Creativity Archives - Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Vinyasa Yoga Common Mistakes and Creative Flow Moves

Vinyasa yoga flow is good for getting movement and activity flow through your systems. Learn some of the common mistakes below.

healthy chocolate mousse dessert gluten free. — Creative expression flow from winter to spring in a healthy (gluten-free) chocolate mousse dessert. 🎉Recipe below…

Vinyasa was introduced a few years after I started regular yoga that was just starting to grow in America. We were slow to catch on, immersed in our busy Western ways.

And the Vinyasa series was repeated.

Classic Vinyasa yoga includes 4 parts: Downward Dog, Plank, Chaturanga, and Up Dog.

vinyasa yoga flow. — Start at Down Dog and end in Up Dog.

These poses help your arm strength and back flexibility. All are great for flexing your back if you’re having back tension issues.

Vinyasa flow is good for life balance rhythm especially when you’re having a tough season and wanna work out your Pitta frustrations on your mat. And of course, yoga helps your body balance in the process.

The Vinyasa front down, on-the-mat poses complement your Plow Pose restoring your back.

We can easily need a tune up. And learning good form in the beginning helps to use as a guide.

When we don’t know any better, we choose the easiest form for our bodies.

To start, get into your Downward Dog pose. Feet are firmly grounded on the floor. You’ll then transition into Plank, Chaturanga and then Up Dog (Up Dog vs. Cobra vs. Sphinx).

Note: by the time you get to Up Dog, your tops of feets will roll transition and be on the mat vs bottom of feet. So your feet position is evolving as you move into the Vinyasa yoga pose.

And is often forgotten about.

On that topic, these are some of the common Vinyasa Yoga mistakes:

We forget to flow our feet. In Down Dog, our heels are not on the floor. Or our toes can be curled under on the mat in Up Dog, like in Plank Pose.

We forget to pause. You can slow down (as also a metaphor in life) and insert in a Child’s Pose from the Up Dog to Downward Dog transition if you would like a rest.

Another common mistake is in the hands. Hands are partially flat relying on finger strength on the mat (when it’s good to have full hands flat on the mat). Ideally, hands and fingers are flat on the mat that also helps to protect your wrists and awkward arm bends that could send strange sensations to your hand parts.

In Up Dog, often the position of hands are too low beside the body as you shift the top half of your body forward. Try to align with your shoulders.

And while we focus on hands and feets, we forget about our mid areas, where:

The buttocks are not peaked high enough in Down Dog for a higher pronounced “V.” If you’ve been to a class and received individual instruction, often the teacher will pull your mid-section body up. And that feels lighter and totally different than in a comfy “V” where the body feels weighted toward the ground.

Using a body mirror can help you better assess if your form is good.

Then naturally as we just hiked ourselves up: when we move into Plank pose, our Buttocks are too high in the air resembling a hill in Plank pose. Lower just a bit, so in a mirror you look more like a down sloping seesaw. There aren’t bumps in the middle.

And then in Chaturanga, don’t be in a hurry. Stay there longer for a few breaths and gain the arm strength building benefits. You feel control over your body.

Then Up Dog if you choose is your last part of the flow. There are slight differences between Up Dog, Cobra, and Sphinx. Up Dog is the one with the highest energy vibes.

Then before you get back into Downward Dog, pause into Child’s Pose if you like a rest.

And this is also a good place to insert other inspiring creative poses for Vata especially if you need more energy in your life (feeling Kapha tired).

Your Creative Vinyasa Flow

When you feel comfortable with the basics, you can also add your own yoga spin. Just like each yoga class is different, you can make your own yoga pose moves with your basic Vinyasa Yoga flow series. And these movements will benefit your body.

Yoga is about feeling good and getting the kinks out. And being physically creative can do just that!

One instructional move is that yoga is different than other forms of exercise.

For one, many of the yoga up moves are inhale breaths and down moves are exhales. It’s the opposite in many other forms of exercise.

