This year, my dear, sweet husband, who knows me so well and understands so deeply what is important to me, arranged Thanksgiving so that I could host it, for the first time, in my own home. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to cook, nurture, and serve my family with gratitude on this beautiful holiday.

My Thanksgiving will not involve a turkey because we are vegan both for health and humanitarian reasons. In the words of my dear friend Kelly Childs, we have much to be grateful for, “When we realize that we’ve all been given the gift of bodies that require no nutrients we cannot get from plant sources, we can become, ourselves, the change we want to see in the world. This is the heart and soul of the vegan revolution of love, joy, and peace that is beckoning and to which we are all called to contribute.”

I’m shocked by how many people are taken aback by my choice not to cook a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. Colleen Patrick Goudreau suggests, “this holiday meal has become so centered around the consumption of turkey that people have completely lost sight of its original meaning.”

The people I’ve talked to are completely bewildered at what Thanksgiving dinner could be without a turkey or a ham. The question I’m faced with again, and again, and again is, “What will you have instead of turkey?”

Here, to answer that question, I wish to share with you my menu plan for our vegan Thanksgiving dinner this year. 

Appetizer:

Polenta with 2-Tomato Topping from Quick Fix Vegetarian (pg. 31)

Drinks:

White Wine Sangria from the LCBO’s Food and Drink Magazine Autumn 2010 (pg. 179)

Main Course:

Salad: Red Graptefruit, Avocado and Fennel Salad from Raw food Real World (pg. 109)

Main: 

Roast Portobello Mushrooms with Chestnut Stuffing and Quino Acorn Squash Risotto from LCBO’s Food and Drink Magazine Autumn 2010 (pg. 192 – both recipes will be vegan-ized)

Dessert:

Chocolate Pumpkin Pie from Eat Drink and Be Vegan (pg. 188)

In the words of Colleen Patrick Goudreau, “As we prepare our feast of seasonal fare, may we recognize that we can celebrate tradition while honoring our own values of kindness and compassion, and may we rejoice in the plenty we have without causing harm to another.” 

What is Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy?

Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy is based on the philosophy that your body is a wise teacher; everything you need to know to support and guide you through your life is available in your body. Your body has been present with you through your entire life and has expressed, filtered and processed all your life experiences. Our bodies hold memories and emotions, just like our brains, and therefore chronic pain and stress can be the result of blocked or unresolved emotions stored in your body. Clients often discover that patterns of habitual physical and/or emotional tension are linked to ways of thinking and being in daily life. In a Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy session, your skilled practitioner uses body-centered psychotherapy to support you in becoming aware of the relationship between what you experience in your body and how you live your life. Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy does this through a process of assisted yoga postures in combination with non-prescriptive talk therapy. Think of it as an opportunity to step out of your day to day life, and get some awareness around what’s happening, so you can step back into your life with greater clarity. 

What happens in a Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy Session?

The process will begin with a phone call to make sure Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy is a good fit for you. Before coming to your first session you will fill out some intake forms to tell me a little bit more about yourself and what you hope to get out of receiving a Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy session. At your first appointment we will go through your client history forms so I can learn more about what brings you to a Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy session. 

The one-on-one hour and a half session takes place on a large mat on the floor wearing loose comfortable clothing. We begin the Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy session with centering to move from the busy activity of your daily life and its external demands to a more inward focus. During centering you will tune into and bring greater awareness to your breath, body, thoughts, emotions and current life circumstances. From there you will set an intention of how the session could best serve you, of what you hope to receive. 

Then we move into the one-on-one assisted yoga postures with dialogue. I will ask you questions like, “What’s happening now?” This gives you the opportunity to talk about physical sensations, thoughts, feelings, memories and generally to report out loud what you become aware of. This dialogue with assisted yoga postures can help you to explore the connection between what’s happening in your body and what’s happening in your life. This self-reflective process will help you access the innate wisdom of your body for deeper understanding and personal growth. 

Sessions finish with an integration where you will reflect back on the session and notice what stood out about your experience. From there you will explore the connection between what you became aware of and the rest of your life. Through a process of guided meditation you will access your inner wisdom for guidance and create some intention around how you will put that guidance into action in your life. 

What will I get out of my Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy experience?

• stress relief
• emotional release followed by greater emotional stability
• enhanced mental clarity, a sense of empowerment, and greater self-esteem
• clearer focus and sense of perspective
• greater body awareness and feeling good in one’s body
• physical relief from chronic aches and pains
• easier deeper breathing
• ability to identify, work with, and release fears
• less restricted by self-imposed limitations
• deeper and stronger connection with one’s spiritual essence
• greater trust in one’s self
• awareness, personal growth and transformation