Biscuit Recipe

Namaste
This biscuit recipe is the one I use week after week at the Sunday Free Yoga Session at Fradgley Hall Burleigh Heads. People are always asking me for the recipe so here it is:

160 g soft butter (1/3 of 500g)
1 cup rich brown sugar

4 Tbsp yoghurt or soured milk (milk mixed with cider vinegar)
1 cup sultanas

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup coconut (optional)
2 cups self raising flour

Yields about 32 small biscuits or 18 large

Beat the butter and sugar, mix in the yoghurt and sultanas and then stir in the dry ingredients. Roll into balls and squash down with a fork onto a greased tray. Bake for 20 - 30 mins at 280 degrees centigrade.

Cool on a wire rack.
Store in an airtight container for lasting crispness.
These biscuits are super quick to make and are delicious. For variation I sometimes add carob chips, nuts, carob flour and at Christmas time mixed fruit with a cherry on top.

happy eating
Margaret

Yoga Aid Challenge 2009

Namaste

This years Yoga Aid Challenge was held in the picturesque riverside park in downtown Brisbane on Sunday November 15

About 120 people greeted the morning with 108 Sun Salutations.

The day was just beautiful. Sheltered by a huge fig tree and cooled by a soothing breeze which swept in from the river Brisbanites and Gold Coasters got together to celebrate yoga and raise money for refugees, cancer sufferers and children in need.

Salutes came in many variations from the different yoga leaders and the whole event had a peaceful community feel.

After about two hours of exercise everyone felt they had earned a really good rest

But the best part was saved till the end when everyone opened their hearts to yoga meditation

Here's what some of our teachers thought after the event:

"I felt great and so energised afterwards, I really must have needed that!" Mrna lini

"Ooh my hamstrings are telling me they got a good work out yesterday!" Andrew

"It was fun!" Amara

"Looking forward to next year!" Candace

We're all looking forward to the event next year, maybe you'd like to join us!

Namaste

Margaret

Namaste

People often comment on how deliciously scrumptious our food is at our Balanced Life Retreats, Mini Yoga Retreats and Sunday Spiritual Gatherings, so I thought I'd publish this recipe for an Indian style Sweet Rice that tastes so heavenly it's hard not to go back for seconds not to mention thirds or fourths. This recipe is for 2 light eaters or one hungry person.

Absolutely Delicious Sweet Rice
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups full cream milk
1 heaped Tbsp butter
6 cardamon pods
1/4 tsp black pepper
5 bay leaves

2 Tbsp medium grain white rice

1/3 cup currants
1/2 cup white sugar

Method
Bring first 5 ingredients to the boil, then add the washed rice and stir to bring back to the boil. Turn the heat down to medium, cover with a lid and leave to slowly boil for 40 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.

After 40 minutes remove the bay leaves and cardamon pods and add the washed currants, stir then leave to boil for 10 more mins. If your mixture is starting to thicken you will need to stir it often. Lastly add the sugar and boil for 5 minutes stirring the whole time. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. As it cools it will thicken.

TRUTH AND BEAUTY

Namaste Last Sunday saw the final Mini Yoga Retreat for the year. Every retreat I give a little talk on applying the spiritual side of yoga in our daily lives. This month I read out the article which is featuring in the ASMY November newsletter and elaborated on it a little. It’s such a nice article I thought I would publish it here. And if you don’t already receive our newsletter you can contact us and we’ll send it out to you. Then every month you will have to opportunity to read an enlightening article like the one below, try out a tasty vegetarian recipe, learn a yoga pose and read an interesting article about the benefits of yoga asanas.




Twilight. The crimson sun dipped toward the horizon, bathing the sky glowing saffron. The silvery ocean reflected the blaze of colour, tropical flowers perfumed the air and delicately winged bats darted through the gathering dusk. Magic! We are naturally attracted to beauty but the beauty of this world does not last. With the passing of time, the blooming rose shrivels, the radiant sunset dims, fades and is gone. We can’t hold on to beauty because it is not permanent. The beauty of this world is not only temporary, it is also superficial. The bodily beauty that attracts the eye is only skin deep. We may become enamoured by a pretty face, but because it is not lasting or totally satisfying, we become frustrated. Real beauty exists. Our longing and search for beauty need not end in frustration. We can find and relish real beauty. We simply need to know where to find it. Everything beautiful in this world is but a tiny reflection of the beauty of the Supreme. We are attracted to beauty because we are a small part of the all beautiful Absolute Whole. Our bodies may be ugly or old, but they are only an external garment covering our true self. We, the living force, are by nature eternally beautiful and it is this inner beauty that shines through our eyes, our thoughts, our words and our actions. Our yoga practice is not just to keep our bodies healthy, but also to develop and nurture our inner beauty. We need to develop the spiritual vision to see and appreciate this transcendental phenomenon. We need to become self realised to perceive our real nature and the all-attractive nature of the Supreme. This will give us real and lasting satisfaction. The most valuable gift yoga has to offer is meditation on transcendental sound vibrations or mantras. Mantras are no ordinary sound vibrations; they are spiritual in essence so they are inherently attractive to the spiritual soul and have the effect of awakening one’s dormant spiritual consciousness and opening one’s eyes to real spiritual beauty. We experience joy in the beauty of a lovely face or a scenic view but it’s impossible to imagine the boundless happiness for those who perceive the very source of beauty. The wise and determined seek the most beautiful, the reservoir of all beauty and their search is never frustrated. Such wise men live in this world relishing the eternal pleasures and beauty of a different world. “Know that all beautiful, glorious, and mighty creations spring from but a spark of My splendour.” Sri Krishna,Bhagavad-gita Namaste Margaret

