Time To Breathe

By: Libby Young

Our brains on average make up only 2 percent of our total body weight. But did you 

know that it uses 25 percent of our body’s total oxygen? The kidneys use only 12 

percent and the heart, a meager 7 percent. 

Coined phrases like “Remember to breathe” or “Just breathe” have become more 

emotional placaters than they have biological reminders. Breathing is mental and 

emotionally soothing. It’s been proven to lower stress and reduces anxiety 

drastically and immediately. Breathing to get through pain, breathing to ease a 

crisis, breathing to calm the soul, and so on, is very important. But let’s also not 

forget to breathe for our bodies. 

“Of all the essential nutrients needed by the human, oxygen is the one we must have 

on a moment to moment basis. We can’t live without it even for a few minutes, yet, 

this is the one nutrient most people don’t associate with deficiency problems. 

Nothing could be further from the truth.”    -Raymond Francis

Think about the function of your brain. A little bit of play on words, but thinking is 

not our brains only function. Our brain is the operation system of our body. Of 

course it’s responsible for things like language, creativity, imagination, memory, and 

processing; but its more important role is the complete functionality of our bodies. 

Without our brains our bodies wouldn’t work. Our hearts won’t beat, our stomachs 

won’t digest, our blood won’t flow, much less the millions of other inner workings of 

our wonderful bodies are capable of. So what fuels our brains? Well we know at 

lease 25 percent oxygen does. 

Breathing has become so subconscious for us, that we don’t even realize how 

shallow or fast we breathe on any given day. We have become oxygen deficient. So 

while we might not remember every minute or even every hour to stop and breathe 

fully and slowly, breathe when you can. Establish a pattern of every morning taking 

5 minutes to take deep, slow breaths. Repeat it at night before sleeping. You might 

be surprised how quickly this can become a habit. Breathe when you remember to, 

in the middle of a meeting, on your lunch break, when listening to a friend. The great 

part about it is that no one will even notice! 

Let’s help our bodies by helping our brains. Keep using breath for emotional 

support, but take time in the day to breathe for our physical health as well. Enrich 

yourself with much needed oxygen; your brains will thank you for it!

Information Overload

Vegetarian, pescetarian, flexitarian, fruitarian, even breatharian, what does

any of it really mean? And the real question being: what are we actually supposed to

eat? With so much information out there, we suffer from a lack of it. There’s science

that shows harmful evidence against drinking coffee one week and the next week a

study has been done showing that drinking coffee can decrease your cancer risk. It’s

this same story across the board of food and nutrition. Eat this, don’t eat that, drink

this, but don’t drink too much of that, I’m beginning to think the breatharians have it

I’m not writing this to tell you what to eat or even how much. I want to talk

about information in the nutritional world. When I first began my journey into

nutrition, I felt lost. But if there were scores of books, articles, research papers,

documentaries, movies, and entire websites dedicated to nutritional information,

why did I feel this way? Most people, including myself, often surround themselves in

a fog when presented with an overabundance of information they don’t understand.

It’s not that we are too dumb to make sense of the facts; it’s more about the inability

to process all of said facts instantaneously. With the overabundance of facts about

nutrition, it’s no wonder that most people don’t process it all. So what can we do?

How do we understand what we are supposed to eat?


1. Start small.

Don’t expect to understand nutrition in a day. Food is a science. Just as you

would not be able to master the Theory of Relativity on your lunch break, neither

will you understand all theories of nutritional science. So begin with the basics. Start

to study the science; what is food made of, what are its components? Learn your

macros from your micros. Learn what enzymes are! Food is so much more than

what we pop in the microwave or pick up from the drive-thru. Study the origins.


2. Know your sources

As you begin to look deeper into the science of food, make sure that you are

reading the right material. This is not a subjective thing. If I’m looking at a website

called rippedmuscles.com and reading about plant protein versus animal protein

they may have some skewed facts versus Harvard.edu, which will have information

based on unbiased science.


3. Do the research yourself

Don’t be afraid to read research papers yourself. A wise man once told me,

“Data doesn’t lie, it’s the interpretation of that data that can lie.” Be broad in your

research as well. If you read an article or watch a documentary supporting

something, read or watch its counterpoint, and listen to the dissuading arguments.

