Posts In: vegetarian

from Jackie Liu

Looking for the perfect meal to complement your yoga practice? Maybe you just need a jolt of inspiration for the weekday dinner line-up. May we suggest…

Vietnamese-style Caramel Tofu Bowl

1-2 tbs olive oil
1 shallot or 1/2 onion, finely diced
2 tsp ginger, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 block of firm tofu
4 tbs brown sugar (or 5 tbs maple syrup)
2 tbs vegan fish sauce
rice 
cilantro
green onions
thai chili (if you like spicy)

Quick pickles:

2 carrots
2 cucumbers
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbs sugar

Make quick pickles at least 1 hour beforehand. Dissolve sugar and salt in the vinegar. Either thinly slice the carrots and cucumbers, or chop them into small chunks. Toss the veggies with the vinegar mixture and place them in the fridge until ready to eat. 

Drain and cut the tofu into small chunks. Sauté the shallot in cooking oil on medium heat until translucent. Add the ginger and sauté for a bit. Then add garlic and the tofu chunks. Cook until the tofu gets a bit golden, using your cooking utensil to break up the chunks into smaller pieces as you go. Once the tofu is starting to change color, add the vegan fish sauce and brown sugar. Keep moving the tofu around the pan to get everything nicely coated, when you feel like the tofu is brown enough, it’s done. 

Serve on top of rice with pickles, cilantro, green onions, chili. 

Notes on tofu: If you have time (and you remember), drain and cut the tofu into small chunks, freeze it the night before, then thaw in the fridge in the morning. This will help soak up the flavors, make things less watery and mushy, and give a chewier texture. 

Notes on fish sauce: You can buy vegan fish sauce, a tasty brand is Ocean’s Halo, but it has molasses which adds a sweet taste that I don’t love. I love this homemade recipe. There are also many substitutes for vegan fish sauce, the dish will taste different but still delicious! 

Substitutions: If you aren’t going the vegetarian or vegan route, sub the tofu for 1lb of ground pork and sub the vegan fish sauce for regular fish sauce. 

Jackie Liu 
Contributing Writer

Jackie’s relationship with yoga began in 2008 but it wasn’t firmly planted until 2018 when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The practice of syncing breath with movement helped quiet her mind and soothe her body. She recently completed the Yoga One 200-hour Teacher Training and wants to use yoga to create positive change and serve as many humans as possible. Outside of yoga she is a self-proclaimed snack expert, and writes about food and cancer for fun: https://tinyletter.com/JackieLiu/

from Kirstin Green

Looking for the perfect meal to complement your yoga practice? Maybe you just need a jolt of inspiration for the weekday dinner line-up. May we suggest…

Cucumber-Avocado Salad with Carrot-Ginger Dressing

Sometimes, it is all about the presentation! Enjoy this bright, colorful, fresh, raw, vegan salad on a hot summer day.

SALAD
1 1/2 lbs cucumber (I used a very long one from the garden)
1 avocado
2 green onions
pinch or two of sesame seeds

DRESSING
2 small carrots (about 3 ounces)
1 tablespoon white onion
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon fresh ginger (about 1 inch, peeled)
1 tablespoon miso
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1/4 cup rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup neutral oil (I prefer avocado oil)

Combine all ingredients for the dressing in a blender and whirl at high speed until very smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your preferences.

Cut the cucumber lengthwise in half, and then quarters. Cut into bite sized pieces and put in a bowl with about 1/3 cup of the dressing. Toss to coat. Move these onto a beautiful plate or platter.

Cut the avocado in half and scoop the flesh out in one piece from the peel. Slice thinly and use your hand to press the slices into a fan on the cutting board. Slide a knife or spatula under the avocado fan to carefully move it on top of the dressed cucumber.

Sprinkle sliced green onions over the top of the cucumbers and avocado. Finish with sesame seeds and some nice salt. Serve, and enjoy!

(Alternatively, chop up the avocado, toss with the cucumbers and dressing, and eat right out of the mixing bowl!)

