MORNING RITUALS

A morning well spent brings a day of content, right?

I love having a healthy routine in the morning, so that I can boost my energy level and I’m sure I will be efficient and calm during the day… (otherwise, when I wake up late -like 5 minutes before the actual beginning of my work day- I’m cranky and ill-tempered… all day long… yeah… I can be that bad!)

Anyway… here are some of my tips to start the day on the right foot:

– Ok… well.. first, I try to actually wake up… and then I stretch as if I were a cat and I yawn as if I were a dog!

– Then: Oil pulling. Wait? What?! Yes, I rinse my mouth with coconut oil or sesame oil or sunflower oil every morning for 15 to 20 minutes. I do it on an empty stomach. The purpose is to cleanse my teeth, my gums and well… to get rid ot the bacteria in my mouth…After the 20 minutes, I spit the oil in the toilet (and oh dear Lord! not the sink!!! otherwise the oil could clog it up) and then brush my tongue with a tongue scraper and I brush my teeth.

– As I cannot speak for 20 minutes and cannot eat… I have to find something else to do: I would do some sun salutations, handstands or I would focus on an intention for the day and on positive thoughts (looking forward to my Mysore practise for instance…)

– After the oil-pulling and handstands ceremony, Idrink a big glass of warm water with a dash of lemon juice, some ginger and cinnamon. And then, an herbal tea (stinging nettle and fennel for instance)

– As I usually wake up at 5:45am, I have time to go to my Ashtanga Yoga Studio for a 2 hour-long Mysore practise at 7am. If I wake up too late: I will go for a run for 45 minutes.

– As I never eat before the Mysore practise, I bring some fruits or nuts to snack on at work afterwards. And I always take a green shot with me (basically = filtered water + wheatgrass powder + spirulina).

– Otherwirse, during week-ends or when I wake up later: I’ll take a green or pink juice and a smoothie made with greens, berries, banana or persimmon and other yummy superfoods (such as this one or this one)!

And of course… I never forget to smile!!!! A key ingredient to a good day!

So cheer up pumpkins and enjoy every single day of your beautiful life!!

Keep It Spicy

Dear people, last week I wrote a post for YUJ’s French blog. You can find the translation below.

Enjoy!

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Hello yoginis ! Today YUJ takes you to places far far away… YUJ takes you to eastern regions to talk about… spices. Spices, really? Yes! Since spices are real tasty and healthy marvels! They have potent powers: They can enhance any kind of food, can entertain your taste buds and are remedies against everyday’s aches (such as indigestion, acidity, muscle cramps, etc).

Below you will find a small selection of spices which are not only delicious, but also endowed with interesting health properties! Happy (and tasty) reading!

 

Cinnamon has a sweet and pungent taste that allies well with both sweet and savoury dishes. Cinnamon is well-known to ensure a healthy blood flow and to help the body purify (while creating heat in the digestive system, it subsequently stimulates digestion). Cinnamon is said to stabilize the blood sugar level as well: It could then be a delicious  slimness ally!

Cardamon is a versatile spice like cinnamon: It can nicely compliment both savoury food, beverages and/or desserts! Cardamon is supposed to soothe stomachaches or digestion issues, to regulate blood sugar levels like cinnamon, and to pacify heartburns.

Coriander (leaves, seeds or in powder) is often used in ayurvedic medicine. It is likely to balance the body and mind: to start fresh both physically and mentally then. Isn’t it beautiful? Coriander also has detoxifying properties… so be generous: Sprinkle it on every of your dishes!

Turmeric, also known as India’s saffran, has a sour -maybe astringent- taste, but once it is combined with a food, its delicious aroma is enhanced! The health benefits of turmeric have been talked about a lot lately: rich in antioxidants and in anti-inflammatory properties; turmeric may help to strengthen the immune system, it may help clean the liver, help fight against cancerous cells and maintain joints in good health -this property can prove very helpful for people addicted to dynamic yoga … such as Ahstanga -. So let’s go! Sprinkle and savor this golden root!

Ginger is a warm and flavorful spice! This root is believed to sooth indigestion and to calm down stomachaches. It may also boost metabolism and maintain the breathing system happy. Its aroma will wonderfully compliment your teas, veggie stews, rice and or sweet dishes!

