My favourite spot to chill out: Gili Meno, Indonesia

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I am in love 💜with this island 🏖

In case you don’t have any clue where it is – Google Maps will tell you

Gili Meno is the smallest of the three Gilis, it is the one in the middle. Once you arrive here, you go back in time. No motorized traffic but cidomos (horse cars); they use them as taxis and carry cement, wood, water gallons, and even fridges around the island. No proper roads too, often just sand. Jalan kaki (walking), on a bike or an electric scooter, are better ways to move yourself around on the island.

Cidomo – to transport building materials

Talk of the day on this island is when a chopper 🚁is landing. Yes, a chopper! For people who don’t want to take the boat or are seasick 😉, or just because they can. It’s just 2,500,000 million (roepiah 😉), per person, one way, not that expensive actually 😉(2,5 million is around € 150). It goes straight from Sanur to Gili Meno, definitely faster than the speed boat. I may try it next time😇🤣.

To give you an estimation of the size of the island: you can walk around the island in less than 2 hours (slow walk)! And that includes taking pictures and zigzagging to avoid the dead coral. At least, that’s what I did 😉. In the morning, instead of my usual ritual (yoga on the beach), I decided to take a walk. In bikinis and barefoot, feeling the warm water and sunshine on my body🙌.

The first time I got here, July 2008, there weren’t ATMs, so you needed to carry millions 💰 💰 💰 with you. And when you had spent more uang (money) than you had estimated, you had to take a boat to Bangsal, the mainland of Lombok. Now there are 3 ATMs on the island, but I think 1 is broken haha. Still, 2 left, enough for the few tourists here to get money (so no need to fix the 3rd one😅.

However, I recommend, in case you want to go here, take enough cash with you, just in case the ATMs aren’t working. And because you can’t pay with a card in shops. Even changing a note of 100,000 is hard. I had this after my supper. I ordered gado-gado, Lombok style (enak sekali!), it costed 25,000, I only had 100,000 (around US $ 7), I had to ask 3 places to change it, then went back to the restaurant and paid.
FYI: 25,000 is around € 1,50.

This island has been a healing place for me, ever since the first time I got here. The peaceful, quiet nights (ok, until 5 am, then the show ‘Gili Meno has talent’ starts, or in other words: the prayers from the mosque 😉). The clear blue waters, white sandy beaches, the silent whispers of the sea, the waves touching the sand, the genuine kind people, kids playing around, good food and the tanned beach boys trying to sell their snorkelling trips.

Besides the beach and snorkelling, there isn’t much to do here and I like it. It is stimulating my creativity, my intuition. I slow down and enjoy life much more. I am still working though, not yet enough passive money coming in 😉 (working on that!).

And, I realize how grateful 🙏 we should be for all we have in life! Drinking water from the tap, here it is not possible, not even to make tea because it is salty water. Taking a shower? Salty water. Washing your clothes? Salty water. 1 thing that I sensed is that my soap bar doesn’t foam, probably because of the salty water🤔. Can anyone explain this to me?

Cockroaches🪳 don’t mind salty water, I got one, a GIANT one, on my toilet seat, of course in the middle of the night! The first night I got here! What a nice surprise. I screamed and that must have helped. I haven’t seen it again, thank God 🙏.

Oh, after 3 weeks in Sanur, Bali, I must say: the food here is amazing, although having a food buddy, like I had in Sanur, would make the food taste even better. Gado-gado Gili Meno style and tempe curries, my favorites, really yummy. I even found delicious brownies. The landlady makes especially for me nasi goreng pedas (spicy fried rice) as sarapan (breakfast) and she is surprised at how spicy I can eat without having a runny nose or starting to sweat. Yup, from the inside I am more Indonesian than I look from the outside 😜☺️.

Yummy, tempe curry!

Short summary for my upcoming travels: first Sanur, Bali until 12 September. Then back to Belanda, the Netherlands for a few weeks (not sure if I should be happy 😕). Then cat sitting in Portugal (Algarve) and most likely visit Porto before or after the cat sitting. But…. Changes are coming up🙌. Which ones? I keep you posted!
1 hint: 🎵🎶Welcome to my paradise🎵🎶.

