“When you begin to touch your heart or let your heart be touched, you begin to discover that it’s bottomless, that it doesn’t have any resolution, that this heart is huge, vast, and limitless. You begin to discover how much warmth and gentleness is there, as well as how much space.” Pema Chodron
This past week has felt tumultuous, chaotic, and a bit fearful. The occurrences in our world, our country, in the past week have caused so much sadness and grief. Getting ready for my move to Delaware has been a gigantic swing of elation and total panic that I need to be ready to leave in two weeks. So much … everything. And I am reminded that this is what my spiritual practice is for: to ground me, to center me, to connect me with my heart, and body.
Food is part of that spiritual practice. With overwhelming emotions comes the urge to stuff foods that are not healthy or helpful to my body. Eat the grief, eat the rage, just feed the “beast”. Buddha Bowls, or Bliss Bowls as I like to call them, are the mindful practice that bring clarity, a simple moment of eating clean, health-full, and nourishing. They are the sacred pause in these chaotic days.
This little Bliss Bowl is so simple and grounds us in the good – fresh summer grape tomatoes, crispy cucumber zoodles, nutritious Volcano rice, and earthy black beans adorned with avocado and cilantro. Truly, it filled me up physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Soul Food.
Take time to nourish YOU. Create the space to sustain your body and soul. Breathe into a sacred pause. It’s worth it, every second and every bite!
Wishing you all a wonderful week! I am all about the boxes and prepping for the arrival of my Pod this week!
This recipe is gluten free and vegetarian. It can be vegan as well by using a vegan yogurt.
Ingredients:
- Volcano rice from Lotus Foods (or a rice or grain that you love) – prepared according to directions on pack
- chopped grape tomatoes
- organic black beans, rinsed
- cucumber zoodles
Directions – pick your favorite bowl to create the Buddha Bowl. Layer rice in the bottom and up the side in 1/4 of the bowl. Add other ingredients in their quarter. Add the dressing. Breathe DEEP. Eat!
Avocado Cilantro Dressing Recipe
- half of ripe avocado
- ¼ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon lime juice or more if you want more acid
- ½ cup water
- 1 cup cilantro leaves
- 1 small clove of garlic
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon salt
Directions: Add all ingredients to food processor or blender and pulse until smooth. Taste and add salt. This dressing before salt is very creamy and kind of one note so the salt really boosts it! Drizzle over your Buddha Bowl and ENJOY!
Pema Chodron is an amazing Buddhist teacher and author. Her birthday is July 14 and I wanted to share some links for those who would like to explore her generous, loving teachings.
Brain Pickings on Pema Chodron
For more, see Pema’s classic teaching, “Stay With the Soft Spot.”
**Originally published on my food blog, Hungry Goddess
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