Paul Anthony StewartPaul Anthony Stewart
day job: Stage and Screen Actor
most recently in: Croatia and Puerto Rico

The one snack you can always find in my carry on is...
Unsalted almonds. And a high protein granola bar if it’s a long flight.

Tell us your in-flight rituals.
I drink lots of water, bring along a light sweater just in case the plane is an icebox and book a window seat. This way if I need to sleep during the flight I’m not bothered by the other people sitting in my row.

How do you conquer jet-lag once you've arrived?
I do whatever I can to get on the proper schedule, even if it means forcing myself to stay awake until an appropriate bedtime. That seductive nap can be my downfall, so I avoid it at all costs. Getting outside, walking around and breathing fresh air helps tremendously.

Which fitness icon best describes your 'workout on the road' style?

Bruce Jenner. But, I could be any one of these guys on any given day, because I get easily bored with working out and tend to mix it up to keep myself interested. The weather is usually my muse. If the sun is shining, then I prefer to do something outdoors, like go on a run or find a great hike nearby. Otherwise I'll hit the gym.

How do you keep sickness at bay?
I always have my regular stash of products with me: Emergen-C, grapefruit seed extract, oil of oregano and Wellness Formula. If I feel the beginnings of a tickle in my throat, I start taking them right away.

Paul at the opening party for The Last Five Years in MassachusettsWhat's your 'go-to' restaurant item?
I can’t eat a large meal before a performance so late night meals at a restaurant, after a show, are always a temptation. And those late night menus seem to always consist primarily of fried foods. I try to eat six smaller meals throughout the day to curb those late night cravings. If I’m doing a lengthy gig out of town, then I always have a kitchen where I’m staying and I cook healthy foods for myself. I’ll make a dozen burritos with egg whites, ground turkey, frozen kale or spinach, and Ezekiel’s Sprouted Whole Grain Tortillas, wrap them in plastic wrap, and throw them in the freezer so that a healthy meal is just a few minutes away at all times. I stockpile my fridge with hummus and vegetables to curb the snack cravings and I keep mixed unsalted nuts in my cabinet. When cooking is less of an option, I find that most restaurants, even if it’s not on their menu (and if you ask nicely) can do some version of a grilled piece of lean protein along with green vegetables.

What do you do to stay grounded?
I spend time outdoors if the weather is nice. I walk, explore, visit local museums and I always find a local neighborhood coffee shop where I might spend several hours a day, working or reading or just people watching. It helps me to feel less lonely when I’m on the road and part of a community that’s just outside my small apartment or hotel room.

What is your preferred method of staying connected with loved ones?
FaceTime is a great way to stay in touch with those people in my life who don’t care when my hair is a mess and I have bags under my eyes. For everyone else, email and texting is best. I try not to chat too long on the telephone, because it can wear out my voice, and my voice is my instrument.

Currently in rehersals for two new plays: Harbor and The Landing, Paul is excited to spend the summer in his own bed in NYC. You can follow him and his travels on Facebook and Instagram.  

Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead: After watching this film, I literally went out and bought a juicer. The film follows Joe Cross, an Australia entrepreneur and investor, who decided to embark on a 60-day fresh fruit and vegetable juice cleanse to literally save his life. The first 30 days are spent in New York City, while the second are spent traveling across the US in his van with his Breville juicer by his side. Along the way he meets a 429-pound truck driver named Phil, who later asks for help and begins the juicing journey himself. The positive life changes that occur for these two men throughout the film are incredible - a definite must see. The best part though? This documentary is purely rousing. The film inspires change without harshly bashing another lifestyle or industry. It makes some comments and presents the necessary facts, that's a given, but it leaves you just thinking about the benefits juicing - as it should. Definitely two thumbs up.

Forks Over Knives: This documentary follows the research of two revolutionary doctors, Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, both advocating for a whole food, plant based diet. The findings are astounding. With one doctor taking a scientific approach and the other taking a clinical look, results start to show how it's possible for our diet to actually reverse certain diseases. The film is brimming with information, making it extremely intriguing to watch, (my jaw hit the floor a few times). The studies are plainly stated and the individual stories are so relatable, I found myself listing the family members I could share this information with! Some claim it’s just a movie advocating veganism but I disagree, the knowledge gained from this film is absolutely worth your while.

Food Fight: Go local. Go organic. Sustainable farming. Farm-to-table. All of these trends get wellness junkies like me very excited. Following the history of this food revolution, calling it the 'California Cuisine', this film is brought to light in the U.S. by activist and chef Alice Waters and her partner Jeremiah Tower. Focusing on America’s lack of 'taste' in food back in the 20^th century, due to a high demand for convenience, these two decided to broadcast their use of local, fresh, organic products and made the world see the beauty in it. The story is something we all could benefit from seeing, and if you need some familiar faces to convince you of the positive, wide-spread message, Michael Pollan and Wolfgang Puck make quite a few appearances.
 