Kirstin Green is a former restaurateur and an avid home cook with a long-standing connection to the Yoga One family. After completing the 200 hour YTT back in 2008, she created several mosaic art pieces for the downtown studio. She is well traveled and committed to living a life filled with sensory and aesthetic beauty, filling her days with gardening, art-making, baking and cooking. These days, she is shaping a new career in Expressive Arts Therapy with a special focus on the art of food.

from Jackie Liu 

Looking for the perfect meal to complement your yoga practice? Maybe you just need a jolt of inspiration for the weekday dinner line-up. May we suggest…

Chickpea Patties

I call this Chickpea Patties (it’s my understanding that to be falafel the ball of chickpeas must be fried). Inspired by Smitten Kitchen’s falafel recipe.  

1 1/4 cup dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1/2 onion, chopped (or 1 cup of chopped scallions)
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
a handful of parsley
a handful of cilantro
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (add more if you like spicy things)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/3 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Olive oil 

Soak the chickpeas overnight by covering them with enough water so that the water line is at least 2-3inches above the beans. 

Preheat oven to 375F. Drain and toss the beans in a food processor or blender, along with the onion, garlic, parsley, and cilantro. Blend until the beans are crumbly. Add the spices and blend again until you get a small enough crumb that can be pinched together and hold its shape (the size of coarse sea salt is a good reference).  

Generously grease a cupcake pan or mini cupcake pan with olive oil. Press the bean mixture into each mold, filling all the way to the top. Brush the tops with a generous amount of olive oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes, then turn the pan and bake until you can see the edges browning (about 10-15 minutes). Allow the patties to cool for 5 minutes and then free them from the molds using a spatula or butter knife. Enjoy the patties with something saucy like hummus or moutabal (eggplant dip). Or a quick sauce of plain yogurt, garlic cloves, lemon juice, and salt.  

**full disclosure: this recipe is time-consuming. Sometimes I don’t even go the extra mile of blending and molding these patties. My “none patty” method is to roughly chop all of the ingredients (including the beans) and throw them in a pan with lots of olive oil and saute until the onions and garlic are soft. If the beans aren’t tender enough, I pour in a little bit of veggie broth and let it simmer until I’m too hungry to wait. If you choose to go the none-patty route, then you can skip the soak and use canned beans instead. 

Jackie Liu 
Contributing Writer

Jackie’s relationship with yoga began in 2008 but it wasn’t firmly planted until 2018 when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The practice of syncing breath with movement helped quiet her mind and soothe her body. She recently completed the Yoga One 200-hour Teacher Training and wants to use yoga to create positive change and serve as many humans as possible. Outside of yoga she is a self-proclaimed snack expert, and writes about food and cancer for fun: https://tinyletter.com/JackieLiu/

from Kirstin Green

Looking for the perfect meal to complement your yoga practice? Maybe you just need a jolt of inspiration for the weekday dinner line-up. May we suggest…

Jackfruit Tacos
This recipe was adapted from Vegan Huggs 

2 tablespoons oil
1 small onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 14 oz cans young jackfruit in water or brine, rinsed and drained well
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano or Italian seasoning 
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt, to taste
1 cup vegetable broth
Corn tortillas
Sliced avocado
Shredded cabbage
Salsa Crema or plain yogurt
Anything you like on a taco!

Shred the jackfruit in a food processor. Pulse a few times to get a “shredded meat” texture. Don’t over pulse or it will be mushy. If you don’t have a food processor, you can chop the jackfruit up by hand. 

Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 30-60 seconds until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and cook for a couple of minutes, until it darkens a little bit. Add the spices and sauté for another minute until fragrant. Add the shredded jackfruit and sauté for about 3 minutes.  
Pour in the vegetable broth and simmer until the liquid has cooked down completely, about 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add more if needed. Remove from heat. 

Warm up your corn tortillas in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook for 30 seconds on each side. Build tacos to your taste. I made a quick pickle relish with green beans, fresh corn, shallots and jalapeños and it was delicious on the tacos!

