Archives: Shira Turkl-Rubin

A few weeks ago I was having a flare-up. Yes, even I still get them. Even though I watch my diet, practice yoga & meditate, sometimes the flare-ups happen anyway. I’m only human! I am looking forward to a day in the near future when my flare-ups happen 0% of the time, but until then I’ll keep letting you know about my process.

I have noticed that my flare-ups happen less and are much less extreme then they once were (which I definitely see as positive!). Here’s what I tried this time around:

This yoga pose is very easy to do at home using pillows, a blanket and a chair.

If you are suffering from bloating, constipation, hemorrhoids etc. then I highly recommend that you try this. Stay in the pose for a minimum of 10 minutes and keep at it for however long feels good to you.

Relax to the Max yoga pose

The picture pretty much explains the pose, but a few things to be mindful of: make sure the pillow underneath your sacrum (your waistband) feels comfortable. Your pelvis should be slightly lifted. Make sure that your knees are on the edge of the chair. Cover yourself with a blanket and RELAX! Let go and surrender.

I like to call this pose: Relax to the Max Pose

While you’re in Relax to the Max, you might get a visit from a wonderful, healing, furry friend (if you have one!) let them serenade you with their love.

A Love Fest in Relax to the Max

Enjoy!

“Feel great, act great and approve of yourself.

This quote was on my Yogi Tea teabag this morning. I resonate with the “approve of yourself “ part of the quote. I’m sure many of you struggle with this. Do you ever feel like you’re not doing enough in this world, Or that your work is not enough? Who are you trying to convince but yourself? As I reminisce about my past year, the things I’ve accomplished, my goals, etc. I find myself thinking: wait a minute – have I really accomplished my goals this year? Then I think again and say to myself – who cares??

Of course it feels wonderful to create goals, accomplish them and feel wonderful all the time about yourself, but c’mon who are we kidding? That doesn’t happen 100% of the time. I’m happy that I’ve accomplished 70% of my goals and the rest will roll over into 2013. Big whoop!

Don’t be so hard on yourself. If you didn’t achieve your goals, there’s always tomorrow. Stay optimistic, positive and happy – that’s what really matters.

Don’t let the new year, new you thing get you down. Think of the new year as a new start. Even if you’re working on the same project, think about it in a new light. Stay positive and all your worries will magically subside.

Chad and I started a new hobby. We collect our Yogi Tea fortunes and place them in a jar. It’s really fun to shake it up and pick out a fortune. They are always meaningful and most of the time we can apply it to our lives. I give you full permission to steal this hobby! It’s a fun one and should be shared.

Cheers to 2013!

Shira

My favorite scene from the movie Love Actually. Click picture to watch the clip!

Gratitude. That’s what this season is about right? Not just family, friends, traditions, food and drink, but also gratitude!

Throughout my yoga classes this week I ‘ve asked my students what they are grateful for. I asked them to pinpoint one thing, person, and quality about themselves that they feel grateful for. Want to try it?

We live such busy lives. Working, traveling from place to place etc… Do you ever get just one moment to stop everything and feel what it is that you’re grateful for?

Try it now. Close your eyes and tune in.

Find something, someone and one quality about yourself that you’re grateful for. Sit with your gratitude. Breathe in love, breathe out fear, anxiety and stress.

Now that you’ve realized what you’re grateful for, share it. Tell the person you feel grateful for. Write it in your journal. Tell someone else.

Feeling gratitude is wonderful, but sharing it is even better.

Spread the love. Feel it in your fingers & toes!

Cheers to you!

Yesterday I was strolling up 5^th avenue near 14^th street in NYC and something caught my eye. It was a sign that said “eat real food.” Now most of you know me by now and know that that’s pretty much the motto that I live by. So you can imagine that even though I already had a full belly from eating at my other favorite nearby restaurant named Souen, I was more then happy to check out this interesting place with a sign so clearly written with me in mind!

Have you heard of Hu Kitchen? Let me tell you it’s one to check out. Everything and I mean everything is made from whole food. No preservatives, nothing processed, just plain, simple, clean, local, delicious food!

Their almond and coconut milks are both homemade, they have grass-fed meat, organic chicken, organic veggies, juices, smoothies, chocolate, food to take away – healthy style!! They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner – but it’s not a sit down, waiter type of place – you order, get the food yourself and eat on their beautiful wooden tables. The place makes you want to stay there to eat. Too bad my belly was already full when I discovered this place – no worries though, I’ll be back to give it a proper food review – but I  had to share the good news with you beforehand!

New York is FINALLY hopping on the whole food bandwagon! It took a little bit of time, but I knew it would happen eventually. Add this one to the list.