Like, in weight lifting, when you lift up, you exhale and let go of the air. So switching up your breath inhale and exhale for yoga can be helpful and tricky. The most important point is just to breathe naturally and then let the rest follow. It’s more important to follow good breathing habits in weight lifting where you can unintentionally hyperventilate if you overexert yourself.

Give yourself grace in yoga!

Another move that’s fun to do (if you see it that way) is when you’re in Chaturanga: shift your toes and arms forward and backward on the mat where your height or plane distance on the mat doesn’t change. You’re constantly moving. 😊

What makes Vinyasa special is it keeps you flexible and moving and this helps your creativity. As you use your breath in flow, you get in touch with your deeper senses inside you. And this can help you tap into your creativity that can be missing in your life.

In modern life, unless we surround ourselves in creative environments and inspired, we can get out of touch with creativity.

That’s my story (and maybe yours) in corporate where creativity is as far removed as personal expression unless you have intentions to improve those areas in your day.

One easy way is create your own Vinyasa yoga flow. Maybe you add a Pigeon pose in between your Downward Dog and Plank pose. Or a Hare pose coming out of Up Dog. Or you add a Mountain pose after your Plank pose and then step or take a jump back.

You can reach your Mountain with just a ‘lil creativity and nudge. Sometimes you just need the suggestion or permission and then you’ve enhanced your day with a few more calming breaths and moments without breaking a sweat.

And if you’re feeling energetic, you could get into your hands up Tree or full Dancer poses. And then come back to your Mountain, fold down and jump or step back to Plank. And from there get back to Chaturanga.

The possibilities are endless in your creative day of activities that take just escape break minutes away from your work and devices.

Healthy Chocolate Mousse Dessert Recipe 💕

Print Recipe

gluten-free chocolate mousse dessert recipe

Chocolate Mousse Dessert (Healthy, Gluten-Free)

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Ingredients

2 oz Dark chocolate
1 tbsp Coconut oil
1-1/2 one egg and one yolk
1 tbsp almond flour

Instructions

Prepare baking vessel. Brush coconut oil and dust with cocoa.
Melt chocolate in bain marie with coconut oil.
Beat egg and any flavors (optional)
Add eggs to chocolate.
Fold in almond flour.
Pour into baking vessel. Bake for 12 minutes on 350°F. Do not overbake for a soft, gooey center.
Zhugh with healthy ingredients: raspberries, coconut shavings, mint leaves, pistachios, other chopped nuts, or orange zest.

Passion Project Ideas From Tapping Into Your Spiritual Side

passion project ideas graphic — Noodling passion project ideas on a whiteboard canvas.

Passion project ideas work wonders for engaging your happy self. The happy sides that lead to your bigger purpose spiritual sides with passion and purpose meant for you.

If you’re feeling like you’re not living up to your potential, then this is a good article for you to read to ignite your inner passion that can eventually become your manifested dream life.

Why?

Because your passions are aligned with your bigger dreams meant for you. And if you believe, always have been meant for you!

The dreams you dreamt about when you were younger… or you may have felt in the deepest part of your heart and soul at some point.

These often disappeared into daily life and busyness. And you can resurface these if and when you bring your this season’s passions to the surface that may have also slid away and hid for a better day.

BUT – Let this season bring on the BETTER day. And start putting the dream delivery process in motion.

Start with passion. Because If you’re missing passion, then you’re most likely missing purpose as closely linked together and a part of dreams. And passion is easier to initially uncover.

Finding your passion project ideas is one doable way to unravel the discovery tide. 🌊 It also can be exciting (breaks up routine) and if you’re underwhelmed, is a much-needed change in your season.

For better outcomes and for starters, give yourself at least a few days to mull over and process passion project ideas before starting to see if one sticks.

