Tag: yoga

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

2 months of teaching yoga at Polwaththa have almost finished 🌴🌳🧘🏻‍♀🐒🧘🏻‍♂🙏🏻, a new adventure is waiting 😎🧘🏻‍♀⛱🏊🏻‍♀🙏🏻💜

littlemissyoga on

Finally, a new update! I was a bit offline, or basically, doing other things and had a few retreats in a row which costed me more energy than I expected. But yeah, back on track! Just 1 more day left teaching here. Checking out on March 13, taking a few days off, preparing for my next adventure: Indonesia. ’Again Indonesia?’, I hear you thinking. Yes, again, by accident. I applied for a yoga job on Gili Meno, a few weeks ago already. Completely forgot about it and suddenly I got a reply, including the terms & conditions in my mailbox. Teaching at Gili Meno, my favourite Gili Island, for 1 month. It wasn’t planned, I was about to go to Kalpitiya (beach side Sri Lanka), for another opportunity and after that to Jaffna (in the north). But with my life, you know never know what’s gonna be😬😅☺. I hear you thinking again: ‘So maybe she comes to The Netherlands🙏🏻😇’. I can’t tell now… you will see me when I get there 😉.

⚠Warning⚠: Really long update🙈😇
This update will be longer than the previous ones 😅🙈, maybe you have to break it down into smaller pieces 😉. I put some subtitles, so it may be easier for you to break it down in smaller parts 😊. And, I shortened the story, so I am not stealing all your time (that’s one of the yoga principles: Ahimsa, no stealing😇). For more details, let me know, I am happy to share it with you on What’s app or in a (video) call 😊.

11 February: Dutch, English, Dunglish… 🤔😅
On the 11th of February I had a Dutch man checking in for yoga, but he didn’t book a retreat. He was the only one for a few days, so I tried to teach in Dutch. That’s really hard, after talking English daily. Sometimes it was hard to find the Dutch words🙈. It reminds me of my family living in Canada, trying to speak Dutch 😉. Again, we had a few days of rain (11-12 Feb), luckily not too bad and not for a long period per day 😊. And else, I know what to do then😊.

12 – 15 February: An unexpected yoga retreat🧘🏻‍♀🙏🏻🧘🏻‍♂
On the 12th I received a What’s app of the manager: a new retreat starts today. That’s the way it goes in here sometimes. It was a couple. The retreat was still running with Valentine’s day, I tried the heart shape Vrkasana (treepose), but it failed, because of the difference in length😅. He was 2,05m, she around 1,70m… Anyway, always nice to do something special on Valentine’s Day💜😊.

On the day the retreat ended we had 2 big groups coming, Dutch and British people. That meant buffet style for dinner (and I discovered there was barely nothing for me to eat, all with garlic and raw onion🙄…). The Dutch group were young ladies, and they told me they would love to have a Yin class (11 peeps!), but they cancelled last minute. Like they also did with the dinner… completely unexpected they informed that they wouldn’t have dinner… all the work for nothing! The staff got quite angry, they worked their asses off for what?  So much food left, the only ones which were happy with this food were the wild boars😅.

16 – 18 February 2020: A little lazy😊
On Sunday I had a really Lazy Sunday. No classes after 13 days non-stop teaching. It was good to have no class, although teaching a Yin class is also calming down for me. The day after started with a Monkey Monday🐒🐒. I had to stop my self-practice, tried to chase some monkeys away… but they were with the whole family…30 of them and still making more monkeys, right in front of me🙈. First there were 3 monkeys in a row, fleeing each other. Then a big (apparently male) pushed the one in the middle away, grabbed the female monkey in front of him… Doggie style practiced by monkeys 🐶🐒🤪🤣. After like 10 seconds she got bored and went away. And then, this was really disgusting🤮, he had something white slimy on his hand and put that in his mouth…😳. Unfortunately, I didn’t take pictures (or maybe luckily I didn’t 😉), I was too flabbergasted. The rest of the day was a Lazy Monday. Nell and I went to a local factory where some ladies were sewing some clothes. My gosh… that’s a lot of manual work and for what? A few rupees a day… and we pay a lot of money. Definitely not fair trade!!!

The day after was also a day without yoga classes, which was ok, because after that day I would have 2 yoga retreats in a row, 8 days non-stop teaching and be present/hosting the guests. We had a big group Dutch people coming in on this day, just for 1 night. For one night, the management suggest to take just a daily backpack, so the guys don’t have to carry heavy suitcases all the way up to the cabanas and the next day back down again. But of course… some people can’t read or are too attached to their stuff, that they bring everything… The one who had to give the example, the tour guide, had the heaviest suitcase and he needed to go to lodge 15, the one the furthest away! Some groups and tour guides are really unbelievable. Probably too much luxury hotels they have been to, I guess. Not used to be in the jungle. The guide would have changed his mind if he had to carry his own suitcase for 15 minutes😉. Dinner was again in buffet style, again garlic and raw onion. Slowly I am managing a bit of garlic (I eat 2 spoons max of something with garlic), but raw onion… no thank you.  

The next day (February 18) I did some self-practice, accompanied by 2 playing giant squirrels 🐿🐿, way better than love making monkeys 🙈😜. Later that day, I went out for a walk and I found a perfect spot in the jungle where I could enjoy the sunshine! How blessed I was😇🙏🏻, for 30 minutes full in the sun, yeah👊👏. The walk was good, I needed a different work out. I was even sweating! Hadn’t happened for a long time actually… it’s not warm here 😉. Last night was super cold; I woke up to grab an extra blanket, tried to sleep again, unfortunately, the monks started to chant already… That means… time to wake up… 5.15am 😴.

19 – 25 February 2020:  2 yoga retreats in a row 🧘🏻‍♀🙏🏻🧘🏻‍♂💪🏻 & Re-united with Heike 😊.
The first group started on 19 February, 5 people. A very interesting group, 1 of them arrived at 5am in the morning, started to talk about changing his life during this retreat, since he found out I was the teacher. Instead of my own practice, I showed him the yoga shala and the big cabana with the view. Wow, he wanted to stay in that room (he was already painting after 5 minutes walking, that cabana is 15 minutes away from the restaurant, uphill…a good start to change your lifestyle😉). It was available, so the housekeeping ladies made up the room. After his nap (and I finally had time to have breakfast and self-practice) I woke him up to get ready for the Yin class. He decided to stay in the room they had initially prepared for him… annoying for the ladies. He told me he did some self-study, wrote a lot about his good and bad habits and was willing to change it, telling me this while smoking his 3rd Iqos-cigarette (an E-cigarette) 🤨🤔. When I mentioned this, he felt busted…. Yeah, breaking with bad habits means: stepping out of your comfort zone, and that’s not easy. I offered him to do a guided chakra meditation, he was in for it. The 2nd day, he didn’t want to join the morning yoga (no, it’s too intense, I can’t do that, I feel weak, blahblahblah, fucking excuses😤). And he didn’t want to do the trekking with the group…. Ok, you don’t have to follow the program, but to set up a healthier lifestyle, some movement is good. The worst thing is, is that his behavior was irritating me. It is the same as many people in my previous surrounding. Always complaining, but never changing. As a yoga teacher (and a yogi) I shouldn’t judge people, but as a human being I do sometimes. And now I have to release my emotions as a human being and I think: Fuck off with your lousy excuses! Why should I offer you that meditation if you aren’t able to open up your eyes, take that first step to make that change? Meditation is one of the last steps. If you aren’t grounded, if you can’t look in the mirror and be honest to yourself, then you won’t reach that stage of samadhi (which he is looking for). It starts with awareness, to be completely honest to yourself, and damn, the truth hurts (I am also struggling with that!). But to achieve your goal, you need to struggle; the same as Buddha did to reach that final stage: Samadhi, enlightenment. Maybe it is a typically Western mindset: we want to change but in the easy way, not too much effort, even thinking: if I earn enough money, I can buy everything. Well, you can afford a bigger funeral, with even more fluffy cake and a coffin made of tropical wood or so, but still you can’t buy happiness (ok, you can buy the magazine Happinez, but that’s not what I meant 😉). So, off my chest, time to continue my story 😊.

