Everyone's Earth: Make OHMazing™ Choices

Me and my youngest daughter Andersen
when she was 18 months.

by Beth Reese

Earlier this week I reflected on my experiences with International Peace Day. Today I wish to expand on that and share ideas I have encountered about OHMazing™ Choices we can make every day to make the world a healthier, more peaceful place.

Share. Beth Buczynski offers common-sensical suggestions for sharing cothing, books and media, home, car and energy. "If we want to create a more sustainable life, there are plenty of sharing services and online communities that can help us reduce waste, make a little money, and reconnect with what’s really important: people," Beth says.

Recycle. While this is not new, Earth911.com offers insight into materials and categories we might overlook including automotive and construction items.

Selecting foods that come straight from the Earth
is an OHMazing™ choice.

Take Action. 50 Ways to Help the Planet is an easy, quick resource to remind us of daily doses for making a difference. Once of my personal favorites is the reminder to Rethink Bottled Water. "Nearly 90% of plastic water bottles are not recycled, instead taking thousands of years to decompose. Buy a reusable container and fill it with tap water, a great choice for the environment, your wallet, and possibly your health. The EPA's standards for tap water are more stringent than the FDA's standards for bottled water," the site reports.

What are some of your favorite sites and resources for making OHMazing™ choices?

Mindful Minutes: What is Yoga?

by Damla Eytemiz

Your boss thinks what he does is the best, your husband is waiting for dinner, your wife doesn’t enjoy your being late from work, kids demand non-stop, parents are complaining, you have a headache, you don’t feel like doing anything, not in the mood, kids think you work so hard and don’t spend enough time with them…..

In our daily lives, we all deal with a lot of problems. We think that our problems cause stress and anxiety, and they do, but we should also not forget that stress and anxiety cause many problems, too. So if those two factors are inevitable in life, then the best is to learn how we can manage them.

There are many methods, many tips for managing stress and anxiety. We read and hear so many of them every day. Everyone has their own methods. And of course, I have mine, too. I do yoga. Until I start doing yoga, I tried many things, but a year ago, I found that yoga works the best for me.

It can be helpful to understand yoga to benefit from its effects. By doing yoga, you achieve a peaceful body and mind as a result of the physical and mental disciplines it brings. Many of my friends who learned about my classes and my new job at Yogiños: Yoga for Youth® are wondering about yoga, so I wanted to share: 

On beliefnet.com, Valerie Reiss did a search for "yoga is", and here are some of the results she found.

What is yoga?

yoga is pure love
yoga is more than your foot behind your head
yoga is the path of union with the god
yoga is not a religion
yoga is good for you
yoga is technology to find your true self
yoga is a great exercise
yoga is for everybody
yoga is extremely powerful stuff
yoga is a system for body energy
yoga is a way of life
yoga is a sanskrit word meaning: to yoke together
yoga is hot

What is yoga to you? Let us know in the comments below.

Poised for Possibility: Turning toward New Perspectives

by Beth Reese

My dear friend, Becca (right),
helps me see new perspectives.

The moment one gives close attention to any thing, even a blade of grass it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.  ~Henry Miller

One of my favorite ways to practice yoga off the mat is to explore new sites, sights, and cites. Today I am traveling in Eastern Europe, and I find it helpful to practice many of the limbs of yoga to increase the joy of my experience.

Yogiños Instructors-in-Training practice
Seated Twist with a friend at a recent training
at Yoga for the Peaceful.

In terms of asana, and also wanting to engage several of the chakras (see recent postings, Hero at Home), I choose seated twist with a friend.

This pose reminds us that we can help each other see things from new perspectives. Plus, it is an incredible pose to practice often while traveling. It helps to release the spine and relax the nervous system, and it brings fresh blood to our organs and digestive system-- things we definitely need after sitting in planes, cars, or boats.

To do Seated Twist with a friend, first sit criss-criss, facing your partner with your knees touching. (See instructions below video).





1. Introduce yourself to your friend.
2. Sit with your spine straight and tall and clasp your partner's wrists on both sides.
3. Inhale and bend your left elbows (both partners) straight back as you twist to your left.
4. Exhale and turn your head toward your left shoulder, twisting a little deeper.
5. Think about keeping your knees and hips facing your partner and twisting your spine instead of your hips.
6. Take several breaths here, deepening the twist on each exhale.
7. Inhale to come back to the middle and then repeat on the other side.

