Welcome the new - TRUE!

2017 is over and so is the December Yoga with Adriene challenge as I mentioned in an earlier post.

I did my best and got down (dog) and freaky yogi almost every day. Some days I didn’t find the time and also I lost a few days being ill. Those days are great opportunity for just letting your soul catch up (love this expression, thanks Annica!) and get some XP on meditation practice. I absolutely enjoyed this time and I can feel the benefits of the daily practice.
If you missed it here's a bit of a flashback for you!

So happy to hear from the friends that joined and followed the journey! No crying cuz it's over though, there's a new challenge coming up! Come with me and Adriene on the TRUE journey now in January. I won't document it as fanatically as LIGHT but there will be yoga every day!

 

Here's the calendar for TRUE

Playlist 
Here's the link to the youtube playlist

Practice times
Here's the link to the practice times for the challenge

Today is officially the second day of TRUE and the word of the day is MOTIVE. But anyone can join in at any time. That's the beauty of home practice.

See you on the mat! Love out and peace in <3 
 

Constructive feedback

So as some of you have seen I've made a digital 2d portrait study.

This is the second one. The first one I didn't even finish.

Often it takes more time to repair flaws in an artwork than just simply start over. And when it comes to learning it's more about quantity than quality although you have to be present so you don't fall into your drawing comfortzone and just mindlessly produce thinking that you know things. I used to think that I know things and that's one of the greatest enemies of my learning.

If you get constructive feedback that's awesome! Don't apologize. Don't defend yourself or your work. It's not a part of you, only your process. I asked my boyfriend who also is an artist for feedback and in the beginning it really really sucked to not get your ego stroked the right way. I would listen, but still do it my way. Then I was like "fine, I'll try your way then!" and the results were immediate. And that's the beauty of letting go and opening up to feedback. You get better at recieving it, giving it and it supports your process. So thanks Mike for all your support! <3

So what did I do differently this time?
I got a great deal of constructive feedback on this one, even some after I said "now this is done. And no matter what done means all edits are strictly forbidden". 
I used a grid to make sure everything was at the right place already from the start. Then I had a little practice of the process as well as very basic shading from the previous study. These things helped a lot. Another thing which I highly recommend is to from time to time flip the canvas so that your drawing and reference image both become reflected.

What will I do different for the next portrait?
Well as you can see from above I didn't have a very good approach to the hair, neither did I have the patience. So for the next one I will approach it with some of the tips and process from Proko's tutorial on "How to draw hair".

Feedback does not only come in verbal form. This weekend was tough for me. I got quite ill and I don't know about you but I usually feel down when I'm reaching physical limits. But I guess I can look at it as my body is giving me feedback, telling me to chill out ffs! I'm still up for the YWA christmas calendar challenge although it's at a halt at the moment since my cold got worse when I kept pressing on. So that's why I made a bed yoga playlist called "YOGA FOR BED-err DAYS". For anyone who wants to yoga but is sick, down or just feeling like a hybernating little yogi.
Take care of yourself my friend!

Countdown!

Haven't been updating in what seems like forever! Hope life finds you well. I want to invite you to join me on a challenge! A yoga challenge with Adriene. This is a great way to make yoga one of your daily habits, have fun and countdown to Christmas. You can find all the videos on Adrienes Youtube channel, except for the new ones that will be coming every Monday in December. This is honestly more exciting than chocolate calendar (but you can have chocolate too if you want)...
Here's the calendar but you can of course find it and more on her website...

Also keep your eyes peeled for I'm the guest on my friends Youtube channel, the honest student, talking about friendship! That's it for now. Hope you will join on the challenge, but either way have a good one!

If you get reversed king Midas touch

What do we do when we feel that we're not living up to expectations?
I have to admit that I little while ago found myself back in the bottomless pit of unreasonably high expectations. It is a place where you might think high expectations would result in perfection. Alas, I find that it is much more like a reversed King Midas touch. No gold. Just crap. It is a place of little or no logic.

