Something's cookin' at the St. Lawrence Market...I think it may be me!

Can a squat, matzo-ball shaped girl become a Yogi? Well, I'm gonna die trying. Today I got my first official stamp on my Passport to Prana. My Passport card came in the mail last week and I have been excited to try it, despite my having thrown in the yoga mat previously.

With Passport to Prana, I have the privilege of sampling yoga studios all over the GTA for the price of $30. After years of attempting yoga in a gym, I realized that trying to practice yoga in a gym is like trying to have a fine dining experience in a foodcourt. It's just not the right vibe. I'm excited to explore the city as a short unflexible yogi.

The first stop on my quest for Serenity was the Bikram Yoga Centre near the St. Lawrence Market. It was as good a place to start as any and it was 5 minutes away from work. I would go from desk jockey into sweaty cow position in no time! As I sauntered round the butt of the King Eddie Hotel, I had a bit of trouble locating the studio. Suddenly a guy whizzed by me on his bike. No doubt a bicycle courier - and he asked me if I'm looking for Yoga. He ditched his bike and took me up a lenghty flight of stairs to a studio. Then he took off his helmet and bike shoes. I guess this is what bike couriers do in their spare time.

The studio itself was on the dingier side. The reception area was a cross between a Dr's office and Daycare, with the owner of the studio breastfeeding her little 'un in the corner. Holistic.

Hilary, the instructor was very friendly when I mentioned I was a beginner. I neglected to mention that I've been a beginner for the past year and a half. (They're nicer when I say I'm a beginner than when I say I suck at yoga!) Hilary directed me to the changeroom, which was very awkwardly small, with random toilet stalls squished into a cramped space. The changeroom was clean and sufficient although horrendously cramped after the class with over 10 women vying for a space to get their stuff together.

Why don't yoga studios have lockers? Is the threat of Karma biting you on the ass powerful enough to ensure you stay out of other people's purses.....

Hilary informed me that the Bikram class was 90 minutes long. I told her I could only stay for the 60 minutes. "Oh, do you have plans after...' I couldn't bring myself to tell her that I couldn't physically and mentally muster up the strengh, stamina or attention span to stay for an hour and a half! (that's like yoga-ing through 3 episodes of Family Guy!)Hilary had me cornered. Right then and there, I committed to staying for the duration.

It's a good thing she was likable, cuz I was sweating by minute 3. And that was just from rolling out my yoga mat. We started with some bizzarro frog-like chant breathing. I was glad I didn't know anyone there and even more glad that nobody knew me. Surprisingly, the class flowed well. There was not one downward dog (yay) and not one sun salutation (double yay) . I guess those aren't part of the traditional Bikram sequence. There was no clock in the room, which was both a blessing and a curse.

And not to mention I had Yoga Rockstar in front of me all class. This guy was amazing - kept his cool throughout 90 mins of 110 degrees. The intense look of concentration in his eyes as he wiggled and contorted and flexed the perfect abs. Wow.

The class ended quickly enough, and after some pushing and shoving in the changeroom among a lot of sweat-soaked Lulu shorts Leaving the studio, bike courier guy told me I did well for my first time. I sheepishly thanked him - I do rock - for a 'beginner'. Yoga Rock Star left the studio - as cooly as he walked in - ripped jeans, tight white t, shades, jumped on his vespa and rode into the sunset. Wow.

My experience at Bikram was a good one. I still can't touch my toes, or clasp opposite elbows to my knees, but I lasted 90 mins. I'll call that a small victory.

Random Factoid

Baking powder is made with cream of tartar, which is a by-product of wine making.

Now you know.

There’s more to Facebook than adding friends.

I was chatting with my very media-savvy friend when she informed me that Facebook is becoming passé. News to me. She told me that most people are realizing that their friend list can’t possibly grow at the rate that it did when they first joined and that they have already added everyone they know. So – what’s the point?

Doh!

These are the same people who go to networking events, get business cards, give business cards, and then forget about the cards until they end up soggy from the washer.

Worse than that, I few months ago - I received this message from one of my Facebook 'friends'

"hey,

since we don't really speak on a regular basis, im removing you from my list. no offence, i just wanna keep my list to people that im in relatively constant contact with."

I swear, someone actually sent out that message. and Yes, I did find that offensive - and sad. Obviously, he missed a huge point of all this facebook stuff.

I think that guy and the 'passé' people doing two things very wrong.

