When it comes to the holidays, there can be a confusing sense of both excitement at the prospect of spending time with family, friends and having a break from the daily grind, mixed often with an impending dread of over-indulgence, feeling disconnected and sometimes even shameful or guilty after the fact…

(Photo by Annie Spratt via Unsplash)

(Photo by Annie Spratt via Unsplash)

The yoga practices teach us that there is a way to avoid taking it too far, which speaks also to our higher goal of arriving to enlightenment (freedom from suffering). The practices of both brahmacharya (energy moderation) and aparigraha (non-greed) are under the umbrella of the niyamas, which are personal observances concerning how we practice and bring awareness to our behaviour towards ourselves.

In practicing brahmacharya (brahma = “creativity, divine spark” + charya = “following, going after”) we might realise that if we can manage to stay connected to our bigger picture, higher aims in life and in practice, then we will be less likely to be swayed towards desires that seek to grab our attention and lure us away from that goal via our senses. Awareness is always the first step, and non-judgement and compassion around this is key. It’s not about completely abstaining, nor beating ourselves up for enjoying a moment with a vegan creme egg, but more about becoming aware of those pulls that draw our attention, awareness and energy away from those ‘higher’, more important goals in our lives.

Aparigraha (non-greed) is perhaps a more recognised and generalised teaching, one which most of us grow up understanding as only taking what we need, and making sure there is enough for all. It doesn’t mean that it is easy to practice however, our cravings, desires and other personal restraint practices (e.g. diet, mentality) very often get entangled with practicing non-greed. I find that a mantra around abundance helps with this one:

“I have everything that I could ever need within me.”

Guilt around food, overindulgence and celebrating began to subside for me through the combined practices of yoga and a vegan or ‘plant-based’ diet. My teacher Sharon Gannon shares that once we begin to choose a diet that causes the least amount of harm to the planet and all it’s living beings, we begin to free ourselves from guilt, and a lightness, confidence and true connectedness with all of life begins to reveal itself. I had dabbled in all sorts of ‘diets’ in my past, like so many of us do, but it was only when I landed on the understanding of choosing what I fuelled my body with from the perspective of not only what was good for me, but what was best and least harmful to all, that I truly became free from food guilt, and happier in myself such that over-indulgence, restraint and guilt became a thing of the past.

For those who enjoy sweet treats, baking, and trying something new, here is one of my favourite ‘healthy’ plant-based and gluten-free choc-lovers recipes that I hope you might try, and share with your loved ones this Easter or beyond - it’s great for the kids too! 🍫

Choc-Banana + Raspberry Muffins

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Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup almond meal

  • 1/3 cup buckwheat flour

  • 1/3 cup rice flour (or double the buckwheat flour)

  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar

  • 3 tbsp cacao powder

  • 1 tsp baking powder (gf)

  • 1/3 cup almond milk

  • 1/3 cup or 1 and 1/2 mashed bananas

  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

  • 1/4 tsp salt

  • 1/4 cup dark choc chips (vegan)

  • 1/3 cup frozen raspberries

Method:

  • Preheat oven to 175C + prepare your muffin tin

  • Mix together: almond meal, rice flour, buckwheat flour, coconut sugar, cacao powder + baking powder

  • Add the almond milk + whisk to combine

  • Mix in the mashed banana, vanilla extract, salt + choc chips with a wooden spoon

  • Carefully fold in the frozen raspberries

  • Spoon the batter into your muffin tray, filling to the top and bake for 20-25 mins (depending on the size of your muffins) or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean

Plant-Based Easter Extras

I feel so lucky to have access to an amazing array of vegan / plant-based options these days, and feel excited that this seems to be the way of the future. Some of my favourites for the upcoming Easter celebrations include:

Happy celebrating Easter Yogis - and keep practicing, that’s the one constant, and everything else will fall into perfect alignment 🙏

Amy Leonard-King ❤️

View our Easter Class Timetable Here 🧘🏼‍♀️

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