Seated Twist in Croatia on the Adriatic
Sea. An entirely new perspective.

If a partner isn't available, do this twist on your own. Instead of clasping hands with a partner, inhale and reach one hand across your body to your opposite knee. Exhale and twist your spine toward that hand. Hold for several breaths and then repeat on the other side.

As you twist, notice something new that you haven't seen before.

My OHMazing™ Journey: Hey Maa!

 by Ahila Gulasekaram

Hey Maa!

Finally, my most favorite time of the year is here…BEAUTIFUL, WONDERFUL FALL!! 

Tree pose celebrating the return of fall!

What’s not to like about the cooler weather, field trips to the pumpkin patch, and homemade Halloween costumes? It’s the time of year that always makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside! Besides the steamy apple cider and yummy pumpkin pie, I’m most excited about this time of year because of the festival of Navaratri. I have the fondest childhood memories of this colorful, joyous festival which celebrates the Divine Mother in her glorious forms. 

The word Navaratri literally means nine nights in Sanskrit, nava meaning nine and ratri meaning nights. During these nine nights, three powerful forms of Shakti (Female Energy) are worshiped and celebrated. 

The first three nights are dedicated to the mother goddess in her primal force called Durga also known as Kali, in order to destroy all our impurities. 

On the second three nights, the Mother is adored as the goddess of spiritual wealth, Lakshmi, who is considered to have the power of bestowing inexhaustible prosperity on her devotees.

With my mother

The final three nights are spent honoring the goddess of wisdom, Saraswati, who is also known as the goddess of knowledge, music, and arts. We seek the blessings of all three aspects of the divine Shakti, hence the nine nights of celebration!

I am so blessed to have an amazing mother who truly embodies the essence of Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati. Her love is instinctual, unconditional, and forever. When I spend time with my mom I’m constantly reminded of the Jewish proverb,” God could not be everywhere and, therefore, He made mothers.” 

 

Five months ago I began my sweet journey into motherhood. If I can be half the mother that my mom is, I know that I’ve succeeded!

Jai Shri Maa!

How has your mother or other women in your life influenced your personal journey? Comment below for a chance to win the new Yogiños: Yoga for Youth® DVD, Vishnu's OHMazing™ Journeys.

Ahila Gulasekaram is a Yogiños:Yoga for Youth®-Inspired instructor at the Crow Collection of Asian Art Museum.  Ahila’s classes are uniquely influenced by her background and passion for Indian classical dance.  She is committed to helping kids make OHMazing™choices for themselves, others, and the environment!

 

Creating Connections: Yoga Energy Activism

by Meredith Paterson

In every Yogiños class, we talk about making OHMazing™ choices. OHMazing™ choices are choices that support ourselves, others, and the environment. The mindfulness that youth learn through yoga helps them pause to check in with each decision that they make and ask themselves whether the choice is an OHMazing™ one. They learn that they have control over their own actions and reactions.

The always-inspiring yogini Shiva Rea has started a program called Yoga Energy Activism (YEA) that is a great way to start a conversation with your family about the OHMazing™ choices you make in terms of energy. I first learned about this program through the wonderful Monica Mesa at Yoga for the Peaceful in Crested Butte, CO, and I think it is a brilliant way for whole families to work together to apply what we learn in yoga to serve ourselves and the world off of our yoga mats.

Yoga Energy Activism is a multi-layered program that addresses many aspects of our energy use, both how we use and often deplete our personal energy and how we use technology. The program asks us to take Energy Regeneration Days reconnect to cycles of nature and to our own internal cycles while reducing our use of fossil fuels. By tuning in to what's happening inside and outside, we become more mindful of each choice that we make and how those choices impact others.

Work together as a family to plan your Energy Regeneration Days

Tomorrow (Tuesday, September 27) is the new moon and is one of the days that YEA recommends for an Energy Sabbath. What can you do tomorrow to be mindful of your energy usage? Try committing to 3 hours of energy regeneration. Join with others on the YEA (Yoga Energy Activism) Facebook page.





Some ideas from the Yoga Energy Activism website for creating an Energy Regeneration Retreat for your family:


-------------

Join us in creating these special days to be with your loved ones and take a technology fast. Make simple steps to create less waste, use less water and contribute to decreasing your carbon footprint.

