Vegetable Sushi

Everyone knows vegetables are good for you, but did you know that boiling or sauteeing your veggies breaks down the majority of the vitamins that make them so healthy? This is a big problem for Gwen and me, as we really like soups, chilis, and curries. And aside from salads, we rarely eat raw vegetables. So I've been trying to find creative ways to trick us into eating uncooked vegetables more often.

One tasty option is vegetable sushi. When I first started making sushi I tried to be very "by the book," using only the fish and vegetables I had seen in sushi bars. But in the last few years, I've been doing whatever I feel like with the sushi rolls, especially adding all kinds of raw vegetables that I usually find unpalatable. Some of my best combinations:

Classic Roll: carrots, cucumber, and avocado.
Rainbow Roll: with red, yellow, orange, and green peppers. Plus mayonaise.
Crunchy Roll: asparagus gently rolled with creamy sauce and a thin layer of cream cheese.
Green Giant Roll: Broccolli and green beans, dipped in salad dressing.
BLT Roll: Bacos, cherry tomatos, and lettuce.

That's only the beginning! I know it's not really "sushi," but it is a good way to get those veggies down without cooking them to death.
To find out more about proper sushi, check this funky link page.
And a quick meat is bad for you page I just found on Google.
Have any other ideas to trick yourself into enjoying raw foods? Feel free to comment!

Patrick

Yoga Garden

Rolfing

Kazu visits Yoga Garden!
Have you ever heard of Rolfing? I know, it sounds like something you do when you have food poisoning, but it's named after the lady who invented it, Ida P. Rolf. The name she prefered was "structual integration."

When we opened our studio we tried to find all the other alternative health businesses in our area to let them know about us, and that's how we met Rolfing Kazu. His Rolfing studio is a few minutes up Motomachi street from our place.

So, the idea of Rolfing is that you can correct posture and alignment by working with the outer sheath of tissue (the fascia) surrounding the muscles. Using pressure and long strokes, the facsia is smoothed out and moved into a more efficient position. I was kind of sceptical at first, but I've been "getting Rolfed" for a few weeks now, and the results are amazing. My body is moving much more easily, as if all my joints have been oiled. And my posture is getting much better. I still have 5 more sessions before I finish the Rolfing course, so I'll keep you updated!
If you want to know more about Rolfing, you can visit the Rolfing Institute's homepage.
And here is a link to Kazu's studio.

Patrick

Yoga Garden

Yoga in Yoyogi Park

Yesterday I went to a yoga event in Yoyogi Park, sponsored by Yoga Jaya, with special guest Louisa Sear from Australia. The event started around 9:20 in the morning, with about an hour of pranayama (breathing exercises) and meditation. About 150 people turned up. After we did meditation and breathing there was a short break followed by an hour and 15 minutes of yoga asanas (poses). Louisa led a Vinyasa Flow sequence that was challenging and sweat-inducing. Although it was hot, it was lovely doing yoga surrouned by trees, feeling the earth just under the mat, hearing the sounds of a thousand crickets all around us. After asana practice there was an informal picnic...everybody shared watermelon, orange carrot juice and salads. Yoga Jaya plans to sponsor more of these free yoga in the park events in the future...look for us there!

Gwen

Yoga Garden