Our community garden plot this year has been a totally different experience than last year. Everything took off last year, we got a veggies from everything we planted, and it felt easy. It was so fun! This year? 

Not so much

May was hot and many of the seeds we planted never came up at all. Then we traveled a lot of July, so by the time we got back I had a ton of weeds. Thankfully fellow gardeners helped us with the watering, but the weeding was all me. Fortunately, we are getting these lovelies!

When I was little we used to spend a lot of time by my Aunt Carol's house. She's my mom's sister and I always loved going to their place for two reasons. One, the ENORMOUS garden they had, complete with a whole field of pickles, apple trees and corn to run through. Two, she's a really great cook and just about everything she makes, to this day, is home made, often coming from the garden. We used to go in the summer to help with canning, and I always loved her pickles. So this year, when we actually got cukes for pickling, I was pretty durn excited. 

I tried out three different recipes since I've got enough cucumber to play with. My parents used to make bread and butter pickles that I LOVED, so I had to try those. Classic dill is always a favorite, and my hubby likes a little heat, so I played around with spicy garlic spears. I'm kind of thinking those are my new favorite, but we'll see ;) I'm more of a refrigerator pickle gal than a canner at the moment, so these are three easy recipes that are ready to eat within 4-6 hours. Measurements are approximate, and feel free to adjust to your taste. If make you these recipes, let me know which you liked the best! 

Classic Dill Refrigerator Pickles:

• 4 kirby cucumbers (small, about 4-5 inches long)
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon Kosher salt
• Fresh dill to taste
• 1/4-1/2 cup sliced white onion
• 1/2 tablespoon pickling spices

Method:

1. Slice your cukes in round or spears as you like. Slice your onions in thin rounds, then in half
2. Stuff your jar with pickles, onions and dill
3. In a bowl or glass measuring cup combine vinegar, salt and pickling spices. Stir then pour over cuke/onion/dill.
4. Top off with a bit of water. Some people like to leave the water out because the salt will help draw water out of the cucumbers. I like to top it off. Personal taste I suppose
5. Refrigerate for 4-6 hours for full flavor.

Spicy Garlic Spears:

• 4 kirby cucumbers (small, about 4-5 inches long)
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon Kosher salt
• 4-5 cloves chopped fresh garlic or heaping tablespoon lazy garlic (pre-chopped)
• 1/2 tablespoon or so red chile flakes (adjust heat to taste, you can always add more later)
• 1/2-1 tablespoon pickling spices

Method:

1. Slice your cukes in spears in add them to your jar
2. In a bowl or glass measuring cup combine vinegar, salt, chile flakes & pickling spices. Stir then pour over spears.
3. Top off with a bit of water. Some people like to leave the water out because the salt will help draw water out of the cucumbers. I like to top it off. Personal taste I suppose
4. Refrigerate for 4-6 hours for full flavor.

Bread & Butter Pickles:

• 4 kirby cucumbers (small, about 4-5 inches long)
• 1/4-1/2 cup sliced red onion
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon pickling spices

Method:

1. Slice your cukes in rounds and your onion in thin half rounds, then add them to your jar
2. In a pot  combine vinegar, salt, sugar & pickling spices. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Pour over cukes/onions.
3. Top off with a bit of water. Some people like to leave the water out because the salt will help draw water out of the cucumbers. I like to top it off. Personal taste I suppose
4. Refrigerate for 4-6 hours for full flavor.

All these recipes will keep in the refrigerator for up to a month in an airtight container. I love using the big jars myself. ​As always, comment below, share a picture or a link to a recipe you like, and happy pickling!

You know how inspiration can sometimes lead you down a rabbit hole? But in a good way? That's what this challenge has done for me. 

I began listening to a wonderful podcast this year called The Connected Yoga Teacher. It's hosted by Shannon Crow, a yoga teacher and mentor in Canada. She recently shared a podcast about how the Eight Limbs of yoga have influenced her practice and her teaching. If you're not familiar with the Eight Limbs you can read more about them here, as well as find more indepth blog posts on some of the limbs here.