Here’s a quote from their website:

“We make food for humans and, frankly, we think it’s about time someone did. It isn’t as glamorous as a pill or a fad diet. It probably won’t sell books. We’re OK with that. We’re not here to make a quick buck in the same tired food space. We’re not here to be just another shelf in the megastore of “healthy” food products. We’re here to start a revolution.”

Now that’s what I’m talking about.

Cheers to Hu.

Here’s a link to their website: Hu Kitchen

Say no to fear and yes to acceptance.

Lately my anxiety levels have been a tad high. I’m not exactly sure why but I think what’s making it worse is the fact that I keep trying to figure out why it’s happening. The same thing goes when I have a stomachache. I try to figure it out until I’m blue in the face – not literally but you get my drift.

Last night and this morning I tried a new ritual.

Before bed I said to myself:

It’s ok to feel anxious

It’s ok to have a stomachache

It’s ok to not always feel the best.

By accepting it and not pushing it away I’m able to feel what’s going on in my body instead of trying to change it.

This can certainly apply to you if you have a specific issue that you’re dealing with and can’t exactly figure out how to feel better about it. Start with acceptance and miracles will happen.

I woke up this morning feeling…. Different.

There’s something to this acceptance thing. Try it out! I dare you!

***With Thanksgiving here in 2 days I had to share a delicious recipe with ya’ll. It’s for gluten free stuffing!

Hazelnut Stuffing adapted from Terry Walters Clean Food Cookbook

Serves 6

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

5 stalks celery, diced

½ pound cremini mushrooms, diced

½ cup diced dried apples, no sugar added

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

2 tablespoons dried parsley

1 cup hazelnuts

6 slices gluten free rice bread cut into ½ inch cubes and toasted

½ cup organic vegetable stock

¼ cup tamari

2 tablespoons mirin

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

½ cup toasted slivered almonds

Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

In a large skillet heat the oil over medium heat and sauté the onion until soft. Add the celery, mushrooms, apples, rosemary and dried parsley and sauté 4 minutes. Fold in crushed hazelnuts and toasted bread cubes and remove from heat.

In a small bowl, whisk together stock, tamari and mirin. Drizzle over stuffing mixture to evenly soak. Season with pepper to taste and gently fold to combine all ingredients. Place in a large casserole or stuff into a roasted winter squash and bake 25 minutes until top is lightly toasted.

Remove from oven then top with almonds and fresh parsley – serve.

Click me to watch a video on how to practice nauli

Throughout my process of learning how to heal ulcerative colitis, I learned a wonderful yogic cleansing technique that I use when my belly doesn’t feel right. I highly recommend it as I find it massages my organs and helps pass anything that’s “stuck” in my system. It also helps with anxiety and I tend to feel pretty calm afterwards. The practice is called nauli and I’ll demonstrate it for you in the video that’s attached to this post. Let me know if you have any questions regarding this – otherwise give it a try and see how you feel. Click here to watch.

Good luck!

Shira

No produce left at Fairway Market due to hurricane Sandy!

Over the past couple of days, my husband and I have been housebound. Hurricane Sandy really affected our city and we’re still all dealing with the after effects. Personally we got very lucky and our home still has power, internet, water and all the essentials for us to be comfortable. Unfortunately that’s not the case for many of our fellow New Yorkers. We are definitely feeling the tension in the city as people mourn the loss of their homes and personal belongings. Frankly, I’m shocked at how bad the city was hit and I feel awful for those who lost so much.

Yesterday, as we awaited Sandy’s arrival I got the cooking bug. I think it was because I was anticipating a power outage and I wanted to make sure we had enough yummy food to last us a few days. I was concerned about making a meal that had sufficient protein – so I turned to Indian dal which is a lentil dish that I pared with brown rice. It was grounding, warming and it came out really well – if I do say so myself! Despite not having a few ingredients I still made it work. Here’s the recipe. Enjoy it!

2 tablespoons ghee

2 whole cinnamon sticks

2 cups dried red lentils (washed and picked through for stones)

1 teaspoon cumin seeds (I didn’t have this and it still tasted great!)

3 whole cloves

4 green cardamom pods (I didn’t have this and it still tasted great!)

½ teaspoon turmeric

6 cups water

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Since I didn’t have a few spices, I added 1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 yellow onion, diced

1 inch fresh ginger, grated

Heat 1 tablespoon ghee with cinnamon sticks in a large sauce-pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until the cinnamon unfurls, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the cumin, cloves, and cardamom and cook, stirring, until the cumin turns a golden brown color, about 1 more minute. Add the lentils, turmeric, water, and salt. Bring to a boil and skim well, Turn down the heat and simmer, covered, until the lentils are soft, 20 to 40 minutes, depending on the type of lentil used. Add more water during cooking, if necessary. Taste for salt and add more if you need to.

