This was by far one of THE funnest and funniest weeks of my life thus far! The first ever Yummy Yogini kitchen yoga contest was a huge success with over 75 pictures for me to choose three lucky winners from! And gosh was it hard to judge… everyone got so creative doing yoga on countertops, on top of ovens, and with their kids, cats, dogs and husbands too. It thrilled me to see everyone having so much fun in their photos and not taking themselves too seriously… I never do! This contest had me cleaning out my refrigerator in order to climb into it and strike a pose… I like to think outside of the box if you know what I mean! So without further ado…. drumroll please… the winners are… 

1. Louise Sawyer from SLO, CA in a Forward Fold, in her cupboard, of all places! My gosh is she limber!

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2. Krissy Bergles, from Palatine, IL, in a Chin Balance on her countertop! Check out her ripped forearms! 

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3. Niki Tsaros from Grover Beach, CA, in Upward Facing Bow, backbending while balancing Mr. Mittens on top!  

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Can you get over the skill, creativity and amazing alignment in all of these? Just the fact that my friends, students and family took the time to snap these pics means the world to me! Oh but wait, there are a few honorable mentions I have to include. Check out my friend Jess at the very top of this post in Pigeon Pose across her entire kitchen! And below is my friend Jamie’s son Rhone in Down Dog and Up Dog! Too cute! And below that is my other friend Jen and her daughter (and aspiring yogi) Emma in Camel Pose. I can’t handle it!

Oh and my student Santina and her roommate eating spring rolls while doing some yoga! And check out my student Brianna drinking wine while lunging from oven to countertop!

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All this yoga talk has me hungry! I have been on the go-go big time this past, scurrying around picking up little goodies for the winner of this #yummyogini/ #yummyyogini contest (depending on how you spell it) and boy was I glad to have these little protein balls (recipe below) to snack on. Someone gave me something like these for Christmas and I’ve been trying to create my own spin on them since. I think you’ll like these because you don’t have to cook them and you can freeze them and eat them when you want. They’re a cheap snack to make and they can be gluten-free… be forewarned, they have lots of fiber in them so you know….!!!!

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Protein Balls- yields about 30

Ingredients:

-1 cup Oatmeal (not quick oats, can be gluten-free)

-1/3 cup shredded coconut

-1/2 cup chocolate chips (mini chips work best)

-1/4 cup flax seeds

-1/4 cup almond butter

-1/4 cup chocolate peanut butter

-1/4 cup honey

Directions:

1. Mix the dry ingredients together. This choco-butter is the bomb!

2. Then add the peanut/ almond butter and the honey and mix well.

3. Using your hands, roll in little balls.

4. Place in a sealed container and refrigerate. Enjoy these little bites when you need a little boost!

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Thanks everyone for your support, comments, photos and LOVE!

I’d also like to thank my friends who work at local businesses who donated a few things for this here contest. The goodie bags these winners receive include a little something from Pancho’s Surf Shop, Aloette Skin Care, Mindbody, OpenHeartYogaMart.com, Rudraksha Imports and the Big Sur Bar Company! Until the next contest, keep reading and keep eating!

Don’t forget about my Intro to Chair Yoga Workshop this Saturday at 1 p.m. at SLO Yoga Center and the fact that I’ll be teaching FREE yoga at lululemon on Sunday at 1030 a.m. Details all here!

Party OM!