Have you even been arrived at your destination and upon arrival realized you can't remember the drive? You can literally get so engrossed in your repetitive thoughts that you aren't fully aware of what is happening right in front of you. You can simply go into auto-pilot mode and mentally check out. This isn't isolated to your daily work commute. We tend to check-out during many of our daily activities, especially during meal time! Being present when you are eating offers many benefits. Let's break them down:

1. More Enjoyment
   You can enjoy your food more when you are present and paying attention. The pleasure associated with eating is right up there with loving and sleeping. Don't deprive yourself of that natural pleasure! Next time you are eating a meal, close that laptop and enjoy every single taste bud stimulation available to you! 
   
   
2. Improved Nutrient Absorption
   When you aren't paying attention, you are more likely to just barely chew up your food, swallowing chunks of unchewed morsels. Remember that chewing is actually part of the digestion process. Your saliva contains some digestive enzymes, even if it isn't as much as your stomach and intestines produce. Another thing to consider though is that the chewing crushes the cell walls. So what, you ask? Well, many of the beneficial compounds of plants aren't realized unless you crush the cell wall.  For example, the super strong anti-cancer fighting  properties of cruciferous vegetables are only activated when the cell wall is crushed. That's right! Those isothiocyanates (ITCs)  aren't released until the cell wall is crushed. Additionally, crushing the cell walls of cells in onion and garlic results in anti-cancer benefits! Lastly, the more you break down your food and chew it up, the more breakdown can occur inside the stomach, allowing for maximum nutrient absorption in the small intestine. If you are eating those healthy veggies, you may as well chew them up well to maximize their effectiveness!
   
   
3. Avoid Overeating
   Lastly, being present during your meal helps you actually notice when you are satiated. When you are mentally checked-in, you tend to eat slower, which allows you to better receive those signals of satiation. If you are looking at your facebook feed, watching television AND eating dinner, it is much more likely you will eat so fast and fail to notice that your body has reached satiation. There are several factors associated with feeling satiated (calories, nutrient density, and food addiction to name a few).  Staying present and taking your time offers an environment which allows your stomach and your mind to communicate effectively when you have met your intake needs to alleviate hunger.  This means you will be less likely to eat more than your body requires.

So hopefully I've sold you on the concept of a mindful meal. It would also be my hope that your implementation of mindfulness can expand to other facets of your life. While it can improve your mealtime, that isn't where the benefits end. If you can be more mindful and present in the following situations, it is likely you would also benefit:

• working
• dating
• interacting with kids, friends, and basically all humans
• bathing 
• relaxing
• driving
• cleaning
• okay - I'll stop here because basically mindfulness can improve EVERY aspect of your life. 

Remember, this moment matters. Even if you are not doing anything that is super exciting or fun right now,  hopefully you can accept the moment, and maybe even enjoy it. Be here now.

Sincerely,
Monica
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We are excited to offer Numerology Readings with Itshanapa Dail Chambers, on Saturday, April 21, 2018.  We encourage you to reserve your appointment online. If there are any times that are unbooked, she will offer walk-in sessions during that time. ​

Itshanapa Dail Chambers is an artist, creative consultant and reiki master teacher. She is a life long mystic who works with visualization, manifestations and direct study of mind. Her favorite tools are the farmers almanac, a paintbrush and water. She works with reiki, astrology, and numerology to support the best of humanity.

We are excited to offer Astrology Readings with Linda Sherwin, on Saturday, March 31, 2018.  We encourage you to reserve your appointment online. If there are any times that are unbooked, she will offer walk-in sessions during that time. ​Linda has studied astrology for over 40 years, bringing a practical, therapeutic approach.

“Yoga allows you to find an inner peace that is not ruffled or riled by the endless stresses and struggles of everyday life.” B.K.S Iyengar

Thanks to the conveniences of modern technology many of us now wake up and look at our phones first thing in the morning. We check emails, make phone calls, catch up on the whirlwind of world events online, and get on with our busy days often feeling frazzled and drained. Life can feel overwhelming at times with everything seemingly happening at once. At other times, especially in the last grey days of winter, life can just feel boring or dull and we may find ourselves feeling unfocused, uninspired and disconnected. 
Yoga can give us the opportunity to connect with a sense of inner peace, stillness and even joy despite the chaos. How? The practice itself connects us to our breath and through movement it brings us out of our busy minds and back into our bodies. Ideally this carries over to the rest of our day leaving us feeling better mentally, physically and emotionally than we felt before we got on the mat. So often being human means we live in endless pursuit of comfort, relaxation, stimulation, and happiness in general outside of ourselves. Through the practice of yoga it’s possible to step off of the merry-go-round of life each day, to reconnect with and even make friends with our bodies (in whatever shape they may be in) and to calm our monkey minds. When we allow ourselves to get quiet & and for that brief time to go within to that place of inner stillness and peace that lives inside of all of us, it can feel as if the world stands still. 

