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Yoga Pose: Crescent Lunge
Anjaneyasana (Crescent Lunge)
Benefits
Opens the hips, cultivates balance, strengthens knees, stretches hamstrings, quads, and groin. (Great for yogis prepping for hanumanasana (the splits)
How To
1. Begin in low lunge with your right foot forward and drop your back knee to the mat. (Feel free to use a blanket for cushion if you need more support.) The top of your left foot should be resting on the back of the mat
2. Place your hand on your right knee and your right knee directly over you ankle.
3. On your next inhale lift your arms to frame your ears and draw your shoulders away from your ears. Take steeple grip with your hands
4. As you exhale sink deeper in your hips bring length to your back leg and keep your back foot straight.
5. Once you are ready, take a gentle backbend, tracing your gaze from the ceiling to the back wall as you shine your heart forward.
Precautions
If you feel pain in the front knee lift the hips a bit more.
Modifications
Lower hands to either side of the mat for more support or for more of a shoulder opening.
~Namaste, Sihnuu
6 Reasons to Go Gluten-Free
At one point the term gluten-free was something only people with celiac disease were well acquainted with. Now almost everyday I seem to run into someone who is all about gluten-free living, and grocery stores have entire sections dedicated to gluten-free products. Last year gluten-free sales soared to over two billion dollars in revenue, and it’s not just people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance that are purchasing these products. Gluten is a binding protein found in wheat, rye, barley, spelt, and cross hybrids of these grains that gives baked goods their “fluffiness.” Research shows that there are actually over one hundred and fifty diseases and symptoms that are linked to gluten sensitivity and difficulty digesting gluten-filled foods. Celiac disease, the most commonly known gluten-related condition affects about three million people, and is a disorder where the immune system attacks the small intestine when you consume gluten. Other serious conditions that can improve once gluten is eliminated from the diet include Crohn’s disease, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia.
If you are a raw vegan, or a vegan who avoids processed foods, you are by default be gluten-free anyway and just call it something else. I remember personally how long it took me to kick my bread cravings to the curb, and how much better I felt once I made it through the withdrawal period. All this said, gluten-free living doesn’t automatically equate with a healthier lifestyle. If you are still eating the processed products marketed to gluten-free disciples that are heavily stocked in grocery stores, you’re are missing the point. Many of these products are made with potato, soy, and corn, and loaded with refined carbs and simple sugars that can still have negative effects on your health longterm. Just because it is a gluten-free cupcake, that doesn’t mean that it is by default guilt-free. However if you eat more fruit and veg based meals and/or opt for one hundred percent whole grains like quinoa, millet, buckwheat, or amaranth you’ll be playing the game right and reap the benefits. Some of the perks of going gluten-free the right way include:
Shedding Excess Weight. When you eliminated many processed foods that include bagels, cookies, cereals etc. of course you are going to lose weight! Gluten is also found in a bunch of products you may not expect like salad dressings, maple syrups, yogurt, and even some meat products.
Boost Digestion & Elimination. A lot of people notice immediately that cutting out gluten eases any digestive problems. You may have less indigestion, less bloating or cramps, and better bowel movements. Part of the reason why this improves is because a lot of people’s bodies’ have a hard time digesting gluten to being with.
Clear Up Skin Issues. If you’ve read my e-book The Acne-Free Diet, you’d know that very often acne is the bodes way of releasing waste that couldn’t be released via bowel movement because the colon is backed up or the body is overloaded with toxins. Those with acne issues may also find relief by going gluten-free because sans the gluten your body is able to eliminate waste easier.
Decrease Inflammation. Many times when people get into a disease state, they may be asked to eliminate gluten, partly because it decreases the amount of inflammation in their bodies and can relieve pain. Even if you are not suffering from a disease but experience regular aches and pains or stiffness, going gluten-free may help you relieve your symptoms.
Increase in Energy. When your body is not weighed down or having to work overtime to process gluten, you may find that you have additional energy, less fogginess, and are able to get more done in a day.
