Heat Wave? Cool Yourself Off With This Simple Practice…

Feeling agitated the past couple of days? 

With the summer heat on full blast, you may notice you're a bit more reactive.

Did you know that heat not only causes us to feel hot physically, but also emotionally?

It's not unusual for your patience to be running short and for feelings of stress and anger to arise.

Maybe you're even taking it out on your family and friends.

Don't worry – I know you're a good person, but we're all human after all! 

Ayurvedic medicine identifies this as one of your main doshas (energies) being out of balance.

This dosha is called pitta and when it's working properly, it can help us be strong, passionate and motivated.

But when it's out of whack, it can make us quite angry and irritable, even leading to physical discomforts like digestive issues, acne, excessive sweating, and heartburn to name a few.

Whether you're in close quarters with your loved ones, or alone, it's important to take time to cool yourself off both physically and emotionally.

I created this short, simple video to help you do just that.

It's a step by step guide to one of my favorite breathing techniques which creates an internal air conditioner for the body and mind and balances out that pitta so you can center yourself and think clearly.

Comment below and let me know what you think!

Ground Yourself in Less Than 5 Minutes

I’ve been hearing from a lot of my students that they’re having trouble relaxing, and rightly so. We are going through a great upheaval and digging up roots of injustice that were buried long ago.

This is the work. And it’s messy. It’s uncomfortable. And there’s a lot more that needs to be done, but it must be done if we want our children to live in a society where the pillars of systemic racism have been brought down. We need to show our support in whatever way we can to BIPOC, whether that’s marching in the streets, donating, or educating ourselves and changing our behavior.  

As you continue to be a part of the change, take time to ground yourself. You may notice there is more clarity and from clarity comes tangible action. I created this simple breathing exercise to immediately center yourself and ground yourself during these trying times.

Ground & Calm Yourself in Less Than 5 Minutes

BEST EVER Gluten & Dairy Free CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

I’m a chocolate chip cookie addict. Like, if I could have one dessert for the rest of my life, I would choose chocolate chip cookies. Now that I think about it, I don’t know anyone who DOESN’T like chocolate chip cookies. Which makes it a great treat to bring to your next holiday party. This one is a spin on the classic. You might be thinking, Tahini and Almond Butter?? REALLY? Yes, really. Trust me on this.
Crispy on the outside and soft and gooey on the inside. Oh and did I mention It’s paleo, dairy free, AND gluten free? Honestly though, it tastes so freaking good you would never know it’s so healthy for you!

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What you’ll need:

1 cup almond flour
3/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup almond butter
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
1 Theo’s Dark Chocolate Baking Bar
sea salt flakes to sprinkle on top

1) Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2) Combine almond flour, almond butter, tahini, maple syrup, baking soda, and egg into a medium sized bowl and mix well.

3) Chop up the large baking bar into chunky pieces. Fold in the chocolate pieces with the dough.

4) Cover and put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. This is a VERY important step. Make sure they are in the refrigerator for no less than 30 minutes.

5) Scoop out dough and place on parchment sheet. About 1 TBSP per cookie.

6) Bake for 10-12 minutes. The cookies will look slightly undercooked when you take them out. Let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes. They will cook a little bit more on their own outside of the oven.

7) Sprinkle flaked sea salt on top and enjoy with a nice glass of almond milk!

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Chocolate Chip Banana Muffin Recipe

I buy bananas every time I go to the grocery store. Usually I eat them all by the end of the week, but sometimes I have some left over that start to get a little too ripe for my taste. I like my bananas nice and yellow, without spots. When they start having a ton of brown spots on them, it’s a great opportunity to use them for baking! They’re sweeter and mushier which helps them mix into recipes easier. I whipped up these chocolate chip banana muffins recipe and they were gone by the end of the day. It’s gluten free, dairy free and paleo. Let me know what you think.

  1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a muffin tin with muffin cups.

  2. Combine the dry ingredients, omitting the chocolate, into a mixing bowl and mix well.

  3. In a separate bowl, mash the bananas together until a creamy consistency forms. Then add the wet ingredients and whisk together.

  4. Pour the dry ingredients in with the wet ingredients and mix well.

  5. Cut up the block of dark chocolate into medium sized chunks. Add the chocolate to the mix. Gently fold in.

  6. Fill each muffin cup 3/4 of the way full.

  7. Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until you can lightly press down on the top of the muffin and it bounces back up.

  8. Add some flaked sea salt to the top.

  9. Let cool and enjoy with a nice glass of almond, coconut or oat milk.

Yoga for Lower Back Pain, Tight Hips & Tight Hamstrings

Here’s a 20 minute video that focuses on:

  • Relieving lower back pain

  • Releasing and stretching your hamstrings

  • Releasing and stretching your hips

Great for those who sit at a desk or in a car all day. You’ll need some props, but don’t get discouraged if you don’t have them. You can improvise and use some stuff around the house in place of the props. Please see list and alternatives below. You’ll need:

  • a yoga mat (you can use the floor if you don't have a mat)

  • 2 blocks (an alternative to this could be some books or boxes)

  • a strap (an alternative to this could be a towel)

Comment below with any questions. And let me know what you’d like to see a video on next!

