A Kinder Approach

Where did all the time go?

Here's a list of stuff I'm digging, four plus months into 2014. Am I slowly turning into a hippie or what??!!

1) Yoga! I've started going to the classes sponsored by my company again. Funny thing is, when I tried out the class a year and a half ago, I was so impatient to move from one pose to another, and I was bored out of my wits. Now, I enjoy the gentle stretches and the not-so-gentle poses that force just a little bit more out of me. I love the focus on the body itself - the core, the thigh muscles, the arms and shoulders. I love the little transformational changes I see - like being able to touch my toes in forward fold after a couple of weeks. And, truly a life lesson in itself, the ever constant, gentle reminders to always, always, breathe. Whatever you're feeling at the moment, it too will pass, just breathe through it. Pain is fleeting. Breathe through the pain, breathe when you think you can't hold that pose for any longer. You're stronger than you think.

I admit, I am horribly inflexible, and am constantly playing catch-up at both my paid and sponsored classes, but I actually look forward to them. The weeks when I have to miss classes(most likely due to work travels), I sorely miss it.

2) I made my own Epsom-salt scrub! Hardly a recipe - just 1 cup of epsom salts (read all about its goodness (with further links) here), 1/3 cup coconut oil, and a few drops of your favourite essential oil for fragrance - I used lemongrass for a fresh tropical feel. I use it after soap in the shower. I am trying my best to reduce the use of unnecessary chemicals in our lives, and this saves money as well (total cost - less than 10 bucks).

3) My music of the moment:-

i) Sam Behymer's performances in The Voice. I am obsessed with Sam's performance singing Give Me Love by Ed Sheeran (she's the taller girl in pink) - graceful, ethereal and just a little bit kooky. Ed Sheeran sang the original with heated passion, Sam does it here with a beautiful tenderness and soaring desperation. I really wish Adam Levine kept her on the show :( (She was eliminated in the next battle round).

ii) Josh Kaufman's cover of Stay With Me by Sam Smith. I usually despise over the top stage effects, but I thought the pouring and splashing raindrops here was just so beautiful. I loved the effect it had, coupled with Josh's intense, beautiful vocals - now, that's a moment.



I am slowly but surely adopting a kinder, more natural lifestyle - I've planted my own spinach, I've partially eliminated chemicals from my cleaning routines. I consciously seek local organic (fresh) ingredients when I shop for my cooking - easy to do in Klang Valley. I am also attempting to cook less with meat (more water is required for production of meat, and check out this link comparing the carbon footprint of foodstuffs), and I now eat more tofu, soy and mushrooms.