Happy New Year 2017!

It’s that time of the year again. The number is edging toward the end on that 2016 calendar and diary! Christmas festivities just over, you may have had some wonderful or not-so-wonderful experiences as family and friendship gatherings may have led to resurfacing of old wounds or beautiful memories, painful or loving.

Even though time is a concept, the earth orbits around the sun just like it does and always has, yet we’ve broken it up and separated it into another day, month and year. Nevertheless tis all good fun and most of all, an invitation to shed some burdens and lighten your load or spring clean totally and allow new beginnings to blossom! A quote came upon me two days ago which I love… “Let go or be dragged!” 

Not that there really is a letting go as such but when old sensations, beliefs and ideas emerge fully and release themselves whether you describe them as pains, wounds, hurt, trauma… they diffuse, crumble and yes may even vanish into a puff of smoke! Like soap bubbles popping… clarity emerges that life however it is and you however you are, and others however they are, is simply this passion play as life doing itself.

Just like the spring cleaning of your home, when old emotions, thoughts and beliefs that disempower or cripple… vaporises… all that’s left is space, peace and a bursting expanded heart. Your own love floods as simply this, this beautiful rawness and beauty as a human being, in all your wondrous fresh aliveness.

The new emerging space is now the fertile ground for so-called new beginnings! Without blockages, barriers and cloudiness the heart expands and creates infinitely. Which brings me to the sort of topic I wanted to touch on in this post New Year Resolutions!

I reckon as human beings, we’re divided into a few groups at this time of the year:

  1. those who totally believe in New Year Resolutions
  2. those who don’t believe in New Year Resolutions
  3. those who don’t know if they believe or not believe in New Year Resolutions
  4. those who are Que? what resolutions?!!

Which one are you?

I used to be no. 2 when was a “spiritual” sort because all my beliefs were based on trusting the universe and higher source into whatever. Then it changed into a no.1 for awhile and I loved it, with all the intense beliefs as Law of Attraction and Manifestation etc. Amazingly by the end of every so-called calendar year I would just about always find nearly all items on my New Year’s Resolutions list ticked off! Now I am actually a no.1 and no.4 simultaneously… why?

Well… seems to be that’s how it’s happened. I still like to write my aims, goals and intentions down on a piece of beautiful paper or on the back of my new diary, with deepest conviction. I also thrive on the sensations and beliefs of growing, learning and ever creating.

However, resolutions are more movable goalposts, ideas and intentions that are also simultaneously happening and ever emerging so basically not fixed… and totally open. The focus and attention is also not in the idea of future but simply is just this.. here. Simply because there is actually no-thing that’s fixed nor defined and everything is infinitely possible, fresh, unknown and wondrously doing itself, as a Me and You and Us! and life! For example, I have not listed down on my list since ten years ago… but this year love and falling in love came to me and happened. If I’d been too rigid about goals and expectations, I might have missed the boat altogether Ha!

So in other words I still like writing down so-called resolutions or intentions, mainly because I love writing anyways. However, what’s written, thought, felt and wished are all simultaneously flowing as a joyful knowing that all facets of my life dances itself as its own beautiful dance of wonder and awe… however the choreograph goes. Ultimately you are your beliefs. If you believe, anything goes. If you don’t believe, you don’t. 

Alice: This is impossible

The Mad Hatter: Only if you believe it is. 

So as we wrap up the year, whether you believe or not, however you believe, such is how you flow or not. There is no right nor wrong, better nor worse, you simply are your seeming choices and beliefs. These words of empowerment came to me this week. If it resonates for you too, take it and feed those spacious fertile grounds… and watch new seeds grow!

Life… You… isn’t a losing game
In actuality there is no winning nor losing
Only ideas and beliefs of such.

However in the ideas and beliefs of winning and losing…
There is no loser, ever, life
You either win or you learn
Winners are losers who continue to get up and keep going. 

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your connection with me through my Tuwawi teas. Thank you for drinking my teas, reading my  blogs and chatting, smiling, laughing and crying with me… for sharing your humanness as mine. As we enter 2017 my deep sense is an exciting year of tremendous change… what about yours? As you sit and reflect the year gone and emerge as the newfound space and fertile grounds, I would like to share you the good old fashioned tradition of  Auld Lang Syne with its beautiful sentiments of let bygones be bygones… with a cuppa kindness, love and excellent tea! Click here or the image below for the video of the tune from my heart to yours for a Happy New Year 2017! NB: I’m an amateur muso!

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How about you? Would love to hear your words and thoughts too? Please share in the comments box below!

