Category: yoga

Women who do

I love social media for various reasons but mainly because I discover new things locally and I meet awesome, interesting people from all walks of life.

About a week ago  I came across a post on Twitter from Docks Cafe on Oxford street in Southampton, a cute, little cafe which I haven’t been before but I really wanted to for a while as I follow them on social media because of the amazing cake photos they post every day.

They were promoting a breakfast and networking event at the cafe organised by Women Who Do (check them out) a network of professional women run by the lovely Emma Downey.

I signed up for it almost immediately. I thought it will be the perfect opportunity to meet and learn from inspiring ladies and a great chance to visit Docks Cafe. Networking over coffee and breakfast, it can’t get better than that.

Yesterday I found out the lady running the hot Yoga classes I’ve been meaning to try for a while and who I follow on social media because of all her amazing yoga related posts was going too.

So today, I woke up bright and early, excited for the event.

And it did not disappoint.

Docks cafe was incredible. Great coffee, fresh pastries-loved my pan au chocolat- lovely decoration and friendly staff. I definitely recommend it especially if you have a sweet tooth like I do (just look at their Insta!).

Every single person I met was lovely and had interesting stories to share. A couple of examples:

Charlotte is an environmental writer who recently moved to Southampton and taught me how gardening can benefit people with depression and anxiety not only because they get to spend time outdoors and do something physical but also because soil can increase serotonin, nature’s anti-depressant. Southampton Council is actually funding a project promoting gardening for vulnerable individuals who might benefit from this. Isn’t that amazing? She regularly posts on her personal blog if you want to find out more about this lovely gal.

Maria works full-time at a tobacco company but also loves anything local and posts often about events and things happening across the city. Check her Insta for everything Southampton related.

Benedita, who is originally from Portugal and moved to Southampton from London, quit her day job and started her own business, teaching hot Yoga. She is the brain behind In Balance Hot Yoga. Needless to say how much I look forward to go to one of her classes.

Emma recently moved to Southampton and is a freelance marketing consultant working with companies across the country. One of my dream jobs!

Naturally we ended up talking about food. I don’t think a day passes by without me talking about food. We are planning to start a supper club, trying different restaurants and food across Southampton!

 

Women Who Do
Women Who Do

I can’t wait to get to know them all better. I left the cafe happy, excited and grateful I got to meet amazing, inspiring women.

What a great initiative, thank you Emma for organising this. If you fancy meeting these ladies, join us at the next meeting!

What a lovely way to start the day.

Eleni

A different kind of Monday

Happy Monday!

I started this blog last night but I was really tired I couldn’t finish it. So posting it first thing in the morning for a change.

Today is a different kind of Monday. I’m not dreading it. Much. It’s still Monday….

But tomorrow night I’m heading to the airport. And on Wednesday, early morning I’ll reunite with my best friends, my soulmates, my sisters!

We will spend two days in Florence and four days in Rome. First time in Italy, for all of us. I can’t even describe how excited I am!

To explore a new country, a country I wanted to visit for so long, but the circumstances didn’t allow it, and to do that with my sisters, first time we’ll all be on holiday at a country other than home (Cyprus) or… home (UK) is overwhelmingly amazing.

I spent Saturday doing chores, with a break for coffee and catch the last rays of sunshine with my bestie and to get new books to read from Oxfam as I finished Perfume (review coming soon!).

Yesterday I completely lost concentration, I started worrying whether my sisters will make it to Rome, what if I miss my flight and a wave of other irrational thoughts made their way in and I felt lost. I didn’t know what thing to do first on my long to-do list. But after my Yoga practice (which co-incidentally was about mental focus and concentration, what are the chances!) I focused on the session’s mantra- I got this!- and got on with almost everything I needed to do. Only a couple last minute things to do today after work and I’m all set!

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I recently started meditating and practising mindfulness when I can’t sleep, which happens often and it definitely made a difference! I’ll write about it when I get the chance.

