Yoga VS Religion

Close your eyes and imagine indulging in pure relaxation, existing in a state where you have a clear mind, a lean body and an open heart. Part of what I just described may totally sound like a drug high but I promise that’s not where I’m going with this, what I’m speaking of is yoga. As I delve deeper into my yoga practice I discover new things every day. I recently came across an article that addressed the issue of yoga and religion. Being the open minded person I am I guess I can understand why someone may feel as if it has to be a choice between the two, but I stand firm in my belief that not only does it not go against a religion (Christianity or any other) but the two may actually be able to go hand in hand if you tailor it that way for yourself.

Christian yoga seems to be an emerging concept, something very new to me but interesting nonetheless. To have “Christian yoga” insinuates that Christians cannot practice yoga, as it would be against their beliefs. I completely disagree. No matter what god you serve it shouldn’t exclude you from practicing yoga. Some may refer to it as modern day yoga. So you know how Americans take concepts from other countries, strip them of their true essence and kind of turn it into something new, yeah that’s the idea behind modern yoga. The word yoga derives from an ancient Indic language of India, Sanskrit, and holds the literal meaning “to join” or “to unite” which is exactly what the practice of yoga does. Though the practice does have roots in Hinduism, in modern times we tend to focus more on the physical practice than the spiritual practice.

Experiencing the connection between the mind and the body allows one to become more self-aware on both mental and physical levels. You begin to better understand your body – what affects it, what feels good, what things it would probably be best for you to let go off. In doing so you can learn to love deeper and appreciate the things in life you never have before. Gaining appreciation for the other people and things we share this land with, in my eyes connects you with whichever god you serve that much more. For Christians in particular who believe that God is the creator of all things, attaining a mental state where you are grateful for not only the world he has created but all that he has blessed you with personally seems almost ideal. Clearing your mind of toxins and negativity gives you ample room to do so. It teaches you how to accept what is resulting in way less stress in daily life. Yoga is a time for coming into one accord with one self. In doing this you could even build time in your practice for a prayer or the occasional “amen”.

Just as religions have many different branches and interpretations, you can take the practice of yoga and personalize it to work for you and your lifestyle without sacrificing its efficiency. If nothing else, you get a work out.

YOGIS UNITE !!!

xoxo, Brionna :)

#DontsupportKendallJones

A Texas Tech cheerleader, Kendall Jones, is now being ripped apart on social media after posting “souvenirs” from her big game hunting endeavors. 19-year-old Kendall is now taking to Facebook and twitter with the help of her supporters to defend her craft as a huntress.

There was a movie called The Purge that came out about a year or two ago that allowed the residents of America to kill for a whole 12 hours without any repercussions. The movie was quite entertaining, however the concept was not only barbaric but also completely and utterly absurd! To be free to go around and kill living things without consequence is animalistic and wrong. However, many people including The Hunter Defense Fund, Jones, and her supporters feel that they are actually not murderers but humanitarians. According to her Facebook, one of the huntress’ main reasons of defense is that the financial resources provided by hunters actually feeds the economy and in turn helps everyone. She also feels that hunters like herself, help to regulate the overpopulation of certain species.

Now those who support Kendall and other hunters would probably quickly go into defense mode and say, “if we can eat them, why can’t we hunt them”, but you see its not always what you do, but why you do it. There is a circle of a life of course. We are provided with the resources that the higher being has supplied us with on this earth to survive. If that means some cows, chicken and fish must die so that we as humans can nourish our bodies then we can probably charge that to the concept of “the circle of life”. What we can’t charge to that concept though, is killing endangered species in the name of economic contribution or population regulation. When you hunt what you’re doing is murdering a living thing with feelings for your own entertainment.

This is a very controversial subject so I won’t say too much, but what I don’t understand is how anyone in his or her right mind could actually defend this girl or this practice. Just think, how would you like it if someone came into your territory to hunt you while you were simply trying to live your life and mind your own business. Let’s face it; a lot of us act more like animals than the inhabitants of the jungle so is it okay to just end the lives of those who you feel are of lesser value. Please don’t misunderstand me, I respect anyone with a passion for their craft as I am a person with such, but what she’s doing is wrong. Facebook should indeed ban Kendall Jones from posting these photos, which clearly promote a blatant disregard for animals and animal cruelty. In addition, I totally agree with the efforts to ban her from hunting grounds of Africa. So do you #supportKendallJones ?

xoxo, Brionna

The Book Of the World

A great person once spoke the words “the world is a book & those who do not travel read only one page”. Vacationing to beautiful islands and lying on the beach is great, but there is a lot more to seeing the world than just some beautiful blue water. Experiencing lands which are foreign to you gives you one of a kind insight – a chance to gain new perspectives on things you would never have imagined.

