yoga spirituality

It’s a Sunday…and I am writing about a topic that might be a “touchy” subject for some… or something that others could not really fully understand.

I have heard some people say that they don’t want to go into yoga because of the whole spirituality and meditation aspects of it – that it might put their faith in jeopardy.  And I have friends who have asked and commented on how yoga spirituality conflicts with my Catholic faith – a seeming contradiction with all the Shiva and Ganesh chants (just to name a few).  The answer is quite simple, really -- IT DOESN’T.

Now, don’t get me wrong.  I am a firm believer that the road to god and the path of spirituality can have different routes and take different forms.  Faith and spirituality, whichever school of thought it might belong to, all help us become better persons – religion being just part of it. 

As I have grown into my practice, I find that the contradiction between being a Catholic and being a yogini SIMPLY DOES NOT EXIST.  In fact, through the years, what I have realized is that yoga spirituality has helped my religion and faith blossom into something that can be readily applied and seen in my daily life.  It has opened my heart for far greater things – the joy and the rapture of living…of seeing things in a more positive light…of embracing each day with joyous anticipation… of honoring stillness and peace and quite…of welcoming experiences…of respecting and honoring each person…and hoping and wishing for good things to come to others. 

Yoga spirituality has complemented by faith and has fueled the fire inside of me.

It is quite simple really…faith is FAITH.  And we hold on to it regardless…

And so…while I honor the divine, the light, the guru that lies in each of us…so shall I continue to honor the Light, the Divine, the Jesus that I believe in…

WIKIPED-ing "QUINOA"

I chanced upon this interesting looking salad in the Cedele bakery/café near our place called the Quinoa & Chickpea Salad. I was not entirely sure what it was but it looked like a green version of the coucous so I decided to try it out.
I ate it without knowing what it was exactly but how it tasted really caught me by surprise! It was al dente like pasta but had a rich wheaty, grain-like flavour and yet somehow was softly infused with the flavour of the light sauce/seasoning that drizzled the salad. Never mind that it looked weird and “green-y” (literally, since it was green…and my husband thinks it looks weird – worse, he thinks it will start moving anytime! Yuck, not a very appetizing description!) – I was officially hooked from the first moment I tasted it.
So for lack of my own words to describe what it is exactly, in the middle of my meal, I stood up and googled it – or more appropriately, I wikipeed it…so here it goes, folks:

“Quinoa Spanish quinua, from Quechua kinwa, a species of goosefoot (Chenopodium), is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a grass. As a chenopod, quinoa is closely related to species such as beets, spinach and tumbleweeds”

“THE COMMERCIAL AVAILABILITY OF IT THOUGH IS CURRENTLY LIMITED” – the write up said. Just wondering though cause my friend Caroline said I could buy the raw ones from this store in Tanglin Mall…hmmm….must be not so limited after all (or maybe it’s just the case here in Singapore where you can buy almost everything and anything albeit at a cost)

It goes on to say:
"Quinoa originated in the Andean region of South America, where it has been an important food for 6,000 years. Its name is the Spanish spelling of the Quechua name.”

I was very interested to find out though that the Incas considered the crop as sacred.
Now for the good part:
NUTRIONAL VALUE
"Quinoa was of great nutritional importance in pre-Columbian Andean civilizations, being secondary only to the potato, and was followed in importance by maize. In contemporary times, this crop has become highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%), making it a healthful choice for vegetarians and vegans. Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source.It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorous and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest. Because of all these characteristics, quinoa is being considered a possible crop in NASA's Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long-duration manned spaceflights.”

Ha! Get that last bit! I can so be an astronaut if this all they get to eat!

So, that’s Quinoa 101 for me from a very reliable source J
I love it! And I think I will be eating more of it. Apart from the fact that it’s healthy, easy to digest and not rice, it is incredibly filling!

Note: By the way, not only does Cedele serve this but it also serves really good organic and healthy food. No trans-fat, organic sugar, grapeseed oil - this is definitely one of my favorite restaurants here in Singapore!
They have a bigger restaurant on Wheelock place but I have seen smaller deli-like or café-like stores in United Square and Novena Square. I know they also have outlets in Millenia Walk, Tanglin Mall, Raffles City just to name a few. Check them out…the food is great!

keeping my tummy happy

My tummy is happy today.

It has not been happy for about a week now and I have been suffering because of it.  

