There's a special quality to the air in the early morning in Charlottesville. Each inhalation of the raw outdoors is imbued with freshness, newness. Like cooling sips of glimmering, refreshing spring water. Perhaps it's just my habit of being so half-asleep at 7am as to truly be mindful of my path to my yoga shala. My thoughts fade and I watch what's happening with my breath, the sensation of my body moving.

I witness the walking path. It's rather green. The edges are planted with shade trees, red and yellow lilies and soft cup-like butter-yellow blossoms with upward-curling stamens. Small brown birds gaze curiously from the bandy pomegranate trees. Dew coats my dusty black sandals and bare toes. I avoid slow-moving worms in my path. I watch the strawberry cotton candy sky fade to blue.

Over my shoulder, a pale cotton tote holds my black yoga mat, towel and a change of clothes. It's a makeshift substitute for a real mat bag, something I simply keep forgetting to care about. In my hand, a red enamel cup filled to the brim with steaming coffee.

In my head, I go through the shapes and names of the postures in the ashtanga series again for the 1000th time. I'm attempting to write a song to remember all of the sanskrit names, and I'm failing at it (because I'm not trying very hard lol). So I'll half-sing it to myself as a take each step.

And every couple of minutes, this smoothie bowl flashes through my minds eye like a delicious, taunting mantra making me consider turning back. Sweet, cold, bursting with blackberry flavor. I could dig into it and snuggle into a lazy morning alongside Logan, grins settling into the creases around our lips. But then I remind myself: you can make it when you get home. It'll be there. So will he. And I keep on the path.

This blackberry almond butter maca smoothie bowl is the perfect example of my smoothie bowl approach. Super simple, flavorful, full of good fats and pretty as hell! And, of course, it contains my favorites: almond butter, maca and chia. Those are my go-to smoothie super-heroine ingredients. I like to balance punchy, juicy flavors like blackberry with almond butter's fatty, softening quality (in my mind it "smooths the edges" of sharp flavors). And I like to think maca's caramelly depth is a great complement to the banana. That's my jam. The chia is for your health (cheers!). But it also adds an agreeable thickness, no doubt.

BLACKBERRY MACA SMOOTHIE WITH ALMOND BUTTER

Author: Renee Byrd | Will Frolic for Food · Active prep time: 3 mins · Inactive prep time: 0 mins · Cook time: 0 mins · Makes 1 serving PRINT THIS RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup frozen banana
• ¾ cups frozen blueberries
• ¾ cups frozen blackberries
• ¼ cup creamy unsalted almond butter
• 1 teaspoon maca
• 1 teaspoon chia
• water or unsweetened plant milk
• Suggested Toppings: sliced kiwi, raw buckwheat groats, more almond butter, bee pollen, coconut flakes!

INSTRUCTIONS

1. To the bowl of a high powered blender, add all of your ingredients except for your toppings: frozen banana, blueberries, blackberries, almond butter, maca, chia and enough water / plant milk to get your desired consistency. I like to make this smoothie into a smoothie bowl with a thick, ice cream-like texture, so I go for around 1 - 1.5 cups liquid.
2. Blend on high until everything comes together, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you need to incorporate everything.
3. To serve, pour your smoothie into your serving bowl and top with your favorite toppings!