evepostappleOnce upon a time, there was a woman named Eve, who, unable to resist the luring temptation of a fragrant orchard, took a bite of forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge. Perhaps Eve was bored. Perhaps she was ovulating and had a desperate craving for something sweet. Perhaps life in the little garden was becoming stressful or claustrophobic. Perhaps she felt out of control or lacked passion in her life and in order to numb her emotions or soothe herself from Adam's lack of attention or his ambivalence in starting a family, she chose to indulge. Perhaps Eve was an emotional eater. But as Eve soon discovered, neither the bite, nor the whole fruit fulfilled her as she had hoped. Not only did she realize she was naked but that she had contempt for the way she looked. Perhaps Eve suffered with body dismorphia. Eve tried to stop eating the forbidden fruit and eventually avoided eating altogether but that didn't work and she ended up eating until she could no longer breathe. The point of this is that Eve lost her intuitive ability to nourish herself. She no longer had balance in her life and was willing to do any and everything to get that back.

Maybe Eve didn't exist. Maybe the stories that were told are not as important as the stories we tell ourselves.

This blog is dedicated to creating new stories based on the philosophies of whole body nutrition, self-love, intuition, fitness and yoga.

In my journey I have sought to uncover the knowledge and balance which have brought me to a greater awareness of health and this is what I wish to share with you.

About Me

I am a holistic nutritionist, certified yoga instructor, athlete, healthy living chef, and published writer. I have spent the last four years of my life rebuilding all aspects of myself after recovering from an eating disorder. Follow me as I continue to eat clean, train hard, and discover balance mind, body and spirit. zainsaraswatijamal.com

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    Wanderlust Yoga Festival 2012 Highlights


    This year’s festival was incredible.  I had so much difficulty just selecting 10 images to share with you!

    The festival took place in spectacular Whistler BC.  Majestic snow-capped mountains and century old evergreens set the stage for brightly clad, lulu wearing yogis from all over the world to come and celebrate this ancient practice that has reminded us of the deepest parts of our existence and in some cases, brought us back to the divine.

    There were so many highlights of this festival but some of the main ones included:

    • Honey Asana class with Schuyler Grant
    • Meditative Hikes around Whistler
    • MC Yogi’s Concert
    • Thievery Corporation’s Jam Session
    • The Silks Tent
    • Farmer’s Market on Sunday
    • The Incredible Volunteers 
    • Spending Time with My Family and Some of My Favourite Teachers
    • Deep Flow with Eoin Finn
    • The Music, The Music, The Music
    • Meeting some of my favourite teachers
    • Holding Adho Mukha Vrkshasana
    • The Amazing Fresh Live Juices and Food
    • The Sunshine, Mountains and Lakes
    • Janet Stone’s Workshop
    • Extra Spicy with Meghan Currie
    • Doing a Yoga Class with My Mom and Sister
    • The Huge Chalkboard Where You Could Write What You Are Grateful For

    What are you grateful for today?

    Day 1: Photo Shoot Prep - Accountability Post I managed to get into bed early last night so that really helped.   A power breakfast of Zain’s Pumpkin Pie Pancakes and Secret Weapon White Tea (David’s Tea) prepared me for my intense 30-Minute HIIT incline sprinting programme followed by a 30 minute plyo + strength training session, which incidentally, I ROCKED!! Man do I love getting my workouts in first thing, it truly makes me feel alive. My post-workout treat was Zain’s Sexy Strawberry Sundae topped with granola.  So yum! Although I woke up early feeling refreshed, as the day wore on I could still feel the bouts of residual exhaustion and even fell asleep during Savasana in yoga class!  Then again, my friend and teacher Meghan Currie seems to have a magical ability to guide me in releasing whatever I am holding in my body each time we practice.  In today’s practice, I was resonating with the balancing poses and despite my tiredness, I felt strong and balanced on the mat as well as within my body.   I always advise my students when I am teaching, to practice balance poses if they are feeling unbalanced in life as it is a really great way to ground and find stable footing. I had quite a lot scheduled for today (mainly my own mania, the curse of being an over-achiever) but having been through burnout once, I was not prepared to push myself in or allow myself to feel guilty for not doing something that I had planned. This way of thinking was years in the making for me, and I am a much happier and more successful person now that I have learned to let go of control…for the most part. There are definitely more steps to climb but it feels wonderful to make decisions now from an intuitive place, rather than from a place of fear or obligation. There are days like these where I come face-to-face with my computer screen and although I have a wicked post planned, I stare blankly at the screen unable to type a single word.  This was one of those days and I tried…repeatedly but nope…nada. After solid lunch at my favourite Brown Rice Sushi Joint and a near two-hour nap, I wanted to share the honest foregoings of my day but first, I enjoyed trip up to the market and began preparing a recipe (posting soon) that I have been wanting to share for sometime now.  On days like this I have learned to use my energy toward creating and for me, this usually manifests as a recipe :) So here I finally am, after an insightful, restful and creative day sharing things that may or may not be relevant to your lives but hopefully have helped, inspired or entertained you for a few moments.   My wish with this post is that if you are being hard on yourself, that you will back off and instead work toward learning what you can do to nurture yourself rather than push yourself to unhealthy limits.