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When I began dipping more deeply into Tibetan Buddhism, I looked forward to morning meditations, sitting in community at the Three Jewels Dharma and Outreach Center. A group of us gathered to practice the meditative art of Tonglen (a practice of “giving and taking”-- specifically the taking in of suffering and the sending of happiness and it’s causes). We had been meeting for quite some time and there was something inspiring and euphoria-inducing about starting the morning in this way. I’d walk out soaring- feeling like some sorta secret superhero- continuing on the train ride home, taking in the suffering of those around me on the inhale and offering them peace, love, joy or whatever I felt in the moment on my exhale. Well, on this particular morning, we were greeted wholeheartedly with this invitation, “We’re going to try something different this morning, which can be more challenging, but we’ve gotta go here if we’re going to be able to go any further... we’re starting with ourselves.”

I’m not going to lie, there was something less comfortable about sitting with and allowing myself to experience the sensation of my own suffering... of being in the muck. This wasn’t a secret superhero morning this was a vulnerable, tender, mind wandering practice of showing up with that which preferred to remain hidden and it wasn’t pleasant. Gone was the high. And yet, that day helped open my eyes and my heart to the necessity of coming to know and accept myself in a deeper and more complete way. As I moved through the subsequent days- I listened carefully to the contents of the stream flowing in my mind and was surprised to hear how harshly I spoke to myself, how much more critical I was of myself than of others, how quick I was to dismiss the promptings of my heart and mostly how little kindness I extended to myself. And it struck me, I would never speak to a friend the way I speak to myself in my own mind. In the work I have done since, I recognize that shame and other suppressed emotions are in need of a loving, compassionate space to be seen, heard, felt, experienced and integrated. These emotions are powerful but they are not more powerful than we are. We are capable of being present with them as they emerge, evolve & dissolve. As long as there remain aspects of our experience and ourselves that are unintegrated, we divide ourselves further and feel less connected to ourselves and each other and the likelihood of unconsciously repeating patterns which cause more suffering endures. Thankfully the opposite of this is also true-- the more at peace we are within ourselves, the more connected we feel to ourselves and each other and the more likely the bright light of awareness will illuminate choices which move us out of dysfunctional habitual reactions and choices.

Subsequently I’ve come to recognize and honor, that as a microcosm of the whole, the best gift I can offer my son, my partner, my family, my friends and the world is this work I do in my own heart. The more compassionate and kind I can be to myself, the more compassionate and kind I can be in my interactions with others. The more present I can be, the more deeply I listen, the more fully love, the more space I feel to respond rather than react and the more grateful I am for everything. - laurieG

Alisa Rottenberg (right) | Daisy Mae PRAlisa Rottenberg
founder: Daisy Mae PR & Double Happiness Jewelry
most recently in: Cabo San Lucas and Turkey

The one snack you can always find in my carry on is... 
A salad. I'm a vegetarian so I usually pick something up at the airport.

Tell us your in-flight rituals.
I buy tons of magazines. I not only read them all cover to cover, I do the crossword puzzles as well. Keeps my brain active.

How do you conquer jet lag once you've arrived?
Unfortunately it tends to conquer me, but with my running shoes in my bag I try to get outside and keep up my energy.

Which fitness icon best describes your 'workout on the road' style?

Bear Grylls - Travelling is the best time to go hike a mountain, go diving, go surfing, kayaking etc. I love outdoor exploration when I travel. It is imperative to a trip. 

How do you keep sickness at bay?
Religious drink bottled water! I have an iron stomach from my years of traveling to so many places so I'm lucky. I also think that not eating meat is a big help.

Alisa shops the market in IstanbulWhat's your 'go-to' restaurant item?
The vegetable special dish of the day paired with a great organic cocktail of course :) 

What do you do to stay grounded?
Meet people! I like to be out everyday, get off the beaten path and see the small towns. Buying local arts and crafts not only makes me happy, but it's giving back to the local community. This all keeps me grounded, happy and satisfied while travelling. 

What is your preferred method of staying connected with loved ones?
Facebook, email and Skype.

Currently at work expanding her PR business in Los Angeles, Alisa is excited to launch a New York showroom for the Double Happiness jewelry line. You can follow her and travels via the Daisy Mae PR blog and on Facebook.

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The Yoga Alliance says yes. Their definition of an RYT 200® (registered yoga teacher), a title, which by the way, is a registered mark, is having completed a 200-hour training program with an RYS 200 (registered yoga school). There are no actual teaching time/instructing requirements for this designation. The teaching requirement for RYT 500 status is only 100 hours, but with an additional 300 hours of training.

Is 200 hours of classroom instruction with little to no actual hands-on practical experience enough to legitimately “register” someone as a yoga teacher? How about teachers who have been practicing for decades but never registered with the Yoga Alliance (YA)? There are many, some prominent, such as Leslie Kaminoff and Richard Rosen, who eschew the YA and feel it offers little in the way of true oversight for yoga teaching and simply exists to gather registration fees for its various designations. So essentially the industry is on an honor system. Are programs are actually 200 hours long? Are the relevant topics covered? Can graduates actually teach? How does one perform due diligence on a yoga teacher or studio if the registration he or she has and the actual experience he or she embodies can be so wildly divergent?

image via In my experience, what matters most is the teacher’s personal practice. I am less interested in someone leading me thru a rote series of poses and far more interested in what wisdom and insight a teacher can share. A teacher who is a newly minted 200-hour RYT but has been practicing for 15 years under a variety of teachers and styles is probably better prepared to share yoga’s wisdom than a teacher who practiced all of 16 months before doing a training at a “McYoga” studio, but in the accreditation language of the YA, they are equivalent.

