CP 4/10

 
Greens of Spring                                Central Park, NYC                 April, 2010

                                                                       
                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                     March  2011 
  

Healthy Spicy Life

with Kim Stetz

  
So much time, and so little to do. Strike that, reverse it.
~ Willy Wonka 
 
In This Issue
The IDP Building Bridges Capital Campaign
Food Focus: Greens
Working Yoga's Yamas
John Robshaw Loves Textiles And Yoga



What's Happening

 

For Your Healthy Spicy Life:www.kimstetz.com  

 

 

For Your Citta (mind): Healthy Spicy Life   



Published articles on Elephant Journal  

 

Find us on Facebook     Follow us on Twitter





 

Share the fun of this newsletter with others







Join Our Mailing List

Testimonials




 



 

"Practicing with Kim is an oasis in my responsibility-and stress-filled days. She brings light and peace with her into my home, and helps me achieve confidence and happiness in my practice through her articulate instruction, attention to alignment and enthusiastic support of my movement and my journey."   Roxanne, 45, public relations executive, mother of two, has it going on


 


 


 

"I have been practicing yoga with Kim for over 5 years now.  It began with vinyasa yoga which was a wonderful break from going to the gym.  Kim helped me recover from ACL surgery and my husband recover from back surgery with strengthening and stretching sessions that were more therapy than yoga and demonstrated her extensive knowledge of the body. Over the past few years we did pre and post natal yoga through two pregnancies.  Over the course of the past 5 years Kim has become a great friend who is always there to listen, offer a new perspective, and give advice on how to better take care of yourself."     

Elizabeth, 31, interior design, world class mom


 


 


 

"Kim taught me that it was important to take time out of my busy schedule to breathe. 

The result was less pain and stress and finally an end to my sleepless nights."

Amy, 35, author, artist, Renaissance woman



Hello Friends,

 

As much as I live to appreciate each day for what it brings, I am excited for spring. An annual spring cleaning in my apartment is a must, donating and throwing out that which doesn't serve me any more. No need to horde and cling to "things" that are taking up space. I will also do my best to not fill that space with more "stuff". I highly recommend an environmental house cleaning of old electronics which can be recycled via The Lower East Side Ecology Center or look up your local recycle center for unwanted electronic equipment. When you create more space externally and internally (through yoga and mediation) you will experience room to breath and feel less stressed.  

 


Please use the tab on the left (scroll down a bit) to forward this email to your like-minded  friends.

  

Could one conversation change your life?

Find out by scheduling a consultation with me. 

We will discuss your unique situation in depth and determine how I can help you reach your health and life goals.

 


With light and love,  
 rooster

 www.kimstetz.com           

Building Bridges Capital Campaign

IDP

You may know that over the past years, I've developed a dedicated meditation practice. This practice has transformed both how I think of myself, and how I interact with the world. I'm supported in this practice by the community and teachings offered at The Interdependence Project (IDP), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to making secular Buddhist teachings relevant to and interconnected 21st century life. IDP's original home on the Bowery in NYC can no longer contain the growth of programming and membership, and they

are raising money to fund a move to a new space and provide additional courses like yoga and movement classes, arts and activism, and have a community center.  

 

Please take a moment and think about allocating some of your resources to the important work of this organization. Your investment will literally lay the foundation for creating a more mindful society at a time when we all could do well to pay a little more attention. Help support the IDP and those who "sit down and rise up".  There are ways to get involved if you are unable to donate. Please click this link for more information The IDP Building Bridges Capital Campaign.  I've made a personal commitment to IDP to raise $2,160 by April 22, 2011, and would love it if you'd help me and sponsor $36 or 1 square foot of space. Any donation helps! 

 

What Can I Give, What Can I Get?

December 2010 - April 2011

Donate or Pledge:

Floorboard: 

$36 = 1 square foot for the year 

Brick: 

$108 = 3 square feet, plus it's auspicious! 

Mortar: 

$216  = 6 square feet, space for one new meditator! 

Foundation: 

$540 = 15 square feet, space for one office workstation - Match Ethan! 

Cornerstone:  

$1080 = 30 square feet, super auspicious!

 

Food Focus: Greens  

                                                                    leaf lettuce 

Green vegetables are the foods most missing in modern diets. Learning to cook and eat greens is essential to

creating health. When you nourish yourself with greens, you will naturally crowd out the foods that make you
sick. Greens help build your internal rain forest and strengthen the blood and respiratory systems. They are
especially good for city people who rarely see fields of green in open countryside. Green is associated with
spring, the time of renewal, refreshment and vital energy. In Asian medicine, green is related to the liver,
emotional stability and creativity. 

