Weekly Tao Te Ching Verse - Week #16

I spent my weekend volunteering at the Engine 2 sponsored 2Forks Weekender here in Cleveland at the Downtown Marriott hotel. The amount of information was absolutely staggering. There were times that I felt such a disconnect to the rest of society, that such critical, lifesaving information is not more widely known. There shear amount of data demonstrating the overwhelming benefits of a whole foods, plant based diet is almost overwhelming.

Weekly Tao Te Ching Verse - Week #15

So I started off the "weekend" doing a yoga triple, one class at work and then two at 3 Sisters Yoga + Fitness; one class was with one of the sisters (Courtney) the other was a community donation class with Jen teaching.

I taught one of these classes a few weeks ago and will be teaching it again. It's a great opportunity offered by 3Sisters. We get practice teaching, people get to try yoga very inexpensively (for free if you don't donate), and any funds raised get donated to a local charity. What a great win-win opportunity. Thank you 3 Sisters.

Weekly Tao Te Ching Verse - Week #14

I had a great weekend attending Marni Task Yoga Jivasara Yoga Teacher Training. I graduated in May of this year but Marni welcomes back alumni to participate in the teacher training. It's incredibly generous of her!

I can tell you that I feel like I am learning even more than I did the first time around. That actually cannot be true since I pretty much didn't know *anything at all* last time around. That's also why is almost seemed overwhelming. Last year I had been doing yoga for only a year, where as now I am a grizzled veteran of practicing yoga for two years.

Weekly Tao Te Ching Verse - Week #13

On Saturday I was having trouble figuring out what do do with my day (too many choices leading to indecision) when I randomly posted a question on PlantBasedCLE's closed Facebook group if anyone had any recommendations for a spiralizer. The response was great with some great recommendations and a link to one site's ranking of spiralizers.

More importantly, though, one friend (thanks Victoria!!) reached out and mentioned that her friend's dad had one he wasn't using. So I jumped at the chance and Victoria offered to deliver it that same day! Thank you universe.

Sunday was also my first staff meeting for Soul Stretch Yoga where I will be teaching Friday nights at 6:30. I missed the Browns game which isn't so much a loss but was bummed the Indians game was rained out.

Welcome to this week's Tao Te Ching verse. See here for what this is all about. 

Verse 13

Success is as dangerous as failure.

Hope is as hollow as fear.

Weekly Tao Te Ching Verse - Week #12

So Friday night I taught my first Community Class at 3 Sisters Yoga + Fitness and had my first class as the "permanent" yoga teacher at Fitworks in Highland Heights. Spent the rest of Saturday cleaning out closets and getting rid of clothes which is what happens when you lose 50 pounds in two years. Sunday was a fun day with a Marni class (of course), lunch with my friend Jenny, and trying my hand out at Lentil, Chard & Sweet Potato Curry from Forks Over Knives. It was delicious!

Welcome to this week's Tao Te Ching verse. See here for what this is all about. 

Verse 12

Colors blind the eye.

Sounds deafen the ear.

Flavors numb the taste.

Thoughts weaken the mind.

Desires wither the heart.

Weekly Tao Te Ching Verse - Week #11

This last weekend I was able to get three of my teacher Marni Task http://www.marnitask.com/ classes in! And don't tell anyone but we bought a car.

Welcome to this week's Tao Te Ching verse. See here for what this is all about. 

Verse 11

We join spokes together in a wheel,

but it is the center whole

that makes the wagon move.

We shape clay into a pot,

but it is the emptiness inside

that holds whatever we want.

We hammer wood for a house, 

but it is the inner space 

that makes it livable.

We work with being, 

but non-being is what we use.

Weekly Tao Te Ching Verse - Week #10

This last weekend I spent Saturday volunteering at Health Care is Self Care's Wrapping Our Heads, Hearts And Hands Around Plant-Based Eating at "The Knob". Fantastic learning experience and love the #hcisctribe!