While RYT 200 status is the most basic qualification a teacher can receive from YA, I’m much more interested those who earn an E-RYT, which says that not only has the instructor taken a 200-hour training, but that they have completed over 1,000 hours of teaching time since graduating from said training (I have amassed this number of teaching hours, but I have yet to file and pay for this additional letter behind my name). E-RYT is far more descriptive of a teacher’s knowledge than RYT. After teaching 1,000 hours (that’s over 650 90 minute classes), presumably you have something of value to teach. Keeping in mind that the student/mentor relationship in yoga is never complete and most instructors that put in the time to teach 1,000 hours have not stopped learning from their mentors.

Yet as the industry has shown, being a highly respected, world-famous yoga instructor with decades of experience does not gild a teacher in perfection. Stories about Pattabhi Jois’ abusive nature are legion; John Friend of Anusara fame got himself into a huge pickle with allegations of stolen funds, inappropriate sexual relations, and pot dealing; Bikram Choudary lost a suit against Yoga to the People on grounds of copyright infringement and is still battling a lawsuit over sexual harassment. And it’s not only male teachers: a student claiming he suffered emotional and physical injury in her class is suing Hilaria Thomas Baldwin of Yoga Vida. All these teachers have lots of experience, lots of training, and have been at it for a very long time. So what makes a good yoga teacher? Is 200 hours enough?

image viaYes and no. In the right yogi, trained by the right program, 200 hours is enough to get them the basic teaching tools and designation that most studios will require to give them a job. It enables them to serve humanity via the incredible technology of yoga. In the wrong yogi, 200 hours is license to be let loose on a yoga-needing public without having the wisdom, experience, skill, sensitivity or anatomical understanding to serve it best.

One of yoga’s gifts is the cultivation of non-judgmental observation. If we can apply this to both the teacher and our own practice, we should be able to stay out of trouble. We are ultimately responsible for our own practice, even at the hands of highly trained, world-renowned teachers. But where does that leave yoga newbies? Bring the equanimity that yoga teaches along with lots of research to your search for a teacher or school. Ask to sit in and observe some classes, talk to the people running the studio about how they find their teachers and what the hiring requirements are, get a feel for the place. If it feels right, great! If it doesn’t, then find somewhere else that does.

A teacher that is a boon for one may by a non-factor to another. The style of yoga (there are hundreds) we practice and resonate with is a very personal thing. Newly minted teachers are a dime a dozen in New York City. Some of them may be very good; just as many, if not more, will never teach a class in their lives. As yoga grows in popularity, teachers and students are both called to become more aware, to teach (and practice) from a place of composure. Both must remember that the teacher is still human. We all have faults. That does not necessarily make us bad teachers. It is only when the faults get in the way of the ability to teach that you have a problem on your hands. So don’t look for letters trailing a teachers name to give you a stamp of approval. Instead do your homework, use your intuition and listen to your body to feel the teacher’s impact. This is the way you fill find your true teachers, they are the ones who touch your soul. - Lola Rephann

Andrew McCarthyAndrew McCarthy
day job: Author, travel writer, actor, director
most recently in: Hawaii and India

The one snack you can always find in my carry on is... 
I always carry almond butter (sometimes tricky to get through security, but I hem and haw, and they let it go) and rice crackers. It is my staple while traveling, saves my ass every time.

Tell us your in-flight rituals.
I always just have a big bottle of water and I carry my own green tea (the only thing they ever have on a plane is Lipton, and I can't do that). I always take my shoes off right away, and bring a sweater (even when I'm leaving from and arriving at a hot place) since I always seem to be freezing on a plane. I generally don't eat airplane food so my almond butter usually gets me through, or if I've really planned ahead, I carry some turkey.

How do you conquer jet lag once you've arrived?
Jet lag kills me (I'm totally jet lagged right now, doing this in the middle of the night , since I just arrived from India last yesterday ;) I don't have a set thing I do. Sometimes I go to bed immediately on arrival, sometimes I force myself to stay up as long as possible. But I always try and get out and walk. It serves two purposes. It grounds me in the place and walking is the best way to get to know a location anyway. And If I give in to it, jet lag can be a dreamy, enjoyable state, as long as I'm not operating any heavy machinery.

Which fitness icon best describes your 'workout on the road' style?

Bear Grylls - I do a lot of Spinning at home, which I never seem to find on the road, so I walk, A LOT. If I'm in an outdoor setting I try to get in a few long hikes.

How do you keep sickness at bay?
I always carry a bottle of grapefruit seed extract, a few drops a day (sometimes more) and I have never had a stomach problem on the road - even in India.

Andrew at the summit of Mt. KilimanjaroWhat's your 'go-to' restaurant item?
Frankly, pizza. But the grown-up part of me tries to eat a lot of fresh fish. I generally try to eat a simpler diet on the road, it minimizes complications.