You can find more pictures about Gili Meno & Bali here.

If you like to know more about Gili Meno (good places to stay or to eat), or about the other Gilis or Bali or you just wonder why I don’t gain weight but you see me eating all the time, just ask 🙌😇.

With love 💜 & light✨,
littlemissyoga

P.S.: If you want to meet me in the Netherlands, reach out quickly because I have a full agenda already and I am travelling to Portugal as well in October. I would suggest, visit me in Portugal 😊.

P.P.S.: Who wants to join me for a few days to visit Porto (and you can also meet one of my friends there, whom I met in Laos). Let me know when you are interested 😊.

P.P.P.S: This island is also known as the Honeymoon Island. Who did I bring with me? Let me see… me, myself and I 😉. Hopefully next time I am here with my Prince Charming🤴.

Life-changing decisions and slow down🐌🐌

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I am 1 week in Thailand now, in the area of Ao Nang Beach and Nopparat Thara Beach (Krabi). A lovely destination, but not what I had in mind in the first place.

I was about to live together with a handsome and very kind Portuguese man, in Torremolinos (Spain). We met on the stairs in Torremolinos and there was a special connection immediately. This was in January 2023. All went fast, maybe too fast. Maybe things were too good to be true.

The good moments passed by fast, the bad ones too. And we had quite a lot of bad moments 😔.
But, I was sure he was Mr. Right. I kept a positive mindset and kept the relationship alive.

Mid-June 2023 I went back to his place, to officially live together. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out. After two weeks I took the decision to end this relationship. That was not easy; my head, heart and gut feeling weren’t aligned at all. Confusion all over😕. Heart-broken💔, but I had to do this.

I had a short touchdown at my parents’ place (thank you Mom & Dad for being my ‘last resort’🙏). I knew it would just be for a couple of days. I initially did not want to leave Southern Europe but high season was around the corner. Places to rent for longer than a week are rare. And if you find one… it is expensive🫰💰💰.

So… where to go to? Suddenly a voice said: Thailand. Alright. Check Skyscanner. Yes, affordable tickets. But not to Bangkok. Close to the beach, please! Phuket? No, just got there. Where else? Krabi! I found a direct flight to Kraby, for a nice price and found a really nice spot (Krabi Forest Homestay). Perfect location. Shops, cafes, restaurants and 2 beaches are within walking distance. Saya senang sekali (I am very happy) 😊.

I booked the accommodation for 30 days – the maximum length of the visa (FYI: Thailand has a free visa for most European passports😊). On purpose I booked 1 place: no packing and unpacking please for 4 weeks, I did that enough in 5 months😅.

I am here now for a week; I am here to heal my heart💜, relax and chill out🧘, enjoy the rain now and then☂💃 (yup, it’s monsoon season here) and slow down. And that’s the hardest thing.

Usually, I learn new skills quickly, but the skill of slowing down… it is a punishment.

I told myself: no to-do lists, no have-to’s, except for a few like sleeping, eating, taking a shower, going to the toilet and putting on clean underwear daily😉.

Every morning, I remind myself that it is perfectly fine to do nothing. I deserve it.
My new mantra, as I call it. (FYI: the last 5,5 months were a roller coaster🎢)

The first few days, all went ok. Unpacking, taking it easy. But now, after a week… boredom, the urge to start doing things, to pick up new things, to meet new people… to speed up🏃‍♀.

It’s hard not to give in to this voice, to this well-known pattern. But, I manage. I repeat my mantra daily: I deserve to do nothing, I deserve to relax and chill out.

And then I have days like today: a lazy day! I slept in, did some gentle yoga on the beach, sunbathed in the afternoon on the beach, had a late lunch, went back home, worked a bit (that’s an ongoing thing, so happy to have flexible working hours 🙌), and took a little break. I lay down on the bed. Staring at the ceiling, while observing the sensations in my body, feeling my sunburnt skin🦞, observing all the voices in my head, and observing my breathing. No action, just observation.

