Colour Me Green xo

I am a BIG fan of greet tea desserts.  I LOVE green tea flavoured creme bulees, ice-creams, or sticky rice mochi balls....  My ultimate Gooey treat which lights up my eyes whenever I encounter them in a Japanese cafe or supermarket.  Getting your hands all sticky and messy and your lips covered in a dusting of rice flour is half the fun!  

Green tea itself can be bitter and somewhat 'blah' in taste on its own.... but when you combine that rich bitterness of the finely ground green tea powder with super sweet ingredients to balance out the flavours.... you end up with something very special and unique which leaves a deliciously subtle, bitter flavour of tea lingering in your mouth.  When I was having a blog writing freeze moment, a friend suggested I try posting a green tea dessert recipe.  Google spoilt me for choice with recipes for green tea shortbread cookies, sponge cakes, cheese cakes etc and would you believe, even recipes for carrot cakes with green tea icing?

But a coconut and green tea cake recipe caught my eye, so I got the creative juices in action again to come up with this recipe for a gorgeously rich, moist cake with a healthy spin, but it's still BURSTING with tonnes of flavour.

If you want to try something DIFFERENT, or are already a lover of Asian flavoured desserts and like a kick of bitterness and sweetness all in one mouthful, this one will be sure to please you xo 

Healthy Green Tea and Coconut Cake

Ingredients:

3 eggs

2 cups almond meal

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1/2 cup desiccated coconut

1/2 cup lite coconut milk

2 1/2 level tablespoons green tea powder (matcha) (you can get it in Asian/Japanese supermarkets)

pinch of salt

3/4 cup maple syrup (or a few tablespoons less if you don't like things too sweet)

Instructions:

Pre-heat the oven to 175 degrees Celcius (347 degrees fahrenheit)

Grease and line the base and sides of a 20cm spring form pan with baking paper.

In a bowl mix the almond meal, desiccated coconut, salt and green tea powder together.

In another bowl mix together the coconut milk and maple syrup and vanilla essence.  Whisk the eggs until frothy, then add into the other wet ingredients and stir in.

Fold all the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined.  Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for 40 - 45 minutes or until the top is JUST set.  Leave to cool in the cake tin.  Cut and Serve and Enjoy!

PS: An idea I have for next time which you might like to try is to add 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts to the batter at the very end before pouring into the cake tin.  Will add a nice element of texture to each bite xo

Sweet apple goodness... to say Thank you xo

My favourite yoga teacher celebrated his birthday this weekend.... and it was a perfect opportunity for me to say THANK YOU for being the best of the best teachers I know!  James is a what I'd call a yoga ninja... he'll demonstrate complex poses effortlessly with grace and strength, and his handstands make him look as light as a feather.  He could have spiderman talents and climb up walls and ceilings for all I know.  He knows each and every unique student's capabilities, and without him challenging my body, I wouldn't have ever discovered the flexibility I'd had hidden within me.  He is a walking dictionary on anatomy, lives and breathes good health and yoga and has the quirkiest sense of humour... with hilarious jokes and anecdotes interweaved with valuable yoga principles shared in every class.  You know there are some people you meet in life that teach you lessons and you're a much better person because of it?  Well my yoga teacher is without a doubt one of them.

So what better way to show some soulful appreciation than with a cake that screams 'home made and jam packed with love'.  As you've already figured..... one of my favourite moments of bliss are when I'm pottering around in the cosy oven warmed kitchen, with the benches covered in crumbs and splashes of sticky batter and I don't have a care in the world or the concept of time.  In moments like that I just want to put my all in making something pretty looking and delicious for people I care about.  Rustic home made goodies beat those artificial supermarket bought cakes any day... and they taste SOOO much better and are much better for our precious bodies.  

Keeping in line with my yoga teacher's principles of feeding the body with what is NOURISHING.... I've rustled up some nutrient rich ingredients and came up with this mouth watering gem.  An upside down apple and walnut cake bursting with the tartness of granny smith apples.... subtle sweetness of cinnamon and maple syrup all encased in a sticky moist cake.  So nourishing and So delicious.  

