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A bowl FULL of LOVE. Guest Interview with Ayurvedic Chef Stephen Galpin

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There are many ways to be of service in this world…

Some choose to serve in third world countries, contributing to the quality of life and love in communities that have limited resources.

Some serve their country, some feed the poor, some sacrifice their own wellbeing in protest for the environment, mother nature and the wellbeing of others.

There are so many ways to be of service, through our thoughts, words and actions every single day.

Drum-roll please… Make a warm cup of Tumeric Chai, grab your blankey and get cosy as we take some time with a true teacher of the spirit of service.

Chef Stephen Galpin, our Wholesome Loving Goodness featured guest this month, is of service through LOVE-FILLED food and wisdom.

Stephen’s cooking of delightful ~ spice, ghee, LOVE infused offerings have a way of transforming the ‘eater’ the ‘receiver’ of this truly divine cuisine.

This morning as I enjoyed a bowl of his amazing porridge for breakfast at the Mudita Ayurveda and Mindfulness retreat in Byron Bay that I work on each year, I was reminded of the power of porridge, the power of infusing LOVE into your cooking. I was so inspired that as soon as I finished the bowl of creamy, vanilla, saffron polenta I swiftly walked to my car, got my laptop, turned it on and began writing these words in honour and praise of this amazing Chef, teacher and master of devotional cooking.

About six months ago I did an interview with Stephen. I asked him some questions about the life of being an Ayurvedic chef, his inspiration, his perspective on this gorgeous food and offering of love that he shares. He graciously agreed to share this information with me, with you – the Wholesome Loving Goodness tribe!

In nature there is a divine timing for when a fruit is ripe, when a flower opens, when the rain falls and when the sun rises. This divine timing cannot be forced or controlled.

This interview has had it’s own divine timing.

The time has come, it is the spring of introducing you to this great master and teacher of  Ayurvedic cooking, spirituality, philosophy, culinary expertise & love.

I am delighted to introduce you to a teacher of devotion, spirit and service…

Stephen’s porridge is bowl-licking good!

How did you first come to discover Ayurvedic cooking and what was your inspiration to make this a big part of your journey?

I was introduced to Ayurveda through studies of yoga, there was no real inspiration it sort of just evolved. As I changed so did my approach to cooking and health.

What does it mean to prepare ‘Ayurvedic’ food to you and what sets this type of cooking apart from regular cooking practices?

To prepare Ayurvedic food is to approach your preparation and cooking with mindful awareness, giving full consideration to every step of the process and how the ingredients will interact enhance and balance each other,  how the finished dish will then affect those that are eating it. Consideration is given to stimulating the digestive fire or “Agni” through the subtle use of warming spices to prepare food that will not exaggerate any actions.

What is your favourite Ayurvedic spice, if you had to choose one and why?

Cardamon, I love the qualities, aroma and scent. I cant imagine a cup of tea without a pinch or two. :-)

Life is full of so much magic and beauty, what is it for you that bring’s the most joy each day?

Simplicity, I love just being.

If you could share one piece of kitchen advice with families around the world to inspire some wholesome loving cooking, what would it be?

Keep cooking for yourself and others, cooking is an act of loving kindness.

What are the key elements that make a difference in your daily life?

I like to be still and have time to contemplate, mainly I try to get through each day without upsetting anyone including myself. I always think at the end of each day whether I have achieved that and mostly I have so thats pretty cool.

Finally, if you had one wish for humanity and the world at this current time, what would it be?

Mutual love and respect. I think if we can all respect each others uniqueness and extend loving kindness towards each other. We all grow up differently reaching stepping stones in our own time, so if we can allow that growth to happen naturally and not try to control, govern or force to much.

Stephen has a beautiful Ayurvedic Cook Book with 88 Love-filled Recipes called ‘The Ayurvedic Kitchen’ that you can purchase from his website.

Connect with Stephen for inspiration and wisdom on the path of Ayurveda, cooking and love on his website & facebook page.

“Ecstasy is experienced through expansion. The ecstasy of food is waiting for you to dance & play with it, to get excited.
Allow that feeling to flow from within. When your cup is full, it will overflow! Let the pot catch it. This is the gift that nature’s abundance has to share when you take the time to get to know it.”  
~ Chef Stephen Galpin
Namaste

Thankyou Stephen, such an honour to spend some time with you!

x Lorien

 

 

Gratitude notes…

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Gratitude for…

  • Clean, fresh air
  • My breathe
  • The earth I walk on
  • My body that moves me & allows me to dance!
  • The sunshine
  • The moonshine & stars
  • The beauty of sunrise & sunset
  • The Ocean
  • Beautiful Family & Friends
  • Nourishing Relationships (Self & special one in your life)
  • Work I love
  • Health, Energy and Vitality
  • My Parents & Grandparents
  • Clean water & Organic fresh wholesome food
  • The practice & wisdom of Yoga & Ayurveda
  • My teachers & my teachers, teachers!
  • All of the experiences in life that have led me to be where I am today.
  • Grateful for the gift of gratitude!

