Lunch @ Darbar Indian Restaurant

This was lunch last Thursday.

First Plate

Second Plate

Gajar ka Halva for Dessert.

"Quiche" Me

It started out like this. Too lazy to use the conventional oven so I used the oven toaster instead. I needed a pan small enough to fit into the toaster so guess what I used? The aluminum pan for leche flan. 30 minutes in the toaster and the quiche is set.

Took only the middle part for presentation. Layers of spinach, buttered white mushroom, cheddar and mozzarella cheese.

Diced some cucumber, tomatoes and tore some romaine lettuce leaves. Mixed 1 tablespoons each of prepared mustard and honey. Poured it over the vegetables, tossed everything for a few seconds and there was a salad to accompany the quiche.

It would have been nicer to have wine to go with it.

This was yesterday's dinner. Cheers.

Quiche by Fluctuating Mind

This is kabayang FM's quiche. He posted this photo on his May 23 entry. I asked him if he would like to share his recipe and he did. Check out his recipe here. I'll try to make this either tomorrow or on Friday. Looks REALLY YUMMY! Thanks FM.

Again, in this part of the world, Thursday and Friday are weekends. It kindah make the week short because when I go to work on Saturdays, I feel it's still a weekend though it's not. Sunday comes and I still feel it's a weekend. Then Monday comes and I automatically shift gears feeling it's already mid-week. Then Tuesday... then Wednesday!

Yipee!!!

I don't have classes on Wednesdays so I just come to the office and update the online attendance record. After that, I do my practice and get lost in cyberspace. Whew! Tough life, aye?

I love spinach, mushroom, eggs, cheddar cheese, and errr... garlic (Clubbing rajas!!! Bad for the pulse but I won't see Paul until the end of next month so maybe I can clean up my act a week before he reads pitta-pitta-pitta, hehehe).

Oh garlic, garlic, garlic.

When I did my teacher training in Thailand last summer, Paul would read our pulses and I'd always get Vata-Pitta or Pitta-Vata. Towards the end of the training and before he handed out our pranayama prescription, Paul read our pulses one more time. 5 weeks of sattvic food didn't make any difference.

Only a few of my tt mates stayed for the advanced course so we decided to have dinner with the others who were still on the island the night before the scheduled pulse reading with Tiwariji.

I ordered stir-fried mixed vegetables and GARLIC rice.

I thought, "ok... that will definitely aggravate pitta in my body".

But guess what? When Tiwariji took my pulse, he looked at me in the eyes and just smiled.

I got a "B"!!! Yes!!!

It only required one rajastic meal to bring balance into my system. So I thought, eating sattvic food ALL the time might not be good after all because as the Gita said, "yogasamatva"... yoga is balance... so I'm sure that applies to food as well.

But now I'm thinking... maybe the "B" stood for B-A-W-A-N-G (Garlic in Filipino) and not balanced. :-p

Reaching the Divine (or One's Desire)

"It is easy to reach me, Arjuna, for the yoga practitioner, steady in practice, who thinks of me constantly and has no greater attachments." - Bhagavad Gita VIII:14

"Involve yourself in daily activities feeling that all that you are doing is an offering to Him... or feel that everything is being done by Him through you as an instrument, which is a little higher level."

"Without Him not even an atom would move."

"The advantage in remembering God this way is that it doesn't boost your ego."

From The Living Gita: A commentary for modern readers by Sri Swami Satchidananda

Yoga Discovery Weekend at Pulse

Free yoga classes at Pulse Yoga on May 31 and June 1.

Please visit Tesa's post here on the same event for more details.

30 Days

Can't help it.

True liberation begins with where we are... right here... right NOW.

A quote from Swami Satyananda that made me reflect on the coming days...

“If you dedicate yourself completely to the task of teaching yoga, it will be easy to express the positive side of your personality”.

Iyengar Workshop with Cle Souren

Pulse Yoga officially opens with an Iyengar workshop with Cle Souren on May 29.

I've first tried Iyengar yoga with Cle Souren in Manila a couple of years ago. Sandy wasn't really huge in adjustments and wasn't teaching strict primary series so I was left to exploring those challenging primary series poses on my own. I did my first bind in marichi C during a twisting poses workshop with Cle.

