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Sunday Sutra: Heart Chakra Smoothie

Sunday Sutra: Heart Chakra Smoothie | Well and Full | #plantbased #yoga #recipe

Today’s vibrantly green smoothie is inspired by the heart chakra, or Anahata. This chakra is the center of our bodies’ love energy, but also of self-esteem and self love. In addition, as the Anahata is located at the center of our chests (and not just at the heart), it symbolizes holistic and physical balance. Which is a pretty appropriate topic to talk about now, during the first few weeks of the new year.

I’ve been reading a lot of articles about the resurgence of New Year’s Resolutions – articles about cleansing, exercising, healthy eating, etc. But this year I noticed that many of these articles were peppered with body positivity  statements, which is a HUGE step forward for women. There’s definitely so much pressure during the new year for there to be a “new you” – read: thinner you – especially for women. But this year, I noticed that there were more messages to the tune of “You are beautiful the way you are.” and “You don’t have to change!”, tempering the constant pressure to modify our bodies. Recently I read this great article on Buzzfeed that admitted, “You might even feel conflicted about wanting to change your body when body positivity and acceptance is priority number one. But if you’re making this decision for yourself and going about it in a healthy way, then that’s all noise you can just drown the f*** out.” Yeah, Buzzfeed!! This is what the conversation about body positivity should be like. Every woman should have complete autonomy over her body, whether that means she wants to lose weight or gain weight or stay the same weight. NO WOMAN should be shamed for a decision she makes for HER body. If she wants to lose weight and get fitter, let her go! If she wants to love her body the way it is, let her fly!

Sunday Sutra: Heart Chakra Smoothie | Well and Full | #plantbased #yoga #recipe

I was thinking about this topic when I saw a Facebook post from this girl who I went to college with, who is now a bodybuilder. She wrote about how other women were shaming her for wearing a bikini and participating in bodybuilding competitions, where she would be judged based on her physical appearance. And I just felt really sad that others felt they had the right to tell her what she should or should not do with her body. If she wants to work out a lot, it’s completely her decision. Her choice to bodybuild is not a statement about other women – it’s a statement about her. One that she is completely free to make.

The heart chakra is not only the source of love, but of self love as well. Self love means different things for different people. For you it may mean lighting a candle, pouring a glass of wine and taking a nice bubble bath. For her it could mean going to the gym. For her it could mean eating her favorite snack and watching Netflix. And all of those things are OKAY! I hope I don’t sound preachy, but I just wish that all women felt free to participate in self love without any sort of judgement, from others and from themselves. I’m definitely guilty of the latter – being nice to myself is something I’ve always struggled with. But by talking about it and participating in the conversation, I feel that I’m taking steps towards engaging in self love and positivity.

So what do you think about self love and body positivity? Let me know in the comments!

Sunday Sutra: Heart Chakra Smoothie | Well and Full | #plantbased #yoga #recipe

Sunday Sutra: Heart Chakra Smoothie | Well and Full | #plantbased #yoga #recipe

Sunday Sutra: Heart Chakra Smoothie

This heart chakra smoothie is vibrantly green, made with granny smith apples, kale, mango and pineapple.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 2 Smoothies

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Granny Smith Apples peeled
  • 1 Cup Baby Kale packed
  • 1/2 Cup Fresh Pineapple
  • 1/2 Cup Frozen Mango
  • Splash of water

Instructions
 

  • Combine all ingredients in the blender, and blend until smooth.
  • Enjoy!

Sunday Sutra: Heart Chakra Smoothie | Well and Full | #plantbased #yoga #recipe

Song of the Day:

Hipster Girl – Dream Koala

P.S.