The practice of Gratitude daily, morning and evening before bed will inspire and uplift what is possible in life 100 fold!

Grateful for community.

Love,

x Lorien

Growth, this is why we are here…

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 In times of beauty, times of greatness and in times of inner reflection, diving deep, searching for truth, purpose direction, exploring the inner realms of your being… It can be confronting, challenging and easy to begin to feel a little ‘lost’ and unsure of where the path is leading you…

No matter what you are going through, it is perfect! More perfect than you can possibly imagine right now!

…The universe works in mysterious ways!

Wherever you are at, celebrate it! :) Love it, embrace it… make peace with it. And then flow with grace and continue on your path.

Today the message of inspiration…

“You are whole, complete & perfect just as you are.”

Yes you, in your skin. You are divine. 

The mind may try to grasp thoughts, find meaning and identity in outward things. This can be fine, and fun and beautiful.

Realising that true satisfaction, peace, inner joy and calm arises out of allowing the minds thoughts to float through – rather then stick to the edges of your beautiful brain, and instead come back to your true beauty, your inner knowledge that you are enough, you are worthy, you are a being of light and you are loved and wanted in this world.

You have a purpose and mission so great that other’s who don’t even know you yet can’t wait to support you in your heart’s truest path and calling. This is your true authentic place to reside. Allowing the inner light that shines within you to be bright and to be your guide.

Have faith, trust, surrender, breathe… 

Life is a blessing and we are all here to grow, develop, dance and discover new virtues in connection with our body, other’s and the planet at large.

Some deep thought’s… Stay real, remember to hug as many humans as possible, drink warm water in the morning and smile. Smiling works miracles! :)

With Love,

x Lorien

 

Wholesome ‘Carob Chocolate’ Recipe!

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For those choosing to eat a path of Wholefoods, avoiding excess stimulation to the nervous system, avoiding processed sugars and unhealthy hydrogenated oils, then the prospect of finding some ‘Chocolate’ pleasure to share with your love (or simply your beautiful self!) might seem unnerving.

In Ayurvedic medicine, Chocolate is considered to be heating for the body and easily over-stimulating to the nervous system (brain) which really needs to stay cool, calm & collected! Due to these and some other reasons, Chocolate is not something you will find your Ayurvedic practitioner generally prescribing.

A big part of Ayurveda’s holistic approach is about maintaing balance not become too ‘rigid’ or stuck in one thing or another.

We always have wholesome choices we can make however. When it comes to eating ‘treats’ and things of a ‘Chocolaty’ kind… This is the way I like to do it!

Ingredients:

  • 10 tblsp’s of Coconut oil
  • 3-4 Tbsp’s of Carob powder
  • 1 Tbsp of Tahini/Almond butter or Sunbutter
  • 1/4 tsp of Sea salt
  • Dash of Vanilla essence
  • 1 tsp of Cinnamon powder (In Ayurveda this helps the body digest Sweet foods & improves circulation)
  • Major ingredient, LOVE!

*To set the Chocolate’s you can use an ice-cube tray (one with silicon at the bottom for ease is best!)

 Method:

  1. Melt Coconut oil and pour into a bowl.
  2. Add your Carob to the bowl and mix with your favorite spoon.
  3. Add Tahini, Almond butter or Sunbutter and stir thoroughly. (We want the consistency as smooth as possible!)
  4. Next add the vanilla, cinnamon, salt and stir.
  5. Pour your mix into your chosen chocolate mould or ice cube tray and place the chocolates in the freezer for approx 30mins to allow them to set!

When they are ready to serve, pop out the hearts and enjoy these real – wholefood sweet treats!

An easy peazy, simple, homemade creation that will satisfy your Chocolate taste-buds & leave you feeling balanced and calm after-wards!

*Carob is naturally sweet. This recipe is 100% sugar free and sweetener free as this is how I love to make them 95% of the time! J To make these chocolate treats a little sweeter or for a special occasion, you can add a dash of maple syrup – both delicious and slightly different! J

* Customise your choclates by adding a few Goji berries on top, some currants, desiccated coconut or whatever your tummy, heart and taste-buds desire! Yum! 

With Love!

x Lorien

 

One Year!

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The month of January marks one year since this website was born!

It has been a colourful, adventurous, creative year where fresh opportunities, new connections, friendships, travels, growth, learning, study and sharing of the Wholesome Loving Goodness message has evolved, sprouted forth and expanded.