Visit the Pulse Yoga website at www.pulse-yoga.com.

Jane posted a very nice review of the studio here. I compressed the poster so if you'd like to see the details, please visit Tesa's post on the same event here.

Namaste.

Thai Pepper & Garlic Tofu and Cauliflower & Green Peas in Red Curry

Thai Pepper and Garlic Tofu

Combine Tofu slices, about 500 grams, with the contents of one package of Pepper and Garlic seasoning mix. Let is stand for at least 30 minutes then fry using 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. You may need to add more oil when cooking the tofu in batches.

Cauliflower and Green Peas in Red Curry

1.5 cups coconut milk

2 tbsp red curry paste

1 cup cauliflower, sliced into pieces

3/4 cup green peas

Mix the curry paste with the coconut milk. Wait until almost boiling then add the vegetables. Reduce heat and let it simmer for 3-5 minutes. I nuked the cauliflower for 80 seconds on high so this dish didn't need a lot of simmering.

A Time to Fly

Today, I received the confirmation for my admission to the pranayama intensive in November.

It is time to fly.

Laghima, the ability to become weightless, is one of the eight mahasiddhas or great perfections that yogins attain once the practice of pranayama has been perfected as mentioned in the old hatha texts.

The 8 mahasiddhas are:

1. Anima - the power to become as small as an atom.
2. Laghima - the ability to become weightless.
3. Mahima - the ability to become as big as the Universe.
4. Garima - the ability to become very heavy.
5. Prapti - the ability to reach any place as per will and within no time.
6. Prakamya - the ability to fullfil all desire through will.
7. Vashitva - the ability to control the elements.
8. Ishtatva - the ability to create and destroy the objects at will.

It is good to gain knowledge about all these psychic powers but to make it the main goal of one's yoga practice is considered to be an obstacle to the path.

Whether or not these psychic powers will be attained in this lifetime doesn't really matter. The key is to live a good life and to use these different yogic techniques to help refine one's character.

Here is an article on the Eight Psychic Powers from Yoga Vidya Dham.

Full Moon

Click here to read Tim Miller's explanation as to why Ashtangis rest on moon days.

No asana practice on the 31st birthday as it's full moon. I was able to do a full pranayama practice this morning though so it felt great.

No time to prepare something special today but will do so this weekend. I'm thinking Sandy's Tofu Steak.

This day went fast.

Yoga Cafe

This is Sandy's (my first yoga teacher) famous grilled tofu dish. She has taught me the basic recipe and said the combination is actually endless as one can add more herbs and spices to suit one's taste. I haven't done this in months but everytime I make one, it's always a hit even for my non-vegetarian housemates. It's not sattvic though as it uses a LOT of garlic. But garlic is good for the health... just not on the pulse. ;-)

Sandy, I believe, had stopped teaching yoga but opened the Yoga Cafe Food Delivery late last year.

You can read the article by food stylist Bel Alvarez on Yoga Cafe's menu here.

Yoga Café delivers to Makati villages Bel-Air, Dasmariñas, Ecology, Forbes, Fort, Legaspi, Salcedo, San Lorenzo, and Urdaneta.

For inquiries, contact Yoga Café at 893-0230 or 0927-401-8191 from 10am to 7pm.

Tomorrow

Turning 31 on a full moon.

Yang Chow Fried Rice & Broccoli Stir Fry

Yang Chow Fried Rice
1 cup diced carrots, nuked for 1 minute
3/4 cup sweet corn
3/4 cup green peas
1 tbsp minced onion
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2-3 tbsp vegetable oil
2-3 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce or soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Chinese sesame oil
4-6 cups cooled rice

Saute garlic, onion, ginger for one minute. Add carrots, sweet corn, green peas and stir fry for about a minute. Add vegetarian oyster sauce. Mix well then set aside.

Use the remaining oil to cook the eggs. Use a spoon or spatula to scramble the eggs while cooking. Add the cooled rice and mix well. Mix in the vegetable mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste and a few dashes of sesame oil.

Broccoli Stir Fry
This is an easy stir fry using sweet soy sauce, ginger, black sesame seeds, and roasted white sesame seeds. I nuked the broccoli for about 80 seconds on high before stir frying it. It makes everything easier.