Luckily, the other 4 people were more likeminded and in for yoga, which gave me energy to go on and do my best throughout the yoga classes and give them a good time (well, basically, I don’t do much, they do the hard work 😉). At the third day, this guy showed changes: he wanted to do a trekking and cooking class, but private. And he wanted to plant the tree. We gave him the hardest task: digging the hole 😉, so he had some extra physical exercises 😜. At the end, he was really happy he went to this retreat, he is even planning to come back! I didn’t expect that… the mind of a human being is really unpredictable 😜😅 (including mine 😉).

The second retreat group came on the day the others left; 4 people. A nice group, a nice energy 😊. Also, my friend Heike came to Polwaththa. I met her 4 years ago, we did the same yoga teacher training in Thailand. She attended a few classes; we went for a small trekking to Pettigala rock, lovely to do this hike with her. We talked and laughed a lot 😃😃. We took a Pick me to drop us off and saved the driver’s number so we could call him for a pick up again. After the lovely and sometimes challenging climb (this one looked a bit like the ones I did in Laos, I loved it, I missed these intense hikes) we called the driver but he didn’t want to pick us up. And there was no Pick-me or Uber available. Ok, let’s start to walk, we will find a tuktuk. We didn’t have to walk far, there was a minivan leaving the temple, with a monk. We waved, the driver pulled over and we got a ride to the temple close to Polwaththa. I tried to give the monk a donation for the temple but he refused. We felt so lucky, the hike was lovely, the weather was amazing (after a cloudy morning) and we got a free ride! Heike left on the same day as the retreat people, she went to Pepper Cottage, a lovely bed & breakfast, 10 minutes walking away from Polwaththa. I went with her, I also love that place. The energy is so uplifting, I can really charge myself.

Heike was leaving on the 28th, to Indonesia (we probably catch up there 😊), on the 26th we had our goodbye dinner at Pepper Cottage, because I was going to Anuradhapura on the 27th and 28th.  Marga, the owner, cooked a lovely non-Sri Lankan meal! After 1,5 years I drank a little bit of alcohol, red wine. This was a good one, but I know now that I don’t have to have alcohol anymore (I am really looking forward for having a nice vegan Chai Latte 🙏🏻☺). My trip to Anuradhapura was short, I spent about 10 hours in buses to go up and down. I went there to visit the new yoga teacher, Tharaka, who’s replacing me on March 12. He visited Polwaththa to talk with the owners about meditation a few days before, so we met here. He told me he wants to set up yoga & meditation retreats at his house, and maybe I could help him, so that’s why I went, just before the next yoga retreat was about to start. I almost had to cancel this 2-day trip, because we had guests and probably they wanted to do yoga… We had 1 couple coming in, that was all… so Remon agreed on my days off.

27 – 28 February: Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura is an amazing place, Tharaka is a special man (really spiritual). Like I mentioned, it took me about 10 hours in buses, to go back and forth, but is was worth it. Out of the jungle, a warm and open city, not too crowded. When I arrived we had lunch and we talked about many things. He had to teach, I asked if I could join, that was ok. There was no one, so I got a private yoga/meditation class with chanting (he is a singer and plays guitar). After class we had some typical Sri Lankan food (string hoppers and curry, then to bed early, because the next day we had to leave early. We went to a big white stupa (temple) and a temple underneath the Bodi tree (the tree where Buddha got his Samadhi aka enlightenment). The first place didn’t touch me, people were worshipping Buddha, and that’s the opposite of what Buddha wanted. The second place was lovely, a real good energy. After that I went back to Digana, because I needed to teach again… I got there at 5pm, and apparently I had people who would love to do yoga, but they went up to the shala already, and no one informed me about that. So I took my evening off 😉.

29 February – 7 March: My last retreats…
On the 29th, 8 people came for the yoga retreat. 3 couples and 2 single ladies. A good mix, the yoga level was mainly beginner, which is challenging to teach for a Vinyasa class. It can slow down the flow, but I managed to create an easier flow, so everyone was happy. There was one lady, she told me a lot about what she had been going through in her private life. It was like I was listening to my future story; I have the same issues where she was dealing with before she began here spiritual journey. This lady is for me an omen that I am ready to start my spiritual journey, to face my demons, to clean myself, to heal myself, to break with patterns😊. What that will be exactly….I don’t know yet, but I will update you once I know it😊.

The last group, 9 people, was amazing. That energy was soo uplifting. 8 of them were young people and 1 was a 72-year old lady, a traveler and a strong independent woman, amazing! I felt so blessed they were my last group, because they gave me so much energy and I learnt so much from them (even though they don’t know they did 🙏🏻😇🙏🏻).

On the day they left, I went with them to Digana, to the vet with Sumitra, Nell and 2 puppies. Sumitra found these 2 dogs, they were basically left alone, in a box. One has serious issues with his legs (his bones and muscles aren’t strong enough to stand up properly, because he hadn’t walked for 5 months). The other one is doing a bit better. The vet told us that with some Vitamin C, D/sunlight and Calcium everything would be ok. And now, after 3 days, they are already walking better. They are adorable, if I shouldn’t travel, I would have taken them to my place. But now that is impossible, I can’t and I won’t take them with me, in and out planes and resorts… Hopefully someone else will take those adorable puppies into their house 🙏🏻. They deserve someone who can give them love and attention, they are soo cute!! Whehehehe, one of the puppies vomited in the jeep on the way back from the vet, it just missed my shoes and pants. He was carsick 🤮, that poor dog 🐕.

8 – 10 March: Quieting down, unwinding, mentally saying goodbye😌🤗
Until now not much people for yoga; we had some groups but they were bird spotters and just drop ins for 1 night. There was one couple, and you know what? I met them at the Forest Monastery in Thailand in 2018, 2 years ago! She came in for dinner, we greeted and then, suddenly at the same time, we said: hey, I know you! We had to dig deep to figure out how, what and where, but we managed it. They have a well-known holistic center on Vanuatu, a small island close to Australia (I had to look it up on the map, never heard of it before). Now, they are looking for a new spot, probably Sri Lanka, to open up a new center and leave the other one behind. Isn’t that amazing! Hopefully we can meet again and who knows, we can work together (yoga, energetic healing, meditation, chakra) 🙏🏻. Today, 10 March, Tharaka, the new teacher comes and a few new people. My last teaching day will be tomorrow (11 March) and to be honest I am happy with that. After 2 months it’s time for a new adventure, Indonesia here I come😊🙏🏻.

I hope you liked this very long update, you can leave your comments/feedback or whatever you want to share behind. Next time I will try to post shorter updates and more regularly 😊. And new pictures will follow soon!

💜💚 With love 💜💚
         littlemissyoga


P.s.: I suddenly realise that I am ending my job here around Full Moon. Full moon means ending of cycles, letting go of things which are not longer serving you 😊. Everything happens for a reason 🙏🏻😊.

P.p.s. If you would love to support The Forest Healing Foundation, you can click on the link below and leave a donation 🙏🏻😊 . Every little bit helps!

Save 7 acres of beautiful forest in Sri Lanka

3 poses from ❄🌨☃ winter to spring ⛅🌱🌦

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After more or less 3 months cocooning, staying warm inside the house, enjoying the fire places (or central heaters nowadays), nurturing the body with more heavy food to keep it warm and give energy to stay healthy, a new season is about to start: spring. The meteorological spring starts at March 1, the Western calendar says it starts at March 21.