And now… here are some easy recipes for which you will need one or more of the susmentionned spices:

Fall smoothie: In a vitamix or blender, mix a kaki, a pear, the juice of one lemon and half a teaspoon of cinnamon. Yummy!

Chai tea: Heat a rice and coconut milk. Infuse cinnamon, some rooibos tea and cardamon in it. Then, you can add a teaspoon of raw cacao powder, some stevia or palm sugar or some honey.

Jasmine and cardamon green tea: Infuse some Lov Organic Jasmin green tea with cardamon seeds and you will have the impression that you are cruising along the Vietnamese coasts.

Lemon and ginger herbal tea: Add grated fresh ginger (one thumb of ginger) to 2 cups of water. Boil it for 10 minutes. Add a little bit of lemon juice and some honey (once the tea has cooled down so that you won’t lose the nutrients of the honey).

Detow dressing: Add to your homemade dressing some coriander (in powder or the leaves), some bear garlic … so that you have a nice detox boost while eating your salads.

You can also add to your brown rice turmeric and cinnamon. You can eat it with some steamed vegetables (such as zucchinis, carrots, brocolis, turnips), some coconut milk (flavored with spices such as coriander, pepper, turmeric and salt).

Voilà ! It’s high time that you spiced your dishes… and your life at the same time!

#Namaste

GENTLE AND EASY AYURVEDA-INSPIRED FALL CLEANSE

Hey psss! Did you read the article I wrote for YUJ’s French blog?

It’s about getting our body ready for the transition from summer to fall. I was inspired by some ayurvedic routines and tried to build a gentle and easy routine to follow, in order to cleanse the body before entering the new season. For those of you who want to practise their French, please, go ahead, and have a look at the post. For the others, you will find the translation of the article below.

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Cold weather is approaching! How to get ready for the change of season?

Dear Yoginis, we know you dread the coming fall, the coming cold and the coming rain! We do too at YUJ!

But come on! We should not feel dejected since fall can also be a “warm” season with the nice twilight, the pumpkins’ warm colors, the cosy sweaters and the steaming herbal teas…

Fall can be a likable time of the year! All the more so as YUJ is launching a new series called “Fall in The City”. You will read 4 episodes in which you will find tips to reenergize the body despite the greyness and the cold.

In this first post, we will share some Ayurveda-inspired tips to get our body prepared for the coming gloomy weather… in a gentle way!

According to the Ayurvedic medicine, external factors -such as climate and seasons- affect our internal balance and our wellness. During these changes of season, it is very important to listen to our body, to cocoon and to be nice to ourselves.

Here is a fall routine we can follow to feel good and grounded:

–      First and foremost, we should use a tongue scraper after waking up to get rid of those bacteria that built up during the night.

–      Then, on an empty stomach, we can drink a big glass of warm filtered water to rekindle our digestive fire… and help eliminate the toxins.

–      For breakfast, we should try to eat some sweet fruits instead of the ones that are too tart.

–      Throughout the day, we eat some light spices such as ginger, fennel, cinnamon, turmeric, cumin and coriander. We can consume these spices in an herbal tea, on our morning fruits or on our evening soups. That’s to say, we can use them with and on everything!

PS: Our favorite easy-peasy combo is grated apple + grated pear + cinnamon +  ginger + cardamon.

–      We do not forget to drink, as always! Herbal teas, filtered water -our best friend for a life full of vitality-  or cold-pressed and organic fruit&veggie juices. Your call!

–      With the coming cold, we try and curb our consumption of frozen products and drinks as they slow the digestion process (especially during cold seasons).

–     At night, before curling up in the bed, we can massage our feet and body with sesame oil. In Ayurveda, sesame oil is said to help get rid of the toxins caused by stress, anger, alcohol and pollution.

–     And finally, for those of you who are keen on detox and cleanses, Ayurvedic medicine recommend to clean our body thanks to a 3-to-5-day “fast” (during which we could consume nothing but liquid and nutritious products). Or we could also decide to set one day of detox per week during the whole season. And you know our favorite Detox brand: Nubio. We love their “Intense Cure” which consists of green juices rich in chlorophyll. This cure always does miracles for the complexion!

NAMASTE #yujgirls!