Enjoy.

Tofu Balls with Sweet & Sour Sauce

Believe in Yourself

How many times have you found yourself questioning your abilities in situations where skills are on the line? Although what you are being asked to do may be something you have performed successfully on frequent past occasions, self-doubts can still creep in and unbalance the challenge-skill equation.

"Did I prepare enough?"

"Do I really have what it takes?"

"Maybe last time I was lucky."

These are typical ways of doubting your abilities. And making these kinds of self-comments is common when the pressure you perceive is high.

Negative thinking can be a hard habit to beat. If it becomes an automatic mode of responding, it can dominate your thinking.

Negative statements, whether coming from an outside source or from within, can undo any potential for optimal experience.

Learning to control our self-talk is a key mental skill for developing confidence.

A Self-Talk Exercise

• This exercise will require you to carry a logbook around for the day.
• Choose a day when you will be practicing your sport or activity.
• Pay attention to what you say to yourself throughout the day.
• Whenever you think or say something to or about yourself, jot it down in the logbook.
• At the end of the day count up the statements you recorded. Next to each one, list whether it is a positive or negative statement by putting a "P" or "N" next to it.
• Count how many positives and negatives you have.

You will now have an idea of how frequently you use self-talk and whether it is working for or againt you.

If you found you had lots of negative statements, see if you can come up with a positive replacement for each negative and rehearse these positive statements.

When you find yourself in a situation similar to one in which your self-talk had been negative, try saying the positive alternative instead.

The process is like changing a bad technical habit in a sport. You need to identify the problem behavior, learn a more appropriate behavior, and practice this positive skill often to retrain the body to respond as you want it to.

Power of Determination

Roger Bannister, the first man to run the mile in under four minutes, had this to say about the power of determination:

"The human spirit is indomitable. No one can say you must not run faster than this or jump higher than that. There will never be a time when the human spirit will not be able to better existing world marks. Man is capable of running the mile in three-and-a-half minutes"

- excepts from Flow in Sport: The Keys to Optimal Experiences and Performances by Susan Jackson and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, pages 54-56, 87.

- Photo source: http://www.yogicarts.com/imgs/gallery/02jump1.jpg

Sandwich Day

Last night, I was supposed to make a tempeh "mock tuna" sandwich for today's lunch but Indonesian convenience store where I get my tofu and tempeh didn't have one so I decided to make egg sandwich spread instead.

I forgot from which website I got this tempeh "mock tuna" sandwich recipe but it sounds delicious.

Ingredients
8 ounces tempeh, crumbled into tiny pieces
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
1/2 cup scallion or red onion
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp celery salt (to taste)
Fresh black pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients well then refrigerate.

Sandwich from either the newly opened Megawraps near PSU or Subway has been the usual lunch for the past weeks. A large egg salad wrap with ranch dressing or a 12-inch veggie delight with extra cheese and honey mustard dressing. Sometimes, it's basic egg sandwich or felafel from the nearby Arabic sandwich shop.

I bought this brown samoli bread from Othaim last night and it's actually good. 3 pieces 9-inch long bread for only 1 SAR (27 US cents). I had half with peanut butter and banana for breakfast this morning, and then a quarter with the egg salad spread, and another quarter with a chocolate-flavored sweet tahini spread. It was a big breakfast.

For the egg sandwich, I just crumbled 4 hard boiled eggs, combined it with about 1/2 cup mayo, black pepper and some leftover grated cheddar cheese. Spread it on half of the bread, top with sliced tomatoes, cucumber, and yellow and red bellpepper.

I basically eat whatever I want but in moderation so I don't really worry too much about fats and cholesterol. I was thinking of making a low-fat version of this by substituting 2 eggs with an equivalent amount of tofu and use low-fat mayo instead of a regular one.

On another note, I made tofu balls with Chinese sweet and sour sauce last weekend. I'll post the photo and recipe next time. The tofu ball was perfect but the sauce can still be improved. It was my first time to make one so it was forgiveable. ;-)

Divine Providence

It is amazing how the Universe sometimes grants our desires by giving us exactly what we ask for.