 

How do we make sense of it? Well first of all when we find ourselves there we must know that we usually are going about things all wrong. Take a step back and ask yourself:

• In the best of worlds what would I have done? What would the ultimate version of you have done? Then do that next time, or at least take a step in that general direction. 
• How can I make things easier? It is easy to get into negative self talk when experiencing that things aren't going as planned. When you find that happening stop it immediately. And don't blame yourself. Remind yourself as often as you can to be kind until it comes naturally. 
• Will this matter tomorrow? Next week? Next month? Next year? In ten years? Whatever it was it is surely not the end of the world. Honestly it does not serve anyone to worry. It might be helpful to put a restraint to either "ok I will think about this for 5 minutes" or I have thought about this three times, that is enough.
• "Have you tried turning it off and on again?" Our body and mind needs care. When we're stressed and feel we have much to do we might put or needs aside for this oh so important thing. That's a warning sign. Here we must practise restraint, responsibility and above all respect for ourselves. And if you find that warning is coming up often then maybe you need to reevaluate what you're juggling or re-plan your routines.
• Get your mind to a positive place by guided meditation or inspirational talks. It doesn't have to be for a long time. Even a few minutes or a moment can do the trick sometimes.

You can do anything you want.

But you cannot do everything at once.

The worldwide multi-tasking efficiency illusion madness must come to an end. 

And where does change begin?

You know it.

A decent human being.

The beginning of this post was hardest to write yet. 

Erased and replaced so many times. 

I prefer not to get political but considering circumstances the subject seems inevitable.

- - - - - - - -

When I was ten we had a pretend election in school. We got to vote for the president of USA and we got to choose between George W. Bush and Al Gore. I voted for Bush.

I had no idea what he stood for but his name was Bush and I thought it was funny. Imagine, a Bush for president in The States. And he won our pretend election. And the real one too.

I'd like to think that the voters of that election (2000) and this one (2016) did not vote out of the same grounds as I did as a ten-year-old. Because "it was funny." 

Because it's not.

Granted, Donald Trump may be different from conventional politicians, but is it really the force for change that USA needs? For a moment I felt the same kind of dread as was felt when Sweden Democrats entered parliament and then later became the third largest party in the Swedish Parliament. 

- - - - - - - -

We must not get infuriated or think that the ones with a opinion differing from ours are stupid. They have their reasons. Wether it is change, economy, personal gain, immigration politics, a sense of rebellion or because of not letting the family voting traditions down is of little importance to me. 

What I want to talk about today is a quality which is not valued very high in our society or amongst the people with power. A quality which any decent human being has. The quality which makes us help each other (be they close ones or strangers), bridge the gaps of fear or ignorance and replace it with understanding and acceptance. This quality is one that heals, builds and brings hope for humanity. 

I'm talking about compassion. 

And should not the people with power first and foremost be decent human beings? 

Why is compassion seemingly valued so little today? So far I have not seen any compassion from Donald Trump and this is one of the strongest reasons why I believe he will not make any wise decisions.

I refuse to think all hope is lost. Of course I am worried for a country which can elect someone who may base their decisions on the values opposing compassion. Someone who does not believe in climate change (as if it was some sort of conspiracy?) but acts out personal gain, out of fear or hate or judgement. A swelling ego without an open mind. 

It's a beautiful day. 

The sun is turning the early snow into subtle glitter and the sky is unapologetically blue.

I refuse to  surrender to fear or hopelessness.

There are decent human beings out there and we must strive to be part of them.

We must grow and nurture our compassion. It must not be mistaken for weakness. Because it can feel disempowering when we see only the problem and no given solution. It is actually a strength and the pain we feel when we can't help is just a pinpoint we're heading down the right path. 

I'd even go as far as to say compassion is a superhero strength. 

It can make us do incredible things. 

Believe in it.

Believe you have the power.

Don't fall into the trap of waiting for the hero.

Because it is you.

And if you need someone to pick you 

and tell you that you are the chosen one 

THEN I PICK YOU NOW

and if you feel unprepared for the task know that all heroes felt like that.

Your life has prepared you and will continue to do so

challenging you with opportunities for growth.

All change in the world starts with you.

If you want peace.

Find it within yourself first. 

Then show it to the world and help it feel it too.

If you don't know where to start there are a great deal of Ted Talks on the subject of compassion and empathy. Get inspired. Get empowered. Shake the world in a gentle way. 

Off to the yoga mat.

PEACE IN.