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The many ways to have your Tea

You know all about the most common and popular way of having your tea… a fresh hot brew in a teapot served into beautiful teacups. There’s such pleasure in finding and using your favourite and beautiful teawares. They add to the appreciation of life’s aesthetics and also subtly affects the flavour of your tea. Clay teawares for example have been known to be left unglazed and are favoured by tea connoisseurs as the clay absorbs the essence of the tea. A particular teapot is specially assigned for a particular tea so that flavours are exemplified and pure.

Of course, these days the various quaint and modern styled glass and porcelain teawares are popular favourites. Apart from the vessels to have your teas in, what are the many ways to have your tea ?

  1. As a hot brew on hot or cold days or nights
  2. As refreshing iced teas in warm and hot summers
  3. As a base for smoothies
  4. As another ingredient in alcoholic cocktails
  5. As an added ingredient in your favourite food recipes.

For No.1 you may check out my page on The Art of Drinking Tea or the video I made for you on How to brew a perfect pot of Tea click here or on pic below

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As for Points No.4 and 5 I will leave them for another blog post. In this post I’d like to share about iced teas and using tea brews as the base for smoothies.

Typically with both these two I tend to make a big pot or brew and bottle them then keep them chilled in the fridge. It makes for the serving easy whenever needed. Of course keep them fresh by using them within a day or two.

If you live in the southern hemisphere, like I do in Australia, then you’ll know how with summery days easing into these coming months, a cold icy tea or smoothie isn’t just refreshing but also replenishing and revitalising. So if you’ve got a couple of bottles chilled and ready in the fridge, all you have to do is pour them into a nice tall glass with some ice blocks. I love dropping in a slice of fresh lemon or lime or both too, to add to the fresh flavour. As well you may freeze certain fruits in advance like strawberries, grapes, berries or melons (cut into small squares) then drop the frozen fruits into the tea as well. They serve as fruity ice blocks plus also add a subtle fruity flavour to your tea. They also look awesome!

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Always note with iced teas, make the brew of tea double in strength by doubling the amount of leaves, as you will be diluting it when ice blocks are added. Make a couple of big jugs of iced teas to add onto the entertaining table as a healthy and fresh alternative to an alcoholic punch, for guests who prefer non-alcoholic beverage or who are driving. Tuwawi’s fruity blends of Relaxing Tropo and Luscious Berries are completely caffeine free, ideal and yummy for the kids, what’s more, they would just love having colourful frozen fruits floating about in their glass!

As a base for smoothies you may use them according to the properties of the teas, as needed. Or you may use them to add flavour and goodness as well. For example, one night this week when my daughter returned home very stressed from a full-on day, I whipped up a banana and mango smoothie in a base of chilled Sentimental blend, for its calming and soothing properties for the nervous system. We enjoyed the smoothie (which is only light as it isn’t a heavy milky base) as I cooked dinner, she started to relax and breathe deeper.

Banana-mango Smoothie in Sentimental Blend tea base

Banana-mango Smoothie in Sentimental Blend tea base

So if you haven’t tried any of these, it’s time to whip some up! Guaranteed to thrill the kids, and maybe the husband and partner too. To check out some other Smoothies click here.

If you’ve been following Tuwawi Tea’s Facebook posts, you’ll be fully aware of the current Giveaway competition run in collaboration with Becomingness. Check out Vanessa Vickery’s awesome review and write-up on Tuwawi Teas, also all the wholesome recipes on her website, which Tuwawi Tea complements beautifully as well. A reminder, don’t miss out if you wish to enter, closing date is in a couple of days, the 12th Dec. Click here to the post and scroll to bottom of the review post for details for entering, to win a gourmet gift pack (open to Australian residents only)

I’ll get another blog post out to you before the year ends, meanwhile if you’re still in need of beautiful teas for yourself or as a gift, get your orders in, there’s still time for Australia Post to get them to you before Christmas, if you’re in Australia.

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Fruit and Vegetable Smoothies

Beetroot Smoothie high in folate, iron, manganese, Vitamins A and C

I am a big fan of fruit and vegetable smoothies! These days it’s almost a fad with all health gurus raving about freshly blended smoothies or freshly pressed juices. Many have healed their own physical ailments or improved their general health and wellbeing by proactively taking responsibility to better their diets and lifestyles. Smoothies and juices have become part of the natural lifestyle of healthy and wholesome eating, as much as detoxification, an active lifestyle and the healing of emotional wounds and restructuring of empowering mindset becoming a conscious way of living.

When I was self-healing from my past mind and body imbalances, smoothies played a huge part, as they were easily digestible, packed with nutrients and minerals, plus were simply super delicious. I preferred smoothies to juices mainly because it was more like a meal than a drink and also enjoyed the textural quality of them.