F*ck Being "Good" at Yoga

Can I tell you something? I’m not really “good” at yoga. I’m not super flexible, long, and lanky and my hamstrings are so tight I can barely touch my shins in dandasana. I don’t move gracefully and I haven’t mastered a headstand. And although part of me wants to judge myself for it, I love myself and my practice because of it. My body moves in the way it is able to on any particular day and time. And that changes day to day. Sometimes my body tells me that I will get a migraine if I go into headstand. Other days it tells me I’m safe. I’m grateful that my body speaks to me and tells me what is safe and what is too much. 

I’ve met a lot of people who would like to try yoga, but they’re worried they won’t be any “good” at it. Can we take a second and reflect on that; being “good” at yoga. I fell in love with my yoga practice because it meets you where you are. It has no judgements. It’s patient and accepts wherever your body is on that particular day, even if that means sitting in child’s pose for an hour because your body is telling you that’s what it needs (yes, I’ve done it and I would highly recommend it). And lucky you! You don’t have to bend over backwards to feel a deep stretch in your hamstrings. It means that you have to do less than what someone else who is super flexible has to do to feel any sort of sensation in their body. It means that there’s room for exploration - that there is ground that hasn’t even yet been covered that YOU get to experience. What a gift! The truth is that there is no such thing as being “good” at yoga. Yoga is for everyone, all ages, all shapes and all sizes. 

Over the next few weeks, I’m creating a series of videos that will make yoga accessible for everyone, from the tepid first time yoga to the more advanced practitioner. You will need some props but here’s why I love working with props so much: If you can’t reach the ground, we bring the ground to you so that you can still feel the full benefit of each pose. You’ll need:

If you don’t have those, don’t worry! Look around the house and get creative. Maybe a towel will work as a strap, some books as a block, a couch pillow as a bolster, you get the idea.  If you have any questions about props, comment below. Stay on the lookout for some video content in the weeks to come.


Chocolate Avocado Pudding Recipe

I don’t know about you, but I lovvvveee chocolate and I love healthy fats, too! When I’m having a chocolate craving or needing some comfort food, I’ll whip up this chocolate avocado pudding. It’s super easy, quick, and tastes delicious. Not to mention it’s full of ingredients that are good for you so you can eat it guilt free! Gluten free, dairy free and vegan. Follow this quick recipe below.

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What You’ll Need

2 Avocados
3 Tbsp Cacao Powder
2 Tbsp Cacao Nibs
1/4 Cup Almond Butter
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
1/2 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
1 Tbsp Hempseeds

Place the avocados, cacao powder, cacao nibs (minus a few to sprinkle on top), almond butter, maple syrup, and almond milk in a blender (I use THIS ONE). Blend on high, pause, and scrape any food off of the sides of the blender. Blend again. Scoop out your delicious new pudding into a bowl or mason jar. Sprinkle some hemp seeds and cacao nibs on top. Serves 2. Enjoy!

Procrastination. Why We Do It and What To Do About It.

I procrastinate. A lot. I’m like a professional procrastinator. Tony Robbins says we are motivated by pain. We procrastinate because the doing of the task seems too painful.  I’ve spent a lot of years hurting myself. Because the idea of doing the thing that I really wanted to do or working on that goal I really wanted to reach was too painful. It was too stressful, too overwhelming. And what would happen if I actually went for it and then figured out that I wasn’t actually any good at it? What would happen if I put all of my heart in it and I failed?  The idea of coming to terms with that was far too painful so I never did it. I just sat back and thought “When I become (fill in the blank) I’m going to be so happy” but I NEVER ACTUALLY DID ANYTHING. All I did was dream. The truth is, to do something you really want to do takes a lot of courage. Brené Brown talks about this in her incredible book Daring Greatly. She mentions the famous Theodore Roosevelt quote I keep coming back to:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

Brené (I’m gonna call her Brené because I feel like we’re friends) says that if we dare greatly and put ourselves in the arena, failure is not a possibility, it’s a guarantee. So do we sit back and never try so that we can’t say we failed? Or do we be brave and put ourselves out there knowing that we will fail, but keep trying in spite of it. I’m choosing to be brave. I want be in the arena. And besides, it’s much less painful to have tried something and failed than have never tried at all and always think of what could have been.   


**Comment below and let me know what you are constantly putting off that would make you a lot happier if you just did it. Also check out my latest instagram post to see WHY I’ve been procrastinating lately.