Kirstin Green is a former restaurateur and an avid home cook with a long-standing connection to the Yoga One family. After completing the 200 hour YTT back in 2008, she created several mosaic art pieces for the downtown studio. She is well traveled and committed to living a life filled with sensory and aesthetic beauty, filling her days with gardening, art-making, baking and cooking. These days, she is shaping a new career in Expressive Arts Therapy with a special focus on the art of food.

from Kirstin Green

Looking for the perfect meal to complement your yoga practice? Maybe you just need a jolt of inspiration for the weekday dinner line-up. May we suggest…

If you haven’t heard of or tried aquafaba, this is a great chance to do so! It might seem strange to use the liquid from a can of chickpeas as an emulsifying agent but I promise it works and creates a creamy texture with no nuts, seeds, or dairy. This recipe was adapted from Save the Food.

1/4 cup aquafaba (chickpea liquid)
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil (such as grapeseed)
1/2 cup fresh parsley and chives
1 tsp dried dill
1 lemon, juiced

In a blender, add the aquafaba and cream of tartar. Blend, gradually increasing speed for about 1 minute. Add the mustard, garlic, onion powder, salt and pepper. With blender on low speed, slowly stream in oil until thickened. Pulse in herbs and lemon.

Try it over your favorite salad, with a plate of crudités, or drizzled over a goddess bowl of rice and veggies. Enjoy!

Kirstin Green is a former restaurateur and an avid home cook with a long-standing connection to the Yoga One family. After completing the 200 hour YTT back in 2008, she created several mosaic art pieces for the downtown studio. She is well traveled and committed to living a life filled with sensory and aesthetic beauty, filling her days with gardening, art-making, baking and cooking. These days, she is shaping a new career in Expressive Arts Therapy with a special focus on the art of food.

Ben leads an All Levels Candlelight Flow class on Wednesdays at 7pm Pacific. Join us in person at our Mission Hills studio or online via Zoom. Visit www.yogaonesandiego.com to register or for more information.

1. How does yoga show up in your life right now?

Yoga is showing up for me in more subtle ways than before, in more of my daily, ordinary life tasks and routines. The differences between on and off my mat are becoming less stark and more fluid. Yoga is showing up in my relationships and interactions with others, I’m seeing myself in more and different ways and seeing myself in more and different people. My practice of yoga is becoming a practice of life.

2. Where are you experiencing growth as a yoga teacher and/or practitioner?

The most noticeable growth is how I’m finding my authenticity, both as a student and as a teacher. The more authentic I can be as a student, the more my teachers are able to see ways to offer assistance. And the more authentic I can be as a teacher, the more my students are able to see my skills and limitations; where I can offer assistance and where I cannot. It’s a practice, but I find I have more time to discover my authentic self when I’m not trying to be what I think others expect from a student or a teacher.

3. What’s your favorite kind of burrito and why?

My favorite burrito is a bean and cheese, add rice and guacamole with a side of sour cream for dipping. My best friend would order one like this when I was younger. One day I ordered it and I was hooked ever since. And now, whenever I eat this burrito I think of her.

Daniela leads a Flow, Level 2 class on Fridays at 9am and she is the lead teacher for Yoga One’s 300 Hour Teacher Training.

1. How does yoga show up in your life right now? 

Yoga shows up in my life as little moments of inner peace. I know my yoga practice is working when even amongst the busiest days or the saddest moments I can take a few breaths and just enjoy being alive– right here, right now.  

2. Where are you experiencing growth as a yoga teacher and/or practitioner?

For me, yoga teaching is a part of my yoga practice and my yoga practice is the fuel and foundation of my yoga teaching. I think the place I am experiencing the most growth is in truly integrating the two – teaching and practicing yoga in a way that equally centers health and well-being on all layers of my being (physical, energetic, mental, emotional, & spiritual). This is something I explore in detail on my podcast Yoga IRL which you can follow on Instagram at @yogairlpodcast, or through my website www.yogairl.org ? 