If you make this recipe and post it on Instagram, be sure to tag me @wellandfull and #wellandfull so I can see! I love seeing your takes on my recipes :)

16 Comments

  • Reply
    danielle is rooting the sun
    January 10, 2016 at 11:16 pm

    sarah this color that you’ve created is truly the shade of my favorite color! green is so kind, and granny smiths are my favorite apples. beautiful! also, i love your sentiments here on body image and personal desire, i agree that shame is never a necessary emotion. all embrace and no shame. happy hearts to you. ♥

    • Reply
      Sarah
      January 11, 2016 at 10:55 am

      Thank you Danielle <3

  • Reply
    genevieve @ gratitude & greens
    January 11, 2016 at 11:17 am

    People are definitely making progress when it comes to body positivity! There are still moments when I see something on social media that shames other people for the way they look or exercise, though, and it’s quite disheartening. I love how green these smoothies are! And I am totally vibing to that Dream Koala song you shared right now, just doing a little dance in my chair! <3

    • Reply
      Sarah
      January 11, 2016 at 12:54 pm

      Ahh I’m so glad you like the dream koala song!! I’ve been listening to them a lot lately and really enjoying the chill vibes ;)

  • Reply
    Maya | Spice + Sprout
    January 11, 2016 at 11:25 am

    yes sarah (high five emoji)! I totally agree with everything you’re saying and am so glad that you decided to share your thoughts :):) I think it is so important that there is never one way that is the “good” way or the “healthy” way, but instead that people are open minded and accepting of each other’s choices <3

    ps. this smoothie looks awesome I am definitely going to try it out :)

    • Reply
      Sarah
      January 11, 2016 at 12:55 pm

      Ahh thanks Maya girl! I’m glad you liked it. I was a little nervous about writing about such a sensitive issue, but I think it’s really important to participate in the dialogue around body positivity! :)

  • Reply
    Katya
    January 11, 2016 at 1:52 pm

    It has always made me kinda sad that smoothies tend to be popuar on blogs only once a year, around the new year because I love them all year round and need to stock up on recipes ;) Yours has the most gorgeous shade of green and will definiely be tried out–I love kale.

    And it’s great what you wrote about body positivity: it’s important to recognise the choice to either change your body or not and to embrace the power we have over our own bodies. Some women may want to get thinner but some, like me, need to get stronger/fatter after battling a disease–there’s no point telling us there’s only one way to live a full life.

    Take care! :)

    • Reply
      Sarah
      January 11, 2016 at 2:01 pm

      That is such a great point Katya – if you need to gain weight after an illness, then no one has the right to tell you to do anything else. You can’t tell what someone’s health is like just by looking at their body. Which is why it’s only right that women have full autonomy of their bodies and the choices they make for themselves. Sending you healing vibes girl <3

  • Reply
    Linda | The Baker Who Kerns
    January 11, 2016 at 2:57 pm

    Love your words about female empowerment and body image. It really is true that a decision a woman makes about her body should really be nobody’s business. Because it’s the first think people see, they think that it affects them and therefore they feel they have a reason to say something, but it really shouldn’t be. I am sure this smoothie feels empowering and it looks divine. Love your photography as well!

    • Reply
      Sarah
      January 11, 2016 at 5:33 pm

      Thank you so much for your thoughtful note & kind words Linda <3 :)

  • Reply
    Taylor@Food Faith Fitness
    January 11, 2016 at 3:10 pm

    Self love, something I believe most women struggle with. Love your attitude about it, keep sending out great vibes! Smoothie looks amazing by the way :)

    • Reply
      Sarah
      January 11, 2016 at 5:32 pm

      Thanks Taylor!! <3 :)

  • Reply
    Alisa Fleming
    January 11, 2016 at 10:35 pm

    This is my kind of smoothie! I may even be able to stomach raw kale this way :) I think self-love expands with age, too, so be patient! My self-love tonight is popcorn and some guilty prime time TV.

    • Reply
      Sarah
      January 12, 2016 at 3:34 pm

      Awesome!! But now I’m craving popcorn… ahh! :p

  • Reply
    Cara
    February 23, 2019 at 9:02 pm

    5 stars
    Where did you get your glasses for the smoothies?

    • Reply
      Sarah
      February 24, 2019 at 9:27 am

      Hi Cara, these glasses are from Crate and Barrel! :)

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