Skip Jennings - Skip Jennings

This Week’s Meditative Thought – Creating Open Spaces

Huaraz, Peru

Last week we tackled setting intentions. This week let’s build upon this theme by opening our consciousness and creating a space to grow. To begin we must be willing to release our old ideas so that we may have new experiences on our spiritual walk. Our intentions set into motion the clearing away of old paradigms that no longer serve us. It is the open space that gives us breathing room so that new and powerful transformative work can take place. When we set the intention to be more, there must be a willingness to ask the question, “What must I release? What must I become?” The intention to transform is the intention to become more.

This week’s Action Plan: Today, set aside everything you think you know about your journey so that you are open and free to have a new and fresh experience in God. Use the “set aside prayer”;

“May I set aside everything I think I know about ____ (fill in the blank) so that I may have a new experience.” Be willing to release everything that no longer serves you. Create a space for transformation.

Blessings,

– Skip

Photo: Huaraz, Peru, Mauricio Osorio

Setting Intentions, World Yoga, Vegetable Stock, Meditation of a Skeptic and more…

How a skeptic learned to love meditation
My latest recipe, a vegetable stock from my upcoming book, The Lotus Kitchen
#ShiftWithSkip week 2 setting your intentions for mind and body
International yoga teacher StephenEwashkiw talks yoga global his world bike trip and more.
LA things to do: Quentin Tarantino’s The New Beverly Cinema’s amazing roster of movies most double features, cool movies for only eight dollars per ticket!

Friday Affirmation and Body Connection – Setting Intentions

As we mentioned earlier in the week, January is a natural month for setting new intentions in our lives. This also includes setting intentions for the body. To set this intention you must be willing to declare what condition you are looking to achieve. This transformation does not necessarily have to do with weight, but how you view your body temple. Setting intentions and the quest in transformation begins with setting this goal. Remember this truth: an external shift is temporary but an internal transformation is lasting. This year, focus on setting these internal intentions to embrace your desires. Be open to receiving and recognizing your wholeness, divinity, and self-love.

This week’s Affirmation: Take a moment out of your schedule and begin with 2-3 deep breathes. Breathe in deeply and then slowly release. On the last one, exhale deeply and imagine yourself pushing the restart in your mind to create a new spiritual journey.

Peace and Blessings

– Skip

The Lotus Kitchen – Vegetable Stock

Skip Jennings & Gwen Keannelly

My latest recipe, a vegetable stock is from my upcoming book, The Lotus Kitchen, with Gwen Keannelly. It’s a vegan cook book that combines good eats with a yoga practice. The beauty of a good vegetable stock is that you can really use any combination of vegetables and herbs that you like. Some strict vegetable stocks can lack the “richness” of a traditional stock, so we lovingly lace this one with seasoning. You can also modify and add ginger, lemon grass and dried Chinese or shitake mushrooms for an Asian flair. For a Southwest/Mexican feel, add diced jalapeno or Serrano chilies and lots of fresh cilantro.

Peace and blessings,

– Skip

The Lotus Kitchen Vegetable Stock

Ingredients:

4 carrots, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped (including leaves)
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1 scallion, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
Juice of one lemon
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup white wine
10 cups water

In a large soup pot combine all ingredients and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and cover and simmer for one hour. Strain the stock and toss the solids. You should get about 10 cups of vegetable stock. You can freeze half for use at a later time. Or you can freeze in ice cube trays and pop out single servings as needed for sauces.

The Practice: When a recipe requires a lot of chopping we have to stand tall with a strong core. Mountain pose delivers the core strength to face many of life’s challenges. Harness the qualities of the pose while prepping your soup stock. Strength. Power. Longevity. Height. These are the qualities of your divine self. As you stand tall and prepare this dish, connect with the mountain strength that is your life.

Mountain Pose (Tadasana) Instruction: Stand tall at the top of your mat, feet hip distance apart, spread the toes to create a strong base. Draw the shoulders away from the ears and open the arms while spreading your fingers.

The Shift With Skip Radio Guest – Stephen Ewashkiw

Stephen Ewashkiw

International yoga teacher Stephen Ewashkiw is my guest on the ShiftWithSkip radio podcast. Stephen has taught almost everywhere — from Canada, Italy, Sweden to China, Russia, Indonesia and more. He strives to bring the joy of the practice to his students and his classes are a fun, challenging blend of Hatha yoga, alignment, meditation, and Tantric philosophy. Stephen believes a yoga class should involve laughing, learning, and sharing, coupled with the other benefits of yoga – a really incredible workout, getting fit, learning about yourself, being healthy. In 2013 Stephen and his wife Jane decided to take a few months off and travel the world on their bikes and after 16 months of travel, visited 22 countries, and covering 10,000 miles all on bicycles.

Join us as we talk global yoga, the world bike trip and how those experiences shaped his yoga practice.

