When I first began to get serious about my health and what I ate I started to look for the most accessible way to get the freshest produce. Living in the city the local health food shops didn’t quite stock the freshest choices. There just wasn’t the demand for it. And it was  over priced for the amounts that I needed to sustain myself.

So I found the main organic distributors. The middle man. The companies that bought bulk from the farmers and then supplied the organic shops and businesses in town. The alarm would be set for 4am and with a 40 minute drive to the fringes of the city, this would be our weekly dedicated ‘shopping trip’.

Armed with a trolley the size of a mini platform we would shop alongside the health store owners in the huge market sheds. Most things had to be bought in bulk. So whatever was in season was eaten. We were coming home with boxes of cos lettuce, a variety of greens, an abundance of vegetable and fruits, perhaps it was oranges and cherries that week, and peaches and passion fruits the following week. Life was pretty simple, we might not have been eating a huge variety however what we were eating was all organic and it tasted fantastic.

And It made me happy knowing that I was one step closer to eating from the land.

Things have changed since then. I ended up moving closer to the farmer. But the farmers also have better access to us now. Today due to the demand, Farmers’ Markets have exploded in most places. It’s so good to see! We really have many more choices today, real opportunities to vote with our dollar to make a stand for what is most important to us.

In this video I share my joy and love for organic farming and knowing where my food comes from.

Its really living from mother earth to the table. And this gives me a sense of community and interaction that I never felt before, enriching my life even more.

See you in Bali on our next 100% organic retreat! www.artofliferetreats.com
Oksana

A silent practice is where I lead by having students follow my movements.  But just because I stop talking does not mean things go quiet!

In fact, the opposite can be true.  You start to hear other sounds more intently.  Other voices, the water trickling, the wind swishing, the sound of clothes rustling.

It is why many teachers discourage people from leaving a class while others are meditating or relaxing; you might think you are being quiet but when the teacher stops talking all other sounds can be amplified.

And even if we could be alone in a room, we still would not be in silence.  You start to hear the sounds of your breath, the sounds of the inner workings of your body—stomach gurgling, pulse throbbing.  And, unless you are a seasoned meditator, you will likely find your internal voice can take on a noise all of its own!

That said, a non-verbal (physical) yoga class can help you in many ways.  Since I teach one every 9 weeks and will be teaching at least one at our retreats, you will get to one eventually.  Below are some of the benefits you can expect.

Letting go

First, it is a practice of letting go.

Without a teacher’s verbal instructions you need to ‘be’ where you are at that present moment in time.  Indeed, you cannot ‘be’ anywhere else.  When no one is telling you how to do bakasana or a handstand (or even something less complex), if you cannot figure it out, you need to let that pose go.

That means you also get a snapshot of where you ‘are’ at that moment in time and what your level of readiness for particular postures is.  It gives you some insight into what you might need to cultivate further.

Going inside

Second, you gain an appreciation of just how much mental energy it takes to listen.

Listening is a great skill.  It helps you to be a kinder, more socially able person.

But language processing, even when people are saying helpful or kind things, takes up a lot of your brain’s capacity.

When you do not need to listen anymore you are free to follow your own internal voice and intuition.  Again, you become more in tune with what is going on with you at that moment in time.

Many religious orders and spiritual retreats harness the insightful power of this type of silence.

Greater connection

But being in silence does mean being alone.  A third benefit is the amazing capacity of the verbal silence to enhance a feeling of connectedness.

In a silent class you are not just doing your own thing entirely.  You are still following the basic movements and timing of the class.

And the silence combined with shared movement, helps you feel more connected to others in the group.  You sort of become a bit like a school of fish who move collectively—communicating via something other than spoken language.

The connection is not just to the group, however, because the silence of the group also helps you become more in tune with the environment.  You attain a keener sense of the ground beneath you, breeze and sun on your skin, wildlife around you, and the people passing by.

Thinking less

A fourth benefit is that this type of practice can help you out of ‘over-thinking’.

With no verbal instructions you have less to question—what does that mean?  What is she talking about? Am I doing it right?

Over-thinking is one of things that can block movement of energy through our body and, as such, block feelings of overall well being.  It can make us stiff, rigid, anxious, and prevent us from seeing clearly.

When we cannot ‘see clearly’ we do not feel at our best.  We tend not to make the best decisions.

Practicing calm

These four things—letting go, going inside, a sense of greater connection to the group and environment, and thinking less—all help you to practice bringing about a sense of calm.

Most people, at the end of the silent practice, find it easier to meditate and find the quality of their meditation much enhanced.

We will be sharing some beautiful silent practices with you at our retreats and in the classes we teach around the world.  Looking forward to seeing you somewhere soon!

At the time of ancient Rome there were very similar products to jam, made from whole fruit dipped in sweet wine, mulled wine, juice and even honey.

The Italian Geography of fruit and their flavours are:

South Italy, thanks to high temperatures is famous for citrus marmalade.
Lemon marmalade in Sicily, oranges in Calabria and quince and figs in Puglia. In these lands citrus are vast and can enjoy a hot and tireless sun.

Central Italy offers a wide range of grape jam.

In Northern Italy, thanks to the humid climate, the forest fruits are used for jams. Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries.

Jam can be made from: cherries, plums, oranges, strawberries, peaches, apricots.  One of the greatest benefits of not boiling the fruit unlike  the traditional way of making jam is that all the enzymes are intact and so much less sugar is needed. They can enjoyed with raw crackers and breads.

It’s ideal for the whole family.

An abundance of colors and flavours to be tasted at any time of the day: breakfast, snack time and can also be used for the preparation of so many other raw sweets.

I used lemon and dates as the preservative. Dates with its natural sugar enables ‘marmelada’ a 4-5 day life in the fridge.

Ingredients:

• 500g of ripe apricots, or any fruit of your choice
• 7-8 large fresh dates
• Juice-half a lemon
• 1 teaspoon of lemon peel
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Put all the ingredients in food processor and process until a thick mass – the marmelada is formed. It will need 2-3 min, depends of the power of food processor.

Put the jam into a jar, eat and store the rest in the fridge.

Hugs from Italy! :))
Neli Todorov writes an active blog http://nelisraw.blogspot.it/ and shares news of workshops and events on her facebook page