Gracious Living Recommends Lemons & Limes for Detox

don’t forget to subscribe to my GRACIOUS LIVING TV YouTube channel for inspirations in the kitchen, on the mat, & in life!

*muchas gracias Franford Films (l.franford@gmail.com)

click links below for upcoming Gracious Living tropical retreats:

*Gracious Living Volcano Yoga Adventure Retreat (with vegan nutrition workshops) in Nicaragua: Feb 3-10, 2013

*Gracious Living Yoga Surf Vegan B&B in Nicaragua: anytime Feb 16-April 8, 2013

*10 Day Spring Detox & Juice Fasting Program in Bahamas: April 23-30, 2013

*Gracious Living Raw Food Retreat in Bahamas: May 2-4, 2013

*Yoga for Peak Performance in Sports & Life in Bahamas: May 8-12, 2013

*Gracious Living Yoga & Food Cleansing Detoxification Retreat in Bahamas: May 23-26, 2013

Gracious Living recommends Cinnamon & Nutmeg

time to sprinkle some cinnamon & nutmeg in your smoothies & cereals!

click photo below to watch my Gracious Living tip of the day and subscribe to my YOUTUBE channel!

*props to Franford Films (l.franford@gmail.com)

click links for upcoming retreats:

*Gracious Living Vegan Nutrition Course in Bahamas Jan 17-19, 2013

*Gracious Living Volcano Yoga Adventure Retreat (with vegan nutrition workshops) in Nicaragua Feb 3-10, 2013

*Gracious Living Yoga Surf Vegan B&B in Nicaragua anytime Feb 16-April 8, 2013

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT. YOU ARE WHAT YOU THINK.

GRACIOUS LIVING.

www.gracevanberkum.com

GRACIOUS LIVING YOGA ADVENTURE RETREATS on OMETEPE ISLAND, NICARAGUA 2012/2013:

Volcano Yoga!

Just finished teaching a Gracious Living Yoga Adventure Retreat on Ometepe Volcanic Island in Nicaragua.

yup, that’s right….a yoga retreat on Volcano Maderas facing Volcano Concepcion at the fabulous self-sustaining, eco-friendly, solar powered Totoco Eco-Lodge.

I have been posting photos all over Facebook (so please join my pages for my frequent, adventurous (and often comical) updates and fantastic photos from all over the world)! not to mention valuable nutrition tidbits and inspiring recipes.

join here. and here. (i have 2 pages).

For those of you who still refuse to play on Facebook (c’mon people!), here are some of the highlights of the trip.  i will just let the photos tell the story….

NEXT GRACIOUS LIVING YOGA ADVENTURE RETREAT at the same unique location is FEB 3-10, 2013 alongside inspiring Randi Smith.  We still have spots left but going fast…and why wouldn’t they?! check out these shots!

WHY WAIT TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE? THE TIME IS NOW.

click here for more info.  or email me at grace@gracevanberkum.com.

banana tree pose.

cool dudes do yoga.

tropical trees with monkies above.

volcano hiking through a cloud rainforest.

stunning waterfall yoga.

magical sunset kayaking around the volcanoes.

empowering volcano meditations.

you are what you eat. you are what you think.

GRACIOUS LIVING.

www.gracevanberkum.com

New Video & SWEAT RX Smoothie Recipe! Why Gracious Living Recommends Chia Seeds

click the links to try these easy, yummy, raw, vegan, plant-based recipes!

Gracious Living Vanilla Chia Seed Recipe

Gracious Living Coconut Mango Chia Seed Pudding Recipe

don’t forget to subscribe to my blog AND youtube channel for more recipes and videos.

also, just out in cross-fit mag SWEAT RX MAGAZINE, pg 63.

Gracious Living Pear-fect Smoothie:

• 1 pear
• 1 frozen banana
• 2-3 cups unsweetened coconut milk, or nut milk of choice
• 2-3 tbsp hemp seeds
• 1tsp chia seeds
• 1 radish hidden in there for a little spicy zing
• fresh ginger to taste
• cinnamon to taste
• optional: raw honey to taste
• 1 cup ice

Blend until creamy & smooth.  Enjoy anytime for boost of energy and to help the body and muscles repair and heal.

(Radish is rich in folic acid, Vitamin C, zinc, B-complex vitamins, phosphorus, and anthocyanins. These nutrients make it a very effective cancer-fighting food, and also boosts immune system and detoxifies body. Radish also helps to relieve congestion within the respiratory system.)

