Toronto | Canada

One of my many other trips from this summer was Toronto, Canada. It's hands down one of the best cities I have visited. It had the feel of New York, with historic like buildings as if you were in Chicago; everything I love in one place! The people are as nice as can be and you will have a guaranteed good time. My days were filled with yoga, walking in my Manolo's until my feet wanted to fall off, eating for days, and meeting new people.

One of my favorite places in life, Momofuku Milk Bar. Birthday Cake Truffles and Crack Pie are ALWAYS a must. And if you get the chance to eat there, the ramen is the perfect rainy Sunday meal.

One of my favorite things I did during this trip was visiting Niagra on the Lake. I visited a beautiful winery, had one too many samples and the best meal with the view above. I also went to town with cute little shops, and multiple ice cream parlors/ It is only about an hour drive (without traffic) and absolutely worth the drive!

 

The St. Lawrence market could have been heaven on earth in itself. Between going with an amazing new friend and trying to decide just what food items to get. It's an absolute must if you visit Toronto! Kirsty and I decided the perfect Thursday would be just everything you see in front of your eyes below... Including a bottle of Prosecco, and a beautiful view from her patio not shown.

I plan to come back this fall to experience life in the cold versus the summer. This is one of the few cities I see myself living in one day. 

Caution, if you stay too long, you may leave saying "Ay" and end every sentence as a question.

Postivity | Quotes

This is the....

  

I have been in New York the past two weeks and my trip comes to an end. Nothing I love more is a positive quote. And with all of the job searching I have been doing here, it's definitely something I have needed after every interview good or bad... And I'm sure the rest of manhattan in search for a job feels the same way as well.

For me, my practice is not only on the mat but off as well. Something I make a huge focus for both on and off is positivity. Finding ways to surround myself with positive people, having a positive practice, and positive energy for myself.

I typically dedicate my practice to positivity, in my words, to myself, and to others. As they say, "positive life is a happy life". 

I believe that waking up in the morning and seeing a quote like below, "Take time to do what makes your soul happy" brings me back to reality. You know what, yoga makes my soul happy, so I'm going to do that. Realizing who is important in your life and what makes you happy. Words so simple, can go such a long way.

I hope these few quotes bring a smile to your face and make you do something that makes you EXTRA HAPPY!

 

And if you want plenty more positive quotes, go to Positive Life Tips. This really could be one of the best sites I have come across in a while.

Hawaii | Headstands

Okay, so maybe it's been a while since I have made a post. I swear I've been busy, I'll prove it over the next few weeks....

Starting with my recent trip to Honolulu, Hawaii with my friends and family. Every once in a while you need a vacation from life, everyone, and everything thing else in it.  Hawaii is the perfect place to set free, and only have problems about which shrimp truck you will eat at, what beach you'll go to that day, and whether or not to take the Pina Colada or the Mai Tai.

It's also one of the best places to do yoga. Relaxing beaches with nothing but the sounds of waves and the joy of people. I experienced a new kind of yoga while I was there. It was my first time doing a forearm head stand in the sand for one; which was not as easy as it looks. Turns out the little pieces of sand digging into your forehead when you have a major sunburn does not feel so great.

Forearm headstand with knees in first; it's all in the core.

My other "first time" experience was paddle board yoga. This is something I recommend to everyone; especially if you have the chance to do it in clear blue waters. Just as my practice has become stronger and stronger over the past few years, you throw a paddle board and yoga together and it's like your first day of yoga class all over again.

 I loved the new kind of challenge it brought to my practice. With yoga there are always new challenges you come across. When you get one pose down after working towards it for weeks, months, or maybe a year, you start to work towards a new one. There is no greater feeling then accomplishing a new inversion. I would say one of my most rewarding inversions was forearm headstand. It took me close to 6 months to achieve this, and what we all must remember is, every ones body is different. So it may not take someone as short or as long to accomplish this. And after you get the basic forearm headstand, you work towards the other variations of head stand. Which I am currently working on tripod headstand from prasarita podattanasana; I recommend Jennifer Pastiloff's how to video.