In the first days of Spring, we see how everything is awakening from a long deep sleep. It is the time to be active and to be awake. Nature is waking up as the days lengthen, plants and flowers start to blossom and the colour green is everywhere. The colours and life around make the spirit feel full, our appetite is less, or at least, we start to eat lighter food, food that is easier to digest. It is the time to cleanse, fast and allow this new beginning of life to start from a clean space. As we clean, we make room (the element Space) for new visions, for new opportunities and new plans to come through without much effort. The energy is expanding and is the beginning of Yang energy.

‼⚠Warning/Disclaimer⚠‼
Be very careful by practicing theses poses, especially when you have none or little experience in yoga and/or sports. If you feel any pain during a pose, back off, take some rest or even stop doing the particular exercise. Respect your body, respect your limits 🙏🏻🧘‍♂🧘🏻‍♀🙏🏻. If you still experience pain after these poses, please consult your GP. ~~littlemissyoga~~ is not responsible for any physical injuries or mental issues.

1. Uttanasana / Standing forward fold
😊😊Benefits: Opens the back of the body, stretches the hamstrings, hips and calves. It lengthens the spine, it creates more space on the back of the body. Furthermore, this pose provides strength to your thighs and knees. Regular practice relieves stiffness in your spine, neck and back.

  • Step 1: Tuck your toes and push into both feet, folding evenly over your legs (picture 1). Activate your abdomen (navel towards spine) to have a better and steadier foundation.
  • Step 2: Bend your knees as much as needed (picture 2), in favour of lengthening the spine and releasing tension in the neck. You can also use blocks (or a thick book/pillow) to put your hands on or cuff your elbows with the opposite hands (picture 3).
  • Step 3: Breathe towards the belly, hold as long as you want.
  • Step 4: To get out of the pose: Bend your knees deeper, let your arms hang loose, tuck your chin, press a little harder in all 4 corners of your feet and roll yourself up to standing, stacking the vertebras one by one. Last part is to lift your chin.
  • Step 5: Take a few moments to observe your body and mind, arms resting alongside the body.
  • Picture 1
  • Picture 2
  • Picture 3

2. Utthan pristhasana / Lizard lunge
😊😊Benefits: Opens and stretches the hips flexors and groins, it even creates some flexibility in the lower back. It strengthens the thigh muscles of the front leg and it opens the chest and neck. With opening up the hips it is possible that you release emotions, if this is happening, just let it be 😊. This pose is a good preparation for practicing hanomanasana (full splits).

  • Step 1: Come on your hands and knees, hands shoulder width, wrists in line with shoulders; knees hip width, knees in line with hips.
  • Step 2: Step your right foot forward, on the outside of your right hand. You can stay on your hands (picture 1) or lower down on the fore arms (picture 2), as long as your hips descend lower than your heart.
  • Step 3: Keep your front knee in line with the ankle and allow your weight to move to the outer edge of the front foot (picture 3). You can even lower down on the fore arms (picture 4), this is opening the hips even more.
  • Step 4: Hold for 5 breathes or more as long as you like before you change legs.
  • Note:    If you hold this pose for a few minutes (like a Yin-pose), you can take a counterpose before changing legs, for example ardha hanoman/half splits, all fours (with hip circles) or even downward facing dog (with hip circles). Most important is to listen to your body.
  • Step 5: After you have done both sides, you can sit down in Thunderbolt (your bump on your heels) or come into balasana /(wide legged) child’s pose.
  • Picture 1
  • Picture 2
  • Picture 3
  • Picture 4

3. Ustrasana / Camel pose
😊😊 Benefits: Opens up and stretches the chest, abdomen, quadriceps and hip flexors. It improves the spinal flexibility and loosens up the vertebrate. Also, it strengthens the shoulders, back muscles, thighs and arms. It even can reduce fat on the thighs (after doing this pose quite often) and it improves your posture.

  • Step 1: Come to an upright kneeling position, knees hip width distance. You can either tuck your toes or keep them pointed (flat on the floor).
  • Step 2: Keep your hips vertical of the knees, placing the hands either at the lower back for support (picture 1), or one or two hands on the heels (picture 2 & 3), lift your heart into Ustrasana. You can keep the head up or drop it down for opening up the throat (picture 4).
  • Step 3: Keep squeezing the inner thighs toward the midline, extend the sacrum downward toward the knees.
  • Step 4: Try to hold for around five breaths in this pose.
  • Step 5: Come out of the pose by squeezing the legs together and letting the heart lead you up. If you had your head down, you first lift the neck and head to an upright position. Then slowly sit down in Thunderbolt (sitting on your heels) or in balasana/(wide legged) child’s pose.
  • Picture 1
  • Picture 2
  • Picture 3
  • Picture 4

You can stay in balasana (child’s pose) after you have finished these 3 poses, to calm down the body and relax the breath. Whenever you are ready to come out of it, feel free to do so. And enjoy the rest of the day or have a good sleep 😊.

I hope you have enjoyed these 3 poses and that you feel more energized and opened up, ready for facing spring 😊. If you like, you can share your experiences with me 😊.

💜💚 With love 💜💚        
littlemissyoga                                       

        

Inspirational source:
https://chopra.com/articles/11-yoga-poses-and-a-meditation-for-transitioning-from-winter-to-spring?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=180403-April-Newsletter&utm_campaign=Newsletter201843

Struggles…😖🙄😠🤔😤(part 1)

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Note: This blog has been written between 21/1/2020 and 10/2/2020). Some struggles have been solved already😊.

Sometimes I got some reactions of you as reader, you are asking me if all is always going well. Hell no, I got struggles here, definitely. Different ones than in The Netherlands, though. Let me share some with you.

Anti-vampire food 🧛🏼‍♀ & Feeling like a Bounty 🥥
Because my stomach and my intestines cannot stand garlic and raw onion, I have to ask the cook to modify the dishes. Apparently, this causes confusion and miscommunication. So, sometimes I don’t have a proper lunch, because all is with garlic. Since we are in the jungle it is not so easy to get something else or cook something for myself. I feel that my body is getting weaker, I am lacking important nutrients like protein. We have cow pies (or black eyed peas), lentils and even soy meat, but when it is prepared, it all contains garlic 🙄. Sometimes it looks like you are eating garlic as main dish mixed with something else 🤪. I tried to eat it twice, I got quite sick twice. That was for me the reason to cut off the garlic completely.

I thought it wouldn’t be that difficult to do so, but I feel that I am causing a lot of troubles and confusion and I struggle with it. I got the feeling that they don’t believe me, they think I do it on purpose. They make a lot of jokes about it, my patience to accept all jokes is almost gone… I don’t know if I need to tell them (they will take it personal, that’s part of the culture), or I just let it be. I have chosen for the last option. I just accept it the way it is, and nowadays, they don’t mention it anymore 😊. Lately, I had a talk with the owner, on the day I didn’t feel well because of the garlic. He spoke with the cook about my garlic-issue, now everything is fine. Well, I still have to ask/write down on the whiteboard in the kitchen: NO GARLIC. Another thing is the variety of the food; after 2 weeks I was done with the curries and white rice (which I eat in really small amounts, because it has barely nutrients and for the carbs it is not necessary to eat that much rice), so I am creating new meals in here 😊. Like plain boiled lentils with boiled veggies or salad (salad without dressing, they use too much salt and vinegar, that’s ruining my salad 😅). Pumpkin soup with a little water and fresh coconut milk, no salt, no onion and no garlic and red rice, yummie 😋😋 (red rice is so much more stuffing and tastier than white rice 😊). For lunch I often safe rotti ((it is made of wheat flour, grated coconut, water and oil, it has the shape of a chapati or a rice cracker) and have that with my nutmeg chutney (instead of jam, dahl curry and coconut sambal 😉). Coconut is almost in every dish… I think I am a real Bounty 🥥at the inside right now 😂😜.