I dozed off for a few minutes, woke up and thought: going out for food? No, I am too lazy for it, I’ll grab the fresh-cut pineapple I bought earlier today, and some peanuts, with hot choc (yes, I love warm drinks even though the outside temperature is about 30 degrees 😉). And then I felt; let’s write a new blog.

Writing gives me energy, insights, and new ideas. And the little voices in my head are finally shutting up.  And, I can practice the art of slowing down: typing slowly 🤣.

What I realize now, after writing this blog…I might not be such a quick learner as I thought I was, especially about the skill of slowing down. And that’s ok. Because better to learn a new skill slowly, steadily and properly, than too hasty and start again from the beginning 😉.

Maybe you realise after reading this blog that your life is also going too fast and you want to slow down. You want to live your life, not being lived by your life.
Give a shout-out, I am curious about your experiences and how you think you can take a step back.

Oh, and guess what?! While I was typing this, 2 snails were on my terrace (the ones in the picture); I think they were playing catch me if you can😜. Lovely synchronicity💫!

With love 💜 & light✨,
littlemissyoga

Keuzes… Maak jij ze zelf of worden ze voor je gemaakt?

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Heb je dat nu ook wel eens, dat je diep van binnen weet dat je iets doet wat eigenlijk niet goed voor je is? Maar dat je de definitieve beslissing steeds maar uitstelt? Je een beetje bang bent voor die keuze, want dan verlies je iets of iemand. En verlies doet pijn. Je lichaam en hoofd zijn in een verhitte discussie, en beide hebben (deels) gelijk. Je onderneemt geen actie, je sukkelt wat aan met je leven. Niets gaat meer lekker, want je energie lekt weg naar die situatie, naar die persoon.

Totdat er ineens aan die andere kant wat gebeurt, waardoor er iets in je getriggerd wordt.
Je schiet in je verdediging. Je wordt boos, woedend, verdrietig, je bent teleurgesteld.

Waarom? Jij had ergens verwachtingen, hoop. Dat er iets zou veranderen. Dat het wel goed zou komen. Bijvoorbeeld dat jouw baas die promotie aan jou geeft en niet aan je collega. Dat de ene persoon die je leuk vindt inziet dat stoppen met drinken jullie relatie kan redden.

Maar, jij hebt geen invloed op die situatie. Je kunt mogelijk (en zeer waarschijnlijk) zien, inzien en doorzien wat beter zou zijn voor je baas, en voor die leuke persoon. Maar jij kunt dat niet veranderen. Je kunt jezelf alleen veranderen.

En nu is er iets voorgevallen waardoor je gedwongen wordt om die belangrijke beslissing te nemen.

Door alle emoties weet je even niet meer wat je moet doen. En dat is niet fijn.
Doe gewoon even niets. Of ga iets totaal anders doen, iets waar je energie van krijgt of waar je je energie in kwijt kunt (maar sla alsjeblieft geen mensen in elkaar, gebruik dan een echte boksbal in de gym).

En, haal een paar keer diep adem, dat kalmeert. Adem vooral goed uit, het liefst met een diepe zucht. Tranen die opkomen of stom zenuwachtig gelach, dat is prima, laat het maar zijn.

Kom later (na een paar uur of de volgende dag) eens terug op de situatie, bekijk het nogmaals. Hoe voelt het nu? Wat voel je? En waar voel je het in je lichaam? En wat vindt je hoofd ervan; heb je nog steeds veel stemmetjes? Blijf intussen rustig ademen terwijl je terugdenkt. Met een rustige ademhaling houd je ruimte in je hoofd en lichaam en behoud je het overzicht.

Waarschijnlijk zijn de emoties (bijna) weg. En zie je mogelijk ook in dat dit had moeten gebeuren.
En dat het Universum jou heeft geholpen heeft om deze moeilijke beslissing te nemen. Dat je jouw energie weer terugpakt en gaat doen wat jij (diep van binnen) echt wilt doen.