Basically you can smoothie just about anything, the combination used can be very simple to quite elaborate. The picture of the beetroot smoothie at the top of this page is bright pink because it’s just a simple blend of whole beetroot in a base of coconut water, then with chia seeds stirred in just before drinking.

A few general tips for a perfectly nutritious and delicious smoothie:

Use a plain liquid as base eg. pure coconut water (high in energy), freshly squeezed lemon, orange or apple juice, or cooled tea. I often have a bottle of my Oz Green Tea with lemon myrtle and a Luscious Berries tea in the fridge. Oz Green tea is an excellent base for vegetables and Luscious Berries (caffeine free) for any fruit smoothie blends. They add an elegant flavour to your smoothies plus enrich them with antioxidants. If you prefer a thicker, creamier base, use coconut milk or almond milk. Avoid cow’s milk as dairy products are not really suitable for the human gut. If you run out completely of any of these bases, just normal spring/filtered water is fine too.

If blending stalky or chunky hardier vegetable pieces like carrots, celery, beetroot, etc. blend them up with a small amount of base liquid first, before stuffing in the rest of the fruit or leafy vegetables in with more liquid. This will avoid lumpy chunks in the smoothie when you drink it.

Generally I try not to blend more than three different kinds of vegetables or fruits, or any combination thereof. This ensures the taste and flavour stays fairly pure, and prevents the blend turning a muddy brown, which is fine too. You may add additional goodness like a high protein powder (for vegans), a raw free range egg (for non vegans), aloe vera gel (good antiinflammatory for the digestive system).

Always allow half the blender to be filled with ice blocks as a smoothie is most delicious when drunk icey cold. The ice makes up the other half of the liquid. To thicken a smoothie that you may find too watery, you may add a couple of dollops of plain yoghurt to a milky base smoothie or simply stir in a spoonful of chia seed to any kind of smoothie. Chia seeds has a gel like thickening effect, and packed with protein, fibre and antioxidants.

Fruit smoothies generally don’t need any sweetening as the fruits themselves are naturally sweet, however vegetables sometimes may be a little tart or tasteless, for e.g. kale in a green smoothie. This can be overcome by using a sweeter freshly squeezed fruit juice as the base, or even dropping in a banana to the blend. I blended half a dozen of kiwifruit in coconut water one night last week, and when I took a sip afterward, my face screwed right up. I had to blend it again with two overripe bananas and it tasted yummy!

Bananas are always handy to have, especially overripe ones. As a bonus I often get them specially discounted from my farmer at the market as people generally won’t buy spotty bananas. However, overripe bananas have been hailed to contain anti-cancer properties. Those dark spots on bananas apparently produce a cytokine called TNF (tumour necrosis factor) that counteracts inflammation and the formation of tumours. Plus bananas are high in potassium and Vitamin B6. Peel their skins off and keep them frozen in the freezer. Adding a couple of frozen bananas into your smoothies is ideal. They go well with almost anything.

Always try and use organic fruits and vegetables as you’ll be consuming them raw. If you can’t then make sure they are peeled or at least washed properly.

Herbs and spices are excellent addition for flavour but also nutrition. A handful of mint always uplifts any fruit or vegetable smoothie. Coriander is a great for the digestive system, also excellent for detoxifying, if you like its taste.

Well there you go, if you still haven’t tried smoothies, or it’s been awhile since you last made them, now is the time! It’s as easy as 1-2-3 no extensive chopping nor cleaning. Often it may be an easier and more delicious way to drink all the goodness of fruits and vegetables rather than sitting there with a mountain load of greens chomping away like a rabbit! Also, they are super excellent for detoxing when you feel like you’ve simply indulged in too much foods and/or alcohol.

Smoothies are best as a cold drink in the warmer seasons though they can be made into warm ones, using warm (not boiling hot) Tuwawi tea blends as a base. It makes the smoothie into a warm nutritious drink on a cool night.

For something different try…

img_20161029_194731Using Restoration Blend tea as a base with some beets, carrots and celery, add half a teaspoon of turmeric and stir in some raw honey to taste. It will warm you up and nourish your immune system in the cold winter nights.

Restoration Blend: Immune strengthening blend of organic Chai, Rooibos and Yerba mate

If you have an excellent smoothie blend of your own or any thoughts and tips, please share in the comments box below. Would love to hear it!

 

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Toasted Turkish Bread with Dukkah

This is a very simple dish that requires almost minimal cooking, except the toasting of some sliced pieces of Turkish bread. I love Turkish bread because they’re light and when toasted, the crusts become crunchy on the outside and the bread remains soft and light on the inside. Of course if you’re gluten intolerant, use gluten free breads.

