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Finally!

Enjoy dancing into May, loved ones...

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If you like this then you probably also like my lebenslustiger.tumblr.com page - lots of more springy pictures.

I put my "Best Of" collection there.

xoxo

Before the day starts I do yoga every morning!

O.k.

I TRY to do Yoga every morning... 

It's actually so much easier to do it every morning as a ritual, because then these stupid conversations inside your head, whether this or that would be more urgent to do than doing yoga, are simply swept under the mat. 

Yoga IS goodforyouandyourbodyandyourhealthandtheuniverse - so let's do it!

With Yogis Anonymous or Yoga Easy or a great DVD or in your favorite yoga studio or just you and yourself - everything works - and with regularity comes ritual.

According to Constanze Kleis, rituals can give us something truly amazing: roots and wings simultaneously. Psychologist figured out the true potential of rituals. They are a sort of base camp for feelings and are identified as the most important stabilizing factor in families as well as bringing forth and fostering creativity, imagination and awakening.

WOW!!! 

Well - that's totally worth it, right?

Do you have any rituals? 

"Post aus meiner Küche" is a great event where - this time -  chocolate creations are being shipped throughout the country this week. I chose to do a Raspberry - Hibiscus - Chocolate spread and a Cocoa - Baguette for Martina from Mathilda-Kuchen im Glas, my partner in crime.

To make up for my less then stellar cooking skills I figured to stick with simple recipes, but exquisite ingredients: 

Maracaibo Classico 65% - WOW - doesn't that sound magical??? Found it Here ...

250 gr Raspberry (fresh or frozen)

200 gr Maracaibo Classico

3 EL Hibiscus leaves

50 gr Cane sugar   

1/2 TL old Aceto Balsamico (next time, I would increase that amount)

Crush the leaves. Gently cook Raspberrys, sugar and the crushed Hibiscus for 2 min. Strain through a sieve and add chocolate and balsamico. Stir until chocolate is melted. The warmth of the berry sirup should be sufficient to melt the chocolate - if not, fill another bowl with warm water (not too hot!) for a water bath.

Fill! Cool! Enjoy! (I licked out the bowl - D I V I N E...) 

The receipt worked very well - I only worry that the spread might be not soft enough since the berry's didn't produce a lot juice... M A R T I N A...bear with me, please...

To accompany the spread I wanted to bake a cocoa-bread baguette style. I searched the net and surprisingly it wasn't easy to find a recipe which didn't turn out a cake-like (instead of my desired baguette-like) chocolate bread.

This one is close to what I dreamt of:

150 gr flour

150 ml warm water

10 gr yeast (I used a third of a fresh block)

mix and let sit for 30 min

Then add:

350 gr flour

1 tsp salt

70 gr sugar (I used less...)

50 gr cocoa (I used more...)

70 gr soft butter (I used olive oil instead - remember: baguette-style...)

ca. 175 ml warm water

mix into pre-dough, knead well, let it rest for another half hour. Form two breads and put them on a greased sheet. Let it raise for 1 hour, wet the surface slightly and bake ca. 35 min at 175 degrees. 

We instantly savored the still warm cocoa bread with butter - and - really nifty - topped it with Chili cheese! Y U M M Y !!!

When I moved from southern California to a rural village in northern Germany, my yoga classmates transformed from Hollywood celebrities and world-class teachers to cats and computers.

Also, lately there is definitely a lack of Mantras going on during my every day morning practice...One scraggy breathed "Om" along the hardwood floors...Spirituality? - are you there???

Well - uhm - I just keep warming up then for now...

....and show you three of my favorite Mantras: 

'So Hum':Symbolizes life's steady rhythm and energy. Breathing in, the sound 'soooo' emanates - breathing out the sound 'hummm' leaves the body. Easy to hear without even saying the words. Just consciously breathe through the nose and there it is...

'Om Namaste': 'Om' THE cosmic ur-sound, applied since thousands of years to harmonize body, soul and spirit and to manifest oneness and connectedness within each and everything. 'Namaste' - I'm sure you know - is a greeting- and worship gesture and symbolizes as well all-embracing oneness.

'Om Mani Padme Hum': 'Om' and 'Hum' stand for beginning and end; 'Mani Padme' invokes the Absolute. Freely interpreted it's a Mantra for Wisdom and Compassion.

Next time I'll show you three more mantras.

Usually mantras are sung or recited at the beginning and end of a yoga session. That could be a "simple" 'Om' or more elaborate and longer Sanskrit texts or chants. Unfortunately that's already too much for some. Too much Spirituality - too much Meditation - too much weirdness - to much yoga fuss...

Everyone needs to make up it's own mind - for me it's actually not too important to know the exact meaning or translation of a mantra - I just welcome and embrace these magical, strange sounds and words with an open mind. It's about taking in it's awesome sound energy: Invigorating, harmonizing and relaxing!

Actually all forms of singing are pleasant, comforting and really healthy. Even the planets are humming in certain frequencies! Do you hear the beat under your feet???

XOXO

P.S. The new jewelry pieces can be found here, here or e-mail me: lebenslustiger(at)gmail.com