Gracious Living JULY Yoga Classes in Toronto at TOTUM:
Wed and Fri 9:30am to 10:30am:
Gracious Living Energizing Hatha
Tues 8:30pm to 9:30pm:
Gracious Living Core Yoga
Thurs 7:30pm to 8:30pm:
Gracious Living Detox Yoga
Sat 3:00pm to 4:00pm:
Gracious Living Yoga for Runners & Athletes
SATURDAY July 14 in Toronto:
Gracious Living SUMMER SMOOTHIE Workshop….click here
Chia Seeds, nature’s little powerhouse, are an amazing superfood providing calcium, alkalinizing, absorbable protein, and anti-aging antioxidants. (yes, this is where the famous chia pet came from!) They are also high in omega-3 fatty acids much needed for optimal energy levels, heart health, brain health, and burning fat. Their high fibre content helps to stabilize blood sugar and suppress hunger. Ch-ch-ch-chia!
Mmmmmm…a healthy, nutrient dense breakfast, snack, or dessert that will provide you with sustainable energy. An excellent source of protein and essential fatty acids.
2 tbsp chia seeds
1 cup unsweetened almond, or cashew milk
1-2 Tbsp maple syrup
1⁄2 tsp real vanilla extract
1⁄4 ground cinnamon
1/4 ground nutmeg
1/4 ground ginger
**topping: fresh fruit, and/or fresh coconut, and/or fresh mint.
**variation: instead of adding cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, add 1 tsp of raw, organic cocoa powder or carob powder for a chocolate chia pudding.
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and set aside for 15 minutes so the chia seeds can do their chia magic. Abra-ca-dabra…..they will soak up the moisture and turn into a pudding consistency. Chill (if you can wait!) then serve.
Top with fresh berries of choice , and/or fresh mint leaves, and/or sprinkle fresh grated coconut on top. I like to serve it in a martini glass!
click my face right below to watch my Gracious Living TV video on the health benefits of chia seeds!
upcoming Gracious Living Vegan Nutrition & Yoga Retreat in the Bahamas Jan 2013
Detoxification & Healthy Eating for BODY, MIND, and SPIRIT
by Grace Van Berkum, R.H.N.
We don’t think twice about cleaning our house, car, clothes, washing our hair, or cutting our nails….. but what about cleaning the inside of our bodies? This is something that is often neglected or not even considered, but so imperative for a healthy AND happy life!
Detoxification is a process that rids the body of harmful pollutants improving our immune system and our entire functioning. Detoxing the body by going on a juice fast is a great way to flush out toxic germs, bacteria, and waste to slow down aging and help prevent disease.
Who Needs to Detox?
Everyone can benefit from juice fasting! Regardless of how healthy one’s lifestyle or diet might be, we live in a toxic world. We are regularly exposed to harmful chemicals in our environment. Many foods contain pesticides, preservatives, additives, and metals that are difficult for the body to eliminate. Pollution is in our air and water. Alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, and other drugs clog the liver and contaminate the blood resulting in an unbalanced body affected on many levels. Moreover, negative or stressful thoughts have injurious effects on the body and mind. Our advancing world and fast-paced lifestyle that we are becoming accustomed to are disrupting our internal eco-system and taking a toll on our body, mind, and spirit. A juice fast can help remove these harmful substances and recalibrate the body and mind toward a healthier lifestyle and a more positive outlook on life
How does detoxing work?
Our bodies naturally detoxify everyday as part of a normal body process. Detoxification is one of the body’s most basic automatic functions of eliminating and neutralizing toxins through the colon, liver, kidneys, lungs, lymph and skin. Most bodies cannot sustain the demands placed on them, which results in imbalances, diseases, and a decreased capacity to function optimally. When our bodies become overloaded, elimination processes are not efficient, organs become overworked and are unable to finish their duties, and toxins keep circulating in our systems. Body systems and organs that were once capable of cleaning out unwanted substances are now completely overloaded to the point where toxic material remain inside our tissues.
