Hope you all are doing well! I know I have been MIA lately but I am busy getting my yoga on at Wanderlust Vermont in addition to attending lectures, performing interviews and attempting to find time to sleep here. I just wanted to do a big shout out to Hyde Yoga who sent me one of their really amazing Off The Mat halter tops to test out. I am absolutely in love with this top and what better time to write about it than today- the day off the Yoga Aid Challenge for Off The Mat, Into The World.
“Off the Mat, Into the World uses the power of yoga to inspire conscious activism and ignite grassroots social change. Founded by Seane Corn, this organization encourages yogi’s and yoginis alike to take their practice ‘off the mat’ and into the global community. Join the movement by sporting our latest halter designed in collaboration with OTM, knowing that 10% of the proceeds of your purchase benefit this incredible organization Slits on the sideseams allow for movement while still covering your booty . Fits just like the Taryn, but with five inches of added length. 92% organic cotton, 8% spandex” (source for photo and quote: Hyde Yoga Website)
I wore this tank all day today and it was seriously one of the most comfortable tops I have ever worn for yoga. It is made out of organic cotton and I love the length of it. If there is one thing I hate about workout tops its that they aren’t long enough especially when I am trying to do downward dog or handstands like I tried out today (first time in a yoga class!). In addition to wearing this wonderful top I also did an interview for Ecorazzi with Sean Corne and Suzanne Sterling of Off The Mat, Into The World. Both of them were super sweet and you can read/view more about the interview soon on Ecorazzi.
After we packed up camp this morning Neil and I made our way up to Stratton for Wanderlust , unfortunately the rain from camping last night decided it wanted a second round and we ended up with a very wet day. This meant wet yoga classes for me and no hiking for Neil, oh well!
I took two classes today the first with Kia Miller and the second with Desiree Rumbaugh. The first classes was a Kundalini yoga class, the first I had ever taken. I really enjoyed it but boy was it tough at times! The second class I took was an Anusara workshop to help knees, hips and legs. This was a very interactive class and I loved it! I learned some great tips to help me get into postures better and how to relieve any pain in my lower body. Tomorrow I have an neck and shoulders worksop- getting the whole body done!
In addition to yoga classes Neil and I had food from the Krishna Cafe that was delicious, however no photo because I was starving!
I am at the opening ceremony now and then going to bed- I have an early class in the a.m.
This post is coming via iPhone so bear with me. I just wanted to go a quick thank you post to all of you who participated in the auction and raffle; our team raised a total of $365 for Off The Mat, Into The World. Congrats to the winners!
As most of you have read over the past week I have created a team (BTV Vegan YogisTeam Ingalls-Fairweatherwithnew addition Marshall) to support the charity auction for Off The Mat. “Off the Mat Into the World uses the power of yoga to inspire conscious, sustainable activism and ignite grassroots social change. They do this by facilitating personal empowerment through leadership trainings, fostering community collaboration, and initiating local and global service projects.” To learn more check out my posts here and here.
So this is how the auction is going to work:
Between now (June 20th) and June 22nd at 8pm EST check out the list of items below; if you see something you like send me a bid to lindsay@cookveganlover dot com. Include the item name in the subject line and your bid amount in the message. I’ll be updating the bids throughout the day.
The winning bidder will be notified of their winnings by 8pm EST on Thursday (June 23rd) and will have until 6am EST on Friday (June 24th) to donate their winning bid amount to http://www.yogaaid.com/lindsayingalls In the case that the winner doesn’t follow through with their donation, the item will go to the next highest bidder.
The companies who have kindly donated these products for the auction (THANK YOU!) are also donating the shipping costs.
Option 2. Yoga Aid Raffle.
If none of the auction items tickle your fancy you may be interested in the box of goodies pictured below.
Value $100
To enter the raffle for the box of goodies (all goods purchased by me and I will also be paying the shipping costs) just Make a donation to the http://www.yogaaid.com/lindsayingalls or http://yogaaid.com/neilfairweather or http://yogaaid.com/catherinemarshall and forward your receipt/email me to lindsay@cookveganlover dot com $5 will get you one entry, and $10 will get you three entries! Any donations above $10 in $10 increments will get you one additional entry; so a $20 donation would be 4 entries, $30 would be 5 and so on
All raffle entries must be submitted by 12pm EST on Wednesday June 22nd at 8pm; the winner will be notified by 8pm EST on Thursday June 23rd . P.S. I will ship to the US and Canada
Aurorae has kindly donated one of their yoga mats:
$45 Value
Product Features
Aurorae Ultra Thick
Extra Long Yoga Mat 72” x 24” x ¼”
Ultra thick 1/4″ yoga mat for impact absorption
72” extra long yoga mat makes it comfortable for all sizes
#1 reviewed yoga mat and 5‐Star customer feed back on Amazon
Durable and long lasting material/SGS approved and free from Phthalates
Individual illuminating colors that define your inner self
Aurorae Yoga focal point icon to help with concentration during your yoga practice
Open to US ONLY.
10 Yoga Class Card: Current Bid $70
10 Class Card - $130 Value
Evolution Yoga, a local Burlington Studio, has generously donated a 10 class card.