My name is Tara and I currently teach Basic Yoga on Friday’s at 9:30am at Puravegan. I encourage and invite anyone who is interested in yoga (*and able to get up and down from the floor) to join us! Staring Wednesday March 15 I'll be adding a 10am class to the schedule. Check the Puravegan website for details.

Detoxing is a buzz word that you read about all the time, but many feel intimidated of the process.  There are many different ways you can detoxify your body, and while it can often not feel like a fun process, we believe it can and should be enjoyable.  Taking three days to break food addictions, establish healthy relationships with food, identify cravings and overeating habits, all while enjoying delicious nutritious drinks and foods.

Our program offers you a three day break from cooking, grocery shopping, meal planning, as well as a break from processed and addictive foods. While there are certainly some more rigorous and aggressive forms of detoxification that would involve depriving yourself, we find that making the process more enjoyable results in longer lasting changes for your lifestyle. You don't have to starve or go hungry to get the benefits of detoxification.

In 2012 PuraVegan Chef and Owner, Monica Stoutenborough, designed each day of our detox provide to ensure an enjoyable and comfortable experience. She had experimented over the years with different combinations of food, juicing, and cooking, and found that she felt her most vibrant and energetic when she included fresh juices, smoothies and plant based meals. In fact, many clients that complete our 3-Day Detox find that they continue the lifestyle for long after their 3-day commitment is up.  Detoxification occurs via removing toxic substances from your diet (junk food), freeing up your energy by reducing daily time spent digesting, all while flooding your cells with anti-oxidants and nutrients. Additionally, we coach you during your pick-up consultation about other factors to increase detoxification including sleep, mindfulness, digestion, and hydration.

Decide what day you want to detox, then schedule your pick-up the day before. When you wake up the day of your detox you will have everything ready to begin. When you pick up your package from our cafe, conveniently located near Forest Park, one of our staff will sit down with you to go over all the details. We want you to leave feeling excited and well-informed about how to get the maximum benefit and tailor the package to your needs.

If you're stressed out, there are so many ways that yoga can help. Typically when you are stressed out your breathing becomes shallow and you hold tension in your body. Yoga can help you release tension and breathe deeper, not just in class, but with time outside of class when you feel stress creeping in. You don't have to be flexible or able to touch your toes. Yoga teachers know how to help you get the most benefit out of your time on the yoga mat, offering you modifications when necessary, which also helps to avoid injuries. We hope to see you in a class soon!

Sol Asar was born and raised in St Louis and has been sharing his culinary creations in the PuraVegan kitchen for a few years now.  When he isn't creating magic in the kitchen, he is focused spreading the knowledge of body mind and soul. He is a Reiki Level 1 healer, a student and teacher of Kemetic Yoga (Sema Tawi) activist and musician. Sol is interested in awakening the divinity within humanity.  

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Sol  currently offers the following weekly class:
- Kemetic Yoga & Meditation, Fridays, 4:00 - 4:30pm, Donate what you can afford

This recipe is nothing fancy, yet it is worth bragging about? What is there to brag about? Here are the list of bragging rights:

• it's delicious
• it's easy
• it's affordable
• it dirties minimal dishes
• it's versatile 
• it's nutritious 
• no expensive equipment required (whisk and bowl)
  
  

I am a big believer that if I am going to prepare a sauce, I need to be able to use it multiple ways. Almost every salad dressing that I make is versatile enough that it can be enjoyed in a wrap, as a dip, on top of cooked vegetables, drizzled on a baked potato, I think you get the picture. Tahini is one of my favorite ingredients because it is nutritious, affordable and easy to whisk by hand without using a blender or food processor.

What goes in it?

1/2 cup tahini
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup water
1/4 tsp garlic powder or 1/2 clove finely minced
1 TBSP liquid aminos (soy or coconut), soy sauce, tamari, or nama shoyu

Blend or whisk - add any other spices that you enjoy. I personally put pepper in just about everything. You may like citrus juice, coriander, mustard or anything. Don't be scared to experiment. If you want it thicker use less liquid. Should store for five days in an air tight container.

​Ellie views yoga as a healing practice for both the mind and body. Ellie began practicing as a hobby around 2011 long before she understood the incredible medicinal benefits of yoga. Around 2013, she developed a committed personal practice and learned to release emotions stored in the body. Ellie loves to share a holistic approach to yoga and she hopes to encourage ease, flow, and acceptance through out her classes. In addition to practicing yoga, Ellie is incredibly passionate about whole body wellness, nutrition, and personal development.

Ellie currently offers the following weekly class:

• Wednesdays, 5:45pm, Yoga Flow, Donate what you can afford