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Testimonials
"Practicing with Kim is an oasis in my responsibility-and stress-filled days. She brings light and peace with her into my home, and helps me achieve confidence and happiness in my practice through her articulate instruction, attention to alignment and enthusiastic support of my movement and my journey." Roxanne, 45, public relations executive, mother of two, has it going on
"Kim taught me that it was important to take time out of my busy schedule to breathe.
The result was less pain and stress and finally an end to my sleepless nights."
Amy, 35, author, artist, Renaissance woman
"Kim has been my yoga teacher for 5 years and she has been an incredible help to me. She works me hard, explains things very well and adapts each practice to my needs for that session. Meditation has lowered my cholesterol and blood pressure and I have come to incorporate her teachings in my everyday life. Thanks for improving the quality of my life." Peter, 60, lawyer, full of vigor
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Dear Friends, Greetings and salutations. What's on your menu for 2012? Any lingering dreams you haven't quite had the gumption to explore and bring to life? This is pretty common for all of us. I most certainly have dreams on my list. We have to start somewhere, but where? Where does one find the courage to step outside their comfort zone, take risks, and let go of the outcome of success or failure? Well, a clue to the answer is in the questions itself. You can find the answer here* at the bottom of the page. Look for Healthy Spicy Life editions once every two months in 2012. Maybe I'll sneak in an extra one here and there, but I'm thinking there's enough material to sort through and explore in the archives to last a while. Especially if you take on any of the practices. Basically, I am rearranging a full plate. Still have lots of good stuff on it, just a little too much and I need to make room for what's coming. What is on my plate? A pilgrimage to India to kick off the new year is happening. A group of us are going with Yogi Raghunath to Mumbai, Kerala, Vrindivan, New Delhi and more. I've been planning this trip since last spring and it's just about here. My big treat to myself in preparing for the trip was the purchase of the Canon Rebel T2i. I am loving it so far being the amateur photographer that I am. IDP Body is launching next week and I am organizing the yoga program creating the schedule and yoga teacher roster. This is exciting and a change for me as I will now have a community yoga class for anyone to attend. We are also offering a day of free body movement classes atIDP Body Saturday January 7th starting at noon. I am teaching the community yoga class. Did I say it's FREE !!! Yes, I did. Just in case you missed it the first time, worth repeating. Also, intro to meditation at the IDP on Sunday January 8th. This class asks for $5 or $10, donna (generosity) to support the program. A link to my public teaching schedule is here. There's more to come with public teaching, but this is for Jan/Feb. We are adding more to the schedule when I return from India. Every day is a day to live fully and freely. I try not to make a big deal out of holidays and resolutions. There's the wind up of it all and then you're left with "now what?" rather than just experiencing what is which so happens to be (if you're lucky) another day. If you feel lost and confused in your life, then it is time to evaluate what it is you're doing and how can you live with yourself and others with more ease, less friction and conflict. By practicing compassion and discipline you can do anything.
Could one conversation change your life? Find out by scheduling a consultation with me. We will discuss your unique situation in depth and determine how I can help you reach your health and life goals.
Remain Human.