Money, money, money 💰🤑
Another frustrating issue is the payment. I hand in a loose piece of paper, all classes, rooms and dates written down for the lady who does the accounting. Unfortunately, she is often asking me for my notebook, to take a picture (which she has done already…) to start checking everything for the payment…. It’s all double work and it makes me a bit (well… way more than just a bit😅) grumpy. The only thing I am thinking: why do I do all this work? It is all for nothing. Frustration, irritation, and then I have to remind myself: breathe in, breathe out, stay calm, be patient (the same things I tell in my yoga classes 😜😇). At the end, all is fine, but the whole way of working… it is so non-consistent, there is no logical order, and then they are complaining that it is so busy… 🤔🙄. For me it is so easy to think: Analyse your way of working, change it if needed, save time, save money. And there we get the magical word: ‘change’! That creates stress here 😉😝. In many things they are really laid-back, but when they need to change something suddenly or quickly, they get stressed. They need more time to get used to another way of working. For me, it is so common to change, modify, adjust for one purpose: work les and earn more (Western mindset😉). After a talk with the owner I changed the registration of my class, I now do it myself, I don’t need to ask the staff to do it (and they are happy with that 😊). Me too, because I know for sure that I get paid😜.

You’re hot 🥵 & you’re cold 🥶
I have had my ‘stress-moments’ here as well, I had that with taking a shower. I had only cold water… There is a note that they heat the water by using a solar panel, but on rainy/cloudy days they need to heat up the water manually (a big barrel and underneath it they make a fire to heat it up). I spoke to the staff to manually heat up the water, no problem. Fortunately, one of the guys was clever, he walked with me to my room, checked all pipes and concluded that the blue tap was my hot water. So, we opened it, let the water run for about 1.5 or maybe even 2 minutes and yes…I had warm water! Lovely, especially when you want to wash your hair or shave your legs. The good thing is, I really appreciate the warm shower, I realised that isn’t that common to have warm/hot water. I am very grateful for that, every time I take a shower 🚿🙏🏻😊.

As you may have noticed, this blog is called ‘Struggles… (Part 1)’. Yes, there will be a part 2! Do I have so many struggles? Yes and no, I just don’t want to post a super long blog 😇.

Do you want to stay tuned? Subscribe to my website and you will receive an email when I post a new blog or article 😊.

💜💚 With love 💜💚                 
littlemissyoga                    

        

Extended update (perfect for reading on a lazy Saturday or Sunday 😀😇)

littlemissyoga on

‼⚠ Warning: long update ⚠‼

17/1 – 19/1/20: British invasion (trying to escape Brexit 😉)
A big group (9 people and 1 guide) checked in, 8 were British, 1 was Irish. Remon told me that they were here for hiking, so probably no yoga. Uhuh… let’s see! I talked with them after dinner, 3 people said immediately yes, 4 said maybe for the Yin Yoga for the next evening. And I also had 1 Dutch man. Could be 8 people in the class… and I got them all! 8 people, 6 were completely beginners for yoga, but they all loved it. And for me it was a great pleasure to teach these lovely group! That’s the thing in here, sometimes I have no one and then I have 8. That’s my maximum until now, and that’s enough cause I don’t have enough props yet whehehe 😜😅.

On the 19th all British people got Brexit😜, Nell and I went to Kandy by bus. Well, the first part by car, so we didn’t have to hike back (it’s a high slope from the bus to here). Kandy is a city, about 15 kms way from Digana. She just needed underwear, I just needed chewing gum and if there was a good bar of chocolate, then chocolate as well 😉. Well… we bought a lot more whehehe 😂. I bought clothes (I have to send back other ones, ones I don’t like wearing, because they don’t fit well), bought chocolate with 70% cacao (afterwards still too sweet for me) and I bought a bottle for hot water. I immediately tried the bottle when we came back; the bottle got hot on the inside and outside! The water kept warm for less than 2 hours instead of 12. The bottle came with a free pouch, to carry to bottle with you. Or was it to protect your hands for burning 🤔?? Anyway, I will try to return or swap this bottle soon, hopefully it works without a receipt (while writing this, I have another one, Nell went to Kandy with her son and swapped the bottle, this one is ok yeah 😃)  

Oh and, we had an Indian lunch, which is so nice, something different than the curries with rice 😊😇. I already asked to make chapati, but unfortunately, they can’t do it (probably they can but they don’t want to do it😉). So another type of lunch once a while is really lovely.

20/1 – 23/1/2020: Showers echoing on the roofs ☔💦😉
It is raining, paths are slippery, clothes are feeling moist, it is cold. I realised once again I don’t like rain, especially when you can’t get outside to do the things you want to do. So I turned inwards, I wrote about it in a previous blog, if you haven’t read it, herewith the link:

Inspirational thoughts thanks to the rain (unfortunately, it’s not raining men 😂😅)

Luckily, I had good company, Bas, from the Netherlands and Gisene, a German lady. They took some yoga classes, both had such a nice energy, it was so uplifting for me. Still grateful for that 🙏🏻💚. I learned a lot from Bas about Pranic Healing and the combination with chakras. I love to share my knowledge about chakras in my classes and connect asanas to it, especially in the Yin-classes. I am still learning more about the chakras, it is so interesting. New plans about this topic are already in my head 😊.

23/1/2020 – 27/1/2020 Norwegian invasion, 3rd yoga retreat  
The first Norwegian I met in Sri Lanka, Vilde, checked in for 3 nights. A powerful, strong lady, with a lot of energy and she loved yoga, so she joined my classes. Allisa checked in a day later for the yoga retreat. We had such a good connection together, that we did most things together. Vilde told crazy stories about her travels (put in jail in Morocco due to overstay, got out the jail by just asking the right person, discovered she had still marihuana in her bag so she couldn’t get to Spain, smoked the whole pack and entered Spain still stoned, we laughed are asses off 😂😂😂, ). She was also the one who told me that they are looking for another yoga teacher at Rugkala Resort, about 30 minutes away from here. I sent them an email, had an application interview on Jan 29, and will have a try out lesson on Feb 2. They are looking for a teacher for at least 1 year, let’s see after the class if I like it, if I am the one they are looking for. This resort is super-duper luxe! It is almost the opposite of where I am now 😅😎. If you are curious, here is the link to the website: https://rukgalaretreat.com/.

The retreat with Allisa (and partly Vilde) was lovely. This time I didn’t join the cooking class, so Charles, the master-cook 👨🏾‍🍳, could use garlic in all the dishes 😊. Allisa loved the classes, especially the Vinyasas in the morning, some were really challenging, even for me sometimes 😜😅. Always good to challenge yourself 😉.

It is nice to have people here for a yoga retreat, it is also quite challenging, because I have to host them more or less. So, I am quite busy all the days. But at the end, it is really worth it, to give them a good experience, to give them a really nice yoga class, to see that they enjoy their stay here. There were a few guests during the retreat, one came from Poland, he joined all classes during his stay here 😊. And, I got 1 Dutch guest, he took his first yoga class, a Yin class, he really liked it. His mom was a yoga teacher when he was young, but he never practiced any yoga. Well, who knows, he will start practicing yoga when he is back in the Netherlands 😉.

28-1-2020 until 31-1-2020: Dutch/Belgium invasion and the 4th retreat
We had a few couples/families from The Netherlands the last days. And also some Belgian people. And 3 persons for the 4th retreat, 1 was from… The Netherlands, the other 2 were a couple, now living in Australia. She was mixed Sri Lankan/Aussie, he was from Brazil, moved to Australia when he was 12. I think this group had the most dynamic, positive vibe! They left together on Jan 31, they became close friends😊. I think this retreat was the best one; we did crazy stuff during class (I did my malasana – bakasana – headstand, at least I tried it while I was explaining… I fell super hard on my chin, result: bruised, now it’s blue/purple, it will turn green and yellow soon I think 😅, welcome to the world of being a yoga teacher 😉), we were laughing during Yin classes (normally these are quite serious), we even did a photo shoot before the Yin class and I took some pictures during class (it was ok for them… new privacy policies 😅).

