Have you ever had a moment where you stop and ask yourself “Is the cup half empty of half full”. There are times in life when the question just seems irrelevant. Either way there is something in the cup, right?
I stopped asking myself that question a few years ago, the eternal optimist that I am always came up with the same answer. Half full of course. Then I started thinking “Why can’t it be filled to the top?” What does it take to fill up the emotional cup of life and keep it full?
To sum it up in a couple of paragraphs would possibly make light of it all, but to say that experiencing a Surf and Yoga camp with women can fill it up would not be an understatement.

After recently spending five days with women who chose to step away from their daily routine of life I have been reminded that I am not alone in the quest to fill my cup to the rim.

These women set out to experience surfing, yoga and treat themselves to good food and a relaxing, re-energizing experience. I watched the transformation happen right in front of my eyes. There is confidence built by trying new things and great connections made with like-minded women as Yoga is practiced daily with the sounds of waves crashing nearby. Enjoying one another’s company and feeling free to just be is a gift we give ourselves when we stumble upon such experiences.

As the weekend ended and we said our good byes, I was reminded that part of our journey in life is to help others to first notice that spiritual and emotional cup we carry around inside of us and then when needed, to help fill the cups of those around us. We then discover that instead of reaching to outward sources when we are in need, we have all that we need within.

One fun way to nourish the soul is to share in some delicious food with friends. Here are some of the recipes from a recent Best of Both Adventures Surf and Yoga Camp:

Curried Chicken Salad with Dried Apricots - serves 4-6
12 ounces shredded cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
3/4 cup light mayonaisse or salad dressing
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon curry powder
sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Place all ingredients in bowl and mix thoroughly. Serve on a bed of organic greens or as a sandwich filling on whole grain bread.

Yogurt Stuffed Pineapple - serves 6-8 large or 3-6 small
Large whole pineapple
16 ounces low fat yogurt/ vanilla or plain
1 cup chopped fresh fruit such as papaya, banana, kiwi, etc
1 1/2 cup favorite granola
Maple syrup or honey

Cut top of pineapple keeping it for display
Core pineapple, scoring with sharp knife
Gently pull scored pieces from inside and chop for use in recipe
Scrape out all excess pineapple from inside, drain any juices into a bowl to mix with fruit
Gently toss all of the above ingredients and place inside ‘pineapple bowl’
Serve on platter with top in place or on the side!
Roasted Vegetable Stack with Roasted Garlic Coconut Cream Sauce
3 Eggplant
3 Zucchini or Summer Squash
3 Acorn or large squash
(or any of your favorite root vegetables will do!)
Whole Head of Garlic
12 ounces Light Coconut Milk
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
Sea salt and Cracked pepper

Slice all vegetables lengthwise, place in baking pan and drizzle lightly with olive oil and salt
Cut top of garlic head, drizzle with oil and wrap in foil,
roast for 40-50 minutes
Roast all vegetables until soft

Take roasted vegetables from oven and place on a warm platter. Scoop out roasted garlic and place in sautee pan with butter, mash garlic down and then add flour, as pan heats slowly add coconut milk and stir constantly to prevent burning. When sauce is the right consistency add salt and pepper to taste and pour over vegetables.
Serve immediately with organic, short grain brown rice.
Enjoy!

Writen by Michele

I know so many females who deny the fact that they have intuition. So many that say they just don’t feel that inner guidance that we are supposed to have. The one big thing that separates us from the males is our female sense to guide us through life, to protect our children or to predict the next mood of our significant other.

In the early years of my life I knew it was there. I started to have a “feeling” something was going to happen before it actually did when I was about 11 years old. I began to test my theory of my so called “intuitive powers” and really tuned in to it until I hit puberty. Then boys, peer pressure and school overtook my interest and I just occasionally felt those twinges of intuitiveness for the next 20 years of my life.

So as you might expect, one day I woke up and thought “how did I get here”. Is this the life I want to be living? Everything from inside of me screamed “NO”!!! Of course, it did not happen all in one day, more like over the course of a few years. But, all I wanted to know was how to regain that intuitiveness that came so easily to me when I was a young girl.

That is when the decision to change direction, to tune in to a true way of living began. Many times in life we may try to make a life change. Mostly fueled by such things as desiring to lose a few pounds so we try a healthier diet or exercise. We start to feel good and forget what caused it and somehow end up in our old behaviors again. This may go on for years or an entire life-time. But if we are lucky we come across a life-style change that sticks! One that allows us to fine-tune the beautiful person that we are instead of trying to become something we are not. For me this life changing event has been Yoga!

I am not referring just to the meditative zen experience of Yoga. I am talking about the restorative power aspect of this ancient art. As an woman I have never found a more satisfying workout and instead of trying to change my lifestyle to fit in a “workout” I have discovered a workout that changed my lifestyle. Starting with practicing three times a week my athletic performance increased dramatically. My cycling friends started to ask me what type of training I was doing. I started to feel more calm and centered and the times in my day when I was about to “lose it” started to become fewer and far between.

The most notable physical change was discovered by my physicians office. It had been two years since my last physical and when the nurse checked my height and weight she said I had grown ¾ of an inch and lost 9 pounds since my last visit. Of course she asked what had I been doing to get taller and thinner at the age of 39? Yoga, I proudly answered.

Now on the eve of hosting a women’s Surf and Yoga retreat in Puerto Rico I find myself excited about the opportunity to ignite the spark of interest in these women who have already taken the first step by booking such a trip. As we do Yoga oceanside and they have an opportunity to eat healthy meals and soak up the healing sunshine I am overjoyed by the fact that I am going to be a part of sharing this with other women of the world!