Nourishment and Circulation

I share two yoga related subjects with you today.

First and foremost NOURISHMENT in the form of a recipe I found on my local Bikram Studio's blog.

A delicious but somewhat time consuming recipe of deliciousness from the Susan V at the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen. Please note that I doubled the dressing measurements once I realized how much salad I was actually making!

International Quinoa Salad:


Quinoa:

1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed very well
2 1/4 cups water
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)

Vegetables:

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
2 medium-large tomatoes, finely chopped
kernels of 2 ears of cooked corn (about 1 cup)
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup scallions, thinly sliced
2/3 cup parsley — minced
1/3 cup fresh mint — minced
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced (reserve a few slices for garnish)

Dressing:

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (NOT lemon)
3 tablespoons vegetable broth or bean cooking liquid
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste (optional)
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili pepper

To cook the quinoa in a pressure cooker, place it and the water, garlic, and salt in the cooker and lock the lid. Over high heat, bring to high pressure and cook for one minute. Remove from heat and allow the pressure to come down naturally. Fluff the quinoa and allow it to cool.

Combine all of the vegetables in a large bowl. Add the quinoa and mix well. Whisk the dressing ingredients together and pour over the salad. Mix well and refrigerate until chilled. Taste before serving, and add more lime juice as necessary (you want it to be tangy). Garnish with avocado slices and serve. Makes about 8 servings.

Now that you are well and fed, the second thing I want to talk about is CIRCULATION. Have you experienced increased tingling, decreased tingling, legs and arms falling asleep more often, ect. since you started your practice? I cannot help but wonder if the tingling I am experiencing is somehow connected to what I do in the hot room. During class, we routinely cut off circulation to different parts of our body in order to increase circulation to others.

Any insight?