Common symptoms of toxic overload are:
A juice fast can help the body’s natural cleaning process by:
In simplest terms, juice fasting allows the organs to rest and speeds up the detoxification process by focusing on the removal of toxins, acidity, and hardened deposits in the cells and body. Fresh juices are rich in live enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and alkalinizing nutrients for speedy absorption, helping to boost the immune system and improve digestion.
Fasting for Spiritual Evolution
Fasting is also conducive to spiritual evolution. It helps bring clarity, peace, and a feeling of interconnectedness. Meditation, yoga, and spiritual discussions at satsangs offer the opportunity to enhance the journey of self-discovery and expand consciousness. Some of the indispensable benefits of doing a 10 Day Detoxification Juice Fast at the Sivananda Yoga Ashram is that participants are in a supportive group setting with qualified health professionals and spiritual teachers in the gorgeous, sunny Bahamas, making this life changing experience very enjoyable and empowering.
The 10 Day Detoxification and Juice Fasting Program starts with 2 days of raw food to prepare the body for detoxification, 6 days of juice fasting with additional cleansing powders, herbal supplements, and special teas, and then re-introducing 2 days of healthy, raw food to break the fast.
Revitalize yourself with the upcoming 10 day Juice fast in the Bahamas to cleanse the body and mind! click HERE for more info on how you can detox with me!
Maintaining Healthy Eating After The Fast
Immediately after the juice fast is done in May, I will be teaching a 3 Day Raw Food Retreat in the Bahamas. Learn how to create wheat-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, soy-free alkalinizing, energizing meals in the kitchen while also learning about how vegan and raw foods help to heal on physical, spiritual, and ecological levels.
Wellness is not just about nutrition. What’s on our plates and what’s happening in our bodies is a direct correlation of what’s happening to our planet. Heal the body, heal the planet!
click here for info about my upcoming 3 DAY RAW FOOD COURSE in the Bahamas.
I am also assisting with a YOGA & SPORT course in May 2012
that explores how the application of yoga practice and philosophy can dramatically improve athletic performance.
Grace Van Berkum is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Sivananda Yoga Teacher, Personal Trainer, and Recipe Creator who currently lives in Nicaragua teaching people about health, yoga, nutrition, fitness, and the importance of staying connected to nature.
There are still spots left for my upcoming Gracious Living Empowerment Retreat with co-host Randi Smith in 3 weeks in Nicaragua!
WHAT IS YOUR FOOD DOING TO YOU???
is your food energizing you, or slowing you down??
is your food cleansing you, or clogging you??
is your food enhancing you, or depleting you??
WHAT YOU EAT DETERMINES THE PERSON THAT YOU ARE.
BE THE BEST PERSON YOU CAN BE BY MAKING BETTER FOOD CHOICES. WHAT YOU EAT AFFECTS ALL ASPECTS OF YOUR LIFE.
*upcoming Gracious Living Yoga Nutrition Retreat in Nicaragua
*upcoming Spring Detox & Juice Fast in the Bahamas
*upcoming Raw Food & Yoga Wellness Retreat in the Bahamas
Yoga~ Your Path to Infinite Power
Yoga practice is like an obstacle race. It is in overcoming obstacles that you find your strength and expand your capacity. When you encounter obstacles in life, you are faced with two choices. You can choose to stop or become unstoppable. Obstacles can be real or imagined. They can be large or small. Does a road closure send you back home or drive you to find a new path? Does losing a job send you into a state or depression or create the sensation of ecstasy that you may now discover your life’s purpose? Does the end of a relationship leave you feeling empty and insignificant, broken down or broken open to the uniting with your soul mate?
According to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Book 1:30, it is the constant and continuous effort of overcoming obstacles that keep the mind sharp and engaged. Thereby protecting it from the real dangers: disease, dullness, doubt, carelessness, laziness, sensuality, false perception, false perception, failure to reach firm ground and slipping from the ground gained.
I love teaching and sharing yoga with the world. It is an amazing feeling to introduce people to the simple technology of breath and movement. It is like plugging in a lamp and turning it on after it has been sitting for years looking like a decoration. Suddenly there is Light. The potential was always there and the sky is the limit. The way you approach your yoga practice is reflective of the way you approach your life. You can see the weak areas as obstacles and stop or embrace the fact that you now know where to focus your efforts to become unstoppable. The problem is many people are intimidated by yoga or allow the ego to believe things like: I am not good at it, I am not flexible, I am overweight, I am too old, I don’t have the time, I went once and didn’t like it, I can’t do those kinds of moves, etc.