Get Happy, Stay Happy. For some people consuming gluten does not only affect their bodies, it affects their emotions. I know for me, consuming gluten sometimes creates emotional “lows.” If you are suffering from depression or generally find yourself extra irritable, check your diet and monitor how you feel after eating certain foods. Getting rid of gluten may help you sustain a more stable dose of happy throughout the day.
Meditation: “Create More Than You Consume.”
While out taking some yoga pics in Georgetown saw this quote on the wall and loved it. “Create More Than You Consume.” I really feel like that is the inner mantra for my life. When you spend more time tapping into your inner essence and tuning into plant energy via your diet, it really can enhance your creativity and joie de vivre! We are all meant to blossom and live out our true passion and purpose. Part of what clean eating does is free our bodies of toxicity so that we have more vitality, and become a clearer channel for brilliant creative ideas. When you are freed up from sickness, disease, and bodily concerns you have the luxury of channeling your energy towards something greater. In addition, practicing meditation and mindfulness helps us weed through and release our programmed emotional reactions, and work towards our purpose with more clarity, peace, and non-attachment. The more we release our attachments and desperation for something outside of ourselves, the more we come into vibrational alignment with our desires and attract opportunities, people, and things to help us along our journey. Take a moment today and ask yourself: “Do I create more than I consume?” If not, how can you tap deeper into your creativity? What dreams, aspirations, or skills have you neglected lately? It’s a new day, and if you have the honor of being alive there’s still time to create what your heart truly desires. ~Namaste, Raw Girl
21 Day Meditation Challenge
Need a boost in your meditation practice? Or perhaps you have never meditated and would like to experiment with how it can improve your quality of life? Today is Day 2 of Deepak Chopra’s online meditation challenge called “Miraculous Relationships.” I have completed the past three 21 day challenges he has done in partnership with Oprah online and can attest to the fact that they are fantastic. Not only do the meditations delivered daily to your inbox keep you grounded, they also keep you accountable to your practice and can help you get back on the meditation bandwagon if you’ve fallen off. Late last year, I did one of Deepak’s first challenges, and ever since then I have managed to keep my resolution for 2013 and be very consistent with my daily meditation. If you missed Day 1 no worries, they archive all of the past posts. All you have to do is sign up online via https://chopracentermeditation.com/ ! Who’s in? -XoXo Raw Girl
Meditation: Uniting Body, Mind, & Spirit
As you all know I’m a yoga and meditation junkie…can’t get enough of it. In addition to the regular Raw Girl posts I’ve enlisted a dear friend and talented yoga teacher, Sihnuu, to contribute some poses and brief meditations on the blog. I may jump right on in and add some of my own thoughts. More to come. Please show your love by clicking the like button.
When practicing the healing art of yoga, it is through the art of “yoking”, or uniting, that we reach that state of eternal bliss we so desire. When developing a union between the mind, body, and spirit we are able to reap the full benefits of life itself. We learn to become masters of our mind creating a calm and tranquil space so that we are able to successfully utilize the body as a tool in order to explore our inner essence: the source of true self. ~Namaste, Sihnuu
Exploring this inner essence can then in turn feed us in our daily lives, where we learn to breathe through our emotions and stressful situations. Remember that cultivating your bliss isn’t just for those moments on your mat, you can always reach for your inner essence throughout your day by simply remembering to BREATHE. -XoXo Raw Girl
You can find Sihnuu on Instagram @YogaSihnuu
Juicing Parsley for Flawless Skin
Perhaps parsley doesn’t get much attention because it is used frequently as a garnish. Despite the fact that a lot of people think if it as side fare, this power herb can do more wonders for improving your health and giving you a radiant glow than your main course. Parsley is rich in vitamin A which is a power beauty vitamin, and helps to clear blemishes and maintain an even skin tone while also cleansing the urinary tract, liver, and kidneys. It has a high vitamin C content which helps to stimulate the production of collagen and reduces fine lines, scars, blemishes, and pore size, all at a severely discounted price compared to Botox. Parsley also has high levels of vitamin K which can improve skin elasticity and speed up the wound healing process and is extremely chlorophyll-rich which increases blood flow and metabolizes oxygen in the body. Like many raw vegetables and fruits parsley is rich in antioxidants which rid the body of free radicals and slow the aging process. Not bad for a garnish, huh? One of the best ways to harness the power of parsley is to juice it in combination with other veggies. Several of the recipes in my detox plans contain parsley because of its super power ability to cleanse and boost beauty. If you have not yet tried juicing parsley I highly recommend you experiment with different combinations and find variations you love. -XoXo Raw Girl
For 21 awesome original juice recipes, a detox calendar, a detox guide, and shopping list, check out my 7 Day Detox for Beauty, Weightloss, & Rejuvenation.