Heat 1 tablespoon ghee in a small sauce-pan, add the yellow onion and cook until soft. Add ginger and mix with the onion so it doesn’t burn. Once dal is finished add this to it.

The dal might be watery, continue simmering on medium heat until your desired consistency. Serve with brown rice and enjoy!

Click me for a tutorial on Kapala Bati Breathing!

Kapala Bati Clip from The Fix Your Belly Blues Program

What is anxiety? I just left a very intense therapy session where we spoke primarily about my anxiety and the many ways it manifests itself. Not only is fear a big part of my anxiety but so is the unknown.

Wow… Heavy topic today.

I bring it up because I think many of us, whether New Yorkers or not, suffer from anxiety. I know I scare myself in many different ways and I wonder how you do too?

Today my therapist, who practices in the Gestalt modality, had me work not on the fears that my anxiety brings, but the anxiety itself. I placed it in a chair, figured out what it looked like, the color, and how it made me feel.

I realized that this thing I call anxiety is shaped in a blob like form that sticks to my insides. It’s the color brown and often times it gets stuck inside of me.

I’ve already found a way to help it escape with breathing exercises but today I added on an extra step that I’m really excited to share.

I know all of this might sound funny to you, but growing up in a household with two parents as Gestalt therapists, this stuff is totally normal!

So, my steps to help release anxiety are to practice Kapala Bati or breath of fire. As you practice, imagine your anxiety as a set of red handkerchiefs coming out one by one just like a magician! Once finished with this exercise take some all purpose cleaner, wipe up the floor and throw the anxiety away!

Let’s go, it’s time to get rid of this once and for all!

Are you with me??

Stop letting your anxiety get the best of you. Take a stance and be strong. Of course it’s a work in progress so don’t get upset if your anxiety comes back right away. Keep practicing this at least once a day and see what happens.

Watch the video above for a tutorial on how to practice breath of fire.

Good luck!

I couldn’t resist – she’s SO cute!

Do you get enough rest? This is a question I’ve been asking myself a lot lately. With the change of seasons, I’ve found my body wants to hibernate as much as possible – especially with the last few days being rainy and gloomy.

The trick is though; you have to give in when your body is tired. I learned this when I had mono back in high school. That was a really interesting time… All I wanted to do was sleep and I was allowed to do it! Doctor’s orders were to sleep! AMAZING!

Sometimes in my life now I get this guilty feeling when I have free time in my afternoon that I should be doing something very productive and not wasting my time sleeping.

Oh man… you therapists out there will probably have a field day with this – BUT when one works for him or herself this gets to be a problem.

How can we get rid of the guilt, allow our bodies to rest and feel refreshed?

I know many of you struggle with this, even those who work in corporate office environments.

The challenge is this: can you listen to your body, know when it’s tired and be OKAY with that? Give in already… healing happens when we sleep – really!

Sleep more, rest more and feel great! If you have a problem sleeping here are a few tips to help.

– Try taking 5-6 drops of valerian root before bed. It comes in a liquid form at the health food store

– Try taking melatonin before bed, get the sublingual kind – it melts in your mouth so it absorbs faster

– Try 1 tablespoon kuzu root mixed with warm or cold apple juice. Stir well and drink about ½ a cup of the juice before bed.

I’ve used kuzu root and valarian in the same night to ensure a great sleep. Give it a try!

With all of these remedies don’t be dependent on them for too long. Try it for 2 weeks then stop and see how you are naturally. If you’re having sleep deprivation for too long then make sure to see a doctor and get it checked out.

Sleep is sacred – treat it as such!

Playful Kali

Kali Posing for the Camera

Almost 3 years ago we adopted a cat. I grew up with a cat my whole life and when she died I thought I could never love another cat again. I knew Chad and I both really wanted a pet but the demands of a dog didn’t seem to jive with our schedule and he said he was “allergic” to cats.

Well… for some reason I decided to challenge his allergies and we agreed to foster a cat on my birthday 3 years ago! Well… we never gave her back – and Chad’s allergies are totally fine!

We fell in love with this animal who brings us more love each day then we ever could have imagined.

Here are several things that I’ve learned from my 4-legged furry friend.

She’s never afraid to ask for what she wants – a.k.a. stepping on my computer to get my attention so I can give her attention!

She takes time out of her day to stretch.

Her cleanliness is impeccable and she wouldn’t have it any other way!

When she needs something she’s vocal and let’s us know immediately without holding it in.

She’s playful

She knows how to get what she wants almost all the time – a trait I am trying to figure out how to master!

She is one big ball of love and isn’t afraid to share it with everyone who crosses her path.

Do you have a pet? What are some things you have learned from your pet?

If you don’t have a pet, you might want to think about adopting one. There are tons of kitty shelters like The American Street Cat who capture and save cats who are loving and friendly.

Cherish your pet everyday. They live off of your love.