I’ve once read that more than often people crave a holiday and plan everything to the dot and then are disappointed when the time comes as their expectations don’t match reality. Which makes sense.

But I love doing the opposite. Exploring and see where it leads rather than meticulous planning is my favourite thing to do and it never failed. That’s what Shebz and I did in Berlin last year and we had the best of times.

And I’m sure Italy won’t let me down!

I know it’s only a short break, (which includes FriendsFest in London after Italy!) and it won’t change my life, or maybe it will, you never know, but it’s exactly what I need right now.

It will be incredible if I meet an Italian hunk and we go sailing in the Mediterranean afterwards rather than come back, as I’ve been joking for the last week, but it’s highly unlikely that will happen. A girl can only dream though!

I still have high hopes for September!

I’ll miss blogging but my next one will be a special one! A travel post (which will of course include local cuisine) on bella Italia.

I will be posting snaps on my Insta if you want to follow my Italian ventures.

Until then…

Namaste

Eleni

Sofa, blankets and delicious food Friday

Happy September!

First day of September, first day of autumn. I can feel the cold already.

Since it was payday yesterday, Sheba and I carried on the celebrations with lunch at Rogues cafe. I wanted to visit for a while, since it has amazing reviews and today we finally made it.

And it didn’t disappoint.

It was quiet when we went, it was just us, which was awesome, we had the whole place for ourselves.

We grabbed some blankets they had in wooden crate at the entrance and sat at the largest, comfiest sofa of the cafe.

The staff were lovely, friendly and chatty. The waitress enjoyed the music as much as we did and we all hummed along to most songs. She’s one of us!

Sheba had the veggie breakfast and I had avocado, hummus with chilli flakes and a poached egg on sourdough bread.

It was delicious! The avocado was nice and soft, hummus was tasty, perfect amount of salt and lemon juice and the bread was probably the best bread I’ve tried in Southampton, fresh, warm and soft, so soft it melt in my mouth.

The quote written in chalk on the wall just opposite us definitely touched a chord.

‘Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible‘ by Frank Zappa

We had a great time. Sofa, blankets, delicious food and fun conversations with one of my favourite people. What else could I ask for.

Needless to say I definitely recommend Rogues Cafe. If you love homely vibes, delicious food and want to support the community and local independent shops, give it a go!

After I came back from lunch I saw a colleague who’s been battling cancer for a while. She’s been off sick for weeks and only popped in to grab something from her office. She looked weak and fragile. She reminded me of the last time I saw my aunt. Well the last time I saw her alive. Back in March, 2015. She had just finished a round of chemo and lost most of her hair. But at that point doctors were optimistic that she would get through it, but she didn’t believe it. I can’t stop thinking that she knew. She knew months before. God I miss her. I’ll always miss her. It’s sad and painful but I’m glad I remembered her. As long as we remember her, she lives through us.

After work I had my hairdressers appointment with the lovely Vicky at Haringtons. I love this place. I always look forward to it. Massage chair, a nice cup of tea, chatting and pampering. What else does a girl need!

And just finished the Love Vinyasa Flow session with Adriene. Day 1 of the  Self Love themed month. Just what I needed! It might take me a bit longer to finish since I can’t follow the sessions on holiday but I’m confident it will be another amazing journey.

Now Pizza and Friends. Perfect end to the day.

September started well. I have high hopes! Every time I think of it Kodaline’s song comes to mind and I start singing

High hopes,  it takes me back to when we started
High hopes, When you let it go go out and start again
High hopes, when it all comes to an end butt the world keeps spinning around…

I’ll try and post during the weekend  before I sign off for a week or so for my holidays if I have something to share and if I get the time, so much to do!

Here’s to the weekend! Happy weekend beautiful people!

Namaste

Eleni

Yoga Tuesday

Today was emotional.

I have just finished my last session of my 31 day yoga revolution with Adriene Mishler.  I started crying even before it started.