Ok, that’s it for now, you are all updated, today (1-2-2020) is a relaxing and recharging day, tonight I will teach Yin to 2 French people 😊. Today I will get ready for the class at Rukgala, maybe my new place to work as a yoga teacher 🙏🏻🧘🏻‍♀. Next update will follow, this will be a more personal one 😊.

💜💚 With love 💜💚               
         littlemissyoga


P.s.: I found cacao powder in the kitchen, I finished this update while sipping some of my cacao milk (well, basically cacao powder and boiled water, next time I will try it with coconut milk 😋😋)

P.p.s: You can leave comments below, if you want to keep updated, subscribe yourself. I heard that sometimes it doesn’t work the first time, please try again 😊 (I can’t figure out where the bug is 🤔)                         



3 Very good yoga poses to survive the winter🥶❄🧘‍♀🙏🏻

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Are you struggling with the winter time right now? Your body feels stiff and cold in the morning, it is hard to get out of your bed, because it is so nice, cosy and warm after 6 up to 8 hours of sleep 😊. Still, you have to get out one moment (yes, even on your day off 😉)

I have 3 quite easy yoga asanas (Sanskrit word for poses) to warm you up in the morning, to awaken your energy, so you can survive the winter time 😊. It just takes 5 minutes, so roll out your mat (or blanket/towel) and let’s start!

1. Chakravasana – Balanced cat/cow pose (5 – 10 breathes each side)

😊😊 Benefits: Focus, equilibrium, balance, core strength

  • Picture 1
  • Picture 2
  • Picture 3

Step 1: Come on to all fours, hands underneath shoulders, hands shoulder
width distance. Knees and hips stacked, knees hip width distance.
Spread your fingers, relax the toes (picture 1).
Step 2: Tuck the belly, core is working. Neck is long.
Step 3: Lift up the right leg back, keep the hips, knee and toes rotated
down.
Step 4: Lift the left arm in front, bicep along the ear, reach the fingers far
away. Press firmly into the standing hand (picture 2).
Step 5: Hold for 5-10 breathes then do the other side.

Picture 3: To light the fire a little more: add on knee to elbow (3 to 5 times each side, or whatever feels good 😉😇)

2. Utkatasana – Chair pose (5 – 10 breathes)

😊😊 Benefits: Heat up the body, (focus on the core, fire- element), especially with ujjayi breath (like your fogging a mirror, the breath comes from the back of the throat).

  • Picture 1
  • Picture 2

Step 1:  Feet together, big toes touching, heels slightly apart.
Step 2: Sink your hips low, knees not over toes (if you look down you can
still see your toes).
Step 3: Squeeze your upper thighs together, shift weight a bit towards to
your heels, toes are light.
Step 4: Spine is long, tuck the belly in (activate your core).
Step 5: Reach arms overhead, biceps along the ears (picture 1) or reach the
arms in front, less tension in the shoulders (picture 2). Shoulders
are relaxed.
Step 6: Breathe towards the belly and hold for 5 up to 10 breathes (or
longer if you like).

3. Balasana – Child’s pose (10 – 15 breathes)
One of my favorite poses and so easy and so effective for your body mind and soul 😊!

😊 😊Benefits: Helps to improve your digestion, calming down the body and mind.

Step 1: Sit on your knees, your bottom on your heels
Step 2: Slowly fold forward, your forehead is touching the floor (or your
cheek if you have compression in the neck).
Step 3:  Hands can be overhead, touching the floor or next to your ankles.
Step 4:  Surrender, and follow your breath, relax completely, hold for 10-15
breathes.

Note: If your chest needs more space, open your legs wide so your chest can
relax more.

This pose can also be done before you go to bed, because it is a calming down, relaxing pose as well. You will definitely have a good sleep 😊. If you do it before you go to bed, you better practice this pose in your bed, so you can go to sleep directly when you’re finished 😊😊.

If you repeat these asanas daily, you will definitely feel the difference. The good news is: time passes by automatically, spring is almost there. If you still have a hard time with the winter, then I have another advice:  escape the winter!! Book a ticket to a warm place and come back when summer starts (like I do 😉, but nevertheless, I practice these asanas every day, because they are good for my body, mind and soul😊).

Soon I will pose an article for 3 good poses for spring time.

💜💚 With love 💜💚             
      littlemissyoga                                  

  ** Inspirational  source: yoga magazine/yoga online, unfortunately I can’t find the link to this article anymore**

My first week@Polwaththa Eco-Lodges, Sri Lanka

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I got here on January 3, by train from Colombo to Kandy, with the bus from Kandy to Digana and then with a tuktuk to Polwaththa. The sign says ‘steep climb’ when you got to the road and definitely, it is a steep climb! The tuktuk had a hard time to concur the steep climb, but he managed it! A few days later I walked that path, man, it was a hard climb. I think it is just 1 kilometer, it took me 15 minutes! I was even sweating, and I just walked, didn’t even run! A good workout, let’s say that.

I got a bit upset when I heard that I was finally about to teach at the 11th. But now, writing this, I am quite happy with this. I got some more days off, practiced yoga, explored the environment a bit, prepared a bit for the retreat, joined Silvia’s classes, relaxed a bit as well 😉. We first had to share a room, but that didn’t work out. I am an early bird, she slept until late (well… until 6.25am, then she had to hurry up to be in time for the class, 6.45am 😉). The first night in that room was strange, I woke up (actually I had a lucid dream); someone sat on me and was trying to choke me (sleep paralyses, black entities, had it before). It is always a struggle to wake up from that ‘dream’ cause you can’t move, that entity is taking over your body. I finally managed to wake up, fell back asleep after half an hour. Silvia hadn’t noticed a thing, luckily, but I had to tell her. She cleansed the room the next day; I slept like a baby, but she couldn’t sleep anymore. Also the next night. We asked for separate rooms, luckily they had rooms left. She slept better, I slept worse the first night in the new room. But now, everything is ok. I got used to all the sounds and dropping twigs, leaves ore jumping squirrels on the roof 😊.

07/01/2020 Trekking: Dotalugala – 1407meters – leeches!
This day I went on a trekking with Shylo, a lady from the US, she was here with her close friend, who was sick unfortunately, so she couldn’t join us. We left at 9am, lunch box (noodles and veggies) in our rucksack. Namal was our guide, he is a good guide and knows so much about birds, he is more or less a bird spotter! If I had do the tour it would be something like: ‘this is a big tree and this a small tree. This tree has bi leaves, that one has no leaves. And this is a plant with pink flowers, that plant smells good. And there is a big bird, and over there… sat a bird, but now it had flown away…. A terrible guide I would be 😉. Next to birds, plants, trees and mosquitos we saw salamanders, lizards and a big iguana crossing the road on our way back. The tuktuk drive towards this spot took about 45 minutes, good moment to talk. The walk itself was 12 km’s, 4,5km to the top of the mountain and 4,5 back, 3km to see another viewpoint (all over the Knuckels area, a group of mountains more or less in central Sri Lanka). The trekking was a medium one, Shylo and I (and Namal as well) found it very easy. Namal was just wearing flipflops, we had our hiking boots and sexy socks, to prevent us from the leeches (for the Dutchies: bloedzuigertjes). And also a spray with a mixture of water and Dettol to scare these little creepy worms away (it really worked). The funniest thing is the way these little creatures are moving themselves. Like a guenon (stokstaartje), looking up to this victim, then throws himself on your shoe (or herself, I couldn’t see any difference between the sexes 😉) and then it tries to make its way to your leg or feet, to suck your blood. Luckily for us, no leeches had reached our feet or legs, thanks to the sexy socks. The lunch we had was noodles and vegetables and some fresh water from above…it started to rain quite hard just at the moment we were starting our lunch. Another nice experience 😊. The rain lasted for 15 minutes, the sun started to shine afterwards, we dried quickly and continued our trip. On the last part there was a whole crew to shoot some kind of movie, we asked them to join them but they were not amused… so, no 15 minutes of fame for me 😉. On the way back I did some shoppings (local snacks and incense sticks), I took a shower and sat back and relaxed.