Mogelijk lukt het je niet direct om deze beslissing te accepteren.

Goed nieuws: als het achteraf niet de juiste keuze was, dan komt er een moment in je leven dat de genomen keuze zal worden ‘teruggedraaid’. Er zal een andere beslissing genomen worden. Mogelijk krijg jij dan toch die promotie en mogelijk dat die leuke persoon wel ophoudt met drinken en voor jou kiest.

Onthoud dit: Er zijn geen foute keuzes, maar maak een keuze.

With love💜 & light ✨,
littlemissyoga

Deze blog is geschreven naar aanleiding van een persoonlijke gebeurtenis.
Daarbij wil ik je graag een eerlijke inkijk geven in mijn leven. Het lijkt allemaal zo leuk – digital nomad, reizen, yoga, strand, zon – maar de werkelijkheid is veel rauwer. Tijd om dat te laten zien. En hopelijk jou te laten zien dat je niet de enige bent in dit soort dagelijkse / normale struggles.

One of these days…

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One of these days that you feel heavy, down.
Disconnected from your body, mind and soul.

One of these days you feel lost. Walking in circles. All is unclear. All feels heavy, as a burden.

You are fully aware of this but you don’t know how to break this circle.

Well, I have one of these this day today.

I cry out loud. A lot of tears are falling on the floor.
I shout, I scream.
I stamp on the floor (sorry neighbours beneath me).
I punch the pillow to release my energy (sorry pillow).
I laugh too loud.

I am angry, sad, frustrated, happy, and grateful at the same time
I feel defeated. I feel strong and invincible too.
Confusion is taking over, I feel it in my body and mind.
It is like drinking a delicious but deadly cocktail.

And then, suddenly: THAT MOMENT.
It is just there, no knock on the door.  Unexpected, standing right in front of you.

I take a deep breath in, and I breathe out with a deep sigh.
I surrender and everything flows away.
Relief, release, clarity, relaxation.
Fully connected again: body, mind and soul perfectly aligned.

The power of breath.  
The power of acceptance and letting go.
The power of trust and surrender.

I have accepted that one of these days is part of me. And I am no longer ashamed of telling it. I am no longer fighting against these days. I embrace them, and from the moment I accept them, they don’t seem that worse anymore.

The more I accept my shadows and my dark side, the more I feel complete, whole.
Healed.
Every single day 🌟.

I guess some of you have experienced these days too.
And that’s why I share my story with you.
Just to let you know that you are not alone 💜✨.

With love💜and light✨,
littlemissyoga

P.S: About the picture: all credits go to Caroline who made this painting

Taking the lead or being led? The choice is yours!

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Reading time: 4 minutes

As a kid, I wanted to become a princess, a teacher and a (ballet) dancer (secretly, I don’t remember that I told anyone). When I grew a bit older I heard questions like: ‘How do you think to earn money with dancing and music?’ And: ‘To become a princess you need to marry a prince. And since you are a farmer’s daughter, forget it.’

2 dreams smothered, 1 dream left. A dream that seemed within reach and would give me a proper future: becoming a (school) teacher. *

I always believed that my parents, grandma, my closest friends and some teachers knew best for me. I followed their advice without taking any consideration. Now I know: they didn’t know best for me.

Studying and getting your diploma, finding a good job, that was what I was told to do, or better I say: I thought that people expected that from me. So I did it all.

But when I look back at high school and college, I was a rebellious student, always going against the grain, just because I could not accept the strict rules and the rigid system. I reacted in the same way when I was working at the office. Always asking questions like: Why work from 9 to 5, why not when I wake up?, Why can’t I work on the weekends and have Mondays off?, Why can’t I work from home?
I could have invented ‘working from home’ long before Covid forced companies into it 😉.

I finally dare to speak out loud: I don’t fit in this existing system. Blessed with a good working brain and a good coping mechanism I managed to survive.**  But, I could not ignore that little voice inside of me. So, at one moment I decided: I am going to design my own life, living my best life.