When all the yoga buddies shared this over our teacher's birthday breakfast.... their eyes lit up with yummy delight and surprise... THIS... Healthy?  Yep xo

Saya's Healthy Upside Down Apple and Walnut Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups almond meal

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon mixed spice

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1/2 cup maple syrup + 1 tablespoon (you could use honey or agave syrup)

3 tablespoons coconut oil (2 of which are melted)

6 -7 large granny smith apples (2 for decorating what will be the top of the cake and the rest to make 1 1/4 cups apple puree)

1/2 cup chopped raw walnuts

squeeze of half a lemon

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees celsius (338 degrees fahrenheit).

Grease a 20cm spring form cake tin and line the base and sides with baking paper.

Peel 2 apples and slice into 1/2cm wedges.  Then combine in a saucepan with 1 tablespoon coconut oil, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 tablespoon maple syrup.  Stir over a low heat until just tender (a little al dente is ok).  Then take off the heat and neatly arrange slices at the base of the cake tin.

Peel and dice remaining 4-5 apples and combine in a saucepan with a squeeze of half a lemon and gently cook while stirring until it turns mushy.  If need be add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water to prevent it from burning.  Once it turns into a soft consistency remove from the heat and mash with a fork to get it close to a puree.  Leave aside to cool.  Measure the puree and make sure it is about 1 1/4 cups worth.

Stir maple syrup, vanilla extract and melted coconut oil into the 1 1/4 cups of apple puree.  Whisk eggs in a separate bowl, then stir into the rest of the wet ingredients.

In a bowl combine the almond meal, cinnamon, ground ginger, mixed spice and salt.  Gently fold in the wet ingredients until just combined, then toss in walnuts and gently stir in.

Pour batter into the cake tin and bake in the oven for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes, until the top centre of the cake is firm.

Leave cake to cool completely, then turn over onto a plate and voila.... beeeautiful.... deeelicious xo

  

When SIMPLE is BEST: Vanilla xo

When it comes to sweet treat 'flavours' these days, we are SO spoilt for choice at every turn; at every supermarket, every cake shop, ice cream stand etc.  Like at today's exotic coffee shop visit with friends, the menu boasted hot chocolates flavoured with hazelnut, mint, caramel, rose, chilli etc the list goes on!  And then there are the gelato stands that spoil us with every tastebud tantaliser imaginable, from the popular classics like pistachio, hazelnut and chocolate, to the inventive flavours like 'Ferrero Rocher' or 'green tea'.  

But do we still remember the joys of the humble vanilla bean?  It's a classic, simple and reliable flavour that is sometimes all we need instead of the over complicated choices out there.  I don't know about you, but as a kid when there was a choice between chocolate, strawberry or vanilla flavoured ice-cream, I ALWAYS chose vanilla.  And when spoilt for choice on a fudge shop visit.... vanilla fudge suited me best.  Vanilla is so subtley sweet, so gentle on the taste buds, so dreamy, so comforting, honest and pure.  As I type this I am remembering my last creme bulee moment where my spoon scraped away every last speckle of the vanilla pods at the the bottom of the ramekin.  Bliss xo

So while I'm still riding this wave of 'healthy desserts', this time I went simple and sweet with yummy and chewy bliss balls with a generous hit of vanilla extract.  Again, even bliss balls these days have so many flavour options... with the addition of dates, apricots, peanut butter, cinnamon, cocoa, ginger etc.  But yep... this one is simply vanilla and I LOVE IT.  Enjoy xo

Vanilla Bliss Balls (adapted from All Recipes) (makes 10 - 12 balls)      

Ingredient:

1 1/4 cup almond meal

3/4 cup desiccated coconut

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

pinch of salt

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons melted coconut oil

extra coconut for coating

Instructions:

Mix together in a bowl the dry ingredients.  Stir in the wet ingredients.  Then roll dough into small 1 tablespoon worth balls and roll in extra coconut.  Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.  Yum xo

      

Getting to know Tristan and yoga

Meet Tristan....... he's someone who I like to think of as the 'humble, quiet achiever' that has come so far in his yoga practice since his first class in September last year.  Like he said, the hypo, music pumping gym environment isn't for everyone, and like SO many other people, stumbling into the world of yoga by accident was a true blessing.  In Tristan's case, a back injury led him to go to his first class and since then he hasn't looked back.  When you find something good, that rewards you with BOTH physical and mental strength it's always worth sticking to it.... just like Tristan.  The results are well worth the journey!  Enjoy getting to know Tristan and his perspective on yoga xo  

When and where did you first start yoga?

