Playlist Therapy~ the powerful yoga of music and movement

Almost everyone I know is very connected to music. We choose an artist or playlist that accentuates our mood, or picks our mood up when we are low, or calms us when we are stressed. This is a form of yoga therapy.

Music powerfully moves energy through the body. The right song at the right moment can trigger a huge release of energy- I know I have had shivers singing the right song at the right moment. I have had really high peak experiences, huge energetic releases complete with flowing tears, laughter, and feeling like inside of me a storm had ended, dark clouds rolled away, and the sun came through to reveal the most perfect sunny, blue skies.

The wrong song at the wrong moment can also depress us, or focusing on music that evokes a particular downward spiral of energy can suppress, depress, and repress our energy. We can easily get almost addicted to the bitterness of sadness and keep rolling with it. It is healthy to use music to touch on pockets of sad or difficult emotions, to cry, sing, move them through, but we must be cautious not to ruminate or become stuck there. The name of the game is movement, kids. Everything in the universe is always in a state of fluidity, if we get stuck, we are not in harmony. Harmony is dynamic, harmony is dancing with the spontaneous rhythm of the universe as it unfolds.

With that thought in mind, dancing, not choreographed dancing, but spontaneous movement as an exchange with the music, letting the music move your body, letting rhythm move energy through you, is extremely theraputic. It helps get the stuck unstuck, helps release self-consciousness that binds our joy and creativity, it helps free us and inspire us. It brings our light out.

Don't take music lightly. Don't conform, listen to what moves your heart and soul, even if it is the same song 14 times in a row! Try new music to see the world through another's eyes and maybe even find a new part of yourSelf.

Playing music, if you are so inclined, singing definately, are POWERFUL means of growth and expression. Bolo, Bolo!! (sing, sing, in Sanskrit!)

Yummy raw picnic! : )

Today's menu:

Carrot-celery salad with sprouted wheatberries (my original)

+

Dandelion pesto (idea from Prof. Johanna Sophia of Saratoga, from Sophia International Learning Center)


Carrot celery salad with sprouted wheatberries:

1 carrot
3 stalks celery
2 dandelion greens or a scant handful of fresh parsely
1/4 to 1/2 cup already sprouted wheatberries
Juice of half a lemon
Salt+pepper
First-cold press olive oil
A teaspoon of fresh grated ginger root

Mince carrot, greens + celery in food processor, add rest, relax and enjoy! Better after sitting a little while.

Dandelion Pesto:

Nuts, greens, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt. That's the basic plan for innumerable variations of raw-vegan pesto that I learned from Prof. Sophia.


This time round I used a huge bunch of dandelion greens from the yard, walnuts, lots of lemon juice, lots of garlic, some olive oil + salt.

Pesto is amazing on raw flatbreads, crackers, or by itself!

Blissfully yours, my dear sweet universe!... ~laura

Glory be!! Homemade vegan cheese!!!!! : D

Cheese-lovers, your lives are saved! This is cheap, easy and amazing!
A million thumbs up, and if cows had thumbs, they'd be up too!


I got this recipe from: Living Cuisine- The Art and Spirit of Raw Foods by Renee Loux Underkoffler. This book is HIGHLY recommended for anyone interested in eating more vegan or raw foods, and definitely for those rebels who want to go all vegan or raw!! ; )



Take one cup of any raw nut or seed or combo, and soak overnight (6-12 hours). Drain, rinse, and put into food processor with 2 teaspoons unpasteurized miso. Pulse until mixed and chunky like cottage cheese.


Put in a clean glass jar in a warm place (preferably 85 - 95 degrees F) for 6-12 hours. Make sure to cover jar with cheesecloth or linen + a rubber band. Take the cheese, wrapped in cheesecloth, and wring all the whey out. You can put it in the food processor with a little olive oil and blend until smooth. You can also season it anyway you can imagine, be creative!


I made my first batch with cashews, and blended it only with olive oil + salt. It tastes a little cheddary, like those Wisconsin crock cheese things, but blended with olive oil, it tastes like American cheese!


Our lives are saved! Cows rejoice! Pity if you are allergic to nuts, but you can use seeds, like sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, and so on.

Blessings! Enjoy in radiant positivity!

: D ~laura

Pleasantly Surprizing +Satisfying Raw Veggie Soup

Dear Universe,
You may prefer this in the Summertime... You can add greens, enjoy with olive oil + salted kale chips, raw crackers, or a garden salad...

Raw Veggie Soup

One bowl:
3 soaked sun-dried tomatoes with extra soaking water, about one cup
2 stalks celery
1/2 carrot
1/4 onion
Juice of 1/4 lemon
Fresh ginger root, 1/4 x 1/2 inch chunk
6 soaked raw pecans
Salt to taste
Optional: red miso, bragg's liquid aminos, anything else you wish, fresh herbs, greens, etc.

Put everything into your food processor or Vitamix (lucky! : P Lol.)
And blend it up, using the soaking water from the tomatoes to thin to the perfect brothy consistency, in your humble opinion.
Enjoy in love, bliss and gratitude!

Offered w/ <3, Laura

Zucchini Jicama Salad

A light + fulfiling salad!! Enjoy! : )

Zucchini, sliced into thin coins or julienned
Jicama root, peeled and julienned
Soaked sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
Basil, oregano, fresh lemon juice, olive oil, salt, optional crushe red pepper!
Mmmm!

* walnuts would also go well in this...

Ginger Fruit Smoothie

Banana, strawberries, pineapple, hemp seeds, fresh grated ginger, love and cosmic gratitude!!!!     

 ~<3, laura

Caught me red-handed! Beet Salad

There are so many salad recipes for raw beets... They are earthy and sweet, colorful and cleansing... Perfect for Spring holiday meals.

Add any form of green herbs- dandelion, parsely, cilantro, chives, or other favorites to really complete this recipe. To make it a meal in itself, add raw nuts such as almonds, pine nuts, walnuts, or add sesame or hemp seeds.

This makes enough for 2-3 as a meal or for 6 as a light side... Enjoy in brilliant health + happiness! ~ <3, laura

Jicama Beet Salad

1 beet grated
1 carrot grated
1/2 small jicama root, peeled + chopped
1/2 finely diced fresh pineapple

Options:
Add 1/2 chopped greens
And/or
1/2 cup nuts or 1/4 seeds

You can juice a fresh lemon over it, drizzle on olive oil, add salt + spices or herbs of choice to completely change the flavor

OR just enjoy the fresh, light taste, welcoming the bright side of the year!