EDITOR’S NOTE
Felicia TomaskoIn this issue, teacher and writer Dr. Lorin Roche takes us through what really hap-
pens in meditation. Part of what really happens is that we sit and stare into the abyss of
our busy minds. It’s easy to get lost in the abyss. But with practice, we can also delight
in the improvisational play of prana, the flow of energy that nourishes and restores
us, our body, mind, heart, and spirit. It can help us continually define and refine and
connect to our purpose.
Dr. Roche explains, “When we meditate, we are invited to experience the genius of
prana as it dynamically flows through our entire being on all levels and rejuvenates and
restores us.” Meditation is something that can simultaneously ground and lift us up.
In many ways, meditation reminds me of cooking (and of eating); of how we gather
around the table to nourish and restore ourselves. This is the centerpiece of this issue
and this season.
After all, we need to be rejuvenated, to be restored in every way possible. To main-
tain our practice and our strength, to show up. To live and grow with intention, with
purpose.
In order to help inspire you to a meditative cooking practice, we’ve included several
recipes in which the emphasis is on simplicity and quality. Brian Kateman of the Re-
ducetarian Foundation and editor of The Reducetarian Cookbook, curates a selection
of plant-based comfort foods suitable for a variety of tastes. For dessert, Laurel Gal-
lucci and Claire Thomas of the shop Sweet Laurel: Cake, Coffee + Tea and the new
Sweet Laurel cookbook share how to create delicious nutrient-dense treats. Ayurvedic
Practitioner and Chef Jeff Perlman, educates and advises on incorporating the power-
ful superfood Moringa into your life.
Our food can also be a source of activism. It can start with a simple change and
then grow from there. This is the case for Suzy Amis Cameron, author of O.M.D.:
Change the World by Changing One Meal a Day. It is also embedded in the mission of
women changing the landscape of Los Angeles by propagating urban farming innova-
tions. People like Community Healing Gardens Co-Founder Nicole Landers; Wendy
Coleman, Melanie Dorsey, and Jennifer Crane of LA Urban Farms, and Chef Helene
Henderson, Founder of Malibu Farm Restaurant. Tiffany Paige of Green With Tiffany
shares their inspirational stories.
As we enter into the season of community and connection, we can take a moment to
be touched by people with a commitment to community. Lily Dulan is someone deter-
mined to transform her personal tragedy into a catalyst for greater consciousness and
connection through The Kara Love Foundation. When we can follow these examples,
when we can feed ourselves consciously, when we know ourselves, we can access the
genius of prana. The genius of this energy that fuels our vitality, nourishing and resto-
rying not only us, but the world in which we live.
May your intentions this season be filled with light and love,“The great challenge of meditation is...to meditate
in a way that supports your purpose of living.”