Spiru-lovely

Spiru-lovely, w/raw cashews, avocado, cacao nibs, raw blue agave, spirulina, & ginger, of course <3

• i tweaked my first effort - Spirulina & Cashew - by adding avocado, more cashews, more cacao nibs, & more ginger to the blend, and quite honestly, it tastes SO freakin good to me that, well... you'll just have to taste it yourself, dig?

JUICED!

Peachy

Peachy w/peaches, pineapples, apples, & ginger <3

• perfect for those clear, warm, sun-shiny days like today, dig? smooove & refreshing!

JUICED!

Keen-Wah!

Quinoa, w/garlic, roasted red tomatoes, & olives, dig?!

• yup, i threw in a lil organic shoyu soy sauce, sea kelp seasoning, and black pepper.  a quick & simple dish after a long & trying day.

YUM.

SkateFUNK Saturday, May 12, 2012

Skate. FUNK. Dance. FLOW. Peace. LOVE.

What:  SkateFUNK 

Where:  Anacostia Park (Outdoor Rink)

When:  Saturday, May 12, 2012

Who:  YOU.

Time:  10am-6pm (give or take)

Got Skates?!  meet me @ the outdoor rink!  If You're a Spinna, Bring Da FUNK!  Got Rhythm?!  create your own Dance Space!  Yogis, show us how 2 FLOW!

Peace, LOVE, & commUNITY ~

SkateFUNK 2012

Mint Coat

Mint Coat, w/avocado, raw cacao nibs, raw shelled hemp seeds, raw blue agave, organic fresh mint, ginger root <3

• with the coolness of the Cool-Cumber & the thickness of the PHAT-NANA, the Mint Coat will soothe your taste buds & "coat" ur tummy.  filtered water & ice is added (you can also use coconut water) to keep it Cool & Smoooove, dig?  YUM, YO!

Prep.

BLENDED!

Cool-Cumber (Remix)

Cool-Cumber (Remix), w/cucumber, garden fresh mint (courtesy Amy F <3) Asian pear, lemon, & ginger <3

• along side PHAT-NANA, this is one of my true faves!  thinkin' bout warmer days, chillin' in the Summer shade & sippin' on a Cool-Cumber Remix!  why Remix?!  well, i tweaked it a bit, using lemon over lime, and Asian pear over green apple.  i LOVE working w/Asian pears (cuz i LOVE Asian pears!) and, well, i ran outta limes, dig?

Cooooooool ;)

Commit To IT! Sunday, April 15, 2012

come join Jennifer Raczka Cohen & myself for 40 days 2 a Stronger, Healthier, & more Vibrant YOU!


Down Dog Yoga Bethesda

http://www.downdogyoga.com/our_programs/?page_title=Commit%20To%20It%20-%20Spring%202012!

I (HEART) FIXIES

2-Wheeled Art.

Glass Half FULL-Filled

hmmm... what's my next move?  JUiCE, DiG?!  as in, taking my liquid love creations to the marketplace?  check out my new glass jars, yo!  (i HEART Jesse McCoy Roberts).

i have a riddle

Q:  what do you get when you combine PHATness w/Coco-Nana?!

A:  PHAT- NANA, w/coconut water, avocado, bananas, raw cashews, cacao nibs, & ginger <3

• it was bound to happen as these two are very similar.  for best results, use a real coconut & sprout your cashews, dig?  however, the closest thing i've ever had to a real coconut, is Taste Nirvana Real Coconut Water - which, you can find at YES Organic Market.  YUM, YO!

Prep.

JUICED!

SkateFUNK May 2012

Skate.  FUNK.  Dance.  FLOW.  Peace.  LOVE.  

commUNITY.

'Sippin on Gin(ger) Juice'

dig it, yo, it's the last freakin day of Rolf Gates' 200HR Vinyasa Teacher Training 2011/2012!!!... thus, it's time 4 mo' JUICE!!!  as most of you have noticed, few of my homemade batches of liquid love exist w/out ginger.  the reason is simple; i (HEART) ginger.


A Pear of Carrots, w/barlett pears, carrots, & ginger <3

• similar 2 the Asian Carrot (Asian Pears make all the difference) i made this one 4 Patty - hopefully, she'll dig it <3

Prep.

Sweeter&Greener, w/kale, celery, pear, apple, lemon, & ginger <3

• i just needed some xtra inner-G(reen) 4 da final flow, yo ~ similar 2 the Lovely Green, My (OTHER) Lovely Green, Super Celery, & Green Light.

Prep.

Coco-Nana, w/coconut water, banana, whole raw cashews, cacao nibs, raw blue agave, & ginger <3

• lotta luv 4 Coco-Nana since i first posted it, & some of u will get ur first taste on Graduation Day, dig?  however, i must apologize in advance 4 the short supply.  note that the brands i used for the cacao nibs & the coconut water are stand-ins.  i typically use specific brands for desired taste.  similar 2 PHATness & the Banana Hemp-Opener.

Prep. 

Prep. 

A Pear of Carrots, Sweeter&Greener, & Coco-Nana - JUICED!

JUICED!

Green Light (GO!)

Green Light (GO!), w/kale, celery, green apple, lemon, & ginger (of course) <3

• i also use Asian pear for Green Light, as it creates a softer, sweeter blend, dig?

Prep. 

JUICED!