Welcome to this week's Tao Te Ching verse. See here for what this is all about.

Verse 10

Can you coax your mind from its wandering

and keep to original oneness?

Can you let your body become

as supple as a newborn child's?

Can you cleanse your inner vision

until you see nothing but the light?

Weekly Tao Te Ching Verse - Week #9

I had an incredibly full weekend of volunteering, attending yoga/spin studio openings, my first staff meeting at 3 Sisters Yoga + Fitness, the one year anniversary of starting Marni Taks's YTT program. Oh yea, and a little yoga here and there.

Welcome to this week's Tao Te Ching verse. See here for what this is all about.

Verse 9

Fill your bowl to the brim

and it will spill.

Keep sharpening your knife

and it will blunt

Weekly Tao Te Ching Verse - Week #8

Happy Labor Day! I teach at Fitworks in Highland Heights this morning but will be back for breakfast by 9.

Welcome to this week's Tao Te Ching verse. See here for what this is all about.

Verse 8

The supreme good is like water,

which nourishes all things without trying to.

It is content with the low places that people disdain.

Thus it is like the Tao

Niyamas

In my last post, I described the Yamas. This post is the Niyamas, the second of Patanjali's 8 Limbs Yoga. These posts are a series of posts reviewing the 8 Limbs of yoga with the purpose of helping my think through my 2016 Intention of being more "yogic".

The yamas, the first limb are focused on how to treat with beings outside of you, with other people. It talks about being honest, not stealing or not being greedy. The Niyamas are more focused on how you should treat yourself or personal actions. Literally meaning positive duties or observances.

Weekly Tao Te Ching Verse - Week #7

Welcome to this week's Tao Te Ching verse. See here for what this is all about.

Just to comment though, for now I am not adding any commentary. I am just going through the verses. At some point, I'll probably do it again but take my time and thinking more about each one.

Verse 7

The Tao is infinite, eternal.

Why is it eternal?

It was never born;

thus it can never die.

Why is it infinite?

It has no desires for itself;

thus it is present for all beings.

Weekly Tao Te Ching Verse - Week #6

Just returned from our two week whirlwind tour of Japan. I'll have at least one post on that experience.

Welcome to this week's Tao Te Ching verse. See here for what this is all about.

Verse 6

The Tao is called the great mother:

empty yet inexhaustible,

it gives birth to infinite worlds.

she welcomes both saints and sinners.

It is always present within you

You can use it any way you want.

Weekly Tao Te Ching Verse - Week #5

Still in Japan, but still not going to miss the weekly post.

Welcome to this week's Tao Te Ching verse. See here for what this is all about.

Verse 5

The Tao doesn't take sides;

it gives birth to both good and evil

The Master doesnt' take sides;

she welcomes both saints and sinners.

Weekly Tao Te Ching Verse - Week #4

So just because I'm in Japan right now you thought I wasn't going to post? Think again! :-)

Welcome to this week's Tao Te Ching verse. See here for what this is all about.

Verse 4

The Tao is like a well:

used but never used up.

It is like the eternal void:

filled with infinite possibilities

Weekly Tao Te Ching Verse - Week #3

Welcome to this week's Tao Te Ching verse. See here for what this is all about.

Verse 3

If you overesteem great men,

people become powerless.

If you overvalue posessions,

people begin to steal.

Tao Te Ching - Weekly Verse - Week 2

I am currently reading the Tao Te Ching will be posting one verse per week for the rest of the year or until I am through all of them.

Verse 2

When People see somethings as beautiful,

other things become ugly.

When people see somethings as good,

other things become bad

Tao Te Ching - Weekly Verse

So I recently bought Steven Mitchell's translation of the Tao Te Ching. In another life, I think I read this as an East Asian Studies major in college but I have zero recollection of it.

