Sorry I’ve been radio silent, guys. Life has been busy. I’ve been teaching classes, taking classes, planning my Yoga Retreat, doing TV work, and had a photo shoot to get some fresh new Yoga pics in the pipeline. Plus, I’ve been running all over town with my friends. Fall is a busy season, and I love the weather. It really gets me moving. I’ll admit I haven’t been cooking much. I’ve been living off of lentil soup, salads, avocados, green smoothies, and fruit. Is that bad? Well, I suppose it beats junk food. Don’t worry, as the retreat nears, I’ll be giving a few recipes a test run and will share the keepers with you guys.
A random thought that has been running through my head:
This pic was originally in color. Sometimes I like taking new pictures and giving them a vintage look. That's what I did here.
“Sometimes we have to say no to someone else in order to say yes to ourselves.”
(This is something that dawned on me the other day. I know it’s not exactly earth-shattering, but it was eye-opening to me at that moment, so I figured why not pass it on.)
On a more down-to-earth note:
Of course, I jammed both my left wrist and my right shoulder last week, so the fact that I was even able to do the above-mentioned Yoga photo shoot was a blessing/minor miracle. There was one pose in particular that I just couldn’t safely get into for the shoot, so I let go of the “need” to be photographed in that pose.
My friend La Rosa pauses on the Williamsburg Bridge, which we walked across recently. It was a great way to enjoy that day's gorgeous weather and stunning New York City scenery.
Before I tell you more about the Yoga shoot, I had fun doing background work with the New York Jets cheerleadering squad. We were dancing on live TV (WPIX 11, NYC) as part of a promotion where the Jets are offering free classes via NYSC. If you live in the New York area, do check out the promo. You don’t have to be a NYSC member to take the classes.
The girls were the coolest. So sweet and fun. Not catty like we might sometimes think of cheerleaders. Ha! And they totally dug the leotard I changed into after the TV shoot for my photo shoot. Here’s a post-shoot/pre-leotard changeover pic:
Posing with members of the New York Jets cheerleading squad after a TV appearance.That's me, second from far left. My friend/fellow fitness instructor Meredith, is next to me. Why are she and, I two of the most petite in the bunch, squatting? I dunno. Ha!
Now, onto the Yoga shoot:
My friend Marisa shot the pictures. We got soooo lucky: the weather was beautiful and just warm enough. It was the warmest day of the week, according to the extended forecast. The morning light was divine. It was very important to me to get at least some of the shots outdoors, in nature. Well, really, it was a natural/urban setting. Pretty cool. We were able to get, from what I can tell, usable shots in the following poses:
This is a quickie self-portrait of me all wrapped up to stay warm while Marisa adjusts her camera for our Yoga photo shoot. Yes, a tease!
- Pigeon pose (Kapotasana)
- The splits (Hanumanasana)
- Full lotus plus some variations
- Dancer’s pose (Natarajasana)
- Forearm balance (Pincha mayurasana)
- Side crow (Parvsa bakasana)
- Eight limbs (Uh, sorry, don’t know/can’t find the Sanskrit for this one)
- Grasshopper/chin balance (See above re: Sankskrit)
- Bound extended side angle (Baddha utthita parsvakonasana)
Plus several others, which I can’t remember now. And of course, hours after the shoot, I remembered a couple of poses I wanted to be photographed in that I forgot to put on my shot list. For example, bound Ardha chandrasana (bound half moon) and another balance pose. Oh well, next time. But maybe indoors, because 73 degrees and sunny is nowhere to be found in the 10-day forecast. (Yes, I’m slightly weather-obsessed; I check it several times a day and coordinate my outfits accordingly).
Ok, ya’ll, I gotta roll, but I’ll be back soon with some actual recipes and maybe some more fun new adventures. Plus actual Yoga pics from the shoot! I still need to post about my D.C. trip, plus there’s this local band that I’ve totally fallen in love with and want to share with you guys. Ooooh, and maybe deets on my Halloween costume. AND some deep stuff my Ayurvedic doctor shared with me. Secrets of the universe for sure. Wow, that’s an ambitious list I just typed. Hopefully more on all of that soon. Have a fabulous day!
Read Full Post »
“We have come into this exquisite world to experience ever and ever more deeply our divine courage, freedom and light!” — Hafiz
Scroll down below for a roundup of highly celebratory (and symbolic) recipes from fellow Persian food bloggers. 
West of Persia 