******

SO excited to get back to beautiful, tropical Nicaragua this weekend for my  Gracious Living Retreat at this new, stunning location on Ometepe Volcanic Island!

click links for exciting, upcoming GRACIOUS LIVING retreats in 2012/2013:

Nicaragua Yoga Adventure Retreat

6 Sivananda Bahamas Retreats

Nicaragua Yoga Adventure Retreat alongside Randi Smith

Miami Yoga & Sport Retreat alongside Gwen Lawrence

Nicaragua Yoga Surf B&B

******

You are what you eat.  You are what you think. GRACIOUS LIVING.

www.gracevanberkum.com

Detox Your Mind

“Unless you loosen the hold that your past has on you, your future will unfold in much the same way . . . it is time to begin writing a new script that accurately reflects the beautiful, powerful, and worthy being you are.”~ David Simon

Day 2 of the 21 Day Meditation Challenge…join me!

it will change the way you look at life.

DETOX YOUR MIND.

Gracious Living TORONTO Yoga classes this month

www.gracevanberkum.com

Gracious Living in SWEAT EQUITY Magazine

honoured to be sharing the Gracious Living yoga & nutrition love in Canadian  SWEAT EQUITY magazine Summer Issue 2012…..a magazine dedicated to a yoga & fitness lifestyle.

breathe in. work out. love life. do yoga.

click here to read my articles in the SWEAT EQUITY online magazine:

page 27: Gracious Living Tropical Detox Smoothie

page 53:  Gracious Living Detox Yoga

Page 67: Aqua Nicaragua Wellness Resort where I teach & live

www.gracevanberkum.com

www.aquanicaragua.com

the power is on your plate

“You are not responsible for the programming you picked up in childhood. However, as an adult, you are one hundred percent responsible for fixing it.” -Ken Keyes, Jr.

Save the planet 1 smoothie at a time….

Choosing to make at least one meal per day plant-based has a real impact the environment—how you begin is a logical place to start. As you become more health conscious, you’re more likely to spend extra time scouring food labels for leaner more nutrient dense foods. But one thing that’s harder to track is how Earth conscious your food choices are—and the health of the planet affects your health, too. Our journey to truly holistic wellness should be equally focused on increasing food nutrient density while decreasing our carbon footprint.

What exactly does this “carbon footprint” thing mean? A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact our daily activities have on the environment, particularly in regard to climate change. Your carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases produced to support your everyday life through the burning of fossil fuels that power your transportation, heating, electricity, and yes, even your food choices, a measurement of greenhouse gases an individual produces measured in units of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalents and the bigger our carbon footprint, the greater our environmental impact.

A plant-based diet can not only improve health, but can also drastically decrease your carbon footprint. Just having one plant-based meal a day can make a big difference. As Brendan Brazier explains in his most recent book, Thrive Foods (Whole Foods to Thrive in Canada), a whole food, plant-based smoothie made with a banana and a balance of plant-based proteins has 22 times fewer CO2 equivalents than a combination of eggs, bacon, sausages, hashbrowns and toast. That’s right; you really can help save the planet one smoothie at a time.  www.myvega.com

www.gracevanberkum.com

upcoming Gracious Living Yoga Adventure Retreat in Nicaragua

upcoming Gracious Living Raw Food & Yoga Wellness Retreat in Bahamas

upcoming Spring detox & Juice Fasting Program in Bahamas 

LAST DAY of the 10 Day Detoxification & Yoga Retreat: Bahamas

(insert “we are the champions” here….)

a special graduation ceremony in the temple for all the participants.  i am extremely proud of everyone. a 10 day fast like this is quite the accomplishment.  on a physical level not only are you cleansing your body and organs, but you also realize things like the importance of eating slow and chewing your food thoroughly and listening to your satiety cues, how toxic foods can be, how much food you eat is emotional or social eating.  food is supposed to energize and heal the body…help us thrive in life…not slow us down.  a detox like this helps to recalibrate your taste buds and digestion, makes you more self aware of the body and what is good for you and what isn’t, by simply listening to the body.  a detox like this, done in a supportive, realaxed environment (group support and professional support) like the yoga ashram  also allows the time for mental detoxification and spending more time contemplating your own spirituality.

day 10, feeeling zen! congratualtions to the entire group! next detox at the Sivananda Yoga Ashram in the Bahamas:  Jan & April 2012.

http://www.sivanandabahamas.org/course.php?course_id=3092