The New Year is a collective time of a perceived clean slate. We let go (a necessary and fruitful practice) of the year passed and celebrate a new cycle of living. During these cycles, however, it can be difficult to take steps forward. Sometimes, we question our readiness, our inner strength and our value. Turning towards self-love, trust and acceptance can be a valuable practice as the new year begins.
At The House of Yoga, we believe that food is our most basic medicine. Hence, all of the amazing recipes you will find on our site.
Porridge is a typical winter breakfast but can be enjoyed year round.
Winter invited you to choose rootsy and dense ingredients and warming and comforting flavours. Spring allows you to work with light and cleansing produce and a refreshing and uplifting palate. You can give shape and character to your porridge and make it totally season appropriate.
This prune and poppy porridge nourishes you without making you feel stagnant or dull. The fresh flavours of lemon, lime and prune bring sparkles to the mind. They make you feel bubbly bright and crystal clear.
I have been totally obsessing over Sage off late. Its taste, its colour, the velvety texture of its leaves, the healing properties it holds. I love everything about it, and it loves me back.
Cooking with Sage is not part of my culinary upbringing. As a girl with Caribbean roots I have been granted the opportunity to taste a wide array of exciting and eclectic flavours, but somehow Sage has never found its way towards my tastebuds. Until a few years ago, that is. And now that I know of it, I can’t stop glorifying it.
Ah, attachment. One of those pesky parts of our human experience. We often assume attachment means that we clamp to material objects, certain people or familiar places. But we can also get trapped by our own dogmas and rules. This ‘tunnel vision’ can impact us in unconscious or troubling ways.
There is a story that is cherished among zen practitioners, demonstrating that some aspects of existence simply cannot be described—that direct experience is more powerful than pages and pages and pages of sacred scripture or hours of eloquent talking.
On a particular day, a large group of monks and students had gathered to hear the Buddha give a sermon.
What keeps us alive, what allows us to endure?
I think it is the hope of loving,
or being loved.
I heard a fable once about the sun going on a journey
to find its source, and how the moon wept
without her lover’s
warm gaze.
We weep when light does not reach our hearts. We wither
like fields if someone close
does not rain their
kindness
upon
us.
During the Holidays, our natural rhythms change. The inner soil is prepared by time-off, the sweet company of loved ones, rituals, and sacred tradition.
As yogis, we are called to cultivate inner awareness and learn how to harness the energies present to us during various times of the year-the change of seasons, the phases of the moon, the sacred times of the year.
It seems coconut oil is getting all the attention these days. But, there are other oils with amazing health benefits that deserve some time on the center stage. One of our favorites at The House of Yoga is argan oil.