I can’t believe it’s been a month already.

It feels like yesterday I reluctantly decided to give it a go.

I never in a million years thought I’d stick to it, let alone I’d actually look forward to getting back on my mat every single day. It’s been the highlight of my day for the last month.

I’ve written all about it recently if you want to find out more.

Today is all about what I learned from it, besides strengthening my body, my balance, my posture. Besides the physical benefits of it.

I learned how to be aware, present in the moment.

I learned how to let all my worries and negative thoughts fly away whilst I concentrate on my breathing and my inner smile.

I learned to be more mindful and confident.

Above all I learned to love and care for myself. I learned to trust myself.

I feel I’ve grown so much within the last month, more I’ve grown over the last couple of years.

Yoga will always now be part of my life. And it’s all because of Adriene. I’ve been to yoga and pilates classes before but never grabbed me enough to keep going.

But Adriene with her wicked sense of humour, spontaneous singing, calmness and genuine love for what she does showed me the way.

Adriene, if you happen to read this, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I felt, as I’m sure thousands of people who have followed your yoga revolution programme have, the love and care you put into this.

I feel grateful, blessed and privileged I’ve been on this journey with you.

Namaste

Eleni

 

 

As you are

Good morning and happy Friday!

My favourite weekday.

Finally the weekend is upon us and today is all about loving yourself.

And it’s only in the last year or two that I finally accepted and loved myself. As I am. With all my imperfections. I wear my flaws on my sleeve, I wear them like diamonds.

Adriene’s yoga revolution over the last 25 days boosted my confidence and I was reminded again to love and care for my body, my spirit, my self. When I first started it I wasn’t sure about self hugs, and inhaling and exhaling love, finding my inner smile, but now I get it, I get it Adriene! And I love it.

I’m not saying much more today because one of my favourite contemporary writers Nayyirah Waheed (check her out) put it in words better than I ever could.

2017-08-17 21.33.57

and Rag’nBone Man sang about it beautifully- my tune of the day.

 

Namaste

Eleni

Patience is the path

Happy Tuesday! Well. Sort of. It’s been a challenging day for me.

I found it extremely hard to concentrate.

I spent most of the day at work writing my PDR. I know that PDRs are supposed to be useful and necessary (although I believe that a large part of it is not of any use depending on your role and responsibilities, it should be shorter and more concise) but surely I’m not the only one that’s dreading it?

So I had to exercise my patience and perseverance skills. Every time I got distracted (and that happened A LOT throughout the day) I put my music back on and wrote a little bit more, and then a little bit more.

And I’m almost done. I should be done by tomorrow. But oh my Lord it was hard to keep going.

The selection of delicious homemade cakes freshly prepared by a colleague (thank you Craig!) brightened my day and lunchtime was a pleasant break. Sunshine makes any day better (although it’s harder to concentrate and be motivated to keep working when the sun is shining outside and you are stuck behind a desk) and spending lunch with my best friend in the sun is one of my favourite things to do.

Sheba and I went to where most Solent people go if they fancy quick lunch, Mettricks. I do love this place. Not only because it has delicious food, great coffee and tea, good vibe (love the leather armchairs!) but also because it is local and independent.

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That’s what I think Southampton needs more of. Character, uniqueness, individuality (no more chain restaurants and shops!). And Mettricks is one of the very few independent cafes in the city centre, with Halladays being my all time favourite! If you haven’t been, you should!

We spent our lunch chatting, whinging, laughing, dreaming of sunny holidays and travelling, craving new beginnings, whilst having a nice cup of tea.

Not sure what to make of the tea I had-trying new things is always exciting- it was one of the weirdest tastes I’ve ever experienced (it’s called Lapsong and it’s very smokey, it tastes how I’d imagine boiling a tree brunch or a stick in water would taste, if that makes any sense!). But I loved sitting in the sun chatting away with one of my favourite people, and occasionally waving at Solent Colleagues passing by.