The Amazing Health Benefits of Raw Cacao
Who doesn’t love chocolate? One of the most addictive foods on the planet, chocolate has been widely used in all kinds of foods and desserts to add a feel good feeling. The widely available processed chocolate is not the best thing for you because of the added stimulants, sugar, and fat that come along with it and enhance its already potent addictive qualities. Raw cacao, however, which is chocolate in its raw form, is not only great for you, it’s considered a superfood because of a lengthy antioxidant, vitamin, and mineral profile. Cacao beans are grown on trees that originate in Mexico called Theobroma cacao, which in Greek literally means “food of the gods.” Each pod on the trees yields anywhere from 40-60 cacao seeds. To make the processed chocolate that we know and love, cacao beans are roasted to form cocoa and of course combined with ample amounts of sugar and fat. The roasting process is what strips cacao of its nutrients and minimizes the natural health benefits by reducing the levels of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals readily available. Raw Cacao contains magnesium, calcium, sulfur, zinc, iron, copper, potassium, manganese, polyphenols or flavanoids (which have antioxidant properties), along with vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B9, and E. Add to all of this a little protein, fiber, and oleic acid, a monosaturated fat that is essential for heart health and you’ve got yourself a bonafide superfood. Below are some potential benefits of eating raw cacao, all of which can be used to justify your raw chocolate cookie monster like cravings. -XoXo Raw Girl
Got Magnesium? Chocolate contains more magnesium than any other food, which is great to note especially because deficiencies in magnesium are so common. Magnesium is one of the most powerful stress relieving minerals, so if your stressed and craving chocolate, your body is right on target to get what it needs.- Beauty Food That Can Slow Aging. Raw Cacao has more antioxidants than any food tested. In fact it has four to six times the antioxidants of roasted cacao, goji berries, acai berries, blueberries, dark processed chocolate, wine, and black and green teas. Antioxidants help to repair and resist damage from free radicals, and reduce signs of aging. Cacao is also high in the beauty mineral sulfur, which builds healthy nails and hair, promotes beautiful skin, detoxifies the liver, and supports a healthy pancreas.
- Get Your Happy Fix. Cacao raises the level of serotonin in the brain; thus acts as an anti-depressant, helps reduce PMS systems, promotes a sense of well-being, and helps increase focus and alertness. It also stimulates the secretion of endorphins, producing a pleasurable sensation similar to the “runner’s high” a jogger feels after running several miles. (Note: This is not an excuse to opt out of your morning run and indulge in chocolate instead.) Add to all of this phenylethylamine, which is found in chocolate, and also created within the brain and released when we are in love.
- Protects Your Heart. Studies have shown that chocolate offers protection from heart disease and stroke, and can assist in reducing blood pressure. Consuming cacao also helps dilate bloods vessels, reduce blood clotting, improve circulation, help regulate heartbeat, and lowers LDL cholesterol.
- Boosts Recovery Time. Studies have shown that cacao may help lower the oxidative stress of strenuous activities which helps athletes to recover. Which means that adding a bit of cacao powder to your post-workout shake is never a bad idea.
P.S. Thank you for your patience! The website was down last week, due to technical issues behind the scenes. Please forgive me, hope to have a smoother transition in the future.