These are simply manufactured obstacles. It is just like learning to walk, talk, read and write. You must begin somewhere and accept the infancy stage is always the beginning. To begin as an expert of anything defies natural laws. You have the strength, you just don’t know it. You need to be challenged and tested to overcome your own limitations and strengthen your desire and will. Doing what is simple and easy is like a river that just flows without expressing its power. Put an obstacle in the flow, like a dam, and you can see its strength in the form of tremendous electrical power.
You are the water. Yoga is your path to infinite power! Feel it! Own it! Be it! Whether you want to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, start a business, buy a home or plant a garden, the regular practice of yoga will give you the strength and tenacity to overcome the obstacles and be unstoppable.
Ready to tap into a Life of Yoga & Adventure? Join Gracious Living & Happy Healthy and Fit in Nicaragua April 15-22, 2012 for a life-changing experience!
Commit to discovering your Infinite Power and book by March to enjoy Early Bird savings!
Much love to Randi Smith, for her powerful contribution this week.
What a month it is has been here in the Bahamas! Went from a very busy X-mas season and New Years Eve at Aqua Wellness Resort where I teach in Nicaragua, right to the Bahamas for the 10 Day Detoxification/Juice Fast/Yoga Retreat, right into my 3 Day Vegan Nutrition Retreat! Phew! Busy, busy, busy, but also very gratifying. I love watching people transform on a detox, I love teaching people about food and how it affects the body, I love helping people become empowered in the kitchen, and I love watching people re-connect to their bodies and feel lighter and more calm from doing yoga.
Here are some of the highlights from my Vegan Nutrition Course. 15 students, 15 happy bellies, 15 minds looking at food in a different way! Om appetite! Next Raw Food & Yoga Wellness Retreat with me in the Bahamas is May 6-8, 2012)
What you eat affects your body, your mind, your relationships, and the planet.
change what you eat…..change how you feel.
the lovely Rachel, founder of Om Grown Greens….best sprouts I have ever tasted in my life!
you are what you eat. you are what you think. GRACIOUS LIVING.
for upcoming 2012 Detoxification Juice Fasts, Raw Retreats, and Yoga & Sport courses with Gracious Living in the Bahamas, please click HERE!
for upcoming 2012 Gracious Living retreats in Nicaragua, please click HERE!
20. attend a 2012 Gracious Living Yoga Raw Adventure Retreat in Nicaragua (the Dali Lama said this is very important)
enjoy these easy, alkalinizing dairy-free creations! much cheaper, tastier, better for the environment, and better for your body, than the store bought versions.
they usually last about 3-4 days in the fridge. use them with cereals, in soups or sauces, for baking, hot or cold.
and don’t throw the pulp away! i like to use the pulp for extra fibre and nutrients on top of my salads, in my dessert creations (ie. raw, vegan choclate truffles or pies), and in smoothies. GOT VEGAN MILK?!
High-Calcium, High-Protein Almond Milk
1 ½ cups of raw almonds, soaked in water overnight
4 cups of filtered or spring water
*optional (3-5 dates, or stevia, maple syrup to sweeten) or vanilla, or cinammon
Blend 1 ½ cups of raw almonds that have been soaked overnight in 4 cups of water. Blend with dates if you like your milk with a hint of sweetness. Strain once to remove almond granules. (I put these on my salads for extra crunch and protein). The result is delicious, creamy milk that is free of harmful vegetable oil, concentrated sweeteners, and the problems associated with cow’s milk and soy.
It keeps for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
You can also use other nuts and seeds…try macadamia nuts, brazil nuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds.
Rice Milk
Soak covered coconut in warm water for about 20 minutes. Blend until smooth and creamy. Strain. Use a spoon to press on the strainer to remove all the milk.
**Add 5-6 macadamia nuts or 1/4 avocado for extra body.
slurrrrrrrrrrrppppppp!