Read and watch everything, then make an informed decision. You can’t intake too

much, I promise.


4. Get your hands dirty

As you discover more about nutrition, experiment with it for yourself. When

you begin making informational leaps and bounds, translate it to your life. Cook,

blend, chop, bake, plant, breathe, see what works for you. Give it a little time too. But

if it’s not working, then keep expanding. Don’t get stuck in a nutritional box.


5. Share and connect

Talk about your dietary discoveries and changes with friends and family or

even groups on social media. Having that support can make a huge difference. And

by reaching out, you never know who might share the same ideas as you do! Swap

facts, share recipes, have an experimental cooking night. Food is life, so it makes

sense to incorporate it into other areas of life.

Food is an amazing thing, not something to be misunderstood. Don’t let fad

diets and propaganda from industry fool you into thinking inside the box. Break

free, learn, grow, and make your own nutritional choices for yourself. Life can be

more than delicious; it can also be nutritious.

Information Overload by Libby Young check out her classes at maitriyogaarkansas.com

Have you Heard?

We have a new class on Tuesday evening!

Nicole Calhoun, someone I dearly love and a teacher I respect is teaching an Advanced or Level 3 class on Tuesday evenings at 7:15pm.

Often times, we think of advanced practice as doing all of these arm balances and handstands. However, an advanced practice is what you make it. As we begin practicing more and more we realize it's the subtleties in the practice, as well as being able to take care of and honor yourselves while practicing that makes it potent. Nicole might be able to teach you some fun and awesome ways to get in and out of poses, but the real advanced practice is in your own willingness to step out of your comfort zone and explore the depth of your own Self.

Take it from someone who used to be hesitant about walking into Level 3 classes, but takes master trainings... in those trainings we're not doing handstands, we're looking at the depth of our own humanness, because that's what the asana is trying to get us to do. It's not the pose that matters, it's where the pose takes you inside yourself. The deeper you go, the more we might find it challenging. Advanced is in the way you look at it.

Practice is what you make it.

Our teachers, just help to take us there. Your practice is your own. Your ability to do a handstand doesn't make you an advanced practitioner, the loving-kindness and compassion you bring to your body while trying, does.

Practice, practice, practice.

Love,
Sarah

Go-To List

Hi guys!

I hope you all are having a great week. One thing I get asked a lot about is what to eat in between meals, how I feel about gluten and what do I eat on a regular basis. Well, I will just say that wellness, diet, exercise, etc. is all an experiment. What works for your friend, might not work for you and vice versa. I don't believe in one diet fits all. We have a different chemical make up and we need to honor our bodies and its needs, without being in our heads or egos about what is "yogic," "healthy" or "unhealthy," because it's different for everyone.

Here are some of my go-to tips:

1. Eat fat. Yep. Think good fats: omegas, fatty acids. Your body needs fat, it's good for your skin and essential to a healthy brain and nervous system. I love walnuts, brazil nuts, almonds, avocados and Udo's oil introduced to me by Betina Henschell. :)

2. Water. Water. Water. At least two liters

3. Let's talk about bread for a minute. Currently, I would love a bread maker to make my own, but since I can't have one right now, I stick to pretty much gluten-free options. My FAVORITE is Canyon Bakehouse Bread that offer a variety. Check it out here: http://canyonglutenfree.com/. I also like Rudi's. The main thing with bread is to look at the ingredients. As they say, you want to be able to pronounce them.

4. Almond Butter

5. Cook a warm meal

6. Sip warm water with lemon. It's great for digestion.

7. Fresh fruit

8. Fresh veggies. I like to eat a lot of baby carrots, radishes, broccoli with hummus.

9. Dark Chocolate. I eat it every day.

10. Enjoy everything you eat, if you don't enjoy it, don't eat it.

Through the years, I have gone in many stages and phases of trying to figure out what I think "healthy" means. I found that a lot of these years were spent using my head instead of really being "in" and connected to my body. The thing I've learned is to listen to my body and nourish it. I think as a society our relationship with food has become very distorted. We love it. We hate it. We restrict it. We eat too much of it. We don't know what to do with it. I listened to a lecture through the Integrative Institute for Nutrition about how our relationship with food reflects our relationship to life. There is a really good book for any of you ladies out there interested written by Geneen Roth. Here is a link: https://geneenroth.com/books/
For you guys out there, it's imperative for you too to take care of yourselves. Another great video is from Brene Brown, Listening to Shame.