So let's restore energy!  Create your own Energy Regeneration Day - a retreat that includes
* unplugging and going solar or candlelight  (all electricity except your refrigerator) and accounting for your carbon footprint by retreating or supporting Global Green's carbon offset program
* tuning in (regenerating your energy in your own way through the yoga, being with your loved ones, resting, creating, playing)
* clearing up -  fasting (from food and-or technology), feasting (with eco-positive vegan food) and trying to go for Zero Waste.

Now is the time to take responsibility for our inner and outer world so that we can wake-up from the inertia that is preventing positive change and realize the natural gifts of prana that are inherent in the elements of the sun, water, earth, and air that are being depleted and poisoned.

Energy Regeneration Retreat
3 hours, 12 hours half-day (sunset to sunrise)  24 hour day

* Turn off and unplug all electronics and appliances (except the refrigerator)
* Take a technology fast - a healthy break from computer, cell phones, tv, games
* Rest, be with lovers,  family, friends,  read, reflect, create, play, be quiet, be festive
* Use ghee lamps, soy or beeswax candles or solar charged lamps for necessary light
* Create light from natural sources
* Gather with friends and family and celebrate using as little energy as possible to create meals
 (Cook the day before or foods not-requiring energy to prepare)
* Go for zero or as little waste as possible by composting and recycling
* Any meals are created with food that has minimal or no packaging and are vegetarian or vegan (the environmental effects of meat, fish and dairy)
* Create a meal with as little packaging as possible
* How few times can you flush
* What is your shortest reasonable shower or go greywater.
* Reduce water consumption: flush one less time / cut 2-6 minutes off your shower
* Use a bike or walk for transportation – if a car is necessary, try to reduce your travel to 1 gallon of gas (approx 25 miles) or use carbon off-set
* Replace TV and video games in your family with outdoor or other non-electronic activities


Personal Energy Regeneration
* Unplugging from social media, computer, cell phone for a few hours to a whole day!
* Reading
* Journaling
* Longer meditation and yoga practice
* Fasting: eating once or twice a day, or juice fast, or fruit + vegetable fast

-------------

Let us know what you notice about your energy use in the comments below.

Hero at Home: Big Wheels Keep on Turning, part III

Me and my son, Cole, May 2011.
We explored manipura and digestion at a
Giants baseball game.  We liked the garlic fries best. ;-)

by Beth Reese

Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent.  ~Eleanor Roosevelt
 

For our third Sunday of 108 Days of OHMazing™ Journeys in honor of the release of our new DVD, Vishnu's OHMazing™ Journeys, I will continue to reflect on the internal wheels in our bodies, also known as chakras. Here I would like to expand on our conversation with you about how we can activate these centers to make heroic—or OHMazing™—choices. These ideas are appropriate for heroes of all ages.

First we explored the first chakra, Muladhara. Last week we focused on the second energy center, also known as Swadhisthana or Sacral Chakra. Today our attention moves up to the third chakra, Manipura, which is located at our spine directly behind the naval area.

It is said Manipura is the fire center of both our destructive and creative energies, as well as digestive powers. A third chakra asana practice can warm the body and energize the mind.

One of the best asanas for Manipura is a sun salutation where the spine can receive a full range of motion. Here is a version of the Yogiños sun salutation, Toco el Sol.

What poses do you include in your sun salutation?

Together at the Table: Farmers' Markets

by Meredith Paterson

I decided to call these Saturday posts "Together at the Table" because I wanted to use them to talk about all of the ways food factors into our lives. What we eat, how we purchase or grow our food, and how we eat it are decisions that reflect so many of our values.

Over the past few months, I have begun to slowly slowly change my food patterns. I used to be the queen of takeout. I was scared of the kitchen and scared that if I committed to cooking my own meals I would lose a lot of freedom in my life. Because of some health issues, I had to change all of that. Eating out became problematic, and it made more sense to start cooking. I say all of this because I am at the beginning of this journey. I have a lot to learn. In the short time that I have been at this, though, I have begun to realize that I was missing quite a lot by placing all of my meals in someone else's hands.

What I type in this space will be about my adventures with reconnecting with food, and I hope you'll share your own adventures. The biggest lesson learned so far is that the where I thought I'd lose freedom, I found abundance. And one of the ways I learned abundance was through the farmers' market.