My best life is not perfect yet. But hey, what is perfect? I don’t know and basically, I don’t care. I like it the way it is at this moment, and, perfect would be boring at the end 😉. Being imperfect makes me unique and it leaves room for improvement🌟.

There is always something to complain about, you basically have 2 options: you either accept it or change it. Plain and simple. Maybe you think (and I bet you do): I can’t change my life. I dare to say: YES, YOU CAN. Even a small simple change can improve the quality of your current life right away and it might be the first step to YOUR BEST life.

In case you feel that life is leading you instead of you leading life, I have some questions for you.

What are you waiting for? That your best life is knocking on your door one day saying ‘ Hello, here is your best life’? It is already here, you just don’t see it or not ready to see it.

Are you waiting for the right moment? Well… surprise: The right moment is always NOW.

Is fear holding you back? Most likely.

But… what if you take that leap of faith and fully trust that life has your back?

The only outcome is… your best life!

So…again: what are you waiting for?
Start today with living your best life, just (fucking) do it. Because you, yes YOU, beautiful soul, deserve it 💜💫🤍! Go for it!

With love 💜 & light✨,
littlemissyoga

* I made it as a teacher, (luckily) not a school teacher though. I am a yoga teacher but I prefer to use the word instructor or guide, and I am also a RPM/indoor cycling instructor and maybe I can become a role model of how to design and live your best life😉.

** I am actually surprised at what is still left of my brain, after drinking a lot of bottles of wine per week, for almost 2 years in a row! I could have become the new Einstein if I hadn’t killed all these brain cells 😉.

My best life & social media: Is it always the bright side of life?

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Today I realized I needed to share something with you that I rarely do: sharing about the less beautiful moments of my life. This topic came across my mind on this rainy day when I was sitting in front of my cabana at Selina Resort Rawai in Phuket, Thailand.

I realized that I actually only share my good moments on social media; me with a big smile on my face, and beautiful surroundings. But, believe me, it is definitely not always glitter and glamour. I have bad moments, blue days, moments that I just want to cry and wish for better moments.

The reason why I write this post is because of some comments I received, after posting something on my Social Media. The most heard comments were:

✨ Your life looks so great, I am jealous (😲).
✨ Your lifestyle is amazing, I envy you (😳)!
✨ I wish I could live like you but…
❌ I have kids
❌ I have a house and a mortgage/rent to pay
❌ I have an office job/non-remote job
❌ I have no money
❌ I have… (fill out your own reason)

I truly considered quitting sharing posts on my social media. But …a better idea came across: from now on I will share the good✨, the bad 👎and the ugly 👺 moments. This is out of my comfort zone but here I go 🚀!

There are moments…
👉 That I feel lonely
👉 That I feel sad
👉 That I cry out loud
👉 That I feel misunderstood
👉 That there is no one around me to share my thoughts and emotions with
👉 That I feel restless and don’t know what to do with myself
👉 That I miss my family and friends really badly
👉 That I don’t want to be single
👉 That I am sick and tired of doing all things by myself
👉 That I am worried about my next destination, especially when my visa is running out
👉 That I am worried about what others will think of me
👉 That I feel that my life sucks and is completely worthless

I guess – actually, I am pretty sure – that many of you are experiencing one or more of these things in your life as well.

So I hope – for the next time when I post pictures of clear blue waters, and white sandy beaches surrounded by palm trees (most likely my next destination 😉) – that you take a moment (or two) before you post something about being jealous or ‘ I wish I could but’. It may look like the grass is greener on the other side but trust me, it isn’t (unless it is fake grass😝).

With love 💜 and light✨,
littlemissyoga

P.S. You can also follow me on Instagram and Facebook

Almost back on track – hold on a bit longer & updates🧘‍♀️☀️💫!

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Hi my dear yoginis and yogis, friends and family,

I am returning to Manta Rota (a beautiful spot in the Algarve, Portugal) soon; and I am proud to announce my first class: Tuesday 21 June 2022! This day is a special day as it is International Yoga Day.

