Monthly Archives: December 2015

A healthy sweet treat

IMG_4751I was eating Christmas cake at the weekend, I “accidentally” slipped a box of mince pies into my basket yesterday…..I hold my hands up I love Christmas treats! If I am not careful my healthy diet could go down hill from here. It’s time to bring out a healthy sweet treat – coconut bliss balls, to minimise the risk of eating mince pies every single day for the next 3 weeks. As yummy as they are it just won’t make me feel very good in the long run.

Coconut bliss balls are still sweet and they are still yummy, they are just good for you as well! Also depending on what you put in them they can be energy releasing too which can really help around this busy time.

I just made a batch, every time I make them I try out a different concoction but this one was particularly tasty:

1 bag of soaked dates – mixed up in a blender

a couple of spoons of almond butter (could be coconut oil/ cashew butter/ cacao butter any thing that will help them “set”)

a couple of handfuls of organic dried cranberries (other berries are nice too as are cacao nibs)

a couple of big spoons of raw cacao powder, and a bit of Infinity Foods energising blend powder too. (just a bit its quite powerful!)

desiccated coconut

linseeds (could put any seeds or nuts in)

I mixed it all together to create a paste that I could then roll into little balls. Which I then rolled in some coconut, then stuck in the fridge to chill and set.

Voila! Simple to make and delicious to eat.

Enjoy!

Louise x

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Yoga When You Are Busy

 

Isn’t it funny how often the things that help and support us the most go out of the window when we most need them?

Yoga, meditation, prayer, journaling, affirmations…..are all amazing tools to help us navigate our way through life but often when a busy or stressful time hits they can easily be the things to be “too busy” for.

This is the time when they are most helpful!

I have just had a crazy busy month, aside from all my yoga classes I’ve taught on a retreat, I’ve run two  3 day corporate training courses up North, I’ve run a workshop and I’ve been up in Manchester sorting a lovely lady out with her winter wardrobe (I’m also a personal stylist!). It’s been a month of focus, time management and energy management! Amazingly I feel connected to my own yoga practice more than ever.

I’ve taken my yoga mat to hotels and practiced before work and I’ve gone to classes in the

Yoga in my hotel room!

Yoga in my hotel room!

evening (a treat as a yoga teacher who teaches most nights!). As well as the physical practice helping to keep me clear headed, calm and body relaxed, what has also helped is to remember all I have learnt through yoga through out the day whilst I am busy :

To stop and breathe deeply

To notice when my body is tensing and consciously relax it

To stretch and move about through out the day, even if just for a couple of minutes

To trust in myself, even when I feel a bit out of my comfort zone to know I am enough

To be myself, the moment I feel like I have to be something I am not, to put on an act, my body tenses and I don’t feel as confident

To listen to what I need, to rest when I can, to practice yoga to help me feel in my body and grounded

To be kind to myself and everyone I meet

To be aware of what I am putting in my body, eating nutritious food that will give me energy and keep me healthy

To set an intention of what I want to focus on that day; being relaxed/ being brave/ being playful/ being creative – what ever will help me most that day

Hopefully this will serve you on the run up to Christmas, a special time that can sometime leave us pulled in different directions!

If you’d like some help creating a self practice I am running a workshop on this in January, 9th, 2-5pm. Bookings through me!

Namaste, and Happy Christmas!

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