08/01/2020: Another day off
A good day to walk around and explore the area. Well, yeah, I got lost. I walked a long way up, not to steep and after almost 1 hour I discovered that there was no T-junction or intersection where I could go left or right to create a loop. I checked Google maps, and it says: 7.3 kms… 1 hour and 45 minutes… that means: uphill and downhill roads. Ok… well, challenge accepted! It was a nice walk! I saw a lot of the beautiful environment.  Walking in the jungle is nice as well, but you see only trees,  plants and spiderwebs (do you know that feeling that you got them in your face all the time? Welcome to the jungle😉). The view of the rice paddies, hills and some small villages was therefore extra nice. Sometimes Google is not really reliable… I almost got to my ‘home’ and suddenly it says: 3 kms, go back. Go back? No way, I was almost there, just another 1 km… but I didn’t know wether I had to left or right at that T-junction. And suddenly I heard: Hi hi, you need tuktuk? Oh no, another tuktuk driver… the man repeated: you need tuktuk? You yogateacher Polwaththa. What?? Yes, that’s me! It was VJ, one of the employees who was on his way to Polwaththa! My life saver! Also because that last part is so steep to climb up! Man, I felt so happy! I was also lucky that I wore my hiking boots, if I had to do this all on flipflops… I would have taken a tuktuk from the moment Google said: 7.3kms 😉

09/01/2020: A short trip to civilisation!?
Today, after my self-practice Nella asked us to join her to walk to Digana, the small city close by. Silvia, Nella and I, we walked down through the jungle (short cut) to the bus station. We had plans to walk all the way, but time was ticking, so we decided to take the bus. I asked to buy some candles and also some muesli, to put over the fruits. Even though the breakfast is great, it is a bit boring already. The pancakes and milk rice are too sweet (which I like sometimes, but not all the time), the typical Sri Lankan breakfast is not my type of breakfast (it is a curry with stringhoppers (a kind of noodles), quite savory, I prefer a bit sweet in the morning), I don’t want to eat eggs (but I think I have to, because I feel less energized, because there are barely vegan replacements here such as legumes, tofu, nuts), so I thought: muesli on top of my fruit gives me some fibres and stuffing. I didn’t expect that muesli and rolled oats were that expensive and it is not even the real muesli, it looks more like cornflakes. Anyway, it is a bit more bite in the morning 😊. Silvia and I didn’t want to go in the first place, but there was no electricity, so no Wifi. We both needed Wifi to work on our laptops… then shopping is a good alternative. Normally, the powercut is just a few hours, this one lasted the whole day. It was because they were cutting the branches of the trees and it is a policy to switch off the electricity so no one gets electrocuted. The power was back around 6pm, the time that it becomes dark here.

Before we jumped on the bus to Digana, we went to the weaving ladies. They are making sarongs and saris, completely handwoven. 3,300 rupees for a sari (circa €16,50) and 1,600 rupees for a sarong (almost € 8). Really cheap it you think about how many hours it takes to makes these clothes. If someone is interested, I can take some pictues of the sarongs and saris and send it to you (my backpack is too full to take it with me all the time).

The shopping in Digana was just for 1 hour, it was enough, this trip to civilisation (I don’t know if it is more civilised than the life in the jungle 😉). We found what we needed, and we were just waiting in the bus back home, when Nella called her son; he was in Digana by car, he picked us up and we drove back altogether. Yeah, no uphill climb for us (woohoo!!).

Oopsie… again quite a long blog. That’s my problem, once I start writing, I keep on going. Maybe I can start writing a book 😉. Or creating an E-book, you just have to listen while you continue your other things 😉. The next blog will be posted soon 😊. And feel free to comment on the blog, I really appreciate that 😊😊!

💜💚 With love 💜💚   
littlemissyoga

                                           

        

2020 – A beautiful new year has begun!

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Hi all!

Finally, I am back with an update, but first of all best wishes for 2020. Have you set up a whole list of resolutions? Or maybe you already forgot about them? I have definitely resolutions, but I keep them simple and small, so I make sure I will keep them and make it happen 😊. One of my resolutions (or maybe I better call them goals) is to set up retreats. I have never done that, so I don’t know where to start yet. The first retreat I will teach is  at Polwaththa Eco-lodges in Sri Lanka and I saw that one of my yoga-teachers friends wants to set up retreats as well! So, that is good news. By the end of this year, I might have reached my goal! But that’s enough about serious business, let’s update you about my travels 😊.

Luang Prabang – Laos
After my 2 months teaching in Vang Vieng (VV) I went to Luang Prabang (LP) for 2 days. I got there on December 30, got a free pick up to my hotel, checked in and went for a walk. Luang Prabang is a cute little village, protected by Unesco. It feels like you are in a movie, it doesn’t feel like a real city. It is quite touristic, but despite of that it doesn’t feel like that. The food is amazing! And when I walked around, I met a couple which practiced yoga with us in VV 😊. It’s a small world after all!

In the evening I met Shara, another yoga student. We met in VV and there we found out we were both going to LP on the same day. So, that’s why we met each other there. We booked a tour on the 31st: Waterfall, Bear Sanctuary and The Butterfly Garden (this is run by Dutch people). The waterfall (Kuang Si) was beautiful and cold! I swam in it, the water was pretty chilly (like the pool in Silver Naga 😉), but after a few moments it was really nice. In the Butterfly Garden they had a pool with the Dr. Fish fishes, the ones that eat dead skin of your feet. It’s a funny feeling, especially when a big one becomes really greedy and tries to eat a big piece 😉. I have so much dead skin on my feet, that if I had to wait until all was done, I probably would have been there still 😉. And we just had 2,5 hours altogether to do these activities, then we headed back to LP. We walked through the city, went to a temple to chant with the monks. The chanting felt like a mental cleaning on the last day of 2019, releasing all my sins 😉. The swim in the waterfall was the physical cleaning for me. After the chant we had a nice vegan meal on the night market. Ready for a party, you all think. Well… we were sooo tired that we got back to the hotel. I packed my bag and went to bed at 10.30pm, because I had to wake up early the next day to go to the airport (7.30am take off to Vientiane, to continue to Colombo – Sri Lanka). So, no New Year Party for me. In Laos they don’t celebrate it, so I didn’t miss a thing. I had a good sleep and was ready for the next adventure: Sri Lanka.

Trip to Colombo – Welcome to Sri Lanka
5.45 am – the taxi picked me up to go to the airport. After my check in I called to Holland (oh, officially The Netherlands😉) cause is was New Year there. The flight from LP to Vientiane went well. But then… I booked my ticket from Vientiane (VTE) to Colombo via Kunming (China), baggage should go straight to Colombo, lay-over 1 hour 50 minutes, perfect! Well… at the airport of VTE I was being told that I had to check out and check in, get a China Visa (temporary one). Uhm… 1 hour and 50 minutes to have baggage, Immigration, check in, Immigration, security… Long story short, I made it. Together with another passenger we could get through the priority lane 😊. That was a big relieve! After landing in Colombo, I took a taxi to bring me to my hostel. Then I went with Yogya, she stayed in the same hostel, to have some dinner at the beach. Hard to find something vegan at the beach… all with fish, meat or eggs. After the dinner (something Sri Lankan vegetarian food, really good though, I was also really hungry)… straight to bed, tired of the whole trip.

Colombo – Another big city
The next day, I was awake early, getting ready for my visa extension at the Immigration department. Too lazy to get a bus, I took a tuktuk to get me there, handed in some papers, went from one room to the other, waited a little and within 2,5 hours it was done! Way faster than some websites mentioned 😊. While waiting I saw another person of the hostel, Thomas from Swiss; we went back to the center of Colombo by the public bus, walked around, acting as tourists 😊. It was good to spend that day together; we both agreed that Colombo was just another big, polluted and too crowded city. 2 Nights in this city was more than enough. We saw some beautiful spots though, like the Red Mosque, small allies, a big parc and a smaller parc, some temples and we went to the beach to get some snacks as dinner (we had a big Indian lunch). The next day we walked together to the Fort train station (little girl, too big backpack, I really need to ditch stuff). I bought a ticket to Kandy (250 RP is like $1,50 or so), he went to another place in Sri Lanka.  2nd class, not reserved, which means that you can get packed in the train. I was lucky, got a seat 😊. That’s the way it goes with traveling, you meet people, spend some time together and then you are going your own way again.

