The Raw Blog

Scientifically Interesting

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 15:59:00 GMT

There was a scientific research in Lausanne in 1930 that examined our bodies reaction when it gets filled up with cooked food. The number of white blood cells increased and this same reaction happens when we get a virus, infection or any other toxins in our bodies....

They also studied the reacion with uncooked but processed food, i.e. white flour, sugar, rice (and we are talking about 1930!!) and there was the same bodily reaction. While with raw unprocessed food nothing of the above happened... Isn´t that cool?

So while eating raw your body can actually do what it is meant to do. This is why you get a much better immune system as you incorporate more raw in your life and also the reason why turning raw when getting a bad disease. Your body actually have the time to heal itself, ever heard about Ann Wigmore ;-)?

Just think the difference for our bodies if we changed like 1 meal per day.... and what about two?

It´s always cool when you learn new stuff, get the explanations why you feel so great on raw food.

On my way out to Central Park for a long run before my yoga class (didn´t that sound great :-) )

In Yoga & Raw Food Heaven -NEW YORK

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 14:41:00 GMT

So here I am, in NYC and I feel so blessed! My son Dennis and I came in last Friday and we are expecting my husbands arrival later today. And for me this is my own yoga and raw food heaven. I can take wonderful, inspirering Jivamukti classes with the best teachers daily. Saturday I took Jules class, he is David Lifes nephew. He is funny, really funny and spiritual. So this mixture attracts like 80 people per class and that is the maximum that can enter the class room, so there is always like 1,5 centimeter to the persons around you, left, right, in front and behind. It's fun b/c if someone loses the asana in triangle pose,imagine the domino effect ;-). What I miss the most when I am away from NY studio is the community. Imagine the amountof people that passes by since there are like 120 classes per week, ALL year round. Everyone interested in yoga, spirituality... sitting in the Jivamuktea café, hanging out before or after class. This is what I miss! But I have it now and God am I thankful!

So yesterday, I managed to wake up Dennis early 5.30 , to take the 7 o'clock bus from Port Authoroty up to Woodstock, where my Gurus David Life and Sharon Gannon have their Ashram. Every year in August they teach 3 hour morning classes in an intimate group setting, we're just 45... David was teaching. It was a great class, and I was so happy to be able to be part of that. It was worth every five hour of bus trip (in total). The class was about the cages that we find ourselves in. Many time we are put into these cages by sociaty, believes, culture etc, but some of the times we put ourselves there. What happens if you manage to open that cage, do you REALLY take the chance to step out or do you prefer to stay inside where everything you know is familiar to you? Why is it that many of the times we chose to stay in that cage even when we know that we limit ourselves. Honestly, WHY do we do that? I can just see my own limitations that I out up for my self; I am not good enough, I am no expert, but maybe all I need is some faith, faith in me... Just take a sec and think what limits you put up around you, those are the ones that we can change. So wow, I should really get my raw food café going in Mallorca, right? Just need to find some people to help me out ;-).

I'll admit....

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 22:50:00 GMT

I got lazy during the summer. The weather here in Spain, Mallorca is just marvelous. Today was the first cloudy day in a loooong time. I got so, so many things done. Finally I started the Jivamukti Yoga and Raw Food on Mallorca group on Facebook. While I was at t I also finished the Jivamukti Yoga and Raw Food Retreat event ton Facebook hat will happen up in Sóller the 25th until 29nd of October. Check it out!

Going to New York this Friday. It´s all going to be about raw food and yoga, getting the inspiration to start my raw food juice bar and take away place. There is so much to prepare and plan for. I'll let you know how it goes.