I started yoga in September 2011 at the Baulkham Hills Yoga School, Sydney.

Why did you start yoga?

I had injured my back at work (I am an ICU nurse) and I didn't feel like going to the gym to strengthen it as I found the gym environment didn't suit me.

What do you think yoga aims to achieve?

Body, mind and life balance.

What do you find most rewarding in yoga?

The most rewarding aspects I've found with yoga are the clarity in which I find myself, particularly when I'm regularly practicing.  I find I have a clearer mind to focus on the important things.  The strength I now have through yoga has also been great especially for work, I feel more stable when I have to move heavier patients.  

What do you find most challenging in yoga?

What I find most challenging in yoga is usually during Shavasana.  I find it hard to switch my mind off.  But it's happened a few times and it's been SO good.  So I need lots of mental training!  Oh and the handstands.... still working on my upper body strength!

What are 3 reasons you would recommend yoga to others?

It clears and de-clutters the mind.  It makes you feel more balanced.  It's a more wholesome lifestyle for getting fit.

What are 3 words that describe how you feel after yoga?

Zen, Clear, Strong.

What makes you smile?

Food!

What's your ideal way to spend a Sunday?

Brunch with the Sunday paper.  Then heading to the beach.

What's your best holiday to date?

I've travelled a fair bit, but I LOVE New York and Spain.

What's something that a lot of people don't know about you?

I paint and am interested in photography.

Because..... xo

Last Friday, my sweet Friend sent these words to me on my phone... and I LOVE them xo

I love the the raw truth that spills out from these words.  Being boldly honest with yourself and recognising it ALL, your flaws, mistakes, fears or moments of hate or sadness which you wish you never had.... are actually beautiful blessings xo  TRUE Strength and TRUE Beauty comes from looking at yourself in the mirror and being honest with yourself.  Hugs.

From: http://www.facebook.com/followyourdreamstoachieve

Chewy Comfort: Molasses Spice Cookies

If you love gingerbread and you find comfort in chewy soft cookies... you will definitely be baking these amazing golden goodies just about every single week.

This recipe had been pasted in my recipe scrapbook for years, sadly being ignored... but on a quiet Sunday when I was itching to get baking in the kitchen I decided to spontaneously give it a whirl.  And it was SO worth it!  The perfect combination of cinnamon, ginger, cloves and all spice with a generous hit of rich molasses makes it so moorish without it being sickly sweet.  It certainly isn't your average B grade cookie...it's my current top cookie of the moment which I can't resist sharing with everybody.  It's unique spicyness and chewy texture offers lots of comfort on a cold winters day.... even more satisfying when dipped into a steaming hot mug of milk.  Enjoy xo

Molasses Spice Cookies* (From Simply Recipes) Makes about 20 large cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups plain flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon all spice

3/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3/4 cups unsalted butter (room temperature)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup raw sugar (plus extra 1/3 cup)

1/3 cup molasses

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 190 degrees celsius.

Mix in a bowl the sifted flour, baking powder, ginger, all spice, cinnamon, cloves and salt.

Beat the butter for about 2 minutes, then add the brown sugar and 1/2 cup of raw sugar and beat until pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract, egg and molasses and beat in until just combined.

Fold in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients a little at a time using a spatula.

Once the dough is formed, get about 2 tablespoons worth of dough at a time to form a round ball (almost 2 inches in diameter) and then roll into the extra 1/3 cup of raw sugar to coat it on the outside.  Place onto a baking tray atleast 2 inches apart and bake for about 11 - 13 minutes.  They will still feel soft but that's ok... once cooled to room temperature they will be perfectly chewy.

* Simply Recipes "Molasses Spice Cookies"

REAL honey nut bars

It amazes me how many 'HONEY' nut bars sold at the supermarket and health food stores contain sugar.  Flip over the wrapper and you'll most likely find processed sugar as one of the top ingredients listed.  Don't get me wrong.... I LOVE getting my hit of sugar too (macaroons, creme bulee, chocolate.... yum).  But when I'm specifically in a health kick mood and want a quick snack with natural basic ingredients I struggle finding something authentic! 