6 Addictive Foods & Substances That Will Jeopardize Your Health
No matter where you are on your health journey, whether you are transitioning from vegetarian to vegan , vegan to raw, or just trying to eat a whole foods diet without processed foods, I’m sure at some point you have struggled to stop eating a food when you knew it was not in your best interest. We all have comfort foods that become our go-to when we are treating ourselves or even worse when we are down in the dumps and trying to medicate or numb our true feelings. There’s a group of practitioners within health an wellness that believe that one diet does not suit all. Meaning, not everyone is meant to eat a diet free of animal products, be macrobiotic, paleo, a raw foodie or whatever the latest fad is. I can get down with that school of thought to some degree (with an obvious bias towards plant-based diet), however I think some people take it to far when they start to argue that all cravings are justified. Yes, our bodies tell us what we need through cravings, but the majority of people are completely out of touch with their bodies. Who doesn’t know someone addicted to sugar? I myself used to be a vegan sugar addict. So much so that when I first stopped frequenting vegan bakeries for sweets and started juicing instead I had to overload my fresh juices with apples for them to be acceptable to my over-sugared palette. Now that I’m “sober” I have equal passion for foods that are bitter and can drink my greens straight-up if need be. It is only when you are free from the addiction you realize how much it controlled you. Junk food cravings have nothing to do with nutrition and everything to do with addiction. There is no way that you can justify from a nutritional standpoint cravings for oreos, twinkies, doughnuts, or any other sugar-laden foods that are so far beyond the bounds of nature, offer no real nutrition, and can do serious damage to your health longterm.
The reason why your body lets you know that you are hungry in the first place is because it needs nutrition to function optimally. When you are out of alignment with nature and are addicted to unnatural foods or substances it is possible to be obese and be “starving” your body to death because you are not taking in the nutrients your body needs in order to thrive. Below is a brief list of some foods and substances, most of which you already know about, that are certified addictive. So how do you break the addiction? You start by overhauling your taste buds one day at a time and getting used to the levels of sugar, salt etc that exist naturally in real, whole foods. You also take a look at the emotions if any, that trigger your need. Are you acting out of grief, anger, or stress? Pinpointing the emotions you are feeling can help you find find a healthier way to express them rather than taking another bite. Once you recognize that certain foods are addictive, it is up to you to stay vigilant, take control of your choices, and EAT TO LIVE rather than feed addiction and eventually disease. -XoXo Raw Girl
Processed Food
Most of the processed and packaged food in our supermarkets are not real. These “frankenfoods” along with their supposed taste, texture, and smells are created by scientists in labs who have the goal to create products that are inherently addictive and that consumers cannot just take one bite of. In addition various combinations of sugar, salt, and fat are the top three substances making processed foods so addictive.
Refined Flour
The gluten-free craze should be a clear sign that more than ever people’s bodies are reacting to refined flours. Whole grains been in the human diet for thousands of years and take much longer to be digested that refined flours. The more refined a flour is, the more bioavailable it becomes. The higher the bioavailability of a food, the greater the total absorption and rate of absorption in our digestive tracts. The faster a food is absorbed, the more quickly it turns to glucose in the body…which translates into a spike of blood sugar followed by a drop in blood sugar. Thus refined flours have a similar effect on the body as sugars and consumption can triggering bingeing for some people.
Cheese
Cheese is seriously addictive. Here’s why: the main protein in milk and cheese is called casein. As you digest casein, it breaks apart to release opiates, called casomorphins – which are morphine-like chemicals. Shortly after you swallow a bite of cheese pizza, these chemicals enter your bloodstream and pass to your brain and attach to your opiate receptors. The natural function of casomorphins’ is to provide a bit of feel-good sensation to a nursing calf so that they yearn for the milk that will help them grow to maturity. And because a calf is weaned very soon, the fat, cholesterol and sodium in milk products are not a problem, but for humans who get hooked on these same compounds this can amount to serious issues as time goes on.
Sugar
Sugar creates a mild addictive reaction as it is digested, and this can affect a person’s brain chemistry in the same way that alcohol and other addictive drugs do. Opioids are a key chemical compound in this reaction, and in many of the most powerful addictive drugs, such as cocaine, morphine and heroin which is why researchers compare sugar to these hard drugs. Every time you consume sugar it gives a feel good euphoria, and just like other addictions can start to make us numb to a certain dosage and need even more sugar to satisfy our cravings each time. Too much sugar results in weight gain, increased rate of cancer, hormonal changes, mood swings, diabetes and depression.