What do you do to stay grounded?
I try to establish a routine as quickly as possible, even if it's just one thing in the morning, going to the same place for a cup of tea etc. It helps establish stability. And it's nice to create "history" at a place and get to know the people. The place doesn't even have to be very good, that's not the point. Sometimes bad places are more memorable and capture the essence of a place. And I try and write a little everyday.

What is your preferred method of staying connected with loved ones?
I use the phone (and cringe at the bill), or Skype, if I can get a strong enough signal.

Looking forward to the paperback publication of his travel memior, The Longest Way Home on June 4th, you can follow Andrew and his travels via Twitter and his website.

Jared Koch | Clean Plates

Pravassa: Jared, anyone who’s picked up a Clean Plates guide has learned that you deferred medical school and started working with your brother to create a family business. What made you step away from that line of work and head into nutrition?
Jared Koch: Well, I had everything that I had been told would make me happy, but I wasn’t happy. I felt like my whole life was about perusing money and I really wanted to do something more meaningful. I started taking yoga and meditation classes and even thought about going back to medical school, but didn’t know if I could study again. I had a lot of digestive issues and my yoga teacher encouraged me to take a look at my diet. I then decided to take a course in nutrition as a way to get into studying again and I became very passionate about it.

So from your nutrition studies you were able to grow a one-on-one business that led to the start of Clean Plates?
Yes, I started teaching yoga and working with clients as a nutritional consultant. The positive results I started seeing were not only with clients, but also with myself. I completely healed my digestive issues. The more I worked with nutrition, the more I realized it was foundational and is the answer to so many kinds of personal health challenges we face. The idea that became Clean Plates was the overall idea to get people to make a substantial change that was not only about education, but had a way to support this journey of change. It’s difficult for human beings to change. We’re resistant creatures. The thing that was working most successfully for my clients, was giving them practical recommendations; product suggestions, supplement information and restaurant recommendations. Clients would come back and tell me how much they loved my suggestions and that when eating out they would go to healthy restaurants multiple times a week. They would be putting different and better food in their body. It was a rational, non-extreme, doable approach to changing your lifestyle. When I started learning about nutrition, I knew nothing about the topic and as a culture we’re still very uneducated, but we’ve come a long way in the last 10 years and I wanted to contribute to that cultural change. My entrepreneurial brain kicked in and I decided to package this approach into the Clean Plates Manhattan restaurant guide.

That’s probably one of the biggest changes in the last 10-years, the availability of healthy food.
I personally didn’t want to sacrifice my fast paced New York lifestyle. I love good food and the amount and quality of the food has definitely increased. The demand has increased so now high quality chefs are interested in cooking this way. You can actually build a restaurant business around it.

What was a typical meal in the Koch household growing up?
Well, growing up I didn’t necessarily eat healthy, but there was a huge interest in food. It was more about the pleasure side of it. We are out a lot, mostly Italian food. Now I lead by example and my family’s eating habits have changed substantially. They’ve shown an interest in eating healthy and are constantly asking me questions about how to do it. Even my dog has a raw food diet provided by a holistic vet.

The taste testing process; tell us about how do you decide which restaurants to include in the Clean Plates guide.
When I first started, I went with a food critic to over 125 restaurants in a very short period of time. We started with eating out three meals a day, but we realized very quickly that was not going to work. We adjusted to two meals a day several days a week in about 3 ½ months. I definitely ended the process swearing never to eat out again – which lasted a week. Now that we’re doing multiple books in multiple locations, we use our large survey to understand the health and sustainability of the restaurants before we step foot in them. If they meet our standards, then we work with a food critic to visit and review them. We have different levels of approval so in the printed guide you’ll find the best restaurants that meet all of our criteria. If a restaurant comes close, you can find that listing on our website or iPhone app.

It’s expensive for small local farms to become ‘Certified Organic’ and for many of them it is just cost prohibited. How do you address this issue with the restaurants you feature?
Many of the restaurants we deal with source from farms that are not certified organic. We look for restaurants and the farms that they source from to use organic practices. Some of them are even better than the organic standards that the government sets. We don’t live in an ideal world, certainly there’s a lot of work to be done to improve the food system. Our guide finds the places that are doing the best job and that sort through the confusion enabling diners to make informed choices. There’s more of a comfort level for some people when they know that a restaurant orders ‘certified organic’, but at the moment it’s just not the reality of how things work.

Local – Organic – Seasonal. How do all these work together?
Seasonal tends to align with local. When a restaurant orders from a local farm, they are getting what’s in season. Ideally if you can eat the combination of all three that is great, but it’s not always possible so it becomes a personal choice which one you give preference to. Eating organic minimizes your exposure to chemicals, but the food could travel cross-country to get to you, losing its nutrients, impacting the environment and it might not be seasonal. Where if you eat something local, but not organic, your supporting your community, but the food might be sprayed with chemicals. It’s a personal choice. I lean toward organic.

