New Year's wishes, Plus sitting practice & more from the White Lotus Kitchen
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New Year's Letter 2022

Dear White Lotus Community,

In the year to come, may you meet the challenges of an always changing personal and collective world in a way that strengthens your resilience and deepens your wisdom, empathy, and compassion. Words can fall short at times, but life carries its message and its meaning, teaching us in the places we are open to learn.

May your connection to your Yoga find your feet planted solidly on the ground, your heart and mind open and discerning, and your whole being in moments of deep silence and stillness.

As Ganga likes to teach, There are no straight lines, no perfect circles nor perfect spheres in nature. There is no such thing as perfection.

Enjoy the imperfections of the coming year. We wish you well in 2022.

Om Shanti

Tracey, Ganga and the White Lotus family

 

Sit Down, Please

by Tracey Rich

Do yourself a favor and sit down. Cultivating a sitting practice can be one of the best brain reboots available. You don't have to go anywhere to get it, and it doesn't depend upon another person to make it happen. A sitting practice does not have to be complex or take an inordinate or specific amount of time. Just getting your bum in position is half the reboot, the rest unfolds.

Making your body comfortable is one of the keys to a sitting practice. Your breath, preferably observed and not controlled, is another key. There are no merit badges for sitting on the floor versus a chair, but aligning your body so that your spine is supported with its most natural curves is ideal. Breathing should also be natural. There is an art to just being still that brings pleasure beyond measure.

Some would call their sitting, "meditation", and they would not be wrong. Some would call their time on the cushion an energy cultivation practice. I would agree with that too. Some would simply call it sitting. There is a great beauty to seeing the simplicity and the abundant gifts inherent in such an act. Whatever draws you to sit, is wonderful. And what you will find there, is possibly, infinite.

From the White Lotus Kitchen

Grandola Granola

Granola can be a real snore, a real bore. Or, it can be a magic carpet to breakfast and snack heaven only limited by your imagination. Our new recipe From the White Lotus Kitchen is the perfect classic to base your granola dreams upon. It supplies all the components needed for a delicious start or finish to your day. Eaten alone or with the addition of your favorite milk, you can be satisfied--even rocked into nirvana.

We suggest taking our recipe and then adding your own favorite spices like cinnamon or cardamom, maybe even a dash of black pepper. Try adding dried fruits like figs, cherries, apricots, dates, or even dried candied ginger. Or, change the nuts and seeds listed in our recipe to cashews, pistachios, and sesame seeds just to throw out a few ideas. You can add whatever fresh fruits are in season. I love the addition of fresh passion fruit and Siggis (not too sweet) strawberry or blueberry probiotic drinkable yogurt, or whole yogurt with fresh berries and art granny smith apples. There's also the never-miss hit of pouring on homemade almond milk, but that's if I'm not just eating it by the handful all day long.

We hope you enjoy this take on classic granola with our Grandola.