1. If they don't have more people to add, they need to log off their computers…go out into the real world and connect with real flesh-and-blood human beings. (then they can rush home and add them to the friend list)

2. Remember to give those on your list some TLC – connect! Develop relationships. Build a network. Do the pokey-pokey. That’s what it’s all about.

I get stuff all the time. People offer me stuff. People help me with stuff. Others think I'm lucky. I am not lucky. I spend a lot of time building relationships. I e-mail and call people when it's their birthday. Even if I haven't talked to them since high-school (and even if I never actually spoke to them when were in high school). People love to receive wishes on their birthday. It makes them feel special and it takes less than a 2 minutes out of my day.

I comment on people's photographs - telling them when their babies are cute, and when they look great. It makes people feel warm and fuzzy. When people feel warm and fuzzy, they are more likely to help you out if you need...let's say...a referral, or an introduction, or some advice.

I've met some outstanding people recently through public speaking engagements and I have been spreading the message of how important it is for people to connect. I wish more people felt the same.

Magic Bullet Miracle.

You know that you have good friends when they buy your spouse birthday gifts that are really meant for you. Like when my wonderful friends bought my hubby the Magic Bullet (yes, THE Magic Bullet from the Infomercial) for his birthday. Oh, the possibilities...

like my Chocolate Milkshake that I made for dinner tonight. I wish I could take credit for the recipe, because it's genius, but I got it from the wonderful Skinny Chef website. Usually when I tell people of these whacky creations they respond with your typical, 'you crazy girl, you get on wit' yo' crazy self.'

But in all seriousity...this milkshake is insanely creamy and yummy. Yes, it does contain fat, but the fat from the avocados is the heart healthy kind - as opposed to the artery clogging kind found in ice-cream.

Chocolate Avocado Milkshake - From Skinny Chef

1/2 Avocado
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups skim milk
2 tbsp sugar*

Blend in blender (or, if you are so blessed, in your magic bullet) and voila. I seved mine over ice. Magical!


*After 27 years of homage to little yellow packets, I have decided to use actual sugar. I was raised on saccherine and aspertime, and now at age 30, I feel that the few extra calories are better than the unknown effects of artificial chemical sweetners.

Dressed for Success!

Having a soy intolerance means that I can't eat 99% of commercial salad dressings out there. They are all made with soybean oil. All except the Renees brand. I looooooooove Renees dressings - all of them! I always have at least 3 going in my fridge at the same time. Also, they have great recipes on their website which I do love to browse.

There is only one problem with my love/obsession with Renees dressings -the kind in the jar-really high calories (80 per tbsp). I do like my big salads where I douse my lettuce in creamy dressing. This week I discovered a little trick to stretch my dressings without adding muchos calories. I add 2 tbsp 1 % buttermilk to 1 tbsp dressing. I get the creaminess and the moistness (c'mon, you can trick your brain that it's not rabbit food) without upping the fat intake. I've heard some people do the same thing with yogurt, but I find it tastes too sour.

Runway in a Bowl

So after spending an entire day (9-5) in the mall yesterday, there is no denying that Fuschia is the it colour for Spring 2009. But fuschia soup?

I must admit, the colour looks a little weird in a plate, but this 3 ingredient, 3 minute prep dish is perfect for spring. It is actually quite pretty - like - Easter egg pretty. I originally took this recipe from the original Moosewood cookbook.

Chilled Fuschia Soup

1 can of beets, drained
3 cups 1% buttermilk
1 tbsp minced dill (or 2 dill toppits cubes)

Put all ingredients in a blender. Serve right away, or chill for at least 1 hour. Personally, I think it tastes better after it's chilled.

I am a yoga dropout.

again.

I don't have an answer for this, so I'll just put it out there into cyberspace and see what happens. I have yoga guilt.

I don't love yoga, and I seem to be terrible at it due to my very short arms and non-existant torso, but I feel like I should be doing it because it's healthy and it's supposed to clear your mind or whatever. But every time I go, I get frustrated at how much I suck at it and how boring it is to actually clear you mind. So I feel guilty.

Is yoga guilt a Jewish thing? Lord knows we have a monopoly on guilt.

So I've spent the past week doing Bikram Yoga, which is yoga in a room that's heated to 37 degrees celsius. My body does not tolerate heat well, so I thought this would be a nice challenge. Suprisingly, I enjoyed the heat and find it did help me relax and stretch.

The thing about yoga is it supposed to help you cultivate patience. But so is trying to move a pen across the table with your mind. Just because they say it's supposed to happen, doesn't mean it will....sigh....

I think it's time I bind my downward dog and take it for a hike!