I had the pleasure of spending my birthday last weekend, which just happened to be Yoga Day, with Dave Romanelli at the Yoga and Healing Center in Scotch Plains, NJ founded by Wendy Gross-Pinto. The workshop was titled Yoga & Chocolate. I was so lucky to get in at the very last second and thoroughly enjoyed the 2 hour Vinyasa sequences in a warm room. Dave adds a lot to his instruction with a touch of humor while we are holding poses which absolutely took my mind off of any aches or pains I might have been feeling. I had enjoyed a night out the previous night with some friends celebrating my birthday and the various asanas in the toasty studio provided a release for all the toxins that were being held hostage in my body! At the end of the sequences after we were treated to the most yummy smelling lavendar I have ever smelled was lightly put on us during shivasana we were treated to a tasting of 3 delicious chocolates. Dave gave us a little history about the making of the delish dark chocolates and instructed us to take a small bite and savor and relish the experience of each sensation. We experienced the Rasa in each bite of chocolate. Moral of the story here: Don't let dull taste buds get you down.. Savor every bite of every morsal of food.. Relish every minute of every beautiful experience, and be enlightened by the delicious morsels that make up your life.

The Yoga and Healing Center founded by Wendy Gross Pinto is a beautiful space in downtown Scotch Plains NJ. The studio has some hip items in their boutique section, a lovely staff and a really cool absorbent floor that keeps the moisture out which is key for the warm classes. The temperature was not too hot and not cold.. It was just right!

**Look for more workshop and studio reviews by Me.. Jill Friedfertig in the near future.**

HERE IS SOME MORE INFO ON DAVE AND HIS ADVENTURES WITH YOGA AND FOOD!

Jam Sessions: Yoga for Foodies

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Have you ever had a meal so delicious you want to physically prepare for it? Why not stretch out before indulging in ravioli stuffed with spinach-cashew ricotta, pine nut pesto and sundried tomato sauce? Wouldn’t that beloved French Onion Soup with gruyere and potato puree be better after a heart-opening backbend?

In 2010, Yoga + Chocolate and Yoga + Wine co-founder David Romanelli is excited to announce his new creation: “Jam Sessions: Yoga for Foodies.” From New York to New Orleans and LA to Dallas, David will collaborate with great chefs from around the nation to present a fresh take on food, sustainability, and those rare moments that are so perfect, you could, well, ah, have an orgasm.

Here’s how it works…

A Jam Session will begin with David’s flowing yoga class whose message and music will emphasize a more sustainable pace. When we move in a frenzied way through the day, we don’t eat, we “feed.” This high-velocity lifestyle diminishes the flavor and essence of life. In the process, we’ve grown accustomed to eating on the run often being “nourished” by a bag of chips and a sandwich to go. Our palates have evolved to crave tastes that are invented in factories by food scientists rather than tastes that grow from the earth and nourish the body and soul.

In your post-yoga splendor, the featured chef will delve into the mystery of their creations while guiding you through a feast. Jam Session chefs will be some of the very best in the nation all of whom embrace sustainability, eco-friendly practices, local farming, and compassion. This will be the dream experience for anyone who relishes a savasana so sweet you never want it to end; a bite of food so perfect you feel like the world stopped spinning; an evening so deliciously amazing, you might just join me on the 2010 Jam Session Tour.

2010 Yoga for Foodies Tour

January 22 New York City with Joy Pierson of Candle 79 (taking place at Exhale on Madison Ave)

February 11-14 Scottsdale 3 day retreat with Francesco Roccato and Claudio Urciuoli of Prado (taking place at the Intercontinental Montelucia)]

February 17 Cleveland with Jonathon and Amelia Sawyer of The Greenhouse Tavern

March 8 Chicago with Randy Zweiban of Province

March 12 Phoenix with Lauren Baily of Postino Wine Cafe (more info TBA)

April 12 Dallas with Dean Fearing of Fearing’s (more info TBA)

July 25 Los Angeles with Akasha Richardson of Akasha (more info TBA)

December 3 Sedona with Steve Sicinski of Mii Amo (more info TBA)

Many more dates will be announced soon in Washington DC, Charleston, Houston, New Orleans, Ojai, Aspen, Vail, Memphis, Minneapolis…

Why yoga before food?

It’s easy to turn a blind eye to the food industry. But take a evening to watch Food Inc and you will learn that what goes on behind the scenes is horrific, barbaric, and endangering to your health. This is not to say you must become a vegan, strap on loin cloth, and move to Sri Lanka. Rather, it’s being aware of what you’re eating, where it comes from, and how it makes you feel. After yoga, we’re more aware and better able to discern fresh food from factory food, grass-fed from corn-fed, nutritious and satiating from filling and depleting.