All heart,
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Food Focus: 7 Foods Experts Won't Eat (and that includes me)1. GMO Foods (any of them)
2. Canned Tomatoes
3. Corn Fed Beef
4. Microwave Popcorn
5. Farmed Salmon
6. Milk Produced With Artificial Hormones
7. Conventional Apples (some where else I've read conventional potatoes)
This is the article I read on Wake Up World. I can say that this has been my personal list for many years. I probably have quite a few more to add to this list, but it's a great start. The one exception on this list that I hadn't really thought about was the canned tomatoes. I don't buy much of anything canned, fresh is best, but the reason for canned tomatoes appearing on the list is worth checking into and reading the article. They give alternative brands that use glass or box containers. Many of you may not like to give up your microwaves, but it just seems so unnatural and well harmful to me. I haven't owned or used one since 2000. I like this chart and write up on The Energetics of Food distributed by IIN. I added a few words to the text here and there. |
Quality
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Food
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Preparation
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Grounded
Relaxed
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Root vegetables
Sweet vegetables
Meat, fish
Beans
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Stewing
Pressure Cooking
Baking
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Light
Creative
Flexible
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Leafy greens
Wheat, barley, quinoa
Fruit
Raw foods
Chocolate
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Boiling
Steaming
Gas stove cooking
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Tense
Anxious
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Sugar
Caffeine
Alcohol
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Microwave cooking
Electric stove cooking
Factory farming
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Connected
Harmonious
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Organic foods
Whole foods
Local foods
Brown rice
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Home cooking
Home gardening
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Food can be measured in many ways--not only for its nutrition, but for the experience it gives to you and the energy it creates in your body. You've heard it said "you are what you eat." It is true that food makes up the cells in your body, but have you ever thought it may also impact your relationship to life? Here are some examples of how food might impact your quality of life. If you are feeling unfocused and want to feel more grounded in your life, try eating root vegetables, which grow in the ground and provide heartier, more sustainable energy than would eating a salad. If you are feeling tense and want to lighten up, try adding in more leafy greens, which grow up and outward toward the sun. These foods are cleansing and provide lighter energy for the body. It's good to choose a balance of hearty and light foods, to maintain a delicate balance of focused, yet flexible energy. How you eat and where you get your energy from is worth exploring. Eating from your own garden or buying your produce from the local farmers' market, will leave you feeling more connected to your home or local community. When you eat seasonal, locally grown produce, the body is more able to maintain balance from the inside out. It is beneficial to take advantage of cooling fruits and lighter greens in the summertime, when they are at their peak in harvest. At the same time, heartier vegetables, such as deeply rooted carrots and squashes, grow more abundantly in the wintertime, and are going to add to the warmth of the body. It's good to maintain a balance of eating seasonally as well as locally, as much as possible, to stay in harmony with the natural order of things. In addition, cooking food on a gas stove is a lot more relaxing and health-supporting to the body than is microwaving your food, which destroys much of the nutrients, the molecular structure, and, therefore, much of the energy of the food.
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Kula Corner
(kula = community of the heart) with Zen Buddhist Priest, Astrologer and Life Coach Lawrence Grecco
Rev. Lawrence Grecco is a Buddhist Minister, life coach and authorized dharma teacher. He was ordained by the International Order of Buddhist Ministers and the Los Angeles Buddhist Union, and holds a certificate in Foundations in Buddhist Chaplaincy from the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. As part of his chaplaincy training he offered spiritual care and support to terminally ill patients in a hospice residence. Lawrence is a graduate of the Buddhist Studies program and is authorized as a dharma teacher by the Interdependence Project in Manhattan. Lawrence has been devoted to astrology for over 20 years and recently he gave me my first astrology reading. We had a blast. Lawrence draws from the disciplines that he practices when reading and discussing a chart. We went over my chart from birth to the possibilities of what 2012 has in store for me. Specific areas like relationships, career or spirituality were addressed. Lawrence views astrology as a means to enable and awaken your true nature without viewing your horoscope as a limiting or disempowering entity. If you would like to have your chart read I highly recommend contacting Lawrence. You can go to his home in the West Village, or work together via phone or Skype. Also, a natal chart is a wonderful gift for a new born! 2012 is here! See what's in store for you and how you can make the best of what's coming. |
Asana of the Month: Warrior 2 (Virabhadrasana 2)
 | | Warrior 2 photo Dalton Portella |
Do you see the strength in this pose? Warrior 2 creates strength in the legs and is a hip opener. This pose is an incarnation of Shiva. Vira = hero and bhadra = friend. Virabhadra was created after learning about his daughter's death (which he had something to do with) and he pulled out a tuft of hair, stomped it into the ground and up sprang his fiercest warrior. Warrior 2 is an asana in most surya namaskar (sun salute). The practitioner practices stamina, focus, as well as finding equanimity with breath and mind.Yoga Journal has a full description of how to, beginner's tips, contraindications and more. |
Meditation Practice: Metta
 | | loving kindness |
Find a quiet place where you can sit quietly for 10 or more minutes. Use a timer for your practice. There are many apps available. I use Insight Timer app.
