Favourites of July: Recipes, Reads, Yoga & Inspo
July-
Another whirl wind of a month has somehow come to an end, despite feeling as though only a few days have passed since June. Life seems to be moving quickly, full steam ahead and so much is happening in between. This month has basically been led by my highest self, by doing things which set my soul on fire (in a good way of course). I've been teaching Yoga in nature regularly (3 times a week), with around 15-20 people coming along to my classes (which has been super humbling)! Henrik and I also managed to go to Holi Festival of Colours, which was soo much fun! I was really sad that I missed the festival when I was in India, so this was a really great alternative for now!
Other than dancing my socks off and throwing colourful powdered paint around, I've been holding Reiki shares, new and full moon meetups, community vegan picnics, acro yoga jams and spending lots of time with great friends. All of this has been so wonderful, yet all of this must come to an end (in this city at least); As we have just received the news that my boyfriend has secured a place in Hamburg University. So sooner than I can probably anticipate, the new adventures will begin. And I will have to do this whole 'immersing myself into a new city' once more (I think I may also write a blog post on how to do this effectively).
Favourite Recipe of July: American Style Banana Pancakes (GF)
So myself and my really good friend here, Kira, have been making these amazing pancakes together on a regular basis. They are suuuper yummy and really don't take a lot of effort to make. We also have a lot of fun with getting creative the toppings, which makes the pancakes all the more enjoyable!
Prep/Cooking time: 10-15 mins
Ingredients: (creates 8 small pancakes)
3 ripe bananas
150g rice flour
1tsp coconut oil for the pan
1tbsp chia seeds
1/2 tsp baking powder/bicarb soda
5ml coconut/soya/almond milk
Ground cinnamon
Any toppings that you love (I had peanut butter, raspberries, agave syrup, dark chocolate)
Method:
1. Using a food processor blend together all of the ingredients (apart from the coconut oil). If you have no food processor, begin with mashing the bananas and then add in the rest
2. Heat a decent sized pan and add the coconut oil to grease the pan
3. When you have a medium-thick mixture (not too runny), add four separate scoops of the mixture to the pan (to create 4 mini pancakes) and fry on a medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes
4. Flip each pancake over using a spatular and cook for another 2+ minutes
5. Once these pancakes are cooked, you can place them on a tray and pop them in the oven on a low heat, to keep them warm whilst you cook the other pancakes
6. Begin this process again to cook the 4 other pancakes, you most likely won't need to oil the pan again as the coconut oil makes it pretty greasy!
7. Once these pancakes are ready, take the others out of the oven, put them on a plate, serve up and enjoy with your favourite toppings!
For those who are curious in what I eat in a day as a "healthy vegan" following an Ayurvedic diet, check out my food diary below:
Favourite Read/s of July:
1. Journey of Souls: Case Studies of Life Between Lives by Micheal Newton Ph. D
I can confidently say with ease, that reading this book created a whole new paradigm shift in my way of thinking and living. I came across it after watching some youtube documentaries on the past live's of children, and I decided I wanted to delve a little deeper into the topics. I have always had an interest with the concept of past lives, and the idea of it particularly resonates with my life philosophy (I have a great interest in Buddhism and Hinduism, who both ascribe to the belief in past lives and karma). So I decided to get researching on some good books about past lives in a scientific setting, and I came across this book. However the book was actually so much more than just past lives, and it actually blew my mind.
So basically Newton was regressing people (using hypnosis to unlock the memories of their super conscious minds), not only to their past lives, but also to their lives in-between lives (aka the spirit world). His book is a compilation of his case studies, to which each individual describes an extremely similar process of entering and being in the spirit world. The book describes the processes of dying, moving over to the spirit world, entering it, meeting guides, loved ones and elders, re-evaluating their past lives and choosing the conditions for their next lives to come. His clients represent a mixture of new-old souls, with the old souls describing a very in depth and meaningful process.
