Tag Archives: yoga

Yoga Inspired Tips for Keeping Cool

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This week we are featuring a guest blog post from another mama in my local area, Meredith Gunderson.  Not only is she another expat living in London, like me, but she’s also an essential oil lover and is a full-time yoga teacher at Meredith Yoga & Mindful Living.

 

OLOL Yoga August 2016

 

We become more free-range, finding ourselves at the seashore, in a field, by a fire, among friends & family. Yet, we also still have laundry to do, phone calls to be made, people to get along with and so forth.  Also, going free-range often involves long journeys on planes, trains and automobiles and time spent away from our home, bed & predictable conveniences.

So as we quite rightly are drawn out to make the most of the seasonal light, warmth, landscape and bonhomie spirit…it’s useful to be aware – summer life can get a little overheated. Sunburn, hot sweaty agitated faces…we know them well.

With overheating comes a drain of joy, stubbornness and irritable fatigue. The key is to keep your cool, don’t go 110%…seek a cool-girl 80% effort vibe. Show up, chill out and keep your cool with these 9 ayurvedic and yogic inspired tips…

How NOT to overheat your summer:

1. Don’t over commit. Give yourself the compassionate gift of ample time for tasks and transit – rushing sucks.  asic, I know, but mantra worthy too. Get real about how long things take and what is and isn’t important and you will have plenty of time to enjoy your summer.

2. Listen more, talk less. Talking is heating and listening is a free gift you can give that is always appreciated and often healing.

3. Exercise your eyes in wide open spaces, look deep into the distance – into sea, sky and stars – this creates a magical mix of humility and wonder.

4. Stay out of direct afternoon sun, take your sunbaths in the morning.

5. Keep cool with essential oils – a few drops or lavender & peppermint with water in a little spray bottle feels unbelievably delicious and cooling plus the bugs don’t like lavender.

6. Chill out with some meditation…even if it’s just for a few minutes or a few breaths – place your awareness on your breath. Don’t worry if your mind wanders, that what minds do…just gently, with as much kindness as you can muster up, escort your attention back to your breath. Don’t worry whether you are doing it “right”.  Suspend judgement and just do it and it will work its magic.

7. Practice self care. Make time for quiet me-time so you can be grounded & fully present with others.

8. Take it easy on the yoga mat. Your presence there is much more important than an instagram-able yoga pose. For a quick happy body yoga sequence, try out my free 12 minute guided yoga practice recording HERE.

9. If you don’t automatically link your movements to your breath in your yoga practice, NOW is the time to start. Inhale to create space, exhale to use the space and cozy into the space. This will create an internal flow of energy and also totally refresh the mind.

 

Green & Sustainable Style Edit – August 2016

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So I had every intention of making this month’s look channel a festival friendly vibe. But in the end I veered towards something a little bit more urban. (Think sipping something cold sitting on the steps at Camden Lock on a hot London evening without a care in the world.)  Regardless of where you wear this outfit (and yesterday I wore it for a casual evening out on my holiday here on the sunny East Coast of Canada) you will look and feel great.  I dabbed a little diluted Idaho Blue Spruce oil behind my ear and for me – that comforting smell really finished off the feeling of completing the outfit for me.

OLOL Style Edit August 2016

The key pieces in the look this month are this Absolutely Bear organic cotton Maple t-shirt which I love and which gets gazillions of compliments.  This t-shirt is designed by a husband and wife team back home in London and they’ve put a lot of thought and energy into the design, quality and material sourcing for this top.  Its really lightweight so it helps keep you cool and it looks great either worn on its own or layered with a pale strappy top underneath.  I chose to wear it on its own paired with this organic Monki denim skirt and a vintage ikat jacket to keep out the evening chill.  To accessorise I recommend checking out the shoes and bags at Fashion Conscience – either online or in their lovely boutique in East Dulwich (near the station).  I’ve opted for this large vegan tote (cheap at £39) and these (non-vegan, but fair trade) flat Chloe sandals.  I think they’re a really special little independent boutique and I always pop in on my way past.

You know, as much as I love minimalism and capsule wardrobes, I really love  jewellery.  This month I’ve dug through my own jewellery box and have paired two strands of Guatemalan turquoise beads I bought on honeymoon a few years ago at the market in Chichicastenango with an antique Chinese talisman which we had turned into a pendant.  I would really encourage you to look at the jewellery you have and get creative with it.  Find the stones you love and that really resonate with you, and which are either second hand or which have been ethically sourced.  I always wear my sterling bangle which was a present from my husband years ago, but if you don’t have a bangle and like the look, I’ve found this similar one available from eco fashion  retailer, Komodo.

Finally – because its the height of summer and I have a fair complexion – I’ve opted to finish of the daytime version of this outfit with a fabulous large brimmed hat.  These hats are from London based online retailer Plum and Ivory and are ethically sourced, fair trade and made in Madagascar.  They also conveniently fold up so you can pack them in your suitcase and travel with them easily.  And at less than £23 I thought they were pretty inexpensive!  (I just wish I had their lovely model, Sarah’s cheekbones!)

And now I’m going to return to my own summer holiday!  I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer and next week I’ve got a treat for you in the form of Dulwich yoga expert, Meredith Gunderson, sharing her yoga-inspired tips for keeping cool in summer.

Tribal Hearts Festival – 12-14 August 2016

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Sometimes a mama’s just got to help out a fellow mama.  So when fellow blogger Vanessa unnamedtold me she was organising a natural parenting festival here in the UK, I knew I had to share the love, support this wonderful event and tell you all about it.