Listen On-Demand

My segment with Stephen Ewashkiw is available by clicking here.

For information on California Native plants and more visit: Theodore Payne Foundation

For real honest to good Vegan donuts from the Donut Friend visit: here.

Follow Stephen’s Journey via:

Webpages: www.blaim.me, www.myfiveacres.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/blaimyoga

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blaimYoga

Instagram: http://instagram.com/blaim

Stay up to date with my latest guests or listen to past shows On-Demand via my radio page.

This Week’s Meditative Thought – Setting Intentions

© M B / Attribution-ShareAlike Named after Janus, the Roman god who is associated with doorways, beginnings, and transitions, January is the perfect and natural time for setting intentions; to be more, to stretch, and to grow. To start, it is important that you be willing to expand your mind, body, and spirit. This week, today, at this moment begin remembering that each day is a new day, each moment is a new moment, each breath is a new breath. Use this new day to grow and be more than you ever thought you could be.

This Week’s Action Plan: Walk through the doorway of intentions and start again. Create your own restart button and realize that you part of power eternity that God has set you on. Take time to meditate on the newness of each breath, moment, and day. All this week, take that step and look toward setting intentions and seek the freshness of God, and refresh your life.

Peace and blessings,

– Skip

Happy New Year, I Heart Yoga, Miso Soup and Changing Your Mindset

Happy New Year and making promises to yourself.
The How-Do’s of Transformation this week’s Radio Replay.
Yoga may guard against heart disease, recent study finds.
A Miso Soup recipe from my upcoming book, The Lotus Kitchen.
3 Ways To Get More Out Of Your Exercise Routine By Changing Your Mindset.

The Lotus Kitchen – Party Miso Soup

My latest recipe from my upcoming book, The Lotus Kitchen is Miso Soup. New Years seems to be a perfect time to make this great meal. For over 2,500 years miso has been a staple in Chinese and Japanese diets, where most people greet their day with a warm bowl of miso for breakfast to energize their bodies and stimulate digestion. Miso is a powerful detoxifier containing essential amino acids, making it a complete protein. You can make this soup for a crowd or you can store it in the refrigerator and enjoy a hot cup in the morning before you begin your yoga practice.

8 cups water
1 inch fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 cup Shiro miso (a fermented soybean paste)
Bunch of scallions, thinly sliced
1-cup firm tofu, chopped 1/4 of an inch

Bring 7 ½ cups of water and ginger to a boil. Whisk miso and 1/2 cup water in a small bowl until smooth and whisk into soup. Add tofu and scallions and simmer for a few minutes before serving. Serves 8-10

The Practice: The healing properties of Miso bring you back to a state of equilibrium as does the classic yoga pose Downward Facing Dog. It is a perfect pose to rest, so we may begin again. When the practice brings you to fatigue, remember Downward Facing Dog and the perfect equilibrium.

Downward Facing Dog Pose(Adho Mukha Svanasana) Instruction: From a kneeling position place hands and feet on the mat and lift the hips toward the sky to create the perfect upside down V shape. Hands should be shoulder width apart and feet hip width apart, spreading fingers and toes to create a strong base. While practicing Downward Facing Dog, create a mantra or chant that states that you are whole and renewed. Create an affirmation that affirms your healing is taking place now. For example: “My body knows how to heal itself and I am open and will allow it to be.”

Happy New Year

HappyNewYear-2015 Wishing you a Happy New Year! 2014 was busy year and one that took me across the country and around the world sharing what I love best and meeting both new and old friends. I’m especially thankful for all my loved ones close and near and my team who keep me sane. I’m also especially grateful to my colleagues and to all of you for the encouragement you showed me this year. Let’s make 2015 and even better one.

In 2015, let’s think about making promises to yourself. But instead of making a list of specific resolutions, make a promise to yourself that as you go along (living in the present moment) to live the best life that you can. Give yourself the opportunity to experience new things with much less stress. Let this coming year be productive no matter where you are at in your journey. Wishing you a happy and adventurous 2015!

Peace and Blessings,

– Skip

Happy Holidays Message

This time of the year is one of my favorites as it encompasses the sacred holidays of light; “Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa”. It’s during these holidays that I encourage you to reflect your inner light to illuminate a world that appears to be shrouded in darkness. With the news seeming filled with dark events let’s embrace with an open heart the elements of the Devine Light of the universes such as: joy, compassion, power, abundance, grace, and prosperity.

This Divine Light lives within all of us and is an illuminating presence that is felt deep within an open heart. This Light was here at the beginning of all time and is with us throughout our lives. Let us tap this Light and share the Love, Joy, Compassion, Oneness, Abundance, and Grace in every situation in our lives. When we surrender to its existence, we will have a purpose, a calling, and our existence can have meaning. During this time remember the reason for the season. Go out and shine your Light.

Wishing you and all your love ones a very festive and happy holidays.

Blessings,

– Skip

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