I have a special set-up for this yoga class: all donations go directly and 100% to Kolewa Foundation. If you join this class, you are giving yourself a good treatment for your body, mind and soul and with your donation, you are supporting children in Bali and other places of Indonesia to get surgery for their cleft lips and/or open palates. Kolewa is supporting the poor and needy people of Indonesia in many more ways, if you want to know more, you can check out their website and their Facebook page.

During my time in the Netherlands, I took a Reiki 2 training. Therefore, I can call myself now officially a Reiki Healer. Reiki is a very effective and soft way of healing the body, mind and soul. The energy, the Ki, will find its way and will heal and restore what you need. The most amazing, or should I say bizarre thing is: you do not have to know what needs to be healed. Reiki will find its way, and it is always right, even though you may not think so. Firstly, I disagreed with this but I know now: don’t debate with the Universal Energy. It IS always right😇.

If you are curious if Reiki would work for you, just drop me a message to book a session (60 – 75 minutes) – on donation.

What is left to say: I would be honoured to have you in my class on 21 June🧘‍♀️🙏! I will soon announce the complete schedule for my other classes.

With love💜 & light✨,
littlemissyoga

Spring is here so… Let’s detox with Kombucha & Yin Yoga!

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Sorry my fellow English speaking folks, this blog will be in Dutch because the workshop is in Dutch. But if you are interested to join us at this amazing workshop but you do not speak Dutch, do not hesitate to reach out. You are more than welcome! We will translate all into English for you.

Leticia Vizcarra (Natuurgeneeskundig therapeut) en ik hebben een supergave workshop opgezet, deze wil je echt niet missen. het gaat over ontgiften, ofwel detoxen.

De lente is hiervoor het beste moment van het jaar om lichaam en geest te ontgiften. En wij kunnen je daarbij helpen! We hebben een workshop opgezet waarbij we Kombucha en Yin yoga combineren, dit is een krachtige en effectieve manier om te detoxen. 

Tijdens deze mooie workshop leer je wat Kombucha is, mag je verschillende smaken proeven en leer je ook hoe je het zelf maakt. We sluiten af met een Yin-yogales, die ontspannend en detoxend werkt op je lichaam én geest. Het wordt een interactieve workshop waar de reiniging van lichaam en geest centraal staan. Je keert terug naar huis met veel kennis van Kombucha, met extra sterke darmen, een soepel lichaam en rust in je hoofd. 

Wat kun je van ons verwachten?

* Uitleg over Kombucha (zoals het 1ste en 2de fermentatieproces) & het proeven van verschillende smaken
* Zelf jouw favoriete smaak maken om thuis op te drinken
* Je krijgt een SCOBY (een zwam, de basis voor het fermentatieproces) & starter mee naar huis, zodat je thuis zelf nog meer Kombucha kunt laten brouwen.

* Een 45-minuten Yin-yogales met meditatie gericht op ontgiften. Ervaring met yoga is niet nodig. Bij Yin yoga nemen we passieve houdingen aan die we 2 tot 5 minuten vasthouden. De focus ligt op houdingen waardoor gifstoffen uit het lichaam worden afgevoerd en waarbij de meridianen worden geopend. Als je frequent Yin Yoga beoefent, zul je merken dat je lichaam soepeler wordt, je gewrichten sterker worden, je minder spanning in je lichaam voelt en je meer energie krijgt doordat je meridianen (energiebanen) weer geopend zijn. Je creëert meer geduld en compassie voor jezelf en ook voor jouw omgeving. 

Heb je lichamelijke klachten? Geef het alvast door bij de aanmelding. 

Wat verwachten wij van jou?

* Neem een grote glazen pot (weckfles) met deksel mee voor je SCOBY
* Draag sportieve, makkelijke kleding en neem (warme) sokken mee
* En zeker belangrijk: neem jouw positiviteit en enthousiasme mee 

En nu het belangrijkste: de praktische gegevens

Datum:    Zaterdag 14 mei 2022
            – Ochtend: 10.00 tot 12.30 uur (inloop vanaf 9.30 uur)
            – Middag: 14.00 tot 16.30 uur (met uitloop tot 17.00 uur)

Kosten:  € 82,00 per persoon – maximaal 15 deelnemers per workshop (reserveer snel je plekje voordat het vol is 😊)

Locatie:  Zero Point Breda (Ceresstraat 29, 4811 CA).