The Tribal Hearts festival is about natural living and family life, brought together with workshops, activities for children, stalls, live music and entertainment.  It will take place from 12-14 August 2016 at Green Park in Aston Clinton, Buckinghamshire.

“I wanted to help parents give children the gift of happiness, self-confidence, emotional wellbeing, compassion and responsibility.”

Workshops will include Mindful Parenting, Nutrition, Empowered Birth, Yoga and there will be make & take natural skincare classes.  Also on site will be a sensory baby tent, a breastfeeding area,  a marketplace selling handmade and natural products, a sling library and a wellbeing area offering holistic therapies.

“By choosing these workshops I hope to inspire and support visitors to my festival in creating a peaceful home where children are respected.”

Headlining the event will be parenting expert Sarah Ockwell-Smith, the author of The Gentle Parenting Book, co-founder of The Gentle Parenting website and a mother of four.  She will provide an introduction to gentle parenting for newbies and will provide deep insight for those already committed to this parenting approach.

Activities for babies and children will include Bushcraft & Wilderness Skills, Tribal Crafts, Woodland Playgroup, Baby Signing, Storytelling and Imaginary Play.  Your children will also be free to run around the beautiful fields and woodlands and reconnect with nature…as well as discover all the surprises awaiting them there, such as an enchanted tree and a natural playground.

“Child-led play, nature and shared enjoyment of the festival will be a chance to reconnect with one another whilst giving children valuable learning opportunities.”

Delicious food will also be available (uh, yes, including ice cream), catering for various dietary requirements (including vegan and gluten free).

Finally at the end of each wonderful day, families will be able to gather around the campfire for a pyjama party.

Tickets are on sale now, go to www.tribalheartsfestival.co.uk but you also have a chance at winning a pair of tickets in a contest being run by fellow blogger, Attachment Mummy.  Check out her website to enter and win! [COMPETITION NOW CLOSED]

I’m only just gutted that I’ll be out of the country when it takes place and won’t be able to go…so please make this year’s event a success so I can go to next year’s!

Where HAVE I Been?

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I’m pretty sure its a cardinal sin to leave your blog for 2 1/2 months with not so much as a measly posting like:  ‘Here, I went to Pizza Express and took a photo of some gelato and dough balls.’  Actually, I think I may have described the actual first cardinal sin of food blogging there.  Ok, so the SECOND worst sin is to leave your blog for 2 1/2 months.  Like I have just done.  But I do have some pretty good reasons why I’ve been negligent, and here they are:

Reason 1.  I moved house.

L and I bought a new house – so we packed up all our wordly goods, crammed them into £200 worth of cardboard boxes (yes, they do cost that much) and then had Aussie Man and Van (who are actually Polish, not Aussie at all) come and pick up all our crap and move it into the new house.  Moving house is a stressful time for everyone – and I was worried about the effect it would have on our relationship when added to the pressure of planning our wedding (due to take place a mere 4 months later).  But it was great!  We discovered the ultimate equitable division of labour.  I packed all the stuff up, then went to work on the morning of our moving day.  L then supervised the move, and I didn’t have to put up with lugging boxes or getting frustrated about the moving men arriving late.  That evening after work, I went to Charlie-from-PR’s leaving do, and then caught the train home – the train!  I commute now! – and returned to our new house in Dulwich.

And THAT is how you do it.

Reason 2.  Sky.

Yes, Sky and their bad bad BAD service.  L and I had both used Sky for years.  We were good customers – they made lots of money from us – mostly from those Box Office films at £2.99 a pop and all the extra channels and international phone calls.  So why did it take them TWO MONTHS to install our home phone and broadband in our new house?  Our house in ZONE 2 OF CENTRAL LONDON?  Here’s a link to Sky.  Complain.  Tell them that they’re lazy and you’re thinking of suing them for damages from missing out on 2 1/2 months of one of the best blogs ever.  Or something like that.

Reason 3. Food.

Eating London is a foodie blog – go figure – and the thing about food blogs are that they involve food.  Writing about it.  Taking photos of it with clever depths of field and at nifty angles.  And usually, at some point, eating it.  When you’re on a crash diet (Don’t lecture me about starvation mode, blah blah blah – just don’t.  Not at this stage.) food doesn’t really come into the equation that much.  I mean, I could write about things like the crappy little tubs of Weight Watcher fromage frais and Kallo rice cakes I eat these days or I could have L take pictures of me cutting Nori into small squares, spraying them with low cal olive oil spray and holding them with tongs over a low heat flame to make 7 calorie seaweed crisps…but I don’t want to write about it.  And you don’t want to read about it.  (But if you’re going to try the seaweed thing, make sure you sprinkle a pinch of sea salt on the Nori after you spray it but before you toast it.)  And that’s not really what I’m about as a cook.  Or at least it IS what I’m about for the next couple of months.

That’s it.  Those are my reasons.  So unfortunately I can’t end this blog with the pregnancy bombshell that my favourite blogger ever did a couple of weeks ago when she wrote a similar post explaining a recent absence – (Keeping it real) Housewife.  (Did I mention she’s my maid of honour?  And we live on opposite sides of the Atlantic?  How’s that gonna work?)  But the good news is that I’ve got a new house.  I’ve got a phone and broadband.  And I’ll probably fit into my wedding dress.  (Look, I told you this wasn’t building up to much.)

So for the next couple of months, bear with me and pretend that you’re interested in my stories about the mysteriously high calorie content of blueberries, or of how yoga is my lifesaver in a world of urban stressors and about how much I love interval training (I hate it. I hate it so much, I can’t tell you).  But someday again, I promise, there will be butter…