3. What’s your favorite kind of burrito and why?

My fav burrito is hands down the vegetarian burrito with refried beans from Colima’s in North Park. It’s the real deal— muy delicioso ? 

from Kirstin Green

Looking for the perfect meal to complement your yoga practice? Maybe you just need a jolt of inspiration for the weekday dinner line-up. May we suggest…

Creamy Hemp Seed Salad Dressing (base recipe)

2 TBS hemp seeds
1/4 cup lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
1/8 cup fresh orange juice (optional)
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic
Salt & black pepper to taste

Using a blender, combine ingredients together until creamy. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach desired consistency. 

Variations (add to base recipe before blending)

Cilantro-Lime: 1 bunch cilantro, sub lime juice for the lemon juice (toss a jalapeno in too, if that’s your jam)

Honey-Mustard: 1 tablespoon each of dijon mustard and honey

Herb-Ranch: one bunch of parsley, 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Umami-Ginger: sub sesame oil for olive oil, 1 teaspoon miso or soy sauce for salt, and a nob of ginger

Roasted Garlic: if you’ve got roasted garlic laying around, toss a bunch of that in there. (omit the fresh garlic) It’s off the hook.

Basil-Tomato: 1/2 cup fresh basil, and 1/2 cup fresh tomato

Kirstin Green is a former restaurateur and an avid home cook with a long-standing connection to the Yoga One family. After completing the 200 hour YTT back in 2008, she created several mosaic art pieces for the downtown studio. She is well traveled and committed to living a life filled with sensory and aesthetic beauty, filling her days with gardening, art-making, baking and cooking. These days, she is shaping a new career in Expressive Arts Therapy with a special focus on the art of food.

from Jackie Liu

Looking for the perfect meal to complement your yoga practice? Maybe you just need a jolt of inspiration for the weekday dinner line-up. May we suggest…

Fruit and Veggie Smoothie

3/4 cup milk or milk alternative
1/2 cup greek yogurt or non-dairy yogurt
a handful of frozen broccoli 
a handful of frozen strawberries
2 handfuls of fresh spinach 
1/2 ripe banana
1 tsp chia seeds
2 Tbsp hemp seeds
1 Tbsp maple syrup (optional, if you like things sweeter)

Throw all of the ingredients in a blender. Start off on the lowest setting to get the frozen bits moving. Then gradually increase the speed, adding a little liquid if needed, and blend to desired consistency. 

Fun ideas:

– replace spinach with 2-3 kale leaves (stems removed)
– replace broccoli with 1/2 cup frozen peas
– replace strawberries with any handful of frozen fruit
– add 1/4 tsp almond extract or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Jackie Liu 

Jackie’s relationship with yoga began in 2008 but it wasn’t firmly planted until 2018 when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The practice of syncing breath with movement helped quiet her mind and soothe her body. She recently completed the Yoga One 200-hour Teacher Training and wants to use yoga to create positive change and serve as many humans as possible. Outside of yoga she is a self-proclaimed snack expert, and writes about food and cancer for fun: https://tinyletter.com/JackieLiu/

from Kirstin Green

Looking for the perfect meal to complement your yoga practice? Maybe you just need a jolt of inspiration for the weekday dinner line-up. May we suggest…

Game Changing Grilled Kale

I cannot stress enough how much I love this stuff.  Dress it up or eat it straight off the stems with your hands, oil dripping down your chin. I don’t really want to eat kale any other way these days. This recipe’s chewy, smoky, juiciness satisfies me at a very primal level.

Plan on one bunch of kale per person. You’ll want to fire up your barbecue for this one.

1 bunch of kale (curly is awesome but any will work)
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup oil (avocado, sunflower, olive are my faves)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 lemon

Wash, drain and place the kale in a large bowl. In a blender, blend the garlic, oil, pepper and salt together. Pour over the kale and toss to coat.