Parkeren op de Teteringsedijk is gratis, dit is 10 tot 15 minuten lopen.

Aanmelden kan via deze link. Graag bij je aanmelding aangeven in welke groep wil je zitten, ochtend of middag. We zien je graag zaterdag 14 mei 2022! 

💜✨With love & light✨💜 
littlemissyoga

           

Bom día! – an update from Portugal 🍀🧘‍♀‍💃⛱️☀️😎🌻

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(average reading time: 3 minutes)

Bom día! Tudo bem? Tudo bem! And that’s basically all my knowledge of the Portuguese language. Ok…I also know: Uma mulher tem uma maça, meaning: A woman has an apple. Very important knowledge, isn’t it 😜😅😂? Especially for me, I love apples (not to confuse with Apple, Annet and Apple don’t go along 🥊👎😉).

Ok, enough blahblah, to the point! I had the idea that I would escape the winter in the Netherlands, Algarve should be warmer. Well… I know now that Portugal can have cold winters too! It started mid-December 2020 up to mid-January 2021. Happy that my winter clothes are quite oversized, and that I had brought so many clothes! I was wearing many layers to keep myself warm. The apartment I was in, had no insulation, an aircon to heat up the place, but it was quite noisy so after 10 minutes I had to turn it off. The fire 🔥 place was out of order, because I had put all my yoga stuff there (and I must admit: I don’t know how to make a proper fire and it’s an open fire place, so the apartment would either burn down, including the whole building 🚒 or everything inside would smell like burnt wood). Average temperature in the apartment: 11 degrees Celsius. It was often warmer outside….

I got my lovely winter toes back, I forgot how painful that is. The bathroom was so cold that I was already an ice queen before I could turn on the shower. I wrapped myself completely in the bed covers, preventing my nose from freezing off my face when I was asleep😉. Eventually, it turned out to be the coldest winter since 15+ years. In Laos (October – December 2019) we had 1 week of really cold weather. Why is winter following me… is there a hidden message 🤔? One thing I promised myself (Covid or not): I am on a tropical island from October 2021 until March 2022. No more winter toes 👣, no more winter clothes and a-sexy thermo-underwear 🩲🩳! Just summer clothes, SPF50, bikinis 👙, sunglasses 😎 and flip flops 🩴.

Luckily, the temperature is back to normal (around 12 at night, around 18 at daytime). And I exchanged the apartment for a mobile home at a holiday park😊. I am here for almost one month, and up to now, it is the best move (this is the 3rd place I live in within 3,5 months😅). Currently, we have a curfew 🔒 (8pm – 5am on the weekdays and 1pm – 5am in the weekends, beaches are closed too, unfortunately); luckily, the park is located in the countryside. We can go for a stroll in nature without seeing other people (and also no GNR/police 🚓), and if you want to socialize with people, there is always someone sitting outside on the veranda (except when it’s raining 😉).

All in all, I am living my dream: a lovely tiny home, lovely neighbors, beautiful nature, working now and then 😉 (I started a new job at Meditation Moments – https://meditationmoments.nl/). I can say I am definitely enjoying life 🧘‍♀️🧚🏼‍♀️💃 💫✨🍀💜🙏🥳🍹. Do you want to design your own life too? Stay tuned, I will share shortly what I did to make it happen🙏 😇. Ok, one piece of advice in advance: listen to your heart ❤️, it has all the answers to your questions💜🙏.

💜💚 With love 💜💚
         littlemissyoga                          

P.s.: I started to teach some online yoga classes – see https://littlemissyoga.com/about-littlemissyoga/new-online-yoga-classes/, also check my Facebook-page to subscribe to my classes: https://www.facebook.com/annet.gosens/

P.p.s.: I have put some pictures of my life in Portugal – check https://littlemissyoga.com/gallery/pictures-portugal/.