Along with bread, you may also use vegetables like carrots, cucumber, capsicum, celery, and fruits like apples. Slice them up into long ways so they can be dipped into the dukkah as well.

dukkahWhat is dukkah? (pronounced dookah) It’s an Egyptian condiment consisting of a mixture of spices, herbs and nuts. It’s usually used as a dip, either as starters before a meal or as a light delicious snack. You may make your own healthy dukkah by crushing roasted nuts (eg. hazelnut, macadamia nuts, almonds) then combined with various spices and herbs like coriander and cumin seeds, sesame seeds, sea salt and black pepper. Or if you’re like me, and a little lazy, you may just purchase them readymade. If such, make sure you buy them from a gourmet deli or like myself, I get them from my Turkish lady at the market who makes and blends her own dukkah, they are as fresh as if I made them myself!

Toasted breads and vegetables are usually dipped first into a nice robust saucer of olive oil then into the dukkah, so it sticks and picks up the mixture. I also usually like to have a saucer of apple cider vinegar as well and dip into that and the olive oil, just to add a hint of tang to the flavour and taste.

dukkah3

As it’s light and easy, Turkish bread and dukkah is an excellent dish to have out on a picnic lunch too. My dog Charlie salivates and waits eagerly for some crumbs and treats when I sit out in the beautiful sunshine with my dukkah meal and a lovely pot of refreshing Oz Green tea with Lemon Myrtle on a warm day. Or sometimes I may feel like the more robust Restoration Blend with it’s subtle chai of spices, nicely complementing this dish.

dukkah4Share your thoughts and ideas about this dish in the comments box below, would love to hear it, and if you haven’t tried it, do so. It’s amazingly simple yet so tasty!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Keys to Health and Longevity

You know the usual spiel for the keys to health and longevity down to a pat. Yes yes yes you may say… eat wholesome foods, plenty of exercise, sufficient sleep, lots of sunshine and fresh air. Sounds absolutely wonderful in theory, so how many of us actually live it? How realistic is it to be all of those all the time?

Even if we religiously practice all those obvious idealistic way of living, what guarantee is there that we will never ever get ill? Do we want to live a long life, really? Well yes of course, you may say, as long as I’m healthy, I’d love to live a long life!

Health is one of the greatest assets in our relatively short span of human life. All the money and material wealth in the world simply can’t buy good health. We all know this, we know how amazing we feel when we’re healthy and full of life as compared to how we feel when we’re run down or ill stricken.

Having worked with clients as part of their health and wellness programs, plus in my own past journey of self-healing from depression, alcohol dependency, digestive inflammation and chronic fatigue (as much as I’m one not in favour of labels at all) I’ve come to learn that the keys to health and wellness is not as simple as a,b,c… yet… is purely and simply as simple as that. If you’ve had your fair share of health challenges in your life journey, you may second that.

There is no particular magical formula, cure nor answer. Genetically you may have acquired certain predispositions to better or worse health, but this isn’t your ultimate fate. The growing sciences of epigenetics has and is already proving that your can alter or reverse your blueprints by altering your environment i.e. through your lifestyle and mindset.

These days the latest research and health information are widely accessible through the internet and natural health is a booming and growing industry. If you actively take responsibility for your own health, you have every opportunity to maintain, heal and reverse many imbalances with more herbs, potions and methods than ever before. There are tonne loads of information, suggestions and proponents of all sorts of “proven effective” herbs, lotions, potions, diets and methods.

While this is absolutely amazing, it can also be downright confusing, expensive and mind boggling. I’ve seen how some clients, friends and family spend loads of money running around from one natural therapist to another, ingesting dozens of supplements and paying for various eating plans and diets. One particular client of such had spent years trying to heal her digestive system, and while she did improve, she was still suffering inflammation quite regularly, even after having cut out nearly half of all types of fresh foods. Then incidentally, when she changed job recently and would you believe… voila! Her digestion healed overnight, and she added that it was then that she realised how very stressed her life used to be.

Stress is profound. While you need it for achieving and accomplishing tasks, it’s also a hard-wired fight or flight mechanism in your body and brain for survival and evolution of our species. However, chronic stress wears your body down hence prematurely ageing it, suppresses your immune system hence increases your susceptibility to all kinds of illnesses. You’re drained and depleted of energy and eventually may even lead to serious or life threatening conditions.

Stress as you may know consists of mental, emotional or physical, or all of the above. While the solution is simple, nevertheless you are a complex being. Physical exhaustion is just as much a stressful impact on your body as suppressed and unprocessed emotions. When you relax, accept and embrace in the moment, it allows your whole system to unwind into its parasympathetic mode i.e. giving it the space to return to homeostasis or balance.

