The power of touch

The other evening I met a good friend of my husband who was an Orthodox Jewish Man. Instinctively, I reached my hand out to shake his and he kindly asked if he can refuse the shake.  Immediately, I realized "What was I thinking?  He can't touch me, it's his religion!!"  I apologized and continued the conversation.  I went home feeling embarassed and stupid for not remembering and thinking how offensive I must of come off to him.  A few hours after I settled in at home, I started to think (and yes there was smoke :) )  Instead of feeling guilty I began to think how much he missed out.  I'm usually a "hugger" not even  a hand shaker that would have been horrible and completely a mess if I did that....isn't that a shame or is it better?  The past almost 10 years of my life I have been studying the power of touch and I have seen so much healing happen from my two little hands.  

I've spent time with women (3 to be exact) who were trying so hard to get pregnant and a little thai massage and some reiki later and they could relax and let God do his work and they were blessed with healthy babies.  So where I am confused is why does this man's God (who is the same by the way) tell him something different and was "his" God right? 

I'm reading a yoga book from Swamiji when he visited us this summer.  In the book it says as yoga teachers we shouldn't touch.  We are invading people's personal space and practice....interesting.  Don't we all want a little attention?  When I started to take yoga classes I looked forward to the adjustments especially in Savasana.  So what do you think?  To touch....or not to touch?  That is my question.  I would love feedback on this one!!

The power of Yoga.

My husband shared this video with me tonight.  Sometimes I take for granted how powerful yoga has been in my life.  Look how powerful it was for this man.  Truly amazing. Take the time each day to breath and connect with yourself.  I say  that in every class bc I need to remind myself. 

Letting Go...Literally

Well, I haven't written for a while.  Mostly bc we didn't have power for two weeks.  Not having power for two weeks was actually a blessing.  So many have lost their homes, memories and even loved ones bc of Sandy so just losing power...I'm blessed.  It was also a blessing bc their weren't any distractions.  The TV was finally off, the computers put away and it was just me and my family.  Camp outs by the fire (thank goodness for the fireplace) and long nights of talking about everything and anything.  It was almost as if my hubby and I were first dating again.  Talking about our dreams, and goals but this time it was different.  When I first met my husband I had a two seater very expensive sports car, I owned a home (by myself), and I had a very lucrative job.  We would travel whenever we wanted with no budget.  I then bought another home and completely renovated it.  The master bath had a vanity in it maybe more expensive than some people's cars.   Really?  I was so materialistic?  Then we bought a huge beach house together reasoning that we both owned homes and this was like owning both of our homes.  It was a mistake we know that now but I wouldn't change it.  I remember setting goals at work all the time.  One of them was when I turned 40 that I would be living on the beach in Mantaloking. 

Well, wasn't that all ridiculous.  This storm pretty much leveled everyone in some way. For me it was a wake up call in my life.  What was really important to me and what was I going to tolerate and what was I not going to tolerate in my life. What do I really need to survive and what is just nonsense. I did this once before in my life and it was refreshing. I don't want my children growing up setting goals of a super expensive house, I want their goals to be something life changing and meaningful.  So I am doing it again, a brand new start.  What are you going to do to make your life more meaningful?  Where will you begin again?

3 + Me = unbalanced ego

Marriage is hard enough, then add a house, a business and a baby...boom it's a bit hectic around here.  So what the heck add one more baby to the mix and things are definitely not the same. I thought having a second child would be a cinch.  How hard could it be?  Everyone that told me I was so lucky with Jack being a good baby just didn't get it.  I was a good mom and he was my reflection.  I didn't yell, the house was somewhat organized and his super intelligence was partly from his brainiac father but mostly because I just talked to him so damn much. 

Then Lily arrives and literally from the minute she took her first breath we began the roller coaster.  In fact, the first night at the hospital I called the nurse and handed Lily to her and said "Something is wrong, she just won't stop crying."  The nurse laughed and said she is just a new baby getting adjusted.  In my mind I was thinking "Duh, she must not have children bc Jack was never like this ever!"  From that moment on my ego was in overdrive.  I was going to come home bc the hospital was upsetting her and everything would be perfect.  Laundry would be done,  house would be clean, my husband would be happy, Jack would be completely adjusted with a new sister & my business would be booming and I will just go there everyday with baby in tow.  Yeah, that never happened.  Laundry piled up, I didn't show up to the studio for like a month or so and my husband wanted me dead for sure and Jack pretty much wanted Lily to go back to the hospital.  Oh and Lily never stopped crying...for like two months!!