You may sit on a chair with the feet flat on the floor or if you can sit cross-legged on the floor comfortably then try that. It is important to make sure you're not struggling to sit comfortably. Zafu meditation cushions are great to have, sitting on firm pillow or thick sturdy blankets like you find in yoga studios are all good options. When sitting cross-legged, you want to be able to sit up tall, upright but not uptight. The knees slope down from the hips and the hands rest on the thighs with palms up or down. Imagine their is a string in your spine that is being drawn up towards the ceiling lifting the whole spine up. Check to see that you didn't take your shoulders up with you. Allow them to slide down your back on an exhale.
Now that you have taken your seat, check in with your mind. Ask yourself how you are doing in the present moment. Try not to dig too deeply here. You are seeing what the flavor of your mind feels like and leave it at that. Eg: I am tired, excited, anxious, OK, etc. Spend a few breaths with the flavor of the mind. Let that go and begin the contemplative practice of metta. Spend a couple of minutes with each suggested contemplation. I am giving you the 10 minute time version. A full Metta practice can take 30 - 45 minutes.
These are the four that I use. In the book by Sharon Salzberg listed below, she goes in to full detail about the practice of Metta.
1) May I be happy
2) May I be healthy
3) May I be safe
4) May I live with ease
First offer these phrases of loving kindness to yourself. You can either repeat the first phrase a few times and continue to the next and so on or go through 1-4 one at a time and repeat that way. If bringing your hand to your heart helps you connect then you can do that if it feels right.
You will spend about 5 minutes on yourself and then think of a mentor or hero. Someone that brings a smile to your face. Offer these 4 phrases to them. Let go of this person. In between people take a couple of full breaths. Complete your Metta practice by offering these 4 phrases to all beings everywhere for a couple of minutes.
Notice how you feel after these contemplations before ending your practice. Generating Metta towards self and others opens our hearts and minds and breaks down barriers between self and other. You may not feel anything and you may feel strong emotions. If strong emotions arise, bring awareness to where you feel the emotion in your body and breath with it. When it passes, and it will, allow the mind to rest with your breath, following inhale and exhale, feeling the breath in your body. Maybe in your abdomen or the tip of the nose. When the timer rings you may want to acknowledge your practice by placing the hands together at the heart and bowing to self and your teachers. This is an option and an offering for your practice. Meditation is recommended as a daily practice. You have the time. For more teachings on Metta and pod casts on meditation, please check out The IDProject.org For establishing a daily practice Sharon Salzberg (the queen of Metta) has written the insightful gift of Real Happiness The Power of Meditation. |
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Stick Figure Greetings and Gifts
what your heart wants to say is simple
These cards and gifts are super sweet, fun and simple. Printed on 100% recycled paper you'll find just what you want to say to someone special. How nice is it to open your mailbox and receive a good old fashioned card?
For more goodies click
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Celebrating Me
Kim Stetz is a Certified Holistic Health Coach, AADP, Experienced-Registered Yoga Teacher and meditation teacher. Her dedication to health and wellness comes from her passion for yoga and nutritious food. From the very first time she stepped on a yoga mat in 1992, she knew her life was about to take the path less traveled. Kim received her nutrition training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City. Kim's meditation teachings are of Buddhist lineage and studied with The Interdependance Projectsangha. Kim has yoga certifications from OM Yoga, Yoga For Two The Barnes Method (pre/postnatal), Relax and Renew Judith Hansen Lasater, and Anatomy Studies For Yoga Teachers with Jason R. Brown. Gravitating towards the healing aspects of yoga from the inside out, Kim teaches Hatha Yoga through a mixture of creative and challenging vinyasas, practiced with flow and grace while bringing mindfulness to alignment and the breath. She has guided many women through their pregnancies in classes, privately, and in couples yoga. Her strong background and training in therapeutics lends diversity to clients who are recovering from injuries or in need of healing. She has been blessed with students for eleven years since moving to NYC from LA in 2000. Her personal practice developed under the guidance of Anthony Benenati City Yoga, LA. Kim is thankful for his guidance and the many other gifted yoga and meditation teachers that have shared their knowledge and courage. Kim believes that yoga is a way of life that can be embraced by getting into the nooks and crannies of your heart, body, and mind. Sit, breathe, smile on the inside and eat your greens! Namaste |
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