Talking directly with the people who grow the food I am eating means that each vegetable has a story, and when I cook it, I feel the pride of the people who took so much care to bring it to life. There is a richness to food that I had not been mindful of before.

Taking the whole family to the market is an opportunity to talk about where our food actually comes from and what has to happen for it to get to our plates. And my hope is that starting this conversation at the market will mean that kids want to help prepare the food that they have helped to choose and that they will be willing to try the food that they now know so much about.

If you have a farmers' market nearby, try it this week and notice whether it changes how you feel about the food you prepare and eat. Let us know about your farmers' market stories in the comments below.

Money Free Weekend with No Age Limit

Damla, Director of Marketing for Yogiños,
is working on her MBA at
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
Damla is trilingual in Turkish—
her home language—German and English.

by Damla Eytemiz

Last week after a great Yoga class, I came together with my friends. We sat and some of us thought, “fun is pricey”. I am definitely thinking in the opposite way. Since I was a kid, I loved the activities which I didn’t put too much money on, but enjoyed way more than ones that cost coins. 

All activities don’t necessitate any equipments, right ? 

For this weekend, forget about activities which require spending money and opt for ones that nurture experiences together....

Here are my 5 activities for this weekend which you can enjoy with your whole family.. 

1-Car wash: Parents, you will definitely love this activity. Set some work for the kids and for yourself of course. Washing the family car and of course each other. Just a bucket, soap, sponges... Leave kids 10 minutes for the car cleaning and the rest probably they will be washing each other and after that your turn starts for the real cleaning.

MC Yogi and Amanda Giacomini
choose to walk than grab a cab
after dinner in Dallas last week.

2-Go for a walk. We are all close to beaches in Corpus Christi. Even though you are in another city, you can still enjoy the weather, some small mountains or great parks. Walking is one of the best activities to be healthy, fit and also to get rid of stress. 

3-Sidewalk chalk. Drawing is always fun, whether you are 9 or 59. You can let the kids make pictures and let yourself do the same. The result will show what is going through your minds. 

4-Bubble art. I used to do it a lot when I was a kid and I still enjoy it. Making bubbles are always fun but the kids sometimes can get bored of it. Here is an art. Add a few drops of food coloring into the plastic and let them blow the bubbles onto white paper. You will enjoy this artictic masterpiece.

5-Sunday.... Yoga... After getting tired of all those activities, before breakfast, spend at least 15 minutes on doing Yoga. That will help you become more active for the day, and it will wash away the Blue Monday.. 

See you next Thursday! 

Poised for Possibility: Peace-In

A regular Yogiño student helps me teach
Arbol/Tree/Vrksasana.

by Beth Reese


Peace begins with a smile.
~ Mother Teresa

Today is International Peace Day. To celebrate, I spent my morning with the OHMazing™ students, faculty and families of Mi Casita Montessori School. My youngest daughter, Andersen, attends the school and I was honored to be invited to participate.

We played with two simple ideas. First, like Mother Teresa is noted for saying, peace begins with a smile. Next, Peace or paz in Spanish, starts with each of us making good—or OHMazing™—choices. Toward those goals, we donned blue to "wear our peace proudly" then danced, laughed, looked, listened, held hands, and, of course, struck a few poses.

60+ students, teachers and parents celebrated peace
with a smile, as seen here in our
jardin/garden or variation of navasana.

There are numerous poses we explored in honor of the peaceful gifts the earth gives us—even right in the school-yard! Here we sculpted our bodies into trees, flowers, gardens, grasshoppers, bumble bees, butterflies, frogs and more. Perhaps one of the most memorable parts was performing through our kinesthetic intelligence that the first OHMazing™ choice we can make towards peace is to love ourselves.

One way I teach this concept is a very simple, concrete, timeless pose: self-bear-hug. In our song used for many Sun Salutations, Toco el Sol, we hug ourselves when we hear the word, Shanti.

Shanti means peace in Sanskrit, the ancient and melodic language of yoga. Shanti also is the name of our elephant-headed "mascot," as seen to the right of this blog post.