So here's my sweet, chewy recipe for my own version of REAL honey and nut bars.  Can get your fingers a little sticky because of the generous amounts of honey in it, but that's part of the fun of knowing you're enjoying something REAL, NATURAL and SIMPLY good for your body.  Finger lickin good!

Saya's REAL honey nut bars

Ingredients:

1/2 cup honey

1 cup granulated dry roasted peanuts*

1 1/2 cups granulated dry roasted almonds*

1 handful of dry roasted almond chunks (I just made rustic chunks by putting them in a ziplock bag and hitting them for half a minute with a wooden spoon - great chef skills)

1 heaped tablespoon of cinnamon

pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

* I used a food processor for the granulated nuts.  I just processed them enough so they still had a bit of bite.  Like the size of small beads(see pics below).  It's fine too if there is a little bit of a powdery consistency mixed in with the granulated nuts.

Instructions:

Roughly tuck in baking paper into a square shallow dish leaving a generous amount of baking paper spilling over the side.  When I say generous, I mean long enough so the baking paper spills over the sides of the dish to double it's measurements.

In a saucepan over a low to medium heat, melt the honey, salt, vanilla extract and cinnamon together.  Once it comes to a simmer, stir for a minute and make sure everything is dissolved together making a dark brown sauce.  Add all the granulated nuts (almonds and peanuts) and the almond chunks and stir in.  Then immediately remove from the heat and pour mixture into a shallow square dish lined with baking paper.  Using a wooden spoon spread mixture around base of the dish as pictured below.

Then fold over the long part of the baking paper to cover the nut base and press down firmly using your hands (make sure the mixture isn't too hot).

Now leave it to rest (I like stacking books on top to keep it firm as it sets to room temperature). 

Then once cooled refrigerate for a few hours.  Then you're ready to slice and chew and enjoy xo

NOTE: I LOVE generous amounts of cinnamon but if this is too strong for you just add a teaspoon instead.  Or you could always omit the cinnamon and add 1/4 cup of desiccated coconut for a creamier taste xo

Sun Love Inspiration from Hafiz

The Sun Never Says

Even after all this time,

the sun never says to the earth,

‘You owe me.’

Look what happens with a love like that.

It lights up the whole sky.

Remnants of the romantic high from Valentine's Day are still floating around in my head, so I wanted to share the above poem and dedicate this post to the beautiful thing that is.....LOVE.

I discovered the Persian poet Hafiz* only a few years ago, and at that moment his beautiful, inspiring poetry dating as far back as the 1300's ... immediately fell into my 'favourite soulful things' world. 

This poem is certainly one of my favourites... expressing all the beautiful, romantic and sincere notions of unconditional love, purity and humbleness.  May this soulful poem give anyone reading this, inspiration to embrace this type of 'sun love'.  An unconditional and unlimited love that doesn't hold back, that doesn't demand, that doesn't calculate... but is just free and pure and beautiful xo

*Wikipedia - Hafez

My Valentine's Day love gesture..... seriously delish flourless chocolate cake



Getting to know: Wei Yee and Yoga

People will always surprise you.... so don't be deceived by Wei yee's dainty, pixie like figure.  Despite her petiteness, she is packed full of punch and bursting with energy and a strong 'can do attitude' head on her shoulders.  With big aspirations in and outside the sphere of yoga, this young lady is sure to to excel in whatever direction her sights take her!  I love the beauty and power expressed in her yoga poses and her clean, flowing lines in the photos captured below.  Young.., old.., big.., small.... JUST WORDS.  Push beyond those boundaries and deceiving categories you mentally confine yourself within, and your body will always surprise you and be true to you.  Wei yee shows you how.

When did you first start yoga?
You could say I started when I was about 6 when I used to copy my grandfather whom was 80 at the time doing headstands every morning.

Why did you start yoga?

I have to admit that I actually took my first class purely out of vanity and in pursuit of a better physique at the time.  But after one class I realised there was a whole lot more which yoga offered that none of the other gym classes I had attended ever did.  I was hooked from there.

What do you think yoga aims to achieve?

Unification and harmonisation of all things within and around us whereby we ultimately learn to understand the true nature of everything as it is.  It teaches mindfulness of how you treat yourself and all others around you.

