Teaching Update

Hi everybody!
I just wanted to let you know that the set up at Anytime Fitness has changed a bit. You do need to be a member at Anytime to take classes, however you do not have to pay the $5 extra for classes. You can get a 2 week trial membership and take classes as well. I HIGHLY recommend getting a membership at Anytime. It is cheaper than the $90 unlimited class card I offered at Soul Shine and you get the added benefit of taking other classes like Bootcamp, Zumba with Maria and of course the rest of the gym is at your disposal 24/7. I never thought I was a "gym" person, but I am LOVING it. I am training with Anna and Amy is also coaching me. I feel much better and I am already seeing a difference in my body. I just feel better inside and out.

New Schedule and Other Goodies

Angels are singing and I am seeing the light... Hallelujah!!! I am teaching yoga at Anytime Fitness in Braselton. This is the Anytime off of 211, next to Ninja Steakhouse. Rumor has it that the Hoschton location will soon have a group fitness room as well... but time will tell.
So, here is the skinny...
You do NOT have to be a member to take classes. Classes are $10 each if you are not a member. If you are a member (better deal!) yoga classes will be $5 and you get to use the gym and take all the other classes for free. Oh, did I mention the OTHER classes?? That would be Maria teaching Zumba! Plus there is bootcamp for those of you who really want to get your butt kicked at 5:00 AM.

My schedule is as follows:
Tuesday 10AM
Thursday 7PM
every OTHER week (Anna and I are swapping weeks)
Monday & Wednesday at 5:15 PM

The full schedule is below, including Maria's classes. Yea! Just like old times - but now we can get our booties on any fitness equipment we need and still  have fun together!

In OTHER news... for those of you who want to join us for a yoga retreat at the Monestary of the Holy Spirit in Conyers - go ahead and make your reservations. All they need is a $30 deposit.
Dates: May 18-20 (Weekend)
Yoga and Christian Contemplation Retreat
Description: Communion with God in the silence of the heart is a God-given capacity. For the Christian, the life of prayer is central to living the faith. Also, for many Christians, Yoga has become part of their everyday lives. Can the life of prayer and the practice of Yoga be integrated? For those new to Yoga or for the experienced practitioner, this retreat will explore what the Early Church Fathers had to say about the life of prayer, while integrating Yoga into Christian contemplation.
For more info visit www.trappist.net 

Namaste my friends!

Really Good For You Soup

I christen thee "If this soup does not cure what ails ya, I don't know what will."
I made this soup chock full of good for you ingredients last night and everybody loved it. Plus I was feeling stuffy, groggy and like I might be getting the crud again last night and now I feel fine. Weather I feel better because of the soup, a good night's sleep or the decongestant is up for debate, but I think all 3 have a good effect on the stuffy olfactory area.

So here you go... Really Good For You Soup.

• 1/2 stalk of Burdock Root (get this at the Asian Market like Super H) 
• 1 package of Shiitake Mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 1 head of Swiss Chard, rinsed and roughly chopped
• 1 medium onion, sliced into 1/2 moons
• 3 cloves of garlic, diced
• 1 tablespoon of white miso
• 1 sheet of dried seaweed (or any other sea veggie) 
• 1 box of veggie broth
• 1 tsp of olive oil
• Cilantro or Basil to garnish
• Dash of Siracha (rooster sauce) if you want a kick

Wash, scrub and peel the burdock root. This stuff is dirty - as it should be - it's a root, however it is worth it because this is the ingredient that makes this soup SUPER HEALTHY. It is a powerful anti-inflammatory, detoxifier and it boosts your immune system to new heights. I like cooking with Asian ingredients, it seems like they have a good handle on the good for you, don't get cancer, live a long and healthy life food choices. Regarding your taste buds, burdock root reminds me of jimica or a bland carrot as in it really does not have much flavor but a good bit of crunch.
Anyway... I digress...
So now chop your peeled burdock root into small pieces. Put about a teaspoon of olive or veg oil into a stock pot. Saute the onions, burdock and garlic. Cook until the onions are really tender and take care not to burn the garlic. Throw in the swiss chard and mushrooms. Let this mixture steam up for about 5 minutes. Stir it all around and let it get happy. Next pour in a box of ORGANIC veggie broth. Put the sheet of seaweed on top and let it get soggy.  Cover and cook this mixture for 30 - 45 minutes.  The seaweed will break up in the soup as it cooks. About 5 minutes before serving add a tablespoon of miso. Stir it in well.
Serve with your preferred garnish - either basil or cilantro and add a dash of Siracha if you want a little kick.
As I was eating this last night I thought that the soup could deal with a hot pepper - so I may try that next time. Otherwise - it was delicious and hearty.
Enjoy and eat well!
Namaste,
Heather