Here are the wise passion project ideas steps:

🌟Seek inner wisdom and get encouragement from others. There’s a spirit in all of us. It’s a valuable tool available to us. So we can dig deeper and elicit our spirits and other spirits to help us grow…

If we’re not used to exercising our spirit, getting external validation from conversations with others can be an easier way to start the process. Especially if we can have a tendency to overthink or not think enough.

So then collect encouraging words from friends about areas of your life, interests, hobbies, and work you enjoy that they admire.

Magnify those words. Those are often clues of truth received from Universe vibes where purpose comes from.

Specifically, highlight what others who know you genuinely say you’re gifted in. Listen to the specificity in their descriptions and comments. Use those gifts and turn them into a passion project. You may find you have a list of passion project ideas.

This is different than specific guidance and asks coming from others’ agendas. Those often come from the logical mind that are not going to bring our your intended passion, purpose, and dreams. So you’re best to turn those ideas down.

Use your feelings here as a guide.

Be open to seek and ask outside your circle sources, and maybe even slight strangers in daily chance meetings you’re in conversation with. Also look at those who you look up to outside of your direct family and friends.

It’s up to you to take that information and process it through your systems. And even if the first project isn’t where you end up, it’s a start to get the passion ignited. Action provides clarity to the next baby step. And trying several passion project ideas shows you what you like better relative to the other.

🌟Check-in with your moods and feelings. Your heart close to your spirit provides subtle guided feelings. Sometimes you can be misled as some surface feelings are confusing or mixed with daily moods.

Ask: is this is a daily passing mood-feeling? Daily moods are deceiving and changing during the day like the wind, and sometimes are affected by weather changes. Do you get in a tired mood when it’s cloudy-rainy outside?

Versus, seasonal moods and feelings that don’t shake off easily. Those temperature gauges are meant to help you specifically to your next step of change. Otherwise you may not want to make a change.

Example: if you feel tired, exhausted, and frustrated for a season (or with a situation), it’s time to look at other respite solutions and find your way to a new season with inspiration, interests, and passions.

If you don’t get internal or external answers, then simply dabble. Or doodle. Your intentions will help you in your manifestations.

Give yourself some time to gain clarity. Work on many things. One will jump out if you are dedicated to your best interest. Keep moving.

🌟Look around at your manifested clues and go for it. Where have you been called that you didn’t attempt to make happen either recently or in your more recent past and that you can make happen (again) today?

Think of where you may have turned down an opportunity and potential passion project ideas that were possibly meant for you, but was the wrong timing for you then or you lacked energy to pursue?

If you’re feeling stuck, let the motivation of getting unstuck move you.

Get determined. And then take one step forward.🦶🏼

Purposefully fake it until you make it… it sounds suspect but it’s an authentic move. You don’t have to air what you’re doing to the world or anyone.

Quietly take on your new steps, unstuck place, and the persona mindset you need to adopt to get there, so that you DO get there.

That’s the point.

🌟Seek passion project ideas where you’re being called.

Look for areas where you made decisions that you didn’t think much about but just seemed to happen easily.

These can come “out of the blue.”

They can be “suddenly” especially if they’re change-your-life decisions.

They can be impactful changes, but more likely you’ll find small daily changes that you make happen and that is meant for you. These daily smaller ticket moves can help steer you to the bigger ticket items.

Making things happen (big and small) can be as easy as replying to an email. And then seeing what is manifested for you.

Or… you just happen to turn on and watch a video or listen to a podcast and that got you started in a passion project direction. And that can snowball into your bigger steps.

If you know in your gut, you took the right healthy moves (at least for now), then your spirit is in it. The validation is the fruit, your happy satisfied feelings, and that you’re doing the project. The future will unfold the rest.

👣 And, look under your feet.

If you’re already doing a project, then you’re already entrenched and involved. That’s the confirming sign.

…Because so often we’re looking for the “next best thing” instead of focusing on what we’re doing in daily reality.

We’re looking beyond and out, and not looking (at clues) right under our nose. And feet. This is where your experience is and where your future will be in some way.

