Yoga-Now More Than Ever!
Wellness and Yoga during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Dear All,
I truly hope this newsletter finds you healthy and grounded during this incredible period of uncertainty! If your days have been anything like the ones I’ve had this week, you are in need of some serious self-care! And it is looking more and more like our wonderful studio yoga classes may all soon be put on hiatus until we have a better handle on the virus outbreak. And from all the epidemiologists I’ve been reading, this “social distancing” recommendation is the most effective method to turn things around with COVID-19. If you are like me, though, you may utilize your public yoga classes for any number of self-care goals: getting much need exercise and healthy movement into your days, helping to address your personal life stresses, and even to address therapeutic needs, such as the students in my weekly Back Care Yoga classes do. I certainly believe that the best quality yoga takes place in person with a competent yoga teacher. But if you don’t have that available, as we won’t for the next few weeks, there are still some ideas I have for you to stay in the yoga groove: 1) Utilize online yoga practices: if you want to keep studying with me at this time, please check out YogaUOnline's Practice Channel, where I have more than 25 practices from short tutorials to 30-60 minute sessions. Get your first month’s access for only 99 cents!
2) Join my weekly classes online via live stream!
YOGA FOR A HEALTHY BACK on my personal Zoom Mondays 5-6pm PST
Thursdays 11am-12pm PST
NAMASTE YOGA is moving our classes online for the time being. I will be leading these classes at the regular times, via Zoom: Tuesdays 11:00am-12:00pm - Yoga for Healthy Aging
Wednesdays 5:30-6:30pm - Hatha Level 1-3 Visit the Namaste website to sign up and access info. MOUNTAIN YOGA is also now hosting online classes. Mondays and Wednesdays 11:30am-12:45pm and Fridays 7:30-8:45am
Visit the Mountain Yoga website for info and registration. For folks who have never taken classes at Mountain Yoga before, your first class is FREE!
See my Weekly Classes page for live stream schedule and updates.
3) Check out my hundreds of short 3-5 minute yoga videos (all free!) on my YouTube Channel Baxter Bell Yoga.
4) Subscribe to my YouTube channel, as I plan to release more videos in the coming 2 weeks to give you new yoga practices to play with at home.
5) Try making some Kitchari, a traditional Ayurvedic dish that is often recommended when recovering from illness, although Melina and I usually eat it all day once a week as part of our self-care practices. See Melina’s favorite recipe below!
6) If you want to use your time at home to deepen your personal practice, or design a home practice to address any issues around health and healing, consider scheduling a one-hour private Yoga Therapy session with me via Skype. Email me at baxter@baxterbell.com to learn more. I will be offering discount pricing for the next 3 weeks.
7) This might be the perfect time to learn some new approaches to staying healthy. If you want to learn more about any of the following topics, visit the video page on my website to access them. Each program includes 2 one-hour talks on the topic and a 30-60 minute practice video.
Stress Management
Healthy Aging
Inflammation
Blood Pressure
Brain Health
Metabolic Syndrome
Core Strength and Balance
Heart Health
Digestive Health
8) Take advantage of the airlines offering no-fee flight changes to book travel now for this summer and fall when you may really need to getaway- Melina Meza and I have some fantastic options for you, from Yoga for Healthy Aging programs, to our Montana retreat in August, to a bucket-list trip to Morocco in October!
And when we get the “All Clear”, I look forward to seeing you back in class, at an upcoming workshop or on retreat! Although I was thinking more about the upcoming elections when I came up with my new stickers, the sentiment is even more appropriate for the public health crises we now face: Yoga 2020: Now More Than Ever! Be well, stay active, and be a good neighbor! And stay connected even as you practice social distancing. Namaste, Baxter
KITCHARI RECIPE From Melina Meza’s Book Seasonal Health And Wellness
MAKES 6 BOWLS OF KITCHARI
INGREDIENTS: 1 cup yellow or green mung bean (green beans must be soaked overnight) 1 cup uncooked basmati rice or quinoa 2 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil 5 cups broth 1 bay leaf 1 tablespoon fennel 1 tablespoon mustard seeds 1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger 1 teaspoon each of sea salt, turmeric, cumin, coriander powder Half of a lime
DIRECTIONS:
1. Rinse the beans and rice (or quinoa) in a strainer until the water is clear.
2. In a large cooking pot, heat ghee or coconut oil at a medium temperature.
3. Once ghee or oil begins to melt, add the bay leaf, fennel, mustard seeds, ginger, cumin, and coriander powder. Stir together for about one minute.
4. Add the rinsed beans and grain and mix well.
5. Add broth to the pot, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat to a simmer for 15–20 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and serve with one or two cooked seasonal vegetable(s).
7. queeze lime over kitchari just before serving.
Adjust seasoning to your preference by adding more salt, pepper, lime, ghee, or condiments such as chutney, kimchi, or sauerkraut.