Memorial Day Weekend 2016

Had Caitlin Hawkins​ and Barbara Hawkins​ over yesterday for Memorial Day, my birthday, George Hawkins’​ birthday, my graduation from Marni Task’s​ Jivasara Yoga Teacher Training and Caitlin's graduation from grad school at Case, the finding of an apartment, and landing a job here in Cleveland!

Since it was Memorial Day weekend, I wanted something "traditional". So I decided to try carrot dogs as a replacement for the typical hot dogs. To be honest, I was skeptical. In addition to the fact that I'm not really a fan of trying to recreate "meat" foods with veggies, since that's like an alcoholic drinking near beer (not really a good idea) I'd rather just go straight for a new thing altogether.

Much to my surprise, though, it was actually really good. The liquid smoke I think is really what makes it, but I topped it with arugula, mustard, Ketchup and caramelized onions.

I also tried out two new recipes this time from the PlantPure Nation Cookbook. Three actually since one them called for Tofu Cashew Mayonnaise also from the PlantPure Nation cookbook. The first was a Thai Tofu Wrap which was only okay. It'll be good if I can figure out something else but it needs a little more moisture, more of a kick, and more peanut butter maybe. It called for Sriracha which we didn't have so I used Cholula which we did, but probably not enough.

You can see the wraps on the plate covered in saran wrap. There's a pun in there somewhere.

The second recipe used a quarter cup of the Tofu Cashew Mayonnaise. For my fellow no oil friends, this recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon of tahini. I bought tahini that had no extra oil added but it was still quite oily. I like the flavor of tahini I just don't want the oil. But for yesterday I used 1/2 teaspoon of tahini.

Other than that though the tofu cashew mayonnaise was fantastic. Here's the recipe

Recipe

1/4 raw cashews soaked for 2-3 hours

7 ounces extra firm tofu

1/2 teaspoon sea salt (I used less)

1/2 teaspoon tahini

4 teaspoons lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard

2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar (I bought the Braggs because of Theresa's comment at the last PlantBaseCle meeting)

2 1/2 Tablespoons Agave Nectar (I only used 2, but will probably use 1 next time)

2 Tablespoons Water

1/4 teaspoon xanthum gum (I didn't have any so I used potato starch as a kind of binder

Tweak to your heart's content, particularly perhaps just grinding sesame seeds up yourself will reduce the oil.

I used this mayonnaise for the Eggless Tofu Salad. For what it is worth I never really liked egg salad so I don't consider this a replacement :-) The Tofu Salad was fantastic, the dill adding it the perfect flavor. The bowl bigger bowl in the picture to the left is a Quinoa salad my wife Arisa featuring Chayote.

I used my friend Lori Palmer’s (website) suggestion to make "chips" out of Engine2’s Sprouted Ancient Whole Grains Tortilla (you only need to bake for maybe 5 minutes, I had mine in a just a little bit too long), and used them to scoop the tofu salad. Thanks Lori that was a fantastic suggestion!

For scheduling reasons we started earlier than we would have normally and we finished earlier as well. Which was just as good because by the time we would have normally just been settling in to eat we were inundated with rain.

---

.

Handstand Success

Some times I think it's okay to celebrate, so I'm posting my handstand. It took me 14 months of practicing a little bit pretty much every day. I finally hit it for an extended period of time.

Of course as a yogi I should not be attached to the rewards of my hard work but let's say that attitude is still a work in progress. High fives are welcome! :-)

CNN Reports on GOP Debate

So CNN was reporting on the debate had the following paragraph.

The big questions of the night: Which senator did a better job convincing voters they can best take on Trump? Did Rubio's attacks and interruptions show a new side of himself? Did Cruz do enough to persuade people he's worth another look? Or did Trump's dismissive counters -- Rubio is a "choke artist," while Cruz is a "liar" -- leave him looking like a strongman swatting away the sorts of politicians that turned his supporters furious in the first place?

These are not the questions that need to be asked. What needs to be asked is what has gone wrong with this country that these morons are our Presidential candidates for one of our two political parties.