The challenge of the ZZZs

So if you're like me and go into energy save during the winter... well you can avoid total hibernation!
Here's a few good tricks to keep your energy up and help you stay on track:

Join challenges
No matter what your practise is it's always good to join a challenge and motivate yourself by keeping the day count and just sticking to it. I'm currently doing the Yoga Camp challenge with yoga with Adriene. A Hatha yoga experience, and this one has a bit more elements of mental wellness than her previous "30 days of yoga" challenge (which I also highly recommend!)

Get by with a little help from your friends

When it gets tough it might feel like a failure (IT IS NEVER) to ask your friends for help. Actually it is a very strong thing to do and when your friends know where you're at and what's going on it will be much easier for them to help you. We don't have to be so goddamned independent all the time! So ask for advice, ask for support, ask for a bit of cheerleading or gentle reminders. Or better yet... why not join a challenge together?

Seize the day

Carpe diem might sound like a massive cliché, yet as the days become shorter it becomes all the more important to get outside and gather as much sun as you can. Even when it's cloudy it's still brighter outside than indoors. Also the fresh air will do you good. In our family the outdoor minimum limit is at least 30 minutes per day, something I am grateful for today.

Recharge

During the wintertime it's easy to be *yawn* a chronic sleepy head. So one way to go about it is of course to sleep more. This however does not work for me, in fact it makes me more sleepy. A bunch of other options might be

Cold showers. Yep you heard me. A brilliant way to wake the body up and although it might not feel too inviting on cold days it actually gets your circulation up and you will be less cold afterwards. I've written a little more about hydrotherapy in a previous post.

Power naps. If you're feeling sleepy, set your alarm and give yourself a good powernap. I usually feel better and more alert if I'm surrendering to a couple of zzz rather than forcing myself to stay awake.

Keep doing what energises you! When winter comes (and it will, as Snow so eagerly points out) it might be tempting to cancel everything and stay under a blanket. I advice you not to. By keep going you will let your body (and brain) know who's the boss. And by doing what you set out to do you will get a kick of "YES I DID IT" and coming home afterwards to a cup of tea and the blanket will be all the more rewarding.

Play. Ok, I'm sure some of you are feeling a bit of resistance with thoughts of playing being just for kids but I assure you that getting your sillies and giggles up will boost you in so many ways. So invest time and energy in having fun, because it will give so much back.

- - - - - - - -

When it's evening, weekend or you just feel like watching something there's a brilliant korean film I saw yesterday. It was both visually and emotionally beautiful as well as fun and the right kind of weird (for me atleast.) 

Kimssi Pyoryugi (2009)

in english known as The castaway on the moon.

That's all I had for now, but I'm sure you will find your way to power up during the winter. 

Get out there. 

Do good. 

Reward yourself. 

And see you later!

I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS BEEP

So.

This week was hectic to say the least. Maybe it was for you too?

It's easy to when we have much going on to kind of let go of the good routines or our practise... and sometimes that might honestly be what we need. To feel good is not always obsessing about the healthy and forcing our rituals on ourselves when we already have a lot of strain. Sometimes a cup of hot chocolate can bring just as much feeling of goodness as the healthiest thing you can think of.

What I'm trying to say here is don't be too hard on yourself if you can't stick to it sometimes, especially when you feel you've already got the world on your shoulders. That's when you need that extra support. To feel the world got your back.

Don't color your day with a bad mood.

But then there's that inner struggle of I HAVE TO THIS AND I HAVE TO THAT AND AAAAAAH! So there's things to be done, 

but 

what you need the most is your breath. You can return to it at any time. Wherever you are. It takes no time and very little effort. Yet it gives much back. That's the beauty of it.

If you're stressed. Breathe. 

If you are in pain. Breathe. 

If you're upset. Breathe. 

If you're overwhelmed. Breathe. 

If you've had enough of reading this just give yourself a break and breathe instead. 

Surely you will get into that kind of situation again. Not all days can be a manifestation of flow. Of course you can prepare for the challenges, but when all is said and done... in the heat of the moment there might feel like there is only one way (there is never just one way!) and we might forget all about our brilliant techniques of stress management when we need them the most. 

When it happens just remind yourself.

Take a moment.

You can choose how to feel. 

You can choose a better way.

You got this.

You have time for this breath.

Wrists: Strength instead of strain!

I had my first full class teaching experience last week and tomorrow I am getting ready for the second session of Hatha yoga (which I've written more about in an earlier post.) Happy to say I am more excited than nervous. This is my thing. Feeling it! This has also been a good opportunity for me to dive back into the basics, to better explain to the students.