So what is the Ego and if I am such a scholar  yogi why would my ego be out of whack.  Well, for many reasons, but most importantly because I am human.  I also live in a world where the social expectations are set high for moms.  If you let the social expectations get the best of you, then your ego will take over and cause a lot of unwanted stress.

Well, here I am four months later and my ego is starting to go back into hits hiding place.  What has helped me...other moms.  It's like a secret society.  You could be at the grocery store and your kid is flipping out and all the moms give you that look like "I feel your pain sister and it's gonna be ok."  Also, online support groups, for entrepreneur moms, breast feeding moms, etc.  I think the most helpful has been the breastfeeding support groups.   Every other person tells me I should give my 15lb four month old formula bc she is hungry or so I could get a break.  Don't they get it, yeah I am tired but the moment of bonding is my break from the chaos around me sometimes.  If you want to help me with my new one just support my breast feeding decision.  It was a rough start but I made it here alive and well and so did Lily.  Of course the doctors all thought I had post par tum but I was just being honest.  When they asked if I wanted to injure anyone in one of my many post par tum visits I said "Yes, my husband".  Once I said that they new I would be ok.  Poor Ed.

 Do I want to be at every event, especially when it comes to yoga...sure. Am I...no. My time will come,  right now I am exactly where I am supposed to be and that's with my family, ego less and happy and possibly surrounded by piles of laundry :)

Vegan "Meat"balls

My good friend Julie(who I used to call Jules) that I used to work with in the NICU gave me this recipe over 12 years ago. I have made some small changes to it. They are so delicious I know you will just love them. Here's a hint: make a double recipe and freeze some so you can take out quickly for dinner on a night you don't have anything planned. They freeze great.



Jules Meatless "Meat"balls (vegan)



1 cup of breadcrumbs -seasoned

1 cup of walnut - super fine chop

2 carrots shredded

2 stalks of celery finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic finely chopped

1 small onion finely chopped

1 tbsp of dried fennel seed

1/2- 3/4 cup of plain almond milk

1/2 container of tofu(this is optional, original recipe didn't have tofu walnuts have enough protein)

a nice dash of salt

*if your into vegan cheese you can add 1 cup of the mozzarella type and Parmesan type (we leave it out)

Olive Oil



Begin by sauteing the carrots, celery, onion and garlic in a saute pan until translucent.

Set aside to cool. While the veggies are cooking you can take your walnuts and put in a food processor and finely chop them until they almost look like breadcrumbs. Now take all of the ingredients and put them in a large bowl and mix. You may have to add more breadcrumb or more almond milk to get the correct consistency. Make small little balls and put aside on a dish. Once you are finished rolling all your balls you can either fry or bake your meatballs. If you bake them set them oven to 375 for 35-40 minutes and rotate a few times through out baking process. We usually fry them in a little olive oil. You don't have to saturate them in the oil to fry.  Making sure to turn them so they cook on all sides.  Then you can place them on a dish that is either lined with an old paper bag or a cloth to drain any excess oil.  Place them in your favorite sauce or eat plain they are delicious!  You can even make Swedish vegan meatballs or sweet and sour.  The options are endless. If you are going to freeze.  You would freeze them after you finish cooking them without any sauce.

Try them and write me and tell me what you think!  Enjoy!!

Yoga Teacher Infatuation...What Happened to Non Attachment

Hmm... this should be a good one.  Why is it we as yoga teachers are supposed to be teaching non attachment yet do we practice it ourselves?  A perfect example is the following of one teacher.  We all have done it and most still do it.  Isn't that attachment?  Doesn't everyone have something to give to our yoga community?  Yes, some are new, some don't move as fast as a spin class but something pivotal in their lives put them on this yogic path.  Shouldn't we stick around to see what that was???  It took me a long time to fill my classes, then I have a baby and my students got scared and didn't give the new teachers a chance (not all... but some).  I question where did I go wrong as a yoga teacher?  Didn't I always mention detaching from people and material things?  Being present in this very moment and accepting?  For me, I did detach from it and look what was given to me.  A healthy beautiful child that brightens up my day.  She teaches me more in one day than I can learn from any yoga class in a lifetime. 

Just a thought.  Next time you see a name on a yoga schedule and it isn't someone you know maybe give it a shot.  I walked into my first yoga class at a gym and it changed my life.  That teacher is still around with two studios later.  Guess what...if I stereotyped "gym" yoga and I would have never went and I wouldn't be here today writing this blog.  Gifts are put right in front of you every second of the day.  Be open to receive them.  
Namaste.