P.p.p.s: Meanwhile posting this blog, it is raining cats🐱 & dogs 🐶… it looks like autumn in the Netherlands😉.

Why should I practice yoga 🤔?

littlemissyoga on

Dear all,

A short blog this time, as I promised. I hope this article motivates and inspires you to start with yoga today, actually there is no reason NOT to practice yoga😉. This article is just about the poses, later on I will explain more about the 8 limbs of yoga.

How it all started for me: I still remember my first yoga class, October 2015, Ubud, Bali, Radiantly Alive, Ashtanga-Vinyasa (one of the hardest variations of yoga), Acacia from Canada was teaching. She wished me good luck for this class and some people were giggling 🤔😳. No, I couldn’t do all the Ashtanga-moves (and up to now I still can’t do all of them), I almost strained my neck because I had to watch my neighbors at the left and right to see what the Vinyasa (flow) was; I must have looked very clumsy I think😅. But besides of that, the energy I gained during and after the class and her way of teaching had inspired me to start doing yoga. When I started, I was a die-hard smoker and drank (too) much alcohol. By starting doing yoga and later on by taking yoga teacher trainings, yoga helped me to let go of the bad habits (except for eating (too much of) 85% or 90% pure chocolate 🍫😋). Sometimes I drink a glass of red wine, but I quit smoking completely. I turned from a vegetarian into a 95% vegan person. By doing this, I feel better, way better. And that’s it all about: do what fits you, do what makes you feel good. Yoga can be that (perfect) tool to guide you to become the best version of YOURSELF. And isn’t that what you truly want 😇💚🙏👍? Then definitely read the article below 😊 👇🙏🧘🧘‍♂️.

**What Doing Yoga For The First Time Does To Your Body**
Many thoughts will come to mind when you start doing yoga for the first time. As you stand in the back of a class, or unfurl a yoga mat at home, it can all seem like a lot of wobbling on one foot as you struggle to figure out a pose. But even if you’re exhausted, overwhelmed, or confused at first, there are still all sorts of positive benefits to be had.

Right away, you’ll likely feel more space and a lightness in your body after your class. Yoga focuses on creating space in the mind and body so not only should you walk away feeling less stressed and more relaxed but you should feel less tension in your muscles. This is due to deep breathing. Your entire body will be oxygenated from the result of deeper breathing and increased circulation, and this will help you feel present and awake, as well. This loose, light feeling can stick around the rest of the day — which is one reason why folks turn to yoga as a way to de-stress — and it can even impact how you sleep. After you do yoga for the first time, you may sleep really well and find you wake up refreshed and rejuvenated.

That said, if you aren’t used to moving or exercising in such a way, you might notice that you feel a bit sore after doing yoga, too (for some this feels great: no pain, no gain). Holding a yoga pose not only requires core strength, it also requires endurance. The day after yoga you are very likely to be sore throughout your whole body. You can alleviate this by performing a warm-up before yoga, which will get the blood flowing to your muscles before going through the workout, and then following up with traditional cool down stretches. Physical symptoms aside, yoga can also tap into emotions more than you might realize, so don’t be surprised if some unexpected feelings bubble up during your class. We tend to hold our stress, worries, and tension not only in our brains, but throughout our body physically, mainly in our hips and jaw. When people try yoga, it might be their first time practicing breathing exercises (Yogi breath), and it may be the first time they allow themselves to release that stress through intentional breathing and practicing the poses.

If you’re new to yoga, it can be a big release, especially if you haven’t given yourself permission to let go of that tension before. But it can be yet another sign yoga is worth a try — and that you’re doing something good for yourself 😃.  **

I hope that you are convinced to roll out your mat (or blanket or towel) and start your practice today! If you need support with that, let me know, I can definitely help you😊🙏.

💜💚 With love 💜💚   
littlemissyoga                                           

        

Inspiried by: https://www.bustle.com/p/what-doing-yoga-for-the-first-time-does-to-your-body-19296977