Since I started suffering from tummy problems last November, I had no choice but to cut back and then eventually take out beef, pork, lamb and any other heavy meat from my diet...simply because my tummy has become a sissy and these type of food no longer sit well in my system.

Hence, veggie food exploration it is!  

My husband and I tried this vegetarian restaurant in holland village called original sin (hope the guys don't mind my posting their logo on this blog!)- and it was really really amazing!  the food was superb and absolutely divine... (ironic though that the place is called original sin).  My husband (who happens to be a certified meat-eater) was prepared for an uneventful brunch and was quite prepared to starve through brunch (or drive through mcdonald's after), was pleasantly surprised by the food.  

We started off with the happy mushrooms which was a good portion of portabello mushrooms topped with ricotta cheese, spinach and pesto.  Tomato basil sauce drizzled the top and sides while the pine nuts and mozzarella added just the right touch of mediterranean flavor.  I ordered the bosco misto for my mains while my husband ordered the spaghetti arrabiata.  My dish was a mix of spinach, feta and tofu patties served with sauteed mushroom buttons and asparagus and accompanied by a pleasantly sweet plum sauce.  My husband's arrabiata was far from being the usual pasta fare.  It had a mild base flavor with a sudden burst of rich notes coming through.  I also broke away from my usual water beverage and treated myself to a banana and strawberry smoothie with soy milk (called BLUSH) which made good use of the sweetness of the fruits rather than adding in a heap of sugar.  The brunch was then capped off with a serving of apple crumble with vanilla ice cream and my black coffee.

It was a wonderful wonderful meal and it felt  good to have food that did not fight with my body and it made me feel re energized and ecstatic.

Too bad though we did not bring our cameras along this time (we used to but following the disastrous brunch last sunday, i kindda gave up taking brunch pictures).  But we will be back - maybe after we get that other veggie place a try.

So today, my tummy is happy :)  And i hope it stays that way this week...then again, maybe I have to feed it more of this good stuff :p

the de-tox de-bate

I have been contemplating on signing up for this 7-week detox program that Pure is offering here in Singapore. I have visited (and revisted) the Pure Yoga site for several days (or weeks) now…reading through the program overview…gauging and assessing if I actually had enough balls to actually do it.
And so it has come to the nth time when I am actually seriously considering going for it. It’s difficult, really. Some days I wake up with the firm resolve that, “hey, I am going to do this!”…and some days, I find myself resolved with the fact that, “maybe next time”.
Okay, so what are the reasons for not going for it?
Hmmm….well, for one…it’s not that cheap. And I’m not just being frugal about it…it’s really not something you just jump right into without much thought. Fine – so cost is one thing…but hardly the most important reason.
So that brings me to reason #2 (which is actually quite related to point #1) – if it’s not that cheap and involves a considerable amount of money – then of course the risk is high. If, at any point during the program, I decide that I cannot do it…I would be wasting some hard earned cash!
Finally, I come to reason #3 – the simple reason that I am not sure if I can actually do it. I mean, c’mon, 7 weeks is an awfully long time. And being in the real world during that time – with all the temptations of mouth-watering brunch food, divine desserts and exhilarating cocktails – is not really going to help me a lot on this detox trip. I mean --- can I actually survive it?!?! It’s one thing to be on a detox program in a nice spa, somewhere up in the mountains or by the beach in a nice little boutique hotel or cozy cottage, with 20 other women (or men, to be politically correct) who are there for the exact same reason, with an in-house chef who just cooks all the good stuff and quite another thing to be in the middle of a detox program in the midst of reality, or life as we call it. The thought leaves me feeling like a fish out of water – not very pleasant.
And yet, as I was on the plane to Bangkok, it dawned on me that this detox program was actually how it really is for a yogini in training, right? In the journey to grow deeper into the practice, in learning and growing deeper into yoga, we are not disjointed from our “real lives”. Yoga IS part of our real life. And maybe it is not that easy and it never was. There’s certainly enough reason why “discipline” or tapas is one of the principles of yoga. And so are truthfulness (satya) or integrity. And maybe it should not be seen as a struggle but rather a change in how I live my life. Free from things that do no good for my body.
So have I reached a conclusion given the epiphany that I had as I was suspended millions of feet high up in the air? Maybe not…and it seems that it has become a never-ending debate with myself – or maybe until the workshop actually starts that is.