Over low heat, place the kale leaves on the grill. Cook for a couple of minutes and flip, and cook for a couple of more minutes on the other side, until the leaves are soft and edges starting to char just a little bit. Don’t over-grill, as the burnt ones aren’t as awesome to eat.

Remove from the grill. Squeeze lemon juice over leaves and go to town.

This recipe originally published at KirstinGreen.com

Kirstin Green is a former restaurateur and an avid home cook with a long-standing connection to the Yoga One family. After completing the 200 hour YTT back in 2008, she created several mosaic art pieces for the downtown studio. She is well traveled and committed to living a life filled with sensory and aesthetic beauty, filling her days with gardening, art-making, baking and cooking. These days, she is shaping a new career in Expressive Arts Therapy with a special focus on the art of food.

from Jackie Liu

Looking for the perfect meal to complement your yoga practice? Maybe you just need a jolt of inspiration for the weekday dinner line-up. May we suggest…

Sweet Coconut Black Rice & Beans

• 1 cup black rice (also known as forbidden rice)
• 1 can full fat coconut milk**not the stuff that comes in a carton
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 can aduki beans, (also known as adzuki, azuki, or red beans)
• 3 Tbs maple syrup (or any sweetener you like)
• 1/4 tsp salt **omit if your can of beans are salted
• optional: for more protein, add 1/3 cup quinoa to the rice (before cooking) and up the water to a total of 2 cups. 

Pour the whole can of coconut milk into a pot. Add the rice and water (plus quinoa, if using), and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer for about an hour, or until the liquid is mostly gone. Make sure to give it a good stir every now and then to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom. Don’t worry if it does, it’ll unstick itself when you add the beans. 

While the rice is cooking, drain and rinse your beans, but KEEP THE JUICE! Heat up the juice so it’s warm to the touch. Add 1Tbs maple syrup and then add the beans back to the juice and stir. Let those soak until the rice is done. 

When most of the liquid is gone from the rice pot, remove from heat. Stir in the beans plus the juice and add the remaining maple syrup and salt. The moisture from the bean juice will help free the sticky bits from the bottom of the pot. 

Serve warm or cold. Top with almond milk or more coconut milk, hemp seeds, chia seeds, fruit, more sweetener, whatever you like!

Jackie Liu 

Jackie’s relationship with yoga began in 2008 but it wasn’t firmly planted until 2018 when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The practice of syncing breath with movement helped quiet her mind and soothe her body. She recently completed the Yoga One 200-hour Teacher Training and wants to use yoga to create positive change and serve as many humans as possible. Outside of yoga she is a self-proclaimed snack expert, and writes about food and cancer for fun: https://tinyletter.com/JackieLiu/

Looking for the perfect meal to complement your yoga practice? Maybe you just need a jolt of inspiration for the weekday dinner line-up. May we suggest…

Kimchi Fried Rice

– 4 cups cooked rice (1-day old rice will give the best texture)

– cooking oil of your choice (preferably something with little to no flavor)

– 1/2 small onion or 2 shallots, chopped 

– 2-4 garlic cloves, minced 
 
– 1/4 cup kimchi juice

– 1 tsp soy sauce or tamari

– 2 tsp gochujang (optional-adds a touch of sweetness and umami flavor)

– 3 tsp sesame oil 

– 1 handful of mushrooms, chopped (I like shiitake or oyster)

– 1 cup of chopped up leafy greens of choice (kale, spinach, chard are all fun)
       **optional: add a chopped up hearty vegetable (ie. 2 carrots, or 1 zucchini, or 1 small sweet potato)

– 1 cup kimchi, roughly chopped
       ** (make your own kimchi here)

– a sheet of nori cut up into strips, or use your favorite Nori Furikake

– sesame seeds, or use your fave Nori Furikake

– green onions, thinly sliced

– fried eggs (optional) 