I was ready to teach, then I got a message from Polwaththa, the other teacher would stay here until January 10, so I should start teaching on the 10th instead of 5ht, as we had agreed. I already prepared everything for the trip to Digana (the name of the village where Polwaththa is), I didn’t want to stay in another city just for killing time. I told that I couldn’t change my program; the owner agreed on it, I could come this way and share the room with the other teacher. She didn’t know that I was coming… all was a big mess and miscommunication. Now I will start teaching on the 11th, until that day I am just doing nothing… like self-practice, joining the classes (if we have people), walking around in the jungle (we are almost in the middle of the jungle!), do some trekkings, writing a blog, reading a book, annoying the staff 😉 and enjoying the good food they cook here! Really amazing! Sorry for LP and Laos, but Sri Lankan (vegan) curries, vegetables and the breakfast are amazing!

We have 3 bookings for yoga retreats and regular bookings for the upcoming days, hopefully these regular people will join my yoga classes too😊.

Well, that’s is for now, it’s a bit longer than I had in mind. Next one will be shorter 😉.

💜💚 With love 💜💚   
     littlemissyoga              

P.s: I uploaded some new pictures, check the gallery :).                      

     

Lazy Laos Life :)

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Last update was quite long, so I will send more and shorter updates. Last week was a lazy week. I practiced yoga a lot, especially abdominals (a block in between my legs, navasana – boat pose, another block in my hands and then crunch up, legs still up); my abs are still telling me that is was a real good practice. Time for a repetition 😉. Abs are very important in yoga, though we don’t train them all the time in particular. In almost every asana (pose) you can engage your abs, so you are using them 95% of the lesson. Especially in balancing poses (feet, arms, inversions) you train them. Extra training is always good though 😊. I am also practicing chin stand, scorpion and handstand (I am not really into inversions, but I want to improve my own practice). On Sunday Dec 15, lazy Sunday, I taught the morning class and after breakfast I thought: Sitting and writing at the pool is a good thing to do, a new update 😊. I forgot that was Sunday, party…. So, sitting at the pool typing a new update, music coming from all sides… It’s weekend and Laos people like to celebrate it with really loud music.

Last weekend (13 & 14 December) it was Vang Vieng Music Festival; best to compare it with Concert at Sea, Zand or Pinkpop. Local and international artists (international = Thai and Singapore 😉) singing, performing, DJ-ing and hiphopping at 3 stages and 15,000 festive party poopers. 95% Laos/Asian, 5% Westerns. Loads of beer (festival is sponsored by BeerLao and Sommersby), food and most likely some marihuana, mushrooms, whiskey and wodka 😊. Sulo and I went before all had started to take some pictures (posted on social media and in the gallery); we could enter the terrain without any problems, no one asked us what we were doing. That’s a real difference compare to Holland. Everything is blocked, hard to sneak in, loads of security. For us it was nice, we took some pictures and went back. Heard someone trying to sing (one of the biggest names); the only thing I thought: stop it, it is awful! Luckily no glass around 😉. Vang Vieng is in the weekends busier, but this weekend… we had more traffic jams than on a rainy day in Holland (ok…. Exaggerating is a job an sich 😉). Even walking on the street wasn’t easy, cars parked on the pavement, motorbikes in between the open spaces, 2-way traffic on the road, with all the cars parked… it was a hard job, and you needed a lot of patience as a driver. Or.. maybe you need a charged phone, because, yeah, standing still means… What’s app, Line, Imo, Insta, Facebook, Twitter, SnappChat, watching another episode on NetFlix or YouTube.. why not? We don’t drive, do we? So, why should we bother about safety, don’t drive means you can use your phone!  Police? I have seen 1 police car in 7 weeks. And, eh, money can buy everything, can’t it 😉? Or, wait! The police are also on their phone… because they need to post on their social media how others are using their phones during driving… 😉. Welcome to Laos!

The hotel was almost fully booked thanks to the festival. The staff wasn’t so happy with that, now they needed to work a little harder, and that’s against their nature (isn’t that lovely, don’t rush, take it easy? A good thing to do in Holland, I can show you how it works 😉).

Classes this week were great, I had an amazing outdoor class! 10 people, all levels. 1 of them was an Indian man, Suresh, we went out for dinner at the only Indian restaurant in Vang Vieng 😊. Finally, something else than rice, noodles 😊 😊. Good conversations! He was practicing yoga for a long time, but due to lower back and knee problems he had to back off. He enjoyed the practice, even though he couldn’t do much. And a coincidence (I don’t believe in that, everything happens for a reason) Sulo (another yoga teacher) and Kimberly (a returning student) came in 😊.

You know what is so funny about teaching here, especially Koreans? Every time when I go out of the pose to check if everybody doing ok, they copy and paste. Now I finally understand why everything what’s made in China or Korea is so cheap, just copy and paste. We present them how it can be done, they duplicate it, cheaper because they don’t have to do all the research et voilà, off you go to Action  (well… in a nutshell, definitely there is more going on). Anyway, for teaching it is not really helpful, because I need to put them back in the pose 😊.

On my day off (Tuesday December 10) I went to the Kaeng Nyui (or Kaeng Yui) and Kaeng Lon waterfall. I walked the whole way, in total 15 kms, the road was rocky, dusty, quiet and the scenery was soooo beautiful. I took many pictures, it took me 1 hour and 45 minutes to get there (normally 7 kms is a bit more than 1 hour). But this route… amazing! A nice small village, kids playing at the school yard, rice fields, bunches of cows, mountains. And all so quiet. The waterfall was beautiful; not big or breath taking or so, but the whole picture made it perfect. I sat there for at least 30 minutes, I was the only one. Then some Koreans came in, rushed to the waterfall, took some pictures and a selfie with me (the first selfie with unknown people, after 7 weeks, a new record! Normally it takes 5 minutes 😉). The lady put herself next to me, phone in her hand, made some gestures and spoke something in Korean English of what I understood as: selfie? I nodded and whoppa, there we go 😊. After they left, it was quiet again, just a few more visitors. I didn’t swim in the water (that was really tooooo cold) but yeah, I needed to feel the cold water, so I put my feet in it. That was bearable, for 2 minutes. Then I just sat there, meditating, enjoying the view, the nature, dragon flies, water spiders, ants, little birds, plants, trees… After almost 2 hours I walked back, spoke with a Swiss guy (he pulled over with his motorbike to check how far it was), had a little chat and continued my way back.

I am really happy that it isn’t freezing anymore. We don’t need blankets anymore during savasana, or towels at the outdoor class. Yeah! So happy about that! I was really looking for gloves last week, so cold, it turned out to be 6 degrees!! Christmas will be in bikini whehehehe. Way better than in Europe, at least, for me 😊.

We were so lucky last week; there was an American pastry chef, he made some vegan pastries, mango-cheesecake and they saved something for us. And this morning, when I said goodbye, they had another vegan pastry (something with caramalised peanuts, yummy!!). I got spoiled here hihi. Like I mentioned in my last blog: I am not complaining. For me, life may be like this forever 😊😊. Can I convince anyone to join me: work less, enjoy more 😊!