Objects are closer than they appear…

Use the magnifying glass instead of the telescope, and spark daily inspiration to work on these passion project idea areas in your awareness.

🌟See where you’ve excelled naturally. In my college Biology 100 level class, I remember I got a 100% on a mid-term test that was a highlighted college victory for me. That (natural) memory stuck with me where thousands of other memories dropped.

…And that’s commonly how it is for you.

Natural is Ayurvedic and it’s also a sign that it’s meant for you. Just like seasons, weather, and your body’s preferences.

My biology class memory was decades ago. In that memory, I remembered how much I enjoyed studying the human body and biology even though that wasn’t my college field or career path.

My first career job was in food catering management where learning food and dishes came naturally. I thought that’s how it was for everyone. We’ve all been eating since we were babies and kids.

But the fact is, some people don’t like food and don’t like meal prep. It’s can be a necessity and a hassle.

Only when I saw that it was special to me did my foodie and healthy work passion grow (leading closer to purpose).

What’s naturally easy for you?

🌟Connect the dots.

Take it a step further.

…Connect-the-dots.

Now I know why I like nutrition research so much. I connected-the-dots as to why those situations happened vs. so many others that could’ve happened. The ones that manifested were the ones that would become a passion.

And if you’re…feeling (still) stuck?

Maybe my past can help you…

When I was in corporate, the problem I had was that I was surrounded by robotic business language commonly used in a “real job” — the type of job that my family and network of educated friends took seriously.

Those high-level words used (symbolic for the work life I had) kept my mind away from wanting to create, and away from creating and writing useful, colorful guides that come from my inner creative spiritual sides…

Those ways didn’t align with my professional corporate identity I had back in the office working days.

The corporate side also didn’t help to align my inner child. The deeper inner child I discovered as a young adult needed healing FIRST, from years of being suppressed. And then could emerge to the surface as happy (embracing easy, fun, and practical).

And when I finally left corporate work, then I was able to remove the stigma and realize my creative passion desires and dub them as cool – and NOT silly.

I could also draw from my past hospitality foodie planning experiences as some of my first draft passion project ideas. And these days I have no problem with leaning into these sides! We all like to doodle in our ways. ✏️

But that was only after years of processing past trauma and being fully self-aware. Then the veil was lifted. I wasn’t held back in victim mentality and cloudy thoughts. All that helped my abundant, creative side emerge. And I believe is in all of us as purposes. It’s meant to be manifested if you want it to.

You can bring those sides out of you. They’re good for aligning your healthy and happy.

🎉 If you would like to get spiritual inspiration, you can find it on this channel where I write and talk ALL THINGS about spiritual and personal growth.

2- Ingredient Angel Food Cake

Ingredients

1 cup cake flour
12 egg whites

Instructions

Beat egg whites until stiff. Add a smaill amount of cream of tartar and sugar.
Add flour gradually, folding gently.
Line tin with parchment paper. Do not use butter or oil line the pan.
Bake at 350°F/180°C for 35-40 minutes. The top will have a light toasty brown color.

Turn Holiday Blues Lazy Ways Into Productivity

making waffle trees can bring holiday cheer instead of holiday blues — Bring some holiday cheer to holiday blues with an activity like making waffle trees 🧇

Holiday blues is common during the last two months of the year.

It’s the time of year where it’s easy to get lazy….

And, it’s a time where we can start to coast… crave more winter hibernation sleep and rest… and sometimes with a difficult year, get into our “let’s just get through the year” mantra.

It’s so easy to get caught up in holiday blues and sad emotions for what we don’t have and any losses we faced. Those situational feelings can turn into emotional unrest, where we end up blaming or hurting others or beating ourselves up.

And all this can be bittersweet because it’s also a seasonal time of renewal. And a time of holiday celebration. So we can oscillate between mixed emotions that we’re still processing…

BUT so, for your healthy breakthrough and escape from the stressors, do something productive instead.

