Chocolate
Chocolate has become the quintessential Valentine’s Day gift, representing love, sweetness, devotion and sensuality. Its origins as the go-to gift for romantic holidays are fairly recent and involve the magic of marketing and the ‘60s, specifically the 1860s. This was when the heart-shaped candies and the heart-shaped boxes were released in force.
Before then, chocolate was treasured by the civilizations indigenous to Central America, the region the cacao bean calls home. It was traditionally brewed into a bitter and spicy hot decoction, usually with chilies and cinnamon. European conquerors brought it back to the continent and added sweeteners and milk to the concoction.
Our current relationship with chocolate is based as much on health and well-being as it is on sensuality and savoring the confection. The Yoga and holistic health communities have many vocal advocates for it; David Romanelli likes chocolate with Yoga and David Wolfe prefers it raw. Cacao is a rich source of magnesium, which is why it is said that women crave the treat in significant moments. There are a plethora of recipes and commercial preparations that are raw, vegan, exotic and delicious. These are just a few of our faves.
Intentional Chocolate
We set intentions during meditation and we even declare love and gratitude to our water. What about our chocolate? The people at Intentional Chocolate state: “An individual who consumes this chocolate will manifest optimal health and functioning at physical, emotional and mental levels, and in particular will enjoy an increased sense of energy, vigor and well-being.” The electromagnetic brain waves of meditating Tibetan monks were recorded by chocolatier Jim Walsh with a special device. Each batch of chocolate (pictured, above) is then exposed to these frequencies for five days. Since everything in the universe responds to and is made up of electromagnetic signals, it makes sense that this changes the properties of the food.
We may believe that eating chocolate improves our mood (I’ll speak for myself). Intention-infused chocolate even more so: According to a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study published by Dr. Dean Radin, Gail Hayssen and James Walsh in the journal Explore, people who ate chocolate infused with good intentions reported significantly enhanced states of mind and mood as compared to people who ate ordinary (but still tasty) chocolate. Intentional Chocolate: intentionalchocolate.com.
Theo Chocolate
They source their raw materials around the world and are masters of the creative flavor, mixing chai spices and coconut in various blends: theochocolate.com.
Terra Nostra Chocolate
Rich, creamy, they have some vegan options that maintain a smooth texture and rich taste: terranostrachocolate.com.
David Romanelli, Yoga + Chocolate: yeahdaveyoga.com
David has paired Yoga with Vosges Haut-Chocolate, with exotic flavors and creations that are salty, savory, spicy and sweet: vosgeschocolate.com.
Raw Cacao
Without added sugars or additives, raw cacao nibs are the real thing. We love them at the LA YOGA office for the hit of prana (life-force) and sustainable energy without the post-sugar crash. Our faves:
Transition Nutrition (they sell truly delightful and ethically sourced chocolate on its own and as an ingredient in their truly blissful
Bliss Mix): royalhimalyan.com.
Essential Living Foods believe in sustainability at all levels of procurement and distribution of truly raw cacao: essentiallivingfoods.com.
David Wolfe, raw food expert: sunfood.com.
By Felicia M. Tomasko, RN