Vegan Pancakes

So many people are skeptical when I say I made vegan pancakes.  I assure you if you make these pancakes you will never go back to traditional pancakes if you are a non vegan. 
They literally take a few minutes to whip up and I always make them with my 2 1/2 year old son (that's how easy they are to make!)

Ingredients:

1 cup of flour (whichever you prefer, we do half whole wheat and half white)
1 Tbsp of organic cane sugar (FYI white sugar is not vegan if you don't know why ask me...too gross)
2 Tbsp of baking soda (sounds like a lot but this is what makes the magic happen)
Dash of salt
2 Tbsp of oil
1 cup of Vanilla Almond Milk (you can use whatever vegan milk you prefer but this is our favorite)
*If you like fruit pancakes go ahead and slice up some banana or add some blueberries.  The options are all yours.

1.  Heat up the pan and get it ready.  You can either you an organic non-stick spray or a vegan spread.
2.  Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl (I like to sift them together but you don't have to).  I also you a 4 cup measuring cup to mix everything in so I can just pour the batter out of it, it's so much easier.
3.  Now add the wet ingredients and mix but don't overmix.  The batter should be smooth.  I like to let it sit for a minute now.
4.  Begin to pour or spoon out the mixture onto your med/high heat pan. 
5.  Once you begin to see bubbles around the edge of pancakes then flip.
6.  Finish all the batter and if you have left overs (which you won't b/c they are so yummy) you can save them to reheat for tomorrow. 
7.  Pour some pure Maple Syrup over them and dig in!!!

Want some more vegan recipes?  Not sure of vegan replacements?  Add a comment below and I will answer or email me at mariajakubik@yahoo.com

Yoga and Weight Loss

Really? Are you thinking is she really going to go there? Well, I have to go there. Everyday I hear the same thing, you should offer hot yoga, or yoga fitness or put yoga for weight loss in your window. Here's the simple truth. If you do any physical activity for an hour and fifteen minutes three days a week or more you will get in shape. Plain and simple. Even a gentle yoga class can give you sexy legs and rock hard abs if you are holding the postures correctly. It's difficult to hear I am coming to sweat, I want to scream run here before class and then run home you will sweat or better yet why don't you really hold your muscles during each asana. The best is I don't need a restorative class or a gentle class. When did we become so hard on ourselves?

So it is true if you practice yoga (any type : gentle, vinyasa, hot, cold, power yoga, etc) at least three times a week for more than an hour you will tone up. It's part of the reason we practice the asana. No. Not have sexy legs but our bodies are in fact our temples. So we should take care of them. We do the physical bc all the mental baggage leave us with some toxic stuff in our joints, muscles and most importantly in our hearts.
Then comes the pranayama (breathing), sometimes I see people just doing it to do it. If you really throw yourself into pranayama it's a miracle drug! Pranayama actually helps to relax you, rids you of anxiety, keep you focused(think kids and ADHD!) but above all it brings in more oxygen which in turn flows through your body and makes everything feel better.

Yoga is about letting go, yes physically but the mental too. Will you lose physical weight, well... Yes. Most importantly you will begin to learn to let go of the mental baggage. Once that's removed you will see yourself and others in a different light. There's an old saying if you don't have a few minutes a day to meditate then sit down and meditate for an hour. Use your practice for meditation, stop thinking about how much you want to sweat. In the end it will all be perfect and everything will be exactly where it's supposed to be..

Being a Woman

So, the funny thing is I started this blog 2 1/2 years ago when my son Jack was born.  I was overwhelmed with being a new mom and a new business owner that I never began to write.  Now, Lily is here and my business has grown and so have my responsibilities but somehow I am going to find a way to write daily here.  Maybe it will become viral or maybe this will be my online journal...who knows.

Being a woman is tough..being a business owner (of a yoga center), a mom, a teacher and a wife is just insane at times.  I  remember a time where my home was always spotless, everything organized and neat.  The yogi in me says "let go that was the past...don't dwell."  The italian guilt running through me tells me a different story, like get down stairs and finish all that laundry even if you have to stay up all night. 

This week I practice non attachment (Aparigraha as the yogi's say) .  Something I find so hard as a yogini to do.  I'm attached to my children, my husband, my family but I am also attached to my ego.  Trying to do it all myself and not wanting to ask for help.  Today I asked for help with Jack bc I just couldn't do it.  Instead of resting I worked, folded laundry, cooked for the dogs. The cool thing is I get to start over this very second bc every moment is a new beginning.

What are you attached to in your life?