Cooking Demo at the Balanced Life Retreat

September's retreat was again a huge success with 26 happy participants, delicious lunch as always and a relaxing foot reflexology workshop from Amara. The cooking demonstration given by Mrnalini was an introduction to tofu and this is what she told us.

Tofu is a product made from soy milk and a coagulant. It is a very good source of protein while at the same time being very low in saturated fat.Tofu provides an abundance of iron as well as manganese, selenium, omega-3 fatty acids, phosphorus, copper, calcium and magnesium.

This wonder food is touted as one of the world’s healthiest foods and for good reason. It has been found that soy products help to regulate blood sugar, blood pressure and keep estrogen in balance. There are also studies which show soy intake helps to prevent colon, breast and prostate cancer as well as atherosclerosis.

Yet, like all foods, soy needs to be incorporated into a person's diet in a balanced and individualized way. It’s important that even very healthy foods are consumed in moderation.


Tofu has very little flavor or smell on its own. Consequently it lends itself equally well to either savoury or sweet dishes. As a method of flavouring it is often marinated in soy sauce, chilis, sesame oil, etc. Fresh tofu is usually packaged in water and once opened it should be kept in the refrigerator and it's water changed daily. In this way the tofu can last up to a week.

Tofu is sold in a number of different ways:

Silken/Soft tofu has the highest moisture content of all tofus. Its texture is similar to a very fine custard and is often used in desserts, smoothies, soups and sauces.
Firm tofu is dense and can be cubed and stir-fried, grilled, scrambled, pickled, smoked, baked, barbecued or served in soups. Firm tofu is higher in protein, fats and calcium than other types of tofu.
Fried Tofu puffs (bean bubble) are deep fried until light and airy at the core and are delicious in soups because they soak up the flavour like little sponges.
Pressed Tofu is usually seasoned and pressed to remove excess water content. This can be cut into strips and used in soups or stir fries or used in sandwiches.
Frozen Tofu (thousand layer tofu) By freezing tofu, the large ice crystals that develop within the tofu result in the formation of cavities that soak up the flavours of the dish once the tofu is defrosted, the moisture squeezed out and marinated.

September Mini Yoga Retreat

Did you miss the mini yoga retreat on Sunday the 20th of September? Never mind there’ll be another in October. We have a day of yoga, meditation and massage on the 3rd Sunday of the month which runs in conjunction with the free Sunday yoga class as Fradgley Hall in Burleigh Heads.

It’s hard to say what the highlight of the day is, whether it’s the shared massage at the end, the beautiful meditation led by Yadu with his velvety voice or maybe the delicious lunch cooked by his wife Monica. There’s certainly something for everyone: yoga asanas, relaxation, the chance to make new friends, eat delicious food and the opportunity to start or continue our spiritual journey.

This month’s massage was shared reflexology. A reflexology massage only involves massaging either the feet, hands or ears and because there are so many nerve endings in these places it is said to have a wonderful effect throughout the whole body. Amara led us through a simplified routine to massage the feet that was designed to be both soothing and stimulating to many other parts of the body from the pituitary gland deep within our head to the neck, liver, kidneys, digestive system and lower back. In fact after the foot massage many of us commented how we felt like we’d just had a full body massage!

So now we know how relaxing it is to get our feet massaged and also we have the ability to give this wonderful gift to a friend or family member.

namaste
Margaret

THE IMPORTANCE OF KINDNESS

Recently I read an article about how dairy cows give more milk if they have names and are known by them. Isn’t that sweet! I thought of how those cows day after day are having their milk taken from them and when they develop a relationship with the farmer and feel respected and cared for they’re happy to give more.

What a wonderful example this is of the importance of love and friendship.

There are so many lonely people in the world whose lives are grey and bleak and just a smile or a kind word from us might make all the difference to their day. But of course the highest kindness is to give them the chance to experience the transcendental yoga process which will take away that loneliness and give them the chance to be deeply peaceful, satisfied and even joyful.


The yoga process is more than just healthy exercises and focused breathing but actually becomes transcendental when we engage in yoga meditation. Yoga meditation draws our consciousness away from the troubles of this world to that place deep within each one of us, which is where we can find shelter, love and true kindness

My friends and I get together every Sunday to engage in yoga meditation at Fradgley Hall which is above the library at Burleigh Heads from 4 – 6 pm and everyone is most welcome to come along and bring a friend.