Evolution Yoga has three beautiful studios for practice. Pre-Registration classes are held in Studio Ahimsa (Sanskrit for “non-harming”), which is our front studio. This sunny studio offers an intimate setting for these specialty classes. Studio Satya (Sanskrit for “truth”) is our newest studio, with cork floors and a warm, nurturing feel. Our largest studio, Studio Tapas (Sanskrit for “zeal, drive”) can hold up to 40 mats.
Evolution Yoga features a number of yoga classes including Anusara, Kirpalu, Vinyasa, and Flying Yoga among many others; visit there website for more information.Open to US ONLY- FYI this studio is in Burlington Vermont.
Retail Value $150
Handmade Beaded Bracelets: Current Bid $15
Species by the Thousands, an eco-minded clothing and jewelry design company, has donated a collection of bracelets.These eco-friendly bracelets are made with reclaimed and vintage beads. Open to US ONLY.
$12 Value
Four Bottles of Mamma Chia: Current Bid $5
“Mamma Chia delivers vitality in a fun‐to‐drink, unique experience.“Customers tell us all the time how super fun and delicious MammaChia is and how amazing they feel after drinking it. The natural gel around the chia seeds creates the fun and refreshing experience, making it like nothing else ont he market. Rarely is something this delicious also so good for you,” says company founderJanie Hoffman. She also reports that customers rave about enjoying Mamma Chia as a great pre‐workout energizer, an afternoon energy booster, a light and satisfying substitute for dessert, and even a great drink with lunch.” Open to US ONLY.
$24 Value
Sampler Case of Ayala’s Herbal Water: Current Bid: $5
Miles Hiked: 9.2 Summits Reached: 1 Fire Tower Stairs Climbed: 20 ….okay 10 each Moose Dropping Piles Seen: 500; okay probably less but they were everywhere but no moose to be seen Coffees Drank: 3 (we split them) Rounds of Cards Played: 5 and Neil won in the end (but only by a little) Hours Spent Reading: 3 glorious hours Minutes Spent Attempting to Do Yoga On A Slanted Rock: 5
Saturday morning Neil and I headed out to Eden’s Crossing at the Long Trail where we had ended our last long hike; you can read about it here. We signed in and started the 3 mile hike the summit of Belvidere Mountain. This hike was a different one for us because I was carrying an additional 17 pounds on my back and Neil around 25 pounds on his back because this trip we were staying the night. Unfortunately the night before it had rained so everything was wet and there were some real mucky spots. We also hit an area that was all rocks so we put our game faces on and got up them anyway we could; sometimes that meant hands and knees.
Neil getting his hike on
We finally made it to the summit of Belvidere Mountain and to the Fire Tower after about 3 hours of hiking up a challenging rock terrain.
Views From the Summit
The Fire Tower
After spending a little time at the summit relaxing without our packs on and refueling with some crackers and water we finally packed up and headed on our way. We still had 3.2 miles to hike before we finally reached our destination. Over the next 3.2 miles we encountered load after load of moose droppings, tons of slippery rocks, muddy sink holes and then thunder. When we started out on our adventure we knew that a thunderstorm was as possibility but we figured we could make it to the cabin before it started. Well the thunder started rolling in and so we started to book it ….not a good idea when you haven’t had lunch and probably needed more water. I was feeling pretty nauseous by the end and it felt like it was taking forever to get there. Finally we made it to the beaver pond which Neil had read was right near the camp and 10 minutes later we were there, our glorious accommodations for the night.
Our Cabin
We took our packs off and settled in and took of our wet shoes, socks and changed our clothes.
After we settled in and decided to make some Backpackers Pantry Pad Thai for lunch and to my surprise the peanut butter in the pad thai was Justin’s!
Pad Thai ....soup? (not photogenic)
We thought the pad thai had good flavor but could have used more time (our fault) “cooking” and less water so it wasn’t so much like a soup.
We also enjoyed a nice cup of coffee and relaxed outside looking out at our view.
View
Via!
The remainder of the night we spent doing yoga (well attempting to on rocks), reading, playing cards and just soaking up the sun.
For dinner we had the Backpackers Pantry Katmandu Curry. It was actually really delicious! We both loved the flavor and the addition of the lentils. We will be buying this one again.
It’s been a long weekend of backpacking and now it’s time to relax. We did 6.2 miles Saturday and finished off 3 more miles this morning. I will be doing a follow up trip blog and Neil and I are going to do a He Says, She Says blog post on gear so standby and goodnight.
Thursday night I had a crazy afternoon between a conference call, running, gardening and packing for our backpacking trip. So I decided to keep dinner quick and easy. I made veggie skewers with mini peppers, sweet onion and mushrooms; just toss with salt, pepper and olive oil and roast at 375F for 20-25 minutes. To go with the veggies I made a black bean and corn salad with mustard greens from my balcony garden.
Black Bean-Corn-Mustard Green Salad
1T olive oil
5 spring garlic, minced
1/2 red onion, minced
1 serrano chili, minced
1-12oz bag of frozen sweet corn
1-15oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 bunch of mustard greens, shredded
salt and pepper
In a large skillet heat the oil over medium-high heat; toss in the garlic, red onion and chili and cook for 3-4 minutes. Toss in the corn and saute until lightly browned about 5-8 minutes. Stir in the black beans and mustard greens and cook until mustard greens are wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
