For Your Health and Pleasure

Recipe of the Month

Madrone Spice Balls

From “Raw Power” by Stephen Arlin

1 cup dried apricots, soaked
5 dates, pitted
1 cup hazelnuts
¾ cup shelled raw pistachios
½ tsp fresh ground cardamom seed
1 tsp cinnamon
shredded coconut, raw sunflower nuts, raw hemp seeds or ground walnuts sufficient for covering balls

Soak dried apricots for two hours. Soak the hazelnuts for one hour or so. Drain apricots and nuts and put in food processor. Add pitted dates, cardamom and cinnamon. Process until a “dough ball” forms. Transfer to mixing bowl. Chop the pistachios with a knife. Add to apricot mixture. Stir well. Put shredded coconut or other preferred option on a plate.  Make a small ball from the apricot mixture, rolling it with your hands. Roll the ball on the plate, coating it with the shredded coconut, or other option. Continue process until all dough is gone. Freeze spice balls and serve frozen. A wonderful little dessert treat or middle of the day appetite satisfier.

The book recommendation of

I have practiced yoga for 20 years, the first 14 being very light in poses and pranayama, heavy in philosophy and meditation. In later classes, I used to be exhausted after a yoga class, and sometimes my neck or lower back really hurt. I began taking from Tataya in February, starting with her classes on alignment. Because of that initial interface, I learned how to be stronger and more open, lighter in my poses. I continue to learn that in her group classes, but the private class I had with her in October made a huge difference.

After a lower back injury this summer, I thought I’d have to quit yoga, but decided to go just once a week. In explaining this to Tataya, she recommended a private class to see what I was doing— this gave me hope. During the lesson, she could see subtleties in many of my poses that were exacerbating the situation. We went over all the things I needed to change in several poses, what back-bending poses to eliminate until I developed healthy habits in those other poses, and what I needed to think about while doing my practice. Overriding 20 years of bad habits is difficult, but she laid everything out in a follow-up email that helped me to remember everything we covered. I brought that list to my following group class and read it daily to incorporate the changes.  Now I feel very strong in poses that were quite taxing to me before, and I’ve had no back pain! 

Some changes were to open my feet wider in certain poses, move the pubic bone back in the lunge and warrior poses (thereby not sinking down so far), and breathe into my kidneys more which enabled me to pull my naval back to my spine and still breathe easily. Other things we went over were to move energy through my hands and feet more—I used to collapse in child pose; now it is active and open and much more comfortable!

I have signed up for another private session now to go over the back-bend poses we eliminated. I feel very confident that for the first time I can do them safely, with strength and openness! Even though Tataya offers me great insights in class, the number and depth of details we covered in a private class were priceless!  My chiropractor has seen a huge difference in my back and I even forgot my last appointment—I was feeling that good!

Why would I recommend a private class? If you have any structural problems like I do with my spine, or if you struggle with a certain field of poses, for example inverted poses or back-bends, a private can give you a greater understanding of what it is that you need to do to be safe, strong and open. Since we are all unique in physiology, a private class can help you better understand how your own body operates, and what a nice gift to give yourself!