In the past 4 years since I’ve enacted my wellness strategy through exercise, nutrition, stress reduction, I don’t get sick often if at all and when I do it doesn't last very long.
I haven’t been to the doctor in years. Some clients I work with don’t see a doctor either. I think once you start eating better, reducing your stress and practice more wellness activities; your body starts to heal at the root so you’re less likely to need a doctor. People have changed their diets and been able to get of medication as well as lower their blood pressure and cholesterol. Medicine has its place in terms of diagnostic testing and emergencies, but how you treat your body has a huge impact.

You just published the Clean Plates Cookbook. It has an education section at the beginning of the book, which instructs people on food choices and really explains what’s out there, is key and makes it more than a just a cookbook.
What we did well in the restaurant guides was take the whole topic of nutrition, which can be quite confusing and put it into an organized understandable fashion. It’s not dogmatic, but takes the topic and presents it in a clear way to help people to make informed decisions. I was getting a ton of great feedback about that front portion in the guides and how people were using it. Since the guides are city specific, I knew the information was only being seen by a limited number of people. Those people were reading the guide, but no one was thinking about it as being an education tool, it was more of a restaurant guide. So by taking this educational portion, expanding it and creating a cookbook, I am able to reach more people with my message. The cookbook became a lifestyle guide, an education and introduction into eating healthy without having to read a textbook or take courses.

Tell me about the actual cookbook portion of the book.
There are 120 recipes in the book and we worked with Napa chef and cookbook author Jill Silverman Hough who created almost all of the recipes using our ingredient guidelines. We wanted to make a fun, simple, tasty cookbook. There are about 15 recipes contributed from well-known chefs like Jamie Oliver, Michael Anthony from Gramercy Tavern, Iron Chef Mark Forgione and more. Throughout the process of the restaurant guide we built relationships with chefs that really believed in what we were doing and we asked them to contribute a recipe to the book.

These are all great books to have. Tell us how people can stay connected with you and Clean Plates. 
We're currently building our online community via our website and sending out emails a few times a week with the intention to launch city-specific emails. The whole mission of the company is to make it easier and more enjoyable for people to eat better. The Clean Plates community is a resource to make it easier for you to live this lifestyle in your city and keep you in good health. - L.S.

I love eating out as much as the next person and a big part of my social life revolves around restaurants and bars. As a rule, when I eat out more than once a week I gain weight…fast. Plus I become fatigued, foggy headed and feel rundown. It’s been a big challenge since I started making sustainable healthy changes to my diet. But, I’ve been using these tips to help me keep up a healthy diet, my figure, my energy and my social life.

Start off with a healthy breakfast This is a sure fire way to end up eating much healthier throughout the day. Fruit salad, fruit smoothies, oatmeal, granola, organic eggs… these are all great options in the morning.

Drink a green juice a day Leafy greens are the most important food group (yes they are a food group). Kale, spinach, collards, Swiss chard and especially wheat grass provide a high concentration of vitamins and more importantly minerals. Plus, leafy greens are by weight 20-35% protein and when consumed in combination (like in green juices) they make a complete protein. Is green juice the new protein drink? I think so!

Order vegetables  ...with everything when eating out. Salads are pretty much offered anywhere. There may be many more appealing items on the menu, but buy sticking to a salad (sans the croutons & cheese) you can be sure you won’t pack on the pounds. Adding avocado, nuts and fruit makes any salad more interesting. Be sure to skip the creamy dressings; vinaigrettes are generally healthier. When ordering dinner, if the meal comes with pasta or potatoes substitute with whatever vegetables the restaurant offers.  

Ask for substitutions Restaurants understand dietary restrictions so speak up! At a sushi dinner last week I asked if they could make the rolls without rice. The restaurant was happy to use daikon (an Asian radish) instead. I hardly noticed it was there and was happy I didn't have to turn down the dinner invite altogether. 

Say no to alcohol Drinking tends to make you feel like garbage the next day, which makes making healthy food choices hard. For someone who once frequented happy hours and partook in Sunday Funday, it can be done. If you have an event or business dinner during the week, have a 1 drink maximum as any sort of moderate to heavy drinking depletes your vitamin and mineral levels. Your body senses the shortage and holds onto the fat.

Flip your view Change the way you see your relationship to food and your social life. This has helped me stay on my path the most. I am often the only one at a party who is eating raw or on a juice cleanse, but to resist the temptations I remind myself that I will feel better physically and emotionally if I don’t overindulge. Don't beat yourself up. You can splurge a little every now and then, but you don’t need to eat cheese and crackers or mashed potatoes every day. You will get more satisfaction from being comfortable in your body than the blip of pleasure you'll feel when you eat one of your favorite, but not so healthy foods. - Jessica Geier

Jessica Geier is a Certified Holistic Health Coach and the co-owner of Raw Generation Juices. Raw Generation makes it more convenient to incorporate fresh juices into a busy lifestyle without being a slave to a juicer. Jessica trained at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and continues to educate herself daily on what’s new in the field of nutrition. In her spare time she runs, practices hot yoga, is obsessed with the Bar Method classes, and writes for her two blogs at Raw Generation & Plenty of Thyme. Connect with her on Facebook and Twitter. 

Kimberly Hartman | Jade TribeKimberly Hartman
owner: JADEtribe 
most recently in: Spain & Morocco

The one snack you can always find in my carry on is... 
Raw almonds and a green apple.

