Hope you all had a good start to the year! The holidays can be pretty intense, involving lots of eating, sitting and socializing with family and friends. In the middle of this, we also need some time for relaxation and reflection. I often find that there is little to no time left for this during Christmas itself, and first in the days before and after New Year's Eve I start to look back and set new goals. 

When I was a kid, I had these padlock-sealed diaries that I wrote in every so often. Nowadays, I treasure these books so much. When I go back home in summer, and happen to find any of these books, it is both sweet and fascinating to read about the things my 10-year-old self was preoccupied with. These days, I collect a lot of thoughts, ideas and learnings randomly in various notebooks throughout the year. That said, these notes are often scribbled between yoga sequences and to do lists and how could I ever separate these thoughts and events if I didn't write it down in a more structured way?

For this reason, every year I sit down for a few days (yes it does take a while) to write down what happened in my life from month to month and most importantly how I felt about it. This provides a unique opportunity to look back and better understand what's been going on over the last 12 months. 2015 has been A LOT; settling in a new country, beginning a new job, starting to teach yoga, developing my yoga practice, building new friendships, getting married and much much more.

I think the best way to set new goals, is to first look back to see what has happened.

Ask yourself:

What moments and friendships did I cherish? What projects am I inspired to take further? What gave me value, health and happiness in 2015? How can I do more of that? What else do I want to bring into my life?

I actively follow quite a few writers and sites that have published posts on how to best meet this new year, and how to keep your resolutions.. In truth, we can actually evaluate and set goals at any time during the year. That being said, now is always a good time - and better than later.

I think the best takeaways from the articles I've read are these:

Make the goals measurable and clear. For example, if you want to bring more happiness into your life. Then write down a list of the things that make you happy. 

Stake out a goal of how much time to dedicate to this each day or week:
 
1. Meditate 5 minutes - eg. each morning or night every day for two weeks
2. Go out with friends at least once a week
3. Try a new recipe or dish every week
4. Drink hot lemon water every morning
5. Commit to a 10 minutes simple stretch routine every morning or night

Write down the goals and share the goals with your partner or friend. When we share the goals with someone, the goals become more real.

Believe in yourself. We all have moments of doubt. On any journey, there is always gonna be some obstacles along the way, this includes moments of doubts, laziness or falling back to an old habit. But if the mind is focused, then we are far less likely to get entangled and lost as a consequence of such obstacles. For me, some of the best ways I know to refocus is to talk to a friend, exercise or meditate. 

As I was writing and thinking about Doubt, this one popped up in my Youtube feed. Blige and Swift for you all. 

Stay humble and allow for happiness in any shape or form!

Love,
Karin

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY!

Hope you all have had an amazing day! My day started off teaching yoga, with a women's theme of course. We practised some of my favourite yoga poses with a lot of female power (think Warrior ll, Lord of the Dance and Bow) and celebrated ourselves and our bodies all throughout the class. An hour of bliss.

One of the yoga poses that has always fascinated me the most is Sarvangasana, or shoulderstand. 

Actually, it might be one of the first poses that I ever tried out. If you don't count basic poses such as a cross legged or savasana, obviously. 

Sarvangasana always came so naturally to me, to just throw my feet up into air, resting them on the wall - or as a free stand, with my back resting in the palms of the hands. 

It is like my body is asking me to do this pose; it really helps me to clear my mind. 

Next time you feel restless, agitated or stuck in a rut - try it out. Only after a few minutes of pressing down through the upper arms and watching your toes reach up towards the sky, your mind and senses will heighten and most likely, you will feel back in tune with the now. Feeling grounded, focused and with a new frame of mind 

Preparing for and moving into Sarvangasana

1. Fold a few blankets, evenly and to a large enough piece to fit your arms and back. 
2. Place your blankets at the top of your yoga mat or about 50 cm away from the wall. Turn the folded edges towards the wall or the edge of the mat
3. Lie down on your back with the shoulders two centimeters away from the folded edge. 
4. Bend your knees and bring the arms in by your sides, palms facing up. 
5. Root your shoulders and arms into the blanket.
6. Inhale gently, and as you exhale swing your legs up in the air and/or against the wall. 
7. Bend the elbows and place the palms of your hands on your lower back with the fingers pointing up.
8. Keep your elbows in line with the shoulders and keep you neck still for good alignment
9.. Reach out through the toes and bear the body weight through the foundation - your elbows, shoulders, and head. Each point should bear weight, but your elbows should bear the most, followed by your shoulders and your head. 
10. If your neck is comfortable and your setup feels like a breeeze, stay for 5 to 10 breaths. Then, slowly release from the pose. Gradually increase the time spent in the pose, to eventually remain in the pose for five peaceful minutes.