I meditated with this hummingbird this morning. He visited so often I thought it would be easy to capture a photo or video. Ha…this 33 second video took me 2 hours of back and forth playing a game of him hiding every time I returned outside to try again. While I sat still meditating he was mostly a constant companion. Then, he started teasing me. Could he feel my energy…that I wanted something from him? Instead of being in the moment, did he sense I shifted from allowing what is to wanting what I could have? He taught me patience. He taught me to let go of wanting and getting. He taught me to walk away and let go. I set up my Nikon D7000 on a tripod, and walked away. I came back and found this. The journey was both frustrating and funny, mostly funny. I’ll see him again. He visits often. Hummingbirds bring happiness, joy and blessings. He made me smile and laugh and, I welcome that any day. 🙂
Look for symbols of joy and happiness in your day. Have you seen a hummingbird lately? Consider yourself blessed! Share what makes you smile and laugh in the comments below.
It feels like the morning struggles again, with life on daylight savings time requesting I wake up before my natural time clock. I thought I was loving my mornings then just that one hour earlier reminded me how I used to resist waking up and wanting to press snooze. Raise your hand if you can relate! 🙋🏽♀️
So what did I do?I woke up!! To break a habit it starts with noticing, catching yourself in the familiar thoughts and physical reactions. Then choose…go down that same road or switch it up, change the channel, do something different!
My Spiritually Fit Yoga circle on the Insight Timer app hosts weekday meditations and yoga, Monday-Friday 730am PST and 930pm PST. I queued up I AM Affirmations for Vibrant Health by Kenneth Soares and kept my commitment to meditate at 730am PST.
Stick to new morning meditation habit: 1
Snooze and grumble OLD habit: 0
I confess, the temptation was strong, to press that snooze button, and right now I really need my daily routine. It means a lot to me to commit to my self-care, to my mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Setting the tone of my day with affirmations, and ending my evenings with gratitude, are my medicine. Especially with the isolation of this last year, my mind has had too much time to indulge in doubts and fears.
Mindfulness, yoga, remembering to serve a highest good…they keep me going, in equanimity, and are my preventative measures against self-sabotage.
Meditation can lead you into the light of awareness.
I AM AWAKE. I AM AWARE. I CHOOSE TODAY.
Life is the great teacher. What lesson are you being asked to learn today? What is trying to get your attention right now?
Monday 4-530pm PST FREE 90 min. Master class with my teacher, Baron Baptiste!! Journey into Power, led by the founder of Baptiste Yoga. Book your spot here!
I recently posted a video and recipe making homemade almond milk. Here’s the link. And, follow me on Instagram! 🥰
Here’s what I made with the leftover almond pulp…YUM!Healthy CAN be tasty!! I love that there was no waste after making my almond milk!! These gluten-free bars passed the adult and kiddo taste test!! This recipe is vegan and dairy-free.
Note: Because I personally used a mix of mini vegan dark chocolate chips, and melted regular semi-sweet chocolate chips on top, my version is not technically vegan because of the butter in the chocolate chips. The chocolate topping is optional but, I also found that adding a thick smear of melted chocolate helped keep these bars intact and offered a pleasant crunch/snap. Slice your bars first THEN slather or drizzle with chocolate.
The most delicious Chocolate Chip Granola Bars made from leftover almond pulp! Or you can just use blanched almond flour if you prefer. These are full of flavor, are vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and oil-free and only 8 ingredients! SO much better than store-bought!
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 50 mins
Servings: 8 bars Author: Brandi Doming
Ingredients
• 1 cup (107g) almond pulp or 1 cup (112g) blanched almond flour
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons( 200g) pure maple syrup, room temperature (or agave)
• 1/4 cup (32g) ground flaxseed
• 1 cup (100g) gluten-free whole rolled oats, NOT quick oats
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup (120g) mini dairy-free chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life)
• 1/2 cup (128g) creamy roasted almond butter
• 2 teaspoons (10g) vanilla extract
Instructions
• Before following the recipe, if you are using homemade almond pulp, make sure you have squeezed out the excess moisture out really well, from preparing the almond milk. Papertowel dry it and store in the fridge overnight, as this helps to dry it out some. You do not need a dehydrator or to bake it to dry it out, but you also don’t want it too wet or to use it immediately after making your almond milk, because it could make the bars too wet.
• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees and line a 9X5 loaf pan with parchment paper hanging over the sides for easy removal later. Do you use a different size or bigger pan, otherwise the bars will be too thin and not bind well or hold their shape. They are meant to be thick bars like in the photos.
• Mix the syrup and flaxseed in a cup well with a fork and set aside for 10 minutes to gel up. Do not skip this step, as it is what acts as the “egg” and binds the bars to hold their shape.
• In a large bowl, combine the almond pulp (or almond flour), oats, cinnamon and salt and whisk well. Stir in the chocolate chips. I prefer mini because they disburse well and stay in tact better.
• After the 10 minutes is up for the syrup and flaxseed mixture, stir in the almond butter and vanilla until very smooth. Pour over the dry ingredients and stir for a couple of minutes until very sticky and absorbed, pressing with the back of your spoon to help mix.
• Add the dough to the loaf pan and spread out evenly and flat with a rubber spatula. You can slightly dampen your fingers to help press it down around the edges, as it will be sticky.
• For dough using almond pulp, bake for 30-32 minutes until very golden brown and firm on top. For dough using almond flour, bake about 27-30 minutes until very golden brown and firm on top.