Tell us your in-flight rituals.
It’s all about the water, water and more water. Day of I start with an am workout and consciously drink lots of water with lemon. I eat light and stay away from carbs, soy and foods that make my stomach bloat. Pre-flight I shower moisturize my entire body and dress in loose comfortable, layered clothing with a clean make-up free face. In-flight the airline pillow is placed behind my lower back for support and my neck pillow is wrapped around my neck. I have a great lavender scented eye mask, which is always with me along with my noise cancelling headphones. I avoid airline food at all costs! I usually I pick up snacks like baby carrots and humus or grab a salad and fruit before boarding. If I have a layover I always take a change of clothes in my carry on so I can shower in the lounge and I feel like a new person!

How do you conquer jet lag once you've arrived?
I try to get as much sleep on the flight as possible and acclimate myself to the local time zone of where I’d headed. This can get pretty confusing on my trips to Asia, so around 7 pm, I book a 2 hour massage that relaxes me and works out all the knots in my body from the flight.

Which fitness icon best describes your 'workout on the road' style?

Bear Grylls - haha. It’s impossible to work out in a hotel gym, as I do not find it motivating. Being the New Yorker, I love to walk so I explore, move my body and engage with the locals. If I am lucky enough to be near the ocean I swim! If I have space in my suitcase I take my yoga mat. There is always a place for a handstand to get the energy moving!

How do you keep sickness at bay?
I am not sure; often it hits me on the way home. While I am traveling I take advantage of the local fresh fruit juices, trying to keep my diet healthy and balanced.

Kimberly in Spain with JADEtribe bag

What's your 'go-to' restaurant item?
Grilled fish and steamed vegetables!

What do you do to stay grounded?
I use my solo travel time to read inspiring books, relax and pamper myself and set new goals for both myself and my business. I squeeze in meditating, reflecting and booking as many massages as I can! It's a lot of self-care that I do not give to myself when I am in New York.

What is your preferred method of staying connected with loved ones?
Definitely Face Time and Skype. I do to post on Facebook while I am traveling, so my family knows that I am okay – I know my mom is always looking for my updates so she does not have to worry!

Currently at work in Thailand and Laos, Kimberly is excited to debut JADEtribe's beach dresses exclusively on Shopbop.com. You can follow her and the JADEtribe travels via twitter and instagram. 

In case you missed this week's Wellness news, here's a recap of some interesting articles:

• Want your fresh pressed juice 24-7? Kreation Juicery launched the first juice ATM in Beverly Hills.
• Huffington Post founder, Arianna Huffington discussed the cost of stress in the corporate world.
• Pravassa founder, Linden Schaffer asks, Isn't It About Time You Took A Spa Vacation?
• Whole Foods spreads the word on their planned 'Whole Spa'.
• Enjoy the BBC Travel's round up on the world's most welcoming countries.

Erica MatherWe've known for a long time that yoga instructor Erica Mather is a rockstar, she used to tour with her jazz band. Listen as she shares with Milwaukee Public Radio how she made the transition from jazz musician to Forrest Yoga Guardian and what makes this type of yoga healing. 

Join Erica this fall when she co-leads Pravassa's Fitness Fusion vacation in the Dominican Republic.

Juice a Big Batch - If you are juicing at home, it is much easier to juice a batch that will last you a few days. For most people, especially for those with a 9 – 7pm, daily juicing is just not an option. Here are 2 ways you can go about it:

• Juice enough for 2-3 days and store it in to-go cups so you can grab and go. I heart my mason jars with resealable lids!
• Juice a larger quantity and freeze it in pint or quart sized containers. The juices will keep for 6 months frozen, then when you are ready pop it out and and you will have juice in a few hours.

Down the Hatch - Drink your juice first thing in the morning. Not only will you not have to carry it around with you, but also it is what your body is thirsting for to get you going. It will hydrate and energize you right from the start.

Stock Up - If you want to have juice throughout the day, grab your reusable bag and bring them to your office in one shot. Store them in the refrigerator so you don’t have to remember to bring them in each day.

Delivery is your Friend – If you plan in advance, you can have your juices delivered right to your office and skip the lugging them around part altogether. Plus, a side benefit of losing weight and feeling great is that you’ll be more productive, which always makes the bosses happy.

Ok, so what if you can’t due a full juice cleanse? It’s common; some people get cranky or feel that need to chew something. Not a problem! The goal is to get the nutrients into your body. It doesn’t matter if you start out with 1 or you drink 6. You will reap the benefits so the best part is that you decide what is comfortable for you. This isn’t a race. It’s about making sustainable changes that will ultimately lead you to being healthier, happier, and feeling better about yourself.- Jessica Geier 

Jessica Geier is a Certified Holistic Health Coach and the co-owner of Raw Generation Juices. Raw Generation makes it more convenient to incorporate fresh juices into a busy lifestyle without being a slave to a juicer. Jessica trained at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and continues to educate herself daily on what’s new in the field of nutrition. In her spare time she runs, practices hot yoga, is obsessed with the Bar Method classes, and writes for her two blogs at Raw Generation & Plenty of Thyme. Connect with her on Facebook and Twitter. 