 

Toco el Sol/Touch the Sun

Yo soy OHMazing™    I am OHMazing™
Yo soy OHMazing™    I am OHMazing™
Namasté            Namasté
Namasté            Namasté
Toco la tierra            Touch the earth
Yo soy fuerte            I am strong
Soy alegre             I am fun
Shanti, shanti        Shanti, shanti
¡Toco el sol!            Touch the sun!
 

Guruji Gandi once said, If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children.

How will you teach peace today? How will you share a peaceful practice with the children?

You are beautiful, yes, I'm talkin to you!

Another OHMazing™ Journey

by guest OHMusings blogger Melissa Smith

Anyone willing to go back to their teen years for a do-over? I didn't think so. Those junior high and high school days for me were challenging as I tried to navigate the popularity food chain, figure out if I was good enough to make "this" team or fit in with "that" group. I put on a confident front but inside, I was often filled with self doubt. I think most kids (and adults) are like that, afraid to step out and rock the boat, be unique or a leader.  One thing that was a constant growing up: I had someone in my life who told me repeatedly, almost daily, how beautiful I was and how I could accomplish anything I set my mind to. 

My 3rd season with a group of high schoolers to train and mentor them through yoga brings another opportunity to hold up a mirror for them to see how beautiful they already are. These special kids each with their own unique set of hardships, were nominated by a teacher to participate in the program with end goal of completing a half marathon in 6 months. I started yoga with them in the off season the first year and by the second season, we incorporated yoga post run and witnessed kids who normally wouldn't sit still begin to see how it improved their breath, flexibility and offered them a sense of calm. 

At our first coaches meeting this year, we were asked to write down a phrase that encouraged us. I chose this mantra to share with them: "You are beautiful, Yes, I'm talking to you!" Inspired by the signs tacked on sacred trees in a temple in Thailand this summer, the Buddhist monks use these messages or mantras as a form of meditation. A mantra can be a word, phrase, sound or even yoga Sutra that is repeated to invoke inner strength and power. It simply allows your best, Truest self to shine. 

The Sanskrit word mantra comes from "manas", meaning mind. And, "trai" which means, "to protect" or "free from". Literally meaning "to free from the mind." It's a tool for our minds to liberate us from that self doubt and propel us to places we never thought we were "good enough" for or even dreamed possible.  

What mantra have you incorporated in your life that stirs your soul or reveals your beauty? Can you empower a child in your life with one? This gift of mantra is far better than a do-over, it ripples into the lives of our youth here and now.  

Melissa Smith, traveler, mentor, momma, acroyoga-fairy and 500 RYT 

200 RYT from Inspyrayoga in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 2005 where Melissa specialized in pre/post natal for over 3 years. Moving back to the US, Melissa's grown in her practice and training by earning her 500 RYT and blogging about her experiences as a student and teacher. She leads teacher trainings for Leeann Carey YaapanaYoga (200 and 300 hour), specializing Prenatal and Partner Practice. Extending gratitude and appreciation for her teachers & influences including: Leeann Carey (Yaapana Yoga, California), Chrys Kub (Yoga Therapy, North Carolina), Sadhvi Abha (Kriya, India), Judith Lasater (Anatomy, California), Lance Schuler (Hatha, Australia), Stephanie Adams (mentor, Oregon), Jennifer Yarro (Thai Yoga Massage, Massachusetts), Elizabeth Reese (Yoginos for Yoth, Texas) and Mandy Eubanks (Anusara, Texas).

Melissa Smith
melissainkl@yahoo.com
713.357.8817


Leeann Carey Yoga
http://www.leeanncareyyoga.com/
melissa@leeanncareyyoga.com
http://www.facebook.com/LeeannCareyYoga


Grace Yoga & Pilates
Blog: http://graceyoga-live-move-breathe.blogspot.com/
Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/27qk3hf

Support our family in the Walk to End Alzheimer's: http://tinyurl.com/4gdsc56 

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
―Oscar Wilde

Creating Connections: MC Yogi

by Meredith Paterson

MC Yogi with some of the stars
from the new Yogiños DVD

This past Friday, we had the long-awaited premiere of our new DVD Vishnu's OHMazing™ Journeys at the Crow Collection of Asian Art in Dallas. The event was everything we could ever have wished for and more. The Yogiños, the stars of the DVD, got to walk down the red carpet, and then they got to see themselves on the big screen for the first time. I could not stop watching them watch the film. And the best part was watching them reconnect with each other after nine months.

