We are so excited to welcome Spring and enjoy a bit more warmth...well it is Melbourne so anything is possible. This month we encourage you to get out and about, enjoy the sunshine and chose to make yourself happy!
We have a yoga pose, a recipe and an inspirational quote from our team to fill you with some Contagious Enthusiasm...
INSPIRE
Yoga Pose for the month by Sophie Rouse
Balasana
or Child's Pose - a great way to relieve stress and come back to your breath.
Kneel
on the floor with your feet touching. Separate your knees so that they align
with your hips. Bend forward until your head rests on the ground. Let your
hands rest beside your feet. Bring your focus to your breath and breathe gently
toward your spine. This pose will help you bring your awareness back to the
body and your breath. Stay for 30 seconds to 2 minutes, then gently come back
to kneeling.
It
is a great pose to do at the end of the day, or anytime you need to restore
your busy mind and come back to a sense of yourself. It will gently stretch
your spine, thighs, knees, and ankles.
* If you have high blood pressure, pregnant, or can't rest your head on the floor, bring your hands forward to make fists and stack them on top of each other. Your hands can support your head. Make sure your head is at equal level to your back.
With
Love,
Sophie
Click here for Yoga Timetable
TRANSFORM
RECIPE OF THE MONTH by Susan Slonim
Spring is in the air and we all start thinking about spring cleaning. Our bodies could also benefit from a little cleansing now and again. A detox can get you on the road to, losing weight, flush out toxins, boost energy levels or simply feel healthier. You don’t need to use extreme methods, just increase your water and herbal tea intake, decrease coffee, tea, alcohol, processed and high sugar foods and include detox foods in your diet. Try detox recipes like this delicious Quinoa Salad with Toasted Almonds.
Quinoa Salad with Toasted Almonds
¼ cup slivered
almonds
½ cup quinoa4 teaspoons olive oil
½ yellow capsicum, ribs and seeds discarded, cut into 3cm chunks
½ red capsicum, ribs and seeds discarded, cut into 3cm chunks
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium red onions, thinly sliced
1/8 teaspoon chilly flakes
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, plus more for garnish (optional)
¼ teaspoon coarse salt
1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced 3cm thick
1 large celery stalk, diced
1 lime, halved
½ cup fresh paw paw or mango
1 tbsp pomegranate seeds
Lettuce to serve
1.
Preheat oven
to 175 degrees. Toast almonds until crisp, lightly browned, and fragrant, about
7 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. Meanwhile, place quinoa in a fine
sieve and rinse under cold running water until the water runs clear; drain
well.
2.
In a medium
saucepan, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium heat. Add capsicum, garlic,
onions, and chilly flakes; cook until the capsicum is crisp-tender, about 5
minutes.
3.
Stir in
quinoa, thyme, 1 cup water, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a
simmer, cover, and cook 7 minutes. Stir in zucchini, cover, and cook until
quinoa is tender but not mushy, 5 to 8 minutes longer. Remove the saucepan from
heat.
4.
Stir in
celery, almonds, and remaining 2 teaspoons oil, season with salt, and fluff
with a fork.
5.
Serve on a
bed of lettuce topped with the paw paw or mango, sprinkle the pomegranate seeds
over the salad and add a squeeze lime, enjoy!
This recipe has been adapted from: www.paddingtonclinic.com.au/spring-clean-your-body-with-these-5-great-detox-recipes/
BYE BYE SELF PITY!
Have you noticed on the days you are feeling down and depressed that most of the time we are having a pity party.
"Why is this happening to me?"
" I can't handle all this!"
"Good things happen to everyone else, except me...I am cursed."
Blah Blah Blah ...the voice of self pity continues, pulling us down a rabbit hole of darkness.
A great self pity buster is to recognize it and learn to dissociate from it. What I mean is that the first step we need to have is SELF AWARENESS and recognize that the voice of self pity is ruling our mind and therefore creating a dark reality for us. When we are in self pity our judgments and perceptions are clouded and we cannot see a way out.
The next step is to disassociate with the voice of self pity. This means we detach from the emotion, we take a step back and reflect on our inner self talk and what effect that is happening on us and then we are able to move ourselves into a more positive step.
The third step is to take PERSONAL RESPONSIBILTY for your thoughts and emotions. Here, I define responsibility as Our Ability to Respond to situations. In each moment we DO have a choice on how we can view a situation and the perspectives we can take. This means we can be aware that we are having a pity party and chose to respond more effectively by choosing a more positive response. These positive responses include taking control of a situation, communicating yourself clearly, choosing what will make you happy or doing something for yourself. Once we make a more positive choice we can move ourselves in a more positive direction.
Bye bye pity party and hello self empowerment :-)
To read more about Cheryne click here
You can also follow Cheryne's blog
We trust you enjoy our Blog and look forward to sharing some new tips next month.
Lots of love,
The Team @ Contagious Enthusiasm
http://www.contagiousenthusiasm.com.au/