So here’s my take on the keys to health and wellness, and of course longevity (if you’re into that as well) it’s the encompassing of all that we already know in the context of:

  • Being in tuned with yourself ~ when you’re in tuned you’ll know what wellness and healthiness feels like, likewise you’ll also know what unwellness feels like which leads to…
  • Listening to your body and intuition ~ your body is an intelligent living machine. When you get a cut or a wound it heals itself. Everyday various intricate intercellular and systemic processes happen on its own within your body, to keep the whole machine running. Your intuition is the innate wisdom you’ve naturally acquired over the course of  your mental, emotional and genetic evolution. It pays to stop and listen to it. It is your very own internal guiding system, the way your body communicates with you. The world might rave on about the most expensive pill, herb or diet program but that may or may not be what is right for your body at all. Knowing, sensing and listening… you will then make choices that are right for your self.
  • When you’re fully the two points mentioned above… it becomes fairly simple really. Also most enjoyable and thrilling too, because it may not necessarily mean spending a fortune on fancy programs and treatments, abstaining from pleasures in life like various foods and drinks, or practising any kind of elaborate and exotic rituals. It’s all a matter of balance, and your mind and body’s own intelligence will guide you in the adjustment and rebalancing whenever the “boat goes off-keel”.

Simple yes, yet seemingly so impossible to be. Life, lifestyle, pace of life… all seem to render us to becoming out-of-tuned. We simply can’t hear, let alone take heed of the signals and messages from our internal alarm system. We know all about “stop, slow down, take time out, chill… make the time, take responsibility for your own health” yet how do we? The irony is that when you’re so caught up in the vicious stress cycles, you’re not even aware that you are!

Instead of waiting for the inevitable to happen, which is final collapse, breakdown or worse…

A cup of tea is the best excuse and breather to interrupt the pattern. It helps you to simply do all that… slow down, chill, take time out and stop…

In that space of stillness and silence you are back in tuned with your self and your body. You can hear and take heed. What’s more a cup of tea also tastes so good!

Please feel free to share your thoughts on health and wellness in the comments box below. Would love to hear your voice, tips and more suggestions on keys to health and longevity for a conscious life filled with vibrancy and aliveness.

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On the point of relaxation, along with a cup of tea, nature is also healing and health inducing. Immersing in the elements of nature like water, fresh air, sunshine, rain, wind and breeze through all our senses naturally activates the production of seratonins and dopamines (happy hormones) but is also the quieter time-out. Below are the links to a few videos I’ve put together from my woodwalks in the UK if, weather unpermitting, you might like to enjoy a bit of nature through my nature videos, made specially for you for while you sip on your tea!

Click here or click on the image below to view the video

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Click on images below for more Nature walks or watch Tuwawi’s Nature Wonders playlist on youtube

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Why is Tea good for your health?

We’ve heard and get told all the time, “Teas are full of antioxidants so good for your health!”

What exactly does that mean? Why is tea good for your health?

Apart from tasting good and making you feel somewhat very relaxed when you rest, sit down and sip on a cup of tea, there is a lot more to that humble cup of tea that has seen it come from a journey originating in the mountains of China from about 1500BC.
Here are some of the positive traits of tea:

  • Teas strengthen your immune system especially organic Green, Chamomile, Rooibos, Chai and Yerba Mate (which are all found in Tuwawi’s synergistic emotional blends). This helps to ward off the winter colds, prevent headaches, tension and stress. Black and green teas also help lower blood sugar levels, preventing diabetes.
  • Teas contain a unique amino acid called L-theanine which has been found in scientific tests to increase alpha brain waves (relaxing meditative state) but without causing drowsiness. As such it is a calming antidote for stress and shock. Having a breather during the day with a tea break relaxes the mind in the home and workplace for productivity and resourcefulness but without compromising alertness and focus. This is also why traditional eastern tea ceremonies of China and Japan began as a spiritual impetus for mind concentration, meditation and meetings for philosophical discussions.
  • Teas contain antioxidants. Antioxidants are substances that neutralise and combat the harmful effect of “free radicals” which causes cellular damage to your body. Free radicals may result from our body’s physiological processes or from our environment e.g. from diet, stress, alcohol, smoking, pollution etc. Excess free radicals causes illnesses, premature ageing and cancer. Fresh plant foods are packed with antioxidants but a good brew of high quality organic tea is powerful as well as a daily dose of antioxidant.
  • Tea especially Green Tea is being hailed by clinical nutritionists as a natural antidepressant. An active compound called ECGC (epigallocatechin gallate) in green teas have been shown to counteract depression and anxiety symptoms. It works by balancing the brain’s GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) chemical i.e. “nature’s valium”. That’s why Tuwawi’s Melancholy Blend with its base of organic Japanese sencha (green tea) and our very own Oz Green with lemon myrtle have exquisite and powerful uplifting effects.
  • Minerals, trace elements and vitamins are found contained in various teas hence a brew of premium organic leaves infuses these goodness into your mind and body. Some of them are iron, zinc, potassium and magnesium.
  • Apart from all the benefits listed above, drinking tea has simply become an increasingly popular, trendy and enjoyable culture across all age range and gender. The growing refined appreciation of tea has seen it as much an art as the culture of drinking fine wines, but without the adverse effects of alcohol. The Contemporary British Tea Culture has elevated the indulgence of tea to a whole new level, which isn’t something new in the ancient eastern cultures of China where teas originated from.
    Teas are also being savoured as part of the culinary delight and complement to fine and wholesome meals. Not to mention, with its immense health qualities, herbal tea remedies are also widely used in the areas of healing and restoration.