Start with patting yourself on the back for something small and good you just did earlier today. Get that little stretch in to ease up the mood.

And if you just woke up… Congratulations, you are a new day wiser with possibilities.

While rest and relaxation is healthy to do and natural to catch up on, what if we did just a hair more with our lazy bones side where we want to lay around and do nothing or watch Neflix all day in our jammies (…we all have some Kapha in us afterall)?

What if instead to recharge the mind-body and get out of any funks, you re-channeled your energy into a NEW holiday purpose that becomes a new tradition?

That’s what creativity is. Creative energy comes from within. It’s tapping into the loving energy you have and not what you don’t have. Our ego love to focus on the negative. And the undesired behaviors show up as pity parties, Impostor Syndrome, or hurting others.

And if negative is how you deeply feel because your thoughts have been feeding you negatively, then that’s when it’s good to refocus on self-awareness in this moment. Get a handle on picking yourself back up. You can start with focusing on your inhale/exhale breath.

But another good way to get out of holiday blues is to bring back fond happy memories!…

Remember in your recent joy moments or past fun years when you came up with all kinds of resourceful activities? You baked cookies, danced around, and played games and outside in the snow. 🤸🏻

The younger-you was inventive with the resources you had. And that probably didn’t cost money or much as you used your creativity.

And today as an adult, you can remind yourself of those memories, and in that spirit do so much more with yourself because you’re not as limited.

At the least, you can make decisions you couldn’t as a kid.

And you’re years wiser than you once were. In wisdom, you want to grow. And that can mean being more than a life watcher. You can be an active participant in your activities.

You can participate in your interests in a meaningful way in your life. You can create more impact and find your purpose in this life that’s inside you.

So – what do you have interest in learning more about?

And if you can’t come up with anything if you’re feeling uninspired…

Do something outside to change up your surroundings.

Too cold outside? Perfect time to have a peppermint marshmallow fun hot cocoa beverage. Stick a peppermint stick in your drink and dress up the rim.

You could also sign up to be a holiday volunteer. Holidays have so many great once-a-year happenings that are healthy to do.

And if you’re wanderlust for snowy effects, watch a Christmas movie to get into the snow globe holiday cheer. And let that be a happy recent memory for you. ⛄️

Play Christmas songs or festive music. String up lights or some popcorn and cranberries (left over from Thanksgiving that’s a fun treat). All so you can get your holly-jolly on without a lot of effort.

And then after you get in your better joyful mood, you can start doing the activity that makes your heart sing. …Maybe it’s singing? …Maybe it’s working with your hands with something arts and crafts? 🎤🧶

Start a creative project and let that swallow up the anxious or lazy moods.

Just know that whatever you enjoy, not everyone else does. So that makes you a different snowflake. ❄️ You can show off your creativity and skills to your friends and fam and let them have some enjoyment of your talent.

Creativity could be what you’re missing in life… it’s a form of purpose. And it’s a gift that can get lost if you haven’t used it in a while. I know this too well because I didn’t know I had hidden talents until I started participating after holding onto lesser work-created moods.

And that can be just what you need…

Purpose and creativity brings passion (the opposite of boredom) to life!

When you start giving more of yourself in a way that makes you giddy, by default you’re fully feeling less moody blues. You have a purpose to get up beyond the daily hum-drum have-to-do’s.

And when your heart sings, you’re free from the rocky roller coaster wheel of emotions you once were feeling because then you substitute fleshly feelings for deeper content feelings.

Contentment is on another wave frequency than situational happiness. And if you’re not content watching or hanging out on the sidelines, at some point your ego will point out to you loudly that you’re not in your game. And most likely then you feel off in a funk mood or not aligned in what you’re doing and how you feel.

And that can often lead to unhealthy ways such as staying on the never-ending emotional roller coaster.

This is where excitement is high through the build up to the peak, and then it’s downhill toward rock bottom which is where boredom is. 🎢 You want to escape and dodge that way.