Amanda prepares for
the concert

The night culminated perfectly with a unforgettable concert by MC Yogi with Amanda Giacomini and Robin Livingston. We had planned to hold the concert outside on the street in front of the museum, but a glorious, much-needed rainstorm hung over Dallas that night, so we moved inside. MC Yogi started the concert by saying that the gods and goddesses that surrounded us in the gallery had conspired to move the concert inside so that they could see it, too. He was absolutely right. What a privilege to sing and dance to the stories of the deities as they watched over us. I think every person in that gallery was moved on Friday night.

The best word I know to describe the experience of the concert is inspiration-- the old meaning of the word. To breathe life into. Thank you thank you to MC Yogi, Amanda, and Robin for breathing new life into me. 

 

I dare you not to dance. 

The last group of fourth graders that I taught always had one question at the beginning of class. "When do we get to hear that Elephant song?" And yes. I played it every time.

Which song most inspires you?

Check out the sequence from MC Yogi and Amanda in September's Yoga Journal!
See the trailer for the new Yogiños: Yoga for Youth DVD featuring MC Yogi's song "Give Love"

Hero at Home: Big Wheels Keep on Turning, part II

For the second Sunday in our 108 Days of OHMazing™ Journeys in honor of the release of our new DVD, Vishnu's OHMazing™ Journeys, I will continue to reflect on the internal wheels in our bodies, also known as chakras. Here I would like to expand on our conversation with you about how we can activate these centers to make heroic—or OHMazing™—choices. These ideas are appropriate for heroes of all ages.

Last week we explored the first chakra, Muladhara. This week our focus is on the second energy center, also known as Swadhisthana or Sacral Chakra. It is located in the last bone in spinal cord or the coccyx.

Swadisthana is connected with basic emotional needs and pleasure. It governs reproduction, creativity, and joy. Sharon Gannon, co-founder of Juvamukti Yoga, says that our second chakra is connected to our outter body below our navel at our hips and pelvis.  

"Forward bending gives us the opportunity to move into our past for

The second chakra is represented
by a crescent moon, with six
orange petals, within a lotus.

reflection and healing through the letting go of resentful feelings we may be holding against past sexual or creative partners," writes Gannon on the Jivamukti Yoga Center website.

While there are numerous forward bends to cultivate awareness and healing within the Swadisthana chakra, one of our favorite poses—or asanas— is a forward bending Butterfly/Mariposa/Baddha Konasana.

Andersen, age 4, demonstrates one of her
favorite poses, baddha konasana.

• Sit with legs stretched out in front of you.
• Inhale.
  Exhale, bending knees and bring soles of feet together, bringing heels as close to your seat or pelvis as possible
• Press your fingertips or "spider fingers" into the earth by your hips.
• Root your tailbone or coccyx down into the earth, extend your heart forward and rise up through the crown of your head.
  Hold onto feet with a straight back. 
• Inhale
• Exhale, hinging at hips and moving your extended heart toward the earth.
• Hold asana for several breaths, inhaling and exhaling slowly.
• As you inhale, use your mind's eye to pull your prana (breath) into your Sacral area and hips. As you exhale, allow your breath to release any tightness and resentful feelings. 

  

There are many components of the 8 Limbs of yoga that encourage us to explore  our second chakra. Share your practice below!

Beth and Meredith on the red carpet at the
world premiere of the 2nd DVD,
Vishnu's OHMazing™ Journeys,
created in partnership with the
Crow Collection of Asian Art.

Elizabeth "Beth" Reese, Ph.D., RYT, RCYT, is the founder and executive director of Yogiños: Yoga for Youth®. She is a teacher with over 20 years of experiences leading learners of all ages in creative problem solving, self-reflection and empowerment.

Together at the Table: Cooking for the $5 Challenge

by Meredith Paterson

A teaser from the premiere: Beth, Jordan, Cole, and
Andersen on the red carpet. More photos coming soon!

Happy Saturday! The $5 Challenge that I blogged about last week is here! We are in Dallas this weekend for the premiere of the Yogiños DVD (see Beth's post below), and I am staying with my family up here in Richardson, so I had the opportunity to hang out with my mom and shop at the Richardson Farmers' Market.

The idea of the $5 Challenge from Slow Food USA was to help people understand that they can eat in a sustainable (local, organic) way without breaking the bank. 