One of the chapters in my personal book of travel is Paris, France. In the spring of 2013 I studied abroad for an entire semester in the beautiful city of lights and got the chance to see several European countries. I actually got the chance to see more places in 5 months than many people do in 5 years & I wouldn’t have traded the experience for the world. European cities in general are very similar to those we are familiar with here in the U.S. but little did I know, I would get the opportunity to visit one of the most naturally & culturally rich places on the globe.

In less than 4 hours, after departing the city of Paris I ended up in a land much different from any other I had ever seen before. I was now in Marrakech – the capital of Morocco. (For those of you, who do not know, that is a country in Northern Africa, in close vicinity to Europe). Stepping out of the airport we were immediately smacked with a completely different level of heat. It was 108 degrees and it was barely afternoon! I mean so hot that the shuttle bus air conditioning didn’t even produce cold air, just cool. I was in Africa. Beautiful would have to be an understatement in describing this place.

After arriving, one of the first things we did was visit an authentic Kasbah. We all reluctantly got out of our shuttle bus back into the heat to visit the restaurant and take a walking tour through the town’s exotic forests. Here is when it truly hit me. We are Americans. We think like Americans. We live like Americans. Our tour guides were children because here, children have to work and contribute to their households. We were bombarded with solicitation of dates, an indigenous fruit. It was almost as if they knew we were Americans and that when Americans come you ask them for money, because they have it. The kids were relentless and desperate and suddenly my heart was broken. Throughout the course of the trip we got many tours and even the chance to get authentic henna tattoos, probably much better quality than the ones you can get in New York. This experience was hands down the most eye opening part of not only my trip to Africa but the entire semester. A kind man of the town gave us henna tattoos free of charge and refused a tip. He proposed to us, “do not tip me, we do not accept tips. Tipping goes to only one person, while if you purchase from our town shop it goes to the entire community”. He may not have known it, but this statement from this very generous man spoke volumes about the world we as Americans live in. Not only do we accept tips, but we expect them! This Berber man taught me something that no other experience ever had. For a country that lacks in finances, I was completely floored by their level of resourcefulness. Americans take so many things for granted and we are all about self. The Berber people understand the value of using what they have to the greatest advantage and sticking together. With no indoor plumbing and some without electricity these beautiful people use every resource they have available to them to make a better a life. When I say resources, I’m not just speaking of the ones that grow from the land. They use their intelligence; they use their love, to build unity in their communities with the understanding that it truly does take a village.

I saw the Mona Lisa, rode camels in the Sahara desert, ate escargot & authentic paella in Spain but none of that equals the lessons I learned while in Morocco. I also saw women slave away to make the very oils we use to satisfy our vanity by simply going to the store and swiping a credit card. I learned a sense of true community togetherness and perseverance - What is more beautiful than that?

RIDING CAMELS IN THE SAHARA

PLAYING WITH MONKEYS IN THE OLD TOWN SOUK

MY ATTEMPT TO LOOK LIKE ONE OF THE BERBER PEOPLE

Xoxo, Brionna :)

ABC's New 'Black-ish'

Summer is in full swing but in true Brionna fashion I’m thinking ahead. The only thing not dreadful about the end of the summer is the juicy fall television we have to look forward to, and of course my birthday which is in October! If you are a true television junky like me the one show that pops in your head before any other is more likely than not Scandal. The political drama is by far one of, if not the best thing, to hit primetime since I don’t even know when. Luckily for us though, ABC is producing more quality television just like this.

Being added to the fall television lineup is comedic family series ‘Blackish’ starring some names we all know and love. Andre and Rainbow Johnson played by Tracee Ellis Ross and Anthony Anderson struggle to keep their four environment adapted kids grounded in the African-American culture growing up in a mostly-white affluent neighborhood with the help of Andre’s old-school dad played by Laurence Fishburne. Cinema Blend reports that the behind the scene creative contributions come from members that are also behind a successful sitcoms such as “The Game”. Here’s a clip from ABC’s new comedy.

I’m thinking comedy powerhouse Anthony Anderson, veteran actor Laurence Fishburne, and the beautiful and oh-so talented Tracee Ellis Ross together can only mean one thing – good television! Let’s not forget the kids who will probably take the show to a higher level of comedy. I’m not too familiar with any of the four Johnson children - Yara Shahidi (Zoey), Miles Brown (Jack), Marsai Martin (Diane), or Marcus Scribner (Andre Jr.) however I’m confident that with the lead of the elder actors the cast will pull together and deliver us the fun loving, comedic, and heartwarming programming most of us like to see. Perhaps it will give us the family dynamic of The Cosby Show, the quick witted comedy of Girlfriends and the modern feel of Modern Family.