So grateful for such a fruit-full, nourishing, inspiring year!

Thankyou to the world-wide family out there who have encouraged and nurtured this growth.

We are very inspired for some fresh juicy goodness as we welcome our 2nd year of this organic wholesome loving space of inspiration.

Love love and love!!!

X Lorien

 

Listen to your heart, it always knows!

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We have all heard the wise words, “Listen to your heart” as an offering of advice at times when we are feeling lost or stuck. Whether it’s from our favourite self-help book, healer, parent, friend or even our own voice within.

There is a reason why this somewhat cliche` message rings true, and continues to do so… timelessly, never going out of fashion. The heart never goes out of fashion.

To truly honour the message being spoken by the heart.To truly listen. To truly honour what is within, guiding and protecting us in our actions and important choices, we need to develop a relationship with ourselves that sets the foundation for being able to LISTEN, to respond… to tap into the wealth of knowledge and wisdom that is waiting for us.

This is where life gets really exciting!

You may like to relate to your heart’s message as your intuition.

To me, a message from the heart is simple and clear. Ussually fairly direct and free from thoughts that arise in the mind.

The heart senses and perceives on very deep levels…. as we begin to honour and listen to its messages to us, our relationship with this knowingness deepens. As we honour this connection, the connection grows stronger.

The thread connecting us to our heart’s message goes from being one strand of cotton to a solid and durable rope that can support and be there during the roughest winds and seas.

It essentially comes back to what many self help books, parents, best friends and mentors may have said many a time…

The most important relationship to have is with yourself…

Before you can truly love another, you must love yourself.

If you are aligned and one with your own being. Your heart, your gut instinct and your minds creativity, then you are a whole complete being who can interact and engage with others and the world in a centred, whole and grounded way. This is power. This is love. Love for yourself and love for others.

x 

Creating with Love

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Love really is the secret ingredient to whatever it is we do in this world.

Whether you are baking a cake, making the bed, talking with another, with the people closest to you in life, with an animal or at work interacting ~ whatever and with whoever the interaction or creation is happening with ~ if you add love to the equation, magic happens!

I am overwhelmed with gratitude and appreciation for the love and beauty experienced during my recent travels to India and the amazing new and exciting directions that are opening up for spreading the message and vision of Wholesome Loving Goodness with the world.

While cooking on a recent Yoga Retreat in the beautiful Byron Bay region of Australia, I found some opportunities to ‘create love’ visually with the food I was preparing for the participants. The experience of cooking for a group of Yogi’s 7 days in a row was heart-opening and inspiring! It was a challenge and so rewarding through the feedback and love that was exchanged within the sharing of the meals as a community.

One bowl of porridge at a time, one wholesome vegetable soup at a time, one lovingly made hot drink at a time… we can start to spread warmth, and wholesome loving home-made goodness that each and everyone of us has the abilitiy to generate in our own kitchens, with who we are and what we love, transformation of our own body, mind’s and spirit’s can begin to take place and have ripple effects that spread into our relationships, family, work and communities. I’m inspired and excited for this journey to continue.

There is so much to share, there are 1,000’s of images from India ranging from food to friendly warm faces. There are stories and experiences that words cannot do justice to. India was a very Wholesome Love Filled adventure! So much gratitude for the journey and so much inspiration for the vision of Wholesome Loving Goodness and service in the world continuing to blossom and flourish in new and exciting ways as we enter into Spring of 2013!

It’s great to be back. I am grateful for all the support, enouragment, love and beauty that I have received since beginning this journey just over one year ago.

With wholesome, loving, goodness and joy!

x Namaste

Lorien

Beauty-Full Moon Blessings…

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Full moon is such a powerful time to acknowledge the completion of another cycle, celebrate your beauty~your true, inherent, natural, rich, organic, fertile, abundant beauty!We are made primarily of water… The moon governs the waters of life… we can see this through the way the tide at the ocean changes according to the cycle of the moon. We also shift and experience change through a moon cycle, we have our own mental, physical, spiritual, emotional tides.

Full Moon is a special sacred time of the month to give praise to Mother Nature and express gratitude towards her for the gifts and nourishment we receive throughout each month.

‘Chandra’ meaning ‘shining’ in Sanskrit is the word used in the yogic tradition for moon. The moons energy is cooling ~ which is why for fertility in Ayurvedic medicine, cooling herbs and practices are often given to women when they wish to conceive.

“As is the human body, So is the cosmic body. As is the human mind, So is the common mind. As is the microcosm, So is the macrocosm. As is the atom, So is the universe.” ~Upanishads

Cooling, beautiful, nourishing, abundant, powerful, magical, whole, fertile, radiant, glowing full Moon!

x