am in Ocean City. It's $10, (don't wear your bathing suit...yoga clothes please) and bring a yoga mat or towel. Namaste!

I CAME FOR YOGA!

My classes are not your typical class, that's for sure. I feel like they should actually come with a disclaimer. I've always been different...and at times I tried to hide it, to "fit in", but now I fully let my freak flag fly and after many years I finally feel 100% comfortable in my own skin, with who I am, with what I say, and with all of my actions. A vow that I'd made while in India studying this past winter was to honor that authentic being not just in my day to day life, but also in my classes....*GASP*. To be fully me in the everyday world is different than being fully me in a yoga studio - because people come through the door with an idea about what "yoga" is. Quite frankly, here in the West, people don't know dick about yoga. Period. End of story. They know Asana. They know Sweat Yoga. They know Power Vinyasa. When people ask me what type of yoga I teach I never know what to say....I teach Authentic Yoga. I teach All-Encompassing-Yoga. I teach Eight-Limb-Yoga. I knew that I'd upset some people with my teaching style, but I made a promise to myself that I would always honor my Satya and never stray. Well, this holiday weekend was interesting. It brought in people that usually wouldn't regular a yoga studio, and several who have a very vivid image in their minds of what "yoga" is. "Deep breath in, Deep breath out...you got this Cailin." I was yelled at about the studio running out of lender mats (we have a dozen!). I was hollered at about how crowded the studio was (if I could have manifested a bigger space then I would have!). And people stared me down when I told them that unfortunately the studio was full and we would hope to see them the following day. All of this and I hadn't even begun to teach yet! Oye Vey! .....

30 people in a small room, mat to mat, and you're bound to get heads in butts and elbows in armpits...it's just the way it is. I had someone freak out when I told everyone to touch the persons foot in front of them, and then yell at me as they stormed out of the room. Another interesting class was one where someone yelled at me, "I came here for YOGA!!!!". Well listen here, you came here for asana -- which you think is yoga -- alas, it is not. It is only a fraction of the whole. A slice of the pie. A drop in the bucket. Asana is only ONE of the EIGHT limbs that make up "YOGA". All in all, it was a super amazing and super fun weekend - with a few challenging moments and hostile individuals that instead of defeating my spirit were an amazing learning opportunity. I felt myself grow as a teacher and also as a individual as I met people who didn't appreciate the authentic me. When I got home today and checked my email, I didn't have one....no, not two...but THREE *very long emails* from students who passed through my classes this week - all singing praises and gratitude for my raw and amazing classes. So...deep breath in, deep breath out...you can't win em all! Stay True to You, all day - every day - because that's all that matters.

New Schedule!!

PAIGE...camped out in front of the studio so that she has a spot.She has given up her spot so that some newbies could try out the studio, but by day 3 she was ready to get there early and get her spot.....too funny to roll up on at 7 in the morning...

Hip Hop Vinyasa...HOLLA BITCHES.

So...to say that the classes at the Zen Den yoga studio in Ocean City have been "busy" would be an understatement. Every class this week we have fit the maximum capacity...30 people, and we have had to turn away dozens of saddened yogis. The solution? Add more classes. Duh. In addition to our regular schedule we will now be offering Wednesday and Thursday morning classes, 8-9am, led by yours truly. Which means that we now have 8-9am classes EVERY day of the week except MONDAYS. I have made some adjustments to my summer schedule, and I will *no longer* be teaching in Avalon except my Tuesday night 5:30pm class.

My summer schedule is as follows:

Mondays
9:30am-10:45am @ Margate Zen Den
6-8pm WORKSHOP SERIES @ Ocean City Zen Den
(*These are amazing and ALL levels, even if you've never done yoga before!)

Tuesdays
**New Addition* 7-8am @ 41st Street Beach, Ocean City ($10)
9:30am-10:45am @ Ocean City Zen Den
5:30pm-6:45pm @ Atilis in Avalon

Wednesdays
**New Addition* 8-9am @ Ocean City Zen Den
9:30am-10:45am @ Ocean City Zen Den
7:45pm-9pm YIN @ Living Well Holistic Center in Northfield

Thursdays
**New Addition* 8-9am @ Ocean City Zen Den

Fridays
9:30am-10:45am @ Ocean City Zen Den

Saturdays
8-9am @ Ocean City Zen Den
9:30am-10:45am @ Ocean City Zen Den

Sundays
7-8am @ 41st Street Beach Ocean City ($10)
*new time* 8:30am - 9:30am @ Ocean City Zen Den
*new time* 9:45am - 11am @ Ocean City Zen Den

Rebuilding.

I'm rebuilding my body from the inside-out. The longer that I am on this full power two year Candida Cleanse the more excited that I am about it. I feel totally empowered. After years of unanswered questions and frustrated visits to an array of doctors, it is so nice to know that my health is in my hands if I so choose to take charge. I have been reading *A LOT*, and there is a shit ton of information out there. It can be overwhelming. One blog will tell you that a certain food is OFF LIMITS, and another will tell you that it cured their candida infestation. When we were deciding how to approach my Dads health we made a choice to pick our path and stick to it. Well, I found this book - and it is now my Bible and I'm sticking to it. What I love most about the book is that it doesn't just tell you what to do, it explains to you (in "real people" terms) WHY. Hallelujah! Anyone looking to get a bit healthier would take away a ton of information from this book...and for anyone who suffers from candidiasis, worry not - this book has it all.

Farm Fresh

A huge bag of spinach cooked down with some garlic, cayenne and salt, topped with a venison burger and a farm fresh egg. Side of yummy garlicky zucchini. Boom. (Candida-friendly) Dinner of Champions. Who needs a burger bun? Not this girl.