In work and our everyday life we put a lot of strain on our wrists. Using computers, pencils, phones and more we're letting the fingers and our whole hands get into a closed almost grabby state. This means when we open up the hands as we do i.e. downward facing dog we may feel strain in the wrists due to the hands not being flexible enough. Since all is connected within the body, if you're not flexible in one place it will be taken out in another area. It may sound like a good thing, but it can get you into a lot of strain or even injury. So let's stay clear of that. 

A point I like to add is that in my family we have a history of wrist pain. Yoga has made it much better for me, but we're all different. If your wrist pain is due to a medical condition always consult your physician first. It's important to listen to your body as well as to challenge and build yourself up. 

Of course I have to recommend a video to help you on your way: Yoga with Adriene got the stuff!  The "Yoga for wrist pain" video is a both fun and great way to work on the wrists so you can enjoy your practise even more. I love her energy and playful take on yoga, but if that's not your style, you crave something else or just want more there are loads online on wrists and yoga.

Stay balanced!

Yoganidrasana - flex and focus!

Mathematician, philosopher, political activist and more. 

At work I ended up in a discussion with two "overbenders" and found myself annoyed with myself for not being a prezel... then I remembered the journey I've done so far. From clumsy stiff to decent foldable me. Although I do want to take it up a knotch. Been practicing a little bit while watching tv, reading and so on. Today I found a tutorial which I think will make it all the more pleasant and fun. Here it goes. Sleeping baby - yoganidrasana. Looking forward to being able to relax into it.

Yoganidrasana how to with Kino KinoMacGregor.

Apart from that, even though I haven't updated the yoga has been going on every single day and I'm keeping a (home made from an old water color picture) journal upon it with day, time, location and what was done and if there was any special sensation to it.

Today I did math break yoga. I would study 20 minutes, take a 10 minute break to do some asanas in the shadow of the apple tree. Repeat. Of course mimimize surrounding distractions. I like to time things. 20 minutes. GO!!!

Tomorrow a sister will visit, I'm seeing an old friend from waaay back and hopefully there will be some glutenfree rhubarb/ginger/apple muffins going on. To celebrate the day I'm also taking it from trikonasana (triangle) to ardha chandrasana (half moon). Know what I'm sayin'? 

If not, here's what's what. And that's that. Peace!

Ma souer et une petite siréne!

J'ai une petite siréne... Merci, m'amie! Elle est arrivée aujourd'hui avec la poste ... avec un Carambar bonbon et une blague! 

Comment appelle-t-on une panthère qui part trop vite? 

Réponse: Un faux guépard.

Looking forward to writing back and practicing my french once again as soon as I've found something stereotypical enough to send! 

Happy news is that I'm slowly easing out of the stiffness and moving toward my "regular" yogi practice, but hopefully with a more aware and caring attitude toward the body this time. What else is happy happy happy is that very soon I'm meeting my eldest sister who I haven't seen for... a year? Gosh, it feels much longer! This means there will be no posts for some time as we will be busy catching up and defining strange... it's a Sandhu thing! What happens is that when we sisters meet it's like an explosion of creativity and energy. We really bring out the best and sometimes the not as pleasant in eachother. We're just that open with eachother that we're more colorful and sensitive than usual. Someone usually ends up hurt or simply drained. 

My challenge in this is to try and harness the energy and inspiration into something constructive. To remain aware. Accepting my role as the little sister and still staying true to myself with feet firmly on the ground. It's easy to fall back into old patterns when you're taking a trip down memory lane. 

C'est tout. A bientôt mis amis!

Oh snap! What was that?

Reading up on unintentionally cracking joints. It's been happening quite a lot lately.

What I know so far is that it's debated wether it is good for you or bad for you to crack joints, and it hasn't got too much proof on either side. What I hear a lot of yogis saying is that it's natural, and it's no harm in unintentionally doing so. If you experience pain or swelling then that's of course no good.

Two hours of yoga today! Got up at 2:45 to have time before work. Then came home and had chillout yoga and meditation in the garden. Progress on the cow face (connecting hands behind back like mentioned in post "The good, the bad and the patience.") and overall keeping in touch with the body and present moment. Discipline is better than ever, although I want to cut down on my blog writing time. I told myself I'd be finished... 45 minutes ago.