So hesitate no more, put the kettle on, and join the culture and art of enjoying the nourishing and beneficial properties of a mighty brew of premium tea!

Finally I’ll end with this quote I stumbled upon one day…

“If the day is a sentence, tea for me is the punctuation”

~ Andy Callaghan

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Please feel welcomed to share your thoughts, experiences and knowledge on your passion with teas in the comments section below. Would love to hear your voice!

Other Tea Talk Blogs The Synergistic Power of Blends

 

What type of Yoga for you?

I’ve had an array of questions asked with regards to Yoga, especially from many who are new to Yoga. So in this post I’d like to attend to What Type of Yoga for you?

I will present the information in a Q & A kind of format to make it simpler and to the point.

Q: What type of yoga should I practise or learn?

A: There are various styles of yoga. The traditional ones range from Iyengar, Ashtanga, Hatha to Raja , Bhakti, Karma Yoga… etc the list is endless. Usually they’re named after the creator and founder of the particular style. As with all things yoga also evolves and newer styles have emerged in the last few decades such as Flow Vinyasa and Yin Yoga.
The style that suits depends on the individual… the age, physical state, lifestyle and also preference.
Some styles like Ashtanga and Vinyasa are very dynamic and energetic combining breath, movement, postures and balance so may not suit chronically injured bodies or those with compromising health issues. Gentler styles include all grouped under Hatha or Yin Yoga. The best thing to do is to google up a bit about the style then find a yoga studio of such in your closest town or city. Then go try a class. All yoga classes will always allow new students to pay and try for one first initial class before committing, if they don’t, go somewhere else!

Each teacher is different again and their personality has to resonate and sync for you. So if the style and teacher feels right, then you’re just about all set to embark on your awesome yoga journey, which may and can change your life! Whatever your age, gender and body type.

Q: Do I have to bend into pretzels?

A: All good yoga teachers and classes will always work in sync with you. Even in very dynamic and energetic styles all guidance are given from the place of an invitation to work into poses and postures. The main principle of yoga is Ahimsa i.e. non-violence and that begins with… non violence to your self, your body. You should always be taught and guided to practise within the wisdom of listening to your own body. If not, it’s probably not the right teacher or studio! Yes perhaps time to look for another.

The body takes time to open up what has evolved into locking itself up over the years through lifestyle, stresses, injuries, illnesses and mind states. So it will take perseverance, patience and wisdom to work into its opening and balance, especially if you begin yoga at a later age in life.

Q: Is Yoga a religion or belief system?

A: Yoga is not a religion.
Yoga was a practice originally for the pursuit toward enlightenment. Some may still claim such. I can vouch that it is not, as much as it is a wholesome kind of mind-body practice.

Yoga may be a belief system because it embodies a whole package of beautiful philosophies for mind, body and spirit. All positive and nourishing so totally harmless, in fact can be very beneficial for stress management because it teaches many calming breathing practices and awareness. Many have also healed their emotional wounds, changed perspectives and overall thrive as better humans through the restorative nature of all yoga philosophies and postures.

Yoga works on every level… the physical, emotional and mental. Also for many, including the level they may term as “spiritual”  denoting the deep personal heart levels, which are all intermingled and connected anyway. So all in all, to me yoga has always been just simply wholesome! Though these days I’m not one of any held beliefs, yoga can still be embraced for its physical and mental balancing qualities. Plus it’s simply fun! and feels totally awesome on the body after.