In a cast iron skillet or non-stick pan, heat up the cooking oil on medium-high, and saute the onion and ginger until the onions soften a bit. In a small bowl, stir together kimchi juice, soy sauce, gochujang, and sesame oil, and set aside. If you’re using hearty vegetables, add those to the pan and cook until they start to soften, adding more cooking oil if the pan is too dry. Add the mushrooms and cook until they darken. Add the leafy greens and cook until they start to wilt. To the pan, add the chopped kimchi, cooked rice, and the kimchi juice sauce, making sure everything is well incorporated. The fried rice is ready when the juices are all absorbed. In a separate pan, quickly fry an egg or two, per serving. Serve up the fried rice in a bowl topped with nori, sesame seeds, green onions, extra kimchi, and fried eggs. 

Jackie Liu

Jackie’s relationship with yoga began in 2008 but it wasn’t firmly planted until 2018 when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The practice of syncing breath with movement helped quiet her mind and soothe her body. She recently completed the Yoga One 200-hour Teacher Training and wants to use yoga to create positive change and serve as many humans as possible. Outside of yoga she is a self-proclaimed snack expert, and writes about food and cancer for fun: https://tinyletter.com/JackieLiu/

by Hannah Faulkner

How yoga cultivated a karmic awareness of life in all its forms and started my journey of veganism.

Read the full version of this post on Hannah’s blog, Half Moon Yoga and Art.

The other day a friend, Ashlee, told me that I must have been a cat in my previous life. She was trying to make sense of the phenomenon of why animals, and oftentimes cats, are so attracted to me. But, I haven’t always been this way. I used to be afraid of animals and tried to steer clear of them for most of my life.

It wasn’t until I started doing yoga (at Yoga One in San Diego), that I’ve made a connection with these beings. The more I became centered and found inner peace and awakening, the more animals liked to be in my aura.

One of my favorite animal experiences was when I was walking along the Camino de Santiago in 2014. JoAnna and I were both missing our pet cats from back home when suddenly, out of the brush, five little kittens approached us. We stopped and started petting and holding them. They just wanted to be loved. Our hearts were filled with so much joy to share this connection with the natural world.

We stayed there for about thirty minutes then JoAnna said, “We should probably stop wasting time and continue walking.” I abruptly snapped back, “This is NOT WASTING time!” We still tease each other about that statement, but the truth is that taking time to stop and connect with nature and our inner source of love is really the best way to spend our time and our lives.

Our crown chakra, Sahaswara, is our source of enlightenment, consciousness and spiritual connection to all that is. This connection takes the form of a circle, like a crown. Feeling enlightened with a balanced crown chakra means experiencing unity that everything is connected at a fundamental level. The other day, when I was meditating and bringing my concentration to this place of inner peace and connectedness, my cat walked over to me and pressed the crown of her head into the crown of my head. Moments like this are enthralling!

At the Living with Animals exhibit in the Museum of Man San Diego, we are reminded that all animals can be our friends. Pets used to be wild creatures that have developed a relationship with humanity over time. We have made friends with dogs, cats, birds, turtles, fish, mice, and even beetles.

However, sometimes the way we live causes separateness and we lose connection with creatures when we label a certain creature as a pest or a taco. Why is it that in the West we can develop laws to protect the treatment of dogs, but we are blind to the way cows, pigs and chickens are treated and manufactured in a factory? The Living with Animals exhibit takes a look at how a pet can become a pest, a pest can become a pet, and a pet can become a pest that ends up on our plate.

Up until six months ago, I have been guilty of disconnecting the animal with the flavor. Then, I became confronted with some yoga philosophy of Ahimsa (non-violence) and how it relates to karma. I finally opened my eyes and heart to the documentaries available on Netflix and other platforms that are trying to awaken us to how we are responsible for torturing animals every time that we buy meat or animal products.

I used to think that we “needed” to eat animals for protein and have since learned that we can find much more healthy nutrients and proteins in a plant based diet. Leo Tolstoy announces, “A man CAN live and be HEALTHY without killing animals for food; therefore, if he eats meat, he partakes in taking animal life merely for the sake of his appetite, and to act so is immoral.”