Thurgood Marshall Academy (TMA)

what an opportunity to serve in Southeast.  Thurgood Marshall Academy (TMA), located in Historic Anacostia, allowed me the space to give back to the very community that i came from.  
TMA is a college preparatory charter high school committed to preparing students for success at the college level, and in our society.  http://www.thurgoodmarshallacademy.org/


YOGA is actually offered at TMA!  CLEARLY, times have changed.  yo, there was no yo-ga, or even charter schools (for that matter) in my hood when i was growing up.  all the more reason why i jumped at this opportunity.  for me, to "Give Back" is a given, but to "Be With" is what matters most.  i've had a lot of fun Being With the students at TMA - and i believe that they've had fun, too... hopefully.  in this experience, i've found that the key difference between teaching at Martin Luther King Junior Avenue, SE, & at Potomac Street, NW, is Geography.

i wanna take this moment to thank Ellen Ioanes, a dear friend & former colleague who thought that i would be the best fit to share my (yoga) experience <3  i would also like to thank Michelle Thompson, the Athletic Director at TMA, for all of her support, and for being a good sport (so to speak) when class ends a little late :)  finally, i would like to thank the A & B DAY students for Showin' Up, Being A YES, and taking full advantage of Savasana ;)

so PHAT, so COOL

just thought you'd like 2 kno that these are my two current faves...


PHATness, w/coconut milk, avocado, banana, raw whole cashews, raw blue agave, & ginger <3

you can make it w/ice or without... i tend 2 pop of couple of cubes in the blend to create that smooovie effect, dig?  yup, i said it; "smooovie" effect, cuz it's just so freakin SMOOOOVE!


Cool-cumber, w/cucumber, mint, lemon (or lime), green apple, ginger <3

i like lemon over lime because i feel that it creates a better contrast.  i also prefer green apples because they are not too sweet.  for this juice, you want less emphasis on sweet, & more on COOL, dig?

PHATness

PHATness, w/coconut milk, avocado, banana, raw whole cashews, raw blue agave, & ginger <3

Before

After

Ninjasa Flow

feet firmly rooted,

palms wrapped on bars,

the city streets await me,

I share them all with cars,

DRISHTI is the key,

on my ninja track pro,

so nimble, so swift,

on my all-black flow,

over asphalt, we hover, 

2 wheels on the wind,

the journey is infinite,

never reaching an end,

seated levitation,

the uphill burn,

embracing all sensations,

to LISTEN is to learn,

unbroken yet FIXED,

on a single gear, we roll,

a loud silence along the path,

the rhythm of Velo-Soul,

my 3rd is wide open,

a panoramic view,

a spiritual saddle dance,

an experience that is TRUE,

feet firmly rooted,

palms wrapped on bars,

the city streets await me,

I share them all with cars...

She's Done It!

Mama's first foray into the world of JUICING!


60 Karats, w/carrots, celery, melon, & ginger (of course)

How Mama Works

after practicing 'How Yoga Works' at Thurgood Marshall Academy in Historic Anacostia/SE, i spent the better part of my day with Mama (and my G-folks).  she is such an inspiration to me on so many levels that i could write for DAYS on this blog.  however, i have a feeling that, while this is the first, it will certainly not be the last time that i speak of her on Velo-Soul, dig?  i'll get right to the point.

she embodies all the things that we speak to in the practice (of yoga) in that, she shows up just as she is.  she is not vegan, but she keeps it RAW.  she is a type II diabetic with liver disease, various physical limitations, & fully equipped with, well...her STORIES.  yet, she selflessly cares for both of her parents (they each have varying degrees of Alzheimer's Disease) on a FULL-TIME basis.  (yo, i could honestly hear my teacher saying "Be With Them", sensing that i am not present while teaching a class at Down Dog Yoga).  Mama is SO with them that i get inspired by it. i mean, how often are we really being with ANYONE?  for most of us, it's difficult to be with OURSELVES, let alone others... but it is so amazing to witness transformation. 

learning to eat to live and desperate to get off ALL the pills that have been prescribed for her, Mama has DRAMATICALLY altered her diet.  she has been a YES in accepting my invitations to vegan/raw foods workshops, brunches, lunches, AND dinners, yo!  it's funny how she tends to credit me for inspiring her, but as i have already stated, she is MY inspiration.  

oh, have i mentioned that she surprised me today with her Brand Spankin' New POWER JUICER, Yo?!  when she makes her first juice, U kno i'll def B bloggin bout it.  WORD.

Who Knew?!

i entered the world of singing, songwriting, & performing back in 1988.  yup, there's no need to rub your eyes or pop your contacts in - Nineteen Ninety-Eight.  what a journey it was and has been.  that experience opened me up to SO many things... things that i would no doubt draw from later on in life.  much like my journey into yoga, i was quite green - not "eco" green, but more like "i have no freakin idea what i'm doin' here right now" green - during my very first audition.  i was petrified, though convinced that i had absolutely nothing to lose.

almost 24 years later, i have gone from creating music for people to hear, to creating space for people to breathe.  

Well Red, CashFlow, & Cool-Cumber

Well Red, w/raspberries, banana, & ginger
CashFlow, w/raw cashews, banana, goji berries, & ginger
Cool-Cumber, w/cucumber, mint, lime, green apple, & ginger (of course)

1st post - 3/20/12


it's official, yo; i'm bloggin'.