Conclusion: I’ve had a history of chronic mental and physical imbalances in my past, and my body also houses many past physical injuries like shoulder dislocation (from martial arts), herniated lumbar disc, cervical whiplash and knee ligamental tears.
I was also labelled “depression” once upon my long lost past.
Yoga wasn’t the only key to my healing but was a part of the whole picture toward my journey of self-restoration and wellbeing.

On a physical level, in light of all my past injuries I would be in pain and live a decrepit life of limitations if it wasn’t for Yoga. With my committed and well-loved yoga practices I am able to maintain a totally pain-free body full of energy and vitality, and as body and mind are never ever separate, thus also is the general state of this mind!
Yoga to me is strength, flexibility and balance… both body and mind!

Having said all that, it’s still not the end all of everything. As with all things in life, it may not be for everybody. So the best way id to try and find out. Other restorative, strengthening and balancing exercises like Taichi, Qigong, Feldenkrais and Pilates are various other great physical practices as well.

Here below this post is a video I did recently for you, if you’re new to yoga… so you can experience and taste it safely.
I will be sharing more gradually, if you wish any particular ones, shoot me a reply in the comments box below. If you have any questions, please do such as well!

Please note: These videos and blogs are NOT a substitute for a proper professional yoga class or personal instruction. While I am and still hold a trained teacher qualification, simple videos and directions from a blog or video is never as good as a physical class. So if yoga resonates for you, the next step is to find a studio or teacher near you! As we say in yoga Namaste xx

Thank you for connecting with me, and please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments box or on my social media pages. I love them! After a yoga practice or try-out, or simply while watching my videos what better than a pot or cuppa Tuwawi Tea. Yogis particularly love my Restoration and Fortitude Blend check them out!

Click here or on pic to take you to the youtube video

Diem

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Other Heart Creations     Other Tea Talk Blogs    

What is your Passion?

This month’s blog I’m going to touch on this thing called Passion…

followheartresizeIn my household all we’ve ever known is living true to our hearts’ passions and flowing as such. Mind you… this isn’t always a seeming journey without the challenges of obstacles or creeping doubts. A few years back my two older kids James and Jessica (who are young adults now) exclaimed in astonishment during one of our vibrant chats at the dinner table, when they found that their classmates at school had no idea what their passions are. As they were approaching the end of their high school years, these young teenagers were faced with the stressful dilemma of what to embark upon after school, seemingly for the rest of their lives.

My kids who knew then what they were passionate about, could not understand being asked those sorts of questions by their classmates, let alone knew how to answer them

 

“What is your passion?”
“How do you know your passion?”
“How do you find your passion?”
So our dinner table conversation that night turned into a most lively discussion.

The sad thing is when you are so numbed to the conditioning and programming of your familial, cultural, social and educational expectations, you end up not knowing what your passion is. Your life and perceptions become so confined within the limitations and acquired boxes of beliefs and expectations. You don’t even realise you are living and functioning on auto-pilot, just running on programs that have been installed into you.

This is still fine and happens, the majority of the human race seems to unconsciously operate in such a mode. You may not even notice nor care. Or you may be one who might wake up one fine day and realise your whole life is slipping past and seems an utterly meaningless existence. Worse still it may get to the point where there is no motivation nor drive to get out of bed. Or you deplore what you do for a living and life becomes a depressive torturous existence lacking in lustre and aliveness.

You as a human are a living being with an objectified brain that thrives on creations, expansions and flow. Creativity doesn’t necessarily mean just art or music. Creativity flows from passion and expresses in any shape or form, and through any means.

Passion by my definition is when it feels in sync deep within your heart and guts, regardless of whether it makes any logical sense or not. Be it a cause, creation or activity… the sign that it’s a passion is when time stops, you lose a sense of self or space and there is a sensation of its own flow. Passion simply feels alive and your heart sings and smiles, simple as that!

Passions can and may end up being the way it sustains your living, or it may be something on the side for you temporarily. Passions may change or not, just like everything else, life is a passionate flow of itself. Life itself is meant to be passion at its rawest… watch a caterpillar morph. bees pollinating, puppies at play! We’ve all fallen in love before, that’s what passion is.

So if you still aren’t passionate or wish to know the answer to “How do I find my passion?” my answer to you would be… You don’t find your passion. Your passion emerges, seemingly finds you!
As you naturally shift out of your limitations and your old beliefs crumble… passion and aliveness emerges itself because it is already you! and you simply reveal and unfold, and start to blossom into infinite possibilities.

