My Saturdays usually start off with either taking an Ashtanga class or doing my own yoga practice before teaching my Yoga for Runners class in the late afternoon. I felt inspired this time to practice Vrschikasana - Scorpion Pose.
Watch me hop 1,2,3, and FINALLY on the 4th time I bang into the wall to get myself up. How graceful of me! I'm a beginner at Vrschikasana so I'm quite shaky in the video, but oh, well...I need to start somewhere. Nina, with your bendy back I bet you can get your feet to touch your head much easier. Give it a try, but do make sure you warm up well! In this clip I was practicing yoga for over an hour with gentler backbending to ease myself into this intense backbend.
Sure was fun!
I was having a pretty moody Saturday, so I was quite happy that I woke up on Sunday feeling much more positive! I've been reading this awesome book called "Happy Yoga" and it's been a life saver recently. Its all about finding happiness from within yourself rather then looking to people or any other outer source for happiness. It explains how we can't place expectations on things or people to bring us happiness, but that happiness lies within each and every one of us and its up to us to nurture that area. So, I've been practicing some self love and each time I feel down I tell myself, "I am happiness" and amazingly I usually feel much better. I think I will elaborate on this topic on another post.
We started our day off with some refreshing carrot/apple/ginger juice. Freshly squeezed from the juicer. I was so happy that I could share this juice with Motozo and doesn't the orange make you think of Autumn? ah, Autumn!
Charged with energy from the carrot juice, I went out for a short 10k run and after returning, I got Motozo out the door because I was dying to go to VegeFesta!
Tokyo Vege Food Festa is held every year in Yoyogi-park. Since last year they made it strictly vegan (no vegetarian eggs or milk) and each year it seems they've either got better stalls out or I'm just a little more aware of the healthy things. This year they had so many goodies out! Wonderful super foods that are hard or close to impossible to find in Tokyo.
They had green juice stall. Which I thought was a little lame because look, it's mainly fruits they have in there. But wonderful, non the less, to have a green juice stand.
This place had amazing spices and reasonably priced dried fruits and nuts.
Even a place to do yoga and meditation if one wanted to.
I was on a quest to find a raw lunch and hit jack pot with this raw spinach curry and nut "cracker". YUM! I'm inspired now to try making raw curry.
Dessert was vegan ice-cream and since most of the stalls had samples, I munched happily while walking through crowds of people.
Unfortunately, I got a little carried away with looking at things and at one point, ducked into a stall that were selling things that I've been keen on getting for ages and in the process lost Motozo!
After making my happy purchase, I realized Motozo was no where to be seen. After 30min of walking around we finally found each other and Motozo was not in the festive mood any more. I accidentally left my phone at home and Motozo was not thrilled that he couldn't get in touch with me. The poor man!
After getting home I congratulated myself on some good finds.
Lacuma Powder and Cacao nibs are sure to make my raw desserts more interest!
Agave Syrup - not extremely healthy. Its still sugar at the end of the day, but the vanilla flavored agave was to die for so I had to get the 2 for the price of one deal!
KALE! First time EVER to see this in Japan. We stopped at Kinokuniya to get some groceries and I found kale on sale. This was my lucky lucky day!
Later in the afternoon I made Motozo and I big green smoothie using the kale and I slowly enjoyed it as I don't know when the next time will be for me to find the rare vegetable.
I'm kicking myself for not getting this one particular type of tea, but it was a little more expensive then what I was willing to pay for at the time. But now....damn, I wish I got it because its a tea that could possibly even replace my coffee addiction.
Oh, well, maybe I'll find it somewhere else.
Motozo and I ended our relaxing day by watching Wall Street 2. It was alright.
And then I watched Julie and Julia. Wonderful movie if you're into food like me,Haha! Motozo choose to read a book after 15min, so definitely not a guy flick unless he likes cooking.
But I highly recommend it if you're a Meryl Streep fan and a foodie.
How was everyone elses weekend?
ooo I know! I watched julie and julia on the plane when we visted japan last year...so interesting! That is kale?? Looks different ?? I guess there are many varieties, we get the more dinosaur era looking ones.
ReplyDeleteYou got chocolate nibs!! LOL, bitter right?! I just ordered organic cacao and desicated coconut flakes so I can make that desert you did with maple syrup..nom nom
vegan icecream looks good, tehse days max makes shakes with coconut cream and it's declisious!
nice backbend too or whatever it is! looks crazy difficult! Like the indian music touch too HEHE
Yeah, I think there are different types of Kale. I think the Kale I found isn't so bitter. I heard that the dinosaur ones are more bitter. There are ones that are slightly purplish right?
ReplyDeleteI haven't tasted the cacao nibs yet. I'm sure it'll be bitter, but then that's what the agave is for :) hehe
Yay, let me know how it turns out. I followed the recipe of chocolate crazed women that I showed you online. http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2009/10/raw-vegan-chocolate-coconut-snow-balls.html
She really likes her sugar though so I've learned that I can omit quite a bit from her recipe.
mmm...coconut cream. that sounds delicious! Post a photo and the ingredients that he uses! I want to see the shake.
me with my bendy back is now in a kink on my left lower back, really sucks because now whenever i do any sort of backbend, it feels like there's either a nerve being pinched, or my back is cramped, or something really nasty going on, i need to stretch out my back, but YES! i've now mastered headstand(on the good days i can stay up there as long as i want :) ), and am moving on to forearm stand, finding that a bit more challenging, and then from there will move on to scorpion pose right away (the whole reason for wanting to learn forearm stand was for scorpion pose)
ReplyDeleteTotally off the topic, but that's a pretty good pic of Motozo :P.
What's not to like about sugar!!!!! hehehe.