Because to pick up the lows, often costs something high… resulting in sadness, overeating, or our self-control when we’ve been trying to improve our discipline. And then that’s a point where our dangerous ego can attack us if we feel self-defeated taking two steps forward and one step back.

So my friendly advice and encouragement if you feel holiday blues this season is to get back to your healthy self first… maybe detox from what’s not aligned. And that will set you up for a much better end of year to springboard you into next year! 📈

Pool Meditation Idea For Ego Daily Calm

Pool meditation is underrated. And so is sea salt therapy.

Pink Himalayan sea salt therapy for cooling.

One of the intentions of Meditation is to quiet the mind that’s always running. And that’s how I came to discover pool meditation.

In any meditation, the peace is in the silence. And I have a pool meditation idea that worked for me… and I’m passing on to you in case you want to give it a try!

BTW, I am the first to admit I’m not a good half-conscious meditator. I prefer to silence my mind awake fully conscious and eyes open. And whatever works for you, works!

Specifically isolating the mind’s ego is a good goal for your meditation 🎯

…Because we’re stuck with our ego for life, and good or bad, whether we’re meditating or not.

And our ego is a good part of why life goes back to the way it was after the recent meditation effect gradually wears off. Even if that’s just ennui (boredom) that the ego can turn into woes-me.

When we go back to our lives from peace and meditation, the ego snaps right back into active mode. And it wants to be right (not necessarily happy).

So it’s a great idea to enhance the calming meditation effects and have it last longer.

I tried this for the first time years ago when I was practicing how to be conscious of the mind-body connection.

…Long before my first meditation experiences (when photos were fuzzy and taken from snap cameras 😉). Like traditional meditation, we could sit still in a chair or Indian-style sitting position on the floor.

And today for any of us, ongoing calm can be the day and every day when focused and engaged in the moment (that’s part of our modern day self-awareness movement).

And long before my first meditation experience, I stepped into this calm discovery decades ago in an indoor swimming pool… 💭

In one temporary corporate job I held many moons ago, there were two great job benefits. The first one was leaving at 5 pm that was not a common occurrence in any modern work in the Western world. You probably know what I’m talkin’ about!

And the second benefit (and first ever perk for me) was use of the indoor pool attached to the conference center I worked in.

That summer, every weekday at 5 pm on the dot I got excited about my day change. I jumped into my swimsut and I transformed into my meditation calm.

The first few minutes in the pool cooled me off (both in mind and body). And the longer I stayed in, the more calm I felt. Even on the drive home I could feel the stress of the world melt away.

pool meditation with a rainbow decorated unicorn float is always fun!

I still felt alive when I got home, that’s not the usual feeling from an exhausting work day around work people. And on some days I had a second job to go to. I had caught my second wind in the pool environment.

I didn’t need any special breathing techniques or calming meditation narration. The pool created a naturally calming effect on the Pitta summer side of things that’s heightened in the heat.

When you step into a cooling pool, it does your body good. Your body recognizes the environment as healing. Yes, it’s a healing pool of water. And our bodies are mostly water, so it’s natural osmosis.

You cool down with the shimmering body of blue water around you, and take yourself out of the usual dry earth we’re mostly around. Your mind can travel a million miles away from your life.

So it’s also an escape. 💭

And that’s how calming pool meditation can be for you where you dip your toes in this tranquil setting. You slip away from the earthly troubles and enter a new realm. Not to mention the blue ripple color is mesmerizing, serene, and good for eye-open meditators like me (…and maybe you too 👀).

You get a part two in your day like you’re starting a new day in the same day. And sometimes a start over if the first half wasn’t so good or relaxing.

Some cool pool meditation tips:

Sit by the pool steps to start with so your body is partially in the water. Then gradually enter the pool water. For indoor pool meditation, I like to hang along the pool’s edge like I’m reading a book, but I’m actually reading the calm in myself. I’m just chillin’ and forgetful of time. 😊

You not only cool and calm from stress, you work on letting go of those negative thoughts that your ego feeds you non-stop throughout the 9-5 day. So you do yourself healthy good.