Short preview for the upcoming 2,5 weeks. Until Dec 29 I will be in Vang Vieng, teaching. December 30, 31 and January 1 I am in Luang Prabang (still Laos). On Jan 1, 6am (local time) I am at the airport, checking in to Vientiane, and if everything is according plan, transit to Colombo, Sri Lanka. The transit time is short and I need to check in again, immigration and security… but I will make it 😊. I have 2 hours (European, not Laos, Laos hours = 3 😉). I will start teaching at Polwaththa Ecolodges in Digana, close to the jungle, for 2 months (or maybe longer, depends on the tourists and also my visa). After Sri Lanka… I don’t know yet, maybe first visit India and head north to Nepal, Tibet, Myanmar, to continue my trip in Asia (hopefully teaching yoga or else Workaway (which means free accommodation and food in exchange for some work)). I am trying to visit countries I haven’t visited yet, and there a lot of countries I haven’t visited yet 😊. But I will just go with the flow, because life it too short to plan everything ahead.

Well, this is it for this week! You can also keep me updated about your life. Don’t say it’s the same everyday, because it is not. Every day is a new day, every day is special, it’s a present, right here, right now, so let’s seize it today 😊.

With love,
littlemissyoga

P.S: New pictures will follow soon 🙂

Yoga butt?!

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Yeah, it looks like I have a yoga butt! A what?? Is that a well-trained butt? Yes and no… over-trained, over-stretched, over-done and now it hurts. How is that possible? I was asking the same question. I trained a lot before, High Intensity Classes, Yoga, Body Balance. Nothing wrong with that. Now I am training every day, and teaching 7 classes a week. Still nothing wrong with that, I think. But I have probably done too much, too intense and not enough recovery and I already had a hamstring injury… What does it mean for now? Less forward folds, more glute-strengthening exercises instead of stretching and lengthening. It will take time, but it will be ok. I have to back off, because I will start teaching in Sri Lanka after I am finished in Laos, 3 days break only.

What asanas can I do? Inversions 😉, arm balances and even postures in which I use my glutes and hamstrings, but with modifications (this is also good for me, a different point of view of teaching the asanas). And more abs-training, but that’s for the students whehehe. And, a massage, which I had Monday, 90 minutes Lao-massage with some Lao Tigerbalm. A Lao-massage looks like a Thai massage, but less strong. I like it (well, when she is squeezing and bending me maybe a little less 😉).

Besides of my yoga butt, I still enjoy my stay in Vang Vieng. I discovered that I don’t want to go out to a restaurant for having (the same) dinner (mostly white rice and something, noodles, padthai), so I have a new addiction: sandwiches (take away or eat now is the standard question). The baguettes here are lovely and we have found our ‘Sandwich Street’. And they have avocado! Something we don’t get in the hotel, so that’s why it’s lovely to eat it now and then. A very warm welcome to the common things. Mango-sticky rice and sometimes a piece of the vegan hazelnut-chocolate pie are very good substitutes for dinner as well!

I am here for about 6 weeks and everyday I explore something new. You know, toddlers or very young kids always see each day as a new one, everything for the first time. It looks like I am doing that as wel.l.. not always though. I realise how special everything is. That we should be grateful for every little thing. For all what Mother Nature gives to us, without any expectations to get something in return (except for destroying her…). Every day we have a beautiful sunrise, after a freaking cold night. 9 degrees, no heater, sometimes windows can’t be closed properly… but hey, I can feel the sensation of the cold wind, I become aware of it, I just put on extra clothes to protect myself from the cold. It brings people literarily closer to each other 😊.

People in Laos are amazing and they keep on surprising me. Sometimes they are so friendly, sometimes so lazy, and I think they are the worst salesmen I have ever seen. Every evening at 5pm the Night Market starts, clothes, gadgets, food, bags and so on. In my first week I looked into some shops and the men or mainly women didn’t pay any attention to me… watching something on their phone was more important. Once, I even got the look: don’t bother me, I am watching the last episode of my favourite series, you can come back tomorrow. Sounds crazy tho? They don’t want to sell things! And it’s their job, to make money, to feed their kids (who are always there, bunches of babies and toddlers, so cute btw 😊 ). Now, because it is more crowded, they are more pro-active in trying to sell their stuff, especially to Korean and Chinese people. I will buy a Laos-shirt later on, because it has my favourite flower on it (Frangipangi/Cempaka). And being a little bit of a tourist is good for the economy, isn’t it 😉.

We have a X-mas tree in our hotel! I think I will set up a X-mas class, X-mas Vrkasana (tree-pose), Reindeer pose in Virabadrasana 2 (Warrior 2). Deer pose in Yin becomes Reindeer pose, table top will be a side table which is needed for all the presents, and with Kapalabathi (breating exercise) we imagine the big belly of Santa Claus, expanding on the inhale and flatten on the exhale. Maybe we can even imitate the sounds of reindeers in some other breathing exercises 😉. Mmm.. all mentioned poses are good for strengthening the glutes as well 😊.

Ok… enough about yoga. What have I done so far, when I was not teaching? I hiked with Raul to Tham Poukham Cave and Viewpoint Nam Xay, we did kayaking and I visited him in Vientiane (capital of Laos) before he went off to Thailand. I hiked to the 2 viewpoints of Pha Ngern. My gosh, my legs ached a lot after each hike!! I did something for the website, created a new monthly schedule and together with the other teachers spread them out though Vang Vieng. I lay at the pool, had a little swim, read a book, listened to my listening books on my phone, went to the temples, just walked around in the nature, did a small hike with Fara (a volunteer from Spain, really good company), had 2 Lao-massages, prepared new classes and practiced them, I had some chit-chat with the staff here (most of them are really nice). I am always a bit crazy, the cleaning ladies work their ass off, they are always smiling! I once took over the mob and started to sing: I want to break free, I want to break free (for the youngsters: this is a famous song of Queen). They were all laughing at me. And another time, when they lay the tables for breakfast I grabbed a white table cloth, put it over my head and pretended I was a ghost. It resulted in a blue and a white ghost in the breakfast hall 😉. And two completely ruined table clothes, wrinkled all over 😉. But we had fun. And who cares, in the morning, all the guests are sleepy anyway. Oh, and the lady who is making the eggs and pancakes always looks so… serious, almost grumpy. But now, after 6 weeks, she is smiling when I come in. Once, I was the only one having breakfast (9.30am); I was in a singing mood, so I started to sing: you are the dancing queen (Abba 😉) including a dance. The staff thought one split second: she is really nuts, but then, suddenly, everyone smiled and looked happier (I know I can’t sing, but anyway, when I feel like it, I sing, no glass to break in here anyway 😉). Maybe I can start to set up a flash mob 😉! Sometimes I just do nothing, just sit and stare to the mountains, the hot air balloons, listen to the noise of the longtail boats and the karaoke-singing Koreans in their kayak. And I smile. Because it is lovely to see all of this.

Watching sunset during the outdoor class, sometimes watching sunrise during my outdoor practice. Watching people working hard for a bit money and thinking: my life is really good! Of course, I have struggles and some issues, but ain’t that just the way we learn? Really, if you have never been to Laos, I can highly recommend it (as a vegan it is harder to travel, but you will find your way, however also the bottom of your purse will appear quicker 😉). Ok, 2 months in Vang Vieng will be boring if you’re not working, but Laos is a large country, with beautiful nature everywhere and not yet many tourists. The visa on arrival costs $35 (European passports), available at all international airports. I thought Indonesia was my #1 country but Laos has beaten it! What I also noticed: Lao men are quite handsome and Lao kids and babies are really adorable. I am already thinking of adopting a baby 😉. For the party poopers: Free whiskey is available in many places, you can start your whisky tour at 5pm up to 10pm, in different hostels and bars. Alcohol is normal, abuse of the boose as well (people drown doing tubing…). And mushroom pizzas, weed, hash, all available. And for the Voices of Laos – Karaoke bars!

I think this post is long enough to get you through the long winter nights in Europe 😊. If you have any comments, you can post them. Or send me an email, What’s app message. I can’t promise I will reply soon, but I will read it anyway.  For the ones who are really curious, check http://yogainvangvieng.com/ (and you will find me there in some pictures 😊).

With love,
littlemissyoga