Salt
If you though that somehow being a salt junkie is better than being a sugar junkie, think again. Food filled with sodium have similar addictive qualities and health repercussions such as bloating, fatigue, inflammation, weight gain, cholesterol, heart disease and kidney stones. Researchers have said that salt is addictive in the same way as cigarettes or hard drugs, with the craving triggering the same genes, brain cells and brain connections. In most of the processed foods that are salted to the excess, to make the salt’s taste more powerful, companies use kosher salt instead of regular table salt. Why? Kosher salt is shaped differently and dissolves on your tongue faster and triggers a “flavor burst” all over your mouth, thus intensifying the neurological response.
Caffeine
In most European countries many of the energy drinks that contain excess caffeine are banned. In addition the sizes and portions of caffeinated beverages are much smaller. It seems that some parts of the world have caught on that caffeine should be consumed more sparingly. Why is it then that in the U.S. in Starbucks, one tall cup of almost anything on the menu includes twice the amount of caffeine it takes to make you legimately addicted? Dr. Jack James, who is editor in chief of the Journal of Caffeine Research, and head of the department of psychology at Reykjavik University, Iceland, expressed concern for the amounts of caffeine consumers are exposed to and said that it is response for many untimely deaths. Because of this he believes that products contain caffeine should be taxed and restricted like cigarettes and alcohol and that selling caffeine to children should be restricted. Caffeine is now found in everything from sodas, energy drinks, bottled water, alcoholic drinks, cookies, chewing gum, yogurt, flavoured milk, cold and flu remedies, weight loss pills, mints, cosmetics, and soaps.
Juice! Carrot Melon Soother & Benefits of Juicing Melon
Last week I happened to have a lot of carrots and some melon on hand in the kitchen. Decided to juice them together and it proved to be a really refreshing, simple, combination. Carrots are really great for improving the quality of your skin, and melons give you an extra beauty boost because melon juice has a cleansing, diuretic, mineralizing, and alkalinizing effect and is very effective in eliminating harmful toxins from the body. Honey Dew Melons are also rich in potassium (which makes them great to juice post-workout for electrolytes), magnesium, copper, vitamin C, A, D, K and B-6. Melon juice is not only a great thirst quencher, it also cools the body and helps ease inflammation and other symptoms caused by a variety of diseases including diabetes, asthma, arthritis, and colon cancer. Check out this past post: Carrot Juice for Glowing Skin to read more about the benefits of juicing carrots. -XoXo Raw Girl
Carrot Melon Soother
7-9 Carrots
1/2 Honey Dew Melon
1 Apple
Put all ingredients in the juicer. Serve, strain, enjoy!
The Super Powers of Maca
Maca, also known as Peruvian ginseng, is a superfood that has some people raving about it like raw evangelists because it actually delivers “super” results. If you are cultivating your raw vegan super powers or need a boost, using powder from this root plant can boost your energy, endurance, and um…(***clears throat and winks***) libido. There must be something to it because maca has also gotten the nickname “nature’s viagra” because of its ability to enhance sexual function. This superfood isn’t new school at all; it actually is an ancient superfood that was used by Incan warriors to increase stamina and combat fatigue. It has a balancing effect on hormones that makes it great for postmenopausal women who suffer from anxiety and depression. If in general you find yourself lethargic, using maca will help you remain alert and focused throughout the day. Maca’s nutritional profile includes calcium, iron, potassium, iron, manganese, B1, B2, and unsaturated fatty acids. The great news for committed veggie lovers is that this root is also an excellent plant source of B12, which is needed especially on a vegan diet. For my acne-free for life peeps, maca is a great supplement that can help to enhance and clear your skin. This superfood is also a great ingredient for a post-workout smoothie if you are a die-hard fitness junkie who wants to boost performance and energy. Raw powdered maca root can be added to smoothies or juices, or you can take it in pill form. -XoXo Raw Girl