February 2023 didn’t just fly by because it’s the shortest month of the year but, and I know I say this every month, wrapping up the things I loved each month makes me realize how fast time is flying. February was a really great month for me and creating this round up of the things I loved each month has been great for slowing down and appreciating how much I have to be grateful for (the same way my wrap up for January, December, November, October and September did). Without further adieu, here are the things I loved from February, 2023.
Flowers, Flowers, Flowers
I love flowers so much! They’re one of my biggest simple pleasures and I believe it would be nearly impossible for me to do a round up of the things I loved each month without having some flowers to showcase. February is a cold, dark month that typically wouldn’t produce many flowers to be grateful for.. however, our snow-belles flowered this month! Some people refer to them as “snow-drops”, but, either way they’re typically the first flowers to bloom just before Spring, sometimes even blooming while there’s still snow on the ground. As they’re the first to bloom at the end of winter they’re known to symbolize new beginnings, hope, rebirth and the ability to overcome challenges. This year, the snow-belles blooming felt especially symbolic and gave me a renewed sense of hope.
In February, I also added some flowers into some sativa and created a delicious blend. I’ve been working really hard to stay away from weed, as it’s been problematic for me in the past, but something told me to grind it up with some lavender and rose and I’m so glad that I did. It was not only delicious, but the high wasn’t super heavy and it was also beautiful to look at!
Kundalini & Big Yoga Releases
My asana (physical) yoga practice has become extremely significant in my life in the last year – assisting me with both physical and mental growth as well as with big energetic releases. And February was particularly potent for me in my yoga practices. Firstly, I began a new yoga practice called Kundalini yoga. I’m a firm believer that what we need, finds us when we need it – and that couldn’t have been more true for Kundalini. The first class I took brought me beyond tears and straight to sobs because I felt, deeply, that the practice I was in was a piece of a puzzle that I have been missing. Since that first, prominent, class I’ve returned for Kundalini weekly and with each class I feel more self-fulfilled, stronger, more in touch with my soul and more empowered.
At the same time that Kundalini began pouring into my cup in February – yin yoga facilitated especially deep releases. I like to think that the practices were working hand in hand with each other – that Kundalini moved energy around and made space in my body for the yin practice to work its magic and release old, stagnant energy that had been stuck in my body for years, even decades.
In February my asana practices had a particularly impactful change for me – not only in body but also my mind and soul. For that, I’d like to shoutout the Yoga team at my gym (Life Time in Garden City, NY) for the love, encouragement, support that they’ve offered to me as well as the space that they’ve been holding for me as I transition into a new phase in my life. I’ve had so much physical improvement in my practice and my body in thanks to the Ashtanga classes I’ve been taking with Raj – I even had an emotional release in one of her classes which, typically, takes a yin practice for me. Charlene, gently, lovingly and patiently, assisted me out of my comfort zone and finally into into flow classes (which, I now love – the irony!). Angela’s Kundalini classes have brought me to a new level in my connection to myself, but also to God, and have helped me find a deeper and more meaningful relationship with faith and trust. And the combined support from Charlene, Bianca and Rebecca in my yin yoga practices (known as “Surrender” at Life Time) have facilitated such massive emotional and stagnant energy releases this month. Each of the women brings their own special “something” to each of the practices and I’m so grateful for all of them.💖
Eats + Treats
I believe that food, and eating, is one of life’s great pleasures and over the last year I’ve become more in tune with food: eating intuitively and with the seasons as well as preparing 99% of the meals I eat at home. Instead of just throwing food together – I look to make my meals a pleasurable experience, not just for my tastebuds but also for my eyes. Plating my meals has become a big source of joy for me.
February had heaps of delicious meals but the below meals stood out the most. My body was really itching for seafood this month so I gave into that craving with scallops and shrimp. I pureed roasted turnips, leeks and garlic into a “mash” to serve the seared scallops on top of and then topped them with leeks, as well. I sautéed shrimp in cumin, garlic, oregano, lemon, salt and pepper and served it over a mix of black and red lemon rice with avocado and heaps of cilantro.
Breakfast was a meal that for over a decade, I skipped. But, in the last two years I’ve become reacquainted with breakfast and I can’t get enough. This month I turned to fruit for most of my breakfasts. One of my favorite new concoctions was papaya (with the seeds!) topped with Coconut Cult yogurt, pomegranate seeds, Manuka Honey and bee pollen.
I really, really, got into soups in February. Again, just tuning into what my intuition was guiding me to eat along with what fruits and veggies are in season. I created the most delicious soup this month by roasting cauliflower, leeks, daikon radish, artichokes, garlic and onion with mustard seed, turmeric, salt and pepper. After it was all roasted – I put it into a pot and added chicken broth, olive oil and a little raw sour cream as well as an entire head of fresh parsley and a half a head of cilantro and emulsified it into a thick, rich soup. I topped it with endives, sunflower seeds, some crushed up seed crackers, olive oil and a dollop of raw sour cream. I also recreated the recipe on my TikTok which you can watch here, if you’re interested in making it. It was SO GOOD!
And last, but not least, in the food I loved in February 2023 was roses. In February I hosted my first workshop Creating and Sustaining Self Love Through the Seven Senses and as rose is the flower of love, I made myself rose tea during the class.
After the workshop I was high and in love with life. Typically, at night, I make myself a mug of warm raw milk with cinnamon, clove, vanilla extract and honey. However, this night, I decided to add some rose into my milk and I am so glad that I did. It was delicious and a special treat!
Love, Signs & Synchronicities
Regardless if it’s a manufactured holiday or not, Valentines Day makes February the month of love! I have noted before on Twitter that I tend to find fortunes on the ground the way that most people find spare change.
In February, of course, I found a fortune that tied into *love* and that sync was really special to me. I happened to have roses in my office as part of my weekly bouquet and the fortune paired perfectly with them.
About three years ago a random angel (a title I give to people who I don’t know who deliver messages to me) told me to look out for feathers as a sign that I’m on my right path. These feathers seem to always find me when I’m in a moment of doubt or have lost a bit of my faith. In February, this was no different. I had a morning where I was particularly down on myself and had very little motivation. I wanted to skip yoga but decided to go, knowing that any day I didn’t want to go – was likely a day that I needed it most, and as I walked up to my car there was not one, not two but NINE feathers right next to my car door. A sign that I had made my right choice to go to yoga and stick to the habits that help me cultivate the person that I want to be.
The Sun & Sunsets
I *love* the sun. I believe thats part of the reason I skipped out of New York every winter for the last decade, retreating to Miami or South East Asia until after daylight savings. While it’s lovely to be in warm weather climates during the Northern Hemisphere’s winter: it’s also unnatural. My body was aching for me to stay home for winter and I knew that I had to heed the call. Fortunately, this winter has been very mild and the sun was particularly strong in February – I even had a day where I was able to go outside in a TANK TOP (in February!!). That one day was unseasonably warm, however, February had quite a few days where it was nice enough to bundle up and head outside to get some sun on my face.
If you know me, you know I’m a big fan of a sunset. #PinkHour is my favorite hour! I love watching the sun set and go out in a beautiful blaze of glory. February had a few days where the sun put on a proper show as the evening rolled in and I was so glad to be able to witness those sunsets.
All in all, February was a short but sweet month with lots of growth, expansion, releasing and rest. My favorite part about doing these round ups of the things I loved each month is how many of the things I loved were seemingly “small” and could be overlooked or unappreciated if I hadn’t made the commitment to slow down and appreciate all of the good in my life, big and especially small. After all, the small things – are the big things.
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