    Day 1: Photo Shoot Prep - Accountability Post

    I managed to get into bed early last night so that really helped.  

    A power breakfast of Zain’s Pumpkin Pie Pancakes and Secret Weapon White Tea (David’s Tea) prepared me for my intense 30-Minute HIIT incline sprinting programme followed by a 30 minute plyo + strength training session, which incidentally, I ROCKED!!

    Man do I love getting my workouts in first thing, it truly makes me feel alive. My post-workout treat was Zain’s Sexy Strawberry Sundae topped with granola.  So yum!

    Although I woke up early feeling refreshed, as the day wore on I could still feel the bouts of residual exhaustion and even fell asleep during Savasana in yoga class!  Then again, my friend and teacher Meghan Currie seems to have a magical ability to guide me in releasing whatever I am holding in my body each time we practice.  In today’s practice, I was resonating with the balancing poses and despite my tiredness, I felt strong and balanced on the mat as well as within my body.  

    I always advise my students when I am teaching, to practice balance poses if they are feeling unbalanced in life as it is a really great way to ground and find stable footing.

    I had quite a lot scheduled for today (mainly my own mania, the curse of being an over-achiever) but having been through burnout once, I was not prepared to push myself in or allow myself to feel guilty for not doing something that I had planned. This way of thinking was years in the making for me, and I am a much happier and more successful person now that I have learned to let go of control…for the most part. There are definitely more steps to climb but it feels wonderful to make decisions now from an intuitive place, rather than from a place of fear or obligation.

    There are days like these where I come face-to-face with my computer screen and although I have a wicked post planned, I stare blankly at the screen unable to type a single word.  This was one of those days and I tried…repeatedly but nope…nada.

    After solid lunch at my favourite Brown Rice Sushi Joint and a near two-hour nap, I wanted to share the honest foregoings of my day but first, I enjoyed trip up to the market and began preparing a recipe (posting soon) that I have been wanting to share for sometime now.  On days like this I have learned to use my energy toward creating and for me, this usually manifests as a recipe :)

    So here I finally am, after an insightful, restful and creative day sharing things that may or may not be relevant to your lives but hopefully have helped, inspired or entertained you for a few moments.  

    My wish with this post is that if you are being hard on yourself, that you will back off and instead work toward learning what you can do to nurture yourself rather than push yourself to unhealthy limits.

    Zain Saraswati Jamal on Tosca Reno’s Blog!!

    I am so excited and honoured to be featured today on Tosca Reno’s blog!  I would love for you to check out my personal feature.

    As you may know, Tosca is one of my mentors.  Her personal transformation to a fit and fabulous woman, as well as all of the incredible resources that she has created and shared over the years including her Eat Clean Diet Series of books, has been a guiding light to me on my path to greater health and wellness and has been one of the inspirations for me to create my own clean recipes which I am so excited to share with you here on my blog and on my website:

    www.zainsaraswatijamal.com

    A few months ago, I was gifted Tosca’s brand new book (thank you once again Tosca!), the Eat Clean Diet Vegetarian Cookbook (which, as a vegetarian, was hoping she would create for year) and have been posting some the incredible images from the recipes that I have made from this book.  

    In honour of Tosca Reno, the late, great Robert Kennedy, and this wonderful opportunity to be featured on Tosca’s blog, I prepared a luncheon (featured in this video) with some of my favourite recipes from the Eat Clean Diet Vegetarian Cookbook to give some of my friends and loved ones a chance to same a few of Tosca’s incredible recipes. 

    Here’s What Was On The Menu:

    • Red Pepper Cheesecake with Apricot Peach Compote
    • Kale-Wrapped Leek and Sweet Potato Mini Quiches
    • Seven Citrus Salad with Mint
    • Butternut Squash, Portobello Mushroom, Caramelized Onion and Hazelnut Pizza
    • Smoked Paprika Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
    • Tricolour Pasta with Tuna, Spinach and Artichoke Hearts
    • Fresh Strawberries with Chocolate-Orange Avocado Mousse
    • Peanut Butter Chocolate Backpack Kisses

    My friends who attended this luncheon come from all courses and walks of life.  Some are vegan, others vegetarian whilst others thrive on an omniverous diet.  It was wonderful to share and experience these delicious recipes and even shift the perception of how satisfying and delicious a plant-based diet can be.

    For more images and information of the Eat Clean Diet Vegetarian luncheon, click here.

    Over the next few weeks, I will be posting four incredible recipes from the Eat Clean Diet Vegetarian Cookbook with the first recipe coming later today!

    My Beautiful Friend and Yoga Teacher: Meghan Currie


    I adore this woman. I have practiced with her for a few years now and what I love most about Meghan and her teaching is the playfulness she brings to my practice.  

    Meghan always encourages me to deepen my practice by being upside down and inside out wherever possible.  She reminds me that I don’t have to be so serious with myself all of the time and I have evolved into a healthier person overall because of it.

    Sometimes we laugh so much in class I walk out feeling as though i am in grade school and it’s during these classes where the most incredible feats of strength and breakthrough occur in my practice.

    So…I encourage you to laugh and play, enjoy your practice and remember that movement is meant to feel pleasurable and joyful.  Don’t settle for anything less.

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