"And now, gently find a bind, if it's available to you, behind the legs. Lifting up from your squat to draw the right leg up, and see what comes of that right leg, if it will lift and stretch up and out. Play. And slowly draw back down with awareness and control," says my yoga teacher in his lilting midwest accent, a pleasant smile playing across his face. Sweat drips off of my brow onto my borrowed rubber yoga mat. I draw back down into a squat, hands at my heart, pressing my elbows against my inner thighs. I love this stuff. The big, bright studio with high windows and wood floors. The slow pulse of my heart rate pressing me forward through the postures. The group of folks all working through their series with purpose and intention. It's not like working out in the gym, where you have some sense that people might be looking at you (read: dudes checking out your butt). In class you're completely present with your movements, you remove your expectations, you align yourself with an intention, you let the exploration move through you to change and transform you. You play.

I've been doing a lot of yoga lately. Ashtanga vinyasa classes, specifically. Which, even for a pretzel like me, are always extremely challenging. My main area of weakness is in core and upper-body strength, so I spend a lot of time making sure I'm building strength in my postures as opposed to just hanging out with my leg behind my head like la dee da just call me gumby lol. I'm double jointed, so, yeah it's really not fair. But that flexibility can make me lazy in recognizably challenging postures. So I just decide not to be lazy, to work on my core and activate my muscles as I'm working through postures. It makes a difference. And after my classes I both feel totally high vibe hippie girl glowy and completely exhausted. Iz good.

Lately my body has been needing some extra fuel and support, as I've been practicing 5-6 days a week. Smoothie bowls seem to be the magic key, for me. I'll eat them before or after class, usually one or the other. This blueberry smoothie bowl I find is particularly good after a hard workout -- whether that's yoga, hiking, running, or lifting or something like that. The fats make it really satisfying and the flavor is so spot on, like a creamy, luscious, fresh berry pie filling. And just to take that thought further you could totally I crumble my coconut oil cookie crust over top (maybe mix some chia seeds in?) and make those other yoga/fitness babes jealous of your siiiiiiiiick smoothie pie bowl. Mmmmhmmmm.

So why is this the "Yoga Recovery" Smoothie bowl? Well, here are the nutrition specs just to convince you of the gloriousness that is this recipe.

Wild blueberries = antioxidant power! Blueberries are too often forgotten, being so common. But they rank highest in antioxidant power of all fruit! Wild blueberries even more so. They're also a good source of fiber and Vitamin C!

Avocado = cooling qualities, potassium (which promotes heart and cardiovascular health), lutein (good for your eyes), folate (for cell repair), B vitamins (which support the nervous system), and monounsaturated fats that provide excellent energy to the body;

Goji berries (also called wolf berries) = a super charge of antioxidants and Vitamin C for super skin support and protection!

Coconut oil = cooling qualities and nourishing MCT (medium chain triglycerides) saturated fats which provide excellent energy for athletes and also stimulate the metabolism.

Mango = Vitamin A, Folic Acid, and fiber! Ok I just really love mango, thus eet goes in zee smoozie!

Dates = a low glycemic sweetener, Vitamins B6, K, and A, a slew of minerals like potassium, manganese, iron, zinc, and magnesium which we need in small amounts to maintain optimum health.

A super greens powder, like the Good Greens powder I used from ALOHA, provides a super charge of supportive nutrition: antioxidants, protein, vitamin C, Vitamin D, potassium, essential fatty acids, and beta-carotene. And that's just the start of it. (Ingredients: dried spirulina, spinach, moringa, peas, wheatgrass juice, wild blueberries, raspberry juice, coconut water, lemon, king trumpet mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, ginger, hawaiian red alaea salt). If you don't have access to a greens powder like the one I used, adding even just spirulina to your smoothie will be highly supportive and nourishing (it offers protein and alkalizing fatty acids, which are great for muscle building and reducing inflammation post-practice).