Nutritionally, greens are very high in calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorous, zinc and vitamins A,
C, E and K. They are crammed with fiber, folic acid, chlorophyll and many other micronutrients and phyto-
chemicals. Whenever possible, choose organic. But eating non-organic greens is much better than not eating
any greens at all!

Some of the benefits from eating dark leafy greens are:

Blood purification
Cancer prevention
Improved circulation
Strengthened immune system
Promotion of healthy intestinal flora
Promotion of subtle, light and flexible energy
Lifted spirit and elimination of depression
Improved liver, gall bladder and kidney function
Cleared congestion, especially in lungs by reducing mucus
 
There are so many greens to choose from. Find greens that you love and eat them often. When you get bored
with your favorites, be adventurous and try greens that you've never heard of before. Broccoli is very popular
among adults and children. Each stem is like a tree trunk, giving you strong, grounding energy. Rotate between
bok choy, napa cabbage, kale, collards, watercress, mustard greens, broccoli rabe, dandelion and other
leafy greens. Green cabbage is great in the form of sauerkraut or raw. Arugula, endive, chicory, lettuce,
mesclun and wild greens are generally eaten raw, but can be consumed in any creative way you enjoy.
Spinach, Swiss chard and beet greens are best eaten in moderation because they are high in oxalic acid,
which depletes calcium from bones and teeth, and may lead to osteoporosis. Cook these vegetables with
something rich like tofu, seeds, nuts, beans, butter, animal products or oil. This will balance the effect of the
oxalic acid.
 

Cooking Greens

Try a variety of methods like steaming, boiling, saut�ing in oil, water saut�ing, waterless cooking or lightly
pickling, as in a pressed salad. Boiling makes greens plump and relaxed. Boil for under a minute so that the
nutrients in the greens do not get lost in the water. You can also drink the cooking water as a health-giving broth
or tea if you're using organic greens. Steaming makes greens more fibrous and tight, which is great for people
who are trying to lose weight. Raw salad is also a wonderful preparation for greens. It's refreshing, cooling and
supplies live enzymes.
 
When some people hear "leafy green vegetables," they often think of iceberg lettuce, but the ordinary, pale
lettuce in restaurant salads doesn't have the power-packed goodness of other greens. Get into the habit of
adding these dark, leafy green vegetables to your daily diet. Try it out for a month and see how you feel.
 
A great additional resource for recipes and ideas is Greens Glorious Greens by Johnna Albi and Catherine
Walthers.


Yoga's Yamas

Work the 5 yamas for peace, success, wealth, power and freedom

 

The yamas are the external disciplines of yoga lifestyle and also thought of as the five restraints. What fun is that to have restraints? Geez, yoga peeps are just no fun at all!  Can't I just work on touching my toes and call it yoga? If you are reading this  then I know that you know that there is more to yoga than just being able to touch your toes. In fact, it doesn't make one iota of difference to me if you can touch your toes or if you can't. What perks my ears up and tingles my mind are your thoughts and attitude towards touching your toes. Now we're talking yoga. There is no guarantee that if you can touch your toes you will live a happier healthier life. However, if you work the yamas, you are at least heading in the direction of living a happier healthier life and a bi-product may be that you eventually touch your toes. And if this day ever happens, you probably won't remember why it was such a big deal to begin with.

 

That said, please give a warm welcome to the Yamas! ahinsa, satya, asteya, brahmacharya, aparigraha.  

 

So exotic! Yes, be intrigued. If you work the yamas the way jack whiteGisel works a bathing suit or for my benefit (putting bramacharya on the side for a sec) the way Jack White works a guitar, your life will change. How you can change your life is to work on your karma (this is a whole other discussion, but I leave you in the good hands of Dr. Miles Neale). You can work on your karma via the yamas. Recognizing when you are straying from a yama or practicing a yama is the key here. The results of practicing the yamas are peace, success, wealth, power, and freedom.

 

First on the list is ahinsa (non-violence). The obvious aspect of not harming is of course the physical act of violence and the intention to hurt another sentient being. You starting hearing this from the get go, "Tommy, don't hit your baby sister, it's not nice." Going deeper with ahinsa are harmful thoughts towards self and other. "I am not good at anything." "She looks fat in that dress." People have these kind of thoughts all of the time. Abide by ahinsa and you cultivate peace. When a society is grounded in nonviolence an atmosphere is created where others can let go of their hostility.