The best part about practicing inversions on the paddle board was that if you fell in, it did not really matter because you had the water to catch your fall. MUCH better then the ground in my opinion. It's summer, so now is the perfect time to try out something new that involves water and lots of laughter! And always remember with inversions, patience is key.

 Don't be afraid to let go, be free and have fun every once in a while.

*I'm always here for questions about yoga, how to strengthen your practice and guide you to where you want to be. So please reach out to me if so!

A Few of my Favorite Things...

There are certain brands that, in my opinion, work better for my body during and while teaching yoga. There are certain brands I also just prefer to lounge around the house in, swim, hike and more. Here are a few of my favorite brands ...

I love Teeki for a few reasons. Mainly the fact that they are eco-conscious, using recycled water bottles to make their clothing. They always have the most fun prints and colors, they're super light weight for your 100 degree classes, and dry quickly for those really hot classes. They also have reasonably priced pants. The star power pants above are $72, but you can usually find most of their products around the $60 range, which is far from the average Lululemon price for pants.

Beyond Yoga is great because the quality is durable and always ridiculously soft. I mainly only have their pants because of how soft they are. These are the ultimate lounge pants, so it's a 2 in 1! These pants typically range from $70-$99, these I can definitely stand by and say they are absolutely worth the investment. 

Lululemon is yes, expensive, but the Canadian based line always has plenty to choose from, and cater to every type of workout and yoga class. I especially love my "Big Yoga" mat in black, that is non slip and super thick. Along with my mat carrier for when I travel or need a grab and run to head to the studio. I recommend hitting up their sale racks or outlet locations if you're more on the price conscious side!

I would have to say my favorite usual go to is Alo. Their prices vary, but stand more in the Lululemon, Beyond Yoga range. I tend to mostly buy their brand because it's not too thick since I only teach and attend hot classes. But they are also great for the winter as well with a little more thickness. Their colors they come out for the season are always spot on. And my favorite sports bras are from them, the fit is fantastic in general. This brand I will continue to stand by.

Vegan | Chocolate Cake

Now is this really that surprising? I'm a lover of sweets, what can I say? Let me just start off by saying that this is not your average chocolate cake. Not because it is vegan; free of dairy, the fact that it tastes better then a normal chocolate cake, but because I found it on Free People's blog. As if Free People could not get any better with their flowy, bohemian clothes, but the fact that they provide recipes that you can hide delicious things under?? 

Count me IN.

Chocolate Cake (vegan)

1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup warm water
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350° and prepare two circular baking pans with cooking spray if you’re making a layer cake. If not, prepare one 8×8 inch square pan.

In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl combine canola oil, vinegar,

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water, and vanilla extract. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir to combine until smooth. Split the cake batter in half between pans and bake for 23 minutes, or until cooked through. Let cakes cool to room temperature before frosting.

Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting (vegan)

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
¼ cup vegan butter, room temperature
½ cup vegan sour cream
2 ½ cups confectioners sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla
Raspberries, for topping

Using a double boiler, or small saucepan over medium heat, melt the chocolate chips and transfer to a stand mixer. Let the chocolate sit to room temperature. Add the butter, sour cream, confectioners sugar and vanilla and stir until the mixture becomes fluffy, forming small peaks. Spread the frosting evenly across the vegan chocolate cake and top with fresh raspberries.

And the results of this delicious, yet fluffy and light cake.

Source: Vegan Chocolate Cake With Sour Cream Frosting | Free People Blog http://blog.freepeople.com/2014/03/vegan-chocolate-cake/#ixzz35a8cUPZh

THE " P O T E N T I A L"

So maybe I've been a little M.I.A with the actually "dating" part of my blog. Part of that reason has been because I have actually been seeing someone pretty darn special. Now we're not exclusive yet, so one thing to always remember when just in the "dating/talking stage" my friends. NEVER put all of your eggs in one basket.