So as you can imagine, this book is absolutely fascinating and I'm super keen to read his next book 'Destiny of Souls', which basically includes newer case studies. I feel that this book is really great for anyone interested in life after death, reincarnation and it is a great comfort to anyone who has lost someone significant in their lives. I seriously couldn't recommend it enough and since reading it, I feel as though life makes more sense and I feel an extreme comfort in knowing that I am guided and protected by my guides during my time on this planet.
2. Idiots Guide to Ayurveda by Sahara Rose (forward by Deepak Chopra)
After discovering Sahara Rose's 'Highest Self' podcast (which I can totally recommend to you if you like all things holistic health and Ayurveda), I came across her Idiot's guide book which is absolutely amazing! I already had a little background knowledge of Ayurveda, after my trip to India to study Yoga and Ayurvedic massage. However after this reading this book, I feel soo much more clued up about this ancient Indian system, and I am beginning to confidentially integrate the tools and recipes she suggests in everyday life.
Saraha explains really well in detail about each doshic constitution, so well to the point that I am now able to tell which dosha's my friends are just by observing their habits, personalities and physical appearance. This book will teach you to identify your dosha imbalances and how to heal this through nutrition and other Ayurvedic practices (such as dry brushing, tongue scraping, oil pulling and much more). I would suggest this super informative and interesting read to anyone who is interested in alternative medicine and nutrition.
Favourite Homemade Beauty Product of July: Rose Water Facial Toner
Rose water makes an excellent facial toner for the skin, as it is so soft, gentle and cleansing. The problem though, is that it can have a heavy price tag when in reality you can make it for a quarter of the price in the comfort of your own home. I made a huge batch of it with the red roses that my boyfriend bought me when he picked me up from the airport after Greece. So I truly feel like I am toning my face with rose petals filled with love.
DIY:
If you are willing to commit to making your own natural beauty products, then you'll have to invest in a few small (essential) items to do so. But don't worry as I have found you the cheapest possible options (with a still great quality) on Amazon.
For creating you will need:
You can buy a set of five 100ml glass bottles here, which you can fill with other homemade beauty products, or you can make extra to give away as gifts. It's important to keep your homemade cosmetics in a dark, glass bottle in order to help your products to last longer and avoid being damaged by UV rays (dark amber bottles are considered most effective).
Ingredients and tools required:
Red rose petals (ideally pesticide free) from 6-12 roses (depending on how much you want to make)
2ml apple cider vinegar for natural preservation
1 liter of still water (tap water works fine)
1 large pot
Muslin cloth for straining
Funnel to transport the rose water to the glass bottle
Method:
1. Pluck the rose petals off the stems and place into a large pot
2. Pour the liter of water into the hot and boil on a low heat for 15-20 minutes
3. Once the colour has left the rose petals and the water is a dark pink, using the muslin cloth, strain the rose water to get rid of the petals. Add the apple cider vinegar here
4. Using your funnel, transport the rose water into your glass bottles and enjoy the sweetly scented rose water on your soft skin
5. If you have lots left over, it always makes a nice gift to give to friends and family
Favourite Yoga Pose/Flow of July: Tibetan Yoga Flow
This month's favourite flow definitely has to be this elegant Tibetan flow, which allows us to ground down to connect to the earth whilst keeping our hearts open. To try out my favourite flow, follow along with the guided video I have made for you guys!
Favourite Quote of July:
Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit.
-E. E. Cummings
The reason that I chose this quote as a favourite this month, is because it is soo important, not only to trust in our own abilities, but also to embrace our creativity. When we believe in ourselves, we are able to take the risks of failing or looking "silly", to dare to create and be bold enough to try something new and exciting.
I really believe that this is one of the main purposes of time here on this planet, which is to love, to create and to flourish into our fullest expression of spirit itself. Since moving to Germany after long term travel, I have managed to delve deep in getting creative as I joined a creative writing group, started my own meetup and am in the creative process of getting a podcast started!
Bio:
Maddie holds a strong place in her heart for holistic health and well-being. She is a psychology graduate, yoga instructor, reiki practitioner, nutrition adviser and world traveller. Maddie loves reading, writing and exploring new places, meeting new and interesting people and enjoying the wonders of everyday life.