Going to bed soon because tomorrow will be sort of the same procedure of yoga, work yoga, but harder more stressful work since the guests are leaving the hotel. Best be prepared.

Celebrate everyday through balanced living. No hangovers, no emotional rollercoasters... all the time you make the mostest. Haha, can you tell I'm tired? AAAAAND I'M GONE.

Live like you learn

It had been a while since I was last faced with a design related task. Design has always been like lover to me. The incredible passion that fills you with fun ideas and you just want to spend time together. Unfortunately we've kind of lost echother. It had become too destructive. I was giving, but not getting anything back, or rather, giving all I got to the point there was none of me left for me. Then yesterday we met again through the design application for Broby Grafiska which was due today. At once I remembered why I fell for design and why we fell apart. When you get stuck in a destructive relationship there are three different ways you can go:

1. You can go down with the ship.

2. You can leave the ship and either swim for your life or hold onto something else as you watch it sink before your eyes.

3. You can row it ashore and make it better then try again.

And if you can't decide which way to go 

then you can always go for the classic rock, paper, scissors....

(this picture is a detail from the application)

Since I've put a lot of work into this design passion, I'm not willing to let her sink. I'll have the number 3, please!

Since stress is commonly based on our way of handling different situations (or rather failing to do so) I assume I need to change my relationship toward design. If I look at what happens with me when I work with design it's pretty much the opposite of the outcome of yoga. The breath quickens and becomes shallow as if I had ran a marathon, the posture becomes slouchy and hopeless or locked into unnatural unbalanced tense positions for a long time. The perspective tends to change aswell. My own value goes down as the urgency to accomplish greatness goes up. This makes it easy to forget or ignore oneself and ones needs. You "don't have time" for breaks, although deep down you know you work better if you take them. 

The common denominators that can be found in yoga and working with design are that they are both about finding focus to be able to reflect, create, develop and perfect. To reach a higher place. Exceed imagination. Yet, the result for me are worlds apart, atleast when it comes to wellness.

The universe has it's way of bringing us exactly what we need. Although I managed the assignment I still failed myself. Just barely making the deadline, stressed, hungry, worn and still not satisfied with my performance. There were three ways I could look upon it. The same as above. So I decided to row it ashore and make it better... Remember how I said I wish I could bring what I feel on the yoga mat with me as I do other things? Here's some of the best of yoga that I wish to apply on my relationship to the design process:

THE MINDSET - EVERYTHING IS TRAINING

In yoga you're not demanding immediate perfection. Partially because you know it can always get better and because you know you're just a student in training. With this attitude you can be more patient with yourself and give it more time to strive upwards. You'll feel satisfied knowing that you're just doing you're best. 

THE STRATEGY - WISE TIME USE

Yoga is practised in sessions, gradually and smoothly working to reach your goal. The practise is daily and vary from being short reminders of mindfulness to one hour or longer sessions. Limiting your focus time ensures that you're not wearing yourself out, even though you take the time to challenge yourself. 

ONE MORE THING: DO WHAT YOU DO WHEN YOU DO IT

This is kind of a mantra for me. Yoga when you yoga. Find your space, piece of mind. Quiet as possible, or with music if it helps you relax. Everything I do on the yoga mat is yoga or meditation related. Prioritize yoga. No multitasking. No procrastination. No distractions. No excuses. 

The outcome of working with design related tasks, even though I love it, is so different because I've been doing the opposite. It will take a lot of practise. I've spent many hours building these destructive tendencies. You must know it is not a part of you. If you're aware you will notice the roots of your behaviour before you trip on them. 

Better than reality - bad habit.

I used to be a big time snoozer and honestly the first thought that appears when the alarm clock goes off is still sometimes oh how sweet it would be to fall asleep again. Please just a little bit more... 

NO. 

Why? 

You will not enjoy it as much as you enjoy the thought of it AND it even tends to make you more tired. If it's hard for you to wake up then why on earth would you force yourself to do it more than once? 

The mornings are becoming more sacred. As appreciated as important. I'm always eager to get up "earlier" for morning yoga. This really helps waking up on the "right" side. Good attitude, good connection with the present, body and mind. So get up when you wake up! I clean my mouth and grab a glass of lemon water. Lit candle. Hit the mat. Timer and inspiration book at the side. The best way to feel when the timer beeps is relieved and disappointed at the same time. Because it should be demanding (in a good way.)