I can’t wait! 

Xoxo, 

Brionna :)  

Living A Stress Free Life - According to Epictetus

A philosopher once said, “some things are up to us and some things are not up to us” and these are wise words if I’ve never heard some before. The Greek stoic philosopher Epictetus said these words in his piece The Handbook, which focused on key themes shared by stoics of his era. We often spend time stressing and focusing on things that we can and never will be able to control thus unnecessarily pushing ourselves further back from true happiness, the ultimate life goal according to Epictetus and Aristotle. As I mentioned in previous posts I share the same ultimate life goal - genuine happiness - and plan to live in such a way that is conducive to attaining such a goal.

Many philosophers touch on subjects that aren’t really relatable or applicable to everyday life. In his teachings, Epictetus pretty much lays out a foolproof guide to living a less stressful life that some may easily over look. It can be used as somewhat of life guidebook. He speaks about three major concepts: attitude being key to happiness, ataraxia, and caring only about that, which is in your power. Caring about what can control. Here are some things that are both in and out of our control as humans. Those things we cannot control we should not stress about because in the end it is pointless to give energy somewhere you will never be able to humanly change. 

WHAT IS UP TO US →	WHAT IS NOT UP TO US →
Opinion (our ideas about things)	Body (the body we are born with)
Pursuit (what we choose to go after)	Property (material goods)
Desire (our wants)	Reputation (what others think about us)
Aversion (opposite of desire—what we do NOT want or what we actively push away)	Command (what others force us to do)

Ataraxia à This is the practice of detaching yourself from what you can’t control. Epictetus tells us to detach our desires and our aversions—the things we want and the things we do not want to happen—from anything out of our control in Section 2 of The Handbook. Curbing your wants and desires will help you do this. Attitude is the key to happiness. The idea that it’s not what you are faced with, it’s how you deal with what you are faced with. Always remember keeping a positive attitude towards everything in life and not dwelling on the unchangeable will indeed alleviate unnecessary stress and leave space for more positivity. 

Thanks Epictetus for the eye opening ideas!

Sans Viande Recipe # 1

These two things have to be the best things known to man, not to forget about sleep though. I love food and food is LOVE <3.  After some self-reflection I discovered that I've officially maintained my meat-less diet now for a solid four months. Exciting right? True dedication! I am not your traditional vegetarian, but I am a pescatarian.

Every time I say, “I’m a pescatarian” someone responds, “Huh? What? A Presbyterian”. NO! A pescatarian is simply a vegetarian that eats seafood.

Now, this hasn’t been the hugest transition ever since I was never the biggest red meat eater any way, but in my past life chicken was everything. Surprisingly enough I haven’t even had the slightest craving for a succulent buffalo wing with good ranch dressing from Dallas BBQs. Can you tell that I’m lying through the very movement of my fingers on this keyboard or am I convincing? Of course I've wanted a chicken wing or two but I’ve been strong. There are wonderful meat alternatives and yummy veggies to keep you away from all the yucky chemicals in the meat of today’s world. Eat up! 

Here’s a super fun, super tasty, & most importantly SUPER DELICIOUS recipe. I haven’t tried it yet, but I certainly will soon! Of course follow the guidelines to ensure correct preparation of dish, but I always like to put a bit of a twist any time I get a recipe from a cookbook! 

Bon Appetit! :)

Seafood Stuffed Mushroom Caps

Submitted by: SNAVELA1 

Introduction

Im making these for superbowl so I wanted to list them before, trying to stay away from the wings and dip!

Minutes to Prepare: 15

Minutes to Cook: 12

Number of Servings: 10

Ingredients

20 Large Mushrooms
1 Can (6 oz.) of Crabmeat
1 Tbsp. Light Mayo
2 oz. 1/3 less fat Cream Cheese
2 Tbsp Reduced Fat Parmesan Cheese
1/8 tsp Seasoning Salt
1/8 tsp Black Pepper
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Lemon Juice
2 Tbsp. Chives

Directions

Preheat oven to 400.
Clean mushrooms and remove stems.
Mix all other ingredients in a small bowl.
Stuff the mushrooms evenly with the crab mixture.
Place on baking sheet, ungreased, and bake for 12 minutes.
Serve.

Number of Servings: 10

 Xoxo,

Brionna J

15 Reasons Joshua Becker Thinks We Should Blog

Sitting at my desk at work (yes I do actually work, at work, I just needed a break) I came across this really interesting article that completely help me put in to perspective why I decided to create a blog. Joshua Becker just about sums it up perfectly in his article 15 Reasons I Think You Should Blog.

It’s a quick thought provoking read. Totally worth it! 

Xoxo,

Brionna :)