So I am a warm beverage fiend, sucker for a spot o' tea and also kind of obsessed with turmeric. Of all the ways I have tried making my mate in the morning, this one might be my favorite. 

Frothy Turmeric Mate

Ingredients:

• Loose leaf mate
• Ground Turmeric
• Maple syrup
• Coconut Oil

Prep:

• Place mate in your french press and add hot water. press to make the tea. 
• Add mate to a blender with about 1 tablespoon of coconut oil, a nice amount of turmeric and just a bit of maple syrup.
• Blend until frothy.
• Enjoy delightfully

What I have heard...(i am not an expert but have friends who are)

• Mate has lots of antioxidants and can really help with the midday crashes of other caffeine. It can also suppress appetite so be careful with its usage.
• Coconut oil has antibacterial qualities and can also be great for lubricating the body and is an antiviral. BUT if you are allergic to coconut well, um, don't eat it. 
• Turmeric is an anti fungal, anti bacterial, high antioxidant, anti inflammatory wonder. 
• Making sure you have enough fat in your diet early enough in the day helps with weight, mood, cravings. 
• I also know that morning ritual is a key to a happy and creative life. 

Lately in my asana practice, I have been incredibly inspired by going back to my Iyengar yoga roots , my sessions with a fabulous Structural Integration worker Ruthie Fraser and my ongoing studies with Christina Sell. I am a total fiend for precise alignment instruction and using repetition to explore, re-pattern and train the body into shapes. I am very curious about how that relates to my patterns of body and movement and how my body wants to find its own organic shapes.

I am also completely disinterested right now in any yoga scene that is high velocity. By that I mean, I live in New York now and I am sensorially assaulted 24/7 it seems. For me I need my yoga to be a way to both soothe my nervous system and also help to coax me out of my shell. What do I do when I am totally over stimulated? Like some of you reading, I freeze and retreat so deep into my inner world I don’t leave my house OR I checkout on the streets and when social. Neither option is the best or healthiest option. And I need the yoga to really challenge and engage. I need the good wholesome hard work.

To give you even more context I also enjoy working on a sequence for a little while, maybe for a week or so, to really explore the effects. Sometimes I change the order a little bit to play around and see what works and by works I mean the deeper pose and the more quiet system. 

Here is a sequence I have been working on. It is a riff off the above-mentioned inspirations. It took me about 2 hours. Anyways, Enjoy. If you try it out, let me know what you thought. What did you observe and notice within your self at the level of sensation, emotion, mind?

Supta Padangustasna Series

Sirsasana and cycle

Handstand hold with variations in arms 45 second holds- 1st one is regular hand placement, 2nd turn hands a little more out, 3rd hands turn even more out, 4th even more.

Paryankasana with a block 4 min

Pincha mayurasna with strap around upper arms 45 second hold 2x

From wide stance- no chaturangas or down dogs just go down, do the pose, come up, do the other other side.  45 seconds each pose

Prasarita Padotanasna –with hands linked at thumbs

Trikonansana

Parvritta Trikonasana

Parsvakonasana

Parvritta Parsvakonasna

Vira 2

Vira 1

Parsvotanasana- hands behind back

Padangustasana

Padahastasana

Crescent

Standing back arch

Uttanaasna

Uttkatasna

Garudasna

Vrksasana

Half lotus

Anjanyeasana hand clasped behind head to integrate arm bone and stretch – like major major work

Ardha bhekasana

Shoulder stretch on belly

Danurasana hands hold feet x3

Shoulder stretch variations

Danurasana hands hold ankles x3

Cobra x3

Plank

Urdvha Mukha Svanasana

Adho Mukha

Supta Virasana 3 minutes

Baddha Konasana

Upavista Konasana upright

Down dog

Pigion – forward first then thigh stretch

Ardha matsyandrasna

Hanumanasana

Urdvha Danurasana x5

Dwipada Viparita Dandasna head down x3

Eka Pada Raja Kapotasana 1

Eka Pada Raja Kapotasana 2

Uttanasna facing wall and placing back onto wall 2 min

Janu Sirsasana

Paschimottanasana

Viparita Karani

Here is a really nice quinoa recipe straight from my mothers kitchen. We made it for Passover recently and I have been loooving the leftover batch! Its really a delicious treat alone, as a side dish, or on top of some salad greens. (We buy organic and we try for local. But you know, do what you can).

Ingredients:
1 package shiitake mushrooms
1 big yellow onion
2 cups quinoa
1 bunch chard
olive oil
garlic

Prep:
1. Chop the onion and slice the mushrooms (dont use the stems) and place them in a saucepan with some olive oil and bit of garlic.
2. Chop the chard and set aside.
3. Place 2 cups quinoa with 4 cups water in a pot and cover.

Cook:
1. Saute the onion and mushrooms with the garlic and some olive oil on medium heat until they are golden brown.
2. For the quinoa, turn the heat to high and wait for water to boil. Once the water with the quinoa in it boils, turn down to low heat and simmer covered until all water is absorbed and quinoa is fluffy.
3. Once the mushrooms and onions are brown add in the chopped chard and stir together until chard is cooked.
4. Add mushroom etc mixture to the quinoa and stir so everything is all together.

SERVE, EAT ENJOY.