Three years ago, I was just contemplating on working in Saudi Arabia because based on what I've heard, there's really nothing to do in Saudi except work, sleep and eat. Then a yoga student/friend of mine informed me about her friend who teaches physical education in Riyadh and was in Manila at that time to interview interested applicants.

I got interviewed and 5 months later, I was enjoying the business class service of Saudi Arabian Airlines direct flight from Manila to Riyadh. No, the University didn't give me a business class ticket. The airline overbooked and I checked in just in time when they ran out of economy seats. I had a confirmed booking so they upgraded me to business class.

"Cool. This is a good start." I thought to myself.

My goals were clear: Pay off my credit card bills (I had a total debt of about 1200usd. Not that much one might say, but if one earns 300usd/month, paying off 12 hundred dollars is difficult in the Philippines); save money so I could take a formal training course in yoga and go to India; and bring my brother to Hong Kong Disneyland.

The first goal was fulfilled in just 3 months of working in the Kingdom. The 1^st half of the 2^nd goal was realized last year when I took the training intensive at Yoga Thailand and the 2^nd half will be realized this coming July. The 3^rd goal will be realized in 2009 as my sister (who is now working as a physical therapist in the US) and I decided that we need to save a little bit more. A yoga friend I met at YT suggested a fundraiser. It is something to consider but I think we can save for it.

Meanwhile, the Universe keeps on providing for my needs. After the training last year, opportunities were being opened and the possibilities become endless.

I have been looking at some of the programs at the Kaivalyadham Yoga Institute so when the schedule for the pranayama intensive came out earlier this year, I thought, "Perfect!". I really don't have anything to do until the end of this year so maybe I ought to do this intensive course on the Sacred Breath.

One problem though and always a problem for the working class Pinoys (this, of course, is a personal opinion), I don't have extra cash. I'm not claiming to be an enlightened soul or saint whose mind is always on the Divine, but hey, the Cosmic Hands opened doors for me. Extra teaching opportunities came up and thanks to my Aussie boss, I earned enough dosh to pay for my Bangkok-Mumbai return ticket this November just by doing 6 hours worth of fitness consultation and assessment. (Forgive me for my ignorance, but I still can't believe people can actually earn $100 per hour. Crazy but that was already 1/3 my salary back in UP.)

So, 7 more weeks and I'll be saying, "Ma'salam Riyadh!"

If the mind is focused and sincere, the Universe shall grant whatever it is that the mind wishes for.

As Krishna told Arjuna (Bhagavad Gita IX:22), "…I provide everything for the person who wants me above everything else, and constantly thinks of me. I add to what he already has and comfort him with absolute security."

For this, I am eternally grateful.

Deep in Meditation

Tatra Dhyanajam Anasayam

"Only the minds born of meditation are free from karmic expressions."
Yoga Sutra IV:6

Thanks for the photo, Mitch. ;-)

Garlic Tofu with Spinach, Broccoli and Cashews

This was early dinner yesterday (4pm). I wasn't able to get a photo of this dish as I was already hungry.

One of my favorite dishes as it's quick and easy to prepare. Simple but full of flavors... not to mention nutritious.

Ingredients
2-3 cloves garlic, minced.
2 cups diced tofu, fried and set aside.
1 bunch spinach leaves (I buy a bunch of spinach at the grocery store for only 95 halalas (about 25 cents or 0.25USD and use one bunch for one dish)
2 cups broccoli, nuked for 60-90 seconds on high.
1-2 tbsp of oil used in frying the tofu
3-4 tbsp water
3-5 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce
black pepper to taste

Saute garlic in oil. Reduce heat, add water and vegetarian oyster sauce. Mix well. Add the spinach and stir fry until the leaves are wilted. Add the broccoli and tofu, stir fry for another minute. Add black pepper to taste. Serve over steamed rice.

The Anatomy Man

Photo by Jasmine Liddington

Neil Barker was one of my teachers at Yoga Thailand.

Read the article, The Eternal Student: Anatomy 101 with Neil Barker, by Rachel Fiske-Cipriani here.

His Holiness Guru Pitka

www.thegurupitka.com

A funny new guru movie. Thanks for the link, M.

Ganesh, The Remover of Obstacles

Vakratunda mahakaya
koti surya samaprabha
nirvighnam kurume deva
sarva kar yeshu sarvada