What do you find most rewarding in yoga?

Understanding how to be more mindful of everything I do in life and how my actions impact others.  As a training teacher, the most rewarding thing is to be able to pass all I have learnt to others.

What do you find most challenging in yoga?

Physically, I find postures requiring flexibility quite challenging in yoga as I am naturally not very flexible.  In a more subtle sense, learning to apply the patience and calm we learn in yoga to everyday life is a big challenge.

What kinds of people would you recommend it to?

i) I recommend it to all people who work in corporate or sedentary jobs because we really need the movement!

ii) It's such an amazing workout physically because it works on both what you see on the outside and your internal organis.  I don't know why anyone would not give it a go?

iii) I recommend everyone to retain an open mind and try more than one class before they conclude whether yoga is for them.  There are a multitude of yoga styles now being taught which will suit all tastes and ages.  Keep a curious mind.

3 words that describe how you feel after yoga?

Release, peaceful, relaxed.

What makes you smile?

To see others around me smile.

What's your ideal way to spend a Sunday?

To be able to have the luxury of just relaxing and not going through my list of chores.  A yoga class has to be in there at some point though.

What's your best holiday?

It would have to be my five week trip to Europe (UK, France, Spain, Switzerland, Italy) with my 3 closest girlfriends.  We didn't follow a tour, just our maps.

Favourite food?
Potatoes in any shape or form.

Favourite book?

Pride and Prejudice.

What's something that a lot of people don't knkow about you?

That I absolutely love tha alpine and love hiking the high country regardless of what country I am in.  The last few years I've been making annual trips up to the Snowy Mountains to explore the alpine walks there.

Thanks Wei yee! xo

Getting to know: Marilee and Yoga

I wanted to kick off a new series of posts where I'll interview yoga loving people. 

No better way to start it off with beautiful, free spirited MARILEE.  What can I say... this lovely lady exudes such a peaceful, content and humble presence in our yoga classes and I love watching her demonstrate some of the most challenging poses yoga has on offer.  And at the age of 62 she definitely sets an inspiring example of utilising your body's full potential no matter how old.  No excuses!

Why did you start yoga?

One day I reached down and could barely touch my toes which I'd done easily in the past.  I thought 'this just won't do!' and went in search of a yoga class.

What do you think yoga aims to achieve?

I think it aims to achieve a unification of physical and mental fitness for a balanced healthy lifestyle.

What do you find rewarding in yoga?

Yoga and gym practice helps me feel younger and more able to do a lot of physical things I love, like backpacking, kayaking, bike riding.  I've also made many friends thru yoga.

What do you find most challenging in yoga?

Keeping focussed during practice and unfocussed during meditation... for example thinking: 'Oh, I must cut my toe nails' or 'hmmm what was I supposed to buy on the way home?'.

3 reasons you would recommend yoga to others

Yoga can be for anyone but I would especially recommend it to people who care about looking after their bodies and who through age or injury are starting to lose their mobility.  Yoga has given me:

1) flexibility and balance = confidence

2) fitness = ability

3) helps me stay calm in stressful situations = whew!

3 words that describe how you feel after yoga

Relaxed (like a massage), Sweaty, Rejuventated

What makes you smile?

Seeing something totally surprising in nature like a seagull scratching its head with its foot while flying.  A dolphin in the wild doing a complete sommersault in the air.  The vibrant yellow mushrooms that appeared overnight in my garden pot (I didn't eat them!)

What's your ideal way to spend a Sunday?

Getting up early to go on a bushwalk in the Blue Mountains - I don't do this enough!!

At home I read my book in bed with a cup of coffee, then work in the garden. 

What's your best holiday?

One of my best holidays was kayaking in the wilderness rivers near Katherine in the Northern Territory with a wonderful group of like minded 'oldies'.

What's something that a lot of people don't know about you?

I spent quite a few years as a cruising yachtie, sailing in the Pacific Islands in a tiny 11 metre yacht.  My husband had to row me ashore in our dinghy to the hospital in Noumea to give birth to our first baby.

Pigeon Pose - intertwined beauty

© 2012 Saya Style

It feels amazing to open your heart like a puffed up pigeon and open the hips and stretch, stretch, stretch. Once I'm in it... I don't just don't want to leave!