The body is used to it now. When I take it away I feel it the same and the next day. Something's missing hmm? Looks like it's finally become a habit, a routine. Getting more and more into the mindset, understanding more, being more present... but of what value is knowledge if it can't be put into practise?
I'm looking forward to when I can bring the mindset out in the "real world". When I can feel around people what I'm feeling in my yogic training... As always the mind is good at the associating game, usually linking things to the past or future, away from the present moment. This time it was the past.
... A few years ago I had enough. I just wanted to up and leave this society. I desperately wanted to find an ashram in India and find that peace. It's a good thought, but if the words of monk Thích Nhất Hạnh "there's no enlightment outside of daily life" are true then... OK, let's say I went to an ashram. Let's say I found that peace, but how would I bring it back with me? How could I fit it into the daily life with all it's stress, pressure and rules? With all the places, faces and things distracting me. It would be easier to find peace in an ashram becasue you would have the perfect setting, the perfect schedule, the perfect peer pressure and the perfect way of life served for you. Devoting your life to peace and making it a priority you would find it faster. Out here it's more difficult. Then again if you manage to center yourself and stabilize despite all the noise of the world around you then you would have no transition problem, no adjusting problem and you wouldn't long for the ashram whenever things weren't heading "your way". You would have the strength of making it on your own. Yes, it is harder to find here but easier to keep because it is tailored for your particular life situation. Don't get me wrong, I would still like to visit an ashram, monks and all, but not in desperate pursuit of peace. If you chase it you can't catch it, but if you sit down patiently it will come to you, no matter where you are.

By the way, it looks like there will be breakfast yoga three days of the week for the staff at work. Thank you universe!

Sometimes the thought is "better" than reality.

We tend to glorify our bad habits.

Always remember

it's a choice between

what you want NOW 

and 

 what you want the most.

Ardha Padmasana - half lotus.

Can one be bad at sitting? Uhm...yes and no.

Well, everyone knows how to sit (even bad dogs, but they just don't want to!) honestly I found it difficult with the classic meditation poses. The back started aching after a while, back rounded instead of straight and the shoulders became tense. There was no balance and hard to focus. The posture I thought I had was nowhere to be found! It was a bit awkward at a mantra meditation class when we were supposed to sit and chant during a long time. How do people relax sitting like that for hours!?! I fell over. In double sense. I kinda just avoided it then for a while. Focusing on the standing asanas instead. Since the decision to get more into meditation it's become important to get comfortable sitting down. Therefor there was need for daily practise. I've done it only for a couple of days, really trying to enjoy the hip opening poses and gradually getting the knees a little bit closer to the floor in the butterfly exercise. 

SO TODAY in the almost sunset (it's summer, the sun is allowed to stay up late!) I managed Ardha Padmasana. The half lotus. Even on the right side (my tricky side)! Much to my surprise, once I was in it, the back and posture kind of just found me and I could focus on my meditation. 

At the end of the week it will most likely be super comfortable!

If you don't hear from me for the rest of the week it's probably because I'm lost in meditation, and the enjoyment of being able to sit in Ardha Padmasana. 

That's it for today.

Yoga stress - is it even possible?

Yesterday evening I tried a yoga dvd class (also from the library) to get more inspiration and learn new asanas (see previous post if you don't know what that is). It was a ashtanga vinyasa class of 90 minutes. I've attended real vinyasa classes before at Ananda yoga studio in Växjö, but this one was faster and more advanced... I was experiencing... yoga stress? I was already exhausted from the work, and needed to chill out, not break out in sweat!  I kept going but the after effect wasn't worth it. Uncomfortable body and mind.

So young yogi, what did you learn?
Well, first of all, it's important to listen to your body. It's obvious, but sometimes we need to remind ourselves. What I really needed, if I would have listened, was to meditate, do a few slow asanas and just stretch out.

It's easy to get stuck in a YOGASUPERKICKAS MODE which can be activated and motivated by beautiful people standing on their heads or performing a perfect lord of the dancers. IT'S GREAT TO HAVE INSPIRATION but don't forget that it took them time to get there. Don't stress it. Yoga to prevent stress, not build it. It's like sitting down with your favorite cup of tea (or chocolate, or coffe)... relax and enjoy it the way you want it. Don't be afraid to try something new. I won't do ashtanga vinyasa session again after work as relaxation, but on a day off? Sure.
Try, try, try again!

