What do Chocolate Chip Cookies & Yoga Have in Common?

The secret lies in simple, quality ingredients

Hey It’s Jenny, your favorite yoga-loving Alaskan!

Welcome to my weekly newsletter where I share stories about my life, insights from my personal yoga practice and the best online resources, handpicked just for you.

The Cookie Quest

It took me years of experimentation to find the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe -one that produces a cookie with crisp edges and a soft center, baked to golden brown perfection, with plenty of ooey, gooey chocolate chips and a richly layered, but not too sweet flavor.

My quest to find the perfect chocolate chip cookie was inspired by an aesthetically appealing yet ultimately underwhelming cookie from a local cafe.

I spied the cookie in a basket of freshly baked goods, sitting next to the cash register, as I was paying for my lunch. It looked delectable. Chocolate chips poked out of the top, and the bottom was crispy and brown. But when I bit into it, all that promise fell away. In reality, the cookie was overwhelmingly sweet, yet somehow bland, with a crumbly texture.

The experience left me unsatisfied…and craving a really good chocolate chip cookie. From that moment on, I was on the hunt. I scoured restaurants, bakeries and even grocery stores.

I quickly realized I was never going to purchase the cookie of my dreams. So, I started baking them at home. I tried recipe after recipe, disappointed every time. It’s not that the cookies weren’t good, because they were. A few even made it into my recipe binder. They just weren’t what I was looking for.

My fruitless search continued until Double Tree by Hilton released their infamous chocolate chip cookie recipe. Covid was in full swing, we were all stuck at home and Hilton, ever the philanthropist, decided to gift the world with their top secret, highly coveted and never before shared chocolate chip cookie recipe.

As luck would have it, my friend - who had been witnessing my failed attempts for years - saw the press release and sent me the recipe immediately.

When the text came through I paused “The Tiger King”, headed straight into my kitchen to look for the listed ingredients and was overjoyed to discover that I had everything I needed.

I got right to work.

I could tell that this recipe was different. It called for fresh squeezed lemon juice and oats, resulting in a dough that tasted so good I was tempted to skip the baking to eat it all with a spoon. The smell that filled my kitchen while the first batch baked was divinely eye watering. I dared hope that this was the one.

I won’t beat around the bush…it was.

When my son and I took the first bite of our respective cookies, our eyes locked, widened in unison and I swear a tear rolled down my face. I had done it. I found the perfect chocolate chip cookie.

Fast forward to five years later and that recipe is still in regular rotation. It’s my go-to for barbecues, bakes sales and any regular day when I’m hungry for a chocolate chip cookie. I just dig out my recipe binder and flip to the Hilton recipe, the page worn from frequent use. I could probably whip up a batch from memory if I needed to.

I return to the recipe, time and again, because it’s reliable and I know it will deliver, without fail, every single time.

You're probably wondering what any of this has to do with yoga

My search for the perfect chocolate chip cookie was a lot like finding the right personal practice recipe.

Just like cookies need a few basic ingredients, my yoga practice relies on breath, movement and meditation.

Cookies are mixed in a specific order to ensure the right texture, and my yoga practice follows a similar structure. A baker starts by creaming the butter and sugar, then adds the eggs one at a time before mixing in the dry ingredients. When I roll out my mat, I first tune into my breath and carry that awareness through my movements and into meditation.

It took a lot of trial and error to find the right recipe for my favorite cookies and my yoga practice. I didn’t expect the perfect cookie recipe to call for a quarter teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice and a half cup of rolled oats - until I tried it. Similarly, I had to experiment with different combinations of movement and meditation before discovering that gentle yoga and Yoga Nidra worked best for me.

Just like the chocolate chip recipes that came before the Hilton recipe, many of the practices I sampled have become reliable alternatives for days when I want something different or need more than my usual routine.

Variety is the spice of life, the cinnamon in my cookie and what keeps my practice interesting.

This week’s practices are split into two sections: “Movement” and “Meditation”. I selected these classes so you can pick one from each section, combine them, and have a personal practice that takes less than twenty minutes.

This is your chance to experience my personal practice recipe. Try it on, see how it fits and do a little self inquiry. Does my recipe work for you? Did the combination of movement then meditation feel beneficial? How can you adapt the recipe to your own preferences and needs?

MOVEMENT

10 Minute Morning Yoga Stretch | Gentle Yoga Practice All Levels | Jessica Richburg

10 minutes | All Levels Beginner Friendly

Gentle Yoga Practice for Spinal Movement | Bhakti Yoga

10 Minutes | All Levels | Beginner Friendly

10 Minute Morning Yoga Stretch & Flow | Yoga With Bird

10 Minutes | All Levels

Flowy 10 Minute Morning Yoga | Black Yogi Nico Marie

11 Minutes | All Levels

MEDITATION

Lovingkindness on the Go Meditation Guided by Manoj Diaz

7 Minutes | All Levels | Beginner Friendly

5 Minute Yoga Nidra | Ally Boothroyd

7 Minutes | All Levels | Beginner Friendly

5 Minute Meditation for Relaxation & Positive Energy | Lavendaire

5 minutes | All Levels | Beginner Friendly

5 Minutes Seated Yoga Nidra Meditation | Quick Relaxation | Loren Runion

5 Minutes | All Levels | Beginner Friendly

Even though I have a favorite cookie recipe, I still like to mix things up. Sometimes I add peanut butter, walnuts, or different types of chips to my cookies. I was recently advised to try sprinkling a little sea salt on top.

I’m just as flexible with my personal practice. I turn to Kundalini when I feel stuck, do a peppy flow to burn off extra energy, and occasionally opt for seated meditation instead of Nidra.

In the coming weeks, we'll dive deeper into personalizing your practice recipe and you’ll have the opportunity explore a variety of “mix-ins” from different teachers, styles, and modalities.

I can’t wait! See you next Sunday.