Important
• Cool 1 hour before cutting, or they will fall apart. They firm up a lot as they cool. If desired, melt some chocolate chips and drizzle the tops for added sweetness or for presentation purposes. Honestly, they are plenty delicious without it, I just did it more for looks. Slice very carefully into 8 bars. Wrap each individually in plastic wrap and store in the fridge. They will hold their shape very well this way and it makes for an easy grab-and-go snack!
Inspired by Gabby Bernstein’s blog post titled “”Say This One Sentence to See the World Differently.” Repeat this mantra ““The light in you is all I see” throughout your day to shift your perspective, rewire your brain, change your mood.
“When you proactively see others in light, you allow the stream or well-being to flow.” – Gabby Bernstein
Yoga has made the most impact on my inner-life, in the way I experience life with ease, with less reactivity and more assuredness and connection to who I am. Yoga and meditation taught me to cultivate a habit of being intentional…intentional about the energy I choose to breathe into each moment, into my relationships, into my thoughts, into everything. Sure, I am grateful for the benefits of a strong, flexible, lean body resulting from years of a consistent practice AND the transformation I appreciate the most is the flexibility in my mind, softness in my heart, release of grasping and clenching onto habits and lies and stories which kept me stuck in an experience of sadness, depression, anxiety, and anger. Even just remembering when I used to live in heightened fight or flight I had to take a breath of relief and gratitude. It wasn’t that long ago that my life felt small and fake and forced. What if you could live each moment as if you stretched yourself out fully, from the inside out, into your body, into how you wish to express your highest self into this world, into how you want to play big? My wish is that you to use the tools of yoga, meditation, breath, and awareness to habitually experience life with ease, to expand and shine as you impact your existence with the gifts and talents your highest self is urging you to share. Go inward yogis and express out. May you experience life with ease….and play big! Namaste…
My updated teaching schedule this week:
Tuesday 3/28 5:30-6:45 Vinyasa Flow at The Yoga Fusion in San Ramon
Seven years ago I attended a yoga retreat where I set an intention to manifest my dream. After being led through a process of inquiry and, making a declaration in the present tense, I simply wrote “I am a yoga teacher.”Four days after my retreat I was invited to sub a yoga class, although I had not yet started my yoga teacher training (I was a certified fitness instructor.) It didn’t matter, I taught anyway, rocked the class, and I began my path as a yoga teacher. Was that coincidence? Abolutely not! There is power in putting out energy for what you want, and what I asked for was a “job” which allowed me to connect to my sacred path and support others in walking in their sacred footsteps. Duh! Yoga!
My teaching path has led me more towards the spiritual aspect of yoga, through the physicality of flowing and holding yoga poses (asana.) When I teach from my heart, and see my students, I sense I am in my greatest flow when I connect to why I really teach: I teach because I care. I believe in namaste: May all beings be free of suffering. I’ve experienced my share of suffering, and in life, suffering happens…shit happens. Yoga, meditation, and rewiring my brain has taught me to sift through the crap and go with the flow. I speak to this often in my classes and craft workshops dedicated to releasing self-limiting beliefs and choosing and generating an experience of ease. In this moment, in this chapter of my life, I feel called to spread the news that contentment, joy, laughter and love are possible and there is a way out of the muck of depression, anxiety, and despair. I KNOW this to be true. I’ve been there and I do the work to choose the path of least resistance instead of my old pattern of wallowing in the muck. And, now I’m equipped with tools to pull me out of the muck although I just don’t go there as often anymore. Nonetheless, my tools are at the ready, like a best friend throwing me a life-line if I notice I’ve dipped my toe into old, familiar yuk. Get the fuck out of the yuk.
Last Saturday’s Create Your Sacred Life On Purpose workshop was all about sharing those tools. The participants did the work to release the old, energize the new, and left with tools to notice the yuk, choose the clear path, play big and manifest their heart’s desires! To witness transformation in my students leaves me feeling like I’m on the right track…I’m spreading namaste and leading my sacred life on purpose! Yes!
Some reviews left by my amazing students:
Amazing teacher! I love Amelia’s flow classes! She makes it challenging and fun and when I’m done I feel relaxed but energized. Her spiritual guidance during classes opens up new ways of thinking for me. I appreciate her so much!
– Mary
Amelia’s the Best! Amelia is an excellent teacher. Very upbeat, friendly, knowledgeable and caring. She is an inspiration as she is so healthy and strong.
– Karen
Excellent, knowledgeable, professional I know Amelia, as she has taught me yoga from many aspects..physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Not only does she have a grand grasp of the physicality of yoga and the body, but she’s very spiritual herself, thus weaves spirit into her teaching seamlessly. She’s trained in a strong style of Baron Baptiste and continues to study and teach with enthusiasm. Her latest workshop in 2017 was fabulous and effective! I highly recommend Amelia!
– Carolyn
Practicing with Amelia has made me a better yoga student and more importantly, a yogi in tune with her soul and truth. I’m so grateful to have her as a guide along my path, making sure I have the tools to keep my compass pointing true.
– Jamie
Stay tuned for my next workshop.
Spread your love and light!
Yogamama Meels Namaste. May all beings be happy and free. May all beings be without suffering.
My sacred place. Another beautiful sunset over the Pacific Ocean. Jan. 2017 Kauai, Hawaii
