Eastern Prayers for Meditation

Here are some prayers/affirmations for your meditations that I stumbled upon:

Let me be loved, let me be happy, let me be peaceful.
Let my friends be happy, loved, and peaceful.
Let my perceived enemies be happy, loved, and peaceful.
Let all beings be happy, loved, and peaceful.
Let the whole world experience these things.
  - Deepak Chopra, Indian philosopher

May all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness;
May all be free from sorrow and the causes of sorrow;
May all never be separated from the sacred happiness which is sorrowless;
And may all live in equanimity, without too much attachment and too much aversion,
And live believing in the equality of all that lives.
  - Traditional Buddhist Prayer

Dance, when you're broken open.
Dance, if you've torn the bandage off.
Dance in the middle of the fighting.
Dance in your blood.
Dance, when you're perfectly free.
  - Jelaluddin Rumi, Sufi mystic

The last one I just like.

Yoga News & Easter

Seeing as Easter is this Sunday (and Passover this week) I think it only befitting to share a good website with you fellow Veggies out there that offers some great vegetarian and vegan alternatives to some traditional holiday meals: Vegetarians in Paradise

Also, I know it's been awhile since my last update, so I'll update you on what's going on. First off, I'm working on an exciting new blog entry that's a review of my top 5 Veg restaurants in the Valley. It's a work-in-progress, but stay tuned because it's going to be epic!

As far as yoga practice goes, I'm applying for the YogaWorks teacher training program starting in June! Although I was really excited about LMU Extension's yoga program, I'll probably be able to get financial aid at YogaWorks, which is a huge deciding factor. You can also put down a deposit to save your spot, then pay the rest before class, whereas at Loyola you have to pay all of tuition at the time of registration.

Also I'm working with a friend on opening up a community-based yoga co-op class down the street. Sessions will probably be between one and two hours, a children's group and an adults' group. Details to come.

Beckett's Top 5 Vegan/Vegitarian Restaurants in the Valley

#5. Follow Your Heart Market Café

I love this place. It's a wonderful vegan, veg and natural foods market, plus the café has a great all-vegan/vegetarian menu with tons of choice! I took my omnivorous mother here for Mothers' Day and we both really enjoyed ourselves.



#4. Kung Pao China Bistro

A tad bit on the pricey side, but they have a great variety of vegetarian meat substitutes in classic Chinese dishes. One thing I truly do miss from my omnivore-days is orange chicken. Kung Pao has GREAT orange "chicken", and I also love their "beef" and snow peas and tea-smoked "duck" (*drool*). Just steer clear of the "shrimp", it kind of just tastes like gooey plastic.



#3. Chili My Soul

Some meat-eaters think you can't have chili without meat - they couldn't be more wrong! And the best place to get veggie-chili was Chili My Soul. Tragically, the restaurant was closed last year due to a loss in the family-owned company. It stays in my top-three, however, in hopes that they will reopen eventually. My heart goes out to the family of Randy Hoffman, creator and owner.

#2. Hugo's Tacos

Another great place to take your non-veg friends, as they have tons of options for all. My favorite is the soy chorizo with honey chipotle sauce. The best thing at Hugo's is that you can customize your order: choose your meat, sauce, and style (you can even have it in burger form with a veggie-patty). Many of their ingredients are also organic.


#1. Vinh Loi Tofu

I absolutely LOVE this place! If you are veg and live in the Valley, or even if you are carnivorous and don't live in the Valley, you MUST go here. They've got a great menu with a large variety of dishes that are sure to please even the pickiest of Veggies out there. Specializing in Vietnamese cuisine, it's a great casual place to pick up some lunch. They're vegan "meats" can't be beat, and that's why Vinh Loi is my #1!

Live, Breathe and Eat Yoga

I really, really want to go on a yoga retreat with the White Lotus Foundation. Even if I already have obtained my instructor's license by the time I can afford to go, I still want to go. To be in nature, doing yoga all day every day, being surrounded by people who share the same passion for yoga as I do - it just sounds so relaxing, so freeing. It would be so nice to be able to go right now, while I have all this free time....