Thank you for your patience! It took me a few extra days than usual to upload our March Yoga and Cooking classes to the classroom. Both are now ready for you! If you've tried making the flatbreads, let's see your pictures!! After class, I cooked up the extra dough and had some great puffing action with the Chapatis. If you're interested in yoga classes, recipes and instructions, all are found inside the classroom. Upgrading to Premium can be done at any time.

The food you eat can affect your mood and your mood can affect what you choose to eat. The Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 17, Verses 8-10) shares how food influences our consciousness, moods, and mental health. The qualities (Gunas) of the food is categorized as Sattvic (pure/calm), Rajasic (agitated/passionate), and Tamasic (lethargic/dull). The core principle is “jaisa ann, waisa mann” (as is the food, so is the mind), emphasizing fresh, nutritious food to maintain a balanced, peaceful mind. 1. Sattvic Foods (Goodness & Peace): These foods promote longevity, strength, health, happiness, and satisfaction. They are juicy, smooth, substantial, and pleasing to the heart. - Examples: Fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, milk, and ghee. - Mood: Calm, clear, and peaceful. 2. Rajasic Foods (Passion & Agitation): These foods are excessively bitter, sour, salty, pungent, dry, and hot. They cause pain, grief, and disease. - Examples: Excessive spices, caffeine, strong tea, coffee, and highly processed or salty snacks. - Mood: Restless, agitated, and emotional. 3. Tamasic Foods (Ignorance & Lethargy): These foods are stale, tasteless, putrid, decomposed, or impure. They cause dullness and laziness. - Examples: Meat, fish, alcohol, leftovers, and heavily processed or fast food. - Mood: Lethargic, depressed, and confused. In addition to WHAT foods we eat, the HOW, WHERE, WHEN and WHY also affect our Food and Mind. - Mindful Eating: Eating with gratitude and without being in a rush, treating it as a spiritual act. - Offering Food (Prasadam): Offering gratitude and pray for the food, gifting it to the Divine first transforms it into prasadam, which purifies the consciousness. - Moderation: Neither overeating nor starving supports a balanced mind, which is essential for meditation and productivity. - Freshness: Eating freshly cooked food maintains prana (life force), while reheated, old food is considered to be dead or dumb.

I loved the talk on digestion that we did at last class. Carol's reminder to chew our food 32 times to start digestion was great. I have learned that before, but needed that reminder. Great class on making paneer and using it in a meal. Wonderful heart opening class with Kathleen Wright before the cooking class, got me up early and ready for the day!

Surya is the Sanskrit word for sun. Namaskar means a salutation. Yoga offers many ways to harness the sun’s energy within the body . In our January Yoga session we focused on the warmth of the sun. We found several ways to work with the Surya Namaskar; A series of asanas that stir the internal heat and digestive fire known as Agni. We also worked with a mudra. Mudra means a hand gesture or a lock. Surya Mudra is a gesture that symbolizes and harnesses the suns energy. Hence Surya Mudra acknowledges that every living thing on earth depends on the sun for their sustainable energy.

This month is all about the heart! On February 15th, our live yoga and cooking class will focus on the physical and emotional heart center. Experience gentle, supported backbends that open the chest and heart center. Create a meal that will benefit your physical heart health and open your emotional heart. The live event will start at 11am EST/10am CST and open to all premium members (upgrade your membership). Recordings will be uploaded within a couple days of the event in the classroom.