Linden Schaffer | Pravassa

Linden is a certified wellness expert, living what she preaches every day. Through her travels she discovers more about nutrition, spiritual and mental health. Linden says it was her wedding which propelled her into the wellness field. She married on an estancia outside Buenos Aires at a working organic farm where guests were treated to yoga classes, massage workshops, and cultural tours; the first Pravassa vacation. Linden hopes to change people's outlook on life and how they view wellness, and expanding her wellness trips to Africa and Asia.

Listen to the interview below:

In case you missed this week's Wellness news, here's a recap of some interesting articles:

• Justin Timberlake cracked us up this week with his ode to Veganville on SNL.
• NYC shared the wellness with new in-taxi meditations led by yogi favorite Elena Brower. 
• Hip hop artist Lupe Fiasco introduced a health and wellness app for your smartphone.
• Pravassa founder, Linden Schaffer, shared her tips for better sleep on the plane. 
• Whole Foods announced that they will require GMO items to be labled in their stores. 

Justin Timberlake - Bring It On Down 2... by IdolxMuzic

But here’s the kicker: I work at Starbucks. Not exactly what one pictures as the center of health and well-being – I know!

The truth is, I love Starbucks! I think they are a great company. Not only do they offer a variety of options for all palates, (I prefer the unsweetened green tea lemonade), but they strive to help local communities and have an eco-friendly attitude. Every day we compost the coffee grounds and give discounts when people bring in reusable cups. This year Starbucks even launched a stronger version of their hot cup, which is lightweight plastic and reusable up to 30 times! The company is even making strides in community support by working with responsibly grown and ethically traded coffee. Additionally the loan programs and support centers provide resources, expertise in sustainable farming and financial aid to the farming communities in Costa Rica and Rwanda. My favorite thing is the Global Month of Service. Here employees and customers alike get together annually to volunteer in local neighborhoods and work with the Ethos Water Fund. 

While I wouldn’t necessarily make a full meal out of the food on offer, with whole grain options, steel cut oatmeal and full leaf teas, the company’s attempt at nutrition and education is clear. All foods are free of high fructose corn syrup, dyes and artificial flavors, making it easier to find a treat I can happily enjoy. And while not organic, they have come out with a new fresh pressed juice product - Evolution Fresh, which is a huge step in educating the public on the benefits of juicing. 

Wellness encompasses many things, including enhancement of your health, nutrition, environmental awareness and sense of community, but it also involves the enhancement of our soul. Aside from everything else, simply showing up to work increases my daily dose of wellness. The overall optimism within the store and the aim to increase the happiness of everyone who walks in is a trait I admire. A bad attitude is one of the worst qualities a company can have and we all know bad attitudes can be just as contagious as a smile.

I am proud to say that my experience with Starbucks has enhanced my wellness. I’ve been treated with immense respect, made lasting friendships, increased my work experience and witnessed just how far that smile can go. In this economy having a job, especially one that I enjoy, contributes to my overall wellness. So, next time all you see is that little white cup full of corporate coffee, look again - there’s more to that Siren’s Eye and your $5 coffee than you think. - Kirby Duemig

Just a tidbit about juicers. You can find different types of juicers ranging from $35 to $2500. If you are looking to purchase an easy to use home juicer I recommend the Omega VRT350 Heavy Duty Dual-Stage Veritical Single Auger Low Speed Juicer. It is on the lower end of the price scale, but in terms of function it’s the best for home use.

Red Rootz Juice

Red Rootz Clarifier 
1 beet
3 carrots
3 apples
1” slice ginger root

Sweet Green Energizer
1 lg. bunch spinach
1 lg. bunch kale
1 lg. bunch parsley
3 gala apples
1 lemon

Spicy Citrus Detoxifier
3 oranges
2 lemons
1” slice ginger
3 garlic cloves
1 tsp. olive oil
Cayenne pepper, to taste

All of these are great as a juice a day or in combination for a mini-juice cleanse. Either way you will be flooding your body with real, bioavailable nutrition that will get you burning fat and cleansing. Enjoy! - Jessica Geier

Jessica Geier is a Certified Holistic Health Coach and the co-owner of Raw Generation Juices. Raw Generation makes it more convenient to incorporate fresh juices into a busy lifestyle without being a slave to a juicer. Jessica trained at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and continues to educate herself daily on what’s new in the field of nutrition. In her spare time she runs, practices hot yoga, is obsessed with the Bar Method classes, and writes for her two blogs at Raw Generation & Plenty of Thyme. Connect with her on Facebook and Twitter. 

One of the first concepts I came across was that your health can be directly affected by the foods you eat. Thus my journey towards a healthier diet began. I started with cutting out dairy (one of the hardest things I’ve ever done!), then meat, then adding a little organic dairy and meat back in but from a local humanely raised farm, then moving towards a whole foods plant based diet, which I mainly follow today.