Now I'm not saying, continue to sleep with other people. I may like "Nick" the most, and ideally want things to move to the next level. But I am also not going to be naïve and 100% only keep myself to him until that time, because this is the number one mistake typically women tend to do. If you're seeing someone you really like, the best thing to do is continue to go on dates/meet others. That is because this will keep you distracted from wanting to hear from the most important of them all 24/7 and making the mistake of, A) calling too much and B) creating obscure scenarios in your head of why he/she has not contacted you in hours or days at that.

Keep things light and fun with the "potential" lead. Make sure with the other "sides" you do not give them too much hope of anything actually moving forward. This will only make things A) Potentially more confusing and B) A huge mess. I typically tend to go on one or two dates with someone and no more then that. You do not want to lead them on anymore then that. I assure you that the more you're "distracted" continuing to live your life and not seem as interested as you actually are. The "potential" will come your way eventually. Just give it time.

A few rules to remember once again when juggling multiples but not wanting to risk messing anything up with the "potential"...

1. Do not EVER go home with anyone else other then the potential.
 *This is the number one rule, because you will get nixed if the potential finds out you're sleeping with other people; that is a red flag of betrayal/trust.

2. Do not go on more then 2 dates with another prospect; unless your feelings are growing stronger with them then the potential.

3. I would keep it to yourself that you're seeing others. Unless you think it will work in your favor with the potential... Usually this just backfires, I know this from experience.

4. The three "C's". Always remain calm, cool and collected. For example, if they bail on you after making plans to go on a date. Do not take it personal, something could have actually come up, things happen. They will want to make plans again if you respond as such, "no worries, another time!" and leave it at that.

Girls only:

5. Let the potential do the work. Let them call, text and ask you out first. At least in the first month. You do not want to come off clingy and annoying.

6. Be independent. Not only should you be independent even after becoming "official", but usually nothing more a man loves, is a women who can make her own money and do things on her own.

What Is too long to wait until it is just you and that person exclusively?

That all depends on how long you can play the waiting game and you're ok with it. Just make sure if you're the girl, I highly recommend you do not bring it up until the guy does. They need to be the ones to realize they want to be with you.


Until you're official with someone, go have fun! It is the summer after all and their loss if it does not work out.

Gluten Free | Banana Muffins

One of my many inspirations are the Tone It Up duo. They have great referrals of workout routines that I take to the gym when I'm not at Yoga, and they have delicious recipes as well. One of them being their Gluten Free Banana Muffins... I know what you're thinking, "you must really like banana". Shockingly, I actually do not prefer banana unless it has to do with baking. They have given me horrible stomach pains ever since I decided to complete the General Motors diet last summer. One of the seven days of the program is just eating bananas and drinking milk all day. Although the diet really worked, that was the day my body rejected bananas whole on their own.

On to the good stuff.... I absolutely love my Paleo Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, but if you want something a little less sweet, these are your muffins. Especially because I made them into minis instead of full size. Making them the perfect on the go snack for breakfast or a yummy little treat in the day.

This full recipe can also be found on the Tone It Up website.

INGREDIENTS

2/3 cup Almond Flour

1/4 cup Coconut Flour

1/2 cup Quick Oats

1/2 cup Ground Flax Seed

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Sea Salt

2 large Bananas, ripe and mashed

1 Egg

2 tbsp Coconut Oil, melted in microwave for 20-25 seconds

1/3 cup  Unsweetened Almond Milk

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

2 tbsp Pure Maple Syrup

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray muffin tray with non-stick spray, grease with coconut oil, or use muffin liners.
In a large-sized mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients.
Peel and mash ripe bananas with a fork in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
Add in egg. Mix until egg is fully incorporated into the banana.
Add in melted coconut oil, almond milk, vanilla, and maple syrup. Mix until combined.
Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.
Mix until fully combined but be careful not to over mix.
Pour batter into muffin holes until about 1/3 full. Fill remaining holes without muffin batter with water to make sure that muffins bake evenly.

Bake for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. The muffins may still feel like they are not cooked fully. Once they cool down, they should firm up.

Let cool in muffin tray for 5 minutes.
Transfer to cooling rack to let cool before eating.

I also dusted a tad bit of cinnamon on top 
Store in an air tight container for up to 5 days.