So it’s for this reason that I’ve put together Tuwawi’s Passion Blend. With it’s exquisite premium leaves of Organic Snow View Darjeeling with dried rose petals and buds, the blend is infused with a very subtle sweetness and flavour that celebrates the opening of your heart as it loses itself in its own creation.

chipsteacollage

Darjeeling Snow View tea is an exquisite black tea grown in the Darjeeling region of northern India, at the base of the Himalayas. The UK Tea Council has coined it the “Champagne of Teas,” in honour of its unique flavour. Apart from its obvious antioxidants, Darjeeling tea is also very nurturing for your digestion.

In line with this, check out also Tuwawi’s Heart Creations section where I will share all my passions. Some of them may coincide with yours too and eventually I would love to invite you to share if you care and wish. Teas are one of my many passions and I love and enjoy bringing teas to you through all my passionate activities and endeavours. Join me in Heart Creations for inspirations and fun, as you enjoy each brew of Tuwawi’s Emotional Blends. I would so dearly love to hear about your heart passion/s and thoughts on these too so please share in the comments box below. Would love to hear your beautiful voice and words!

 

Potato Chips

Photo: Panfried sliced potato chips and button mushrooms served with salads of cos lettuce, alfalfa sprouts, sliced tomatoes, olives and walnuts.
Sculpture: Aum Orange courtesy of www.outofthebowl.com

Sometimes I feel like the good old hot chips like I used to have when I was a kid. In my past meat eating days Fish and Chips were one of my favourite take-aways (takeouts). However chips (or fries as is called in the US) from the shops seemed laden with heavy grease and I had no idea what sort of oil they were cooked in. All I knew was that I used to feel sick in the stomach after eating them. Later I found out from friends who used to own fish and chip shops that canola oil was commonly used, and some even used beef fat because they were cheap and supposedly tasted better. The potato chips were always submerged into a tank of hot oil in a basket.

chipscollageThese days I prefer to enjoy a home cooked meal of potato chips panfried in a light spread of coconut oil, sprinkled with himalayan salt. Hot, fresh and straight off the pan and onto your plate. Coconut oil is one of the super foods of our times, its saturated fats (good cholesterol MCTs medium chain triglycerides) contain fatty acids that are good for brain function, your immune system and a sustaining source of energy.

Coconut oil may cost slightly more, and they harden (solidify) when the room temperature is colder. However it goes a long way, as such not too much is needed. A tablespoon is plenty to cook a whole pan of chips and mushrooms.

This dish is a simple one of sliced organic potatoes, sliced mushrooms and served with a simple salad and some mexican mayo sauce (homemade – mayonaise and some mexican spices). You may also use sliced sweet potatoes, sliced eggplant and/or sliced zucchinis as well.

Simply heat about a tablespoon of coconut oil in a frypan then fry the sliced potatoes, turning until both sides go golden brown. Then sautee the mushrooms the end.

The meal goes beautifully accompanied by my favourite brew of Tuwawi’s Passion tea with its exquisite blend of Organic Darjeeling Snow View and rose petals. The smell of the brew incites passionate tingles within your body as you savour the scrumptious meal.

chipsteacollage

More Wholesome Foods Recipes

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Spinach Ricotta Pie Recipe

Spinnach and Ricotta Vego Pie
Serves 4

Pie Pastry

2 1/2 cups plain or wholemeal flour, plus extra for rolling

1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces) butter cut into 1/2 inch cubes (refrigerated very cold or frozen)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

6 to 8 tbsp ice water

spinachpiecollage

Fold all ingredients in and work into a dough. Break into 2 blobs. Form into a discs, don’t over-knead! Kneading develops gluten which will toughen the dough. Sprinkle each disc with flour, wrap with plastic and refrigerate an hour or overnight.

Remove pastry from the fridge on the day of using, let sit till soften at room temperature.
Roll out with  rolling pin and spread over pie base.

Filling

400g tub ricotta cheese

1 large onion

3 cloves garlic

2 bunches of fresh silver beet (or spinach), trimmed

1 bunch of fresh basil

100g mushrooms

2 tbspn of Hemp seeds or 1 tbspn of pine nuts or both

Preheat oven to 180’C
Spread one sheet of pastry on the base of pie dish.
Brown onions and garlic in saucepan in olive oil. Add silver beet and mushrooms and then ricotta, hemp seeds and basil and add salt and pepper to taste.
Fill onto prepared pastry dish and cover with another slice of pastry on top.
Folds ends in to seal the pie and cut a few slits for steam on middle of pie.
Brush pastry top with milk (for browning)
Bake in oven for about 45mins or until golden brown.
Serve with fresh salad or fresh sprouts.

spinach pie2

  • May also use frozen puff pastry if prefer not to make own pastry

Pie is deliciously complemented with a  hot brew of Elation or Sentimental Blend on a cold wintery night.

 

 

For more recipes view Heart Creations Wholesome Food Recipes 

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