It wasn’t until I found out about raw foods, and specifically juicing, that I saw any noticeable changes to my health. I started incorporating juicing into my daily diet, and then juice cleansing, which was when I really saw a remarkable increase in my energy levels, seriously decreased PMS (something I had suffered with since I was 13 years old), clearer skin, and probably the most profound benefit was effortless weight loss. Through my research on the topic of juicing I found the reason for the dramatic positive effects I was experiencing. It is a pretty simple concept... Calories do not equal nutrition! 

If you are eating the Standard American Diet (SAD… so appropriate) you are getting plenty of calories, but little to no real nutrition. Your body needs nutrition to do what it wants to do which is detox, burn fat, and heal itself. On a diet filled with highly processed foods the body thinks it’s starving, and in turn holds onto fat (our reserve energy), and isn’t able to get rid of the toxins that build up and make us sick.

When you drink fresh fruits and vegetable juices you are giving your body the rush of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes it needs do what it wants to do… burn fat and heal itself!

Some of the common benefits you could expect from adding juices to your diet are:

• Clearer, more radiant skin - less acne!
• Increased energy
• Decreased PMS
• Improved sleep
• Increased mental clarity- no more brain fog!
• Increased endurance during workouts
• Effortless weight loss

I encourage everyone to try adding at least one fresh juice to their daily diet, and the greener the better! Check back tomorrow for a few of my favorite juice recipes! - Jessica Geier

Jessica Geier is a Certified Holistic Health Coach and the co-owner of Raw Generation Juices. Raw Generation makes it more convenient to incorporate fresh juices into a busy lifestyle without being a slave to a juicer. Jessica trained at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and continues to educate herself daily on what’s new in the field of nutrition. In her spare time she runs, practices hot yoga, is obsessed with the Bar Method classes, and writes for her two blogs at Raw Generation & Plenty of Thyme. Connect with her on Facebook and Twitter. 

Chakra Chart via

As a yoga instructor, I continue to explore my craft and what I discovered over the course of nine days in my latest advanced teacher training was that neglecting to connect with this dark and mysterious area was robbing me of huge reservoirs of vitality and power. Connecting to the pelvic floor is difficult for many of us. Culturally, this area holds loads of shame, around sex and excrement and since childhood we’re taught to relate to this area, as a messy place to be controlled, kept clean, and not speak about. Subjects of digestion, menstruation, birth, incontinence and loss of bowel tone are topics kept secret, discussed only between a person and their doctor, if even that. For many of us, the pelvic floor is a place we would rather not think about and have little relationship with, unless we are troubled by physical issues. Yet it is the place of birth and death, the place we emerge from and the place which puts the final punctuation mark on our passing by emptying its contents as our body ceases to function.

During my training, in poses like handstand and forearm balance, (where balance has been historically tenuous for me), we were encouraged to use our inner leg lines to squeeze in and pull up. I found I lacked connection to my inner groins and that I gave up quickly, feeling overwhelmed and wanting someone or something to come and rescue me from this flailing state of insecurity. I literally could not or was unwilling to support myself. Over these days, my give-up point receded as my connection to my lower abdominals and pelvis grew clearer. I learned I was able to use my pelvic floor, a hammock-like structure of muscle and ligament that supports the organs of digestion and reproduction, to find stability in inverted poses. Using techniques like nauli and uddiyana bandha, my connection to my pelvic floor and lower back grew stronger, until one day I was able to balance in handstand. The feeling was exhilarating and light, as if I were weightless and flying. My inner body structure supported the pose, and I was free of fear.

Metaphysically, I realized that fears around money, security, and safety were a mirror for the physical darkness I had in this area. I feared that if I left my secure, full-time job to seek a life that had true meaning and purpose for me, I would fail, that I was not strong enough to hold myself up. Speaking to friends, I knew that fear around leaving a secure job is normal, but the deep anxiety I had around survival was not, especially when I deconstructed the reality to understand that I do manage my money, that there are no threats to my immediate security and that I have a stable home life.

Through my own experience, I have discovered that an incomplete relationship with any of the chakra areas manifests in our body as lack of tone, energetically speaking, amongst the remaining six. How can we truly self-express (3^rd chakra) and speak our power (5^th), love openly without expectation (4^th), be confident in our creativity (2^nd), trust our intuition (6^th), and connect with a sense of universal family-hood (7^th) if we do not believe we can survive?

Healing the relationship to my 1^st chakra and working thru the cultural and familial programming lodged therein has gifted me with a renewed sense of confidence and a rootedness in my purpose. It has enabled me to both float upside down physically and move into advanced 'life asanas', outside the safe and secure cultural mainstream of what a single woman is supposed to do to find belonging and security. I am excited at the new frontiers that have opened up in my practice, in my life, and especially in regards to my relationship to myself.

As I continue to study and build my awareness of the pelvic floor, what I am beginning to see as the energetic root to all of life, both physically and metaphysically. Moving into this much-maligned and ignored space has transformed my yoga practice and my life. 

If you are interested in joining me to develop a relationship to your 1^st chakra, and start building a true inner support system, I suggest joining me as I learn more from Leslie Howard, an authority on all things pelvic, who will be giving a workshop entitled Yoga and the Pelvic Floor at Reflections Yoga in NYC on March 9th & 10th. I can't wait to see you upside down there. - Lola Rephann