Join Us on Tuesday Jan. 1 for Yoga!!!

This year the 1st falls on a Tuesday -- so come join me and let's melt away those hangovers with Hatha and Restorative yoga. Class will be at the normal time (5:45-6:45) at Body in Balance!

Happy Holidays Everbody!!!

Namaste,
Rach

Yoga Cards

Various of you have asked me about yoga card decks that I really like and so I'm finally posting my two favorites. Here they are!! Check them out on Amazon.com -- the first has line drawings and the second uses photos.

The Yoga Deck: 50 Poses & Meditations for Body, Mind, & Spirit by Olivia Miller


Yoga: The Poetry of the Body: A 50-Card Practice Deck by Rodney Yee

Yoga when you're under the weather...

Everyone at work seems to be sick right now ... and I managed to pick up the pesky bug myself. Yoga with a cold or flu is usually ok but only you can judge whether even a gentler practice is a good idea. I find that inversions are not really very fun -- makes my head feel even stuffier and congested. Even restorative poses may need to be modified; in the same way it can be hard to sleep at night lying flat with a cold, lying flat for yoga may not feel great either. You can try using props to raise your head and upper body a bit so you are in a supported and slightly angled reclined position for poses like Savasana. Remember to keep your tissues handy when you practice. And of course, force the fluids, take a hot bath, have some chicken soup or veggie broth and take your vitamin C!

Coffe Cake Recipe from last week's Restorative Class

I brought this cake for a treat after last week's class and several of you wanted the recipe. It's from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. It's a great book and well worth buying!

Sweet Corn Coffee Cake with Berries

1 1/3 cup flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
grated zest of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/3 cup butter melted, or corn oil
1-2 cups berries (raspberries,blueberries or blackberries)
powdered sugar

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Preheat oven to 375. Butter and flour or spray an 8-inch springform cake pan or an 8-inch square pan.

Whisk the dry ingredients together in a bowl. In a second owl, combine the wet ingredients. Quickly stir them together, then scrape into the pan. Scatter the berries over the top and bake in the center of the oven until the cake is browned and beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 45 minutes. Remove the rim if you've used a springform pan, transfer the cake to a serving plate, and dust with powdered sugar. Serve warm.

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Rach's notes:

This has never taken 45 minutes for me -- I put the timer on for 30 or 35 and test with toothpick and it's usually done (toothpick has a few moist crumbs clinging).

I've used plain yogurt when I didn't have buttermilk in the house and it worked just fine.

I usually mix half white flour and half whole wheat pastry flour in this recipe to make it a little healthier.

I've also served this at the end of a meal as dessert -- I make a lemon juice and sugar syrup and pour that over as a glaze, but a berry glaze would be awesome too.

Bonus Restorative Class!

There will be a restorative class on Sunday August 19th at Body in Balance -- but in the morning (9:30-11:30) instead of our usual afternoon time! It should be fun to do a restorative in the morning - nice way to roll into Sunday and start the day off right!

Hope to see you there...

Namaste,
R.