I completed my yoga teacher training back in 2005/2006. I was also working on my Masters in Education at the time and, though I had taken yoga classes before, had taken a break from it for a while. As the winter approached in Minnesota and the wind chill dropped, I fell into a free week of yoga and got hooked on Hot Yoga. Perfect for a Midwest winter! I loved it so much I started cleaning the studio in order to get free yoga and eventually talked myself into taking on the yoga teacher training during my M.Ed. Cuz I had so much free time I guess!

At the time the training was great. I learned so much about yoga, about myself, about teaching in general. It tended to focus on anatomy and queuing a class correctly, which is what I needed at the time. It didn't go very in depth in the philosophy behind the physical practice of yoga. To be fair, I don't know that I could have absorbed much more at the time. I was just trying to teach a class without speaking too quietly or missing a pose!

Fast forward thirteen years, lots of yoga classes, and a podcast later.

I'm ready to dive deeper. 

Shannon's podcast inspired me to delve into and apply the Eight Limbs philosophy both on and off the mat. I wanted to draw in the essential oils I use in my AromaFlow classes, explore mudras, and tie together these concepts I've been learning. 
​
So I created a challenge. 

It's partially selfish. Creating a challenge keeps me motivated and disciplined to work through each of the limbs and make my own interpretation of it. It keeps me accountable as well. Making it public allows me to broaden my knowledge through those that participate while they share their interpretations, ideas, pictures and thoughts with our community. It also allows me to bring my knowledge and passion for essential oils to a wider audience and provide education on yoga and oils where it seems to be so sparse. 

During the challenge you can expect to: 

1. learn practical interpretations and applications of the different limbs of yoga
2. explore mudras and intentions that compliment the limbs
3. experience poses and sequences that you can do in the comfort of your own home, or share here or on Instgram @alifethatglows
4. gain knowledge on essential oils that pair with each limb both energetically and emotionally

This challenge is running live on Instagram beginning Aug. 6, 2018. If you've found it after that date, you can still participate! Here's the breakdown:

• Aug. 6-10 we'll focus on the yamas. If you're participating on IG, please share a post with the hashtag #EightLimbsChallenge and #yamachallenge, and please tag me @alifethatglows so I can check it out and cheer you on!
• Aug. 13-17 we'll focus on the niyamas. Continue to use #EightLimbsChallenge and this week #niyamachallenge, and of course, tag me please
• Aug. 20-25 we'll dive into the remaining limbs. Use the #EightLimbsChallenge and tag me!

Those who participate live during the week are eligible for a few gifts from me, simply to say thank you for joining me and to share the love of oils.

• Aug.6-10th one participant will be gifted an oil of their choice from those used during that week, plus a spray bottle to use during a class or personal practice.
• Aug. 13-17 one participant will be gifted an oil of their choice from the week plus a roller bottle for topical use
• Aug. 25 one participant who has joined me for the entire challenge will be gifted an 8 Limbs aromatherapy bracelet plus any two oils of their choice from the challenge

Not joining in via Instagram or catching this challenge late? You can still participate! This challenge is all about increasing our knowledge. You can also share your thoughts, pictures and ideas right here on this blog. 

Don't have the oils for the challenge? That's ok! You can contact me and I can help you get them, or you can simply try the challenge without them for the time being. To connect personally about the oils, please use the book and appointment feature at the right, or send me an email at tonianealey@gmail.com

Curious about yoga and essential oils? Check out the links on Essential Oils and the Yoga and Meditation Starter Kit!

Resources I used in researching for this challenge include: 

• The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast - Shannon Crow
• The Secret Power of Yoga: A Woman's Guide to the Heart and Spirit of the Yoga Sutras - Nischala Joy Devi
• true yoga - Jenni Lee
• The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice - T.K.V. Desikachar