Also, pool meditation only works well in a quiet pool setting. Not an outdoor pool with splish splashing kids playing or a pool class with instructor and a headset.

You’d be better off under the shade of a tree or in a cool spot inside, but it won’t be the same as an inside pool. Hotels usually have these indoor pools that are almost always quiet.

…Then when you get back home, capture the way you felt.

This is an amazing power and tool that you have control over. You don’t have to wait until the next free day or moments you have. You just reset yourself in that pool calm place in your imagination.

Your body may even cool down just from the thought. That’s the healthy power of the mind-body. 🌱

You may even want to have a blue wavy color or pool photo in front of you as a reminder. Visual cues are so powerful to empower you. 🎉

In contrast, a bright photo or retro Barbie colors in front of you invigorates, that can just heat things up in your mind. Bright red is even more alarming than the color of hot chili peppers and fire trucks (but BLUE is a soothing color in all shades).

…If you’re a bit Kapha minded these days, maybe that’s what you need! 💕

We had a neon pink light outside the meditation room that looks like a photo developing room (…maybe you remember those where the negatives 🎞️turned to positives 📸?). And from this room, we came out as transformed half-asleep meditated beings 😉

You may never have this glowing experience that I had, BUT you can do your own meditation wherever you are… or test pool meditation and see if that’s your meditation jam. 🧘🏻‍♀️

And from there you can get your creative personal essence back in case you’re having a creative mental block or dry spell season of ideas… or searching for your life’s purpose. And this is just one of many techniques that can get your cool-calm-and collected swag back as a first step. 😎

Here’s one dessert you can enjoy.

Tropical Fruit Pavlova

A refreshing pavlova with tropical fruits in the heat is easy to prepare and a dessert you can enjoy for days and share with others!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Ingredients

Tropical fruits, chopped
Meringue
coconut, canned

Instructions

Whip egg whites to make meringue base.
Bake in 200°F oven until it feels solid and formed (like packed snow).
Decorate with fruit (dragonfruit, pineapple, passion fruit, and guava)
Pipe coconut cream (flesh of coconut)

New Spring Manifestations, Goals, and Healthy Carrot Cake Recipe

New spring seasons are a time to celebrate growth. It’s when we see the birthing nature buds. 🌱 It’s also a new spring reminder of our year… a time of personal growth renewal, another chance to decide on goals, and a possible new direction change from a less active winter or Kapha season.

New spring means new growth, recipes, and a good opportunity to bake a carrot cake. — Gluten-free, moist carrot cake with natural sweetness is the perfect anti-inflammatory dessert for Easter that spring revolves around. Recipe below 🥕

…And maybe that’s why spring is so often associated with spring cleaning or a spring makeover…And a fresh coat of green.

And with a new spring, there’s usually a lot of unpredictable, plus an up-and-down roller coaster winter weather season. Some things haven’t yet bloomed in our lives.

But one thing is for certain… we’re one season more mature by nature’s design. We get to be a year wiser. We don’t have to look out the same lens as last year. And that can make all the difference.

This welcomed change is especially great if, well… a year ago wasn’t so great.

And looking back 3 years, frozen in time we came together as a world when we started a new normal.

In my own reflection, the wheels underneath me were turning where I left positions that no longer served me. And that springboarded completely different seasons with new work, some that I still do today.

The fresh starts kept me productive. That’s where growth is and was highest, when I was most sensitive to new surroundings, new people, and there’s a steep climb learning curve.

You step out of your comfort zone. There’s excitement and nervousness with new beginnings. It’s the butterfly coming out of the chrysalis. 🦋

And in exchange for uncertainty, each day is an opportunity for bright possibilities and step-up manifestations.