Love Petra

Focus of the month August 2010 - The Magical Power of Giving Blessings

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 22:55:00 GMT

What is realized in the yogic state of enlightenment is the oneness of being. In this state, all separation between self and other dissolves. The yogi realizes him- or herself as one with all that is. Then the world no longer appears as out there. I once received a letter from a person who was considered by many to be a saint. Instead of opening the letter with a normal salutation like, "Dear Sharon," he opened it with "Dear me in the form of you."
In order for a yoga practice to be helpful, it must acknowledge the obstacles to the goal of yoga and provide the practitioner with a means to overcome those obstacles. The main obstacle to the realization of the oneness of being (yoga) is perceiving others and your self as separate. So the practices must give you a means to dissolve the others in your life, or at least to purify your perception of who these others really are. When perception is purified then you realize that actually everyone in your life is arising from inside of you. What occurs inside of you is reflected in the people who appear in the world outside of you. So if you don't like the way someone else is behaving and you really want them to change, then you need to recognize that they are only acting as phantoms arising from your own past actions. You should not bother trying to insist that they change; instead you should initiate the change you want to see in them by changing your own behavior towards them now. The practice of giving blessings is a good way to start.
There is great power in giving blessings, not just for the recipient of the blessings, but also for the one giving the blessings. To bless someone is to enchant them. Through the act of blessing, unconditional love is transmitted energetically from one body to another. Through blessing another, you can transform them into a holy being by becoming a channel for love, and in the process you become blessed, because the blessing in a psychic way moves through you first. Uttering the name of someone is tremendously powerful. Most people can't help but respond when their name is called. When you give a daily blessing along with someone's name, the specificity of the action yields positive results that over time can transform you and the people in your life into holy beings.
Here is how it works; I call it the "blessing meditation": Sit comfortably, close your eyes and become aware of your breathing, feeling each time there is breathing in and breathing out. Start with the people you know and love, as it is easier to give blessings to them. Silently say the words, "Blessings to..." as you inhale, and as you exhale say the name of someone. Continue for several minutes, extending your blessings to include your family and friends; then move on to others, such as your past boy or girl friends, neighbors, bosses and co-workers. Make sure to include others with whom you have or in the past have had more difficult relationships. You will find that as you say their names, their images will appear to you. With consistent practice over time you will be able to not only see them, but also to feel their presence when you name them. Over time difficult issues that you may have with them will begin to resolve themselves. Over time you will find that when they make an appearance in your dreams they will appear as benevolent, positive presences. Over time you will find that when and if you do encounter them physically, your relationship with them will have magically and dramatically changed-you will feel that there is a new ease in your interactions with them. They will seem friendlier towards you. The feeling that they are coming at you will be lessened as your awareness of where they actually are coming from grows-from inside of you.
No matter how many good deeds you do or the many profound and intelligent words you may say, what people will remember most about you is how you made them feel. If you really want to live a life of service to others, it is helpful to learn ways to make others feel good. Learning how to give blessings in an anonymous way is a powerful means to transform your world and the world of others. Because it is done anonymously, you don't run the risk of inflating your ego, which could happen if you were to give the blessings in person. Also it would probably be impossible to actually contact each person in person or even by phone or email every day to tell them you love them and bless them, and it would also surely become annoying to most of them. And since they live inside of you anyway, the most direct means to contact them is to go within your own heart. When you say their name in a sincere loving way you both fall into love, dissolved into the universal heart-your own true being-eternal reality.
But don't expect immediate results. Patience is important when you are cultivating your new reality. Every action, whether it is as subtle as a thought or more formed as a word or a deed is like a seed being planted in the soil which will become the ground of your being. Seeds take time to grow. And it is not only time that will ensure healthy growth: a seed must be nourished by the right foods. Consistent loving care will yield positive results. When the seeds you have planted begin to sprout, you will enjoy watching how the people around you will begin to grow and blossom into the people you wish them to be, and you will discover yourself as the person you always knew you could be.
-Sharon Gannon

Focus of the month July 2010 - Forward into the Past

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 18:13:00 GMT

Every month I will post the focus of the month from Jivamukti Yoga School. Maybe you are taking my Jivamukti classes here in Palma de Mallorca and already heard some of my exploration in the yoga scriptures or maybe you just about to read it. Either way please take this opportunity to express your own thoughts! This is how we learn and deepening our insight in these different subjects throiughout the Jivamukti year :-).

Forward bending is the most ingrained of all movements. We will always bend forward to pick something up, even if we could bend backwards, and we sit on chairs at work, at home, at the movies and elsewhere. We rarely think much about bending forward in everyday life, but when we practice forward bends in our asana practice, we become acutely aware of tightness in our hamstrings or hips, sensitivity in our lower backs or fear, anger or sadness that arise seemingly out of the blue. Many students find these asanas the most challenging, and many avoid them in order to minimize physical or emotional discomfort that may arise from stretching the back of the body.
Forward bends take us into our past, giving us opportunities to resolve deep psychological issues which over time have become lodged in the joints, muscles, organs and other tissues of our bodies. Forward bends activate the second chakra - swadhishthana chakra - located at the level of the sacrum, pelvis, hips and groin. Swadhishthana chakra corresponds to our creativity and sexuality and to our relationships with our children and to our romantic, sexual, creative and business partners. When we practice forward bends, we are often confronted with past karmas relating to these people and issues in our lives. These karmas result in physical and emotional restrictions and fears that can hold us back from fully expressing our creativity and sexuality. By noting the sensations and emotions that arise during forward bending without judging, denying or running away from them, we purify the second chakra, resolving relationships and setting ourselves free from the bonds of those karmas.
Forward bends also yield many physical benefits. They tone the abdominal glands and organs; they improve digestion; and they can relieve menstrual cramps. These asanas also tone and strengthen the hip flexors and the muscles on the entire front of the body, while increasing the freedom of the muscles on the back of the body, including the hamstrings. Many people find it more difficult to bend forward and be still for a few minutes than to do many sun salutations. This can be because of physical limitations, but it can also be because the forward bending position is a humble position, a position of surrender and letting go. A consistent forward bend practice can help develop humility, patience, endurance and focus.
The seat in forward bends may vary from only the feet, as in uttanasana, to the backs of the legs and hips, as in paschimottanasana. One important aspect of proper alignment in all forward-bending asanas is that the feet, legs and chest are not passive. The feet are alert and supportive, whether the ankles and toes are flexed or pointed. In many forward bends, the quadriceps are contracted, while the backs of the legs are lengthening. The chest should not be sunken or closed in, and the shoulder blades should be moving down the back. The movement into the asana usually originates from the heart center with a preparatory inhalation. Generally forward bending is deepened on the exhale and re-aligned or re-energized on the inhale.
If while in a forward bend, you can cultivate a mind free of negative thoughts and a heart filled with blessings and forgiveness toward others, you can begin to let go of anger, blame and resentment. Through practice, you will come to realize that the way others treat you is coming from the way you have treated others in the past. Forward bending offers a chance to reflect on and heal the past, leaving you free to move forward effortlessly into the future.
-Sharon Gannon

Welcome to my blog!

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 17:48:00 GMT

This is my first blog post on my NEW website!

Feel free to grab a cup of tea and a raw food cookie if you have one at home, put your feet up and take a look around. You'll find heaps of great content and information about my business, and there's plenty of goodies. I will post information regarding raw food, yoga, powerplate, holistic health counseling and also updates regading my teachings.

I hope you enjoy and feel free to let me know what you think!