Haha, this picture... Paint has it's limits, but the mind? You decide!

It's up to you to get yourself where you want to be.

Are you a victim of circumstance or are you the creator?

I don't have time is not an excuse not to yoga. 

You can yoga anywhere for as long as you want!

I don't have the energy is not an excuse not to yoga.

When done right, yoga will give you more energy than you "spend". 

It's time to invest in yourself.

My grandfather's style - Hatha yoga

There are six main branches of yoga and there's constantly fresh twigs sprouting out. If you haven't decided which style of yoga suits you the best it might be overwhelming even to decide WHERE TO BEGIN? My dad once mentioned that my grandfather did yoga. The other day I found out it was Hatha yoga... maybe you're thinking "Ha whaa?" and frankly it wasn't that clear for me either, even though the word wasn't new to me.

Like Einstein said (or it is said he said, you never know with internet quotes)
The only thing you really need to know is the location of the library... unless you have wifi, which I in most cases do not. So I went there and found Hathayoga by Ulrica Norberg. Beautiful.

ABOUT HATHA

Where's it from? It is the youngest of the six main branches of yoga and like the others it originates from the oldest form of yoga - Tantra yoga, which the Indian philosophy about energy.

What's it about? The name Hatha means powerful and comes from the sanskrit words "Ha" meaning sun and "Tha" meaning moon. Well isn't that kind of the same as jinyang? Yes, exactly! It's about balance between the power of the sun and the moon: feminine/masculine, closed/open, light/darkness and so on. 

That's so Hatha! What's typical for this yoga style is the physical focus, joined together with the emphasis on the breath (pranayama) in harmony with the movements (asanas). This sets it apart from most other of the major yoga branches since it it's more like a workout, which I think is a perfect transit for the westerners to go from regular gym sessions to yoga lessons, without being overwhelmed by all the spiritual talk, chants and visualisations. It's about being present. Welcome!

What can it do for you? The breathing technique (pranayama) is said to have a cleansing effect as well as building up your immune system while the movements (asanas) help to build strength, flexibility and balance. If you want to feel like you've really done a workout after the yoga then this is the style for you. You will also find this is a perfect way to exercise self control of the mind and body which is beneficial for you in all stages and pages of life.

Sun salutations - Surya Namaskara

I know I said this blog will be showing what I've done, and in a way, that's still true even though there is a shift in direction. From now on there will be more yoga, more wellness, more spiritual reflections and more of the journey from a shy curious yogi beginner, overcoming fears and finding balance, strength and a sustainable lifestyle.

Today I live on Öland. As far as I know there are two different yoga classes going on nearby. I am determined to try both. Until then I'm going through the exercises in Rachel Brathen's "YOGA GIRL". I devoured her book in one day. This week I'm all about perfecting my sun salutation, also known in hindi as Sūrya Namaskāra. I also feel the yoga culture is a great opportunity to freshen up my language skills get in touch with my hindu roots. On my father's side we're jat Sikhs, from the Punjab area.

Most of my life I've been lucky to live close to a shore. I always feel at home when I hear the crashing of the waves, like the breath of mother earth. I was at first a bit bitter to be back here, since most of my friends are located in what seems to be anywhere but here, but then I realised this is the perfect opportunity to indulge in the solitude. To embrace my greatest fear. Being alone... well actually not being alone, but looking like I am. Haha, the human mind is a mystery sometimes. It might sound strange to some, but I actually quite enjoy the silence.
Here's where I will be spending some of my yoga moments.

Köpingbaden, also known as Sinus.

The practice never stops. We can always expand our knowledge, stretch a bit further, reach new heights and levels of divinity. Because it is my firm belief that we are not human beings having spiritual experience but spiritual beings having human experience like the yoga teacher Shakti Parwa Kaur Khalsa said. Her book about kundalini yoga (a simple guide to the yoga of awareness) is my current reading.

For some time I thought you had to fulfill certain criterias to be called a yogi. Now I heard you only need to practice yoga to be a yogi. Since I've been praticing quite steadily for two years now I'm happy to say I am one. Although I know...this is just beginning.