I love pigeon pose.  There are so many variations but this one above is by far my favourite.  With the hands clasped behind the head, foot tucked snug inside the elbow and chest spread WIDE open... it feels so liberating.  Being far from a symmetrical looking pose, it magically FEELS the absolute opposite.... it instead feels so balanced, grounded and perfectly smooth in its intertwined beauty.  BEAUTY and GRACE is what you feel in these snapshot moments.

© 2012 Saya Style

Pigeon pose variation

Child's pose.... the relief

© 2012 Saya Style

To anyone who does yoga, Child's pose is sheer relief and permission to REST.  During a class, it's incorporated between challenging and painful poses and often you just want to stay lost in it because it's everything comforting, relaxing and rejuvenating.

When you find yourself agonizingly holding that pose whilst shaking, aching and grasping onto every second until the teacher FINALLY says 'release'... the relief that comes at that instant is a delicious indulgence in complete rest and emptiness.  All of us who have done it know that this 'Child's Pose' moment is like bliss within emptiness whilst your body nurses it's aches and pains... and you're breathe is louder than ever.

So take rest... and while on the topic of being 'a child', why not add a little childlike colourfulness or goofballness (whatever you like) to your day and let go of that overly serious scrutinisation of everything.  Pure and simple views of a child are sometimes all you need to see things right. 

"Take rest: a field that has rested gives a beautiful crop" - Ovid

"Every child is an artist.  The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up." - Pablo Picasso

 "It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child." - Pablo Picasso

© 2012 Saya Style

Simply Quinoa - delicious and nutritious

© 2012 Saya Style

This is one of my all time favourite and reliable recipes... perfect as a side dish or if you're like me and easily satisfied with vegetarian food.. perfect on it's own for a light lunch.
It's good to know that this humble food with a rice like consistency, is packed full of nutrients and is uniquely high in protein along with having a low GI.  Most people think it's a grain but it's actually a seed!

Saya's Delish Vegetable Quinoa - serves 6

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa (rinsed)
2 1/4 cups water
1 large onion
2-3 garlic cloves crushed
1 heaped tablespoon dried basil (or thyme or rosemary).  Mixing in some fresh herbs is good too.
1 punnet cherry tomatoes cut in halves
1 red capsicum diced
4 heaped teaspoons Massel vegetable stock powder (if you prefer light flavours reduce to 2 or 3 teaspoons)

Instructions:
Add quinoa and water into a large pot and bring to the boil. 

Then stir in all other ingredients and reduce temperature of stove to bring down to a gentle simmer.  Keep the lid of the pot off and stir occassionally whilst cooking.  Cook gently from anywhere between 20 - 30 minutes.  Basically until all the liquid has been obsorbed (little spots or holes appearing on the surface of the quinoa is a good indication of this).

Then remove from the stove and put the lid onto the pot.  Let it sit for 2 minutes then fluff quinoa up with a fork and you're ready to dig in!

Keeping me challenged

© 2012 Saya Style

Yoga - Challenging your strength, flexibility and the chatterings of the mind.... it's bound to hit your weaknesses head on and test how far you're willing to persevere.  That's why I love it so much.... it tests your individual weaknesses and in the process you discover how truly strong and capable your body is… a great tool in getting to know yourself.  Your body's strength will always surprise you in the most challenging of poses as long as you focus and push beyond your 'mental boundaries'.

Persevering to remain fully mindful on every touch and movement whilst sweating, aching, and challenging every joint and muscle.... the outcome can be frustrating or freeing... whatever you choose it to be. 

STRENGTH is my weakness and often my arms, legs and everything else will be shaking with exhaustion... begging for those long agonizing seconds to pass.  Oh and falling over?...no problem... I'm good at putting on a show for that.  One yoga teacher I knew would radiantly smile with delight every time we'd lose our balance and ungracefully thump to the ground.  He told us to be proud of every 'crash landing'  because it proved we were challenging ourselves and GROWING by pushing beyond our comfort zone.  To hold a simple pose with ease and grace doesn't compare to the commitment and strength to fumble through a difficult pose ungracefully. 

Yes... I actually LOVE being in that place of imperfection in my practice because it makes me more eager and hungry to keep on growing.

I definitely recommend giving it a go and perservering. You'll really get to know yourself.