When you miss somebody

You miss all of them. When you miss somebody you don't just miss them as they were a few months or years ago, you miss them running around in diapers with curls bouncing and baby teeth grinning. When you miss somebody, you miss their moods - good bad and ugly. When you miss somebody you miss their laugh, their cry and the occasional laughing snort. I miss her plumber's crack (plumber's daughter and all) her tiny teeth, the freckle in her eye and her fire. I miss our childhood, running around on 5 acres in our birthday suits playing in the hose. I miss the way she would fill in my memories, I don't know if I will ever remember anything correctly now. I miss her perfectly round nostrils, but I have a living breathing pair of those in my house now. I tuck her in every night and look at those circular nostrils and think - she is not dead. She is here. And then my tears betray me and I realize that Hailey is gone, but I have the best gift she could have given anybody.

I don't know if this video really "goes" with the blog... but it's one of the best videos I have of us. 

Cheesy Apples Recipe

2 cans of Comstock Apples, not pie filling (if you can not find these, get a bag of apples - peel, core & slice - simmer in a pan with a little water for about 15 minutes just so they get soft)
1 lb of Velveta Cheese, cut into small cubes
2 sticks of softened butter
1 1/2 cups of self rising flour
2 cups of sugar

Beat together softened butter, flour, sugar and velveta (use a hand mixer) mix until all ingredients are incorporated and mixture is creamy

butter a 13 x 9 pyrex dish

put apples in the dish and then top with the cheese mixture, spread the cheese mixture with the back of a spoon

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes, uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Serve warm as a side dish or as a desert.

We always eat this on Thanksgiving as a side dish.

Everybody always says "ewww, cheesy apples, that sounds gross but I'll take a bite" 2 seconds later with a full mouth "More, give me more! That is so good!"

I have had a hard time finding canned apples for the past few years, so I just get a bag of apples, peel, core and slice the apples into wedges. If you have one of those handy apple slicers, this is an easy job. Put the apples in a pan and add a little water, cover and let them steam for about 10 - 15 minutes, just until they are softened. And trust me, peel the apples - any sort of nutrition in this dish is strictly prohibited.

Transitions

A time has come in my life that I need to make a transition. Transitions are often scary, exciting and calming all at the same time. The time has come for me to take a step back from owning a yoga studio and focus on family. For the past three years, I have enjoyed teaching, fallen in love with you (my students) and with yoga more than I could ever imagine, and I thank you for that. Soul Shine has been my source of peace, a refuge during the stormiest times and an injection of strength when I did not think I could take another step. The beautiful space is just the icing on the cake of the love, support and laughter I have received from the amazing souls that have come through the door. Thanks to you, I have not lost hope. I have seen more compassion and love poured out in the past three years than I ever thought possible. Kindness from nurses during the hundreds of  hospital visits, the focus and strength of hospice staff, hugs from random strangers and of course, you.  You have given me more than I could ever teach you in a yoga class. I am forever grateful.

This being said, Soul Shine Yoga and Wellness in Hoschton will have to close for now. I want to be the best mom, wife and me I can be. In order for me to be the best person I can be, it means I have to let go of something I love dearly. Yoga teaches us non-attachment. I have unattached myself from furniture, clothes, houses and really cute shoes, but this is my first real test voluntarily letting go of something I truly love for my own good. Letting go of the space in Hoschton is also for your good. I can not be the best teacher I can be if I am stressed and burning the candle at both ends.

During this transition, I am looking into alternative ways I can teach yoga. I am considering teaching private and semi-private lessons at your location next year.  Online classes and meditations are a 99% probability. Also, I am seriously considering converting my garage into a fabulous yoga and art studio, so I will be able to teach semi-private lessons with all the comforts of home. This will open us up to have a deeper experience with yoga, food, art and spirit because teaching at home will allow me to have laser sharp focus on what is really important. I will finally be able to let go of the administrative side of the business that drains me, plus will also have the availability of a kitchen for cooking classes, a big back yard for a community garden and possibly a babysitter. 

YOU are Soul Shine. The online community and at home community will continue to grow and spread like light though a cloud. 

Subscribe to the blog to stay in touch and to keep up with my next transition. 

Namaste my friends

Heather 

A better teacher

You learn more from other's examples than by their words. When you watch another's actions that has much greater impact than the words that come out of their mouth. I want you to be happy, healthy, and whole. For is to have super shiny souls we need rest.
The last year of my life has left me dried up, tired, and messy. Like my mom explained to me yesterday "this is like sucking syrup through a straw." A long, arduous process. So, for my own clarity and sanity I am taking a one week sabbatical. I do not know where I am going, I just know I need to go and rest.