freebie find - homemade chai recipe

after a great hatha class with michelle barge at golden bridge yoga (nyc) i decided to peruse their website & stumbed upon their 'yoga tools' page where they share a recipe for making chai in bulk!

yogi tea recipe
3 1/2 gallon water
1/2 cup cardamom pods
1/3 cup whole cloves
1/2 lb. gingerroot, thinly sliced
15 cinnamon sticks
4 black tea bags
1 gallon milk

1. bring water to boil in a 5 gallon pot.
   
2. add cloves & let dance for 1-2 minutes. (love that they say let dance!)
   
3. add cardamom, cloves, ginger & cinnamon.
   
4. cover & simmer for at least 45 minutes.
   
5. add black tea & milk.
   
6. bring to boiling point & immediately remove from heat.
   
7. allow to stand, unstrained, until almost time to serve (this will increase potency of tea & most spices will settle to the bottom).
   
8. sweeten with honey or maple syrup if desired.

since we are experiencing the steamiest days iced yogi tea might be a good option this week.

poll of the month results - what do you splurge on?

we're just going to keep this short & sweet. in these harder times we are facing, here is what you said you still splurge on:

• fitness/yoga 56%
• bath/beauty products 19%
• dining out 12%
• shoes 12%

glad to see everyone is staying in shape!

dessert-like tea

for years i have loved this tea, and despite testing out other spiced options, i still really enjoy this oldie, but a goodie: celestial seasonings's bengal spice. its delicious, inexpensive and pretty accessible throughout the u.s., so even though i live in nyc, you can still find it near you!


some of the 'benes' include:
+caffeine free
+all-natural
+no preservatives
+sweet on its own
+zero calories alone
+makes a great soy latte!

yummy ingredients:
cinnamon, roasted chicory, roasted carob, natural spice & vanilla flavors with other natural flavors, ginger, cardamom, black pepper, cloves & nutmeg.

lavender eye pillows

nothing is more calming than an eye pillow during savasana (corpse/final relaxation pose) it blocks out light, adds weight to your eyelids so they don't have to do the work, especially if you are feeling restless (for all you peekers) and the ones with lavender add some much-welcomed aromatherapy, helping you to surrender into the ground and let your body absorb all that it has just done in your asana practice while lying motionless.

i was prompted to invest in my own eye pillows for my students when i taught a 7th grade class through the bent on learning program. we were in the school auditorium with bright stage lights overhead. my 7th graders who were new to yoga (as well as having not fully formed their frontal lobes) easily became very interested in poking and tickling each other during savasana while others would comment that the lights were too bright; my conclusion: get eye pillows asap.

i came across some great eyepillows unexpectedly on amerimark.com for $5.99 each! unfortunately, i just checked the site and they no longer carry them, however if you are feeling crafty you can make your own eye pillow.