When Something Sneaks in and Makes Itself at Home

A couple of things have made their way into my life recently, and it's surprised me how quickly they've become things I can't live without.

The first is matcha green tea. I've been a daily green tea drinker for years, and tend to favour a lemon, or mint one over just green tea on it's own, but enjoy it most ways. I bought a tin of matcha a couple of years ago, and would have it occasionally, but found it so much more faff than a bag so I didn't become hooked. However, since I did the Tea Pigs Matcha Challenge for two weeks and made matcha a proper habit, it's lodged itself firmly in the 'You Can't Live Without Me' corner of my brain! My absolute favourite way to drink it is as a sort of 'latte', with steamed almond milk, cinnamon and a little honey, although some mornings if I'm in a rush I'll just mix it with some hot water and give it a good whisk to try and dispel the inevitable lumps.

Since I've been drinking it daily I definitely have more energy, my skin (particularly around my eyes) is clearer, smoother, and brighter somehow, as though it has more of a glow to it. Matcha is supposed to have weight loss benefits too, but as I'm not trying to lose weight and don't weight myself regularly I can't vouch for that, all I know it that I love it, it's here to stay and I'm off to buy some more!

The second thing that's become an almost daily necessity for me is my yoga practice (it feels so, so good to finally say I have a yoga practice after years of thinking 'I really should do that one day') As I wrote a few weeks ago, I found a class locally that I've been really enjoying, and for the first few weeks I just enjoyed the class and the calmness it brought for a day or so after. However, the longer I've been going, the more I've found myself wanting to do, and thanks to the hour I've been spending there every week I now feel confident enough in what I'm doing to roll my mat out at home and practice without an app running or a youtube video on to follow, just moving in time with my breath and doing what feels right.

Funny how things so easily become habits. Unfortunately things are pretty hectic around here at the moment, so lots of things I would like to become more habitual (you know, the nice things, reading, remembering to paint my nails) are falling by the wayside a little. Normal service will be resumed shortly I'm sure!

What things have snuck into you life and made themselves at home? I'd love to know!

(Image from Milk and Honey Luxuries - 'I Love You So Matcha' spoon, as well as lots of other really lovely hand stamped or personalised gifts and homewares are available from their shop!)

My First Month as a Yogi

Since the beginning of the year, I've been spending every Thursday evening (except for the first one when I got completely lost) at The Yoga Tree, an absolutely beautiful new yoga studio which has recently opened in Norwich.

The classes I've been going to are taught by Jessica McKenna, who teaches ISHTA yoga. ISHTA is an acronym for the Integrated Science of Hatha, Tantra and Ayurveda, and is also Sanskrit for Individual. Individual is exactly how the classes feel! There have been varying numbers of participants each week so far, but after only a couple of minutes of moving onto the mat, it's easy to forget you're in a room full of people. I've found I spend most of the class with my eyes closed, only opening them to check my alignment (or have a quick peek at what I'm supposed to be doing!) and because Jess explains that each pose has varying levels of intensity, and encourages participants to move to the rhythm of their own breath, theres no chance of feeling silly if you do it wrong, because everyone is more than likely doing something slightly different anyway!

Each class has a different focus, which really seems to help me to get more out of my practice. The weeks Jess explained she would be 'pushing our buttons' I found myself really wanting to push myself a little further and really challenge my body. This weeks class was mostly made up of poses performed while lying down, with lots of hip stretches and spinal twists, which was great for me and my ol' piriformis syndrome!  One pose in particular seemed a little more difficult than anything up until that point, and it wasn't until Jess pointed out that this pose would work on the piriformis muscle that I realised why!

I'm also finding it really helpful to spend this time really focusing on what my body is doing. When you're concentrating on breathing (and I mean really breathing!) flexing your feet, the angles your body is making and the weight of your body pressing into the floor, there's no room left for anything else. I realise now how often I bumble along throughout the day without really noticing how my body feels, so it's really good to properly connect with it, 'sending' breath to any areas which feel tight or sore (quite often lots of areas!) and also noticing which areas feel free and open.

