Shanti Kitchen is always experimenting with new ways to use whole foods! Although it is not the fall, nor is thanksgiving around the corner, we decided to try a hotcake recipe using pumpkin! The result was delicious and to our surprise adding some goat cheese turned this brunch item into a potential pumpkin cheesecake! That is how we like to start our day after some morning fitness and yoga!
- Shanti Mid-Week Brunch
Pumpkin Spice Hotcakes
Ingredients
1.5 cups organic spelt flour (or buckwheat for gluten-free)
1/4 cup organic brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground all spice
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1.5 cups organic soy milk + 1.5 tbsp apple cider vinegar (or buttermilk)
1 cup pumpkin puree (or fresh!)
2 large organic free range eggs
2 tbsp coconut oil
Garnish:
Maple Syrup
goat cheese
shredded coconut
Measure the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt into a large bowl. Mix well.
Whisk together the milk, pumpkin, eggs and oil in a medium bowl. Add to the flour mixture and stir until just blended.
Use griddle or frying pan to cook hotcakes. Pour 1/4 cup portions of batter onto the griddle. Flip once you notice bubbles and the underside is brown. Flip and cook hotcake another 30 seconds. Serve with maple syrup, goat cheese and shredded coconut.
Urdhva Kukkutasana
(from Ashtanga’s Advanced A sequence)
I love this pose for it’s compact balance. This pose develops the core and shoulders, fans the metabolic fire, and cultivates mental acuity. When the Lotus is placed just right on the arms, I feel a wonderful sense of poise.
David Robson
5 day Ashtanga Retreat
July 11-14th
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March 14-17 Yoga and Meditation Retreat with Marla Ericksen
March 29- 31 Easter Weekend Shanti Yoga Retreat with Wendy & Darin
April 5-7 Spring Retreat With Mona Warner
April 11-14 Enlivening Detox Retreat with Andrea Robertson
April 19-21 Shanti Yoga Retreat & Conscious Eating with R.H.N Lacey Budge
April 22 Earth Day Celebration at Shanti
April 26-27 Kripalu Yoga Retreat with Ken Nelson and Leslie Lang
May 3-5 Port Perry YogaFlow Retreat with Maria Carr
May 10-12 Yin & Flow Yoga Retreat with Ichih Wang
May 17-20 May Long Weekend Shanti Yoga Retreat with Special Guest David Hickey
May 24-25 Ashtanga & Hatha Yoga Retreat with Mark & Sandy
May 31- June 2 Sun Moon Fire Yoga Retreat with Loren Crawford & Roxanne Joly
June 7-8 Power Yoga Canada Teacher’s Summit
June 14-16 Weekend Revolution with Pino from Power Yoga Canada
21-23 Yogini Yoga: Heal and Transform with Megan Campbell
June 28- July 1st Shanti Yoga Retreat & Conscious Cooking with R.H.N Lacey Budge
July 5-7 Yoga Retreat with Dallas Delahunt
July 11-14th Ashtanga Yoga Retreat with David Robson
July 19-21st Vida Yoga Retreat with Paula
July 26-28th Stretch, Heal, Grow Retreat with Jasmin Fiore
July 30-August 1 Rejuvenating Mid-Week Retreat with Andrea Robertson
August 2-5th Shanti Retreat Weekend and special performances with Brenda Mcmorrow, Kirtan artist
August 9-11th Yoga Retreat with Kellie Dearman
August 16-18th Yoga for Round Bodies with Tiina Veer
August 22-26th Ashtanga Yoga Retreat with David Robson
August 30- September 1st Evolution of consciousness with Manu Mougenot
September 6-11th Hridaya Silent Meditaiton Retreat with Many Mougenot
September 13-15th Women’s Tantra Retreat with Monika Nataraj
September 20-22 Sun/Moon Yoga Retreat with Hali Schwartz
September 27-27 Discovering your unique self with Judy & Terry Green
October 4-6 Expressive Arts and Moon Dance Retreat with Diane and Nicole
October 11-13 Thanksgiving weekend Shanti Retreat with Wendy and Darin
October 18-20 Yoga, Meditation and Raw Food Retreat
October A Weekend of Connection with Dawn Pittens
November 1-3 Restorative yoga, Ayurveda and Astrology with Danika
November 8-10 Fall Bliss Retreat with Andrea Robertson
November 15-17 Fall Shanti Retreat with Wendy and Darin
November 22-24 Yoga & Restoration with Kellie and Brendan
Baddha konasana, also known as Cobbler’s Pose is a therapeutic hip and groin opener that can also help boost your fertility.
If your hips are tight raise your pelvis with a blanket. Bend your knees and pull your feet as close towards your pelvis as you can. Drop your knees towards the floor and push the feet together. Grab hold of the big toes and lengthen through the front of the torso as you allow your body to sink down towards the floor.
Eventually your knees will reach the floor and your torso will lie flat over your legs. As you fold forward, lead with the heart until you reach the edge of your flexibility then let the back round and relax the back of the neck downward. Never force your knees down. Remain in Baddha Konasana for several minutes, breathing constantly through the nose.
Some of the benefits of this pose:
- Strengthens and improves flexibility in the inner thighs, groins and the knees
- Helps prepare the hips and groins for meditative seated poses, which require more flexibility in these areas
- Helps to sooth menstrual discomfort and digestive complaints
- Stimulates the abdominal organs, potentially improving the health of the ovaries, prostate gland, kidneys and bladder.
- Alleviates fatigue, according to traditional yoga texts
- Helps open up the lower back and relieves sciatica
- Metaphysically opens up the groin area helping to relieve sexual inhibitions and guilt.
