Humble offerings

He who offers me with devotion only a leaf, or a flower, or a fruit, or even a little water, this I accept from that yearning soul, because with a pure heart it was offered with love.
The Bhagavad Gita, 9.26

Several weeks ago, my daughter and I planted the seeds for the carrots pictured here. Watching her check the carrots each week to see if they are "big enough" has been so sweet. This week's crop was the "hugest" yet! The bundle she is holding in her hand in this picture she asked me to cut up into "itty bitty pieces," steam and serve to her little brother. "He will like the carrots his sissy grew best," she said. All week I have held this image of her hand offering forth the carrots in my heart (I am so glad my camera was nearby and I could take this photograph). What a beautiful reminder it was to me that the most humble offerings given with love are the sweetest of all.

When I care, I cook

When I care for people, I cook for them.

Last Sunday night, I had the good fortune to spend time with some friends who have taught me so much by the way they live their lives.

I wanted to bring something sweet, and relatively healthy, to the gathering as a token of my appreciation for each of them. So, earlier that day my daughter (my constant cooking companion) and I made gluten- and dairy-free sugar cookies (of course, half stayed home—four-year-olds don't give up their cookies easily!), but the other half made it to the event.

Here's the recipe. Enjoy!

Classic Sugar Cookies
(Makes about 24 small to medium cookies. These freeze great.)

1/2 lb vegan butter (2 sticks of Earth Balance)
2/3 c. turbinado sugar (you can get by with 1/2 c. if you want to lesson the sugar)
1 large egg (I've used two by accident a few times and it still works, just need to add a bit more flour)
1 tsp. vanilla, lemon or almond extract
1 1/2 -1 3/4 c. brown rice flour (extra for dusting dough and work surface)
2/3 c. cornstarch
2/3 c. potato starch
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum

Preheat oven to 350. Use Silpat baking sheet liners or line baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and mix until just combined. In a separate bowl, combine remaining dry ingredients. In two batches, add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing on low until well combined. Scrap bowl as needed. Divide dough into two balls, flour each ball and work surface lightly. Working with one ball at a time, roll it out to 1/4 inch thick and cut shapes using favorite cookie cutters. Add sprinkles and bake for 10-12 minutes. Or, bake plain, allow to cool and and frost and decorate as desired.

Yogic qualities of an Olympian

I admit it. I love the Olympics. Watching them these last several days made me realize how much the process to becoming an Olympian aligns with yoga philosophy.

First, it takes a whole lot of tapas (yogic word for fire, intensity, passion) to train day in and day out. Second, to become an athlete at that level, much study of one's sport is involved. In yoga, we call this adhikara (the willingness to always be a student/always willing to learn and evolve). Third, the path to the Olympics requires endless, sustained practice over a long period of time (abhyaasa in yoga). In my opinion, this last one is a big one. It's the "stick-to-itness" factor—the doing it even when it's hard, boring, not coming with ease or tiring.

So, while I can safely say I will never be an Olympic athlete, their path sure inspires me. Indeed, each of us has within us the ability to find our life's passion, study it intensely and practice, practice, practice.

Simmering in silence

Sadhana is like a seed ... If you want it to germinate, you have to leave it in the soil. If you dig it up to show your friends and neighbors how it is progressing, it will not grow any further, it will die.
Swami Muktibodhananda, commentary, sloka 1.11, Hatha Yoga Pradipika

In a culture that places tremendous value on accomplishments that can readily be seen, I've always appreciated yoga's focus on our inner being and its journey. Often, as yogis, the most dramatic changes occur through dedicated practice and much simmering in silence.

Although in the context of private conversations, on two occasions I have shared with others something that happened to me during my yoga practices. Immediately, I felt the magic of the experience slip away. While I don't necessarily believe it's wrong to keep every aspect of our yoga experiences private, there are some moments that are likely best kept to oneself and allowed to continue unfolding in silence.

Co-creating

If you have not seen this amazing talk by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love, check it out. Yogis will love the Tantric theme of co-creating with the Divine. Happy Valentine's Day!

http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html

PS-Thanks, sis, for recommending this great video.

Chasing rainbows

I love rainbows. I remember as a child (when children were allowed to run wild through their neighborhoods) chasing rainbows in search of their end.

Last week, a rainbow appeared in the late afternoon Phoenix sky just as I set out for a walk with my son. Without realizing it, I began to walk toward the rainbow and ended up at one of my favorite old Phoenix homes—an early 1900, two-story beauty with an old-fashioned sleeping porch, carriage house and huge front lawn.

I've stopped and admired this house dozens of times on my walks, secretly wishing I could live in it someday, even envisioning from which window a Christmas tree might peer out. On this day, the house looked particularly beautiful with the rainbow overhead, its end seeming to connect to the home's rooftop.

And, then suddenly right before my eyes, the rainbow began to fade. Feeling a bit like something had slipped between my fingertips, I turned and walked toward home, the rainbow at my back. As I walked home, I realized I'm a bit of a rainbow chaser—always thinking about what's next in my life, not always seeing the magic in the moment.

Yoga helps us learn to stay present with what is happening in our lives—whether it's rainbows or heartaches. Rainbows are the easy part; heartaches are what grow us the most!

No sweet potato for me

The other day I made a baked sweet potato for lunch. Even though both kids had already had lunch, my daughter decided she wanted half and my son started clamoring for some, too. So, of course, wanting to capitilize on their desire to consume a super food, I gave them three-quarters of the sweet potato. Then, our dog, always willing to take food off the table in exchange for being "put away in the office," took a few chunks as well. In the end, I had about three bites.

So, even though we're just talking sweet potatoes here, what's a yogi to do when she doesn't get what she wants? Or, better yet, when someone else has what you want?

I'm not really sure I have the answer to this one totally figured out, but the whole situation did make me recall the words to one of my favorite songs by The Rolling Stones: "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might get what you need."

Some of the hallmarks of yoga are in these lyrics: surrender, persistence, dedication and acceptance.

Anyway, I ended up eating a delicious bowl of homemade chicken, vegetable and brown rice soup and was just fine. And, as an added bonus, I knew my kids were so jammed packed with Vitamen A they might just turn orange.

Valentine strawberry shortcakes (gluten-free, dairy-free and still yummy!)

Last weekend my daughter and I really wanted strawberry shortcakes. As I so often do, I pulled out my well-worn Joy of Cooking for a “base” recipe, which I then adjusted to make gluten- and dairy-free. Here’s the adjusted recipe. My daughter and I whipped these up in 30 minutes.

¾ c. brown rice flour
¼ c. potato starch
1 ¼ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1-2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. xantham gum
3 tbsp. vegan butter, cut into small pieces
½ c. plain rice milk

Combine first six ingredients. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add and fold in the rice milk with a spatula (do not over mix). Lightly flour hands and work surface with potato starch. Knead dough into ball and roll out ½” thick. Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter cut out biscuits and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Continue to re-roll dough and cut hearts until gone. Bake at 450º for approximately 10-15 minutes. Serve warm with sliced strawberries.

*Makes about six, using a medium sized heart cookie cutter.