As a collective, we are here to support each other and the practice of yoga is to nourish you. Don't skimp on nourishing yourselves. You deserve your love and support.

Nourish yourselves. 

Wellness Week

The most vital thing that we have in our life is our wellness. Our wellness presides over everything including relationship, career, health, vitality, energy, etc. This week at Maitri we are focusing on wellness specifically in the areas of self-care. It is easy to get busy, to get swept up in stress and activity,  this week is about balance, finding and creating balance within your life to benefit you.

Starting with these simple things:
1. Eat More Veggies
2. Drink Plenty of Water
3. Sleep
4. Move/Exercise
5. Connect (this can be taking time to do yoga, be with friends/family, church group, social group, running group, book club, volunteer, etc.)

The way we nourish ourselves, ultimately reflects how we value ourselves. This week take time to value you; your time, energy, gifts are all a part of you. Living well is a balance, to find balance we have to take time to notice what we need and what we don't need.

Use this week to reenergize, recharge and get grounded. 

Oatmeal Cake Recipe

At Maitri we love to get together while sharing food, drink, and conversation and every time we do Sunshine brings this one oatmeal cake and let’s just say that it’s everything that an oatmeal cake should be. Moist, with plenty of cinnamon flavor, and a delicious coconut and nut topping. We’ve begged for the recipe but she hasn’t been willing to share. That changes today! So here you go Sunshine’s Oatmeal Cake Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 & 1/2 cups boiling water

1 cup 1 minute oatmeal

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup of sugar

1/2 cup of shortening

2 eggs, beaten

1 & 1/2 cups of flour

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of salt

Combine the boiling water and the oatmeal in a bowl and then set aside to cool. While the oatmeal mixture is cooling combine brown sugar, sugar, shortening and eggs in a bowl and beat until fluffy. Then add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt beating until combined. Finally add the cooled oatmeal stirring or beating to combine. Pour into a 9X13 inch pan and prepare the topping. 

Dreamy Brown Sugar Coconut Pecan Topping

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons of butter

1/2 cup of packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 cup of shredded, sweetened coconut

1/2 cup of chopped pecans

Place the butter in a skillet to melt over low heat on the stovetop. When the butter is melted (or just about melted) stir in the remaining ingredients. It can be helpful to prep the topping ingredients before starting to melt the butter (just put everything in a bowl next to your stove so it’s easy to throw in). 

Then spoon the topping evenly over the cake leaving a bit of space around the edges (because the topping is heavy it can’t be spread over the top of the unbaked cake so just get it as even as you can). Bake the cake in a 350 degree oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. 

A Practice for Greater Compassion

A Practice for Greater Compassion

From the wonderful, Sunshine Steelman

So we are all not just living on our mats and then retreating to our homes to meditate and prepare meals of the freshest most organic ingredients we are actually living in the real world. And sometimes in the real world you may find yourself coming into contact with people who might frustrate or anger you. Imagine that instead of going home to lovingly prepare a fresh pressed juice to drink, you’re in a hurry and running through the nearest fast food drive thru (I know you would never do this ;-) and the person in front of you is taking a really long time to order and then can’t seem to find his or her wallet to pay and in the meantime you are getting more and more annoyed. Huffing and thinking to yourself how inconsiderate the person in front of you is,  how self-involved, and what a generally terrible person they are. Stop. Think about yourself and the times when you haven’t been sure what you wanted to eat, the time that your wallet slid down between your seats and you both panicked because you thought you lost it and the relief you felt when you finally found it. Now apply those thoughts to the person in front of you:  Oh he must not be certain what he’s hungry for just like me. She must have misplaced her wallet. I’ve done that and it feels awful. 

This can apply to any situation where you start to feel frustrated because when that happens our tendency is to make the other person (the object of our anger and our frustration) into something fundamentally different from ourselves but if we can stop, and think, we can dwell on our similarities rather than our separateness. 

Steps for greater compassion:

1. Stop
2. Breathe
3. Find places of commonality with the other person. (He does X just like I sometimes do X)