Like an ex-smoker who still desires a swig of cigarette every time they smell one, my mouth still waters at the smell of crispy bacon and tasty hamburger, but then I close my eyes and visualize the whole creature and how it is being treated today, under horrible conditions, with the purpose of companies making more money, and I can no longer partake in this bad karma. Peaceful Mohandas Gandhi, past leader of India proclaimed, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”

Join us for Yoga in the Rotunda at the Museum of Man San Diego and visit the Living with Animals Exhibit to awaken connectedness and inner peace.

I will be leading the class on Saturday, September 9th, 2017 from 8:30-9:30am in accordance with Yoga One San Diego.

We will be flowing through animal poses like Cat/Cow, Dog, Beetle, Mouse, Pigeon, Fish, Turtle, and more as we cultivate Crown Chakra Connectedness and Ahimsa for all creatures!

Hannah Faulkner
Guest Writer

Hannah Faulkner draws inspiration from her surroundings and seeks to find relationships between the ordinary and extraordinary daily life through her writing. With 4 years of experience as a flight attendant, and many more travels preceding, Hannah’s curiosity and adventurous spirit have soaked in elements from worldwide cultures while growing in her spirituality. As a yoga and visual arts teacher, she combines her passions to create beauty in a variety of ways through her inspiring stories, bridging connections with deeper yoga philosophy and wellness concepts at HalfMoonYogaandArt.com.

SaveSave

by Olivia Cecchettini

“Yoga and Long Life” 

by Yogi Gupta

Summary: Books often have a way of coming into your life at just the right time, but I wish this book had found me sooner on my yoga journey!

“Yoga and Long Life” is best described as a “manual” but it covers a wide range of topics including the philosophy of yoga, food, health, and spirituality. My favorite quote is, “Through Yoga, a Hindu becomes a better Hindu, a Christian a better Christian, a Mohammedan a better Mohammedan, and a Jew a better Jew!”

As a yoga teacher, I’ve encountered a lot of people who fear trying yoga because they misunderstand it to be a religion. To me, yoga is a personal practice that creates more balance and compassion in my life – which I feel is compatible with every religion and culture.

I also resonated with Yogi Gupta’s knowledge of food and its effect on the mind, body, and spirit. He ate raw foods for twenty years and writes about the connection between a food’s color and its vibration. “[The color green] influences the heart, blood pressure and the emotions, and vitalizes the nerves. It also imparts wisdom, peace, harmony, sympathy and generosity.” No wonder green juice is so popular these days!

Why I love It: After twelve years of practicing yoga, I became a vegetarian. My friends and family couldn’t believe it (I am Italian and was raised on salami and parmesan cheese!). But yoga has helped me connect to my body and that has heightened my awareness about food choices. The transformation happened naturally and slowly. Reading “Yoga and Long Life” helped me more deeply understand why these transitions were happening in my life.

There are so many tips and tools I want to apply in my daily life, I highlighted passages I’d like to go back and read again. Sometimes I find yoga texts to be dense and I need to read them several times to fully grasp their meaning but this book flowed nicely and was very accessible – which I love.

Recommended For: Individuals who have been practicing yoga for awhile and are curious about why they like it so much!

Disconnection has become such a dangerous norm these days. It takes more discipline and compassion than ever to come back and live from our heart space. I recommend this book to those who are interested in self-study and truly connecting with the world around them.

I find most people connect with the physical yoga practice first and then want to know more about the how and why and what. For example, the yamas and niyamas. And if you have no idea what those are yet, then this book is perfect for you. I hope you enjoy it!

Olivia Cecchettini
Contributing Writer

Olivia’s yoga journey began in 2003. She is certified in Vinyasa, Hatha, and Aerial Yoga and holds a Masters degree in Spiritual Psychology. She believes the mind, body, soul connection is sacred and encourages her students explore and expand within their own bodies and consciousnesses.