I thought I would find beginning and ending the sessions with chanting a bit odd, but it's not strange at all. It really marks the beginning of the class, and is almost like flicking a big switch in your brain with the word YOGA on it to the on position, and I find the 'white noise' effect of chanting sort of cancels out whatever is going through your mind and clears it ready to begin.

I've learned so many little things already: that sitting on a block makes meditating so much easier, that I was doing bridge pose slightly wrong and the crack from my shoulders when it was corrected was the best feeling ever, that breathing is absolutely pivotal, that I've been holding my pelvis all wrong, and that putting on socks and a jumper and being tucked up under a blanket for savasana should feature at the end of every day!

I've also learned that you get some pretty funny looks from people when you emerge from the building after being completely relaxed. My face probably looks like I've just woken up, and my hair definitely looks like I've been attacked my a wild animal. As I've been going straight from work and changing when I arrive, I've been stumbling back to the car wearing half work clothes and half yoga clothes (which are basically just pyjamas!) and when I stopped to go to the toilet in the shopping centre I'd parked in last week, I actually laughed when I looked in the mirror: spotty plimsoles, fluffy socks with cats on, leggings, long wooly jumper, work coat and the non-stylish kind of messy bun, the kind that hangs limply from one side of your head with hair grips dangling from it! By that point I feel so good about myself I care even less than I normally would!

I feel like this is only the beginning of my yoga journey. When I filled in my Unravelling the Year Ahead Workbook, one of my (very) long term goals was to become a yoga teacher. I'm only four classes in - but it's four classes closer than I was!

Namaste!

(Print from Olive et Oriel, Frame from For the Love of Timber, Circle Garland was made by me, and is recycled wedding decor!)

Happy Hour {At The Barre}

(image from Refinery 29)

A few months ago, I was browsing youtube (more than likely getting sucked into watching hours of eyebrow defining videos) and stumbled across an advert for shampoo that really stuck with me. I know that sound a bit mad, but it's not until the very end of the advert that it has anything to do with shampoo, so bear with me. 

It's the story of a little girl becoming a rhythmic gymnast, and since I saw it I've been trying to find a ballet or gymnastics class for grown ups. I used to compete in gymnastics competitions when I was much younger, and have always wished I'd carried it on longer than I did. However, it seems that unless you're five, they don't really exist! I still wanted to become fitter (I'm slim but not overly fit anymore really) more agile, flexible and in tune with my body and breathing, so I started practicing yoga more regularly at home, but I was never really sure I was doing the poses in the most beneficial way. I completed the 30 Days to Splits challenge, and while I was a little more bendy by the end, I finished it thinking that I really need someone to point out where I'm going wrong and make sure I'm pushing myself as hard as I can (Also...I was nowhere near getting into splits!)

So last weekend, spurred on by my word for the year, I decided that I am going to become stronger, more flexible, more conscious of what my body is capable of doing. I can't do anything high impact anymore because it aggravates my back, so I booked myself into a yoga class (in a brand new studio) and a bootybarre class. 

Thursday night, I set off for yoga. We'd had a particularly challenging day at work and so I'd been looking forward to it all day. As I said, the studio is new,  but I was pretty sure I knew where I was going. When I got to where I thought I was supposed to be though, it wasn't the right place at all! After literally running around the streets of Norwich (all the while thinking this wasn't exactly conducive to a relaxing evening) I managed to find where I was supposed to be - but I was 15 minutes late! After deciding that I was really too late to interrupt the class, I made my very disgruntled way back to the car (which I'd paid £2 to park!!) and drove home in a strop with myself! 

Fast forward to Saturday morning and I managed to make it to bootybarre on time, in the correct venue, and was even organised enough to be wearing the correct clothes and footwear! 

In short - I loved it! I love how controlled the movements are, how focused you need to be on what each part of your body is doing, and how much it bloody hurts! It's a mixture of pilates, ballet and yoga, and the class I went to is quite upbeat and sassy (did I really just type the word sassy?!) and done to music, which I think will be a nice contrast to the more spiritual, mindful nature of the class I plan to do on Thursdays (assuming I make it next week!) 

Also, it feels great to have done something just for me and as much as my legs and bum are aching now (I very nearly fell over trying to sit down on the toilet earlier!) it feels good to invest in myself a bit! 

You never know...I may make it into a shampoo advert one of these days after all!