Right now in Texas, we're just about to enter our best produce season. Fall brings lots of variety in terms of veggies. Today we started seeing pumpkins and new squashes at the farmers' market which fit perfectly with the lovely gray rainclouds in the sky hinting at fall. (We really need the rain down here.) However, we decided we wanted to cook some of the last of the summer veggies, so zucchini was the centerpiece of today's meal.

Quinoa dish
(Apologies for the picture.
I'm no food photographer)

We made this recipe that I found on the gorgeous blog 101 Cookbooks:  Quinoa with Currants, Dill, and Zucchini. It was my first time to try this recipe. I thought it turned out really well. I subbed goat cheese for the feta because that's what was available, and I thought it was pretty tasty. I want to try it with the feta, too, though.

Zucchini, yellow squash, and onion
before hitting the grill.

We also grilled some veggies from the Farmers' Market. We were going to a dinner with family friends, so I didn't have the opportunity to complete a full meal on this challenge, but we had some money left over that could have gone towards foods to round out the meal.

Here is the cost breakdown:

Organic green onions: $0.99
Dried currants: $0.40
Sesame seeds: $0.22
Organic quinoa: $0.50
Local zucchini: $3 (used in both dishes
Local fresh dill: $0.75
Local goat cheese: $3.99
Local yellow squash: $0.72
Local white onion: $1
Grand Total: $11.57 / Per person (feeding 4): $2.87



This challenge was a lot of fun, and I encourage you to experiment with what you can do for under $5 with produce from your farmers' markets. Let us know what you prepare, and we would love to feature your recipes.

Red-Carpet Premiere Tonight with MC Yogi!

Red-Carpet Premiere
Tonight with MC Yogi!

Amanda Giacomini and husband, MC Yogi,
enjoying playful art in the
Dallas Arts District.

Tonight, 6pm-12am: It's almost here! Join us for a concert with hip-hip yogi-musician MC YOGI at the Crow Collection of Asian Art in Dallas to celebrate the release of our 2nd DVD, Vishnu's OHMazing™ Journeys!
The party includes:

• 6-6:45pm: Kids' Yoga from the DVD
• 7pm: DVD premiere! (reservations required)
• 8pm: Hip-Hop yoga with Priya Jhawar
• 9pm: Concert with MC Yogi
• 10:30: After Dark Karaoke
• 11pm: Candlelight Meditation

Throughout the evening

• Art activities: OHMazing™ fans and Tibetan flag t-shirts
• Make your own healthy granola
• Asanas in Art: explore the galleries to find the different works of art featuring the various asanas highlighted in the new DVD

More information about the PARTY!



It's Here! It's Here! Our New DVD: Vishnu's OHMazing™ Journeys 

So many of you have been with us on this journey as we crafted, molded, tweaked, edited, giggled, cried, and marveled at the process, learning at each step along the way what the word journey really means. And here we are at the start of something entirely new with the release of Vishnu's OHMazing™ Journeys, created in partnership between Yogiños: Yoga for Youth® and The Crow Collection of Asian Art in Dallas. View the DVD trailer.

You can finally purchase your very own copy here!
Vishnu's OHMazing™ Journeys weaves together original art, music, yoga, and ancient narratives about the hero Vishnu and the heroine Lakshmi.  The DVD celebrates our own journeys and the choices we make as we build relationships and extend our love to ourselves, others and the environment.
Come celebrate the release of the DVD at our red-carpet premiere with MC Yogi! See the details below.

This DVD is the culmination of so much love and dedication from so many people. We send heart-exploding thanks out to each and every one of the Yogiños and their families who brought so much personality and vibrancy to the filming. We're so excited to see where your journeys take you! To the crew and production team, Sean, Brendan, Sam, Drew, Nate, Larry, and Rachel, for astounding us in every moment by your talent, creativity, and ability to problem-solve everything. To Ahila, for bringing the story to life through your artistry and grace. To Zoe, Chase, and Audrey for making our hearts sing. And finally to Amy, Caron, Kristina, Tracy, and Elizabeth and each and every person at the Crow Collection of Asian Art for your unflagging professionalism, your devotion, your keen knowledge, your flexibility, and for your vision in seeing the museum space as place of wellness and health for all generations. We bow in gratitude to each of you and to the countless others who have made this journey possible. Namasté.