Fierce Medicine

For the second day in a row we had to turn people away, with the room maxed out with 30 yogis, mat to mat. It was amazing. The love, the community...bliss- full blown bliss. I read an excerpt from Ana Forrests new book, Fierce Medicine. She writes about FEAR and it really resonates with me. She writes:

"...I decided to stalk my fear of heights. I'd perch on this tiny ledge high above a river filled with rocks. I'd stand there, at least twenty or twenty-five feet above the water, petrified, waiting for the fear to leave. But it never did- So I would jump anyway. I'd keep climbing up that ledge and jumping off five or six times, even though my heart hammered harshly in my chest. I realized the fear wasn't going to go away, but my paralysis within the fear would.

Sometimes I'd hesitate. I had this paradigm in my head: If I just stand here long enough, the fear will go away and I'll jump and I'll be fearless. That didn't happen. I discovered instead how not to be stopped by my fear. I tried stilling my fear by sitting down and breathing deeply, but that really wasn't all that helpful. After a while, I'd clamber all the way up and just jump right away so the fear wouldn't have time to build, the paralysis wouldn't deepen, and all the subterranean scary stories in my head couldn't bubble up. I didn't wait to feed the fear. I just took a deep breath, exhaled, and jumped. The fear was there, but it wasn't unmanageable. I'd believed that in order to do what I was afraid of, I had to get rid of the fear first, but that turned out to be only an idea, not the truth. You have to do something two hundred times before the fear will disperse. Are you still afraid of something? Just do it again. Do it again. Do it again.

1. Identify your fear.
2. Turn it around, hunt it, stalk it.
3. Stop making decisions based on fear.
4. Find the healing within the fear.
5. Snuggle up to your fear.

What exactly are you afraid of, and where did that fear come from? Start working that path of discovery. "

Gratitude to all the people who came out to class today, and to Ana Forrest for sharing her wisdom in her book Fierce Medicine.

Crazy for Kale.

I was cruising on InstaGram yesterday and found this under #kale tags. I couldnt help but to crack up. Dream man, with Dream "flowers".

I have been crazy for kale lately! I've always loved it, but recently I've gotten very creative with it as I've had to get creative to cater to all of the limitations on this candida diet. This morning I had a smoothie for breakfast...

• Kefir
• Water
• Small handful blueberries
• A few almonds (soaked and peeled!)
• Cinnamon
• Small sprinkle of stevia
• And a huge handful of kale!

It was full power and delicious fuel to get me through the two classes I had.

Then for lunch I'd prepared some sautéed kale that I simply did in a skillet with some toasted sesame oil, uemboshi plum paste (a little goes a LONG way), a touch of salt and a sprinkle of some sesame seeds. SO GOOD SO GOOD SO GOOD...and so good for you!

Pranayama and Meditation

"The yogis life is not measured by the number of his days but by the number of his breaths." 

We had TWENTY TWO people in last nights Pranayama and Meditation workshop!! It was amazing! My favorite was a tie between the Brahmari breath and the Osho Dynamic (dancing shouting movement) mediation. 

Prana: life, breath, respiration, wind, energy, strength

Ayama: extension

Pranayama : "the extension of our life force" "the extension of breath and its control"

*Bhramari: (helpful with insomnia)

"The bee breath"

1. Close your eyes, index fingers on the lids

2. Tips of middle fingers touch under the nos

3. Tips of the ring fingers touch under the lips 

4. Pinky fingers connect under the chin

5. Thumbs press the ears closed 

Inhale, exhale with a HUM. 

- repeat continuously for two minutes

OSHO DYNAMIC MOVING MEDITATION:

1. Feet shoulder width apart. Soft knees. Emphasize exhalation. Avoid getting into a rhythm. 

2. Scream jump shake. Catharsis. 

3. Jump. HUH. 

4. Stillness 

5. DANCE 

22 People in the Pranayama Circle

THE ZEN DEN

Jai Hanuman!

Jai Hanuman! Anything is possible when you're moving from a place of pure love.

Mermaid Mug

I love beverages. Hot, cold, creamy, caffeinated, decaffeinated, alcoholic, sweet, sour, effervescent, floral, acidic....you get the jist right? Being on this candida cleanse is tough because it has eliminated most of my favorite beverages. I can still have herbal tea, kombucha, and club soda though - thank god - but to keep it interesting I try to sip out of a sassy mug or fancy glass to keep it fun and special. I'm stoked on this mug that I used today at Eileen's after beach yoga. It totally elevated my Bija Organic Peppermint Tea. Boom. Make *everything* sacred and beautiful...even your morning cup of tea.

Fresh Fish Perfection.

I have FINALLY learned how to cook fish like my Dad. He not only was a Captain (he had a hundred mile hundred ton captains license), but he was also a Cook! My mom and I have tried to replicate how he had cooked fish for many years....without success. This is shocking actually because both my mom and I are kickass in the kitchen. Whenever my dad would cook the fish in a skillet, I'd be yelling at him that he's burning it (he would walk away and putz outside or watch tv), but he always told me to leave it alone, don't touch it, and it always turned out perfect. So last night, I practiced "patience"... I left it alone and didn't touch it. And goddamn, it was perfect and delicious!

• Flounder Filets
• Salt
• Pepper
• Cayenne
• Red pepper flakes
• Garlic powder
• Lemon
• Coconut Oil Spray

Spray the skillet and turn it to a med/med high heat. Rinse your fish and *pat it dry*. Sprinkle with seasonings. Place the fish seasoned side down into the pan. Season the bare side that's facing up. Walk away. For like atleast 5 minutes. Walk outside or into the other room so that you aren't tempted to fuss with it. Then come back and the fish is ready to flip...and it won't fall apart. Again- walk away. Voila. Finish it off with some lemon juice and chopped flat leaf parsley. Bête Avon.