 

Would you like to be successful? There are many different ways to define and view success. For instance, how about reaching a goal or to have a favorable outcome? When you practice the second yama, satya, translated as truthfulness, the outcome is success. Geshe Michael Roach translates Patanjali's Sutra 2.36 Satya pratishthayam kriya phala shrayatvam - "If you make it a way of life always to tell the truth, then anything you undertake will have a successful result." The truth is authentic and whole. Much like oatmeal, the truth will set you free.

 

Number three on the list is asteya (not stealing). The outcome of not stealing is wealth. Not only should one not take what isn't freely given to them, there is also the more subtle version of asteya like stealing like someone's time. Yoga is discovering and living the subtleties in what seems obvious. If you want to take your practice of asteya up a notch, you can even think about giving (dana). Generosity breeds wealth. Wealth comes in many forms, not just monetary. Health, happiness, ease of life, joy from simple pleasures are experienced by those who practice asteya.

 

Brahmacharya, the fourth restraint, for today's practitioner, can be viewed as conscious use of sexual energy or restraint from indiscriminant sexual behavior. The texts back in the day flat out said celibacy for yogis. Working this yama in modern times, consider honoring the relationship you are in. If you are engaging in sex, is it a healthy, normal level or are you obsessed and demanding? Obsession about anything is never a good thing. Are you loving and caring with the person you are having sex with? Seems like the obvious answer would be yes, but this is not always so with all the "hooking up" that is happening these days. Are you actually making love or just having sex?  When you get brahmacharya figured out, you will have power.

 

Freedom comes to those who stop wanting are able to see that they have all that they need. Aparigraha (non possessiveness) is the yama when practiced that will lead you to freedom. Not only should you not be greedy, but you can share. To practice aparigraha is to know that you have all that you need. And if you are fortunate enough to have multiple homes, cars, "things", share them unconditionally. They are only things and meant to be enjoyed. Coveting and desiring only leads to dissatisfaction. "If only I had a new _______, I'd be happy" this is just not true. There is happiness and contentment for you right in this moment if you can see that you have all that you need.

 

Write down the 5 yamas and what they mean. Contemplate how you honor and practice the yama and where you can use some work. This is how change happens. Be the changes you want to be. No one else can do this for you. It's work, hence working the yamas.



Asana of the Month


pincha


Pincha Mayurasana - feathered peacock pose/forearm balance

  

  

Forearm balance is my favorite pose. It's great for upper body strengthening like the shoulders, arms and back as well as stretches the shoulders and chest. You will definitely work your core in this pose. Practicing against a wall or working with a teacher is advisable. This is an advanced pose. Breathe!  

 

Beginner's Tip

Many beginners find it difficult to prevent their elbows from sliding away from each other in this pose. Buckle a strap and loop it over your upper arms, just above your elbows. Extend your arms straight out in front of you at shoulder width and adjust the strap so that it hugs your outer arms. Then use the strap in the pose, but think of pushing the arms slightly in, away from the strap, rather than letting them bulge out into the strap. ~ from yoga journal

   

 

Yoga Journal has all the info you need for this pose! 


Celebrating Me

Kim Stetz is a Certified Holistic Health Coach, AADP, and Experienced-Registered Yoga Teacher.  Her dedication to health and wellness comes from her passion for yoga and nutritious food.  From the very first time she stepped on a yoga mat in 1992, she knew her life was about to take the path less traveled.  Kim received her nutrition training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City. Kim has yoga certifications from OM Yoga, Yoga For Two The Barnes Method (pre/postnatal), Relax and Renew Judith Hansen Lasater, and Anatomy Studies For Yoga Teachers with Jason R. Brown.

Gravitating towards the healing aspects of yoga from the inside out, Kim teaches Hatha Yoga through a mixture of creative and challenging vinyasas, practiced with flow and grace while bringing mindfulness to alignment and the breath. She has guided many women through their pregnancies in classes, privately, and in couples yoga.  Her strong background and training in therapeutics lends diversity to clients who are recovering from injuries or in need of healing.  She has been blessed with students for eleven years since moving to NYC from LA in 2000.   Her personal practice developed under the guidance of Anthony Benenati City Yoga, LA.  Kim is thankful for his guidance and the many other gifted yoga and meditation teachers that have shared their knowledge and courage.  Kim believes that yoga is a way of life that can be embraced by getting into the nooks and crannies of your heart, body, and mind.  Sit, breathe, smile on the inside and eat your greens!

Namaste