Stillness

my favorite person once said to me,

get outside, lay in the grass, stare up at the sky & wait for the earth to move.

for most of my life i've chosen not to deal with certain things, certain emotions or situations.

i would keep myself busy, walk away or even choose not to react.

most people that know me, know that i will obsessively clean when i am upset

...it distracts me.

meditation, yoga, therapy, alone time.....

all these self soothing outlets commit you to stillness

they commit you to the participate in your thoughts & feelings.

to be present.

when you actively engage your mind with self work,

you can achieve stillness of your thoughts

you attain the tools that will differentiate beneficial positive thoughts 
from riffraff

over the last few months i have been looking more deeply inward

a lot has happened.....

 mostly between my ears, but that is the first step right?

my biggest focus as been perception

take a minute to think about how YOU PERSONALLY would define perception

per·cep·tion

[per-sep-shuh n] Show IPA

noun

1.

the act or faculty of apprehending by means of the senses or of the mind; cognition; understanding.

2.

immediate or intuitive recognition or appreciation, as of moral, psychological, or aesthetic qualities; insight; intuition; discernment: an artist of rare perception.

Why do we do what we do?

How do our personalities develop

What is acceptable socially to express? 

a woman told a story last week about giving a 3 yr old a present & her not reacting graciously.  the mother apologized & the woman stopped her.  let your daughter be who she is & accept her opinion.  the little girl shouldnt be responsible to pretend she likes something to make someone ELSE comfortable.

AH HA MOMENT FOR ME

what is truly authentic anymore?

are we so programed to social standards & society's idea of being cordial that we arent allowing ourselves to have emotional reactions?

BINGO - there goes one layer of my onion that just peeled off

FEEL WHAT YOU WANT TO FEEL 

Find out what that is.

Be. 

Just that BE who you are, 

open, honest, without regret or self judgement.

If you are constantly pretending, how can happiness find you?

  
in STILLNESS lies the authentic you.

be still with your thoughts

listen with your intuition

you don't need to have all the answers

in this moment you are perfect 

VENICE RUN CLUB - hey now

consider this your official invite to the 

VENICE RUN CLUB - Alpha Venice style

we welcome all levels and ages, those who are training for events, recreational runners and walkers.

EVERY SUNDAY MORNING starting January 13th 11am
this club will start as a roughly 3 mile venture 
ending in a 30 min yoga/stretch cool down
from there it will grow into pace groups...........
we will be doing intervals starting with a 10 minute pace 
will throw in 9 minute and 8 minute paces, depending on members levels

the first 2 weeks will be demo weeks

the first SUNDAY IN FEBRUARY will be initiation day 

a $25 buy in per month

this will get you placed into a pace group as well as

-a NIKE t shirt & 

- YOGA FOR ATHLETES COOL DOWN class

with the lovely & knowledgeable Ania Mechlinska

MEET UP 1045am - 35 Market Street

it is recommended to 

bike, skate, run, or walk

11am starts with a 30 min run 

followed by 30 mins of yoga 1130-12pm

this will also coincide with a YOGA FOR ATHLETES CLASS that we offer during the week

when you get your weekday run on, it is VERY important to stretch for optimal performance

VENICE RUN CLUB will set goals for upcoming runs 

motivate you to up your speed & form

be a fun & inspirational learning environment

a great way to start your SUNDAYS

ALPHA VENICE 

will arrange occasional NIKE SNEAKER & FUEL BAND TRIALS for your runs

as well as other product demos & giveaways

Sweet Tattie Cakes

My Scottish heritage has forced me to call em TATTIES -
Sweet Potato Pancakes

1. PUREED SWEET POTATO 1/2 can
this you can do yourself OR you can find it already done & canned
ORGANICALLY

from there all you need is....
2. BROWN RICE FLOUR 3/4 cup
3. EGGS 2 whole or whites
4. RICE MILK 1/4 cup (give or take)
5. MAPLE SYRUP 1/4 cup - yes that's right in the batter

slap some EARTH BALANCE into that there frying pan at medium heat

drop 2 heaping TBSP of batter into that sizzlin pan a safe distance from one another
let those TATTIE CAKES cook about 2-3 minutes on each side
then cool those puppies down

-NOW THESE MEASUREMENTS ARE ALL guesstimates,
cause momma doesn't measure she just makes magic happen on her own xo

REMEMBER, THERE IS ALREADY SYRUP in the batter........they are sweet enough
have 2 or three with a side of scrambled egg whites with avocado for a COMPLETE balance meal

EVERY SUNDAY SHOULD START WITH PANCAKES!

ESP HEALTHY ONES - IN MODERATION