Although there was this baby, he must have been around 10 months old, maybe a bit younger, sitting just opposite us, who wouldn’t stop giving us death stares the whole time we were there, not smiling at all, not even once. It was the first time I was ever scared of a baby!

death stare

And then I came home to do my Yoga practice. Day 24 woohoo.

And today’s theme was patience! Either irony, coincidence or an opportunity to continue practising patience!

It was a 47 minute long session, that I just finished doing. And it has completely and utterly relaxed me.

So I guess my message for today is patience is a virtue. Is not in any way or sense easy. But the more you practise it, the better you get at it.

And remember to enjoy every little moment, even when you are patiently working towards your goals, dreams or aspirations, whatever they might be. You do not want to miss the present because you are only looking forward to the future.

I’m not sure that everything it is as it should be, as often Adriene says, but I’m now super ready to face tomorrow.

Namaste

Eleni

Revolution-31 days of Yoga #Namaste

Good morning and Happy Sunday! God I love lazy Sunday mornings.

I’m very happy the sun decided to come out this weekend after a windy rainy week. British Summer eh.

I love my food and yesterday I enjoyed a Rubenesque toastie (I LOVE Sourdough bread) in the sun with a friend (at Mettricks Guildhall) which was too delicious not to share with you all.

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I can talk about food for ever (I wish I could be a food blogger travelling around the world taking photos and tasting delicious local dishes, that’s the dream!) but today is all about the 31 day yoga programme I’m doing at the moment.

Is designed and run by Adriene Mishler, an American actress and yoga teacher and as the name suggests is daily yoga sessions for 31 days.  Her Yoga Youtube channel  has 2.4 million subscribers!!

It’s pretty amazing that thousands of people across the world including me tune in to Adriene’s channel every day and follow the same journey.

A friend told me about it a while ago and since I’ve tried yoga before and enjoyed it (although I still struggle with balance!) I thought I’d give it a go. I’m one of those people that feel that the world slows down when exercising and I’m clock watching eagerly waiting for the workout to end so I didn’t think I could commit and do it every single day.

BUT I was pleasantly surprised. I didn’t give up, I’m on day 15 today and I absolutely love it.

Every session has a theme (yesterday was about forgiveness and today is on being fearless!!) and lasts for about half an hour. Time flies by and I never realise, that’s how good it is!

It is designed for everyone, from beginners like me to pros. Some of the poses can be challenging but as regularly mentioned at each session is not about nailing the pose. So if that put you off Yoga, give it another go, and shift your focus on relaxing and enjoying the mental and body exercise rather than perfect every pose.

Adriene is an awesome teacher. She is funny-her spontaneous singing and accidental innuendos make the practice even more fun-, she guides you through every pose and as she always says is not about getting it right or getting physically fit (although that’s definitely one of the perks that comes with it), but is practising the theme of each day and above all, although not explicitly said, mindfulness.

I’m a big advocate of mindfulness (I highly recommend A mindfulness guide for the Frazzled by Ruby Wax) but I found it hard to practise it.  Well, not anymore!

Every time I get on my mat, after a minute or two I forget all my worries and things I have to do and I concentrate on my breath and being aware of every inch of my body. And miraculously all negative thoughts just disappear!

I felt the physical benefits from the first couple of days. My muscles across my body from legs to arms feel tighter and I’m aware of my posture almost all the time. AND my balance is getting better. I can’t wait to be able to do the tree pose without falling!

My daily session is on of my favourite times of the day and although there are days that I struggle and my balance and concentration are off, I look forward to it every day!

Yoga will definitely be part of my life from now on.

If you fancy giving it a go or you are just curious to find out more all details here and here.

I quite enjoy blogging lately and I’ll try and do it even more regularly.

I have no idea what my next post will be about though! If you have any ideas you are more than welcome to comment below.

Have a great Sunday!

Namaste