…One day can pivot into a new direction. And each step brings more clarity and moves us closer to what our life’s purpose is about even if we can’t see it in the process or even today.

If nothing else, we all did and saw life differently just a few years ago.

And today, by focusing on learnings (and not dwelling on what didn’t work), you set yourself up for success. A winning mindset sees the positive and flips the script to help propel forward.

You may be embarking on, inching toward, or considering starting something new in your life. That’ll help you move one step closer to where you’ll be next.

When I left my corporate work in 2019 I didn’t know what the next steps would be. I had no plans in place. But the writing on the wall was clear.

And it wasn’t having a writing career.😊

I just knew I had no business being in the space I was occupying anymore. And after-hours one day, I heard a distinct whisper in my corner of the office that stuck with me: “you will not get this time back.”

My first reaction was, “oh no, not again” as I was just starting to get used to the new people, systems, and work projects I was around. And the hoopla of all-hands-on-deck Convention Center events.

The constant wouldn’t be those temporary experiences, but the life I had outside… The life I built and the friends I’d known forever are still my friends.

When we connect, we just pick up where we left off. It’s like a comfy pair of shoes that always fits and you still love ‘em.

That’s probably how it is for you in your life.

And then the new friends made were about shared similar interests. Being worlds apart made for interesting connections. Just a couple decades ago, that wouldn’t have been easily possible.

So we’re growing one way or another. We’re mixing the new with the old as we’re blending in-person with digital. And that helps us evolve. And it helps us bridge the life and identity transitions.

In my own transition, I was a mentor in the corporate space when my daily work in the corporate trenches had ended.

And that’s when new work took up residence and writing became the daily …every day I showed up to the keyboard and started typing. I didn’t realize how much I had to say and all the lessons I had accumulated to share with those who may want some answers in the same areas.

I was making a cup of tea when I burned my finger on the tea kettle and that became my first published article. How random!

Random finger blister burn that started my writing practice. 🫖

And that’s how life miracles and blessings are. You can start something big in your life just from a simple occurrence in your day. And then you work in and manifest what happens next.

And today since I’m sharing about this particular new spring season, it’s a great time if you need a nudge or poke 😊, to find a new purposeful feeling in your life.

Maybe that’s from taking a hike,yoga classes, trips abroad. Or time off to journal. The world is at our fingertips.

And when you can get relaxed and find space to explore a new side of you that you never did before, that creates new openings.

..And you discover you actually are creative (as nature intended)! If you want to know how to create consistently daily, I wrote an article about that just for your encouragement.

…My daily writing and creativity would’ve never started, had I stayed in my corporate career.

So if today you’re feeling a bit stuck… take some time to see what you’d be interested in doing that makes you feel alive… that’s not a one-and-done experience. It’s something you can build on.

Get mind-body space to take it in. Maybe a ‘lil yoga?

Another example I had was in 2020, when I started baking that spring in lockdown. It started with simple scones baking like this orange scone recipe.

orange scone

… And then my baking never stopped. Baking was never on my list of want-to-do weekly projects.

It seemed like work that went against my healthy values. But I found ways to look at it differently and do things my way.

So that’s how your amazing crafts can be. You put your stamp on how and what you do. And yes, they can be found in this new spring season!

Start by carving out a ‘lil time to explore. Get a new spring in your step. And let that lead you into a new spring. Maybe this carrot cake will inspire your creativity and help balance your Ayurvedic Vata-Kapha transitions.

Healthy Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Recipe

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Ingredients

milk
coconut oil
shredded carrots
egg
coconut flour
baking powder and baking soda for leavening

Instructions

Mix dry and wet ingredients.
Bake at 350°F/180°C for at least 45 minutes depending on size of your baking vessel and amount of liquid. This recipe could be baked in a variety of baking pans: e.g. deep dish glass pan, oven-safe ceramic pan, or a bundt pan. When a toothpick comes out clean, then the cake is done.
Add a glaze. Zhugh with nuts and mandarin oranges (optional).